DorisDollars

Some of you know that my son, Mike, lives in Canada with his wife Elaine and their daughters, Robyn and Kelsey. (Technically the girls are Mike's stepdaughters, but please don't tell HIM that!)

Anyway, Kelsey has created a website called DorisDollars, in honor of her grandmother who died of cancer in 2004. The purpose of the site is to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society, and she has now received their official support!! (they're even adding code to their donations site that will cause donations through DorisDollars to be added to a total fundraising amount for her.)

Kelsey's Kentucky family is EXTREMELY proud of her, as you can tell!!

Please, if you get a chance, check out the Doris Dollars site and leave a word of encouragement, suggestions, or even just a howdy for this remarkable 12-year-old!

joyce

Here's a link to the site:

DorisDollars

Lindsay Grace Watson

I am going to try to put two photos of Lindsay on this posting.
This is harder than I thought but hopefully I will get it soon.

Angela and daughter Lindsay Grace

I think these pictures are so good and Lindsay looks so grown up. She is only five years old and she seems so much smarter than a five year old. Maybe she is so smart because her Grandma is a school teacher and helps her to learn so much. Oh, yes her Mother is very smart also. I have so many sweet photos of Lindsay, Judy sends me lots of them and I appreciate it.

Dale Farmer with his Baby

This is Dale with his daughter, Almudena I can just imagine how proud he is of her. I am sure he will be sending more photos of her as she grows.

Osha's only great grand child

Osha got these photos from her grand son, Dale Farmer, he is Gerald's son and he married a spanish girl, Ines and they live in Spain. The beautiful Baby's name is Almudena. Osha called me when she learned that she was finally a great grandma. She was so pleased and excited. I know how proud she is of this beautiful little girl.

Also in Helo, Hawii

I thought I could put both photos together but it didn't quiet work, So this is Dennis and Zak. Don't they look like a great Father and Son, I think so.

These Photos were taken in Helo, Hawii

I was so glad to get these photos, it is unbelievable how the young children grow up so fast and become beautiful adults. Zak was in a terribly hot place this past summer as one can see from the photos of him while working on airplanes. He looked so warm, I felt sorry for him but now he looks just fine and so does Jessica, Sue and Dennis. They look happy that their children are with them and they are having a wonderful time in Hawii.

Taken in Sept of 2005

Dennis says: Now that both Jessica and Zak are 21 or more it is a lot easier to get them in one place on a lovely Friday afternoon. I will just add a little, Such a nice little family, and they really enjoy their times together, Wow, great. I had a special reason for doing this photo over.

Tracy;s Daughter, Mia

I just got this picture from Tracy, isn't Mia just adorable? look at those big brown eyes and that cute hat. For those who don't remember who Tracy is, she is Wally's grand daughter. Probably most will remember but Roger's boys night not have seen her. I just love hearing from her and she sends me photos so I can keep up with them all. Her brother Scott has a beautiful baby girl, Maddy, Both babys are 18 months now.

Scott and William Mattingly

Judy sent me this photo of Willliam's 2nd Birthday party. Scott looks awfully proud of little William. Judy is always telling me what her two grandchildren are doing and I really enjoy hearing all about them. Her grand daughter Lindsay Grace is named after me, that makes me proud, she is beautiful. I really wish I could see all the family more but that is impossible so I try to keep in touch with everyone and I am just so thrilled when I hear from any of you. I have been getting the sweetest baby photos and love them all. I would like it very much is all the family could keep in touch even though everyone is so far away. Pictures sure can make a difference as we can all see those we love.

Ha, Jessica's son, Logan

Doesn't Logan look like he is just one who can make you laugh. He is so cute and just look at that hat. Oh, yes, Jessica is Pats youngest daughter. Her wedding photos are in this web site. I know that Roger & Isabell's boys are having a time figuring out who is who. I suppose Wally & Agnes's boys are going through the same hard time. Just e-mail me and ask, I will do my very best. I might get them wrong sometime anyway, ha.

Amy's Graduation Dinner

I just got this beautiful picture of Berlin's youngest daughter, (Karen's) daughter(Amy) with her cousin( Jessica's) boy Kaleb. It is so nice and I just love those beautiful blue eyes. I just keep putting them all on the blog for all the family to see so maybe they can get to know who is who.

What I did for summer vacation 2006 - Zachary Sumner

This is a USAF F-15 in Qatar:

115 degrees? No wonder everybody looks a little warm in these photos. (photos from Dennis by way of Lorraine) I just had Joyce put these photos on the blog, I tried but couldn't get them to where I could do it. I think Zak looked so warm, I saw that place and it sure looked hot. I hope his summer is over and he can get back to where it is a little cooler, like 90's, ha. We love you Zak.

