It has been QUITE a while since I posted to this blog. Sorry sad me. I found it was easier to post to Facebook and not maintain this blog. But I've been rethinking my decisions as of late and now, here I am, back where I began in the public forum for posting my information.
Christmas has been good this year. It was meager....seems like it takes a lot of money sometimes to buy the things that your child has professed a love for. I tried to make it a simple Christmas with enough toys to satiate and not overdo and I think I accomplished it.
Yesterday we went to the mall. We were waiting to see A Christmas Carol movie and while we bided our time, we walked around. Build A Bear was having a special on animals...when aren't they! Grant was supposed to get an animal of his choice for his Birthday and for some reason we just didn't make it to the mall. So Rob was bound to make it up to him and yesterday was his magical chance. He picked out a Panda Bear. The lady at the stuffing machine (because that's the only name that comes to mind) filled the Panda up and asked Grant to pick out a cloth heart to put inside. He happily complied and paused, as she asked him to warm the heart before putting it in the bear. Grant took that little cloth heart into his palm, closed his eyes as though he was going to make a wish, and put the cloth heart to his own heart. It was so so so so sweet to watch him go through these actions. Rob's eyes welled up, as much as he didn't want to admit it. It was unadulterated love, from a child. And it's no wonder that children are closest to God. They have this innate ability to love and be unabashed about love. It made me melt to watch him and I just reached over and tousled his hair.
The movie was good but somewhat graphically scary for little ones. Laura was sitting on my lap for half the movie. I asked her if she was scared and she resoundingly confirmed every time that she was not. She's a brave little engine :).
Today I sit here and watch the kids and marvel at the simplicity that is life. That will last for about another hour before I get wanderlust and want to leave the house. I always feel like I'm cooped up when I have to stay in all day. I want to get out and do something in order to feel like I have had a complete day.
I'm thankful for the birth of our Savior. We celebrate it at this time of year. It is a miracle and I'm glad we recognize it and that the worldly world hasn't wiped it from our visual and auditory periphery for another year. In fact, I'm encouraged by the fact that people seem to be shifting in a change to readopting the Christ in Christmas. It is heart warming to see and to welcome the well wishes of others as they say resoundingly "Merry Christmas" and not a placated "Happy Holidays".
Life can sometimes be hard. But at the same time, it rewards us back with the little day to day things...things that our children give us and we as adults impart to one another...that make everything worth the living here. I am reminded of a woman in Utah who was burned in 3rd and 4th degree burns over most of her body. She was given a blessing that she could depart this world and not have any more pain or sorrow. Or she could return to the body that laid there on the bed, completely burned over and aching from every nerve. She was told that if she did want to live, her life would be hard but she would be part of life, be part of her children's lives and be able to see them. She chose to live. And she is alive today. She goes through many daily hardships with the results of her accident. But she realizes at the core of it, she is here, on Earth, living and watching her children and that in itself is a GREAT gift. I have to remember how blessed I am and all the things I have and who I owe the most thanks to---as my eyes turn heavenward.
Thanks to everyone for a great year. I'm sure there's only 1-2 who will read this post at this point. You've all given up hope on me ever posting here again. But best wishes for a Happy New Year and here's to a fantastic and superb 2010.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Presidential Circumstances
I thought I would share this little story about the younger of the Freeman brood. We had just dropped Aedyn and Evan off at piano lessons so it was myself, Grant, and Laura in the car. They were chatting back and forth about President's Day. Grant informed us that George Washington was the first President of the United States. Laura emphatically said "No...Rock A Bama (translation: Barack Obama) was our first President. Seeing the learning opportunity, I told Laura that Barack was our first black President. I don't know why I say black as opposed to African American. I'm honestly not sure of the right terminology. I grew up saying black. In any event, Grant said "That's right, and George Washington was our first peach President". How funny the perceptions of a 5 year old. He had a sack puppet with the face of George on it and he had used a peach crayon to color it. So if I was going to color categorize Barack, he would do the same for George. I laughed to myself and confirmed his observations and resolved to document this funny little thought from his 5 year old brain.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Exonerating the Husband
Rats. Valentines Day. Do I buy something, do I not? Rob doesn't really care I don't think. We are practical people. We have anniversaries and other holidays for buying gifts. But this year, an anomaly. Rob and I both bought presents for each other without the other knowing. Today, Rob gave me my gift. There are several things a man can do to really blow it out big for his significant other and Rob did that today. He sent me 2 dozen, long stem red roses. Sigh. How great is that. I bought him something too but in the event that he's reading my blog, I can not as of yet give away what I bought. I can give a hint though...it's red. I've probably already said too much (wink). I think the reason I have a hard time on Valentines Day is because I get embarassed about being sentimental. It's hard to put myself in that mode because I so often make fun of those kind of people ha ha. So I say this...don't be afraid of the corn and moosh people...it's not just for breakfast anymore. Happy Valentines Day.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
When Lights Don't Work
Okay, so I haven't posted for a while. I'm not sure what my lack of motivation is. Perhaps is called time and I don't seem to carry enough of it. But then, prioritization is essential and I guess I'm not putting blogging at the top of my list right now.
