Happy Halloween

Carving pumpkins and making a mess!
We made the rounds visiting grandparents. It was nice having Halloween on a Saturday this year and getting an extra hour.

Trick or Treating in our neighborhood.

Field Day

Today was Field Day at our elementary school. The kids all look forward to bragging rights on the Tug-Of-War Event. Sarah's class won the championship for 2nd grade!
Elizabeth's class had a little trouble!

Double Digits!

Elizabeth is turning 10! Wow, a decade old!
She invited two classmates to join us for a lunch celebration at Magic Time Machine. The kids loved the magic potion drinks that bubbled and steamed.

Our waiter was Dennis the Menace. He did a great job with the kids. The girls asked for his autograph. He decided to use a lighter on Sarah's card then put the fire out with Eric's Dr. Pepper! It was a mess and he had the kids giggling the entire time. Dennis also escorted the girls through the restaurant announcing to everyone that they had to go potty! Several of the characters sang Happy Birthday at the end and Elizabeth was glowing.

State Fair of Texas

We went to the State Fair on Sunday with my parents and their friends. We didn't realize till we were in the middle of a crazy crowd that Oprah Winfrey was also there taping an upcoming show! What a day we chose to attend the fair!
The best part of the fair, of course, is all the food! We also enjoyed the shows. The kids liked getting in the new cars at the Auto Show.

Their favorite part was the Skyway Ride. The kids were also excited about all their prizes they won playing the Midway Games.

Great Birthdays

Happy Birthday Great Papa and Great Nana Green! We went out for a nice dinner this evening and celebrated birthdays. Great Papa turned 93 on Monday.
Great Nana turned 29 on Friday!

Great Papa Davis

We are saddened this week by the loss of Eric's grandfather, Marvin Davis. Today we attended a beautiful service. It was a new experience for the kids as they have never been to a funeral. Eric's dad wrote the following eulogy that was read during the funeral and has touched us all.

Marvin was a part of that generation who was tempered by the trials of the Great Depression and World War II. Throughout his life he reflected the values of "America's Greatest Generation." He was always proud of his country and his service to it. One of the earliest remembrances of both his grandsons, Eric and Andrew, was of raising and saluting the flag on the pole that stood at his home in Greenfield, Indiana, and then later in Arkansas. God, Country, Family - these are the embodiment of the values of Marvin and those of his generation.

His life always centered around his family or in this case his families as he was blessed to have two. He was happily married to his first wife, Janet, for over 45 years. They had two children - Richard and Barbara - and lived and worked and raised a family in Greenfield, Indiana, until both Marvin and Janet retired to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. One of the reasons they moved to Arkansas was to be closer to their beloved daughter, Barbara, and their two grandsons - Eric and Andrew - who resided in Texas. After Janet died in 1991, Marvin married Emma Jane and together they enjoyed their senior years living in Hot Springs Village and then later in Thomasville, Georgia.

The light of Marvin's life was always his daughter, Barbara, and grandsons, Eric and Andrew. He was particularly proud when Barbara graduated from Texas Women's University and received her degree in Education. Teaching and learning were important to Marvin and he felt teaching was the noblest of professions. Marvin was in College Station when Eric and Andrew graduated from Texas A&M. He was proud of his two Aggies - but maybe secretly wished they had gone to his adopted state's University and become Razorbacks.

He very much enjoyed his grandsons, Eric and Andrew. He would take them fishing at Lake DeGray or at the lakes in Hot Springs Village. They never caught much but whatever they caught was a big deal - big enough that the memories are still vivid. He liked to play baseball with them and taught them to throw a fastball into his old catcher's mitt. He would take them to play miniature gold and taught them to play checkers - somehow the grandkids always won. Once when Phil, Barbara and the boys left Grandma and Grandpa's house to return to Texas and inadvertently left the boy's pet turtle in Arkansas, Marvin jumped in the car and raced ahead, flagged them down, and successfully returned the turtle to his rightful owners. He was proud that both Eric and Andrew played high school basketball since he was 6'4" tall and played high school basketball in Illinois. He often attended games when the boys played and later when Eric became a high school basketball coach.

Marvin took pleasure in the simpler things of life - whether it was swinging Barbara on the swing in the Black Walnut tree in Greenfield, taking drives on Sunday afternoon, going to a baseball game in Cincinnati, playing Rummikub with Jane and his family, reading a book, nodding off to sleep while watching the Atlanta Braves on TV, holding his great-grandchildren, planting flowers in his garden, sitting under the Oak trees at Susina, or eating a good meal at a family gathering. Marvin lived a good life. He lived a long life. He was fortunate to have two loving wives (at separate times, of course) and wonderful children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

His grandson Eric put it best, "... at 5:15pm on Tuesday my mom, Andrew and I held his hand as he took his final breath on this earth and joined our Lord. He was 90 years old. He no longer suffers and was very peaceful when he passed away. He waited for Andrew to get here from San Antonio today and for me to get to his home from work this afternoon. Then when we were all there he decided that it was time. Still you know whether the person is 9 or 90 it is never easy to relinquish a loved one."

"My grandfather was a good, very uncomplicated, man. He loved his country and his family...He served our country in the Pacific Theater of World War II and took very seriously his role as an American. He is part of the greatest generation that our country might want to look to for life lessons. His generosity in always trying to give Andrew and I things that were meaningful to him was a part of every visit it seemed. I am proud to have known him and proud of what he constantly tried to teach us about life."

