Arrivederci!

Jackie is off to Italy- She should arrive in Rome about 3:30 am our time 12:30 Rome time! She was so excited! She will be studying at an Italian University in Verterbo about 40 miles north of Rome. She is taking an intensive language study, Italian Cuisine course and an Art History. She comes home on December 22nd just in time to give us christmas presents (Which we hope are expensive Italian purses) We will really miss her! People keep asking me if I am so sad to see her go -I'm not! I am so excited for her - I think I have taken her to many things that were much sadder than this! This is exciting! I have officially succeeded in talking Steve into letting me go visit! So Savannah and I will go around Thanksgiving for about 10 days! I will let you know how Jackie is doing - she doesn't have any cell service there - she left her phone with Derek (which he is very excited to now have a cell phone if even for a short 4 months) So she will just email as often as she can! Hopefully we will hear from her on the phone a little!
GOOD BYE JACKIE!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!! BE SAFE!!!!

Last Day of Summer Vacation

Summer went so fast! What a summer we had! We were able to see all our Great Grandparents and most of our cousins! Our new boat was put to great use! We only have a few physical reminders - that we are new to the boat driving! Tomorrow is the first day of school for the kids - Lauren is a Junior , Derek 8th, Savannah 5th & Grace in 1st grade! I go back to a quiet house for the day! What a change that will be!! I am actually sad - It was a really fun summer up at the lake - now we have to wait 9 months to do it again!

Here are a few highlights of our summer!We got to spend a lot of time with Steve. Two family reunions & some lake time - He came up to the lake even on Week nights just to ski and would leave in the morning

We learned to surf behind the boat - Here is Lauren showing her skill - we were able to surf without the rope for a few minutes - Also great view of the lake house behind her

Savannah learned how to waterski - she even mastered going in and out of lake! Who knows maybe she will wake board next year!The most fun of all -COUSINS - they had loaded down the tube with 5 of them on a 3 person tube! They didn't stay on very long!!! What a great summer no wonder we are all depressed!

PUZZLE FINISHED ---- ALMOST

LAUREN???!!!!!!!!!!!




She claims it is not her this time! Its hard to believe when every other time - she has had the piece!!! I'll let you know if it magically appears. We are excited to have it finished - it took all summer and lots of help from our company - but we did it!!! ALMOST!

BIRTHDAY CARNIVAL

Grace is now 6! She had a great birthday! We invited all the neighborhood kids. All the kids over the age of 9 helped with the carnival games and all the kids under 9 came to the carnival. Savannah was the ticket master and gave everyone tickets. We had a fish pond, face painting by Lauren (very popular), ring toss, Basketball shoot, water balloon throw (this is were the kids threw a water balloon at Derek and if they hit him he fell back into a baby pool of water - Also very popular! ) And the biggest attraction was the Jumping Castle! They ate pizza and had clown cupcakes We even had a neighborhood friend who dressed up like a clown and rode his unicyle and made balloon hats! It was a great Success! We wish you could have all been there! Savannah made this fabulous sign!
Here's the Birthday Girl!
We had about 12 kids at the carnival and about 10 kids helping
We put Jackie in charge of the Jumping castle - we knew that she would make sure all rules would be followed!

Grandma Marlene & Papa Joe come to play

We had lots of fun with Grandma Marlene and Papa Joe and Jeremy! We rode Go Carts, went Parasailing, and played at the lake! It was fun to have them. Now we have to buckle down and get ready for school to start in 10 days! AHHHHHH! Summer went to fast! We go to the Oncologist on Wednesday and hopefully Jackies scans come out clear and then she is off to Italy in 11 days!
Grace driving the boat! She really lives a charmed life compared to most 6 year olds!
Jeremy showing mom how to chill
Papa Joe & Grandma
Derek & Savannah Flying High

Our Pennington Cousins

Don & DeeAnna & family came on Wednesday and left this morning! We had lots of fun with our cousins! Stuart survived tubing with Derek - Savannah has now past over to the dark side - she is Derek's new tubing buddy! I think she lost all her cautiousness when she cut her hair - kinda like Samson! She is a maniac almost as bad as her brother!!!!! Ryan would not tube with the crazies - but he did end up riding the sea doo and kayaking! Aaron and Grace swam and played in the sand and caught frogs and played their game boys!! It was great fun! Don & Steve got to golf and DeeAnna is a puzzle savant! The puzzle is almost finished we needed her to stay just a few more days!!

We leave in 1 hour to pick up Papa Joe and Grandma Marlene and Jeremy for the week which will be packed with playing at the lake and Grace is having a neighborhood carnival for her 6th birthday party!!! Should be full of fun!

Locks of Love

Savannah did the ultimate sacrifice today! She cut her hair for locks of love. Locks of love is a great organization that takes hair donations of 10inches or more and makes them into wigs and gives them to childhood cancer victims who can not afford one otherwise. She has been wanting to do it for a long time but kept chickening out! Today was the day! Jackie was so proud of her and told her that she was going to make some little girl with cancer very happy to get a beautiful wig! Steve kept trying to talk her out of it! He loves long hair! She looks so cute! And we are sending her hair off tomorrow! What a great thing she did! We are so proud of her!




Here is a few pictures from Dereks 3 day canoe trip with the YM up at Priest River! He had a great time! They came home with great stories of how they swamped thier canoe in the middle of the lake! I am always nervous when I send my son off with men - they are not always as organized as women! I remember a fathers and sons outing when Derek came home with no eyebrows I think he was a little close to the fire - which from what I understand was almosts a forest fire!

We are off to the lake for the rest of the Week with Don & Deeanna and family!

More Lake house Adventures

Savannah Learned how to Waterski and does great! I tryed for about 2 hours on many different occasions to surf behind the boat and got on my knees really easy but never could stand up - even had the surf board hit me in the head once - which was very enjoyable. So Derek who has mastered the wakeboard, slolom ski's, kneeboards like a maniac decides he will try it - I told him it was hard and he had watched my many, many failed attempts. The little bugger gets up the first time!!! He did give me a few good tips and I was able to finally surf behind the boat. So all is forgiven!

We have more company coming - this week is Steve's brother Don & His family and then Papa Joe & Grandma Marlene! We are so excited! We just call him SUPER WATER BOY!


This is how cool you are when you are 11


Super Surf Boy

This is a great picture of the Lakehouse, dock, boat & Tramp