Sumner Family Group, Reunion 6/25/2006

It looks like everyone had a really good time at the reunion in Stanton, Ky on June 25th 2006. It will be held there next year as far as I know therefore, everyone who might be able to be there will have plenty of time to make arrangements. I am not able to go anymore, it is just too dog gone far. I sure wish I could go though.

Jason on his trip to the Islands

Jason came in one day and said, " grandma, I have had this picture for a long time now and am just now bringing it for you". I think it is a good photo of him and naturally that is the way he is always taking good photos because he is always putting on some kind of an act. I think it is a good photo.

William Mattingly and Cat

I just got this from Judy and told her I would put it on the blog. I think it is so cute, see how children love animals. Pets are good for children, that is as long as Mommy can do all the work of taking care of them both.

Smart Little Boy

Bodhi was trying to figure out his Mother's cell phone. He really ate good and was getting tired by the time we left.

Bodhi On Slide

His last time to slide but he was fine with leaving. We all had to leave and it was getting cold.

Baby is upset,

Bodhi is really upset about something but it didn't last long.

More Photos

Jason sure kept busy with Bodhi on the slide. He would make it back to the top so fast. He was really having a wonderful time.

K-Mart Shopping Plaza

The young one is Sarah and her son, Bodhi. I am at the end, then Sharon and Jo Ann.

Together For Breakfast

Sharon, Jo Ann and I met Jason and his girlfriend Sarah with her son Bodhi for breakfast. We enjoyed being together. Bodhi is so cute.

More on the blog

Hey! How about you all in the family putting more photos and your story about your happenings on the blog! I haven't been on for so long myself that I almost forgot how to sign in. I have been busy working on my web site and I finally got finished after a long time of having trouble losing what I had put on and having to do it over and over. I am sure I didn't write the same each time, although I tried to remember it all. Love to All the Sumner Family.

William Mattingly

This is Judy's grandson, he is giving her a lot of big smiles. Those big blue eyes just sparkle.

A picture from Sarah Morton

Hello Everyone,

Here is a family picture that I put together yesterday. I thought that you all might like to see it.

If you don't know, the kids and I, as well as Mom are back in Italy. Mom leaves next Sunday and probably the kids and I won't leave until the end of the school year.

I want to thank everyone for all your thoughts and prayers. They are greatly appreciated. I wouldn't be able to do this without you all. God has been good to us. He has given me a peace that only He can give! Our lives hae been turned upside down, but I know that God is in control. He has a plan for us. Ionly need to be patient and wait upon Him. I still have no idea what I am supposed to do after we leave here, or where I am supposed to go. But I have time to figure that all out. I have a great support group here in Italy. I am so blessed. The women in the chapel have been great! The love that I feel from these women is tremendous, they all are willing to do anything for me. I pray for God's blessings on them as they have blessed me.

Love to all,
Sarah, Joshua, Scarlette and Olivia.

Ted, Tracy and Mia, Christmas 2005

I just love the cute little cap Mia has on and socks to match. She is adorable and it seems she smiles with her eyes, I was so glad to receive a picture like this. Thanks Tracy. Just click on photo to enlarge.

Just trying something special

Lindsay Grace Watson. I hope I am able to put this picture under the one of her and her Mom. I can always go back if I don't like it.

Pictures Taken at Christmas, 2005

Angela and Lindsay Grace, Judy's daughter and grand daughter. I hear Lindsay Grace is very intelligent and loves her Grandma and Grandpa. This picture is just like looking right at them. Lindsay had sure grown and isn't she cute?

Next I need to find Mia

It seems that my computer is almost new tonight. I am getting things done again though. Guess I am getting old or something. ha, ha.

Just have to put those baby's back

Leave it up to me, I somehow really got my computer messed up and have worked most of the day to get it back again. Sometimes, I sure can get myself into a mess on computers. BUT< I got it working again.

Chip and Heather's Wedding

So sorry that I deleted some of the pictures. I sure didn't mean to.

Chip and Heather's Wedding

I made a mistake and deleted some of the postings on the blog. I am going to put them back. This is Jim, Molly and their son Chip. They are so proud of him.

John and Sarah Morton and children

I took this off a newspaper, thought you all might like to see it.

The Loss of a Son

The news that Jerry and Pearl had lost their son, Sgt. 1st class John D. Morton, in Afganistan is so very sad and brought back the memories of all the sons our family has lost over the years. John D. Morton was doing what he loved and felt that he wanted to do his part for the safety of his Country. He leaves a wife and three children who will miss him terrible. He will be terrible missed by all his family and his many friends.

I don't know of any pain that is as bad as losing a child. It is like your heart just got ripped out of you and you will never be whole again. Do we all ask why? Do we all wish we could have taken our childs place? Yes, I believe we do but that is not for us to decide. Only God can decide that.
How often I wished I could take Bobby's Muscular Dystrophy away for him. Now I have Multiple Sclerosis, do I ask why? Yes, I suppose I question the nature of things. I don't feel that I questioned God, but did I? Then to lose Stevie, who was a Marine and was in Viet Nam was more than I could stand; when I went home after his funeral, I just wished that I could die.


