BOYS CHARLOTTE COLLEEN COWBOY DANNY DAVE DICK DREW ED FAMILIES GINA JACK JILL KIDS LARRY MAN MARTY MATT MICHAEL MIKE MOTHER_1 MOTHER_2 PASTOR_KARL PATTIE RED SAM SARAH SOLOIST SONG_PLAYS SUSAN WEATHERMAN WOMAN BOYS Yes! Awesome! CHARLOTTE See you later. CHARLOTTE Wonder what's for dessert. CHARLOTTE …You’ll have to face us crying, mad, shouting and more.” You think that’s good? CHARLOTTE Okay, let's do it. CHARLOTTE Daddy? CHARLOTTE Read it. CHARLOTTE Jaclyn's parents got a divorce and her dad married Mrs. Binkow. CHARLOTTE It's actually four. CHARLOTTE You can't toast the bread. It'll be CHARLOTTE gross by lunch. By the way, you have one brown sock and one black sock on. CHARLOTTE He means CHARLOTTE the crust. It's fine. It'll taste the same. CHARLOTTE Yes, it will! Don't be a baby! CHARLOTTE You ruined it! CHARLOTTE Yes, he did! CHARLOTTE It's ruined! He did it on purpose! CHARLOTTE Don't be stupid! She's dead and she's not coming back! CHARLOTTE Dad! Do something! Make him stop! CHARLOTTE Hi! Let’s go play. CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE Excuse me. CHARLOTTE Don't even try to understand. CHARLOTTE Yeah! CHARLOTTE Cool! Did you know my mom? CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE Good night. CHARLOTTE I'm good. CHARLOTTE Um, I was wondering if you could help me with something. CHARLOTTE I think I need a bra, but CHARLOTTE I don't know what size. CHARLOTTE I’m open. CHARLOTTE Over here! CHARLOTTE Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! CHARLOTTE You guys, that was our point. CHARLOTTE This is so much fun CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE We have to tear it up! CHARLOTTE But you signed it. CHARLOTTE Okay. CHARLOTTE Thanks, Grandma. CHARLOTTE Yeah. The boys are outside, playing. CHARLOTTE You put nuts into the sauce. No one in our family likes that. CHARLOTTE It's just that's not the way we do it. My mom knew that. CHARLOTTE It's no big deal. I don't want any. CHARLOTTE I know how to cook three things. CHARLOTTE We don't need Mrs. Kell to cook dinner for us. I can do it. CHARLOTTE I love turkey. CHARLOTTE I'm glad we're here. This was Mom's favorite place, so it should be our favorite place. CHARLOTTE Nana? CHARLOTTE I miss Mom every day. CHARLOTTE I'll never stop CHARLOTTE missing her and I’ll never love anyone as much as her. CHARLOTTE I was only being nice to Mrs. CHARLOTTE Kell because she was nice to me and Jack and CHARLOTTE Danny, but if you want, I'll never CHARLOTTE speak to her again. CHARLOTTE I heard you tell Daddy CHARLOTTE that if we liked Mrs. Kell, it might hurt Mom, and that Mrs. Kell might leave us, too. CHARLOTTE We have to be there by 7:00. CHARLOTTE Okay. CHARLOTTE That was the exit for the church. We missed it. COLLEEN Okay! Hurry up. Go straight to your room. COLLEEN I can whip out a text, blast a Facebook post and a tweet, before you can even stop me. COLLEEN Of course you do. They've been so brave. COLLEEN I am not crying. I can't cry. COLLEEN See you later, Pattie! COLLEEN Bye-bye. COLLEEN Are you busy? COLLEEN Have you heard what happened? COLLEEN It's Cathy Spehn. COLLEEN She's... gone. COLLEEN You don't have to be here. People will understand. COLLEEN I think we should get Starbucks to come in and open up a branch. People could have coffee, browse through magazines. COLLEEN You got a better plan? COLLEEN Ew... COLLEEN I want to make it a coffee lounge. Gina here wants to set it on fire. COLLEEN Poor Michael. You should call him. COLLEEN I don't know. Take him for coffee? It's good to talk to someone who's going through the same things you are. That's why I joined Weight Watchers. COLLEEN I know, right? COLLEEN Really? COLLEEN It's so good for your kids to have a male figure around. COLLEEN I didn't say anything. COLLEEN I know. COLLEEN I totally agree. COLLEEN You should buy something new! COLLEEN I couldn't agree more. Or less. COLLEEN This is just good grooming. It's a matter of hygiene. Nothing special. COLLEEN I agree. COLLEEN Um... hmm. I agree. COLLEEN I don't think so. I like it! COLLEEN Oh, no. I-- COLLEEN That's it. COLLEEN Yeah! COLLEEN Yes. COLLEEN They still are! Just breathe, Gina. Suck in the oxygen... COLLEEN Just let it out. Just breathe. COLLEEN I don't think we're gonna make it. COLLEEN COLLEEN I positively don't think we're gonna make it. COLLEEN COLLEEN Hi. I brought you coffee. COLLEEN Can we talk? COLLEEN Can we talk outside? I'm dying for a cigarette. COLLEEN Just trust me. COLLEEN How was the ranch? COLLEEN Wonderful, Gina. I'm so happy for you. COLLEEN Um, people are talking. They think that things are moving too fast, that maybe it's too soon for you and Michael to be quite so connected. Even some of the kids are making comments. COLLEEN I'm happy for you, but it's only been a year, Gina. I-- I just... take it easy with this whole bluebirds of happiness routine. Your kids need all the support this place can give them right now. I'm-- I'm just saying. COWBOY You know, some of these big trees are hundreds of years old! The granddaddies of all living things on the planet. COWBOY The forest is one huge extended family. COWBOY They depend on each other to survive. DANNY Bye. DANNY I'm not thirsty. DANNY Yeah. DANNY Mom buys the soft bread and she cuts off the outside. DANNY No, it won't! DANNY No, it won't! DANNY I don't want to go to school. DANNY Look at the fridge. DANNY I did not! DANNY Come on! They're here! DANNY Want to go play upstairs? DANNY Dad! DANNY Oh, ho, ho! DANNY Bye! DANNY Thanks. DANNY Sam! Drew! Wait up! DANNY Dad? Can they? Please? DANNY Yeah, cool! DANNY Yeah. DANNY Dad, I want to go home. DANNY We're supposed to be angels DANNY and I got a costume and everything. DANNY Yes! DANNY Can we play "Ball of Peril"? DANNY Okay. DANNY Where are we going? DAVE It's okay, sweetie. DAVE Christina's been away all weekend. She's visiting her mom. I just have to hang on till after lunch, and she'll be home. What a nightmare. DAVE Thanks. DAVE No. Hey, no. It's okay. It's okay. DICK You okay, son? DICK You will be. DICK It's all done. There's nothing to worry about. We just... we got to get your shoes on and get you and the kids to the church, okay? I'll be downstairs. DREW I miss Daddy. DREW Bye! DREW Bye! See you at school! DREW Come on, guys! DREW I'm open! DREW Are we going shopping? DREW Okay. DREW Can Sam and me stay over? DREW Okay, thanks. DREW Guys, this is awesome! DREW Can we get a dog? DREW Can we share a room? DREW Where are Mr. Spehn and the kids? DREW But what about us? DREW I'm an angel! DREW How is Santa gonna know we're here? DREW DREW Bye! DREW Yes! DREW Yes! ED Hey! Can I give you a hand? ED Well, can I, uh, call someone to come pick all this stuff up? ED You sure? I've seen you cook. FAMILIES She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes FAMILIES Yee-haw! FAMILIES She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes FAMILIES Yee-haw! FAMILIES She'll be coming around the mountain she'll be coming around the mountain FAMILIES She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes FAMILIES Yee-haw! FAMILIES She'll be driving six white horses when she comes FAMILIES Yee-haw! FAMILIES She'll be driving six… FAMILIES My paddle's keen and bright FAMILIES