Halloween Fun!

We had a great Halloween this year. For one, we didn't have to wear our snow suits like we have had to the last three years in Wisconsin. It was perfect weather. For a second, my brother, Mark, got a job here at Sam's, so he and his wife, Ashley, and their two kids, Abby and Nash, were here to join us.

Are you scared? We were a little weak this year on the whole, "The costume must be scarey," but, it was fun.

Here are Jane (Ariel) and Abby (Dora). They are the cutest things. They are about 2-3 weeks apart and Ashley and I have had a fun time getting them together. Jane has a melt-down every time they part, but it's worth it.

Dave and Mark set up for the trunk or treat. We were a little weak in this area too, but it is hard to be enthusiastic when it is light outside.



Okay, I got the 'scarey' look just fine!

Did we buy a money pit?

So we are happy with our home, but have had so many projects to do. We have gone though gallons of paint, changed a lot of light fixtures, some landscaping, staining, flooring...It's not going to stop. We still have the garage, basement, bedrooms....

This is the aftershot of the kitchen. We still need to put the hardware on and get a new oven...down the line.

This is right after Dave painted the cabinents. He did a great job, but it was very messy with the sprayer.

This is the after of the bathroom. I took down blue and pink wall paper, painted the walls and cabinents, but we'll have to get to the bulk of it later.

Do you love the wallpaper?

This is a shot off my back deck which we are currently staining...another project.

Here's a front shot. I love the fall colors. Dave has grand plans for a major face-lift, but it is low on the list of "need-to" do's.

This is the Living Room. We have painted very inch of it, even the trim. Still needs new floors.

Who needs to buy a really tall ladder? Only those who don't have a cool husband like mine. (The tacky brass ceiling fan had to go!)

My favorite room in the house is my bedroom. I love the windows that look out to the back yard where the deer roam...

And this is AFTER the beautiful blue with pink swirls wallpaper came down. Lovely, no?

Grandma Williamson Came!

What is wrong with me that I had my mom come out and didn't take any pictures of her?? Here's Jane in a sweet tiara and princess shoes that my mom brought her. They had an impromptu tea party. (Go Tea Party!)

Well, here's my mom's legs. We had a great time. We went to lunch and all the kids activities. It was a good time!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

To this...he lost three teeth in four days. They are already growing in quick, so I have to enjoy this cute face while it lasts.

We went from this...(I was BEGGING him to pull out his teeth!)

Rachel Rochelle Davis Ray Ray turns 10!

Rachel has had quite a bit of growth the last few months. She learned to water ski, do a back-hand spring -back tuck, sass her teacher, score a bunch of goals in soccer, and get A's on her report card.

She loves to be active. She has a hard time not having someone to play with. Now that she and Bella share a room, they have become best friends again. If Bella isn't available, Rachel still loves playing with Jane. She our little mom.

Rachel is very fashionable, starting lots of trends in her grade. She is very confident and won Class President the very first week of school as a new student. She loves to dance and sings in the school choir (even has a little solo). She just started to really enjoy reading.

I can't believe she is now 10. Where did my little girl go??? I love that she will come talk to me about anything.

Here she is, smiling as always!

Somehow Rachel has convinced her school classmates and teachers to call her Rochelle this year. It all started in 1st grade when there were 3 Rachels in her class...she went by RayRay. So when we moved to Delafield, WI, she invented Davis, and now she is Rochelle. I am still stuck on RayRay. It cracks me up to go to parent teacher/conference and here them talk about "Rochelle". Weird.

Tommy (Tom) gets Older

We had a surprise birthday party for Tommy this year. He's hard to read, but Dave and I think he had a good time. We introduced the group to all the fun games Dave and I played when we were in High School...minus "Seven Minutes in Heaven."

I can't belive he is 14! He's taller than me, starting to develop that delightful teenage <> noise. He still enjoys football, trying to figure out computer programing, taking things apart, his I-Touch (with FB), bike riding...just starting to enjoy listening to music, being particular in clothes selection. He is still a real sweetheart and super obedient. He has great wit and loves making his mom laugh.

Tommy is line backer this year. He has made some pretty sweet tackles. Other than bumps and bruises, he has stayed in one peice. One of my favorite things to do is cheer him on.
He's #43. Those are pretty neat facilities, huh? It's the high school here in Bentonville. I guess Walmart donates a lot of money to it...weird ;)

Some of What We've Been Doing

Rachel is pretty hot on the soccer field this year. As you can see by "not-too-subtle elbow," she is pretty aggressive, but it means she's a high scorer, which is fun. Now Dave owes her many scoops of ice cream...She is also doing tumbling.

Michael participated in his first soccer experience. I put him in size 3 cleats for the first couple of game s on accident, normally he wears 13...and I couldn't figure out why he kept falling down. He just thought that's how cleats were supposed to feel. Whoops! He ended the fall season with two goals! More ice cream from dad.

Bella also played a great season of soccer. Unfortunately, they lost every game, but she's a pretty spunky player, manning various positions. She plays on the full size field with girls up to 14 years old, so it was pretty tough. She is also taking gymnastics with Rachel.

This is Tommy standing in our garage getting ready to head out for a mini-mission. Hopefully he'll look a little more excited in 5 years. It was a neat experience, though.

In with the NEW!

New State...New House...New Van...so many changes over the last few months, I seriously don't know where to start. So, hopefully it will just come out as I start to blog again. My family is getting after me and I miss it. I always get mad when all of YOU don't blog....so I'm going to try to pick it back up. If you are a private blog, can you add me to your list? Thanks!!!!

This is Rachel on a rope swing in our back yard.