Brady and Rosie Summers Welcome Baby Girl!!!!

Today Rosemary went to the hospital early to finally have this baby! At 10:07 in the morning on November 9, 2009, a baby girl arrived! She is very healthy and has quite a loud cry and was just the right size. She has light brown hair and weighed 8 pounds even. Her name is....

Mallory Rachel Summers

Rosie is doing well and she and Brady are enjoying getting settled into their roles as parents. Brady's grandmother as well as Rosie's parents and brother, Sage, were all there to welcome this new baby into the world and to help get everything ready. They should be able to leave tomorrow and begin their new life with Mallory.

Babies and Young Families Part 2

If you notice on the right side of he blog, you'll currently see the tickers for 7 pregnancies. You may recognize some of the families while others may be new. Obviously, I'm into babies right now and have gone a little overboard in the new generation but hey, anything can happen. So far every one of the families all attend and met at the same college. In my world, there is about 3 degrees of separation... Haha... Here's a little rundown of all 7 of these lovely couples:

Elvin and Skyra Stream

Elvin Stream and Skyra Olara met while on an international band trip in 2003. Elvin was in the choir and Skyra played the flute in the band. Elvin happens to be from Isle Del Akai and even went to school and was in choir with Eagle Rivers and Jag Lightfoot, although he graduated in 2006 (and E & J in 2008). Skyra is from New Asia, which is on the east coast. They are from literal opposite sides of the country. They stayed in touch through email and spent many holidays together. They decided to get married and attend college together so they decided on KU which brought them to PA. They got married on August 15, 2006, in Aildfror, Vetonia. Their reasoning was that because they were from opposite sides of Kiillaana, why not get married in the middle?

Elvin is a hippie. His dark hair is long and his face very dark. He is half Catin and half Kiillaanian and the darkness really shows through. He has a beautiful bass voice and is majoring in Business while minoring in Music Performance. He is always wearing sandals and ripped jeans, much like Eagle. He also makes and salvages a lot of his clothing, giving him a unique style. He works full time at a travel agency (the same one Gergory Mohaili works at) called Luther Simon Co. where he helps organize vacations. He enjoys the beach and surfing, hiking in the forest, spending lots of time with family, and singing in his spare time.

Skyra is a nature-loving faerie girl. She dyes her hair various shades of purple and red and it is very long and free. She is tall and thin and loves to wear anything purple and black. She is very into the faerie culture and wears petal skirts, ballet flats, stripy shirts and leggings, and frilly tops more often than not. She is energetic and loves to be where the flowers are. She was majoring in Kevian and played the flute in band on the side but had to take leave after only one year because she and Elvin had their first child, Meredith Elvira Stream, on October 9, 2007. She returned to school for the Spring 2009 semester and was again in band but shortly after found out that she and Elvin were expecting their second child, due September 1st.

So... that is what that first baby ticker means. She is currently 33 weeks along and is doing well, despite being huge. She is not ill at all so she is enjoying going on frequent outings with her family. They do know that their 2nd child is going to be a girl, but they haven't told anyone the name they have chosen. Meredith, who is 22 months old, is excited about the arrival of her baby sister and asks about her often.

In spring of 2009, Skyra met Rosemary and Brady Summers and the two families have become great friends. They do many things together and, as it turns out, are both expecting babies, about 10 weeks apart.

Brady and Rosemary Summers

Brady Summers and Rosemary Larkin have a very romantic beginning. Brady comes from a very broken family and was born early which has caused him to be handicapped and require the assistance of leg braces and canes or a wheelchair to get around. Rosemary comes from a family that fostered and adopted several medically fragile children. Both of them are from the city of Forrester, New Gypsy, which is, in not only Rosemary and Brady's words, but most of the city residents' words, a "place that is most awful and should never be visited except by necessity." The whole city is full of people that are not tolerant of others' differences and does not have a whole lot of resources available for people like Brady. Their meeting can be found in this humorous memoir found here. They got engaged at a beautiful spot that they often went to and were married on June 7, 2008, just two days after their graduation. They spent a semester working and deciding on the right college, which, after some persuasion from a close friend from the same city (Rasmus Bradshaw), happened to be KU.

