July & August 2015

Mark was applying to jobs all summer. His contract at NREL was coming up in September so it was crunch time...again. This should be the last time since he just got a permanent job offer and it's in...BOZEMAN, MT!!!! Our favorite town and the one place we consider home! We didn't think we would be able to move back until retirement since it's hard to find a good paying job there but my amazing husband did it. He didn't get any bites in the Denver area (one offer in Boulder) so I guess it's meant to be. He will be a Senior Quality Assurance Analyst at Workiva. Workiva is located on Main street, downtown Bozeman, so we are hoping to find a place to buy in the next year in the cute neighborhoods near downtown so he can walk to work. We are currently renting our friend's condo which is near campus so it'll be a 2 miles bike ride for him for now. We are enjoying the energy of being close to campus. 

We have been pinching ourselves because it just seems too good to be true to be back in Bozeman! It really feels like we never left. I have so many people I want to spend time with. I'm so used to moving to a new place and having a month of settling in before I even meet anyone. Here I want to be out doing stuff with friends but we have so much to get done. Besides buying a permanent forever home in Bozeman, we are planning on this being our last move. We have moved 8 times in 10 years! 6 of those moves were to different states! Gordon said he is so happy about the move but Ella is having a really hard time. She misses her friends and her chickens. 

We listed our house and had an offer in less than 24 hours. We took that offer because we really like the people and wanted to sell it to someone who would love it as much as us. It was a GREAT first house. We were so lucky to find that place. It ended up being an excellent investment also. 

Mark had another offer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) in Boulder. He worked at NIST Gaithersburg, MD before we moved to Colorado.  I am not a fan of Boulder, I think I'd last a month there before I went crazy. It's so busy and sprawling.  The cost of living is insane! It's not a good fit for our family. We couldn't picture ourselves living there so he turned them down. Every job Mark has had since getting his Ph.D has been on contract. He was offered to stay after his contract in both Marshall, MN and Gaithersburg, MD but we had our fill of those places. NREL didn't have it in their budget to keep him. If he had been offered to stay he probably would have taken it and not even looked anywhere else but I'm glad their budget was cut! We didn't realize how much we missed Montana until we visited in June. 

Ella got into a K-5 Charter Montessori School: http://www.cottonwoodelementary.com 

It's an adorable, small school in the country with very small class sizes. 

She started September 1st. She has been asking to go to school and since Bozeman doesn't have an active secular homeschool community this is a great option. There are literally no homeschool drop off programs in Bozeman and that was Ella's favorite days of the week...and mine ; ) Cottonwood has 2 first graders in the whole school! They combine grades and all work together which I love about the school. Some friends of ours who we didn't get to know too well in Evergreen moved to Bozeman in June and are going to Cottonwood also! Well, they are the reason we applied to Cottonwood. We trusted if they like it then we will like it too. They lived in Bozeman previously also and couldn't wait to move back. It's a special place. Their daughter is a year older than Ella and Ella adores her so having her there really helped with the transition. We are looking forward to getting to know their parents better! 

Ella did ok this first week. She really likes it but has her moments like during reading lessons. She really has NO interest in learning to read and gets upset when she can't do something. Since it's montessori it's child led so they don't push them but she still feels bad that she doesn't know how. She told the guidance counselor that it would help if she could take a picture of me to school. Broke. my. heart. They do some really cool field trips like hiking, downhill skiing, cross country skiing...lots of cool stuff. After school has been a nightmare though, she is a wreck from the time she gets home until she goes to bed. Gordon is already asking to go there. He would start 3 day a week Kindergarten next year, it moves to 4 days in January. I love that it's not full time Kindergarten. He will probably get kicked out anyway!! Our Gordon is quite the handful!

Friends 

Haircut day 

Indian Hills 4th of July parade - a water fight parade 

Gordon wanted to wear Lyra's swimsuit 

Painted nails and flower in his hair 

Kittredge park 

Bear in the neighborhood again 

Evergreen rec center pool 

IVF day 

Acupuncture before and after IVF

Hormone patches and acupuncture needles 

Mark thought it was funny that they had a drawer of IVF instructions, you know, just in case they forget what to do. 