My Sisters, Nieces and daughter have also lost sons to Muscular Dystrophy and I know they must have felt the same pain. Jennie, Vivian, Sharon, Etta and Arlene all lost sons to Muscular Dystrophy and now Charlotte, Windfred, Jerry and Pearl have lost a son to other causes.. I have given my life to God in the last years and it is helping me to deal with it all and I know Gods Will Be Done. Maybe that is why when I dream about my boys it is about when they were small and things were happy.

May God Bless and comfort each and everyone of the Morton Family.

Vicenza-based sergeant remembered as 'man of valor'

Stars & Stripes:
By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, December 21, 2005


Sgt. 1st Class John Morton

VICENZA, Italy — There weren’t enough seats for the people who wanted to say goodbye.

Dozens were left standing in the base chapel during a memorial service Tuesday for Sgt. 1st Class John Morton, a soldier his friend called “a sincere, honest man.”

Morton, noncommissioned officer for communications for the 74th Long Range Surveillance Detachment, was killed Thursday in a firefight in a mountainous region in southern Afghanistan. He’s the 18th member of the Vicenza military community to die since the Southern European Task Force (Airborne) took over operations in Afghanistan in March.

Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Chance said of his friend: “As a soldier, John was a quiet professional. A role model. He never looked for glory, but was always glorious. He was a leader of men and a man of valor.”

The 31-year-old from Kentucky was also a husband and a father of three children: Joshua, 8, Scarlette, 6, and Olivia, 3 months.

Chance directed his final comments to the fallen soldier’s wife, who attended the service.

“Sarah,” he said, “no matter where in the world John and I were, he counted the moments until he could be with you again.”

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Doug Hudson said the death was “a devastating blow to us, because we love John and we love his family.”

Lt. Col. Mike Shinners, the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s rear detachment commander, said Morton’s duties didn’t require him to be out on such a patrol.

“If there were killers, bullies or terrorists in the mountains, John Morton was not the kind of man to just talk about them on the radio,” he said. Instead, he volunteered to hike into the mountains.

Shinners said others in the detachment stayed on that mountain for three days in wintry conditions before they found the person responsible for his death.

Shinners also said he didn’t want to attend another memorial service on Caserma Ederle. Most soldiers are expected to return to Italy in February or March.

“I hope this is it,” he said. “We have achieved so much, but at such a price.

“Holy mackerel. Enough is enough. Peace on Earth, Lord. Please, peace on Earth.”

A true and faithful Soldier

Stanton KY, (AP) Newsfirst. The father of an eastern Kentucky soldier says his son was killed in Afghanistan when his patrol was confronted by Taliban fighters.

Jerome Morton says military officials told him yesterday about the death of his son - 31 year old Sergeant First Class John Morton of Stanton.

Jerome Morton says the Army told him his son was on
a mission in the mountainous area around Kandahar
when he was killed Thursday. The Pentagon said
yesterday that Morton's patrol came under small-
arms fire. Morton was assigned to the 74th Infantry
Detachment (Long Range Surveillance), 173rd
Airborne Brigade, based in Italy.

Morton enlisted in the Army as a senior at Powell County
High School in 1992. Morton was married and
had three children, two girls and a boy. He also is
survived by his mother and two sisters.

Morton's sister told us about the last e-mail she
exchanged with her brother --just a week ago. She
wrote that some people in the Stanton area considered
him a "hero". John said "no, you're only called a hero
if you don't come home alive.

Another good Picture

I think this is a great picture of Dorothy, Vivian, Osha and Jennie. They were all having a good time and really enjoyed being on the beach.

Back in the kitchen

Jo Ann is back in the kitchen again. She is a good one to take on a vacation with you. She just seems to be attached to the kitchen and making sure there is food and clean dishes. ha. That's my baby. ha.

Janice and Dorothy

Another photo where you can see the beautiful view that we had the pleasure of enjoying as there were cruise ships passing at a distance and dolphins coming up to the surface. It was all amazing.

Our Fun, Rummikub

This just shows you how we let everything else go to pot and played the rummikub game. After all we were on vacation and didn't have to clean up until we were about ready to leave, ha. What fun!!!!

Vivian and Dorothy

I found a picture of Vivian and Dorothy. I was looking for the one in their bedroom but couldn't fine one. So I am glad I found this one. Those two were the ones who said they hated the rummikub game but once they caught on, they got to like it. I heard that Jennie and Janice bought more rummikub games after they got home. Thanksgiving the whole family played and loved it while they enjoyed their dinner at Jennies.

Another Bedroom, this one was the largest.