Flashing like silver FAMILIES Follow the wild goose flight FAMILIES Dip, dip and swing FAMILIES Dip, dip and swing her back FAMILIES Flashing with silver FAMILIES Follow the wild goose flight FAMILIES Dip, dip and swing FAMILIES Dip, dip and swing... FAMILIES FAMILIES GINA My husband, the father of my two sons, the love of my life, died on Christmas day. He had been sick for two years. GINA What are you guys doing under here, huh? Come here. Come here. I love you so much. It's gonna be okay, okay? GINA The Earth kept turning and life went on around us though nothing had changed, but, for me, everything had changed. "Where did he go?" I kept asking myself. I couldn't reconcile his absence in my brain. I wanted to know, where did he go? I felt lost and alone in my own home. GINA This is harder than it looks. GINA What? GINA You rat. GINA You scared me. GINA Thank you for letting me take care of you. GINA You'll go when you're called. But I don't think that's today. GINA Okay? GINA GINA GINA Thank you. Come on, guys. GINA I just wish people would stop doing that. GINA I know, and it's-- I'm so grateful. I just, uh... You know, have you-- have you found a replacement for Pattie yet? GINA Well, I was thinking about applying for the job. It'd be great to be busy, and I could be here just in case my boys need me. GINA Bye, guys. GINA Oh, you've already done so much. Oh, you know what? There is something you can do. I want to stop the meal delivery service. I-- I cannot look at that red cooler on my porch another day. GINA Thanks. I just, I want to cook for the boys, I want things to be as normal as possible. GINA Please don't cry. GINA Yeah. That'd be great. GINA GINA She is? She was at Matt's funeral. They were old school friends. She was fine then. GINA A headache? GINA It's all right. You're right. I'm sure she'll be fine. GINA Nobody's hungry? GINA Me too. GINA You know what I think would make this dinner way more yummy? Some giant marshmallows. GINA Why don't you guys stay here and I'm gonna go down to the basement and see GINA if we have any. I'm going to take the elevator. Ding-dong! Mm-mm-mm-mm... GINA GINA Nope, we're all out of marshmallows, but for little boys who eat their dinner, GINA there will be ice cream. GINA GINA Hello? GINA Hey, Colleen. No, no, we're just, uh, we're in the middle of dinner. GINA Did I hear what? GINA You guys eat up, okay? I'll be back for ice cream. GINA What happened? GINA Matt's old and dear friend, Cathy Spehn, after less than three weeks since prognosis, had left behind three motherless children. GINA The news of another family suffering so close to us sent me back into the darkness. I kept thinking of Michael Spehn and how shocked he must've been feeling. I had at least had some time to prepare. I felt compelled to attend the funeral, to reach out. It was as though destiny was drawing us together. GINA She spoke to me at Matt's funeral. And she invited us over. We could've been friends. GINA Yes? GINA Yes. GINA You're Michael Spehn. I'm so sorry for your loss. GINA Of course. GINA They're grieving. They just miss their dad, but... they really are okay. GINA What? GINA That's incredible. GINA It's such a wonderful picture of her in there. Did you take it? GINA I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but... it does get easier. GINA I did the same thing. GINA You're really blessed to have a lot of friends. GINA Of course. GINA Sure. GINA How are you, Mr. Spehn? GINA People just want to help. GINA Well, you have to tell people what you need. Say "I love you, and I appreciate you, but I'm a grown man. I can fold my own underwear." GINA Nothing about this is easy. Well, someone actually dropped this off at the office for me today-- How to Raise a Healthy Daughter Without a Father. GINA Exactly. GINA I was thinking that we could just get rid of GINA all of this clutter, and line this wall here with benches, so people can sit and talk. GINA Yeah, Starbucks in church? GINA Well, anything is a better plan. I mean, arson is a better plan. Look at this carpet! This is disgusting. I think we start right here and get rid of this. GINA Wh-- Oh! Hello. Hi. We're just, uh, we’re actually redoing the GINA atrium. We finally have a budget now and a committee, so GINA we just need a plan. GINA And say what? GINA Funny. It's not gonna happen. GINA Michael? Hey! GINA Yeah! GINA You too. Oh, I can see you got your mother-in-law to stop doing your laundry. GINA Well, GINA judging by the pink tint to your shirt, you're GINA either doing a Walk For The Cure later, or GINA you've been mixing whites with reds. GINA Mm. I get it. GINA That's true. GINA I don't think she meant that. GINA Then take the walk. GINA Stop swinging at all this junk. GINA Ignore some of these curve balls, and just take the walk. Make it to first base GINA and see what happens. GINA Oh... here we go. Did your kids put this on the list? They said GINA it was the healthy kind? GINA It's all right. It’s a rookie mistake. You're new to the shopping list. Separate your colors. GINA "Thanks for the note. That would be nice. I'm sure my kids would love it. P.S., Careful about the call-me-anytime stuff. My ‘anytimes’ these days are well into the wee hours. GINA I'd love to talk, but you'd better give me some proper hours to call. Thanks, GINA Michael." GINA GINA "I have a virtual food bank. GINA Everyone pitched in and bought me a freezer. I have four casseroles, three lasagnas, some spicy vegan bean dish, GINA and some unidentifiable chicken dishes that are very good." GINA I'll bring a salad. GINA GINA I hope I'm doing the right thing. Give me strength. GINA Hey! GINA How are they doing? GINA Pretty much the same. Sam's having nightmares, and some days, Drew doesn't want to let me out of his sight, but they're coming along. GINA Oh, I did. I brought a pasta salad, a fruit salad, a potato salad. You know. I got some bread and some things for the kids. I'm Italian! GINA Mm. Smells really good! GINA Oh! Oh, the woman with the little tiny dog who has the little outfits? GINA The matching outfits? Yeah, yeah. She's cooked for us, too. GINA She's actually a really good cook. GINA Well, I mean, she must, right? GINA I think so. GINA I know exactly who you're talking about. GINA Very. GINA What should I do? GINA Why don't I cut the bread? Do you have a knife? GINA Grab a knife? GINA Okay. GINA Got it? GINA All right. GINA Oh... GINA So, does anyone know why our families are having dinner together GINA tonight? GINA Well, it's because we're all going through the same thing, GINA and... we thought GINA that it would be good to get together and GINA to support each other, talk GINA and just share our feelings. GINA Dig in! GINA GINA After the dinner we just went through, we are hardly guests at this point. GINA No! Don't let us stop GINA you. GINA Boys. GINA You need to just think positively and decide GINA that you can overcome this. You'll be stronger in the end for having tried. Oh... GINA Well, yeah, but in college, you probably had jeans and T-shirts and sweatshirts. Now you have a little girl, who has a wool-knit dress that should be hand-washed in cold water and hung to dry. GINA What? Where is your dignity, man? You can do this! Come on! I'm