Those gentle eyes that quietly watched

For 12 summers Bill and I would say to each other, "Jules would love the lake." Yet due to airline summer heat rules and then the challenges of traveling with little kids plus 2 dogs, she never had the opportunity to go with us - until this year. With the loss of Halle last September, we knew that Jules needed people more than ever, and we could not leave her home alone all day while Bill worked - let alone board her for two weeks when Bill joined us at the lake. So this year, we packed her up and she came along.

Her health had been waning since Halle's death. Our "Fatness" had lost considerable weight. She now picked at food whereas she used to devour it. I worried about her on the trip, but I had no need. A lab until the end, she was at home on Pelican Lake.

When we first arrived we decided to walk her down to the water on a leash to show her the grounds and help provide her some boundaries. Yet as we neared the water, her old strength showed itself. She pulled at that leash trying desperately to run, to leap, to swim! I unlatched the clasp, and she bounded away running head first into the cool waters.

She looked young. She looked vibrant. She was happy. This is how I will remember her.

The house seems emptier. Quieter. I miss the the jingles of her collar; the tapping of her paws on the wood; the thud of her plopping to the ground. These are sounds that have been an intimate and natural part of our home. Now they are silent, but they will never be forgotten.

I believe big sister Halle welcomed her sweet Jules on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge with wagging tail, nuzzling nose and loving eyes. And I take solace in knowing they are together again. Goodbye sweet JuJu. I'll see you again one day.

Peace ~ Love ~ Run

Just had to pretend that I still blog on anything personal (apparently writing 15-20 hours per week on business issues doesn't leave much creative juice for personal musings) .... and put up a cute pix of B & P the day before the St. B's Fun Run!

Summer is Here!

Summer is here, and I simply need to get the naked pix of P off the blog's front page.... So, as we close out the 2010-2011 school year, here's a shot of Brady's sweet, wonderful, fantastic first grade class!

I promise a coming blog on Parker's graduation, his rainbow pancakes and his new "big boy toy"! But, we're excitedly off to FL tomorrow, and I need to pack.

In the meantime, happy summer my friends and family!

My Au Natural Boy

As I was celebrating my direct shoe hit on a roach that was scurrying across my kitchen this morning, Parker wandered in and asked why I was shouting. When I told him I had just smashed a roach with my shoe, his eyes immediately widened and filled with tears.

"Mommy! Bugs are nature! You don't hurt nature! Never hurt nature!"

I instantly felt bad and contemplated if I could have possibly initiated a "catch and release" program for the little nasty creature. I quickly decided, however, that I'm not really concerned about the extinction risk to roaches (ever seen the movie Wally?)

Yes, I think the tennis shoe approach really is best.

Here is a recent picture of what greeted me one morning last week ..... just as nature intended.

Recycling 101

Every Thursday morning, except for holidays and special events, our garbage and recycling is picked up in the 30080. On Wednesday night, the kids are helpful in consolidating trash from waste baskets around the house and taking out the recycling bin. Inevitably, there is new trash or recycling items created on Thursday mornings, so we always try to get that out to the curb at the last minute so it doesn't sit around for a week.

Yesterday, Amy sent Parker out to drop off an empty box in the recycling. When he came back in, Amy asked if the truck had come to pick it up and he responded "nope".

When Amy went outside to bring in the recycling bin, she saw the following. It looks like he's missing something with the process.

BTW... it looks like the kids ate Thin Mints for lunch. Lucky them!

"The worst day of my life" by Brady Plummer

Life is hard for a 7 year old who spends a minimum of 4 weeks a year in Orlando being spoiled by his grandparents and friends alike. There's the obvious draw like the Disney parks, but Legoland, Gator World, Gator Golf, Manatees, the driving range, riding in the golf cart, and the heated pool get all kinds of play as well.

Yesterday, Brady and Parker were swimming in the pool on a nice 80 degree afternoon. Brady had taken off his goggles (for some reason) and was dolphin diving around the pool. His eyes were closed b/c the chlorine was bugging them. Next thing you know, Brady is screaming on the side of the pool. Apparently, he had dolphin dove too close to the edge - with his eyes closed, of course - of the pool and literally popped open his chin.