But I do have an interesting story that occurred on Monday of this week. Evan is in a choir group at school. And they were having a big what they deem a "Pyramid" sing-a-thon...something along those lines. So we had to have Evan to Centreville Highschool by 6:30 PM. We fought the lines of traffic, poorly designed entry into the school and parked on the side of the road. We made our way through chatty parents and up to the nosebleed section so we could see our son on the other side in the bleachers, a spec in the masses. It was HOT and I mean HOT. The speakers scattered around were making a low buzzing noise and Grant was complaining in his T-shirt that he was hot. I was wearing an acrylic turtleneck--I might as well have been in a down coat. HOT! The program started and the music teacher from Centreville Highschool, hosting this singing get together, spoke to us and told us the power had gone out earlier and had blown something related to speakers (blanket apology to my husband who will later make fun of me for not knowing the name of what blew) but this is what caused the buzz from the speakers. We're off on good footing at this point. Singing, singing, more singing. We get to the last group of elementary kids before moving on to a middle school and two highschools. They're in the middle of their somewhat depressing song when the lights pop off. Never have I heard that decibel of screaming. All kids joined together in one harmonious shriek heard across the gym. I think the teachers had pure panic in their hearts at that point. I guess I don't blame them. The thought that a 1000 or more people would stampede out of there and possibly cause the loss of a life was in my thoughts. We stayed on our very comfortable wooden bleacher seats (I couldn't feel my bottom half at that point anyway, what's another 30 minutes of sitting). Okay, I know, TMI. I don't do well on hard seating the depth of a school pencil. The teachers began yelling for us to stay in our seats. The shrieking stopped as I'm sure quiet threats were made from music teachers to their various groups of singers. The gym was all quiet. They told us to stay put, they were working on fixing the electricity. Okay. What to do now. Grant and Aedyn thought immediately there must be a blizzard outside of Little House on the Prairie proportions--what else would make the power go. I explained that there are other reasons why power goes out--old building, faulty wiring. I was doing my best Cliff Claven I know everything explanation. They weren't buying it.
Finally, generator power kicked in and lights came on somewhat. Not before a teacher began yelling at us, the crowd, to put our hands over our mouths and stop talking. She was panicked, it was clear. Some father, oh blessed man, yelled shut up to the teacher. Nice! Real mature. So I was expecting some kind of chaos to ensue. But peace reigned.
They came over with a bull horn and started telling us the county had asked that we evacuate. The kids were to go first to the cafeteria and we would be excused after that to go attempt to find them--darkness and all. Rob and I devised a plan. I would take the three kids to the car and wait there. Rob would go to Cafeteria land and find our poor Evan.
Finally, full power came on. I took the kids, in my high heels, down those bleachers. As we shuffled along in the hallway toward the exit, Grant commented that we were walking like old grandpas. Walking is better than falling I say so better to be moving than not moving at all. We finally got to the van. Rob and Evan were not far behind. Evan hugged me tightly when he got into the van. I think it made him appreciate his parents and siblings more with something, as minor as that was. He was so kind to his brothers and sisters that night. I think we're going to make weekly trauma part of life in order to instill appreciation more often ha ha.
So when next I have a cool story to tell, I shall post again.
But I do have an interesting story that occurred on Monday of this week. Evan is in a choir group at school. And they were having a big what they deem a "Pyramid" sing-a-thon...something along those lines. So we had to have Evan to Centreville Highschool by 6:30 PM. We fought the lines of traffic, poorly designed entry into the school and parked on the side of the road. We made our way through chatty parents and up to the nosebleed section so we could see our son on the other side in the bleachers, a spec in the masses. It was HOT and I mean HOT. The speakers scattered around were making a low buzzing noise and Grant was complaining in his T-shirt that he was hot. I was wearing an acrylic turtleneck--I might as well have been in a down coat. HOT! The program started and the music teacher from Centreville Highschool, hosting this singing get together, spoke to us and told us the power had gone out earlier and had blown something related to speakers (blanket apology to my husband who will later make fun of me for not knowing the name of what blew) but this is what caused the buzz from the speakers. We're off on good footing at this point. Singing, singing, more singing. We get to the last group of elementary kids before moving on to a middle school and two highschools. They're in the middle of their somewhat depressing song when the lights pop off. Never have I heard that decibel of screaming. All kids joined together in one harmonious shriek heard across the gym. I think the teachers had pure panic in their hearts at that point. I guess I don't blame them. The thought that a 1000 or more people would stampede out of there and possibly cause the loss of a life was in my thoughts. We stayed on our very comfortable wooden bleacher seats (I couldn't feel my bottom half at that point anyway, what's another 30 minutes of sitting). Okay, I know, TMI. I don't do well on hard seating the depth of a school pencil. The teachers began yelling for us to stay in our seats. The shrieking stopped as I'm sure quiet threats were made from music teachers to their various groups of singers. The gym was all quiet. They told us to stay put, they were working on fixing the electricity. Okay. What to do now. Grant and Aedyn thought immediately there must be a blizzard outside of Little House on the Prairie proportions--what else would make the power go. I explained that there are other reasons why power goes out--old building, faulty wiring. I was doing my best Cliff Claven I know everything explanation. They weren't buying it.
Finally, generator power kicked in and lights came on somewhat. Not before a teacher began yelling at us, the crowd, to put our hands over our mouths and stop talking. She was panicked, it was clear. Some father, oh blessed man, yelled shut up to the teacher. Nice! Real mature. So I was expecting some kind of chaos to ensue. But peace reigned.
They came over with a bull horn and started telling us the county had asked that we evacuate. The kids were to go first to the cafeteria and we would be excused after that to go attempt to find them--darkness and all. Rob and I devised a plan. I would take the three kids to the car and wait there. Rob would go to Cafeteria land and find our poor Evan.
Finally, full power came on. I took the kids, in my high heels, down those bleachers. As we shuffled along in the hallway toward the exit, Grant commented that we were walking like old grandpas. Walking is better than falling I say so better to be moving than not moving at all. We finally got to the van. Rob and Evan were not far behind. Evan hugged me tightly when he got into the van. I think it made him appreciate his parents and siblings more with something, as minor as that was. He was so kind to his brothers and sisters that night. I think we're going to make weekly trauma part of life in order to instill appreciation more often ha ha.
So when next I have a cool story to tell, I shall post again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)