going to get you started. GINA No, no. This isn't charity. This is quid pro quo. GINA Someday, and that day may never come, I may ask you to do a service for me. GINA Godfather! GINA Very good. GINA Thanks for having us. GINA Oh! Hold on. I wanted to give you guys these. It's a book where you can put pictures and... memories. Really, whatever you want. My boys made one for their dad. GINA I met her. She was so pretty. You look just like her. GINA All right, well, good night. GINA You're welcome. GINA Thanks. GINA Thank you for tonight. GINA Mm. Yeah. Mine too. GINA Take care. GINA Well, hey, Charlotte, how are you? GINA What's up? GINA Well, I sure hope so! GINA I can absolutely help you with that, sweetheart. Come here. Yeah. We can go shopping together, if you want, okay? GINA GINA Hey! I'm measuring for the new plans. GINA Well, mm, yeah, the Pastor didn't exactly love our first few suggestions. GINA Yeah. The challenge is coming up with a-- a theme. GINA Me too. Hey, maybe Michael could help us design it. GINA GINA Yeah. That was my pleasure. Do you remember the quid pro quo we discussed? GINA It’s not gonna be that simple. GINA GINA I mean, it did say "some assembly required." GINA Matt was really good at this kind of thing. GINA Hmm... Oh! GINA All right, have fun! GINA He is just so great with the kids. GINA Did you know that Matt played basketball for Cathy's dad? GINA We are just friends. Our families just need each other right now. That's all this is. GINA Good! Because there's nothing to say. We're gonna be spending the summer in Colorado at my parents' house. We’re not even gonna see each other for a couple of months. After that, who knows? GINA GINA It was good for the boys to get away from home and see life from a distance. The outdoors and the quiet time gave me time to find a sense of peace. GINA Come on, guys. GINA Oh, home, sweet home. GINA GINA I am so exhausted. GINA No, definitely not. GINA We'll go tomorrow. We still have a few days before school starts. GINA GINA GINA Hello? Oh, hi, Michael. GINA Yeah, no, we literally just walked through the door. GINA That sounds great. No, no, we're not tired. GINA Did you order your kids new school uniforms yet? GINA Charlotte probably grew three inches this summer and Danny's at least one size bigger and Jack's shoes are GINA too small. GINA Ah, it's a mom thing. Cathy knew. GINA Good morning. GINA I guess so! GINA Here you go. GINA That's Matt GINA and his three best friends. They grew up together. They put on a GINA golf tournament to raise money for charity in Matt's name last year. GINA They're gonna do it again this year. GINA GINA This is a video diary that Matt made of himself for the boys, lessons that a father would want to teach his sons. GINA I started, but... I just can't really finish it yet. GINA I-I better go GINA see what's going on. GINA I just want them to play fair. GINA How did you know that? GINA You're right. He did. GINA Matt was too sick to go trick-or-treating last Halloween, so we stayed home and just gave out GINA candy. I can't believe that was 10 months ago. Sometimes it GINA seems like yesterday, and sometimes it seems like forever. GINA Oh! Thank you. The boys dressed me. GINA I'm a linebacker. GINA What're you talking about? I look good! I wore this to Target today and I got asked out by a total stranger. GINA Are you jealous? GINA GINA Are you flirting with a linebacker? GINA Oh, really? GINA Chuck E. Cheese? GINA GINA All right, I'll take you up on that offer. GINA What just happened? GINA It's not a date. GINA It's just dinner. More of a bet or a dare, really. GINA I mean, it's not about dressing up. It's just I don't have anything that fits. I have not bought new clothes in two years. GINA I should! But not because it's a date, because it's so not. GINA I mean, it's important to do something nice for yourself once in a while. GINA Oh! No. Not my color. GINA Well, or is it? GINA No. Definitely not. Trying too hard? GINA No. You're right. Trying way too hard. GINA Too young? Too old? GINA You're totally right. GINA I agree. You know what? It's a nice look for going out for dinner at night with a friend that you really care about. GINA This is a date, isn't it? GINA I am a 36-year-old mom going out on her first date. The first date that I have been on in 15 years. The last time I went out on a date, men were boys. GINA Okay. You're right. This is... yeah, I think I'm going to faint. GINA Really good. Okay. GINA GINA Feels weird to be out without the children. GINA Thank you. GINA Oh, you were sweet to the waitress. GINA I like that. GINA Little things like being nice GINA to a waitress gives you points. It's like the right shoes. You know, you wear right shoes, you get points. You wear the wrong shoes, could be a deal-breaker. Or-- or-- or dirt under your fingernails. GINA Or hair. GINA Oh, yeah! Too much GINA of anything is just bad. You know, too much hair gel, too much blow-drying, GINA too much of a comb-over-- GINA Uh, so far, so good. GINA Yeah. I mean, we will have to see how you do with the dessert tray. GINA Oh, totally! GINA Ordering dessert, even if the woman says no, is key. GINA Now, listen, I'm only telling you this because I trust you're GINA not gonna abuse the information. GINA GINA GINA We'll just hear about the GINA specials, please. GINA That was a wonderful Italian restaurant. GINA GINA Well... good night. GINA You should go. GINA You should. GINA You're going. GINA Yeah. GINA Yeah, good. Okay. Is it gonna be finished in time for Christmas? GINA GINA Yeah, but we have less than two months. GINA GINA Okay, well, it's "Sam and I." I don't know. I mean, were you guys invited? GINA I don't mind. GINA Yes, it does. GINA Oh, no, sweetie. Adults don't have sleepovers. GINA All alone on a Friday night. What will I do with myself? GINA There might be some ice cream, a movie, a nice long bath... It's gonna be a hardship, but I GINA will survive. GINA GINA No. I will be back in the morning. GINA You have fun. GINA Okay. That's great. GINA It's impossible. GINA What do you mean? GINA You want GINA to travel somewhere with five children? GINA It would be really nice to have a sign. Something to tell us we're headed in the right direction. GINA All right. Deal. GINA Nothing. GINA GINA This was the perfect place to be, away from all the sad reminders... a place where we could laugh. GINA Isn't that cool? GINA Jack, why don't you take this one? And maybe Charlotte can go there... And you want to sleep there? And Sam and Drew? GINA There's only, uh... GINA Great! Okay. That's perfect. All right, you guys. GINA Get your sleeping bags out and your pillows and let's make our beds. GINA Okay, tonight, I'm taking the hammock. GINA GINA This all feels very familiar. GINA I mean, we're missing the theme song, but I think we're the Brady Bunch. GINA GINA GINA What? GINA There we go. Great. GINA It's fine, I can-- No. GINA GINA What... What's going on? What's happening? GINA Thanks, you guys. That GINA was so much fun! GINA We love you, Jack. GINA Good night. GINA All right, you guys, come on. GINA Come on, come on. You're gonna be late! GINA Have a good day, okay? Bye. GINA All right, well... GINA Okay. GINA All right. Okay. GINA Good