Visit from Munga & Gramma

The long anticipated visit from Munga and Gramma from Michigan came and went all too quickly.  Jonathan's parents came to visit from August 29 - September 15.  It was a wonderful way to end our summer by spending some more quality time with family.  The kids were non-stop chatter, thrilled to be sharing their antics and random facts with a new audience.  There were countless rounds of GoFish that were played and Yahtzee entered our game rotation as well.  Gramma brought crafts in tow, much to Emma's delight.  We ate gelato, traveled, enjoyed just hanging out and benefited from a long list of Munga house repairs.  Let me name the repairs: broken washing machine of 3.5 years was dismantled piece by piece to then get down our spiral staircase and out of the house, chest of drawers assembled to put in it's place, toy box hinges replaced, pictures hung in both kid rooms, cocking doors and windows to seal the drafts, broken clothes lined repaired and I'm sure there was more that I am forgeting.  He loves a good project!  Thank you Munga!

We took them to Lago Maggiore to visit the islands, which were lovely in the summertime.  We also took a 3 day trip to Venice.  It was a first for all of us.  The city did not disappoint.  The getting there...well that was a different story that will no doubt be emblazened in their memories.  I have no way of choosing just a few select photos from these trips, so the below slideshow will give you a small glimpse and my attempt to narrow the selection down.



Jonathan and I were able to have a morning date in Venice to visit an art gallery, that most definitely would not have been enjoyed by the kids.  Then we were treated to another date night out for dinner.  Having family around is so great to be able to do these things that we don't usually get opportunity for.  Thank you dad and mom!  Oh, and having grandparents around when an ER run is needed is also a huge bonus.  Our first ER run of the year was for Luca when he fell on the ground and split his chin open.  After he fell, he got up and said he was fine.  It was only about 8 minutes later that we noticed after Emma let out a blood curtling scream when she saw blood running down Luca's chest during their water balloon fight.  No tears, no fuss from this high pain tolerant boy!  Thankfully all he needed was some glue to seal it up.

So now we are back to life as usual.  The summer has concluded, school has started, and we are gearing up for fall ministries to begin October 1st.  It will be non-stop from now until summer 2012, when we return for our furlough and get to see lots more of our family then.  Can't wait!

First Days of School

With the fall, comes routine again.  Which hopefully means, more regular posts from me too.  I have a bit to catch you up on that is for sure.

First, comes the school update.  We now have a 3rd grader, 2nd grader and "last year of preschooler".  We thought school started on Monday, September 12th, but when we arrived at school all set to go there was no one there.  Ooops!  I guess we were the only ones who did not check the memo (i.e. sign on the school gate) that school was going to start on Tuesday.  The reason being there was a festa here in our fraction of Leinì the 2nd-11th and the school grounds were overrun by stands and concert venue setup.  Therefore, they needed Monday to clean up, which actually took them until Friday to complete.  As a consequence of starting a day late, the kids had to make up for it on Saturday.  That totally threw our week off mentally.  But at least it was only half days all week.

Anyway, Samuel and Emma are doing great and are loving being back in school with their friends and teachers.  Their entrance exams are being passed with flying colors and we are overjoyed by their excitement and desire to learn.  Glad it is so easy to send them off to school.

Samuel and Emma come home for lunch each day at 12:30, and we so enjoy eating all 3 meals together as a family.  Monday-Wednesday they have to return to school at 2:00 and then finish at 4:30.  Thursday and Friday they are done at lunch time.  I really like this schedule.

Luca attended his first day on Friday the 16th.  With his grandparents still being in town at the time, we figured he could delay his start of the school year.  He too is doing well and is more willingly using Italian and with greater ease.  Praying for continued progress with that this year.  He will again just be attending school half days.  In the afternoons I am doing some homeschooling with him.

Samuel - Age 8

First Day of 3rd Grade

 Emma - Age 6
First Day of 2nd Grade

Luca - Age 5

First Day of "Final Year of Scuola Materna"

 School uniform shirts

 Emma giving Maestra Chiara a super long hug.  So long, I had time to 

fish my camera out of my purse to snap a picture.

The teachers always have a parent meeting the first day of school.  I went to Emma's class and Jonathan went to Samuel's.  I did not get a chance to take any pictures in Samuel's class as their meeting finished before Emma's.