tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64582072507441874582024-03-13T13:52:23.995-05:00LIFE WITH THE ECKLEYSNothing Fancy, Nothing Crazy - Just Us!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.comBlogger1705125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-54296917870625251752016-01-21T15:51:00.000-06:002016-01-21T15:51:05.047-06:00Silly Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I pulled out the big camera to try to get some good pictures of the kids. This is what I got...</div>
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Total silliness!! They were crazy. Did manage to get one cute one. These guys are awesome!! Love them so much!<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-13640902064838297232016-01-19T11:17:00.000-06:002016-01-20T11:18:35.874-06:00A Rocking Saturday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had a great day on Saturday. Love full days that are full of fun! Ben spent the night at Evan's house so he wasn't around in the morning but Kate was so she got to work on her 100 day project. She is so excited about the 100th day of school this week so she couldn't wait to do her project. I will share the completed project later in the week but know it is awesome!</div>
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Saturday was all about the birthday parties! First up with Perry's big Peter Pan party. Kelly did a great job planning it out and the kids had so much fun. Check out the cake! It was also very yummy!!<br />
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Ben and Kate had fun playing games and taking a whack at the pinata. <br />
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And just being silly!! <br />
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After that party, Ben headed to his friend Clayton's party. It was a "game truck" party. This giant truck came and they got to play video games. Nothing better for a group of 8 and 9 year old boys. No pictures since he is now too big for mom and dad to go to parties with him! <br />
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Saturday night we met the Cabras for dinner and the Havoc game. It was a crazy night full of lots of laughs. Nothing quite seemed to go our way but we made the best of it and laughed. Dinner was a giant debacle but I won't go into that! We made it to the hockey game which was lots of fun. <br />
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It was the Melissa George night started by some friends of ours to raise money for the NICU. We always like to go and support the evening and the work they do. Everyone had a blast at the game and we got to see a few fights!<br />
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By the time we got home after 10 o'clock we were all worn out from such a busy day but it was great! Glad to have fun days like these with family!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-75655878388188024762016-01-15T11:08:00.000-06:002016-01-20T11:08:40.491-06:002016 Week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Week 2 kicked of with a low key Saturday that ended with a game night at Andrew and Kelly's. We got Andrew Pandemic Legacy for Christmas. It is a long play game that builds on itself. We plan to play it over the year. We won the first game and saved the world. It was a good start. </div>
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Winter finally arrived on Sunday. After an unusually warm few weeks it was nice to have a cold spell. Everyone had to pull out their heavy coats and we saw some snowflakes on the way to church! These guys were really excited about the cold!<br />
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Kate has been asking (maybe bordering on begging) for weeks to go to Ichiban. She loves the hibachi noodles! She was so excited when we went after church. Look at that big smile. She was in her happy place. <br />
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Monday was awesome!!! Our sweet friends the Sanfords (who we visited in Denver last summer) were in town so I checked the kids out of school early for some play time. They were so excited to have a couple of hours together. They picked right back off where they left off in the summer. Thankful for sweet friends!<br />
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Tuesday Kate's theater class kicked off for the semester. She is so excited about the Peanuts play they are going to be doing in the spring. I even found a Snoopy shirt for her to wear from a thrift shop. I think she had a great time since she was bouncing off the walls when she got done!<br />
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It's always a good day when your bestie comes home from school for a playdate! They were so excited and had a blast on Thursday afternoon. <br />
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Every Friday we kick off the day by listening to the song Friday in the car on the way to school. Kate loves it and dances along. Ben is too cool for it these days but I secretly know he loves it. I hope they always remember how much fun we had even just in driving to school. By the way this is the worst song ever!! <br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-67297825493123048342016-01-14T15:57:00.003-06:002016-01-14T15:57:36.754-06:00How We Are Doing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We have gotten asked "How are you doing?" probably 100 times in the last few weeks. I figured since it has been a month since we lost my dad that today would be a good day to write how we are doing. I guess in a word we are doing "okay." Grief is hard!!! One minute you will be fine and then next minute you are just overcome with sadness. Out of no where a memory will be triggered that is hard and it's a downward spiral from there. And some days are filled with happy memories that make you smile. It is an up and down thing. But overall we are making it. </div>
