Mason with Family and Friends

This week has been so nice and relaxing. While Nathan is at work, I get to take care of little Mason. Thankfully Yeagi (my good violin friend) is teaching my students for me until January. I'm also taking a break from performing in the Orchestra at Temple Square. This means I get to spend all day with our little boy. Besides the regular routine of bathing, eating, sleeping, and changing diapers, we have a little devotional in the morning which includes a song, prayer, and scripture study. He looks at me a little funny during the song, but I know somewhere deep inside he must love it :). The highlight is when Daddy comes home from work! He loves being held by Nate.
   This weekend, Isaac and Angie and their three little girls moved into Mom and Dad's home. They will be the new owners soon, for which I am grateful. It was nice to see them all yesterday, and introduce our little boy to them as well. Mynoa, Teressa, and Maryanne loved holding him and ooing and awing over him. It's so sweet to see how much little children are drawn to babies.
  I wanted to also include a few pictures of Mason being held by some of our family and friends.

Mason with Uncle Jason

Mason with Uncle Ryan

Mason with Grandma Jacob

Mason with Aunt Jenet

Mason showing off his calf muscle with Uncle Mike

Mason cozy with Aunt Liz

already tired thinking about learning Latin and working out with Rick Dawg someday

Mason with his sweet Daddy

Mason with his adoring Aunt Shirley

So that has been our week. Now we are in December and looking forward still to Christmas! A lot to do before Christmas comes!!! Love you all!

presenting Mason Nathaniel Freeman

Well, he finally came, and he was well worth the wait! He arrived on the 12th of November at 5:10 pm - 9 lb - 1 oz, and 21" long. He is a little angel, and we love having him here! The first two days we spent in the Hospital, and enjoyed receiving visits from our families, and our dear friend Teran. The nurses were wonderful, and took him to the nursery at night and brought him in every few hours to be fed. They said he was the only baby in the nursery not screaming. Needless to say that made us very hopeful and happy.
   After the first two days in the hospital, I went to Mom and Dad's house to be spoiled by them for a week while I learned to be a Mom, and while I recovered from giving birth. That was a little like heaven for me to be there with my wonderful parents and with Nate the first couple of days.

   The second week has been here at our apartment. That is, until Thanksgiving weekend, which we spent at Nathan's family home in Springville while they were in Las Vegas visiting family for Thanksgiving. We had dinner on Thanksgiving with my family, and enjoyed seeing many of them there. Nate and I switched off being upstairs with Mason to quarantine him from any little germs.
   This Thanksgiving we felt especially grateful. I told Nathan that I think this has been the best year of my life...marriage to my wonderful sweetheart, a trip to Europe to visit good friends and see beautiful sites, and giving birth to a little angel. The blessings we have received have been overflowing. Special thanks to countless individuls who have prayed for us, supported us, and loved us through it all. Also, thanks to Mom Freeman for taking such great pictures (these pictures which I am now sharing with you). Now we are enjoying a wonderful Christmas Season!

Not here .... yet

     Our little guy still hasn't arrived. We were hoping that he would come on the 3rd (Nate's Grandpa Bacon's birthday) or today the 6th (my Grandpa Andersen's birthday), or the 4th (David McConkie's birthday), but alas, he still has not arrived. Perhaps our Grandpas are helping though to give him his last lessons in the Spirit world before he comes to earth. The next best date will be November 11 (11.11.11). His due date was Friday (David McConkie's birthday...Happy birthday David). My nurse midwife won't let me go any longer than Friday, so we're almost 100% sure he will make his debut this week. If he doesn't come out on his own, we'll have to make him come out.
     I think he's just pretty cozy inside my tummy and doesn't really want to come out. Yet who can blame him? It's cold outside and he will have to wait for his food. He won't be rocked constantly, he won't get to live in a hot tub, he will have to worry about bathing and getting his diaper changed, he won't have cool surround sound, and he will have to deal with everything from illness to getting his cheeks pinched (especially if he is as cute as Ramona's kids). I'll never forget Maryanne's quote - "my Mom pinches my cheeks because I'm so cute!" Hopefully he's excited to get held and sung to, read to, snuggled, and adored by many loving family members and friends.
      We don't mind so much that he's taking his time, but we do get a little anxious waiting. Nate's coworkers tell him he looks like he's on the edge of his chair all the time :). The positives of having him inside my stomach - getting a full night of sleep, enjoying not being in pain, getting to go on lots of dates with Nathan, and getting last minute things done. Regardless, we'll take him whenever he decides to come, with full hearts and open minds :).
    The highlights of this week: Dressing Mason as a pumpkin (see picture), going to 'Hatch's Chocolates' for some amazing hot chocolate (see pictures), watching football, and getting spoiled at a baby shower thrown by Janet McConkie (cousins of David's Dad) and other angel women here in our wonderful Boneville 27th ward on Thursday night. I was humbled by their kindness and love. They really spoiled Mason!
   We're enjoying the change of weather - getting cozy inside, and enjoying the glittering snow outside. Nate taught a wonderful lesson in Church today about the Creation. It helped me to reflect on the glory of God, and how I would be in awe in my biology or other science classes at the wonder of His creation. Nate is also enjoying playing the piano in primary still and wishes he could make it his life-time Church calling. He is so sweet with children - and they all love him!
   I was so happy to hear about Ellie's wonderful baptism yesterday (even though we didn't make it - as I had been up the night before with some contractions). How appropriate to have the beautiful white snow arrive on the day of her baptism. I want my life to be as white as snow :). We missed our family, but enjoyed knowing that it was a wonderful day for everyone involved. We're also excited for Isaac and Angie to become permanent Utah residents beginning December 2nd! 
   I love this time of year! I love knowing that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and that this year we have so much to be grateful for, complete with a little baby Jesus (well at least a baby Mason dressed up as a baby Jesus). How special that Christmas will be on Sunday. I am already looking forward to it. We even have been tempted to listen to some Christmas music.

   We love you all, and thank you for  your sweet phone calls, texts, and prayers. We'll keep you posted. Have a wonderful week!

The Beginning

We're actually doing it! We actually created a blog. After some discussion, we have decided that it's a good way to record our lives, and share it with our close freinds and family. We are excited to share our adventures, post pictures, and read about and learn from others lives and examples. Nathan and I have already benefited from learning from the lives of our dear family and friends and others. Truly, our lives are meant to be shared - in order to help and strengthen and to be helped and strengthened by others. I am inspired by many examples of people...some of which don't know me, let alone know that I have been the recipient of seeing their goodness and learning from their wisdom. Two examples come to mind just from this week: Elizabeth Smart who will be working for ABC News, and said "my goal is to do the most good, wherever I can". She is doing it. Also the director of a youth orchestra who said "sharing the gospel is part of our mission". These are talented men and women who understand the purpose of life, and their role in it. They have the desire to do good, and help others around them. Isn't that what this life is all about?
From my family - tonight my sister and her husband have invited us to dinner. We often learn from them, but most especially from the beautiful spirit that is in their home. My dear husband, who after waiting for me for a long time for me to pick him up from work, had not even a hint of irritation or complaint, but rather just kindness, and gratitude. These are people I admire, and love.