January Happenings

 

We definitely did not start January out on a good note. I had known for quite some time that Brody was going down hill. He pretty much had no eye sight and was constantly bumping into walls/furniture. He couldn't hear and would bark almost constantly. He also had failing kidney's, and at the end he was just peeing wherever he was sitting or laying. I knew that it was his time to go. It is not easy deciding that it's time to let go of your pet, but it was the best decision for him. He passed one month shy of his fifteenth birthday just like Elliott did. Brody was such a sweet dog (to people he liked..lol!). We miss him everyday. 

I especially miss this! It's still hard to believe they are both gone. 

We had a light dusting of snow one morning which made the morning commute a ton of fun. Paige was so excited to get home that day and play in it. We didn't stay out long, because it was FREEZING! 

The following week we received an email that the middle school had a staff shortage and Covid cases were soaring so that led to a week of virtual school. We had just gotten back into routine so this was not the news I wanted to hear. I had one in school and one out of school. Since COVID began we have definitely had to learn to roll with the punches. 

We celebrated Rylee turning two with a Minnie Mouse birthday. 

Paige enjoyed helping her open all of her gifts. 

Rylee got a sweet ride for her birthday. Paige showed her how to drive it. Watching these two is so entertaining!

Paige and Tinley have been doing gymnastics together for awhile now. Paige looks forward to it every week. 

The elementary had career day, and Paige wanted to dress like a teacher. I can totally see her being a teacher or principal one day. She was meant to be a BOSS. 

Christmas 2021

Christmas finally rolled around, and we were all well. It was a miracle! My taste and smell were also back just in time for all the Christmas Eve goodness! 

I made the family take a quick picture before we headed out. Our picture looked a little different this year. Although Brody was still here, we were missing Elliott. 

Christmas started at Mammy and Peep's house on Christmas Eve. I have celebrated Christmas Eve in this living room for almost 40 years. It's fun to carry on the tradition with my own kids.   Ella and Paige are always so excited at my mom and dad's house. My parents both put in a lot of work to make Christmas great for everyone. 

Ella loves to sit and unwrap slowly and look at ever single item she is given. 

Jr. was completely unbothered by all of the Christmas chaos!

My new favorite coffee mug. Everyone needs a little Rip in their life. :) 

After we opened gifts we enjoyed all of the good food! Christmas Eve meal is my favorite of the entire year. My mom makes little smokies and meatballs, artichoke dip, tortilla roll ups, cheese potatoes, veggies and dips, subway sandwiches. My mouth is watering just typing this. It's so good, and I'm thankful my taste and smell were back for the occasion. 

Christmas Eve night Paige had to try out all of her new toys so we made pretzels with her Easy Bake Oven. They turned out pretty good. 

Every Christmas Eve since Ella was old enough we have watched "A Christmas Story". It's a yearly tradition that Ella and I both look forward to. No matter how many times we have seen it, it never gets old. 

Santa came!! Santa decided to do things a little different this year. He didn't put anything together until after Christmas to cut down on some stress and to get a little bit more sleep. It worked out great. This was the first Christmas in years I didn't feel like I was going to fall over from exhaustion. 

This is the calm before the storm. Everything is so neat and looks so nice, and it's opened within minutes. 

They love waking up on Christmas and coming down to look at everything. They both love opening their stocking first, and they gifts are second. 

The aftermath...

We headed to Maw's house for Christmas Day Lunch. It was almost 70 degrees on Christmas Day. We were able to be outside almost all day. 

Rylee loved her Mickey Mouse purse we got her. She carried it around all day. She also loved riding this four wheeler for the first time. It's crazy that Paige is almost too big to ride it. 

Adam and I have spent eighteen Christmases together. I still remember our first Christmas together,  I drove to his mom's house on Christmas Day morning at 7am to spend Christmas with them. Adam was sick and spent most of the day in the basement. 

It was a great Christmas! I'm thankful we were all well and able to spend time together this year. I'm always sad to see the Christmas season end, but thankful for a great Christmas season. 

December happenings

December finally rolled around which is usually a really fun month. This December wasn't as great as usual, but we will get to that in a minute. I absolutely love the holiday season. I love seeing Christmas lights, the Christmas activities, the excitement. I love it all. I was really excited for a fun month ahead.  

The first weekend in December Adam and I went out to eat, and I'm so glad we did. Little did I know this would be the last time for this until January. We went to Bru Burger, and then found this Christmas light display to take a picture. 

The following day I went to a get together at Alison's. It was nice to see everyone and enjoy some laughs! 

I finally got to meet her dog, Molly. She is such a sweetheart and very gentle. 