I spoke with Brady in hour 1 of their 4 hour visit to the Emergency Room and he said, "Daddy, this is the worst day of my life. First, Legoland didn't have any Indiana Jones Legos b/c they stopped making them, then I bust open my chin, and I can't even play my DS b/c it needs to be charged. I am so bored."

The only saving grace was that his father had a similar result from jumping off stairs when he was younger. Brady felt better that he will "have a scar just like Daddy!"

"Disappointment" at Legoland!

Brady nervously waits in the ER with NO DSi!

Sweet stitches Brady!

History of the world, part II

So, we are eating outside at Moe's yesterday when I heard this updated account of the history of the world.

Brady was talking about Justin Bieber, as always. There was a song that Bieber sampled (I can't remember exactly, but it was something like "Ring around the rosie" or "Happy Birthday" or something like that) and he said that Justin Bieber wrote that song. I informed him that there was life before Justin Bieber.

Brady followed up with, "yeah, there was the internet".

Parker chimed in "and dinosaurs".

So, according to my little ones, the history of the world goes like this.

"First there were dinosaurs, then the internet, and then Justin Bieber"

We should talk to Random House to get the history books updated.

Torn between two loves

Parker is indeed turning out to be a bit of a Casanova. Apparently there is quite a little love triangle taking place in the Blue Birds room.

Parker and Miss Emma (seen here at soccer) have been smitten on each other for months. They were in the same class last year; they have continued their studies together this year; they play on the same soccer team - They are surely perfectly matched, right?



Check out that sideways smile!! ;-)

Well, when Miss Emma recently moved tables at school, a new love interest was born.

Enter Miss Cade.

Now that Cade and Parker have the green table to themselves (with 6 other 4-5 years olds, of course), Parker's affections are certainly torn.

Should he make like an owl and turn his head 180 degrees toward Miss Emma at the red table behind him, or does he simply turn his head 90 degrees directly toward Little Miss Cade on the left?

The choice is most definitely a tough one. Both are smart, precocious, fun-loving, and adorable little girls. I think it's safe to say that Parker's a winner either way!

Happy Valentines Day Big Guy!

Before and After

We didn't want to cut Parker's hair before his special 5th Star Wars birthday party. When it's first cut, one definitely thinks "oh, he just had a hair cut", so we held off for the purposes of pictures and such. Anyway, here's PK before, and after his haircut today. Given these pictures, it looks like we should have cut his mop before the party. ;-)

Because, that's what boys do...

1 boy + 1 extra straw + free time in the car =

Brady's turning 100!!! "NO KITTY, those are my Cheesy Poofs!!!"

If you do not follow South Park, you will probably not get all of this one, but it is truly funny.

Brady had to draw a picture and write a story about what he would be like at age 100. His story goes like this...

"When I am 100, I will have a cane. I will sit in bed and watch movies all day. I will be fat. I will have a very long beard."

It's always interesting to have a view into the young mind. Brady must think all old people sit around, watch movies, and are fat - and have facial hair. Hmmm... he may not be that far off, but I digress.

Anyway, so he reads the story and Amy and I smile and wink to each other. But then, he turns his page around to show us his drawing. It turns out, he thinks he will look like Eric Cartman when he's older.

I totally crack up b/c the thought of Brady acting like Eric Cartman, the most inappropriate, rude cartoon kid in the history of man, at age 100 was perfect. How true it is!

"No Kitty, those are my Cheesy Poofs!! MA-AAAAAAHHM!!!!"

Root, Toot, now Scoot

Today in the car on the way to school:

Brady: "Mommy, is 'toot' a verb or a noun?"

Insert Parker giggling.

Mommy: "Well, what do you think? Perhaps it can be used as both."

Brady: "Parker 'tooted' yesterday at Little Gym is a verb - a big, smelly action verb! And Parker had a stinky 'toot' yesterday at Little Gym is a noun, and 'stinky' is its adjective!"

Mommy, trying to speak over Parker's howling laughter: "Yes, Brady you are correct. Now get out of the car, and DON'T YOU DARE use that example in Mrs. Van. B's class!!!"