morning! GINA Oh, it was fantastic. It was actually great. How was yours? GINA Good! GINA Hey! GINA Oh! Thank you. GINA Yeah, sure. What's up? GINA You don't smoke. GINA So what's going on? GINA Oh! It was just great. Really, the kids got along so great. It was just effortless. GINA Thank you. So what's the matter? GINA Uh... and what do you think? GINA No, I really appreciate the heads-up. You're a good friend, Colleen. GINA GINA GINA I am so sorry I'm late. GINA Oh, you too. GINA Between working at the school and we're redoing the atrium, and it's just busy. GINA Crazy busy! So good to see you. GINA Thanks. GINA They will be thrilled. GINA Amazing. GINA Matt would just be so proud of all the work you guys are doing. GINA Well, I've GINA actually been thinking about that a lot, and I'd really like to call it the "New Day Foundation for Families in honor of Matt Kell and Cathy Spehn." GINA Yeah, and the—the GINA golf outing is something that can remain in his name, but I'd really like this foundation to be in both of their names. GINA C-Cathy's family went through the same thing that we did. GINA Well, it's actually more than that, Marty. GINA Is everybody done with their homework? GINA Oh, good. GINA All right. Let's just get this chicken out of the oven, 'cause your dad is gonna be home in a second. All right. GINA GINA Oh, but I did it last time and everyone thought it was great. GINA Because she was your mom, and she knew everything there possibly was to know about you guys, because she GINA loved you more than anything. GINA Yeah. Dinner's ready. GINA I think I'm just gonna, um... uh, get my boys and go home for an early night. Hey, you guys! GINA Let's go! GINA GINA No. No, no. Everything's fine. GINA I just, um, you know, I want to get them in a bath and get to bed early. GINA It was okay. The guys only want to put it in Matt's name. GINA Yeah. I'm just really disappointed. But… GINA All right, you guys. Let's go. GINA Change of plans. GINA Bye. GINA GINA GINA We should wait for Michael and the kids. GINA They did? Are you sure? 'Cause we were supposed to go buy their Christmas tree with them. GINA Oh. Okay, well, let's get you guys home, 'cause we've got to hem your angel costumes, right? GINA Hop in. GINA I understand. I mean… GINA Well, that sounds like fun. GINA Really? But I thought that we were... GINA Of course. Yeah, I understand. GINA It's just that... GINA I-- I thought that-- You're gonna miss the opening of the atrium and-- and the pageant. GINA GINA I agree. GINA Yeah. I mean, I'm gonna have my parents and sister and Matt's mom and sister around, so I'm gonna have a full house and... I mean, it's not gonna be an easy holiday GINA for any of us. It's only been a year. GINA GINA Yeah, and after Christmas, we're probably gonna go up to my folks' place until after New Year's, so... GINA GINA I guess so. GINA Goodbye, Michael. GINA They went to see their grandma and grandpa for Christmas. GINA Well, we have a lot to do, too. I mean, it's Christmas Eve. You got your grandmas coming over, and GINA tonight we have the Christmas pageant. GINA Yes, you are. GINA I do, too, sweetie, but I don't think it's gonna happen this year. GINA GINA GINA Finish up. GINA We just have be at the church by 6:00 for a short rehearsal. GINA Oh, no. We're just friends. It just felt like it was too soon to be involved with a man. GINA He does. GINA Would you mind if I just took a break? GINA Thank you. GINA Oh, Matt. Tell me what to do. GINA Thank you. Thank you. GINA Go ahead! GINA Merry Christmas. GINA I love you, too. GINA JACK Bye, Dad. JACK Mm-mm. JACK Oh. I forgot my backpack. JACK I have to bring cookies JACK to school today for our party. JACK I did! JACK Three times! JACK These are JACK crackers! Mommy always baked cookies when it was my turn to bring them. I'm not going! JACK Can we play "Ball of Peril"? JACK Okay. JACK Where are we going? JACK I want JACK Mommy! JACK I want JACK Mommy! I JACK want Mommy! JACK I want Mommy! JACK I want Mommy! JACK I JACK want Mommy! JACK No! I want Mommy! JACK I want Mommy! JACK I want Mommy. I want Mommy. I want Mommy. JACK I want Mommy. JACK Whoa! JACK Don't tackle! JACK Thanks for the books! JACK Come on, guys, let's play volleyball! JACK Who cares? JACK Please? Can they? JACK Let's go to my room. JACK Cool. JACK There’s a hammock, too? JACK Okay, I'll go here. JACK Where would we live? JACK But you could go to jail! JACK Hey, Dad? JACK What are we gonna call Mrs. Kell? JACK I don't know. I already have a mom. She's in heaven. JACK Good night, Dad. JACK Good night, Phyllis. JACK See you soon, Grandpa! Thanks for everything, Grandpa. JACK Drew and I were gonna stay up all night. JACK Are we there yet? JILL Morning, Michael. JILL Oh, I moved the cups over so they're closer to the sink. JILL Oh, Larry and your dad took them to the park to feed the ducks. They spend far too much time inside. Oh, and I'm taking them for haircuts this afternoon, so don't worry about that. JILL Careful! JILL Uh-huh. JILL Here you go, dear. JILL No, no, no. It's no problem. JILL Just listen to him for a minute, Michael. JILL It makes a lot of sense! JILL Okay. Okay. JILL We'll figure it out. I'll come by in the morning and get them off to school, and pick them up after, and if you like, Larry and I could move in for a little bit with you. JILL Could I talk to you about something, Michael? JILL The kids talked to us about Gina Kell and her children, about becoming a family. JILL Do you think it's JILL wise, so soon after losing Cathy? The kids might JILL need more time. JILL Do you think they're ready to accept JILL someone taking their mother's place? JILL Look, Michael, JILL I know how difficult it is for you to raise three children on your own, and how lonely you must be, but-- JILL We just want you to think about the impact that this could have on JILL all the children if-- if it doesn't work out. JILL And what if the kids get attached to Gina and then they lose her, too? JILL Oh, your mom made the best turkey in the whole family. Oh, she was a wonderful cook. JILL Oh... JILL Mm! I saved all her recipes for you. JILL What's he talking about, Michael? JILL That's true, sweetheart. She loved it here. JILL JILL Mm-hmm? JILL JILL So do I, sweetheart. JILL JILL I know, baby. JILL JILL Honey, why would I want that? JILL JILL You heard us talking in the... Oh, sweetheart! I didn't mean that. I... Charlotte, sit down. I want to talk to you. Your mommy would do anything in her power to make you and your brothers JILL and your daddy happy. JILL JILL I want you and your brothers JILL and your daddy, each one of you, to grow a new heart. Okay? Just like Mommy used to say. I will, too. Michael? Michael? JILL Uh, get the boys. We need to get you home. JILL No, no, no. Forget about that. Your kids and Gina's are gonna be angels in church and we have to get them there on time. We'll eat on the road! JILL I know, it's crazy, but we're gonna try. KIDS KIDS KIDS Yes, Coach! KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS KIDS Trick-or-treat! KIDS KIDS Things get done when you're working together KIDS Give it all you got and add some fun for goodness measure KIDS If you need a hand, then I think it's much better KIDS 