Happy Halloween

Abby, the chicken. How fitting! All weekend in Manitowoc it was "I scared" and It's scary." This costume was so cute!

Kid Pics

I can hear you now, "Rachel, I love those pictures! They're so great, but don't you have, say, twice as many nieces and nephews?"
I DO. They don't have any representation because their PARENTS are hogging all their pictures. This bulletin board is in my office at work. I love to see all the kiddos every day!

Fall in Wisconsin

It was another beautiful fall day here in Wisconsin. It made me think of a quote I recently came across;
"Hardwood forests ablaze with color, geese on the wing, caramel apples from a roadside stand, barns bursting with the harvest, and everywhere everyone packing some extra fun into the last warm days of the year – that’s fall in Wisconsin."
I'm so glad to be living here. I absoutely love my morning drive to work, filled with fall colors. What an awesome time of year!

Trip to Tomahawk

Earlier this month, my aunt and uncle hosted a family get-together at their home in Tomahawk. They live on the Wisconsin River. It was great to see everyone. We enjoyed the (cooler) weather. These are pictures of my parents on the dock.

Fun Fact: A few years ago, Andrew hit a golf ball across the river at this very point.

Our Flowers

(hee, hee)

Flowers from my house and my mom's house. (Mostly my mom's.)

Eclipse

We made some time to see the movie while all together in Arizona. Here are a couple group pics. We're standing in front a picture of "Bella."

AZ Vay-Cay!

A typical Hughes get-together...

Rock band at Sandee's. They were pretty good.

Fun at Amanda's house.

Goofing around.

Let Them Eat Cake

We got a Dairy Queen Cake to celebrate Father's Day. I told Abby that it was cold and asked if she remembered the "cold cake" we had before (for Mother's Day). Abby asked me if she could touch it. We let her touch the Mother's Day cake as well, so I said sure. It turns out, the freezer door didn't shut on this one so the cake was pretty soft. We went into the living room to sit and Abby escaped. My mom started laughing a minute later and asked me to come out to the dining room. There was Abby, eating the cake with her hands, then putting her hands on the table, the chair, and the desk. She mostly went after the frosting edge. This picture is Chris pushing the cake away from Abby.

Impressive

This is Shirley. She is just like a grandma to us. Andrew's family kind of adopted her. We love to see her and spend time with her. She recently decided she wanted a cell phone, so she went out and bought a track phone. She's so up for trying something new. This is a picture of Andrew explaining the cell phone to her. Love it!

Birthday Surprise

Andrew's birthday is coming up and we've got a busy week ahead, so I surprised him on Friday night. My brother brought Rocky's Pizza from Stevens Point (Andrew's favorite) and my mom helped me with Andrew's "cake." Andrew does not like real birthday cake and he does like snickers- so this was perfect for him. They were all here to surprise him and it was great!

The Deck, Second Coat

We finished the deck! And we got two coats on the front porch as well. Job well done. In this instance, "we" is Andrew.

The Deck

Here is the project we tackled this weekend. We would not have been able to do it without my parents. They worked every bit as hard as we did and were awesome helpers. We'll need to do a second coat soon, but we'll be able to do that on our own (I think). I'll get more finished pictures when that work is complete. I honestly did not think our deck was this big when we started the job.

This is May?

Last weekend, Andrew and I got in a huge fight. Luckily it was a fun one. It was a snowball fight. Unfortunately, this is Wisconsin in May. I was going to put away the mittens. I might hang on to them a little longer.

The Giant Chair

Andrew and I were shopping for patio furniture last weekend with my little brother, when we happened upon this little number. It was so ridiculous I had to get a pic. My little brother was a good sport. For ultra-sophistication, the store offered the McDonald's plastic singing fish nearby. We captured that one as well.

The Naughty Step

When my brothers and I were younger and we misbehaved my mom would make us sit on "The Step." My niece was recently playing on the very same steps and she seemed way too happy there. I went to get a picture and Abby grabbed her Daddy and flashed this cheesy smile.

Kitchen Remodel... Ferge Style

My parents recently updated their kitchen and it looks awesome! Andrew was a big help. They are lucky to have him and so am I. We remembered to take a few pictures.

Under the Weather

Andrew and I have both been sick lately. He had bronchitis for more than two weeks, and I have come down with walking pneumonia. Andrew tells me this was expected as we are living in the frozen tundra. Unfortunately, Andrew's parents were visiting during this time. I think they escaped before they caught anything.

The Grumpy Face

Abby is my adorable niece. She will turn 2 in February. She now makes faces on demand. This is her "Grumpy Face" and I love it! Also pictured: "Roll Your Eyes."