Gangster Cowboy

Littlest Buckaroo: "Hey mom, look at my knifing gloves!"

What? Knifing gloves? What is next, spray painting the chicken coop with cowboy gang signs?

They Tied the Knot

My baby brother got married this past weekend in Mississippi!

It was a beautiful ceremony.

Look how happy they are!

A gorgeous couple.

First Dance.

Brandon and mom.

Little Buckaroo and his cousin Makenzie cutting a rug.

Um, can you tell that Little Buckaroo is homeschooled? He does NOT know the latest dance moves. I think he is doing a cross between the robot and kung-fu fighter here.

Line dancing? Clogging? What is this boy doing? He did not get my rhythm, he takes after his dad (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

Littlest Buckaroo would not be outdone, he dropped down and did a little breakdancing.

It was a great wedding weekend.

Here's to a long, happy life together!
The Park Wife

The Park Wife's New Project

Everyone that knows me knows that I have to have some kind of project going on. This time, I have decided on something that I have wanted to do for a long time(I hear snickers from my college and high school friends right now) plus, it is going to be a hands-on a learning project for Little Buckaroo.


It all started about 10 years ago when I met Big Buckaroo. He was running marathons then and EXTREMELY health conscious. We always talked about growing our own food one day and having a little farmstead.

Problem # 1, we lived on a mountain state park and we were surrounded by woods. We did not think that state parks would be too keen on us cutting down trees (um, yes that is illegal) and clearing for a huge garden and area for animals. So, we just dreamed about our little homestead that we would have one day.

Problem #2, at the time I could not keep a houseplant alive, so thinking of growing a garden that actually produces food seemed like a joke. Big Buckaroo was sure he would starve.

Fast forward until now, we are now at a park where our house in on 8 acres with pasture area and a large garden area. I have worked and grown many wonderful things from pumpkins to squash to jalapenos over the past 3 1/2 years. Plus, we have run pastured poultry and pigs for meat and have laying hens.


So, here is the exciting news....... Little Buckaroo and I (with the go ahead from our small town mayor and city council) are starting a FARMER'S MARKET! It will be held behind the cute old Town Hall in our little city. Thankfully, we have a lot of highway traffic that will bring in many customers.

We are very excited. Little Buckaroo is already planning his garden spot, deciding what to plant that will sell best. He will have his own booth and learn not only the hard work of planting and cultivating, but commerce and face-to-face sales. Littlest Buckaroo will have a token garden spot but will probably just sell lemonade.


We are working on getting growers right now and I am going to the state farmer's market association conference in a couple of weeks.

Do you visit farmer's markets? If so, what do you like best? What do you not like?

The Park Wife

Reason Number 6,425,546

that I love being Little Buckaroo's mommy.

Little Buckaroo was named President of the 4-H Cloverbuds in our area. When I told him to go get ready for the meeting he came back with slacks, a nice button-down shirt, and blazer.

The Park Wife: "Wow, you sure look nice."
Little Buckaroo: "I am the President mom, I must look like one."

I want Little Buckaroo to strive to be what God made him to be. If it is President of the United States, I will support him or if he is president of the "I wanna be an Indian or a dinosaur club", I will support him. I pray that he learns hard work and commitment to what is right and good at an early age.

I used to have a problem after jumping from the Public Relations world to mommy world, I admittedly missed the personal praise, rewards, immediate gratification of a job completed and well-done. I still struggle with it every once in a while.

But, I grow closer every day to complete contentment with the fact that when I leave this world it will not be any award or event I planned that I will be remembered for, but that I will leave behind men who know how to love the Lord, love and cherish their wives and be hard workers. If that is my legacy (and I pray it is), what a blessed life.

Going to iron President clothes,
The Park Wife

Second Star to the right, and straight on till morning."

This weeks creativity lesson presented by The Little Buckaroos.

Once upon a time there was a boy named Peter Pan, who decided not to grow up. So he flew away to Neverland where the pirates are.
Hook: What fun he must have had.
Wendy: Yes but he was rather lonely.
Hook: Lonely? He needed a Wendy.
Pirate: I need a Wendy.
Hook: Why a Wendy?
Wendy: He liked my stories.
Hook: What stories?
Wendy: Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty.
Hook: Love stories?
Wendy: Adventures! In which good triumphs over evil!




Captain Hook: 'Tisn't fair! I say it as though it were my last breath - it isn't fair! Pan, who and what art thou?
Peter Pan: I am youth. I am joy. I am freedom!



I have a place where dreams are born / And time is never planned. / It's not on any chart; / You must find it with your heart, / Never Never Land.

