Merry Christmas!

Christmas eve with new PJs

Christmas eve we go to our neighbors the Mosmans.  We had a great dinner and the kids did a Christmas play.  We came home and wrote our presents to Jesus and put them on the tree watched Luke II and then we put out the cookies and milk and off to bed.  The kids all sleep in the same room - so Grace's room is still full of matresses!  They woke us up about 6:00am and we went down to see if Santa came!  HE DID!   Grace was so excited!  Steve has been really sentimental this Christmas he thinks this is going to be one our last Christmas's with a true believer!  Grace was also so excited to open presents - not for hers but for everyone to open the present she got them.  She made blankets for everyone and got a special build a bear for everyone!  She was so excited!  We got a waffle maker for christmas so we made waffles for breakfast and then Jackie made us a 4 course Italian meal for dinner and then we just watched movies, played with our new toys and just really enjoyed the day!

Grace so excited about the presents!

Playing with the new Wii

Christmas Vacation!

We started our Christmas Vacation by Skiing!  This was only the 2nd time for Grace and if any of you remember Derek as a beginner skier - She is just like him.  Absolutely no fear- she does not turn just goes straight down the mountain with a little snow plow when she wants to slow down!  When I would tell her to slow down or try to turns she would get mad and say " You keep saying to have fun - well its fun to go fast!"  hehehehe  She takes after Derek that is for sure!  It was a really fun day - lots of great snow!  Jackie decided to stay home and sleep she has been a little off with jet lag!   She wakes up at 4:00am  and goes to bed about 6:00pm  She is getting better each day!

Steve and Grace on the Chair lift

Savannah and Grace who are really cute but look behind them at the view of the Lake!

Here is the whole crew after lunch before we started our afternoon runs!

JACKIE IS HOME!

We went to the airport at 10:30 last night to pick up Jackie!   Everyone wanted to come - so we will have some tired heads today for their last day of School!  Derek assured me it wouldn't matter they weren't doing anything anyway!!!  

All Jackies flights went well and she is home!   We were so excited!   She is now already busy applying for jobs (Italy drained her bank account)  and making plans to see all her friends.  After school we are on our way to Schwietzer Mountain and go skiiing for the weekend!  Then Christmas!   YAH!!!

grace christmas program

Lauren Makes the Paper

We were reading the paper this morning and Lauren was in the paper.  She plays on the girls Varsity team and they had a home game last night and she was the picture!  They lost their game in the last minute of the game - it was really close!  She did great!  

ITALY!

We had so much fun! It was a great Success! Ever since I was in 4th grade and we studied Italy and Micheal Angelo I always wanted to go and get a stamp in my passport! I now have one! I loved every minute! It was so great to see Jackie! She is doing great! It was so fun to have Darren, Laurel and Nick with us! We got to see Venice which had those attacking birds, Rome and the Vatican with the Sistine Chapel. St. Peters Cathedral is impressive! Then we went to florence and saw the Duomo there is incredible and we got to see the David! We drove out to see the Leaning tower and the Ferari Factory! One of the Highlights of the Trip! I've never seen Darren so excited! Then off to Milan and a Day in Paris which was unbelievable! Then back to Viterbo and then home! We miss Jackie and the incredible Gelato! We took a million pictures - here is just some hightlights! This is in Florence over the Arno River

This is Uncle Darren really Buggin!
Venice
Leaning tower of Pisa
Eiffel Tower in Paris
Nick & Savannah climbing to the top of St. Peters Basilica
View from the Top
The cars are little Nick got the Trunk
Darren & Laurel at the Train Station with Darrens new friend - A crazy old Italian who didn't speak any English - Darren talked to him for about 10 minutes!

School Pictures have arrived!

The kids got their school pictures back! I love school pictures they can be so goofy!! Savannah & I leave for Italy on Tuesday and are busily packing and getting ready! Steve's mom is coming to take care of the family on Monday until the next Sunday and then they are on thier own for a week! We get back late on the 27th. I will miss Thanksgiving dinner so this sunday we are having Thanksgiving! Jackie is very excited for us to come! We will post pictures if we can while we are gone! If not when I get back! Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!Grace is in 1st Grade 6yrs old
Savannah is in 5th grade and 11yrs old
Derek is in 8th grade and 14 yrs old
Lauren is a Junior and 16 (almost 17) and not a school picture - She won a contest and got a free picture from a local photographer( who now wants her to be a Senior picture model for him) so she got to skip out on the school picture

THE LOST EASTER EGG IS FOUND!!!!!

Every year we can't find one easter egg. We look and look and still every year there is one missing. Grace found it! She was scrounging around in the couches and came up with an easter egg (YUK! it is 6 months old!) Plus she got her hair cut so it was a good picture opportunity!

Jackie just finished a trip to Greece you will have to check her blog! Her pictures are incredible! She is having a great time but getting homesick! She can't wait for us to come in 8 days!!!! The count down is on! I have lots of things to do this week to get ready!!!

A VARSITY HALLOWEEN

Grace, Savannah and Steve were out for 2 hours trick or treating! It was all Grace had dreamed of! We ended up having about 100 trick or treaters this year down from last year (we live in a busy neighborhood). Savannah and her friend were Smurfs, Grace and Zoey (our dog) were witches.

After all the fun of Halloween was over Lauren came home from Basketball Tryouts and made the girls Varsity Basketball team! She was so excited! So here goes our Basketball season in High Gear - Savannah - parks & rec - Derek 8th grade A team - Lauren - Varsity. Grace is so excited she can hardly stand it! (she hates ball games - we figured she has probably seen about 1000 already in her life time)

Derek is 14

Derek's Birthday was on Friday. He is now 14. He also finished up Basketball Tryouts and is on the "A" team again this year. When I went to pick him up he told me he didn't make the team and was messin' with his mom! Boy 14 year olds are really funny! He took a bunch of Friends to the Haunted Palouse. It is a small town about 15 miles away that the whole town is haunted for Halloween they have Tarot card readings, people in scary masks sneaking around behind you and scaring you, 2 really scary spook houses and corn field maze with a guy running after you with a Chain saw! It was really scary and really cold! Then they came home and played Halo for 24 hours! He had his Birthday dinner yesterday - Swiss Steak and Mash potatoes and his favorite dessert Brownie hotfudge cake w/ vanilla ice cream!
Now onto Halloween - Grace can not wait she has marked everyday off the calendar just waiting for the 31st to arrive! I asked Grace this weekend what I could do to be a better mom to her and she thought for a minute and then said "Well you could write notes in my lunch" . That was pretty painless. She is so cute!Waiting in line for the Spook House