Pumpkin Carving

Sarah insisted we carve pumpkins today before it was too late for Halloween. We had a few dry hours after school that allowed us to go out and work on them. It looks like tomorrow will actually be a clear day so the kids can trick or treat. Spook City and the Junior High football game were both rained out last night. It rained so much, roads were washed out all over central Arkansas this morning. People had a terrible time commuting to work. On my way back home I noticed a terrible back up near Holland Chapel. Those cars were fighting for a parking spot at the free flu shot clinic. Scary stuff all the way around. The kids did a good job. We now have a bat covered pumpkin and a cat silhouette. Notice the challenge of getting a picture of Jamie's face. The longer the hair gets the prettier it is. It just gets thicker and shines more and more. I don't know if any one has mistaken him for a girl yet. It's only a matter of time.

Wings Field Trip

The Old Statehouse



Sarah's G/T Class went on a field trip to Little Rock's Central High School today. Our trip was great but it rained all day. The Central High tour was fascinating and horrifying. Our guide was the daughter of one of the national guardsman sent to block the 9 students. She walked us step by step through the the drama. It was interesting on so many levels. The school and surrounding areas are now national parks protected and preserved. It is also a functioning school with students. As we stood and listened to the guide we could see into classrooms with teachers lecturing. The school is massive and beautiful. The visitor center is full of photographs, video and memorabilia. You can see the hate in the faces of the white protesters clear and unashamed. Cameras capture so much of history. The pictures are brutally honest. I don't know how those 9 students made it through one day, much less years of torment.

Lots of great shots were missed today. The rain refused to let up. The leaves are just starting to develop beautiful colors. Major bummer. We also visited the Old Statehouse. It was not quite as interesting as Central. Bill and Hillary star in several displays there.

Magic Screams

We went to check out the Halloween festival at Magic Springs last night. We picked a good night. It wasn't crowded or too cold. The kids rode lots of rides. Jamie and Sarah have become very brave and road the roller coasters. They loved them. The pictures I have of those are so dark, it's a shame. We did not do the haunted houses. The picture of the two scary guys cracks me up. They were both part of a haunted house. At the end, they would jump out and scare people on the sidewalk. People knew it was coming and were waiting to see them. As soon as they saw my camera they stopped acting scary and posed for a shot. There were two kid friendly features we were brave enough to attempt. I think they were just right. The kids had fun without being scared.

Race For the Cure 2009

Mom was thrilled to have her picture taken with the channel 7 ladies.


Opening Ceremonies. Lots of music. A fitness instructor led a warm up that Sarah loved. This lady is with a group called The Bouffants.


The doves are released. It was beautiful. Just look at the one in the center, I love this picture.


Cheerleaders inspire the racers.



Wigs are the accessory of choice. Men, women and children donned them for the event.

Men line the route and offer encouragement and entertainment. These men model some kilts.


Vikings having a jolly good time.


Bikers rev their cycles as we walk by.


The pink fire truck.

Just walking. I like the movement here.



Lots of dogs in costume. Many with their fur dyed pink. Poodles to Great Danes all running with their loved ones.

I know this was really long. There are so many good pictures it was hard to choose. We had a great time today. It was crisp, cool and beautiful blue skies. We all completed the 5k. The only complication was being separated from Mom for about 30 minutes. This is what happens in a large crowd when you stop to take pictures. I kept a hand on Sarah as much as possible. 50,000 people is a big crowd. Several good shots were missed because I just could not get through the people. It was fun, fun, fun and we definitely plan to go next year. I am worn out now. We walked from 7am until 1pm. There are few pictures from the Survivors lunch I will post tomorrow.

Benton Band Night

The Middle School Band- 7th graders

The Junior High Band - Jamie is front row 2nd from the right. I would say look for the one with the long hair. I'm not sure his is the longest in this group.


Junior High Drum Major- Tanner is doing a great job. He is totally committed.


Senior High Band




All the Bands on the field at one time. They loved this and played several fun songs.

All of the bands took the field Thursday night. Instead of a football game we had a band night. It's amazing to see how much they progress year by year. The Senior high has a new director this year. She is very strict and they are much more disciplined. It will be interesting to see if Jamie sticks with it next year. They practice way more than the junior high. It definitely shows. They look and sound great. I enjoyed seeing all of them.

The Great White Pumpkin

I totally love my white pumpkin. I used scrapbook stickers to decorate it. The puppies have been checking out the fall decorations and generally wreaking havoc. The houses in the bottom pictures are covered with scrapbook paper. Too cute! I did these a few years ago and they still look great. The real danger with the cute Halloween decorations would be the increased calories. Candy is all over the place and no one can keep their hand out of it.

The sun appeared briefly this afternoon. I took the opportunity to drive straight to the car wash. Hopefully the good weather will last all weekend. We have Race for the Cure on Saturday. Pray that Mom and Sarah both can make the entire distance. The kids have 9 weeks test for the next two days.

Old Fashioned Day

Benton's annual downtown festival was yesterday. It was a nippy 50 degrees. Turnout was kind of low. There were very few booths to visit. This used to be a beg deal for Benton. I think it has just slowly lost it's appeal. Most of the booths were selling jewelry and candles. We did enjoy a fresh funnel cake. I had to take a picture of the Chihuahua and baby sharing a stroller. They were both shivering.

We tackled a long over due project this weekend. Mike received a fabulous new power washer for his birthday this year. We used it to remove the very unattractive green mold growing on our white siding. I am not sure what to think of the picture of Jamie. It looks like someone needs to call the authorities on us for child endangerment. On the other hand, we were very proud of Jamie for doing such a great job. The front of the house looks so much better. We also weeded and trimmed the flower beds a little. All we need now are a few pumpkins to decorate for fall.