Summer 2020

Summer break has been a little bit different this year since we are in the middle of a pandemic. We usually spend our summers running here, there, and everywhere. This summer has been mostly spent at home which has been nice yet hard at the same time. While it's nice being at home, I feel like things are constantly a mess and chaotic. There is always someone to feed, something to clean, and laundry piling up. I love having both Ella and Paige home, but at the same time, I feel like I could pull my hair out sometimes. 

We kicked off summer with a pool leak that ended up being a complete fiasco. From the water department showing up at our house, to our liner being sent to the wrong state, to a huge water bill.. it was a complete disaster. 

Before the heat and humidity set in, we were able to get out quite often to bike and fish. 

Ella's homeroom teacher draws each of her students a picture at the end of the school year. Ella received this wolf drawing in the mail which was so fitting for her. 

Once we felt it was safe, Rylee and Lacey came for a visit. It had been a couple of months since we saw her, and she had grown so much. 

We got together with Alison and Easton to swim, and Paige was so happy to socialize again. They swam and played and had so much fun.

One of Ella's favorite things to do is ride her bike after we eat dinner. It was a great activity to do before it got too humid. 

We went and checked on this geese family almost every day. I loved to see how protective their parents were with them. Nowadays, you can't even tell the difference between the parents and the babies. It was fun to watch them grow. 

Paige loved to take her ball to the golf course and play kickball. 

Poppy and Nana's pigs had another batch of piglets. They are SO cute. I would love to have gotten my hands on one (mud and all), but mommy pig was not having it. 

Adam's dad made a small track to race Adam's RC cars. He built ramps out of our old wooden swing set ladder. 

Paige got up one morning and dressed herself. She even painted her nails. She was ready to go to Target in her Barbie Jeep. She is such a girly girl. 

We have spent a ton of time riding around on the golf cart this summer. It has been a great source of entertainment. Elliott loves to go for rides and goes with us quite often. I also have to note that Paige ran out golf cart into a tree. Our golf cart had to go in the shop twice this spring/summer. 

We celebrated Autumn's 11th birthday. How these girls are this big is beyond me!

Even though our pool was leaking a massive amount of water daily, we were still able to swim. Thank goodness for our pool this summer. All public pools are closed which is so crazy. 

We babysat Rylee for a few hours while Lacey went to an appointment. Paige was a big helper and had a great time entertaining her. 

Look at those smiles! Paige loves being a big cousin. 

We had a small break in the heat one day so we took our bikes over to the parking lot/playground. We have spent a ton of time at this school parking lot since March. 

The boys waiting on breakfast. 

We FINALLY had our new liner installed at the end of June. It was a relief to finally have that done and our pool back to normal. 

I had to commemorate our first swim in a FULL pool with a picture of these two. They were in it even before the guy left. 

Elliott turned 14 years old in June. He is still in pretty good shape for his age minus some arthritis. He is such a sweet boy and a big part of the family. 

Even though this summer has been a little different due to COVID-19, there have still been a lot of good times and great memories made. 

Gatlinburg 2020

We had so many fun things planned for 2020 that were cancelled due to COVID-19. We had a spring break trip planned to Destin which we had to reschedule (for fall break) just a few days before leaving. We were supposed to go to Long Beach, California in April, and Disney World in May.  All CANCELLED! 

Once things started looking up a bit we decided to plan another trip to Gatlinburg. After being home day after day we needed to get out.  Over the past couple of years, we have all grown to love it there so we were really excited to go back. 

As soon as we arrived the girls had to test out the pool. It was great having an indoor pool for the week. 

The cabin also had this awesome bathroom with a big bathtub and a huge shower. It was a bit overkill, but we loved it!

On our first day there I took the girls to The Island in Pigeon Forge. We had never been, but it had recently opened up. We had not been shopping in at least two months so we were all excited to go. We went early to beat the crowds so it was basically empty which was nice. We did a little shopping and took a ride on The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel. It was fun until we were stopped at the top while they were letting others on. 

We ate lunch at Paula Deans's restaurant, and it was so good. Ella loved it so much she wanted to go back again, but we didn't make it back this trip. We will eat there again next time. 

We were so lucky to have nice weather for the entire trip. This rock pile was right outside our cabin so the girls played on it almost every day.

We spent most of our nights in the hot tub and pool and ordered our dinner for delivery. It was one of the best parts of the vacation.

Adam LOVES pictures. 

Paige liked to start her morning in the hot tub. It's probably the only time she was still the whole trip. 

Paige and I went to downtown Gatlinburg one morning, and it was like a ghost town. We will probably never see it that empty again. It was nice to be able to walk down the street and not have to dodge people. We did a little bit of shopping, enjoyed the stream, and then headed back for lunch. 

Ella loved walking through the woods and finding logs to climb on. 

That night we went to dinner at The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. This was the first time we had been out to eat since March so I was a little nervous about it. It felt so good to be out and about again after not shopping or eating out for two months. We went to a few shops and then ate dinner. 

The night would not be complete without ice cream after dinner! 

We had a rafting trip planned on this afternoon so we had a slow morning which was nice. Paige and I sat out on the deck for a long time eating snacks and playing "I spy". 

This was our first white water rafting experience. It was more like a float trip, but we did encounter a few waves here and there. It took about two hours round trip and was overall a fun experience. I am still bummed I didn't have my phone on me to take pictures, because the scenery was so beautiful. 

Our guide was a college student named Nick. We had fun talking to him and offering him some advice on life after college. 

Ella was brave enough to jump in the water. That water was COLD. Paige cried on and off for two hours (because she was tired), but overall it was a fun time! 

She was crying right before these pictures were taken, but once she saw that camera she was all smiles. 

We had so much fun this trip that we ended up staying an extra day which I'm glad we did. On our last day we rented an ATV and drove it through Smoky Mountain Nation Park. The weather could not have been more perfect. 

We pulled over on the side of the road when we saw this stream. Adam, Ella, and Paige had fun climbing around on the rocks, and I had fun taking pictures. The view was so pretty. I wish I was there right now! 

Ella was supposed to be taking a picture of Adam, Paige, and myself and took a selfie instead. I laughed when I found this one my phone later. Only Ella! 

Ella loved climbing all over these rocks and somehow managed to stay completely dry. Paige on the other hand had wet pants until we got back. 

The views in the national park are so pretty. We could not have asked for a better day. 

We had THE BEST trip. I honestly think we had more fun in Gatlinburg than we would have in Disney. We are not the "go go go" type which is what we would have done in Disney. I don't get sad often when it's time to come back home from a trip, but I did this time around. I probably could have stayed another week and been fine with that. Even though COVID-19 screwed up some of our vacation plans, it also provided us the opportunity to experience this vacation. I will never forget the fun we had and time we spent together.