Time for an update (the one we promised around when school started)
Summer vacation ended far too soon, but not before we spent lots of time out in the boat. Kris spent a lot of time on his wakeboard and Jen on her waterskis and they both did a lot of tubing and knee boarding. Dad got to spend lots of time driving his boat and visiting the gas station! I also got back on my waterskis after a couple of years and even braved a tube ride with Kyle driving (and survived it all - even at my advanced age!) The weather was great, we got in a couple of rounds of golf and also started something new, exploring some of the trails in the area on our ATV. It's always great to spend two weeks straight at the lake - it's long enough that it gets to feel like you've moved there.
We did however have to return (only for weekdays though) and the kids went on to spend some time at Grandma's and then another week of camp - this time Jen at Camp Assiniboia and Kris back to MiniU for a soccer camp. Both of them had a great week. As August wound down we started the back to school shopping and this year included a trip to IKEA for the loft beds they have been hoping for for years - of course as with anything from IKEA the purchase was the easy part - the opening of the 12+ boxes and the assembly was a joy! They also ended up with new (old) beds at the lake as a result.
One of the best parts of summer is visiting with friends and family - this summer we had Andrea and Kevin and the kids return to Winnipeg for a visit from Halifax and Lynne visited from Moscow. From not so far we had Kris' friend Caleb and family at the lake for a day of fun on the water - Carson was a bit winded falling off the tube but all was well! As usual at the lake we spent lots of time with Bob and Cathy too! It was great to see everyone!
September started with a shock as the temperatures dropped and school and activities ramped up. Jen is back to choir, piano, settling in as co-editor of the yearbook and awaiting the start of curling. Kris has his drum set and trombone ready for band, has started volleyball and cross-country running and is getting ready for hockey as well as curling.
The first full week of school saw Dad head off to Montreal for his annual BDO conference (and some time visiting with Paul, Cat and the kids) while Grandma stayed with the kids. Mid-week I got home and sent the kids off to Middle school fall camp (and lots of frost outside in the morning!). We've been back to the lake to start the fall close up process and the boat is now out of the water and off to the dealer for winterizing.....that was a sad day...
Along with my partners I took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Friday - we raised about $3,000 for ALS and some lucky staff got to douse their favourite partner with ice water (I got it twice!).
This week is the school's annual Terry Fox Run and also the middle school Senior Leadership Team elections (student council for those who've been out of school for a while) and there will apparently be two from this house on the ballot! Wish them luck!
Stay tuned for more updates
Love as always
Doug, Jen and Kris
