Back to School

Before I knew it the longest summer ever was over, and it was time to go back to school! I had thought about this particular school year for years since I would officially have two kids in school. Paige started kindergarten and Ella would be in seventh grade. I remember thinking about this school year when Paige was a baby. It was crazy to think about Ella being in seventh grade. I found out I was pregnant with Paige when Ella was in kindergarten. Thinking of her as a seventh grader was something I couldn't even fathom, but here we are. 

The weekend before school started Paige lost her first tooth. She had Adam pull it and was thrilled beyond words to lose her first tooth. She has since lost a second one and pulled that one out herself. 

Ella's kindergarten teacher gave this bib to me as a gift when I was pregnant with Paige. Little did I know that teacher would eventually be Paige's kindergarten teacher as well. I remember taking this picture like it was yesterday. The years really do fly by although in the moment it doesn't feel that way. 

ECS opened their new elementary school this year which is so nice. We went back and forth all summer on where to send Paige, and I am so happy we decided to send her to ECS. 

 

Back to school night finally rolled around, and we are always anxious to see what teacher/homeroom they have. Luckily, they both have great homeroom teachers, and Ella has a friend in her class. 

I have never seen anyone as excited to start kindergarten as Paige was. She went in like she owned the place, wanted to tour the whole school, and even meet the principal. She was ready! 

Paige was so excited to see her classroom and meet her teachers. Adam went with Ella to the middle school, and Ella seemed happy to be back to school as well.  

The morning of the first day Ella was not having pictures, but she was raring to go. Paige was excited but nervous. When she gets nervous she tends to throw up which she did in the car. Once that passes she is usually fine. We were unfortunately late on the first day of school due to the traffic which made the morning pretty stressful. 

 I can't even believe my baby is finally in kindergarten. 

I took this on the second day of school. Paige was happy to go back and didn't throw up on the second day. She adjusted very quickly. Ella got right back into the routine quickly too which was nice. 

First week of school success! 

Summer ~ 2021 edition

Summer 2021 has come and gone, and I'm happy to move on from it. This summer was HARD. There were some good times had, but overall it was a struggle for many reasons. I personally struggled mentally and had little motivation most days which is so hard when you have to be a mom plus do all.the.things. all day long. It wasn't a complete waste though. I did learn a lot, and I will carry those lessons with me into next summer to hopefully make the next much better. 

We started off the summer on a very sad note. We had to say goodbye to our sweet Elliott. He went downhill quickly. Around March we started noticing that he was losing weight and not eating. After some testing we found out that his liver enzymes were elevated which meant that he probably had a liver tumor. I tried some medicine for a few weeks to see if he showed any improvement, but he did not. It was a very rough few weeks with him knowing that he was most likely going to die. Adam and I had to make the very tough decision to let him go. I can honestly say that was one of the hardest things to do in life. Adam somehow mustered up the strength and took him by himself. We always knew what a great dog Elliott was but the hole in our hearts solidified that. There is not a day that goes by that we do not think about him. 

Ella had braces put on at the beginning of June. She had a rough time with them for a few days but so far she's done really well. She will have them for the next two years or so. I had an appointment that day as well and sat next to her. I never thought I would be going to the orthodontist with my daughter but here we are. 

Paige was so excited that Rylee was able to come over and swim. Luckily, we had no pool issues this summer like we did last year. Thank goodness! 

Paige did summer camp for a few weeks this summer. It was nice to get her out of the house during the week so she could socialize and have some fun. She adjusted very quickly, and it helped prepare her for kindergarten. She had a locker and ate lunch there. She amazes me all the time at how quickly she adapts to things. She is a different breed of Bertram. 

Each week was a different theme, and the first week was water. She had fun on the inflatable slides and all the different water activities they had. 

She was such a big girl walking to her classroom by herself even though she was nervous. I admire her bravery so much. It honestly made me feel a little sick each day dropping her off at a new place with new people. It is incredibly hard to "push" your kids into things, but she is definitely a kid who can handle it.  

Brody has had to learn to adjust to being an only dog, and he's now spoiled rotten. He had never been alone since birth so he's getting all the love, cuddles, treats, and attention. I'm sure he misses Elliott, but he's doing really well for an only dog. 

He just isn't too sure about all the cuddles that I give him...

I took Paige to see her first movie in the theatre. We went to see Peter Rabbit 2. I was hesitant to take her to a movie, because she talks a lot. You can't really talk and ask a hundred questions in the theatre, but she did really good. She loved the popcorn, candy, and reclining seats. It was also a really cute movie. 

We finally let Ella get her hair cut off. She has been begging me months, and I kept putting it off. Although I loved her long hair, short hair is much easier for her to keep up with. It also looks pretty good on her so I wish I would have let her do it sooner. 

Fourth of July rolled around which typically feels like the halfway point of summer. We watched the annual neighborhood parade, swam, and did fireworks at my parent's house. I'm not going to lie.. it was a rough day. Although some fun was had, it was tough. 

Luckily it wasn't too terribly hot this year so we didn't die sitting outside. Some years it has been so hot you can't hardly handle sitting outside. 

Paige sat and unraveled firecrackers. Her headphones are a lifesaver on the fourth!!

Mr. America holding roman candles that say not to hold them in your hands. I'm not sure how, but we have yet to have an injury on the fourth. 

We were finally successful at lighting and releasing these lanterns. I love these and enjoy watching them float away. 

