Freestone In the Forefront

What's a boy to do when Saturday includes his sisters' three ballet classes, three hours of Nutcracker rehearsal, Mom teaching, a "longest day" show choir rehearsal and Daddy going to a Utah football game?  Well, he makes the most of it by catching his first fish and shopping for a new wardrobe with Daddy, buying a Halloween costume, playing in a Monster Concert and swinging a solo trip to the pumpkin patch with Mom, and scoring a bag of candy at the ward trunk-or-treat.  Not too bad for a day's work of carving out his place in a big family.

Freestone has taken an interest in fishing, so Scott got him a tackle box at Walmart we brought him a tackle box all the way from Paris!  He and Scott spent a couple of hours at the Ponds where Freestone landed a big fish five minutes into their excursion.  When Free got dressed that morning, Scott realized he had outgrown all his clothes.  A trip to Old Navy solved that, and the boys were able to fish in style.  After fishing, Scott left for the game and Mom still had Nutcracker.  So Freestone babysat his little bro while Bill took Ari shopping for a Halloween costume and Xanthe played at Esmae's. 

When it was time for the Monster Concert, Free didn't have a "vampire" costume and we had fifteen minutes before the concert.  Family Dollar had two costumes left, he chose one, we threw in some face paint and he was suitably scary-looking by the time he went onstage.  I loved seeing my little vampire boy up there playing some of the songs he has worked so hard on.  Last concert (in the spring), he didn't join in until the Twinkles.  This year he joined on Minuet One and played that, Allegro, Long Long Ago, O Come Little Children, Song of the Wind and the Twinkles.

No fall season is complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch, even if we did have our own little crop of pumpkins, and even if Freestone was the only one who got to go.  Freestone chose the best pumpkin and started making big plans to carve it with Daddy.  When we got home, we had just enough time to have some of the taco soup I made for the ward party (you think I'm going to stand in a 300-person soup line with six costumed kids when there are glazed donuts sitting right there?  Eat before you go is my survival tactic, then go straight for the donuts) before we threw the crock pot in the car and took off for an evening of trunk-or-treating.  Freestone's night ended the way we wish every perfect day could end:  sorting, trading and bartering candy with your sister.

Freestone is such a great kid.  His constant nonsense chatter can addle my brain, but I'm learning to slow down and listen, look into those big, sweet eyes and see the boy who will one day disappear and the man who will one day take his place.  I love them both.