Calling all Blog Stalkers!

People! We are dangerously close to striking on this blog! You will notice comments posted have been dwindling.....my regular commenters are Ted's faithful and fantastic cousins, Aleca, Cassie and Cheri. They, too, have their own blogs and know HOW GREAT it is to get comments. Sooo, if you are one who checks in regularly with "The MAC 5" but quietly slip in and out, COME ON! MAKE MY DAY! Just click on "comments" at the bottom of each post, and it's pretty easy from there. It's a give and take relationship people. I mean it. I'm not kidding. I'm watching you.....

Costumed Kids

Here is our Ninja Warrior(in the shadow, sorry, I guess that makes him more mysterious!), the mummy, and GB Packer cheerleader (Daddy had to carry the pom-pons during the trick or treating portion of the evening)

Next the boys went to "Hallowana" (AWANA Club) where they were encouraged to dress up as bible characters. Kaleb changed into Joseph (as in Mary and Joseph) and Will's mummy was actually Lazarus! Ted donned his wig from the last post and went as Samson! heeheehee

Peace and Love

Ted and I went to a costume party this weekend -- aren't we GROOOOVY hippies? The wig and shades about killed me.

Baxter had to get in on the action

The guys didn't have school Thurs or Fri so we visited a nearby pool with some cool slides and play stuff. Where does Anna get her atttitude?

House Pix--FINALLY!

So I appreciate your patience in waiting for these pictures. And if you'd like more detail, we love visitors!

Great Room, kitchen on the right

Kitchen, great room on the right

Office

Our room

Will's room. Eventually, visutalize, GREEN BAY PACKERS!

Kaleb's room. Eventually, visualize: WISCONSIN BADGERS!

Guess

Had to include this one--BEAUTIFUL sunset from our front porch

This one too, Anna's costume from her ballet recital last spring that she's been wearing non-stop lately. She decided the tu-tu was better as a hat!

My sweet Ann.....

One benefit of moving is that I'm not so overloaded with activities and volunteering (yet). So Anna and I have really enjoyed one-on-one, special time together. Here is a collection of some of her latest:

**We're driving up to Wal-mart, and they are having a sidewalk sale and have racks outside. Anna--"Mom! Wal-mart is having a garage sale!!"

**She drew a beautiful portrait of me and her. Then she needs to draw one of her and Daddy. "Is it ok if Dad is a girl? Because I don't know how to draw boys."

**One afternoon, "Will the boys be home shortly or longly?"

**We're driving, and from the backseat, "ok Mom, here's the deal. 4 year olds should NOT have to take naps!"

**(my personal favorite) Before we had window coverings, from her bed she could look out her window at night and see the empty field next to our house. She often got scared and thought she saw things in the field. One night when she was scared of something out there, I told her to lay on her other side, and then she wouldn't have to look outside. "But Mom, I have to. That's where God is!" (looking up into the beautiful, starry, moonlight sky).

My sweet girl.......

October 6th in Wisconsin

So here we were last weekend, fall in Wisconsin, on our friends boat, because it was 88 degrees! We've been friends with Kris and Charlie since high school, and had a GREAT time with them and their three wonderful girls!

Lounging on the deck

Captain Chuck and his crew

Swimming off the back

We spent Sunday in Elkhorn, visiting LOTS of friends and family. Here are Will and Kaleb at Ya Jen's pond.

Since it IS Wisconsin, I am expecting snow next week!

Camping--our style..."Heated Cabins, Meals Provided"

This weekend was our annual camping experience for the fam. Now some of you may not classify it as camping, as I have always described it, "Heated Cabins, meals provided". It's the closest thing that we'll get to camping, and the kids don't know the difference!

Here's our heated cabin

Ok, coolest thing ever invented: HUMAN FOOSEBALL(SP?) The campground has created this field, where the players stand in 50 gallon drums that are set underground. You can only bat at the ball, and try to score in your opponents goal. The kids played one game until a team had five, then the parents took over. We played for two hours!!

This shows most of the field

Ted in goal

Will got in on the "mixed" adult/kid game. He's next to one of our pastors!

Kaleb hunting for treasures in the woods

Ted and Will also had their first experience with paintball, but by then my camera battery was dead! We also enjoyed a night hayride, campfire with s'mores and "barrel rides" (the creativity of this camp! Again, using 50 gal drums, this time on their sides and wheels attached underneath, you sat in them, pulled by a tractor) It was a fantastic weekend!

Since I haven't blogged in a while, here's the kids during homecoming here--they got "decorated" at school, and got out early to go to the city-wide homecoming parade, where EVERYONE goes!

And yes, I had my g-sale. Got rid of quite a bit of stuff we don't need! So things are finally leveling off for us--hopefully my next post will include a tour of the house, now that we are unpacked.