2025 was another year of transitions for us! Elise is in her last year of elementary school and is preparing to decide where she would like to go to middle school. Right now she wants to go to the same middle school as Carter which would mean they would have 1 year together there before he moves on to high school. I really can't even think about that! Carter officially became a teenager on his birthday when he turned 13! He is still so sweet and caring, but has some teenage sass thrown in the mix. I moved school districts and am now teaching under my past teaching partner in multiage as my assistant principal. She and our principal are the most supportive team and I have gone back to waking up in the morning excited to go to work! We unexpectedly lost Otis this summer and adopted Annie from The Literary Cat Co to keep Milo company. He's such an easy going cat, he didn't seem lonely without Otis, but has quickly accepted Annie as his new bestie. Tesla kept things interesting by finally fully tearing her ACL and having an expensive surgery this summer. She has some damage to her other back leg, so it is possible it will end up with a full tear at some point. To prolong that for as long as possible, she's no longer running with me which she hadn't been able to do with her partial tear before anyway. Carter tried out for the school musical again and practices will start after break. He is also in choir and had a few performances. Elise started a pickleball club and has been enjoying that. See past posts here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013.
January
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| We got lots of snow and had multiple snow days! |
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| Girl Scout Cookie Sales started and Elise rocked it, selling 800 boxes again! |
February
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| We got more snow and the creek had thick enough ice to play on! |
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| Tesla had her 8th birthday! |
March
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| Elise dissected a shark and hers was pregnant. |
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| Elise dressed up for Book Character Dress Up Day during Read Across America week. |
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| Ty and I won the costume contest at Viva Zarrow which was Kentucky Derby themed. |
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| Elise had her 10th birthday. |
April
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| We celebrated Easter. |
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| Ty and I got tattoos. |
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| Carter was Bruce in Matilda Jr, the Musical. |
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| Gma broke her back and was in the hospital here for about a month. |
May
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| I got out of school before the kids so I got to volunteer at Field Day with Elise! |
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| I got to move all my things into my new classroom! |
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| We did a little Route 66 day trip. |
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| We met Oma and Opa's new dog, Pippin. |
June
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| We enjoyed another year of Girl Scout Day Camp! |
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| Ty got tickets for me and the kids to see Wicked for my birthday! |
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| We got to spend time with our Florida cousins. |
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| Elise went to overnight Girl Scout camp. |
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| We got a membership to a neighborhood pool where lots of Carter's friends go and spent a lot of time at the pool! |
July
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| We celebrated the 4th of July. |
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| Tesla had ACL surgery. |
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| Tesla had to spend 6 weeks confined and on a leash to allow her leg to heal. |
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| Ty and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. |
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| I spent a week while the kids were with my parents setting up my new classroom! |
August
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| Elise got a cat backpack as a present from a friend and Milo went on his first walk. |
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| We all started back to school! |
September
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| Ty continued to play a lot of disc golf and Carter got into it a little bit with him. |
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| We adopted Annie. |
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| Carter made dinner for everyone. |
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| We went to the fair. |
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| Elise participated in the Fun Run at school. |
October
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| Elsie ran the district-wide cross country race and placed in the top 10 again. |
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| I ran the Chicago Marathon and we turned it into the best racecation! |
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| Elise made everyone made to order omelets for dinner. |
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| Elise was a KPop Demonhunter and Carter was a Roblox character, Love Shot, for Halloween. |
November
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| Elise went on a decently long streak of running a mile with me 1-2 times a week and after the Chicago Marathon trip, Jeremy started going with us. |
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| We had the best time spectating the Route 66 Marathon. |
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| We celebrated Thanksgiving. |
December
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| I got to go on lots of Christmas lights runs! |
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| Carter had a choir concert and a performance. |
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| I got to go to Elise's Christmas party at school for the first time since she was in 2nd grade! |
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| We visited Santa and celebrated Christmas, but I took hardly any pictures on Christmas! |