Brady is an easygoing, funloving guy. He loves to be in big groups of friends and has knowledge and will discuss anything from music to the color scheme of the bathroom. His early life was very rough- he was born two months early to a 16-year-old girl named Audri McAdams and a 17-year-old boy named Cole Caseman. He had several preemie issues and many complications. His maternal grandmother, Louise Summers, took the sickly child in as her own and received custody of him. As a young child, it became apparent that several things were wrong with him. His legs didn't work right so he received some bulky leg braces, a large and heavy walker, and a wheelchair that he learned to use very quickly. His eyesight was terrible at best and his eyes were crossed. He had on thick glasses but still bumped into things. His speech was hard to understand, and while most people would have given up on him, his grandmother read to him often and taught him how to read and write the best she could.

Rosemary is a short-tempered, yet respectable woman who has a gift of getting her point across to even the most stubborn of people. She does not hesitate to slap or tell off anyone who brings her offense. All she wants is for the best in people to shine through. She grew up with an older brother who has some medical issues and was therefore behind in school. She learned compassion from the start and it heightened after the birth of her younger brother and the adoption of two more, plus many more medically fragile foster children. She met Brady as a 1st-grader, after watching him being bullied by some older boys. She took it upon herself to make the teasing cease which ended in a fistfight and her suspension for a few days. Upon her return, she found Brady and the two of them became best friends from that day on. Her family was one of the wealthier in the city of Forrester, and after they learned of Brady's issues, they helped his grandmother get therapies and services in place for him. The two of them grew up together and were always there for each other.

After they got married and spent that fall semester working, they began attending KU. Both of them are business majors, and do band on the side- with Brady playing the clarinet, and Rosemary playing the flute. Brady works at Mohaili Medical, a medical supply store, where he demonstrates the newest innovations in wheelchairs and walkers. Rosemary met Skyra at this time and the two of them have been like two peas in a pod. Brady and Elvin are also two peas in a pod and often do things together. Brady and Rosemary found out, much to their surprise and great joy, thet they were expecting their first child, due just 10 weeks after Skyra and Elvin's baby. They spend the majority of their days together just having fun while preparing for their babies' arrivals.

Even though Rosemary won't be back to school in the fall, she will visit often as Brady will still be attending college and playing in band. They are anxiously counting down the days until their baby's arrival, which will be in mid-November.

Elias and Darrion Hope Jackson

Elias Jackson and Darrion Hope are much older- entering their 7th and 6th years of college. They are both majors of Theatre Arts and Vocal Performance and can sing, dance, and act. They love to perform together and have performed together since they started college. They began dating early in their college careers and finally got married on March 20, 2009.

Elias is a very quiet and almost timid man- very typical of his Mid-Kiillaanian. He has a beautiful Nova accent and is very kind, polite, and gentlemanly. He decided to attend KU because he wanted a change of pace and instantly fell in love with the school and the city. He is known for always wearing a bandanna and his piercing blue eyes.

Darrion is quite the opposite. She is very loud and is very much an extrovert. She enjoys being the center of attention and always being on the go. She has a very thick Binko accent and comes
from Kibinki, only a few states away from Elias.

The two of them aren't very well known in the band world, except by Eagle Rivers, who sang a duet with Elias as part of Elias' jury. The marriage of Elias and Darrion was only a week before Eagle and Winterwood's and both couples attended each other's wedding. Darrion got pregnant only a few weeks after their wedding, much to their surprise, and plans to continue acting even after her baby's birth in late December/early January. The two of them couldn't be more happier and are enjoying their first pregnancy.

How I Met My Husband... and How I Got Suspended in the First Grade

By Rosie Summers

I have always had a bit of a violent streak. If someone offends me I don’t mess around. I just give them a slap in the face. Growing up with a brother that has medical problems, I witnessed the effects of getting made fun of. Nothing angers me more than seeing a helpless person get pushed around by bullies who should know better.