"This was a new experience for me. Watching a person leave this realm and pass on to the next is a sobering experience. Everyone knows this already but, in our busy lives, it bears repeating. My grandfather left this world with literally nothing. And it will be the same with us. Life is not about material possession - it is about creating experiences for our families and our loved ones. That is the legacy and remembrance we leave."

Marvin Davis - husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather - God has blessed. Rest in Peace.

The Honor Guard presented Eric's mom with his American flag.
We had a celebration dinner after the funeral. The kids were excited to have RC Cola. This was Great Papa's favorite drink. Ashlyn is also holding Great Papa's favorite candy.

William and the girls!

Baby Shower

My Bible study gave me a beautiful baby shower today. The gifts were so adorable and the cake so yummy!
We are slowly getting ready for this sweet baby girl.

Rainy Weekend

Sarah's team was ready to play in the rain last night but the other team didn't show. We decided to go to Starbucks and they gave the team free hot chocolate! Above picture of them trying to get warm. William had his first loss and Elizabeth's team was on a roll with three wins before they canceled her tournament. :-(

Master's Degree

Eric completed an 18 month online master's degree through his school district and Lamar University. We surprised him after work today with a family celebration. Eric's parents, my parents and the Great Greens helped us surprise him and we enjoyed a nice dinner together.
He will graduate with a master's degree in Educational Administration. Pending grades on the class submitted last night, Eric should graduate with a 4.0! We are all very proud of his accomplishment! He hasn't had much sleep the last 18 months so hopefully he can get a few good night's rest before the baby arrives!

1st Soccer Games

William played his first soccer game today. He is so excited to finally be old enough to play sports too!
William celebrates after one of his goals. He scored 4 times and won his first game 6 to 4. Way to go Red Raiders!
Sarah started her 7th season with the Fire today. She scored 7 goals and her team also won 10 to 6!

Belly Contest

Okay, here it is...a belly shot. My dad and I have had a belly contest with every pregnancy. As you can see, I have almost surpassed him this time and still have 3 months to go!

William's First Day

William started his preschool program today. He only goes for a couple of hours in the afternoon but was ready to go before I got the girls to school this morning. After this picture he informed me that I needed to leave! :-(

College Station, TX

We took the kids to Aggieland this weekend. Eric was excited to show them the campus and take them to the opening A&M football game. He spent the past week teaching them the Aggie fight song and cheers a.k.a. "yells." They had fun at the kid yell practice before the game. The above picture was taken with 2 of the 5 yell leaders.
Texas A&M vs. New Mexico football game at Kyle Field. Gig'em Aggies!

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band was awesome!

The kids were able to go on the field after the game. William thinks he is ready to play Aggie Football!

Science Lesson

William went hiking today with Papa Green. They found this copperhead snake on the trail!!!

90 Years Young

Great Papa Davis is 90 years young today!

Friday Night Lights

The weather cooled off a bit in Texas for the start of high school football. I'm trying to avoid crowds while pregnant so we sat in the end zone. The kids loved being able to go up and down the bleachers. The girls were excited that we sat close to the drill team/band and they all like watching the mascot. William was so upset when it was time to leave. I really hope taking him to games doesn't encourage him to play football!

1st Day of School

The girls started school this morning. Sarah is in 2nd grade and Elizabeth 4th grade. They were up bright and early this morning putting on their new clothes. Thank you to Nana Gammon and Nana Green for taking them school shopping! They have had so much fun getting everything organized.
Last week we went to Meet The Teacher. Sarah's 2nd grade teacher is Mrs. Ellis.

Elizabeth has Mrs. Johnson for homeroom on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. She will go to another school across town for her Alpha classes on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Frisco RoughRiders vs. Tulsa Drillers

Elizabeth danced with her teammates in front of the crowd at the Dr Pepper Ballpark!

William's Big Day

William is about to start a preschool program two days a week through the school district. Today his teachers came by the house to visit with us. They are speech-language pathologists and are going to help him with his articulation. He is very excited about starting his new class.
William had his first soccer practice this evening. He had his shin guards and cleats on all afternoon watching out the window for Eric to get home from work. His team will be red/black and their name is the Red Raiders. Eric wasn't thrilled about that but thankful they are not the Longhorns! William has been talking non-stop today and should sleep well tonight.

Anna Maria Island, FL

We took our summer vacation to Anna Maria Island. It is a beautiful island located near Tampa, Florida. We were able to stay in a very nice condo right on the beach thanks to Jason and Kim (their daughter plays softball with Elizabeth). We wanted to stay forever but Eric needs to get ready for school so we are now trying to get back to reality!
The kids love the beach and did not want to come home. They liked putting on their goggles and looking for fish/shells. They spent hours building castles/forts and digging holes in the beautiful sand.
This picture was taken on the pier in Venice, Florida (Shark Tooth Capital). We took a day trip to Caspersen Beach to search for shark teeth. They found three. The kids will be excited to show you.

We ate out everyday at a lot of fun restaurants. Their favorite was this ice cream/candy shop located near the Anna Maria pier. William was so excited they had blue ice cream!

Sunset walk along the beach. The kids found lots of shells.

San Antonio, TX

We took a little road trip with Eric's parents to San Antonio to visit Uncle Andrew (Eric's brother), Aunt Charon and Drew. Above picture of The Alamo.
The San Antonio Riverwalk.
A Cave Without A Name.

Aunt Charon, Uncle Andrew and little Drew.

The kids with Nana and Papa Green down in the cave.