Wow!  What a month we have had!  Let’s see....

We have celebrated a birthday.

Yes, Sam is now 14 years old.  Did you know that makes him eligible to get a  Learner’s Permit  and be a licensed driver in six months here in the state of North Dakota?  Scary and not going to happen in our family!



We attended a production of Treasure Island hosted by The Missoula Children’s Theater.

Katie was cast as Jan, the youngest of Jim’s seven sisters.  MCT is a traveling theater program that
visits communities for a week at a time and pulls off a great show in a short time.








We made two trips to the family cabin in Minnesota.  Much to our dismay, it is a bit farther from Dickinson than we had originally hoped.

Jacob’s favorite activity is driving the little motor boat around the lake.  He also likes to tube.  Sadly, his favorite tubing companion is now Mom.  I think it is because I am a big chicken and he thinks it is funny to listen to me scream.

Katie got up on skis on our second trip to the lake.  She progressed quickly and accomplished the long-standing benchmark of proficiency: skiing around the island and back to the dock.  We think it is at least a 3 mile trip.

Sam’s favorite activity continues to be the wakeboard.  This summer he was strong enough to really get some air coming over the wake.








School started on the 25th of August.  I am thankful for the return to routine and am hoping to regain some sense of normalcy after a very chaotic six months for the whole family.

Sam was really our big unknown this year since he didn’t start school here last year like the other two did.   Lord knows, being an 8th grader is hard enough all on its own without changing schools and moving 1100 miles away.  After much thought and prayer, we decided to send him to a small Catholic school.  It is a huge change for him, and we were all nervous to see how he would adjust.  But, he has settled right in and is enjoying school.  He has made new friends.  He is playing football and made the jr. high/high school Jazz Band.

Katie started 6th grade and that meant ANOTHER building change for her.  Here, elementary school goes through 5th grade, the 6th graders have their own building and then 7th/8th is at the junior high.  She is off to a great start as well, and is thoroughly enjoying a later start time.  And, I am certainly enjoying the easier mornings trying to get her out of bed!

Jacob is a big 3rd grader this year.  His teacher seems very sweet and enthusiastic.  He has several kids in his class that are friends he met last year.  He has also found a great friend that lives close to us but goes to a different school.  He is hoping to play hockey and football this fall.










Oh yeah, we moved into our new house, too!  But that is another post altogether!