If he can properly diagram bodily functions, then why, oh why, did he miss several points on his grammar test last week?

Boys.

Our future ambassador?

I know I have many past-due blog posts in my file ... our October trip to Florida, Halloween, and fall soccer to name a few. Heck, I don't think I even blogged Brady's 7th birthday. [sigh] All in good time.

Regardless of my backlog, I wanted to make the time to share my pride (and Bill's) with the little man Brady is becoming. While there are certainly still moments when I think to myself, "Have I taught you nothing?" those moments are now fewer and far between.

We have always known that Brady wears his heart on his sleeve. He feels deeply, and he loves fast. He wants the world to be his friend, and he has rarely met a stranger.

Yesterday I stopped in at school to pick up Parker's St. B's Kindergarten Application (Seriously? Ahh, that's another blog.) As I was standing in the office the Director of Admissions Mrs. S., who is a kind friend and fellow mom, came around the office to share her story with me.

Apparently there was a little 1st grader who came to St. B's to visit yesterday for the day. His parents are considering a mid-year transfer, and they wanted him to experience what school at St. B's is like, as it is different than many traditional schools. He would transfer into Brady's homeroom class, so that's where they placed for the day.

When Mrs. S. entered with the boy and introduced him, Brady immediately got up and introduced himself, reached out his hand to shake the boy's, and then encouraged his classmates to come up and do the same! He took the new kid under his wing, so to speak, and made sure he felt included and informed all day! He was an ambassador for St. B's - without being asked - and he did it because he felt it, not because he was told.

Hearing the story from Mrs. S was wonderful, and as we discussed Brady's loving and kind behavior at dinner last night he beamed with self-satisfaction! Parents all know that proud smile that can't be faked or brought out upon demand. It truly comes from within.

This morning Principal Willis stopped me in carpool to tell me the story again (he didn't know that I knew.) He relayed to me that Brady made Mr. Willis and all of St. B's very proud. His kindness, openness, and friendliness made a positive mark in the little visitor's day, and he showcased his school in the best possible light.

Future politician? Maybe. Future ambassador? Sure!

Proud Parker Keep on Learnin'

Seems kinda funny - yet strangely fitting - to follow up my last post about Brady's classroom antics with one about Parker.

Parker recently came home beaming from ear to ear with pride. The teachers in his PreK room had apparently implemented a new system of reward whereby kids were given a small card each week. As they demonstrated positive, good behavior, they were able to earn little smiling stickers throughout the week. Whomever had the most stickers on Friday would earn the Student of the Week certificate and be invited to bring and share a favorite lovey, book or game from home the following week.

Parker takes great pride telling me each day that he "stayed on green." And on the rare occassions when his stoplight has moved down the color pole, he has come home honestly remorseful and sad.

So when he hopped in the car with his big yellow certificate, I thought he was going to burst! He excitedly told me all about it (though he was a bit more shy on camera.)

And the following week he insisted on bringing his 5' pet snuffed snake to school - and according to Ms. JaNeah, it was a hit!

Keep on rollin' Parker!

Heartfelt Apology

I probably shouldn't memorialize Brady getting into some trouble at school. Rather a good mommy should share his many accomplishments and wonderufl moments. Well, yadda yadda yadda, the blog is supposed to be about our lives, right? The good. The bad. The ugly. Well, this is really none of those. It's simply cute.

Brady had a note written in his agenda yesterday that he was being too silly and disruptive during Literacy Centers, and although Mrs. Sigman had warned him of his behavior several times, Brady had been unable to settle down and focus quietly on his second edition Johnny Appleseed Book (he decided to make two so that he and Parker could both have one). Thus, the note home to Mom.

As I organized his nightly homework, I added a plain sheet of paper to the top of the pile and asked him to please write Mrs. Sigman a note apologizing for his rude behavior. I did not help, coach or even look at it until he had folded it up and asked for an envelope. Of course I took a peek!! And I'm so glad I did. ;-)

In case you can't read it, it says:

Dear Mrs. Sigman (with some spelling alteratons!) I am so sorry Mrs. Sigman. I will be better tomorrow and the next day and the next. I am sorry Mrs. Sigman for what I did. I am sorry that I was lowd in class and disruptive (he misspelled l'oud', but got 'disruptive' correct). Brady. I like you.