'Cause things get done when you're workin'... KIDS Workin' together KIDS Workin' together, yeah KIDS I tried to do it on my own KIDS Worked myself right to the bone KIDS I did my very best, but it was KIDS hard KIDS Then you stepped up to my side KIDS Felt so good I almost cried KIDS There's nothing else that I can't do KIDS So step aside, I'm comin' through KIDS Give it all you got and add some fun for good measure KIDS If you need a hand, then I think it's much better KIDS 'Cause things get done when you're workin' KIDS Workin' together KIDS Workin' together KIDS KIDS I do! KIDS Things get done when you're working together LARRY Michael, I think it's time to talk about-- LARRY You have to-- LARRY It's been a couple of months now, and as the people who love you most in this world, we have to talk about what's next. LARRY Have you thought about our suggestion? LARRY We sure could! LARRY We're just LARRY trying to fit into our new roles. LARRY No, it's just that... LARRY they've had to deal with so much change in their young lives. LARRY Gina's vulnerable as well. I mean, she might need more time to get her own life together. LARRY When your mom was a little girl, she used to stay up all night long LARRY to see Santa, until she realized he simply won't come LARRY until you fall asleep. LARRY ...make plans. MAN Hi! MARTY No problem. Good to see you. MARTY Great. MARTY And since this will be MARTY an annual event, we formally need to create a non-profit organization. And the money we raise will go to families, like yours, who were affected by cancer. The four of us will make up the board of trustees. Now, we need to come up with a name. MARTY I don't get it. MARTY I know MARTY you and Michael Spehn have been becoming friends, but... MARTY No matter. MARTY I don't want a foundation named after anyone but Matt. MATT Sam and Drew... there are so many things I want to teach you, so much advice that fathers pass down to sons, but if you hear one thing from me... hear this-- you are loved. MATT Ouch. MATT Just joking. MATT You're doing a great job. MATT Thank you for taking care of me. MATT Peach? MATT I can't die on Christmas. MATT MATT Lesson one. MATT Always tell the truth. Be an honest man. Let your words stand for something. MATT It isn't always easy to tell the truth, MATT but in the long run, you'll find it's the only way to live a happy, MATT peaceful life. MATT Lesson number six. MATT Treat women with respect. Cherish and hold dear the woman that you love MATT and never miss an opportunity to tell your mom how much you love her. MATT The next person I want to talk about may or may not even exist. Your mom MATT may want to remarry another man. If she loves and respects someone enough to marry him after MATT I pass away, then I love and respect that guy, too. I know your mom. MATT I know her values. If she remarries, she's going to marry someone I approve MATT of. Treat him with the love and compassion like you would if I were still alive. MICHAEL Things get done when you're working together MICHAEL ...make plans. MICHAEL No, Dad, I'm not okay. MICHAEL I just feel like I'm forgetting something here, there's something I should be doing. MICHAEL At first, I couldn't cry. I was numb... tired, empty. MICHAEL Life had been everything that I ever hoped for. The engraving on our wedding rings read, "Live, love, laughter." And that was Cathy. How could I go on without her? MICHAEL Yeah. I'm fine. MICHAEL How does that work, exactly? MICHAEL I prayed really hard for Cathy to get better. So what happened? I mean, I didn't pray hard enough? Is that it? Maybe if I did a better job, I could've changed God's mind and Cathy wouldn't have died from an inoperable brain tumor? Is that it? MICHAEL "Divine matters"? Do you know what Cathy said to me the day before she died? "Why would I have been given babies if I wasn't gonna be around to take care of them? MICHAEL I'm sorry. All right. Thank you. MICHAEL Gina Kell? MICHAEL Are you Gina Kell? MICHAEL Thank you for coming. Uh, can we speak after the service? Just for a moment? MICHAEL Thank you. MICHAEL So you're farther along in this process. Can I ask about your kids? How they're doing? You can lie to me. MICHAEL Cathy had talked about Matt. I have to tell you something. Um… the day before Cathy passed, she... she said, "Michael, call Gina Kell." MICHAEL She was very weak, but she was adamant about it. She wanted me to teach your boys how to play basketball. I-- I coach at Stoney Creek High. MICHAEL That's the kind of woman that she was. MICHAEL Yeah. Yeah, I did. It's, uh, Mullet Lake. Um, Cathy's parents have a cottage up there. It's from a couple summers ago. It was her favorite place. MICHAEL You know, I-- I sat with her after she passed, and, uh... I don't know, I-- I just wanted to talk to her and-- and say goodbye. MICHAEL But she-- she, uh, she wasn't there. You know? MICHAEL Some of them I've known my whole life. I know you and I just met, but I feel like you're the only person here that I know. The only person that really knows me. MICHAEL Oh. Uh... Thank you. You know, thanks for, um, for talking to me. MICHAEL Excuse me. MICHAEL It's okay. MICHAEL Morning. MICHAEL Okay. MICHAEL Charlotte! Jack! Danny! Let's go! MICHAEL Okay. MICHAEL Thanks. MICHAEL Okay, go, go, go. MICHAEL All right, sweetie. I'll see you later. MICHAEL Bye, guys. MICHAEL Hey, Dave. You okay? MICHAEL Oh, you're doing great. MICHAEL I'm sorry, man. I shouldn't have said-- MICHAEL Hey, Mrs. Kell. MICHAEL Hello. MICHAEL Man, I hate that look. MICHAEL Well, that's the problem. There's just too much help. I mean, my mother-in-law's basically-- she's-- she's taken over my house. She's doing my laundry. She folding my underwear! MICHAEL You make it sound so easy. MICHAEL Um, you don't have a daughter. MICHAEL Ah! MICHAEL Pastor Karl, hey. I just dropped my kids off. MICHAEL Yeah, I'm good. MICHAEL Thank you. You know, I'm not much of a church guy, so. Thanks. MICHAEL I got juice. MICHAEL You guys eat what you can, you can head outside and play, okay? MICHAEL Oh, Jill. You didn't-- You didn't have to do that. MICHAEL What? This is again? MICHAEL Yes, you keep saying that. MICHAEL MICHAEL Dessert is next. Putting the kids to bed is next. And you want to know what I'm gonna do for the next five years? I'm sorry, but I don't know. MICHAEL Moving to Chicago MICHAEL and buying a house with my sister to raise our kids? MICHAEL No. MICHAEL I love my sister, but no. MICHAEL I don't know what I'm gonna do next, but I know what I am not going to do. I am not gonna change anything else for those kids. I'm not taking them out of their home! MICHAEL No. Thank you. Thank you, but no. MICHAEL We don't have new roles. We all have the same roles... MICHAEL Just one of us is missing. Excuse me. MICHAEL I can't look at this cooler anymore. This thing's like a death flag. MICHAEL Thanks. Look, I appreciate all the help, but things are under control here. MICHAEL I'll learn. MICHAEL What's going on? MICHAEL Okay. "I, Daddy Spehn, MICHAEL promise to never, ever, MICHAEL forever, marry again unless my darling three children, Charlotte, MICHAEL Jack and Danny agree. MICHAEL If you, Daddy Spehn, marry without our approval, you will have to face us