Grandparent's Day Celebration

I am SO behind on blogging. I can't even hardly stand it. Once I get caught up you may understand why, but for now I will just be annoyed with myself. I will get caught up soon! 
 Ella's school had a grandparent's day celebration a couple of weeks ago. They had a short program, a party in her room, and a book fair going on. Ella was so excited to have us and her grandparents at school with her. 

This was the first time Ella has ever been up on stage. She didn't sing very much, but at least she didn't cry! It was such a sweet program. It took everything I had to hold it together. 

After the program we headed up to Ella's classroom for snacks. This picture below is a picture of the teacher's desk. Those of you who know Ella, probably recognize something on her desk. That purple baby doll is Ella's doll, Violet. Everyone at school knows her by name, and everyday she sit's on her teacher's desk. We got the biggest kick out of this. 

 Ella is so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents in her life!

It was so nice to see Ella so happy at school. We went back and forth for awhile on where we were going to send her to school. It was easy to see that we made the right decision by how comfortable and happy she is there. I am so proud of her! 

End of summer fun

Summer is almost over. I will be so happy to say good bye to the heat and especially the humidity. It's been wreaking havoc on my hair for the past three months, and I will be happy when I can wear my hair down again. 
We have been able to do a few fun weekend activities since Ella has started school.
We had our last pool party of the summer with the Ice's. This pool party was a tiny bit different though. It was Isabelle's first time, and she did great!

Seriously Sarah, are you sure you popped out a kid a month ago!?

We are always sad to have the last pool party, but we know we will have many more next summer!
We also took our last trip to the water part at Holiday World. Adam, Ella, and I rode the Mammoth together. It was Ella's first time on a big slide like this. I thought it was a little scary. I kept looking at her thinking she was going to cry, but she never did. She said it was scary, but fun. 

These pictures below are just a few pictures of Ella I took after school. I can not believe how big she is. I think she has grown a foot just since starting school. Speaking of school, she still gets a little teary when it's time for me to leave. Her teacher usually has to take her from me and escort her upstairs to the classroom. Besides that, Ella seems to really be enjoying herself. She has good days and comes home happy. 

Labor Day Weekend

It was so nice having a three day weekend. I wish all weekends could be three days. I think Ella needs that to recover from her long week of school, although it made it that much harder for her to go this morning. 
Saturday morning, my alarm went off bright and early at 4am. YUCK! Lacey and I ran the Jasper Heartland half. I decided on a whim this would be a good idea. This was the least prepared I have ever been for a half. I usually do at least a few months of training. Lacey and I only did a few long runs in preparation. We were definitely not doing this race to set a personal record. We only did it for fun, and it ended up being just that. 

It ended up raining almost the entire time. By the time all was said and done my clothes were soaked along with my shoes and socks. It is not fun running 13 miles with wet socks. My goal was to run the entire thing, but once mile 11 rolled around I had to start run/walking. My legs were tired and sore. Maybe one of these days I will run an entire half, but it just hasn't happened yet. 

Lacey and I were both excited about the medals we were given after the race. I think the medals are the best part about the run, and this medal is my favorite so far! It is such a feeling of accomplishment running across the finish line. It will never get old!

Sunday, the girls got together at my mom and dad's to play. They had the best time together. I miss the days that they could play together any day they wanted. Times have definitely changed! 

Monday, we watched sweet Isabelle be baptized. We went to St. Agnes church in Union County where Sarah and Aaron got married. It definitely brought back memories of that day nine years ago. Things have changed so much since then, but our friendship has only grown stronger. We love the Ice's. 

After the baptism we went to Sarah's parent's house for lunch. Sarah has the nicest family, as well as Aaron. We always enjoy being around them.  Ella had the best time playing basketball and hitting the baseball. She had so much fun she didn't want to leave. 

It was another great weekend that I was sad to see end. I can't wait for another three day weekend in October!