Slightly: If Hook discovers our hideout, he'll gut us.
Wendy: How dreadful!
Slightly: Oh, we live for it!

I'll teach you to jump on the wind's back, and away we go.

Peter Pan: There oughta be a fairy for every girl and boy.
Wendy: Oughta be? Isn't there?
Peter Pan: Oh, no. Children know such a lot now. Soon they don't believe. And every time a child says I don't believe in fairies, there's a fairy someplace that falls down dead.

Wendy: Though the children stayed away for many moons, the mother always left the window open for them to fly back. I do like a mother's love, don't you?

All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again,
The Park Wife

Let Me Introduce You

...to some more family and friends.

We headed South for Christmas, well, further South than we already are, yes it is possible for you Northern folks. So, let me introduce you to some more of our family.

This is Big Buckaroos dad, AKA Pops, along with his three grandsons (our boys and nephew).

This is Aunt Katie, oh, how the Buckaroos love their Aunt Katie. Now, she is a real Louisiana girl, a graduate of LSU and she loves her Tigers. She spoils her nephews, but her day is coming (hopefully in the somewhat near future) and I will repay her by spoiling her kids ROTTEN and then sending them home for her to deal with, you know what they say about payback Aunt Katie.

Look at that wonderful Buckaroo love. Little Buckaroo loves her and is excited that she is coming for a visit this weekend. I plan on sleeping in and making Aunt Katie and Uncle Greg get up with the boys, haha.

This is Aunt Rachel, is that a glow from loving on those cute boys or is there another reason???? Yea, another Buckaroo is on the way. If it is a girl, she has no chance with three older boy cousins watching out for her, she will have to join a convent just to get away from their over-protectiveness. If its a boy, GAME ON! One more Buckaroo to be in on the adventures!


Uncle David with his son Cousin Buckaroo.

This is Uncle Mickey, he is not a blood relative but a great friend of Big Buckaroos and we consider he and his family part of our family. He is a riot! He makes me laugh so hard it hurts sometimes.
This is his wonderful wife Aunt De, we let Mickey come around just so we can see De. She too spoils the Little Buckaroos like crazy.

You have met the Divas in Training on my blog before, but I had to put this picture on here so that in 20 years we can put the photo up at Little Buckaroo and the Divine Miss M's wedding, I am all about an arranged marriage here!

Unfortunately, my mom, AKA the greatest Grandma in the world according to the Buckaroos, was here for a week and I did not get the camera out, I am such a slacker. We are going to Mississippi for one of my brother's wedding next week, so I will introduce everyone to even more family soon.

We are so blessed to have many wonderful people in the lives of our children.

The Park Wife

Resolution Waver?

The Park Wife is trying AGAIN to give up Dr. Pepper. So far, so good. But, Big Buckaroo gave me these and I am not sure if they are cheating on my Dr. Pepper addiction eradication or not.

I have not opened them yet, just drooling over the possibility that they might quench my desire to throw back a huge carbonated, high fructose corn syrup laden liquid.

For now, I am just walk around with them all daylong and ponder the possibility of Dr. Pepper fulfillment.

The Park Wife

Presents That Prepare

We had a wonderful holiday season full of family, friends and wonderful memories.

Since the Buckaroo's birthdays are in December, we always go at the end of the year for their wellness check-ups, I know, real fun right after the holidays but that is the only way I can remember to do it. We have a fabulous pediatrician and on our visit last week he asked the boys what they got for Christmas. Little Buckaroo started listing ~ kids cross bow, pirate outfits, bull whip, Nerf gun. The doctor started laughing and said, "no girly toys or video games, how wonderful!" I took pause (well, did I really pause? that would require more mommy brain cells than I have these days), evidently many of his boy patients did not get these types of presents and he repeatedly laughed in amazement at their list of presents.

I have talked on my blog before about raising boys that are Wild at Heart. I think that raising a son without thinking about the ultimate goal is like starting a journey without a destination. We are not raising boys, we are raising a future man. What kind of man is determined a great deal on how we, as parents, influence them in the short time we have them as they are growing up.

So, we are trying to raise boys who:



are radiant with affirmation that they are fierce,


seeking danger around every corner,


dreaming of being a hero,

beating the bad guys,


and rescuing the damsel in distress.

I pray they never stop exploring, are never bored, and they are prepared to search deep in their hearts for the answers to fundamental questions that can't be answered at our kitchen table, like Who am I? What am I made of? What am I destined for? I hope they take that journey for themselves, until then Big Buckaroo and I pray for the knowledge and grace to prepare them for the adventure!

Off to dodge bullets, bull whips, and arrows,
The Park Wife