Happy INDEPENDENCE Day!

Shauna, Cayden, Brayden, David, Me, Stu, Lyric, Grammy and Papa. (Jason had to work)

Happy Independence Day! What a better town to spend it in than INDEPENDENCE, KS! Grandpa Steve and Grandma Donna came down to visit us and we had a great time! And yes, Lyric does have a ponytail on top of her head, if you look really hard you can see it!We ran around and then kicked back and relaxed a little. Stu and Steve rode the bikes around and went down to the creek to shoot guns, and fireworks I'm sure. They brought down some great recipes and we even splurged and went to Southgate and had some yummy burgers. After a few tears and tiny rubber bands, we got PIG TAILS!!!

On the 4th Grammy, Papa, David, Shauna, Brayden and Cayden, and Jason joined us for food, fun and fireworks.

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's on Furlough we go!

Hi strangers! It's been almost a month since my last post. About time! Well, we are in the middle of our Cessna furlough and Dad and David are getting ready to head back to work on Monday. Stu doesn't go back until August 3rd. He has been able to spend a lot of quality time with Lyric and secretly hopes that his furlough is extended just a little while longer. They sleep in and then eat some breakfast and then it's back down for a nap! Two peas in a pod. He is a wonderful daddy and I love him so much for his dedication and love for his family.

Taking "Big Red" for a ride. Getting ready to swim at Grandma and Grandpa Goodwin's in Wichita.Mommy and Lyric taking a swim. Yes you two. It's time to get out of the pool!Papa and Lyric at cousin Brayden's T-Ball game. Her hair started out normal that morning and then she looked like a rooster. This is after her nap and during supper. YIKES!

I am excited to announce that I am a contestant in the "Colgate Country Showdown" in Coffeyville, KS on July 25th. I am going to be singing "If I Should Fall Behind" that Faith Hill did. I sang it at Shelley's wedding and I love the song. It will be a nice tribute to Shelley and Don!

Visit www.colgatecountryshowdown.com and check out my profile. I hope to have my song and a better picture up soon!

American Idol Season 9

Well I finally decided.... I am going to audition for American Idol Season 9. I just feel that if I don't I will regret it. This is my last year to do it due to my age so why not?

I have had a hard time with this decision because I absolutely love to sing but am to a point in my life where I wonder if I missed my opportunity.

1. Is it worth the cost to drive all the way to Denver, impose on friends and family, wait in line and get my wristband and seat ticket and then never get to audition? That is a possibility.

2. Am I ready to handle the rejection? On the other hand, am I prepared to stay longer if I do make it through?

3. If I do make it through, can I afford to stay there to complete the rest of the audition process?

4. Can I stand to be away from my family for a long period of time? Hollywood week, the following weeks of live performances, etc. I don't want to miss too much of my daughter's life. She grows so fast!

5. Should I leave my responsibilities as a small business owner here to try this?

6. If I do make the top 13 (long shot), will I be able to go on a tour and be away from home again?

7. Will I be able to do the music I love or be forced to be someone I'm not? Will it change my marriage? God I hope not!

Lots of factors and with a lot of prayer and thought, I have decided that I will never forgive myself if I don't try it. So, my mom and I are going to drive to Denver for the July 12-14 auditions! Can't believe it! I will post pictures and my experience afterward.

Wish me luck!

Updates...FINALLY!

I have 2 teeth! Can you see them? I don't show them to just anybody!

Went to Walmart to get groceries and she started falling asleep sitting up in the cart!

Walmart will do that to you!

