Gordon the fish.

My dog, Gordon, is three years old and has always loved the water. He loves to boat, swim, play on the beach - he's a water dog at heart. Gordon is basenji/chihuahua mix, only ways eighteen pounds, is very agile, very fast and very smart. When we adopted him we thought he was a white german shepherd/basenji mix, which would have made him at least fifty pounds, but he's turned out to be perfect. We found him at a local Humane Society, fell in love with him right away, plus it felt good to teach Logan to adopt a puppy versus buy a puppy!
This week Gordon has been quite entertaining during our lake adventures. . . He has been obsessed with swimming with Logan, so whatever Logan is doing, Gordon is doing. He is running down the dock jumping in, he's eating the spray off the waterguns, he's having snack breaks with Logan, he's fetching the ball - I should say at this point that this warms my heart, watching my boy and his dog having a great summer together. I usually float on a raft, talk to my dad/uncle, throw the ball with Logan/Gordon, and judge Logan's many jumps off the dock. Gordon uses my raft as a 'home base' - he jumps off the dock, swims to me, climbs up onto the raft, and hangs out until he's ready to jump in and swim again. He is a very busy dog at the lake, he LOVES it and its impossible to keep him out of the water. One day last week he had been swimming for a few hours when he climbed onto my raft, rested for a minute, then I hear, "Hey mom, Gordon's peeing on your raft!" Yes, I said peeing on my raft! I was off the raft by the time Logan finished his sentence, and so was a very startled pooch. We swam over to the dock, got him out, and let him finish relieving himself up on the seawall. I was shocked! I've been boating all me life and I've never seen a dog pee off dry land. A few days ago, we were swimming off the dock again and Gordon was stoked as usual - first, he was jumping from the dock to the toon floating the boat lift and fell between the toon and a metal bar, didn't even stop his little legs from running, I don't think he even noticed. Then, an hour later I was relaxing on my raft when I look up and see Gordon peeing off my raft into the lake! This time it wasn't landing on my raft so I didn't dump him, but seriously have you ever heard of that? I guess he just didn't have time to head to dry land.
This dog is becoming a fish. Gordon is the first one in to swim, he wants to ride the tube with the kids, and he loves a good boat ride! I love my little pooch and his love for Logan and the water. Gordon got very sick a few days after we brought him home, with treatment and time he made a full recovery. The vet told us the rescue group that was scheduled to take him would not have had the funds to treat him, so I've always felt that this little pooch was meant to be with our family.
Gordon does lots of funny, entertaining things, but he has become quite a showoff at the lake! You've never seen a happier dog than our little Gordon.

The teachers let the monkeys out!

Summer break is finally here and Logan is all mine once again! We're going to swim, play, read, and have adventures together. I truly appreciate that in years to come, not far from now, he won't be interested in spending his summer days hanging out with his mom. It is a gift and a curse all at once to be so aware of the fact that some of my favorite moments in time are growing fewer and fewer. . . my time with my dad is SO precious to me, and my time with my son while he is still my little boy, before life has touched him with bills, worry, or responsibilities. I am in the middle of some of the best times in my life and I just don't want it to change.
I understand that there are joys with every age: the joy of watching your baby grow into someone that contributes to the world, the pride in seeing person you helped create mature into a loving, intelligent adult, the freedom to concentrate on myself, the ability to spend more time to my husband and I would never overlook the love of grandchildren. Unfortunately, those things don't seem to outweigh the fact that right now I can walk into Logan's room at night just to see his face, or snuggle up with him at any moment. I can call my dad any day of the week to meet him for lunch, call him at any time to ask for advice, or just go hang out with him because I want to. I can't work, I have friends, but my relationships with my husband, son, mother, and father are definitely the closest to my heart.
Don't make the mistake of thinking I have no interests beyond my son and my parents . . . just last weekend my husband, several friends, and I took a roadtrip to see Phish play two nights in a row. I love to spend time with my husband, we have date nights, take trips together and spend a lot of time hanging out as a family. I have amazing friends I love and depend on. There are many things I am interested in including reading, crafts, boating, travel, music, but all of those are secondary to my love of being a mother and my love for my family. I will always find a way to pass the time, but its hard to believe anything will compare to right now.
This is a summer I will hold close to my heart, this is a time I will always remember - my son is with me all the time and making memories with my dad he will have for the rest of his life. My father is seventy-three years old, Logan's other grandparents are all in their fifties. . . yes, if you do the math my mom is fourteen years younger than my dad;) Logan is old enough to remember these adventures with my dad - I have memories of my time with my grandfather Beem, when I was a little younger than Logan, and they are memories that I cherish to this day. So, it means more to me than most to be able to give that to Logan - time with his grandfather while he's healthy and able to just play.
I hope you have something in your life that makes you appreciate the moment you're in. I hope you have someone you love to spend your time with making memories to hold close to your heart forever! Have a great day, and remember to find a reason to smile:)