Now who could possibly stay angry with hearts and hand-holding under rainbows?

Glimpses of the Softer Side

I have often said that as close brothers, Brady and Parker are both the best of friends and the worst of enemies. For the most part they play together really well (and for that I am truly grateful!)

Many times their games and imaginative play just happen around the house without me taking much notice. Yet their play the other day simply made me smile.

They created a slumber party for all their loveys - every stuffed shark, dog, snake and bear! Each lovey had a place to sleep, complete with blankets and pillows - separated of course by size of the animal (for their own safety, I am told.)

Most of the boys' play is rough and tumble in nature - bouncing, throwing, hitting, running, jumping, wrestling, falling. As a mom of two boys it's nice to know that I have instilled a softer side in there somewhere as well ... even if I don't see it all that often!

Over the Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge...

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.



The sign on her cage at the Humane Society read: "Black Lab Mix." We didn't plan to get a puppy that day. We were "just going to look." We saw her. We took her out. We played with her. We went to lunch.... We came back and got her that afternoon. Halle was meant to be ours, and though she certainly was NOT a Lab mix (we quickly realized we were duped on that one!), she was in fact a wonderful dog.

She was smart - often too smart. She was protective, though I'm sure she couldn't truly hurt a flea. She was watchful. She was sweet. She never snapped or snipped or barked in anger.


Halle was undoubtedly the "alpha dog" in our house. Jules never quite figured out that she weighed twice as much and could have simply sat on Halle to win dominance. Their roles were set in stone. Halle was the first in, first out, first to eat. Jules happily wagged her tail behind.

When petting Halle she would rest her paws on top of your arm, leg or hand - almost as if saying "Yes, I pretend that you as human are truly the alpha animal, but just so we're clear, it's a game I'm playing, and you really aren't where you think you are on the totem pole." Move your hand on top, and she was quick to correct you with her own.



I wish I had a puppy picture to share, but 13 1/2 years ago we didn't have digital cameras! She was an adorable little fuzzball. Even more than a picture I wish I had video of her puppy "butt-tucking" days. When she was a puppy she would race around our house on Tanglewood with such speed that we had to pull our feet up onto the couch and just laugh. She looked like a black streak shooting through the room!

Halle Girl was our family's original runner - well before Bill got the bug, Halle had it. Open the door just a crack, and she was through it. Blink and she was five houses up, out of reach and exploring the world. In the earlier years I would freak out, get in the car and go searching for her. Then I realized that just as consistently as she ran, she always came home. Her sense of direction was impeccable (though we often worried that if Jules followed, Jules might get lost at sea!)


Halle loved to run. She needed to run. One hot summer day she came home limping when she ran on the streets and burned the soles of her paws. It didn't stop her. Next time the door opened a crack, she was through it.

I remember a day when Brady was a toddler, and Halle lie sleeping on the floor. Brady waddled over and fell on top of her back, startling her awake. Her dog instinct had her whip her head around, ready to protect herself. In a flash she saw Brady's little face, zipped her mouth, lowered her head and submitted to his weight. I knew at that instant that she would love my boys as I do, protect them best she could and herd them when necessary.

We would often joke that Halle was mine and Jules was Bill's ... though we adopted them together and they both held our hearts. Halle slept next to me. She followed me endlessly around the house. Her eyes seemed to always be on me.


Today I miss her presence in every room and beside my bed. I know she runs in the grasses and delights in the hills on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. Maybe she even has the vigor again to butt-tuck through the meadows, delighting God as she did Bill and me so long ago.


We love you sweet Halle Bear, and we'll see you again one day. Until then, may the meadows always stretch open wide for you.

Birthday Bash ~ Back to the Blog!

After a LONG hiatus from the blog, I have humbly come home. There are hundreds of pictures and many events to share, but I will start with a wonderful birthday wish to my 7 year old guy!!