So here I am a first-grader. My brother Sage is by now in his last year of middle school and is doing well. According to everyone, I shouldn’t understand “different” kids. I’ve never really been taught about why some kids are “different,” and I should be ignoring them like anyone else, right? Wrong. Sage and I had a special bond. I knew how much it hurt him to be made fun of. I quickly assumed that that’s how all “different” kids felt, no matter what they were like or why they were “different.”

The day began normal enough. It was probably a month or so into the new school year, the fall of 1995, and I was doing well. I walked out to the bus stop every morning. My bus was 802 and took me to Hilton Elementary School every morning. My teacher was Mrs. Franz and her classroom was way in the back of the south wing- room 20. I can still remember the cubbies that we had for storing our coats and backpacks. I had to share my cubby with a boy named Thomas Nottingham. I thought he was gross, and because I was the only girl sharing a cubby with a boy I got made fun of. That ended quickly after I kicked the rude commentator in a place that no man should ever be kicked in. I told you, I don’t mess around. Nobody ever found out about that one, so I didn’t get in trouble.

Morning recess commenced. Because I had a reputation that carried over from preschool that I was mean and beat people up, I didn’t have many friends, and because I could care less about dollies or jumprope, I headed straight for the monkey bars, where I found myself the most at home. Our school was so cheap back then that there were only two duties for the entire playground. They were obviously hired as “afterthoughts” and spent most of their time together away from the action talking about books or their kids or how much they wanted to have a smoke. It just so happened that there were two playgrounds and I was on the north playground, where the duties weren’t.

I was on my way to the bars when I noticed a group of five boys, ranging in age from 2nd to 5th grade, laughing at a little kid and pushing him against the wall, laughing and making fun of how he walked. I had never seen this kid before and I instantly noticed that he was one of these “different” kids. He had one hand firmly gripped on the red handles of his walker, the other one out in self-defense while these kids pushed him around. His legs were completely covered in large, metal braces and he stood awkwardly, trying not to fall over when this ring of boys pushed him. His wide, terrified eyes were magnified by his thick glasses and I noticed that his clothes were old, his hair was uncombed, and his teeth were very crooked. In that moment, my heart went out to him.

I promptly marched over there and told the “lead” boy to stop making fun of this kid or I would beat him up. The group stopped and laughed at me. The little boy looked at me with a “don’t-mess-with-these-boys-they’re-already-after-me-enough” look and this bully, whose name I will never forget (Corey Day), pushed me away and then the circle continued to make fun of this boy.

Well, everyone knows that NOBODY messes with Rosemary Anne Larkin so I took a few steps back and then came running. I remember clearly yelling, “Leave him alone!” and then decked Corey. He was on the ground with his head being beat into the pavement by me. He grabbed my legs in an attempt to get me away from him but all that did was bring me closer to his face, which I continued to punch, slap, and slam into the ground. The four other boys ran away in horror and fear, leaving Corey totally helpless to me, who was a lot stronger than him. I was screaming at him telling him that he doesn’t mess with me and that he would pay for pushing around that little kid. I knew I’d get in trouble, but I didn’t care. Eventually, the duties came over and separated us, sending JUST ME to the principal. As I was being led away, the little boy, whose name I found out later was Brady Summers, looked at me in awe and said “Fanks fow saving my lyfe!”

My mom was called. She came and got me. However, my mom knew that I did not beat up people without a reason (ha!) and after I had calmed down (I was VERY upset about this) she asked me to tell her why I beat up Corey. I told her everything and could tell that she was just as awe inspired as little Brady was. She quickly went to the phone and called the principal, telling him the entire story. I got suspended for three days but the five kids who pushed him around got a much bigger punishment.

I returned to school as normal after those three days. Brady’s face flashed in my mind and took over every second of my life during that time. I could hear his shy, quivering little voice say that sentence over and over again. When I arrived at school, lots of kids made fun of me but more were in awe that a girl beat up a guy. I gave those who taunted me the dirtiest look ever and boy did they hush quickly. They knew I’d deck them in a heartbeat. Finally, it was time for morning recess. I went outside, looking for the little boy who I knew would be there. He was, and was all alone. He was waiting for me.