crying, mad, shouting and more"? Well! I mean, thank you for putting in the consequences. What made you guys decide to write this? MICHAEL The lady who lives with 75 cats? MICHAEL Oh, really? MICHAEL I will sign this, but... I'm gonna have my lawyer take a look MICHAEL at it first. MICHAEL Good? Good. All right, come on. Let's eat. MICHAEL Yeah. I got it. I got it. MICHAEL Hey! MICHAEL What's going on? MICHAEL MICHAEL Pastor. MICHAEL Oh, yeah. I mean, it's just something I can take online. Always kind of MICHAEL had an interest, so... MICHAEL I should probably go. MICHAEL Yeah. West side. MICHAEL I'm fine. MICHAEL Thank you. MICHAEL Ow! Ow-ow-ow-ow! MICHAEL Yeah. I know. New style. MICHAEL Okay, no yelling! Oh, Jack, come on. You gotta get dressed. We gotta leave in a few minutes. MICHAEL MICHAEL Okay, look. I don't have time for that today, guys. I've got a meeting in an hour and I can't be late. MICHAEL What? You should've told me! MICHAEL Okay, okay. Um... MICHAEL Here. There we go. Perfect. MICHAEL All right, there you go. You're all set. MICHAEL He didn't do it on purpose! MICHAEL Jack! Go get dressed! Everybody, we're leaving in five minutes. MICHAEL Charlotte, don't! MICHAEL It's okay-- MICHAEL All right, okay, just-- MICHAEL Danny! Come back! MICHAEL Charlotte! MICHAEL Shh! Look at me. MICHAEL I know, I know. What do you need? Hey. What do you-- MICHAEL Shh. Shh. I know. I know. Shh, shh. MICHAEL I know. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. MICHAEL It's okay, it's okay. MICHAEL Danny doesn't have a lunch. MICHAEL Didn't forget. I just made it wrong. I'm late. MICHAEL I failed. MICHAEL Cathy, she got sick MICHAEL so fast. The cancer just stole her away from me, and I... I couldn't stop it. MICHAEL They would just be so much better off if she were here and I-- MICHAEL I saw a video once of the waves coming ashore during the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. People were just doing regular, ordinary things... and this giant wall of water came crashing in, just destroying everything in its path. And there was no stopping it. That's... that's just how I feel. MICHAEL How do I do that? MICHAEL I've got to go. MICHAEL MICHAEL Gina! Hey! Hey. It's good to see you. MICHAEL Yes! They finally left. MICHAEL Wait. How'd you know that? MICHAEL Huh. MICHAEL Well, truth is, I'd rather do these things wrong than have a bunch of people hovering over me. MICHAEL I have this neighbor MICHAEL and she wanted to bring dinner over for us. I said no. She insisted. So I race home from MICHAEL basketball practice, you know, with the kids. There's a pizza MICHAEL sitting on my doorstep. I can order my own pizza. MICHAEL I know, but MICHAEL why would someone do that? It's insulting. You know what? It's like... It's like she thinks I can't even take care of my own family. MICHAEL I don't know. MICHAEL It's like life just keeps throwing me curve balls. I don't need to hit a home run, just a decent pitch would be appreciated. MICHAEL I'm sorry, what? MICHAEL Nobody takes my metaphor and just throws it back MICHAEL at me. MICHAEL Maybe. MICHAEL Thanks! MICHAEL MICHAEL "I'd like to get our families together for dinner and to talk. I have a few things MICHAEL to give your children-- resources and such. You can email me or call me anytime. MICHAEL Good night. Peace. Gina Kell." MICHAEL MICHAEL "Anytime means anytime. MICHAEL If you think you're the only one up at 3:00 A.M., you're fooling yourself." "How's Friday night? I'll cook." MICHAEL MICHAEL "Chicken sounds good. I'll bring a salad." MICHAEL Go, go, go, go! MICHAEL Hey. Wow. How do they do that? Kids, they just know that they belong together. MICHAEL Oh, uh... MICHAEL well, they cry a lot, and then we talk about Cathy, and MICHAEL things are better for a little while, and it all just starts again. MICHAEL How are your kids doing? MICHAEL I thought you were bringing a salad? MICHAEL Oh! Okay. MICHAEL MICHAEL Yeah. Oh, thanks. You know what? It's actually pretty good. This woman in church, she, uh... MICHAEL Yes! MICHAEL Oh, man! MICHAEL Yeah. Think she makes those outfits herself? MICHAEL Because they're a little bit weird! MICHAEL Um... Oh! There's this other woman, who leaves us a cake every week, and she's in the choir, but she's got this really weird, awful voice, and they keep giving her solos, and she's just... MICHAEL It's awkward. MICHAEL Uh... MICHAEL Yeah. No, no. I'll-- I'll-- um... MICHAEL That drawer. I'll… MICHAEL ...Get into this. MICHAEL Char, sit here. Boys, grab a seat wherever you would like. Thanks, pal. MICHAEL It's okay. MICHAEL Would anyone else like to share their feelings? MICHAEL And on that note, okay! MICHAEL You don't have to do that. We don't make guests clean up dishes at the house. MICHAEL Yeah? MICHAEL Oh. Uh, it's a Spehn family game. Uh... not now, guys. We have guests, MICHAEL okay? Maybe in a bit. MICHAEL Uh... well, but the thing is— MICHAEL If you feel the ball, you must freeze! Run from me! MICHAEL Oh! MICHAEL It just got out of control before I knew what happened. MICHAEL It's actually taken on a life of its own. MICHAEL Mm-hmm. MICHAEL Well, this is-- uh, was... Charlotte's favorite dress. I'll tell you, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. It's not my first rodeo. I did my own laundry in college. MICHAEL Mm-hmm. Maybe I should just let my mother-in-law keep doing my wash. MICHAEL No, look, I can't ask you to help. MICHAEL Oh, really? What do you mean? MICHAEL Until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day. The Godfather! MICHAEL Nice! MICHAEL Thanks for coming, guys. MICHAEL Here you go. MICHAEL Thank you. It's been a long time since my kids laughed like this. MICHAEL Drive safely. Bye, guys! MICHAEL What are you doing up there? MICHAEL So you and Colleen have a new plan? MICHAEL I'm kind of not surprised. MICHAEL Well, uh... what about making the space somewhere to celebrate all the people who keep it relevant and alive? MICHAEL Oh... Um, maybe. Sure. Yeah. I'm sure I could pull a few ideas together. MICHAEL Hey, listen, thank you so much for helping Charlotte with her, uh, situation. MICHAEL Apparently, there are some things that a man can't do. MICHAEL I do. "The thing that you may ask may never come." MICHAEL Wait, you don't want me to whack someone, do you? MICHAEL MICHAEL Wow! Uh... yeah. Some assembly and a degree in mechanical engineering. MICHAEL Yeah. Well, look, I'm willing to tackle it, but I'm gonna need some assistance. Do you know any strong men willing to work long hours for literally no pay whatsoever? MICHAEL MICHAEL Never gonna make it in the union! MICHAEL MICHAEL Okay, great. MICHAEL What is this? MICHAEL What? All right, help me out. MICHAEL All right, now, this is important information. MICHAEL This information may someday save your lives. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey. Come on. Say it with me. MICHAEL Yes, my men! MICHAEL Okay, guys, tonight we're gonna start Bubba in the one spot, "D" in the two, Chopper, you're in the three, Boots, you’re in the four, and Charlie, you're in the five. MICHAEL Offensively, we are in the 41. I want to see a lot of post-touches and X-cuts. Defensively, we're gonna cougar all day. Got it? MICHAEL MICHAEL All right, on three! MICHAEL Go get 'em! MICHAEL Take a look! Take a look! MICHAEL Whoa! MICHAEL Oh! So close! MICHAEL Was I supposed to do that? MICHAEL How could you possibly know that? MICHAEL Yes, she did. MICHAEL MICHAEL Hi, Pastor. MICHAEL Good. Thank you. MICHAEL It feels good to be back in church today. MICHAEL I guess we're sitting together? MICHAEL Go on. Go, go, go. MICHAEL Thanks. MICHAEL That's great. MICHAEL Wow. Have you watched them? MICHAEL Wait. Just-- just give them a minute. MICHAEL Trust me. They play in the backyard, but it's also where they learn to negotiate and compromise. MICHAEL Don't deny them the opportunity to work it out themselves. Just trust me. The backyard can be a magical place. MICHAEL It's a Dad thing. I'm sure Matt knew it, too. MICHAEL Cathy loved Halloween. MICHAEL But you're doing great. And I must say, I really like your costume. MICHAEL Mm-hmm! MICHAEL Yeah, very convincing. And by convincing, I mean you look absolutely nothing like a linebacker. MICHAEL Who was it? I'll kill him! MICHAEL Yes! I go to Target all the time, nobody asks me out. MICHAEL If I saw you at Target, I'd probably ask you out, too. MICHAEL Yes. And if you said yes, I would probably take you to an Italian restaurant. MICHAEL Listen, just because you're Italian doesn't mean you're the only one that knows good Italian food. MICHAEL Ho-ho-ho! Luigi's. MICHAEL We should go there for dinner. You can judge for yourself. MICHAEL Great! I'll pick you up at 7:30. All right, come on, guys! Last house! MICHAEL Wait for me, wait for me. MICHAEL Well, we could see if they have any in the back they could loan us. MICHAEL Hey, Sarah. How are you? MICHAEL We are weak from hunger. I mean, I can barely make out the words on the menu. MICHAEL That would be great, thanks. MICHAEL What? MICHAEL And...? MICHAEL Oh. MICHAEL Okay. MICHAEL Hair? MICHAEL How am I doin'? MICHAEL Oh, MICHAEL phew! MICHAEL Wait. I have to do dessert, too? MICHAEL Oh! MICHAEL MICHAEL Great. We're ready to order. We'll take everything on the dessert tray. MICHAEL And then, also, do you MICHAEL know somewhere that I can get my shoes shined? Because, um, apparently, if they have scuffs on them, this relationship's over. MICHAEL Thank you. That means a lot, coming from an authentic Italian person. MICHAEL Good night. MICHAEL I'm leaving. MICHAEL I am. MICHAEL Yeah. MICHAEL I hope so. I mean, all the artwork's still at the printers. MICHAEL Think positively! MICHAEL Yeah! Of course. Right? MICHAEL It… MICHAEL looks like we're having a sleepover. Hmm. MICHAEL Oh, yeah, big sacrifice. MICHAEL Uh, well, I'd invite you to stay... MICHAEL Well, I'll make pancakes. MICHAEL Is this really as easy as it seems? Or... MICHAEL Um... care to test the waters? MICHAEL Veteran's Day is coming up. MICHAEL We have a three-day weekend. We could all go on vacation. The whole crazy bunch of us. MICHAEL Yeah! Why not? MICHAEL Mm. Okay, I tell you what. You write a list of all the reasons this can't work, I'll do the same, and tomorrow, we'll exchange lists. MICHAEL Deal. MICHAEL I guess we're on! MICHAEL Wow! MICHAEL Hey. How you doing? MICHAEL What? Oh. Uh... I'll-- I'll sleep in the hammock. MICHAEL MICHAEL No, no, I'm getting used to it. It's molding to my body. Emphasis on "mold." MICHAEL Hey! Go, go, go, go, go! MICHAEL What? MICHAEL I think you're right. MICHAEL And there it is. MICHAEL Right there. MICHAEL That sign you were looking for. MICHAEL Do you want me to do this? MICHAEL Okay, all right. MICHAEL MICHAEL Now that... MICHAEL is officially our family song. MICHAEL Well, uh... what would you MICHAEL think if we were? What would you guys think if... one day... MICHAEL we decided to get married? MICHAEL Slow down. MICHAEL Aw... MICHAEL A legal matter. MICHAEL No! No, no, no, no, no, no. No. MICHAEL No! No, no. No. MICHAEL Absolutely not. MICHAEL It's okay. MICHAEL Trust me. I promise you. MICHAEL Okay? MICHAEL Okay? MICHAEL Okay? MICHAEL It's between us. MICHAEL I want to keep this forever. MICHAEL Come on. Let's go back to dinner. MICHAEL MICHAEL Okay, you guys, upstairs. Let's go, get ready for bed. MICHAEL Yeah, buddy? MICHAEL Oh. Um... What do you want to call her? MICHAEL Oh. Um... Come here, Jack. MICHAEL Jack, let me tell you something that your mom taught me. All right, your heart is full of love for your mom, and it always will be. What Mom used to say, you know, about growing new hearts? That's real, buddy. You know, and when you MICHAEL meet someone new to love, it's like you grow a whole MICHAEL new heart that just fills with love for that person. Now you don't take love away from anyone else, like your mom. Okay? That's yours to keep forever. MICHAEL Does that make sense? Good. MICHAEL So really, I mean, it doesn't matter if you call us Mom or Dad, or Mrs. Kell or... Phyllis. MICHAEL Good night, buddy. MICHAEL Good night, Jack. MICHAEL MICHAEL Good night, Phyllis. MICHAEL Come on. MICHAEL See you, sweetie. MICHAEL I'll call you later. MICHAEL All right. Bye. MICHAEL Ah! Hey, you guys! Hi, hi, hi, hi. Come on, upstairs. You gotta get ready for school! Come on! Go, go, go, go! Thank you so much for doing this. I've just been spread a little thin, and I really needed this. MICHAEL Uh, yeah, of course, anything. MICHAEL What about it? MICHAEL Did the kids say something? Are they upset? MICHAEL No! MICHAEL Gina is not taking Cathy's place. She—You know no one could ever do that. MICHAEL Hey! MICHAEL Something smells good. MICHAEL Is something wrong? MICHAEL All right. How was the foundation lunch? MICHAEL Ah. MICHAEL I'm, I don’t know... I guess it's not surprising. MICHAEL Goodbye. Goodbye. MICHAEL Bye. MICHAEL Really? That's MICHAEL great! But, uh, why are you telling me this? MICHAEL Hey. Sorry about today. I got so busy and then Cathy's parents came by. MICHAEL We went to a tree farm and cut down our own tree. MICHAEL It's kind of a family tradition. MICHAEL Actually, uh... MICHAEL Cathy's parents want us to come up to Mullet Lake for Christmas. MICHAEL They were thinking it'd be a nice MICHAEL time to get everyone together. They want to scatter Cathy's ashes at the lake. I think Cathy would like that. MICHAEL You do understand? MICHAEL I know, but it's MICHAEL Cathy's parents, you know. They really want to be around the kids this Christmas. Uh, you know what? I've actually been thinking, um... Maybe we need to take some time and-- and just think about things. MICHAEL For the kids' sake. MICHAEL So you're okay with it? MICHAEL I'm glad you'll have your family around you. MICHAEL So that's it? MICHAEL Goodbye, Gina. MICHAEL Like almost everything good in our lives, this place came to us because of you. You wanted us to come back here, and so we have. And today... MICHAEL we commit your ashes to this lake forever. MICHAEL We will love you always. God bless you, my love. MICHAEL I know, pal, I know. MICHAEL You'll be an angel next year, okay? MICHAEL Uh, Christmas pageant. MICHAEL I know. MICHAEL Yeah? What's going on? MICHAEL What do you mean? What about supper? MICHAEL What? It's 4:00! It's a two-and-half-hour drive. We might not make it. MICHAEL Come on! Let's go. MICHAEL No! Not yet. MICHAEL It's okay. We're gonna make it. MICHAEL Just need to stop by the house