The following week was Christmas dress up week at ECS. Ella participated in most day. The last day she dressed up like an elf and looked so cute. 

This sweet boy looked so peaceful sleeping in front of the tree. Little did we know it would be our last Christmas season with him. 

On December 8th I started feeling kind of weird. The following day I was exhausted. That night I was so tired I could barely function. I thought it was a little strange, but I was just assuming I just needed some sleep. By Friday I was tired, coughing, and sneezing. I ordered an at home COVID test just to rule out COVID, because I needed to rule that out before the weekend full of activities. To my surprise, it came back positive. I was able to schedule another COVID test to find out for sure, and it was positive as well. We were officially stuck at home for the next nine days. Paige was not allowed at school but since Ella is vaccinated with no symptoms she was allowed to go thankfully. 

Paige and I did a lot of this that week. I think we probably watched around 20 movies which was fun. Although I didn't know it then, I am thankful for all of the time spent on the couch, because I was able to spend a lot of time with Brody. 

She was pretty much going nuts being home!

Brody and I did a lot of this. 

Once we survived our quarantine, Paige starting to feel bad. She woke up at 3am with an ear ache and could not go to sleep. After a visit to the doctor that morning, we found out she had a double ear infection. By that afternoon she was struggling. She fell asleep on the couch at 3:30, woke up at 5:30 for some motrin and slept until the next morning. I have never seen her so tired. 

A double ear infection led to more time spent on the couch..yay! 

Although the weeks leading up to Christmas were rough, it could have been worse. I was sad we missed the nutcracker and a Christmas train ride, but there is always next year! 

Gatlinburg Thanksgiving

We headed to Gatlinburg for Thanksgiving this year. We went two years ago and had so much fun so we were all excited to go again. In true Bertram fashion, we were at Urgent Care the night before we left to have Paige's cough checked on. Two years ago, both Ella and Paige were on antibiotics, and we made it there by the skin of our teeth since they were both getting over illnesses. Paige had a pretty bad cough but overall was feeling ok so we were good to go!

On our way!!  

After a long day of travel, we were so happy to make it there and get settled. We ordered pizza and Paige and I got in the hot tub. 

It was so fun to have our Thanksgiving meal at the cabin. My mom made all of the food including dumplings and dressing. Instead of turkey we opted for fried chicken. Who says you have to have turkey on Thanksgiving?! We relaxed and watched the Macy's Day Parade all morning. After lunch Autumn played some Christmas tunes on her violin. 

We headed downtown to do a little shopping and enjoy the nice day. There were a ton of people who had the same idea so we quickly shopped and headed back. 

I love all of the statue snowmen they have on the strip. They are great for pictures!

On Friday, we had plans to go to Dollywood. Adam and Ella opted out so Penny and Autumn went with us. I was so excited to see the Christmas lights. 

I had never been to Dollywood. It is a really pretty theme park that I would like to go back to someday when it isn't as crowded. 

The decorations were so pretty. It was the coldest day out all the days we were there, but Paige is a trooper. 

Although there were a lot of people and long lines, we did get to ride quite a few of the kid rides which Paige enjoyed. We also played a few games and won a few stuffed animals. Paige wanted to win a stuffed animal that was as big as her, but I did my best to talk her out of that. There is no way I wanted to carry around an enormous stuffed animal. 

Once it started to get dark the lights came on and it was so pretty. I would like to go back sometime and just go at night to strictly see the lights. 

We didn't get to ride the Dollywood Express train, but that would be on the list of things to do next time. The line was INSANE. 

We had so much fun looking at lights. It was seriously a Christmas wonderland. If you like Christmas lights Dollywood is the place to go. We didn't even get to see them all, because my feet were frozen. We enjoyed what we did get to see though and enjoyed our time at Dollywood. I hope to go back someday and see it again. 

On our last day we rented an ATV and Adam, Ella, and I went on a ride through Smoky Mountain National Park. This is one of my favorite things to do in Gatlinburg. 

We made our way up Newfound Gap Road and stopped at different locations along the way. The stream never gets old, and we had to make a few stops to enjoy it. 

It was a beautiful day!

Ella had fun and appreciates these types of activities. She was definitely in her element. 

We drove all the way up to Clingman's Dome and enjoyed the view. I had not been up there since I was a kid. It is well worth the drive. 

I get a thrill out of gorgeous views, and this one did not disappoint. 

Before we knew it, our trip was over. I am always sad to leave these trips we all take together, but that's a sign of a great trip. We have done quite a few trips together now, and we always have fun. We typically don't do much either, but we have fun just sitting around eating and talking. I'm thankful for the fun and can't wait until our next trip!