Brady's 7th birthday once again fell on Labor Day weekend, enabling us to celebrate with all sorts of fun activities!! Friday we headed to the Atlanta Zoo to see the baby giraffe (6' tall when born!), the new Malaysian Bear and of course the "WORLD OF REPTILES"!!! And no trip to the zoo would be complete without a train ride and some rock climbing!

Saturday morning we laced up our tennies and went running to the US 10k Classic for the boys to compete in the annual 1/2K race! Racing in different age groups, Mommy ran with Parker and Daddy ran with Brady.

While it might have been Brady's big day, Parker placed 5th in boys in his age group and brought home a real race medal!

And to top it all off, Grandy came to cheer us on!

After refreshing with some Gatorade and a Popsicle, it was time to change out of race gear and into our navy and gold!

Thanks to Aunt Kathy and Uncle Steve, we were able to celebrate Brady's birthday at the GA Tech Opening Day Game against SC State... and did I mention we whooped 'em? :-)

After the game Nana and Grandy came over for a drink and some gift-giving - and much to Brady's delight he received the forever-coveted Nintendo DS! While Mommy has said 'no' to this moment for several years, Daddy (and Brady) finally convinced me that my baby was no longer a baby. He was a very psyched kid!

For Brady's special birthday dinner we surprised him with a visit to The Burger Club, a yummy new-to-us restaurant in Vinings that serves fantastic burgers, sandwiches, fries ... and beer and wine (I called to make sure!) Among the 6 of us I'm sure we ate thousands of calories and hundreds of grams of fat ... but it was worth every greasy bite!

And then - just to make sure we can no longer wear our skinny jeans - we headed back home for a little cake and some singing!

Labor Day will find us at Six Flags Whitewater Park, where we will enjoy a day of water slides, wave pools and a final summer hurrah!

Looking at my big guy I find it hard to believe that he is really seven years old - something about 'seven' sounds so old to me! His body has lost that 'little boy' shape. His face and eyes are that of a true 'big kid.' His academic abilities have exploded. His reasoning, understanding, empathy and other fabulous social characteristics are clearly maturing and developing.

My mother has always said that "a loved child has many names." Well, Brady sure fits the bill! 'Niblet' before he was born. 'Squiggle' as a little kid. 'Squirt' as an older kid. And I can only imagine what the nickname will be in another few years!

He is an amazing kid - who brings so much joy and goofiness and laughter and cheer to our world. Bill and I are thankful every day for him .. and especially thankful for his miraculous life every September 4th!

What happens at the end of the dock, stays at the end of the dock...

The dock on our beach up in MN that is quite long (roughly 200 feet according to the Google Map distances). We have all the boats stashed in hoists at the end of it to get them as far out into the "deep" as possible, making it easy to get them in and out. The yellow line below shows the dock and the hoists clustered at the end of the dock.


However, the water at the end of the doc is not deep. It is shallow. You can see in the fancy Google shot that the water drop off, in dark blue on the right, quickly moves away from shore right at our property highlighted in red. (Note that the white dot out by the drop off in the red box is our floating raft that is frequented by children and seagulls alike.) The drop off, as we call it, is where the depth transitions to about 6-8 feet and the seaweed starts to grow. This is where it is safe to dive in and for boats to take off fast when you yell "hit it!"

For the boating enthusiast, this is a pain in the a$$. People can't get onto the boat until it's pulled off the hoist and putted around to the side of the dock with 1/2 the motor sticking up out of the water while it digs in the sand, or we just walk it over with the motor off. Repeat to bring the boat back in. This is especially painful getting Nana/Grand Nana on/off the pontoon on any given night. Sometimes the water is so shallow that we literally have 4 people lift each edge of the hoist and drag it out into deeper water. Then, when someone wants to ride on the boat, they need to walk through the water to the boat on the hoist some 100 feet out in the water. They may/not be able to drive back to the dock to pick up people who want to take a ride.

For the swimming enthusiast, however, having shallow water at the end of the dock is awesome. It allows kids of all ages play and jump around in the water without worry or concern.