first. MICHAEL Merry Christmas. MICHAEL Do you remember when we saw the double rainbow? Well, I've been thinking about that. And the rain, it just fell so hard on our lives. It seems to me that the light has cut through and it has given us colors that we could never have even imagined before. This life, you know, it can be even more beautiful than before. And that doesn't betray Matt or Cathy. It honors them. MICHAEL And I love you. MICHAEL And I have to ask you a question. MICHAEL Will you marry me? MICHAEL She said yes! MICHAEL MICHAEL One, two, three! Whoo! MICHAEL Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey! MIKE It's all good. MIKE Good to see you. MIKE Oh, hey! Tell Drew and Sam I scored some Lions' tickets so we have a date coming up. MIKE MIKE Gentlemen, lady, welcome to the first meeting to discuss the Matt Kell Memorial Golf Tournament. I'm happy to say we have our corporate sponsors and we hope to double what we raised MIKE last year. MOTHER 1 Happy New Year's, Pattie. Are you getting ready for your trip? MOTHER 1 How are you, Gina? We want to have you and the boys over MOTHER 2 PASTOR KARL Good morning, Kell family. PASTOR KARL They care about you. They just don't know what else to do. PASTOR KARL No, not yet. PASTOR KARL You'd be perfect. Frankly, we'd be lucky to have you. PASTOR KARL Okay, boys, let's go. PASTOR KARL Good morning, Michael. How are you holding up? PASTOR KARL We're all praying for you. PASTOR KARL What do you mean? PASTOR KARL Michael, I know you're angry, and I don't blame you, but you can't assign human logic to divine matters. PASTOR KARL Hey, Michael. PASTOR KARL How are you? PASTOR KARL Well, I'm here if you need to talk. PASTOR KARL Ladies. Hey, Michael. PASTOR KARL I hear you've been taking a course at the college, in, uh, design? PASTOR KARL That's great. PASTOR KARL Hey, you're from Chicago, though, right? PASTOR KARL I'm a southsider. Cubbies fan my whole life. PASTOR KARL Hey, Michael! PASTOR KARL Ah, no worries! We always have extra for kids who forget. PASTOR KARL It’s all right. PASTOR KARL How so? PASTOR KARL Hey. She would be saying exactly the same thing if she was sitting here and you were gone. PASTOR KARL Michael, there was nothing you could do. You couldn't stop what happened to your family, but you can control what you do next. PASTOR KARL You can gather your kids around you and you can love them, and you can guide them out of the darkness. PASTOR KARL You stay connected. It's real common for men to hunker down and go it alone, PASTOR KARL especially when the high tide of grief starts to rise. But if you stay connected to your family PASTOR KARL and this community, you're gonna find your way. PASTOR KARL Ah! Now, that's a plan. I love it. PASTOR KARL Perfect. PASTOR KARL Good morning. Hey! Good morning! Good morning. Ah, gentlemen, good morning. PASTOR KARL Good morning. PASTOR KARL Good morning, Gina. PASTOR KARL Ah, the Spehns! PASTOR KARL Good morning. PASTOR KARL Really well. Yourself? PASTOR KARL Excellent. PASTOR KARL This is a surprise. PASTOR KARL Good morning! PASTOR KARL How was your weekend? PASTOR KARL Restful, thank you. PASTOR KARL Mary and Joseph had nowhere to stay and it was almost time for their baby to be born. The Innkeeper in town said that they could take shelter in the barn with the animals. Out in the fields, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds… PASTOR KARL ...who were guarding their flocks by night. The angel announced that the Savior had been born in the town of Bethlehem. The shepherds decided to travel to Bethlehem to see the Christ-child. Suddenly, a great host of angels appeared and began singing praises to God. The angels began to spread the word that the Christ-child was born. PASTOR KARL Friends, please be seated. PASTOR KARL Today, seven people are coming together to form a family. And today is also the greatest example of turning mourning into dancing that I have ever seen. I know that Matt and Cathy are here, and they are happy and they are proud of all of you. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Michael and Gina in holy matrimony. And children-- do you promise to take Gina and Michael as your mom and dad, and love them and honor them, and keep them in sickness and health, for as long as you all shall live? PATTIE Oh! Yes. It's gonna be great. PATTIE Bye, you guys! PATTIE Now, everything works around this main calendar. Red is for national PATTIE holidays, green is for religious holidays, yellow is for half-days and teacher conferences, and white is for school assemblies. After each teacher takes attendance, they will send you their list so you know who's absent and you record it... here. I always like to wait a little while, in case kids straggle in late. PATTIE See what I mean? That's Michael Spehn. PATTIE Cathy's still in the hospital. PATTIE Oh, she went into the hospital last week with a headache. PATTIE Yes! I'm sure she'll be out soon. I mean, PATTIE she's young and healthy. What can happen? I'm so sorry. That was-- PATTIE I mean, I don't want to be judgmental... RED Hi. RED Nice! RED Gina, this is Matt's foundation. RED Right. I, uh... . Yeah, it just doesn't feel right to me. RED Right, but we're not Cathy's best friends. I mean, Matt was like-- he was like our brother. RED We're doing this for him and his boys. SAM Me too. SAM Sure! SAM Bye! Thanks! SAM Let's do this. SAM Pass! SAM Bye! SAM Yes! SAM Yes! SAM Come on! SAM I really want to go play hockey. SAM Yes. Please? SAM Hello. SAM Mom? Are you gonna stay, too? SAM SAM Look at the hammock. SAM I’d love sleeping there tonight. SAM Are we a family? SAM They already left. SAM Yeah. Their grandma took them home. SAM I want Charlotte SAM and Jack and Danny to be angels, too. SAM Hey! The Spehns are here! SAM It's a bunkbed! SAM SAM The Spehns are here! SARAH Hello. My name is Sarah and I'll be your server tonight. SARAH I'm great, thanks. How are you? SARAH How about some warm bread, then? SARAH SOLOIST Oh, night divine Oh, night divine SONG PLAYS There is hope and there is laughter SONG PLAYS There are blue skies after rain SONG PLAYS You have come into my life SONG PLAYS I know that I can love again SONG PLAYS There is something in your smile SONG PLAYS Reaching deep inside of me SONG PLAYS This was meant to happen SONG PLAYS This was meant to be SONG PLAYS All the colors of the rainbow SONG PLAYS Are dancing in the sun SONG PLAYS The best Is yet to come SONG PLAYS All the colors of the rainbow SONG PLAYS Are telling me that you're the one SONG PLAYS A whole new life has just begun SONG PLAYS All the colors of the rainbow are dancing in the sun The very best is yet to come SUSAN Hi. SUSAN Are you still seeing SUSAN Michael Spehn? SUSAN Gina... I watched you take care of my son for three years. SUSAN You were his hope, his support, SUSAN his love. He would want you and the boys to be happy. SUSAN Does Michael make you happy? SUSAN Of course, sweetheart. SUSAN We'll take care of the boys. SUSAN WEATHERMAN Sunshine, but cooler, low 70s tomorrow. Wednesday's also sunny, but starting to warm up to mid-70s, and by Thursday/Friday, we're back to normal temperatures. WEATHERMAN Next update at the top of the hour. WOMAN Michael? We’re ready to go.