She Should Have Been Born in the 80's

Happy Friday!! I am so glad it is finally here. This week has flown by. Maybe because we have been busy but not too busy. We are looking forward to a low key weekend.


I just had to share a few pictures of Kate I took this morning. Kate's hair is getting so long that everytime she eats she gets food all in it. So I decided she needed some headbands. My friend Hollie was selling of her kid's clothes and these were thrown in. They were part of a Halloween costume but work perfect for pulling Kate's hair back when she eats. I think she looks like she should be in an 80's Jane Fonda workout video. What do you think?

Quick Funny Kate Story - So I have mentioned that Kate loves to eat and will eat anything. We are learning quickly that she really will eat anything. Earlier in the week I was cutting out coupons in the living room. Kate was crawling around. I didn't realize she had gotten a hold of one of the coupons until she starting coughing and crying. She coughed up an entire coupon that was all wadded up. Yes, my child ate a coupon. We find her eating lots of carpet and other things she shouldn't be. She is our human vacuum cleaner!

"Our" Lake

We are very blessed to live 2 houses away from an awesome lake. It is a huge natural lake that is home to lots of fish and ducks (actually geese). We love the lake. It is just beautiful. Right now it is owned by the farmer who lives on the property behind our neighborhood. Hopefully one day our neighborhood can buy it and we can enjoy fishing and boating on the lake. But for now we just enjoy it from our bank.

Tonight Ben asked to go down to the lake so we loaded up the wagon and off we went.
It is really nice in the evenings... Our neighborhood is between 2 sets of "mountains" so we love the mountain views over the lake! Ben's favorite thing to do is to throw rocks.
Kate enjoyed the family time and listening to Daddy blow on leaves of grass.

Can't Leave Her Alone For A Second

Can I just say that it is really hot outside?? I feel like all we do is stay inside these days. It is just too hot to be outside. Today I had to go to the dentist and then the kids and I ran some errands. I about died getting them in and out of the car. We won't be doing that again anytime soon.

So a couple of days ago I was feeding Kate some breakfast. Ben had to go potty so I set down her oatmeal and went to help him. When I came back this is what I saw... I accidentally left the oatmeal on her tray and she just helped herself. Silly girl!!!! It was a huge mess. She thought she was big stuff and it was too funny. Needless to say she had to get a bath that morning.

Funny Kids

Is it really only 3:15?? It has just been one of those days. We have enjoyed being at home today but it has been a little crazy. Just one of those days when I feel like a mom. All I have done is comfort crying kiddos and wipe behinds. In between all that I have done 6 loads of laundry, ran errands and swept the floors. It is just all in a days work I guess! I wouldn't trade this job for anything. My mom did bring me some beautiful sunflowers that made the day super great.

What makes all the hard work so great is the great kiddos I do it for. They crack me up! Ben's things lately is that he will only wear shirts that have green on them. He has a closet with probably 35 shirts in it (I way overbuy). Of those maybe 7 have green in them. For the past 2 weeks he will only wear green shirts. I have never seen a 3 year old boy care so much about his clothes. I am not willing to pick a fight with him over clothes so all he has been wearing is the same few green shirts. Don't know the fascination with green but hopefully it will end soon so he will wear something else! Here he is in one of his green shirts.

Miss Kate is cracking me up with how she sleeps these days. When I lay her in the crib the first thing she does is go around and untie all the bumper ties. I don't know what she has against them being tied but she wants them untied. Then she crawls up to the upper left hand corner of her crib. She pulls her sheep over he head and goes to sleep. It is the same every single time! So funny!! Note the untied bumper and the sheep over her head.
Just had to throw this one in. Look how long and curly her hair is getting!

See these kids are so funny! Gotta love them even on a long day. Happy Tuesday to you all! I am off to fold some laundry and cut some coupons.

Crazy Weekend

We survived another crazy weekend around the Eckley household. They are never boring that is for sure. Maybe sometime soon it will be relaxing. Friday night I taught my class on tablescapes at Girl's Night Out. It went well and I enjoyed some fun time out with my friends Kim and Jessica. Matt was looking forward to an evening with the kiddos Friday but we got a call Friday afternoon that they were taking his dad to the hospital because he was really confused. We were worried it was a stroke. He had been working outside all day so we didn't know if it was heat related. Turns out he had a blood sugar of over 900 and was in a diabetic crisis exacerbated by dehydration. So Matt had to rush to the hospital to be with his family. Thankfully my parents were able to watch Ben and Kate (thanks Mom and Dad!!) so I could still give my class. Matt's dad spent the weekend in the hospital but is home now. Be praying for him as he recovers and deals with his new life as a diabetic. That through our weekend a bit off but all was good.