I walked over to him and he reached out and gave me a hug. What he said next changed my life forever. “Gee Wosemewy, you awe reawwy stwong. Wiwl you be my fwend?” I looked at him and saw trust in his big eyes. I told him that I would be his friend. I learned his name and we talked for a long time. Just in that first 20 minutes, I learned a lot about him. His name was Brady Summers and he lived on the outskirts of town. He was born 2 months early and had many problems when he was a baby. He lived with his grandmother in what I later found out was a rundown old house that they rented out. He didn’t know where his parents were, but they visited him sometimes. He had trouble walking and his speech was affected, but he was trying to learn to walk with leg braces. He couldn’t see very well and had trouble reading. I also learned that we were enough alike to be best friends and different enough to be interesting and always have fun. Brady Michael Summers became my best friend from that day forward.

His grandmother became good friends with our family and eventually, with our family’s help, was able to move just down the street from us. With our knowledge of agencies and centers, because our family was a foster and adoptive family, Brady was able to get the therapy and equipment he so desperately needed. We remained best friends throughout elementary school and on to middle school. I got suspended a few more times in middle school for slapping or punching rude boys that made fun of Brady and my friendship. If anyone dare say a word about my brothers or Brady they would get it.

In high school, we were still inseparable. We did everything together. By now, his hair was styled and neat, his clothing was new and showed off his personality; he had nixed the big coke bottle glasses for trendy frames; had gotten laser surgery on his eyes which greatly improved his vision; his big, cumbersome braces were replaced with trendy, blue, small ones; and the once quiet and shy kid with big teeth was now speaking boldly, and his smile showed off his blue braces. We both joined band, because we loved music. I chose the flute and he chose the clarinet and together we made beautiful music. We made lots of new friends and soon had quite the group.

A few weeks into the year 2006, after I had turned sixteen, we made the decision to start dating. We went on many fun and wonderful group dates and had no trouble finding wheelchair-accessible hangout spots. Our favorite things to do were to hop on the trains and just go somewhere we had never been. We found some of the best diners we had ever been to and found the most beautiful spot along a lake with weeping willows and flowers and a serene little fountain. As we approached our senior year, we were both so happy. Brady had grown into a handsome young man who often forgot that he was in a wheelchair, and who was just one of the guys.

I had a few close calls with suspension, due to slapping a rude boy who called me all sorts of terrible names but usually people left me alone. I remember the day that the entire woodwind section walked out of the community junior orchestra two weeks before the concert because we were fed up with the way things were going. Lots of stuff happened our senior years but we got through it together!

In late May of 2008, Brady and I went to visit our favorite spot, our “place by the willows” as we called it. This time he did not take his wheelchair. He walked with his canes. We were both dressed nicely, for we went to a formal early dinner. We began talking and reflecting on how we met and all that good stuff. We got really emotional and nostalgic and had a great time reflecting back on how far we’d come. He then turned to me and pulled a small, purple box out of his pocket. He opened it and inside was the prettiest ring I had ever seen. He then carefully got down on one knee and told me that he wanted to make memories with me for the rest of time.

We were married just two days after our graduation. It was beautiful. That little boy who I defended so well from those mean bullies was now a man with a wife. We decided to wait for college for a semester and spent that time looking at colleges that we wanted to go to. Finally we decided on Kennywood University. One of our best friends is in the band there and loves it and we want a change of lifestyle so we got enrolled for spring and now live in a tiny but fully accessible apartment located just a street away from campus.

This story is one of the best stories I have ever written, in my opinion.

Rosemary is a feisty and proud woman who has the gift to make ANYONE listen and act for the better. She is slightly violent too when she gets offended but has the sense to know when to slap and when to just let it go. She is very caring and motherly and has learned all she knows about love and sacrifice from her older brother Sage, the many foster children that lived with her, and her younger brothers who were adopted. She knows what is right and will stop at nothing to right any wrongs she finds.

Brady is a confident, strong, and friendly young man who happens to be in a wheelchair. He is an advocate for special needs adoption and foster care because he has walked that walk before. He is always the first to try out any new product designed for people in wheelchairs and never fails to find out how to get around any area. Unlike Rosemary, Brady is more laid-back and tries to keep the peace between anyone. Together they complement each other nicely.