Memorial Weekend

This was our 7th or 8th year that we have made the trek over the mountain to Gunnison for Memorial Weekend to spend time with Matthew's side of the family.

Madison and Parker on the 3 hour ride..

In the past many more family members have been able to come, usually like 25-30 people!!. Unfortunately there were only a 13 of us that were able to make it this year. The main person that was missed was Sydney, who was Matthew's aunt that was killed last July.

Every year we go a number of activities usually take place including, but not limited too: tennis, golfing, mountain biking, fishing, cookouts, nap taking, town bike riding, card game playing, white water rafting and downtown shopping to name a few!! This year was no exception! The folks that made it this weekend were Matthew, myself, the wildflowers, Jimmy (Matthew's uncle that was married to Sydney), Matthews parents and brother Scott, and cousin Mitchell. Cousin Chris and his family including Kirsten and her wildflowers Madeline and Spencer live in Gunnison. They are nice enough to open up their beautiful home to all of us and allow us to take over for 3 days!! The weather was kind to us....we had heard rumors of snow, but luckily it stayed warm enough for capri pants and shorts!

Every year the boys hold their usual Memorial Day Golf Tournament, but due to our loss this year, the name was changed to the "Sydney Dickey Memorial Tournament". Matthew and I had these golf bag tags made up to commemorate the tournament:

Here are the golfers and you can see the new tags on their bags...

Jimmy, Matt Sr., Matthew, Chris, Scott and Mitchell

All the kids had a wonderful time playing together as you can see below...

Kirsten and the bathing beauties...

Fun around the dinner table....

Chris and Jimmy doing the dishes the last night we were there....

CRAZY gas prices....

We had a wonderful time, not only doing activities, but spending time with each other. Family is so important to us and we are thankful for every time we are able to get together with them. It truly is a blessing! We missed all of you that were not able to make it this year : (

Pictures on the way home....

Who's On Board

Anyone interested in going on this.........
I grew up listening to MWS and AG!! That would be awsome!! I know you want to go Preachers Wife!!

Steven Curtis Chapman's Daughter Killed

Chapman daughter struck, killed by car in driveway

By KATE HOWARD and LINDA ZETTLER • Staff Writers • May 21, 2008

Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest child died Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home.Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The 5-year-old was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother, she said. Police did not give the driver’s name.The teen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway of the rural home at about 5:30 p.m. and several children were playing in the area, McPherson said. He did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her, she said.“It appears to be a terrible accident,’’ McPherson said. No charges are expected, she said. The accident was witnessed by two other children; the entire family was home at the time, McPherson said.Singer/songwriter Chapman, who recently was inducted into Music City Walk of Fame, is one of contemporary Christian music’s most recognizable and most awarded names. He and his wife Mary Beth have long been supporters of international adoption, having brought three girls from China into their family. Maria was the youngest.The couple is so active in the cause that they formed an organization, Shaohannah’s Hope, to aid families wanting to adopt. With his latest music tour, which came through Nashville in November, Chapman started a campaign called “Change for Orphans”. He asked audience members at each stop to bring spare change to the concert, where it was counted and given to a local family to aid in their adoption process.“I don’t know of anybody who loves his children more than he does and is so committed to the adoption concept, and to lose one, no matter what the circumstances, is heartbreaking beyond all comprehension,” said John Styll, president of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association.“He talks about his kids all the time. That’s his life. His kids are more important to him than music, that’s for sure.”The tragedy was announced during Wednesday-night services at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, which the family attends. Maria had just graduated from the church preschool.And word spread throughout the tight-knit Christian music community on Wednesday evening.Styll got the news not long after Maria’s death.“I’m confident I can speak for everyone in the community to say we will do everything we can to support this family, as we would do at any time, but especially at a time like this,” he said.Most of the Chapman family was at Vanderbilt children’s hospital after the accident and could not be contacted. The long, gravel driveway leading to the home west of Franklin was blocked off by Williamson County sheriff’s deputies.

Completely heart breaking. All there is to do is pray for some sort of peace in their family.
You can visit this site to view a memorial for Maria.

Wildflowers in The New Outfits

Look What Arrived in The Mail Today

The new outfits that I had Karen make....you can check out her shop on etsy ....

Karen you did such a wonderful job!! I absolutely love them!! Thanks for your hard work!! The Wildflowers are going to look sooooo cute in them!!

Saturday Afternoon With dad

Biker Babe

Papo Larry was here yesterday trying to get the wildflowers to pedal their bikes. Finally Madison did it!! I can't believe how big she is getting!!

Got All Carried Away!!

Sooooo......last night was the my night out on the town! It was such a great time!! It first started off by meeting all 9 of the other cousins that were also going to the concert at a fairly new local mexican restaurant. Of course we started off with one of these....

followed up by some of this....

complemented by some of these....

and topped it off with...

Needless to say, I need nothing else to eat for the rest of the week!!

We arrived at the concert in time to hear Josh Turner singing his Firecracker song. He really put on a good concert and I didn't know he had so many popular songs. Plus he is fairly easy on the eye..

When it was Carrie's turn, the whole place went crazy!

She came up on a riser thru the floor, which was very cool. She looked beautiful of course and sounded great. I had to wonder though if the altitude bothered her at all. She sang all of the songs played on the radio and a lot off of her new album that I didn't really know. She talked about how the American Idol audition was just kind of a last minute thought. She was in her last semester at college pursuing a journalism degree and on a whim went and tried out. In her words" I think it turned out ok, don't' you" Um..... YA!!!