Saturday Matt spent some time at the hospital while the kids and I played. We had fun. Then that afternoon I went on my first Craigs list buying adventure. I had decided I wanted at wooden high chair to do a special project for Kate's birthday party. I found a great one on Craigs List so my mom and I drove to Somerville (about 45 minutes away) to get it. Here it is...

This is the before. I can't wait to work on it this week and show you the after pictures!!!

Saturday evening we went to dinner as a family and then to Toys R Us. We had promised Ben he could pick out a toy because he is fully potty trained. So we let him have free reign of TRU. I was sort of scared of what he would pick. After an hour of looking he decided on these...

Yep of all the toys in the store he picked these little Phineus and Ferb action figures. He has only seen the Disney show a couple of times but loves it and this is what he wanted. It was on clearance and with my reward dollars it was $2.50. Not bad!!

Sunday was a fun church day. We kept the nursery in the morning and then enjoyed lunch with friends. Last night our church was hosting Travis Cottrell in concert. It was awesome!!!!!! Such an amazing time of worship. It has been a long time since I have worshiped like that. We brought Ben with us to the concert. He did awesome. He loved the music and clapping his hands. He had the biggest smile on his face the whole time. He told us he loved singing about Jesus. How precious. Seeing him worship in his little 3 year old way is something I will never forget.

Now we are on to Monday! I had to work all this morning so we are off to a slow start to the week. Hopefully this week will be a little more low key. I am hoping for some quiet days at home. We will see if that happens. Lots to do to get ready for school in a couple of weeks.

HOT!!!!!!!!!

That is all I can say right now. It is really really hot outside. Today it hit 100 degrees. It is rough out there. I mean you walk outside and you just about melt. Staying inside is about all you can do. We did venture out for a playdate at the park with my co worker Desiree and her two kiddos, Kempton and Kathryn. We thought we would go early and try to beat some of the heat. 9 am when we met it was already 85 degrees. The kids had a wonderful time going on an "adventure" (exploring the woods next to the park). I had a great time catching up with Dez. We work together but don't often see each other so it was nice to catch up. It was a fun time although it was a little sweaty. Then I needed to run a few errands to finish getting ready for my big talk tonight at Girl's Night Out. It is not fun to run errands in 100 degree weather with 2 kids. I was drenched in sweat by the time we got home. I stripped Kate of all her clothes and she is napping in her diaper. I just laid under the fan for a while! Gotta stay cool. Don't think we will be going outside again anytime soon.

We did find a fun way to beat the heat last night. We went to Point Mallard, a waterpark in the next town, with our friends the Mobleys and Johnsons. It was 1/2 price night so we enjoyed 4 hours of cool fun. It actually wasn't too bad in the water. The kids had a blast running and playing in the fun water things and the wave pool. Matt took Ben on one of the really big water slides. Ben loved it until the end when he fell out of the intertube and went underwater. He was only under for a few seconds before the lifeguard got him but he was pretty traumatized. He didn't sleep well last night. I think he was dreaming about drowning. Other than that a great time was had by all!! Here are a few pictures (they were taken with Matt's phone so they are not the best quality)...

A Quiet Couple of Days

So I had a thought yesterday of something that NEVER happens. I didn't leave my house all day long. Well I did go outside to get the mail but that was it. It was sort of nice. We did have a fun playdate yesterday morning with our friends the Carlisles so we did have some visitors but we stayed home. It has been a sort of low key week for us. I haven't taken many pictures which also never happens. I am preparing for a class that I am teaching tomorrow night at our church's Girl's Night Out. The class is on tablescapes. I am so not an expert on them but hopefully I have worked out a fun class. So all my free time this week has been spent working on that. We are going to have some fun tonight going to half price night at Point Mallard!! Pictures to come tomorrow. Here are a couple of pictures that my friend Jessica took on Monday of my kiddos at our fun playdate up at the church's indoor playground. It was a fun time inside which is key these days with the heat!

Sweet Miss Kate and her beautiful smile. She got her 2nd tooth yesterday! And she started crawling last night. Big things happening with her these days!

Ben and his best buddy Micah

Happy Day for Kate!!

I think I have mentioned a time or two (or 20) about how much Kate loves to eat. Today is a super happy day for her - SHE GOT A TOOTH!!!!!!!!! YEA!!!! She had been fussy for the last couple of days and I chalked it up to she was frustrated with not being able to crawl. She is trying so hard and just can't do it so she cries a lot. When Matt got home she was fussing so he stuck his finger in her mouth to check for teeth and sure enough there was one!!! Little edge of the first one broke through. Exciting stuff! I think there are going to be several more to follow really soon. She is going to wear those little teeth out with all the eating she does. I caught some great pictures of her at dinner tonight...