Needles in my ears and top of my head 

Trying to relax before IVF while covered in needles. I realized that acupuncture is not my favorite thing. I'm not a fan of needles no matter how small! 

We went to see "Inside Out" in the theater and Gordon ran out to the car he was so excited to go, we didn't realize he had Ella's cowgirl boots on until we got to the theater. It was the perfect movie to see before a move. 

Evergreen sunset 

We checked out the Denver Children's museum before the move. Gordon in action above. 

Beach day with friends 

Gordon did his own makeup with Ella and her friends. 

Cirque Du Soleil intermission 

Tea party 

He still sleeps on my lap at the park 

I couldn't find Gordon anywhere! 

Ella & Stella selling melting bead projects at our garage sale. 

Gordon cleaning up his own mess.

Neighborhood babies 

Checking out Baby & Co. birth center. Gordon liked the birthing stool. 

I found Gordon strapped into a car seat I put for free at the end of our driveway. 

This kid. 

Melissa & Jeff's 

Melissa drove to MT with me to find a rental. This is the world's largest mineral hot spring in WY.

Our friends took us to Casa Bonita before we moved ; ) 

Evergreen storm 

Denver Museum of Nature and Science - solving poison mysteries 

We spent our last Sunday in Evergreen on the lake 

Lakeside amusement park 

We fit all of our stuff (including my mom's stuff) into a 15' truck! So proud of our minimalist life. I would downsize more but Mark has half the truck filled with books he can't part with. 

We are officially Bozemanites again! A store left out chalk for the kids so Ella drew a beautiful Montana picture. 

We spent a few days in Yellowstone before Ella started school 

We got a great campsite near a creek. A bison strolled by the campground on our first evening there. 

Bison 

Boiling river is always a must at Yellowstone (not for me this time ; )  

Gordon wanted to go "kiting" on a windy Bozeman day 

I'm so glad to live so close to this beauty again...and it's not swarming with people. Heaven. 

The kids have been learning to fly fish. 

Gordon found a bottle nipple on the beach and wanted to take a zillion pics with it. 

10 weeks with surrobaby and already a belly. I'll be returning to Colorado around January 31st when I'm 32 weeks to wait for the baby to arrive. I have to give birth in Colorado because of state laws. I'll bring Gordon with me and we are trying to figure out what we will do with Ella. I don't want to pull her out of school but I can't imagine being away from her that long. It's not healthy for any of us to be apart that long but we will figure it out. 

My first 2 pregnancies were a breeze compared to this one. I think it was all the meds I had to take. I was nauseous all day, everyday for over a month, exhausted, headaches, insomnia... I stopped all medications on August 29th and feel a lot better. Still a bit nauseous and tired but SO much better. I'm going to see how the rest of the pregnancy and birth go before deciding if I want to do this more than once. 

Ella's school 

Back to school night 

We finally got to celebrate being student loan free! Big deal here! We drove into Montana debt free and it felt amazing! 

Gordon was so excited to try Lone Mountain swim/gymnastic school that he got up and sat by the door with his lunch for 30 minutes. He ended up saying it was his most "boringest" day ever and he doesn't want to go back, so, we didn't make him go back. 

Ella's first day! 

Gordon at Lone Mountain 

I stopped in to see Stacey (my midwife with Ella) and saw Ella's baby pic on the front counter. I'm hoping to start teaching basic breastfeeding classes to expectant parents at the birth centers and possibly the hospital in the future. I'm taking it slow this year since Gordon is still home with me and I'm exhausted from the pregnancy. 

The boys at Cottonwood were digging water ways and using the hose to fill them. How cool that they can do this! 

Fly fishing after school, they caught 5 fish. We are happy to live somewhere, where there aren't any "no trespassing" signs EVERYWHERE! Mark has gone fishing more in the last 2 weeks than in the entire 6 years we were gone. It's not enjoyable when you can't go on any land and there are people everywhere.