Osha and Jennie sitting on their big kingsize bed. How could Osha hear Jennie snore from the other side of the bed anyway. That was a big joke and we all had a good laugh.

Janice and Jo Ann

Janice and Jo Ann look like they are having fun like the rest of us. I know Jo Ann is enjoying the vacation with our family. This will always be a time to remember.

Our Traveling Time and Things We Saw

Jo Ann and I got up very early and left Umatilla at 5:30 a.m. I just sat back and tried to get as comfortable as I could. Jo Ann doesn't like me talking to her when she gets in a tight spot. Or sometimes she just doesn't want me to talk because she is like me, can't chew gum and walk at the same time ha. Anyway I just let her go because she knows the roads good until after we get off I-95. We hardly stopped and were making good time. I do believe we stopped once somewhere but that was about it. As we got on 17 Alt, I knew we should have been on that only for a few minutes, I kept saying to Jo Ann. "you are going the wrong way, we should be on just 17 not 17Alt". She reminded me that she knew where she was going so we drove, drove and drove. finally I called Janice on my cell phone and she told me to ask Jo Ann to get off the road and she would check her map. Jo Ann still didn't want to get off, finally I told her that Janice wanted her to get off to a place where she could stop. Then she listened. Janice told her to stay on that road even though it was the wrong way and they would meet us at a shopping center where they were able to get off at an exit, can't remember which one but they were coming from the North and we were going from the South. ha. It really turned out to be much better for us as we were able to follow Janice into the condominum where we had the reservations.

We were all tired when we got inside the condo but excited to see everyone. We just left our things in the cars after we got parked and it was so good to get inside and just relax. We had such a good time. We were almost too tired to eat much but sat around and visited. Each of us chose our bedrooms and it was decided that since Osha had hearing aids and would be taking them out, that Jennie could sleep with her because she couldn't hear Jennie snore. We all got a laugh from that. We would get up in the mornings, one at a time, until everyone would come to the ktichen and eventually we would have our coffee, then decide what we all wanted to eat. Janice and Etta went to the grocery and bought lots of food and we thought we would have enough, but no way, they had to go back again and get more food before we left for home. Oh, I took my rummikub game and everyone just loved it except Vivian and Dorothy but after they learned how to play they really enjoyed it. Janice took us to see downtown Charleston. It was very nice with old buildings and an underground bunker from WW1. It was old and so interesting. At least this is how I remember it. but my memory isn't what it used to be. It is too short term. ha

We left on November 13 and Jo Ann was a wonderful driver. We filled up with gas and got on our way. It seemed to be much faster than when we went up. I believe we all would like to do that again next year. We stopped after a few hours and Jo Ann had made some chicken salad, I had some wheat bread and she had a bagle, so we made a sandwich and it sure tasted good. We got started again after about half an hour. We saw some really bad accidents going north and all cars were stopping to see if they could help even though the rescue was there. They all looked very bad and there could have been deaths, I am not sure. We got through that and were on our way again and a lady behind Jo Ann was on her tail and making her very nervous, I had my wheelchair on the lift and sometimes it looked like some of those drivers were going to run into it. Later down the road, Jo Ann started laughing and I asked her what she was laughing about, she said "I am so glad, the highway patrol has stopped that crazy lady driver ha.ha.".

Sooo that is my story about our trip and it was such a wonderful time and so great to get to see my family again. Hopefully it can happen again.

Another Mother and Daughter

I am afraid Osha is getting tired of being moved from place to place to take pictures. If I remember right, it seems we are about finished here. I wanted to have as many pictures as possible in order for my nephews and their families who haven't seen us for a long time will be able to see us in all kinds of places etc. Just Roger's and Wallace's families haven't seen us for a long time.

Me and Jo Ann

We are in our little bedroom but we had the only twin beds. ha. It looked like it was the kids room because there wasn't that much in the room to get damaged. ha.

Jennie and Janice

Another mother and daughter photo. I think Jennie was in a hurry to get back to the game. Janice is so good to take care of her and take her places. I know Jennie is thankful for that.

The Four Cousins

Taken outside where we parked under the building. Aren't those nieces of mine sweet? Etta, Jo Ann, Janice and Dorothy. What a fun group to have around. Oh!! one of those girls is my daughter.

Janice and Jo Ann

These two were the cheif cooks. Jo Ann made two pans of fried potatoes with onions and with Janice's help I made two pans of cornbread. Osha always liked my cornbread. The first time I made some cornbread and was going to let it bake on a top burner at low. ha. The burner didn't even get warm, therefore the bread was not a success but we put it in the over and finished it and it still tasted yummy.

Lorraine and Jo Ann

We had decided to take pictures in groups of mother/daughter. We could all do that except Vivian since Linda was not there. That couch was so soft that I just sank down in it and couldn't straighten up my back. ha. I hadn't laughed so much for so long that it felt good. ha.