Yes I know the bow is big but hey we live in the South and aren't they supposed to be big! Just as a funny note... Here is what the table looked like under her highchair when she got done.

I had forgotten how messy babies can be with their food. With Ben we had to put down a clear plastic shower curtain liner to protect the floor. Then we could just hose it off and we were good to go. I am thinking we are going to have to get it back out!! Thought I would share Kate's big news!

College Days Revisited

We had a super fun weekend. It was a little busy but it was a lot of fun. My awesome college roommate Jamye and her family came up Friday and spent the night with us and stayed for most of the day Saturday! It was great to have them here!! So a little background on me and Jamye. We lived together for all 4 years in college. There are not many people who can say that. She grew up in the town where my grandparents lived and went to church with them. When I was preparing to go to Auburn, they said they knew a great girl who was looking for a roommate. So the story begins... We sent each other a couple of letters (this was back before email - that makes me old) and decided that we would try living together for the year. It was a perfect match. We lived in a private off campus dorm our first 2 years (that means we shared a 18x20 room - if that doesn't let you get to know someone nothing will). Then the last to years we shared an apartment with another friend of ours, Ashley. Jamye and I are a lot alike which is one reason I think we didn't kill each other in 4 years. We quickly learned how to get along and became great friends. Looking back at those years I am so thankful for her friendship and support. I think college is the time where you truly establish who you are and what you believe and I know for me it was great to have Jamye along for that journey every step of the way!

We have kept in touch over the years but haven't gotten to spend a whole lot of time together so it was great to get to spend so much time with her this weekend. She married a great guy named Steve a couple of years ago and they live in Auburn. I hadn't got to really meet him so it was great to get to know him. He is awesome and perfect for Jamye! They just had a beautiful little girl named Morgan so it was great to get to see her. She is the sweetest little baby!! We had a blast just hanging out and getting to visit. It was great to get caught up on life with the Smith's. We ate a lot and didn't do much of anything. They probably think we are pretty boring but it was nice to have a low key time.

Jamye and the girls. They were both crying at this point.

This is what Ben thought of all the babies in the house!
How crazy are we? We dressed them alike and had to get some photos. We are going to show them these photos in 18 years when they are headed off to Auburn to be roommates. We have already decided that they are going to live together and be best friends. They are also going to live with Paige our friend LeeAnn's little girl who also lived with us some at Auburn. We can't wait until the fall to get a picture of Kate, Morgan and Paige together!
It is impossible to get pictures of 2 babies. Here is Kate attacking poor Morgan!

Sweet baby Morgan! She smiles more than any baby I have ever seen. She is just 2 months old but smiles all the time!

Only pictures of Ben and the girls. This was as close as he would get to them.

Mommies and little girls. Jamye and I were laughing that neither one of us put on make-up or brushed our hair. That was so us all through college so of course we had to just be relaxed when we get together!

Such a great time!! Thanks for coming up for a visit guys. We can't wait to come down and spend some time with you this fall for some football games.

The rest of the weekend was just busy!! We had a fun surprise birthday party for our friend Jennifer on Saturday night (and it was a total surprise as her birthday is in December). Then yesterday was a crazy day of church and meetings. I don't think I sat down until 8 last night. Glad for it to be Monday! We have a pretty low key week ahead which is fun. Looking forward to hanging with my 2 favorite kiddos!

8 Months Old!!!

It is hard to believe another month has flown by!! Our sweet baby Kate is 8 months old. How exciting. I really do think this is one of the most fun ages. She just keeps growing and changing right before our eyes. Good thing I am already working on that first birthday because it will be here before we know it! Here is what Miss Kate is up to at 8 months:

• Kate, you are the best baby ever (I know I am your mom and I am supposed to say that but it is true). You have the sweetest little personality. You are fun and loving all at the same time. You love to "talk." I would actually call it more of yelling. It is making sounds at the top of your lungs. It is a little over powering at times but so cute. No real words yet except an occasional "hi" which you will say while waving which is a new trick. You love to laugh and will laugh at almost anything. You are also a snuggler. Your favorite time to snuggle is right after you wake up. I love it!!
• You are a girl on the brink of being on the move. You will get up on all fours and rock and try to crawl but haven't quite got it yet. You are so close. You will roll any where you want to get and inch worm crawl. You are also pulling to a stand. You will pull up on anything you can. There actually isn't much you can pull up on because you are so short. When you stand you are starting to "cruise" a little bit. If your crawling takes much longer you might walk before you crawl. I am not looking forward to you being mobile.
• Your absolute favorite thing to do is EAT!!! You love it. You have pretty much had a taste of all foods now. We will break you off whatever we are eating and you love it all. Ben said today that "Kate eats everything!!" It is true. You don't care what it is as long as it is food. If you are fussy I can just put some food in front of you and you are good! You still nurse 3-4 times a day (or take a bottle) and eat 3 meals a day as well. Did I mention you love to eat! I don't know what your favorite food is because you get excited about them all.