All in all, it was a fabulous night!! I am thankful that I was able to go and that my dear husband stayed home and took care of the wildflowers for me.

I have Been Tagged

Before I begin, let me just tell you that tonight I have a complete girls night out. This is so needed I cannot even explain how needed it is!!
I am going to dinner and then to see Carrie Underwood and Josh Turner!! I am so excited!!! I will give you a full report later in the week : )

On to business:

I have been tagged my Amy for this meme. Now here are the rules of the game.

(1) Each player answers questions about themselves.
(2) At the end of the post, tag 5 people by posting their names.
(3) Go to their site/blog and leave a comment telling them that they have been Tagged. Invite them to your site/blog so they can read the Tagged post.
(4) Let the person who tagged you know when you have completed your Tagged post.

Questions:
1. What were you doing 10 years ago?I was graduating from college, married to the wrong man, living in KS and wishing I was in Colorado

2. What are 5 things on your "To Do" list? Make the new apron that I bought material for 2 months ago, loose weight, plant seeds in my flower boxes, put pictures in albums, make summer fun for the wildflowers.

3. What are 5 snacks you enjoy?Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate ice cream, m&ms, chocolate cake, brownies...are you seeing the pattern here : ) (now you see the purpose for the #2 on my to do list)

4. Name some things you would do if you were a millionaire. Travel, Travel, Travel!!!
Oh and of course give to charity, give money to my family, help the church, etc.....

5. Name some places where you have lived. Colorado towns including Colorado Springs and Penrose and Kansas towns including Haviland, Pratt and Greensburg.

6. Name some bad habits you have.I don't clean my house as often as I should. I let my laundry pile up terribly. I let my dishes pile up terribly. I am a procrastinator.

7. Name some jobs you have had. Babysitter to twins and an infant, waitress at the Willie Burger (doesn't than name just scream small Kansas burger dive), waitress at Juniper Valley , assistant to a college president, secretary at a saw mill, secretary at a construction company, and an assistant buyer for Atmel.

8. Name those whom you are tagging:
Amy Rene, Tammy, Tonya, Bonnie, Kelly

My "New" Front Porch

Care to join me for a cup of coffee and some conversation......

on my made-over front porch?
My favorite place to be in my house is my front porch. I love relaxing on the swing, observing the neighbors comings and goings and watching the wildflowers as they play. Lately it has been looking a little drab....in need of a makeover!
So, I recovered my swing cushion with some really great blue and green patchwork material....


Made a new arrangement for the front door.....
.
A new succulent and pot for the porch table...
.
Painted my old jute rug.....
.
And Taaaa Daaaa!!! I am pleased with how it turned out.

So if you are ever in the area, please feel welcome to come by and we can sit on the swing and visit : )

Happy 2nd Birthday Parker Man!!

So this weekend we celebrated Parker's 2nd birthday! It is so fun seeing him grow up so big and cute! When Parker was born he was 4 weeks early! He had to be in the NICU for 4 days and was oxygen for 9 weeks! So, needless to say, he has come a long way! Here he is 2 days old in the hospital weighing 5lbs 4oz...

Here is Parker, 11 days old and Madison 14 month old..

Some of the cute things that he is saying are:

Sissy (Madison) = He He

Gum = Mum

Mouse = Mow

Grammy = Mammy

Frankie our dog = Te Te

Drink = Dink

*Parker is very polite and he usually always says thankyou and no thank you. Even when you ask him if he is ready for bed he will say "No thankyou Mommy"

*He loves his sissy. He always thinks of her. If you give him a piece of gum, he will always say "He He Mum", meaning he needs one to give to Madison.

*He has a silky blanket that he has to sleep with. It's not actually a blanket at all. It is my purple flowered silky robe that he has taken possession of.

*He loves balls of any kind, and he calles them all "footballs". He loves watching basketball on TV with Daddy. He has a pretty good throwing arm also....we are hoping for the NFL or NBA!!

*When he sees someone pulls up in a car that he knows, he'll say" Papo Hew", meaning Papo is here.

* Matthew always wears a stocking hat and nothing will do but for Parker to have one on also. When he wants to go outside he will say "Ma Hat" in this cute way.

*He is very much into trains, especially Thomas! He calls Thomas "Toot Toot" and he always has to be wearing Thomas jammies and could watch him all the time on TV.

So I had my mom make the cake and then we were going to decorate it when I got to her house. Several different events happened that morning, but this was the major event:

The wildflowers decided to help them selves to some cake while no one was paying attention! We managed to salvage it thank goodness:

We had his party at my parents house. So there was Matthew's parents, his brother Scott, my sister and parents. We had a delicious spaghetti dinner, complete with belvedere salad, bread, green beans cake, strawberries and cream and cake and ice cream.....yummy!!

Happy Birthday to you.....

The Birthday Boy....

Papo Larry and Parker....

Grammy Patty and Parker...

Christel, Scott and Matthew

Blowing out his cake......

Mmmmm, Not too shabby.....

Awe.....

Madison playing with Parker's new Little People Farm....

Grammy Karen....

Parker's new bike he got from my parents.... Isn't the cutest thing ever!!

He loves it!!

Sharing with sissy....

New Thomas jammies....

We love you Parker....you bring us joy every single day and we are so thankful to have you!