Ky Opry Finals

 

Hey Friends!

Well, we have had an interesting week.  Tuesday night, we were celebrating Eli’s birthday with family at our house.  Right around the time everyone was getting ready to leave, Eli got hit in the mouth with a skateboard busting his lower lip and knocking back his front teeth.

UGH!!!

I took him to the ER about 9:30 pm, and we didn’t make it home until after 1:00 am.  Here we are waiting at the hospital…

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He got three stitches in his lower lip, and it was very painful.  This mama felt like she was going to pass out when they kept giving him shots in his precious little lip.

Today, we are headed to the dentist for them to take a look at his teeth.

As much as I hate seeing my baby in pain, I am so thankful that it wasn’t worse.

 

So that is why I didn’t post yesterday.  I spent the day taking care of Eli and letting him spend his birthday money at Toys R Us.  He definitely deserved it!  I love that I have a job I can put on hold when I need to.  Smile

 

Before the week is up, I wanted to share with you our trip to the Ky Opry last week.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!!!

We went down on Thursday night so Jonathan could practice with the band.  He has never been able to go down early to practice with them and usually only gets to practice with them a few minutes on Saturday night right before the show.

It was nice to have a little extra time there as a family.  It was like a mini-vacation.

We are so very grateful for our sweet friends, the McKees.  I cannot tell you how much we love this family!

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They let us stay at their lake house when we go down there, and the boys just love it.

Cy and Terry are like two high school kids when they get around each other.  Those boys laugh at each other all day long!

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Michelle and I get such a kick out of them.  Michelle is sweet, soft spoken, and petite.  Quite opposite from me…I’m loud and well…not petite. Smile

 

We are so blessed to have them in our lives!  Cy worked on Terry’s garage on Friday while the boys and I went to the mall and a movie.  FUN!

That night, we went to eat at Patti’s Settlement.  OH MY GOSH!!! We LOVED that place.

I took a bunch of pictures, but they didn’t turn out very good.  But the whole place is lit up with a ton of white lights, and it’s magical.

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There are kinds of little winding paths to take throughout the “settlement.”

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There are gift shops, live animals, a playground, a chapel, and a ton of other beautiful areas to enjoy before or after you eat.

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I think they have a lot of weddings and receptions there too.  It is the perfect place to have them!

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The food was UNBELIEVABLE!  Everything is made from scratch.  We loved the homemade strawberry butter that came with Patti’s bread.

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If you are ever in this area, you need to visit Patti’s.

 

Saturday morning, we went to Kentucky Shores.  It’s a little fun center right down the road from where we were staying.

We went putt putting…

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And rode the bumper boats…

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Then we rode bumper cars…

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The boys climbed the rock wall…

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Lastly, we played a little outdoor laser tag.  It was blue vs. red!

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We also rode some race cars, but I took video instead of pictures.

We were exhausted after all of that fun and went home and took some naps.

 

When we got to the Ky Opry that night, I got the BEST surprise!!!

I met a blog reader of mine!  Sherry Strauss, and her husband Jay, drove four hours from Indiana to come hear Jonathan sing!  Can you believe that??!!!

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It made my night…and Jonathan’s!  They were so, so sweet, and it was such a honor to have them there cheering Jonathan on.

Just another reason why I LOVE blogging….meeting amazing people like Sherry and Jay!  THANK YOU FOR COMING!!

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Jonathan sang two songs in the finals, one slow and one fast.  He did an amazing job on both songs. I was so proud of him.  It blows me away that he is 13 years old!  I cannot imagine singing in front of all those people like this when I was 13.

 

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He sang Terri Clark’s “Better Things to Do,” for his fast song and played the guitar.

He changed the words in one part to make it fit his generation…see if you can hear it. Smile

 

Did you see the fiddle player in the back ground?  That is the McKees’ daughter, Carson.  She is amazing!!

 

They haven’t uploaded his slow song to the Ky Opry youtube channel yet, but I will share it when they do.

 

Jonathan placed second in his division and third overall.  Of course, he was disappointed, but he did his best, and that is what matters most.

We still celebrated another wonderful year at the Ky Opry and look forward to Jonathan singing in the “Stars of Tomorrow” shows there this summer.

 

After the show, we had fun taking some more pictures.

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The blur in the blue shirt is the youngest McKee, and Luke’s buddy, Clint.

These three beautiful women are Carson McKee, Savannah Garner, and Hunter Wright.  All of them sing and play instruments.  So talented!!!

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Just hanging out and having fun…

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Thanks for following us at the Ky Opry again this year!  And thanks for cheering Jonathan on!

 

Have a blessed day!

14 Comments

  1. That’s too bad about the split lip! I had to have stitches in my upper lip a few years ago and I remember all the shots to numb it. Hope he is doing better!

    Congrats to Jonathan for having the guts to sing in front of everyone and for taking 2nd….that’s totally awesome! Thanks for sharing this!

  2. Congratulations to Jonathan for doing such a great job. Hope your little one is feeing better. Trauma like that is often harder on mom than the kiddo’s. Your pictures make the area look like such a fun place to visit – who knows, maybe we will get that way one day.

  3. Keeping my fingers crossed for good news and little pain when the dentist checks on Eli’s teeth. Way to go Jonathan – great job as always. I love to listen to you sing.

  4. So sorry about Eli! Lips always bleed so much too! Poor guy :( hope he feels better soon. Jonathan is so brave! I can imagine what he’ll sound like once his voice changes :) great job to him and thanks for sharing :)

  5. Oh my … your Jonathan is an amazing talent. I picked out Duck Dynasty and had a laugh as my adult kids all love that show. You must be so proud of all your boys. My sympathy on little Eli’s owie. I remember when my daughter, who was 5 at the time, had a bike wreck and needed stitches in her face. As she was keening, I started seeing stars and a very nice nurse slid a stool under me and said ‘Put your head on the table mom but, keep holding her hand.” LOL Nothing worse than when our babies are hurting.

  6. Thank you for sharing Traci. You and your family are such a blessing. I enjoy you all sooooo much. Will be praying for Eli to heal quickly. And I encourage Jonathan to keep on singin :)

  7. Happy Birthday Eli!!! Poor baby :{ hopefully that will heal quickly. ..as for Jonathan, well, he is nothing short of Amazing!!! Sooooo Talented!

  8. Poor Eli! I hope he is better! Jonathan has a lot of talent for a 13 year old! I’m sure he will get better and better as he gets older.

  9. I recall Jonathan has always loved music since he was even smaller than Eli is now. He has grown into a good looking teenager with a very good voice and great stage presence. I think he is a natural. You are truly blessed with your 4 beautiful sons!
    I am enjoying your blog for the first time after hearing about it. I love the pictures of your family the most!

  10. Had to comment…I see you have met my sweet nephew and his family,Terry,Michelle,Connor,Carson and Clint…She has told me about your
    blog,so I’m a new fan…Your son Is outstanding..and I am amazed at how
    comfortable they are performing.Carson is great,isn’t she?!Hope to meet you
    if we can get to the “Opry’…and thanks for including them in your blog.I’m
    sure Terry gets his sense of humor from me…lol

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