• Well Miss Kate you are still little bitty. I weighed you today and you are 15 pounds 12 ounces. 1/2 a pound in a month. Still at the 8th%ile. But you are just so dainty that you don't look so small. Still in size 2 diapers (not for much longer though) and 6-9 month clothes. You are still so beautiful. The number one comment we get when we are out is that you look like a china doll. I think it is a funny comment but we get it all the time.
• You love to play. You will grab anything you can get your hands on. You have good eye hand coordination these days so we have to be careful what we put near you because everything goes straight to your mouth. Your favorite person is still Ben. He makes you smile all the time. You guys have become big buddies this month and are really starting to play together. He even asked to hold you today!
• The past month has been full of fun adventures. Lots of fun playdates and new friends. We have spent lots of time outside and at the pool. You love to swim. We are trying to teach you to float and kick your legs. Not much longer and you will be able to do it!
• Oh you still sleep great! You go to bed at 8 and sleep until 7 or 7:30. You take a 2 hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. YEA!!!! We couldn't ask for a better sleeper (all that praying I did payed off).

Wow! What a fun little girl. Time is flying and we are loving every minute of it. Happy 8 month birthday pretty girl!

Flashback Friday (On Thursday) - Greece & Turkey

I know I am a day early with these pictures but I have Kate's 8 month post tomorrow. I promised a friend (Mrs. Tidwell) I would put these up this week so she could see the Greece pictures before her trip there. We had a blast in Greece. Growing up I heard stories about my mom's trip to Europe and how Greece and the Greek isles were her favorite so I knew I wanted to go one day. It didn't disappoint. It is beautiful. I don't think I can describe how beautiful it was. It was also so full of history. We loved thinking about how the men who wrote the Bible (inspired by God) had walked and preached in the very places we were. It was amazing!! Here are some pictures (sorry I had a hard time narrowing it down - there are so many more good ones).

This one is a little out of order but it is an important one. We found out while we were in Athens that we were expecting a baby - Ben!! How exciting is that. So we made a sign in Greek to tell our families.

Our first stop was in Olympia. It is the site of the first Olympics. Here is the site of the Olympic flame that they light every 4 years.
Entrance to the stadium
Ancient wonder - Zeus' temple. We saw a total of 3 the sites of the ancient wonders of the world on the trip.

We stayed in this small town - Tolon on the Aegean Sea. It was so funny because it reminded us of Panama City Florida with the touristy shops and such. We did get to go swimming in the Aegean Sea.

We stopped for lunch in Corinth and saw the Corinth canal.

Then it was on to Athens. So many amazing things to see!!

Of course the Parthenon

Athens was an amazing city to me because one minute you are standing on ancient ruins and the next you are in the middle of a major modern city. It was so neat. This is the site, Mars Hill, where Paul preached his sermon about the "unknown God."

We then got to take a 4 day cruise through the Greek islands. I highly recommend it! Our first stop was an evening in Mykonos. Oh my goodness was it beautiful.

We spent the evening sitting on a hillside beside the windmills watching the sun set. It was probably the most amazing night we have spent together!!

Then it was on to Rhodes. Legend has it that Paul was shipwrecked right here.

On of the most beautiful islands we went to was Patmos. It is most famous for being the place where John was held in exile. We got to tour the place where he had his "Revelation." It is a cave underground but it is used as a Greek Orthodox church today. We were there on a Sunday so we got to tour it during their church service.

So this was our cruise ship. Funny story - the boat is now on the bottom of ocean. It sank about 6 months after we were on it. Hit a rock off Patmos and sank.

Another funny story - The people on the cruise just assumed we were on our honeymoon since we were young and by ourselves so one night they came out and sang to us and brought us this cake. We won't mention the fact that I am pregnant and we had been married for 3 years at this point.

Our final stop was in Ephesus in Turkey. Talk about amazing. It was so cool! We walked the streets where Paul did! It is one of the most intact ancient cities you will find.

The amazing library of Ephesus!

Now that you are bored to death with all the pictures you can get back to regular life! I just had to share.