A New Way to Spend Fridays
Friday, April 27, 2007
Puck seemed to have been born with a triple chin. And he ate enough to keep it at a triple-level. Collette wondered if it might quadruple at one point.
OLeif had stayed home for the morning to aid in working on getting Puck on a routine of some kind. It amazed Collette how easily a home could begin to revolve around the whims of a baby; but he would grow and learn.
How different life was; the reality of it all was slowly sinking in. Collette had come from a busy weekly schedule where she was gone every day, teaching, working at the office, accompanying OLeif on escapades, church and related activities, etc., to being at home every day that week (but for Monday morning at Gus’ first pediatrician appointment). It made one feel strange. She also was beginning to feel very light.
Such bittersweet times.
Collette woke up that morning thinking that it was a day of sunshine similar to the afternoons when they had taken Carrie to fencing lessons somewhere out toward the city. She didn’t remember accompanying them much to Carrie’s lessons. But she did remember one afternoon in particular – a sunny afternoon with storms on the way. And she waited out in the car with Mom and the kids while Carrie was inside, jousting, or whatever it was they did in training. There had also been the one Saturday they had driven out to Missouri Baptist for Carrie’s first competition. She had taken second place, next to a much older girl. Carrie had a fierce drive of the sword for such a young kid.
Meanwhile, Mom was headed out with Grandma Combs for the weekend. They had plans to eat lunch at the boathouse in Forest Park and then take a rowboat out on the lake. Dad had always been good about making sure that Mom had these getaway weekends with Grandma at least a certain number of times a year. A relaxed mom was always the best mom.
And the youth rummage sale was taking place that weekend, similar to the previous year. This time, however, the weather seemed to be more favorable and the items would not be displayed inside the barn. They would be arranged in tables on the parking lot.
Joe and Francis, who had been with Mom helping to price items on Thursday, had already found their first treasure of the sale. For five dollars, they purchased a fully-operating paint ball gun. They had already taken it to the paint ball shop to have it inspected.
Come that evening, OLeif and Collette decided to try out bringing Puck to the coffee house, where Flint River was playing for the evening. Puck’s first real social event. It would be loud and crowded, but at least he would have a taste of what his future gatherings would look like during his years to come.
Amazingly, the little dude slept throughout the entirety of their hour at the coffee house. He hardly stirred, not even when Joe poked his pudgy nose and played with his fingers.
“Awwwwww….” Joe would often say.
Then he told them about the highlight of his day, the day before. He and Rose had gone “frog fishing”.
“We tied meal worms to dental floss and dragged them along the bottom of the fish tank. All the frogs went after them. Buddha got the most,” Joe grinned a set of perfect white teeth. “Once, one of the frogs missed, and he got a mouthful of rocks instead.”