At an early age, we were able to loose the kids from their life preservers at the end of the doc b/c, if they could stand up, then they could "swim". This freedom helped them build comfort in the water quickly and gave them the confindence to do more. They swim under the doc and play commando or super spies. They can run off the doc and jump in (feet first of course). It's been a source of great joy for the kids, and the parents who are "forced" to watch their kids using their creative minds and having great fun.

Remember Brady's singing? That was right there at the steps down into the water at the end of the dock, too.

Anything and everything can happen at the end of the dock. And back in my day, it did... but that's another story that we won't be blogging about. ;-)

Keep trying Squirt!!!

It's a right of passage for kids who grow up summering at the lake. It is scary, and often dreaded. However, once you get it, you have opened the door to an exciting and exhilerating experience few get to enjoy in their lives.

Brady (or Squirt as he has asked to be called), is very close to getting up on two skis. Not the fancy Airhead "easy ski trainer" that we bought and took to the lake for just that purpose. He's almost getting up and skiing on 2 real skis. Here's the Airhead. Looks easy, right?

Learning to ski is hard. You have to sit in the water with these 2 long very boyant things attached to your feet by a little bit of rubber. You need to keep those bouys under your body, facing up and down until the boat pulls you out of the water. The waves make it difficult to keep those skis under control while you prepare to get up. A ski, and leg, will go this way, or that way. You'll fall on your side before you know it, submerging your head in the water. And that's before you get the rope from the boat. As is customary, there's always someone willing to help the young upstart in the water to help keep everything together for you.

Then, once you have the rope, you let the boat tug you very slowly so that you can feel the pressure against the skis and build some confidence that you can do this. Then you yell... "hit it!" and...

You could fall for any of a number of reasons. The boat goes too fast and pulls you forward and out of your skis. Maybe you have your skis underneath you, but too far and you end up with a little too much water entering your bathing suit. If your skis start to plane out, maybe you lean to one side or the other and fall to the side. Or maybe, just maybe, you can get up on the skis, but forget to stand up. Success is hard, and that makes the process difficult for a kid who could easily just hop around at the end of the dock with Aunt Patty (but that's another story).

Now, it takes a good many tries to get up and feel comfortable. This was Brady's, I mean Squirt's, 12th try. He's almost got it!!!

The team up there, Aunt Patty, Amy, Mom/Dad, and the rest of the crew have agreed/decided Brady needs to try 6 times a day. If he is able to stay up on 2 skis, and then cross the wake 2 times, and some other criteria, then Brady will be the "youngest kid to ski" in Pansing/Plummer history. His helpful great Aunt Patty, his father, and a couple others are log jammed at 7 years old.

Regardless, if they keep trying, he will get up and then everything will change. Once you are up on skis, it feels like you are going 1,000,000 miles an hour, or as fast as the boat can go. The wind is pushing against you, and the fun starts. Go hop the wake. See if you can cut really hard and jump the whole thing. If you slalom, or ski on one ski, see how hard you can cut. See how parallel to the water you can make your body. See how fast you can shoot across the wake without tumbling out of the ski at 60 mph on your head, hip, shoulder, or anything else that happens to hit the water. You get to go fast, and that experience for a little boy or girl is a game changer.

Growing up in Minnesota during the summers, the 3 Plummer and 2 Pansing boys (each 1 year younger or older than the last) would spend hours and hours skiing every day. We would take off first thing in the morning (maybe between 10-1PM), and we would only come home when we needed more gas for the boat, for our bodies, or to pick up the next implement of speed and thrillseeking. There were always new tubes, kneeboards, and other boating gimmics, but skiing was the staple. You went faster, could jump things, and could ski all over the lake; and we did. When we were young, you literally could ski for 30 minutes without thinking about it. Now, the driver and other anxious/excited skiers wouldn't let that happen, but it could go on forever. For perspective, I can now ski for about 5 minutes before my body gives up and rebels. This leads to letting go of the rope (a good outcome) or an ass-over-tin-cups fall that I will feel for months.

Anyway, keep it up Squirt! One day you'll be rockin' the turns and spraying the pontoon boat with a rooster tail making your mom and dad very angry, and proud, just like I did. You can do it!!