CHRISTMAS 2006, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007!

Fun, Fun, Fun! That is what we’ve been having this year! Each month has brought something fun to our family. Here are some highlights!

JANUARY was not too cold in Michigan and was especially warm with the arrival of Gram Stafford. She came to help out with Hailey and several week old Rachel. Every time Hailey sees an airplane now, she tells us, “There’s my grandma.” She wishes that Gram would stop at the airport so that we could pick her up.

In FEBRUARY our family finally got some real music for Family Night with the arrival of a piano. Rachel and Hailey enjoys tapping on the keys and Jon even learned how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Boy what a feat!

With little Rachel’s blessing in MARCH, Grandpa Plummer came to visit. While Grandpa was here, we had fun exploring the Ford Rouge truck plant (where the F-150 is assembled) and other parts of the Henry Ford. At the end of the visit we dropped Grandpa Plummer off the airport. So now every time Hailey sees an airplane she asks, “Is Grandpa in that airplane?”

In APRIL we removed all the old carpet and padding in our house, sanded and painted all the baseboards and then had new carpet installed just in time for some friends from Japan to stay in our home. The day after our visitors left Jon flew to Japan for a business trip. The purpose of his two-week trip was for training on some new automotive circuitry software that Toyota is implementing. He even had the chance to return to Matsumoto and see the new and improved GEN H-4. (An ultra-light helicopter that Jon piloted during an internship to Japan. Visit www.acecraft.com for more info. Look for Jon’s picture in the December issue of Popular Mechanics.) On Jon’s return flight he stopped over in Utah to see his sister Joyce get married.

Jon and Julie’s softball games started in MAY. Both made some great catches in the outfield and Julie enjoyed playing second base. Neither one hit home runs, but both had a lot of fun. Julie even tried pitching, but decided that it was more difficult than it looked.

Hailey turned three in JUNE. With the increase in humidity, Hailey’s blond curls multiplied, and we found trying to brush her hair practically impossible. She certainly turns heads everywhere we go because of her big brown eyes and curly blond hair. Now we must plan time for several conversations with complete strangers in the grocery store that Hailey seems to start with her good looks.

In the first part of JULY our family returned from a two-week vacation out west. We traveled through 13 different states stopping at several different spots along the way. Some of our favorites included Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. At a family cabin in Idaho we participated in the Stafford Family reunion. Hailey enjoyed the canoe trips. She constantly reminds Dad of the time he fell out of the canoe because it was "tippy". She is grateful that Dad jumped out of the tipping canoe to save Hailey from falling in the water too. Hailey also enjoyed fishing, while Rachel loved wading in the cold river water.

Rachel discovered how to speed crawl in AUGUST. She found that her favorite place to play was the open dishwasher. Once she notices that the dishwasher is open there is no way to stop her from making a beeline to the silverware. Also in August, after several months of revision, Julie submitted an article to a mathematics education journal in a last-ditch effort to publish results from her graduate research. She still hasn’t heard whether it will be accepted, but Julie is hopeful she will get an acceptance letter soon.

SEPTEMBER brought a trip “up north” as we call it around here to see Lake Michigan. We traveled toNorthern Michigan with another family with two little girls. Since there were no mosquitoes we enjoyed our time outside without bug repellant. It was great to also cook hot dogs and roast marshmallows over an open fire, go boating, walk along the shores of Lake Michigan and watch the sun go down over the water. After our last summer trip, Hailey started a dance class and preschool. Also in September, Rachel learned about Cheerios and began eating them a handful at a time.

In OCTOBER Jon was cursed or blessed (depending on how you look at it) with a call to the bishopric at church. Julie discovered the joys of digital scrapbooking and now has plenty to do while Jon is away at his many meetings.

Julie got bit by the family history bug in NOVEMBER and worked to find people who may or may not be related to us. Also this month, Hailey found she loves watching cooking shows, and put her new talents to work helping Julie prepare a Thanksgiving feast.

Rachel started walking in DECEMBER and also showed us she knows how to use the TV remote. On the 21st we celebrated Rachel’s first birthday. She had a cherry-chocolate cake with cool whip frosting. After we blew out the candle, we all watched as Rachel leaned in and her lips engulfed one of the cherries. She was so fast we didn’t even have time to take a picture. Rachel was in pure bliss as she picked off one cherry at a time. Also in December Hailey had her first dance recital. She looked so cute standing there, even though she had extreme stage fright.

Our family feels extremely blessed this year as we reflect on the bounteous blessings that have filled our lives because of the birth of Jesus Christ. We honor Him this holiday season. We pray that this coming year will bring many good gifts to you and your family.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Plummers!

The Plummer clan,
Jon, Julie, Hailey & Rachel
Jon’s e-mail: plummer@byu.edu
Julie's e-mail: babe@byu.edu
Web site: http://plummerfamily.com/jon