On one of the hottest days in July we got a call that Adam's dad was in the hospital. They had bales of hay in the field that needed to be loaded into the barn. We all headed up there to help load and unload. It was HOT and HUMID, but we got it done. My legs were scratched, and I was itchy but it was a worthy cause I guess. ;) 

Before we knew it, the last week of summer rolled around. Although I was happy, it's also hard sending them back to school. 

We had some nice temperatures so Paige and I made some early morning trips to the playground. 

We took advantage of a few more pool days...

We also went to Holiday World for one last hurrah before school started. This was the first time we had been in well over a year because of COVID. 

Paige wanted to get a picture with the Santa statue this time to prove she wasn't scared anymore. 

Paige hit up the kid rides while Ella and Autumn went to ride the Thunderbird. It was raining that morning, and we were drenched. That didn't stop the fun though!

After lunch, the rain stopped and the sun started shining. It was perfect weather for the waterpark. 

Paige, Peep, and Autumn rode this slide multiple times. Paige is so brave. I won't even go down this thing. 

It wouldn't be a trip to Holiday World without riding Frightful Falls. Paige said she was never riding it again. lol! 

Summer 2021 is one to remember for sure. There were a lot of ups and downs (probably more downs than ups), but we made the best of it. Life is hard sometimes, and we all deal with tough times differently. Looking back, I learned a lot and learned a lot about myself. I can hopefully take those lessons and make next summer a little better. 

Yellowstone- Concluding our trip

The first night at our rental in West Yellowstone we could hear cheering. I quickly figured out it was coming from the rodeo that was only about a mile away. I got online and bought tickets since we had never been to a rodeo. 

Ella, Paige, and I went to the rodeo while Adam stayed back to rest. This trip was exhausting, and I think he just needed some time to unwind. We didn't want to miss out so we went without him. 

It was a beautiful night, but the dust in Montana is crazy. There was also ash falling from the sky since their was a wildfire within about an hour and a half of where we were. 

The sun was setting when the rodeo started.  It was so so pretty. Montana is a beautiful state. I'm not sure I could live there, but I sure loved visiting. 

They did all kinds of stuff at the rodeo. I can't remember some of the technical terms they used but they did barrel racing, bull riding, roping, and team roping. It was highly entertaining, and we all enjoyed it. I had no clue we would get to go to a rodeo while we were there. Paige loved it so much she wanted to go again the next night. 

Bull riding was our favorite. There is no way I would get on a bull, but it was fun to watch. 

This girl was Ella's age or maybe younger. She did a good job riding that horse. 

I was amazed by the people who came off of the bull and landed on their feet. I'm sure that takes years of practice. It was a great night at the rodeo!

The following day was our last day at Yellowstone. We had planned to go home Saturday but since we fit in everything that was planned we were able to go home a day early. We were definitely ready since we had already been gone over a week. 

West Yellowstone is exactly what you would picture a western type town to be. It was a cute small town that we enjoyed. I liked Jackson more, but West Yellowstone was a cute little, touristy type town. 

We headed to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone for our last stop. This is what I wanted to see the most, and we definitely saved the best for last. It was in the opposite direction on Grand Loop Rd.  so we were able to see some different scenery. I spotted an elk, and this huge buffalo right off the road. Yet again, it was just laying there minding it's own business. It's tail was wagging so I think it was pretty happy. We sat there for awhile in the car taking pictures, and it never even looked over. 

Once we made it to the parking lot Adam let Paige and I out while he and Ella parked. We walked directly across the street from the parking spot and stood there a good ten minutes waiting. I just assumed Ella was putting on her shoes, because she moves at the speed of a slug. After awhile Paige and I went to the car to check, and they were gone. We walked around for a good ten minutes looking for them and never found them. We each went our separate ways just so we didn't waste time. 

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was just as impressive as I imagined. It's the most impressive thing I have ever seen in my life. It's one of those things you have to see at least once in your life! 

I could not get over it. It's seriously beautiful. 

The only good thing about being split up was seeing two different things. We went in opposite directions so Adam and Ella got this nice view. I heard Ella was about dead from walking up hill and was not afraid to be vocal about it. Lol!

Paige and I went a different way to go to the lookout right where the water is pouring over. It was 600 feet downhill which doesn't sound terrible...until you walk back up. Trying walking uphill with a six year old that is complaining the entire time. Ha! Totally worth it for the view! 

All smiles before we walked back uphill! 

I can't even explain how pretty it was there. I hope to get to go back someday. 

Once we made our way uphill we found Ella and Adam sitting in the car waiting on us. Who knows how long they had sat there. I'm just glad they didn't disappear like Paige thought they had. 

It was lunchtime so we stopped and ate at the General Store in Canyon Village. I seriously love the general stores in Yellowstone. They had a grill at this one so we got our food and ate outside. It was so nice out that we didn't even get hot sitting right in the sun. The weather there is the best! 

On our way back we stopped at Gibbons Falls. It was pretty but not as impressive as Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. 

I wish we had stuff like this in Indiana. 

I had to get a picture of the four of us on the way out of Yellowstone to commemorate our trip so we stopped by the water. We went ahead and put our feet in just because the water felt so good. 

WE CAME, WE SAW, WE CONQUERED!!

I'm shocked at how well this trip went. Of course there was whining, crying, and complaining but that was all to be expected. We drove 22 hours there which took two days and almost 24 hours home which took another two days. This was a trip of a lifetime, and I'm so thankful that we did it. It came at a much needed time, and we went home feeling refreshed. Tired but refreshed! I'm so thankful for the time we had together and memories made. Time to start thinking about where we will go next!!