We have been so busy lately. We were in Wichita for several weeks in a row and I finally decided that I needed to take a break from singing for 5 weeks. So, I have been getting to spend more time with Stu and Lyric and our family which has been great. On Memorial Day weekend we hosted a cookout at our house. We set up a badminton net and played that and volleyball. Saturday we went to Wal-Mart and bought a triple slip n slide. It was a little chilly out but Brayden loved sliding down the slide. Lyric laughed so hard watching him slide. Sunday, Stu, Lyric, Me, Shauna, David, Brayden, and Cayden went to Joplin to the fireworks store and the mall. David and Shauna had to get Brayden a baseball mitt for T-Ball so we made a day of it. On Monday, we all went to Papa and Grammy's and had a great dinner together. We have started trying to make the world's largest bubbles. (Brayden refers to them as Good Luck Forever Life Changing Bubbles). The next time we went over there we got the tools and stuff together and made a bubble big enough to put Brayden in. Baby pool, hula hoop, Dawn diswashing soap, Glycerine, and water! After a few tries, it worked! (I will have to add those pictures later.)We bough Lyric a Whale pool and we got it filled up and played in it a couple weeks ago. She actually liked it despite the water being pretty chilly. I think Daddy liked the pool too. Water sprayed from the blowhole and everything!

All done and relaxing in the shade! On June 11th we went to Grammy and Papa's to celebrate David's 29th birthday! Wow he's getting old! ha ha! We had a great time.

Lyric has also learned to play peek-a-boo too. It is so cute!

Peek

A ----- BOO! We entered this one in the parents.com magazine cover baby contest. We also have a picture in the babytalk.com Good Morning America cover baby contest!

Where did April go?

Did I miss the month of April? No, it just FLEW by! I already mentioned Tanganyika. We closed the office early on April 10th for Good Friday and then we headed up to Wichita for Easter. The weekend of April 17th, Stu went to Waynoka, OK for the annual Rattlesnake Hunt. He doesn't hunt rattlesnakes but he does ride his Yamaha YFZ 450 in the sand. He went down there and met Steve, Stevie, John Sacket, John Brodie, and other friends. They had a blast! While he was gone, Lyric and I stayed at my parent's house for the weekend. Grammy had to go to Wichita but we stayed and spent time with Papa and had a great time. It was pretty relaxing. We went home for the day on Saturday and got lunch with David, Shauna, Brayden and Cayden and then took pizza back for supper to Papa. We relaxed the rest of the weekend and then met Stu at home on Sunday. Sorry this blog is so short. I promise to get better at this.

EASTER 2009

Well, the Easter bunny came this year! I decided to take my own pictures of Lyric and I am pretty impressed with myself!

She's so proud that she can sit up by herself! She loves her bunny.

This black and white one (by mistake) is my favorite! Then she fell over! I thought she did so well! What a funny girl! Then we started getting grouchy.

Lost it! See the tears...... and mommy's shoe!

Lyric's first flight, Tanganyika and church

Wow! What a busy start to spring. We have been running non-stop! On April 3rd, Grandpa and Grandma Goodwin (aka Steve and Donna) flew down to see us and stay the night. We fixed a nice dinner at home and really had a great time. The next morning, Steve, Donna, Lyric and I FLEW to Wichita in their plane. That was a lot of fun and it was Lyric's 1st time flying. She didn't seem to mind it at all. I told her that she has flown like a birdie! Bye bye Daddy and Cessna. We'll see you soon! Hey, there's Papa and Grammy's house!! We flew by Longton. That was pretty neat!Grandpa getting the plane cleaned out at the airport. Thank you for the safe fun trip! You're a great pilot!

Love you both!

Later that day, my band, "Edge of Grace" from Gracepoint Community Church had a gig at Tanganyika. We played about 30 songs. Grandma Sheila, Aunt Stacey, Grammy, Aunt Shauna and Uncle David and their boys came to see us. Thank you all for coming. It was so much fun! Sorry the pictures are so blurry!

It was an absolute blast. With it's fair share of challenges. Tanganyika http://www.twpark.com/ is an awesome wildlife Park at 183rd and Maple. They have giraffes, a rhino, monkeys, lemurs, white tigers, kangaroos, and zebras, among other animals! We even got to go into 2 of the exhibits and pet the kangaroos and feed the lemurs some cranberries. (No picture of that)

Then on Sunday, I got up early and sang 2 services at Gracepoint. It was a blast and I am still getting used to my in-ear monitor but had a lot of fun! I love being a part of something so amazing. Thank you Grammy, Papa, and Aunt Sheila for coming.

I will post our Easter pictures with my next posting.