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It is hard living in a house with 4 people who are grieving in different ways. Kate has been the most practical of all of us. She loves to talk about Grandaddy!! Not a day goes by that she doesn't mention him or something he did for her. It is so sweet. She is so practical in that she knows he is gone and she mentions it often that she misses him but she is not sad. It is just her personality. She prays often for him to be having a great time in heaven (which we know he is). Ben is really struggling. He took it so hard. He lost not only his grandfather but one of his best buddies. He doesn't talk about it much but we know he is hurting. Time will help and we talk often about how it's ok to be sad. I am hanging in there. I have good moments and bad moments. The biggest thing for me right now is finding motivation to do things. Everything seems to just require a lot of energy that I don't seem to have. I've had to learn to give myself lots of grace. It's ok if the house isn't perfectly clean or if we have to eat out again. My hurting heart is healing and that takes time. Matt is holding us all together. He is doing a great job at it! He has his hard days too. He comes home from work some days just emotionally worn out. </div>
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We are learning to just take things day by day. It gets overwhelming to look too far into the future. We are doing a lot of leaning on God. Without Him we couldn't make it through today. But with Him we will continue to make it! The song Because He Lives has become a favorite of all of us lately. It sums up perfectly where we are at as a family. Because He lives we can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone!</div>
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My dad arranged a special surprise for us back 6 months ago. He asked the Colonel of the Corps to give us flags that had flown over the Corps in his honor. We had no idea he had done this until after he died and the Colonel contacted us. Yesterday we received the flags. We will treasure them forever. The kids are already asking to put them up in their rooms. Such a wonderful gesture from my dad! But we wouldn't expect anything different because he was an amazing guy!!!</div>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-12792655063241369632016-01-08T16:29:00.000-06:002016-01-14T16:31:29.957-06:002016 Week 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have started posting a picture a day on Instagram. I am really trying to document the day to day there. I'm not sure how I will integrate it into the blog but I'm thinking I will do some weekly posts with those pictures and then longer posts about other things when needed. So here we go week 1of 2016 #yearofeckleys...</div>
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We woke up on Saturday with nothing going on and the whole day in front of us so we decided to head out to breakfast. It is hard to decide on things these days because B and K like to pick opposite things (on purpose I think). After much negotiation, we decided on Blue Plate. It was so much fun to get to hang together as a family of 4!</div>
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On Monday I took the kids shoe shopping for new tennis shoes. I had forgotten how hard it is to shoe shop with both of them. It feels like herding cats! But we did enjoy some fun time together and a last lunch out before school starts back. They both got great new shoes for a new semester. <br />
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Tuesday it was back to real life for all of us. I went back to work for the first time in 3 weeks. It was good to be back in the swing of things. My sweet coworker kept things going in the office for me while I was gone and got me some awesome gifts!! <br />
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This girl is crazy!! She keeps us laughing all the time! Including eating chips right out of the bag!<br />
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Best money we ever spent - Panthers hat for Ben. It has not left his head except for school and church since Christmas morning. He comes right in from school and puts it on. So cute!<br />
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Our little guy is getting so big. He even has his own phone now!! AHHHHH!!!! We have given him more freedom with friends but we wanted to be able to keep track of him and have a way for him to contact us. We found out about this great watch designed for kids his age. He can call and text only the numbers we give permission. We can also use it to track where he is in the neighborhood. It's great and he loves it! Hard to believe he is old enough to have his own phone. And even better it is a watch phone!!<br />
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We have the best friends ever!! We haven't had to cook a meal since before my dad was in the hospital. We have had friends bringing us dinners for weeks. It is so great because we don't have to worry about food but we get be together for dinner. We have really enjoyed it. I can't believe I will have to actually cook again one day. <br />
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That is week 1 of 2016. It's off to a great start!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-47339872229847678222016-01-04T16:10:00.000-06:002016-01-14T16:11:19.930-06:00An Awesome Sunday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday was such a fun day! After church we headed over to celebrate our little Pear Bear. He turned 3!!! So hard to believe that little redhead is growing up so fast. Kelly and Andrew hosted a little family party for his actual birthday. I love this picture with the cupcake thief caught in the background. </div>
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Happy Birthday sweet Perry!! We love getting to see you grow up and having fun with you!<br />
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After the party, we joined up with the Wrights for a hike in the woods behind their neighborhood. There are some great trails. We had so much fun exploring and checking it out. We hiked for over 5 miles. The kids loved every minute of it!<br />
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We gave the Wrights a hard time for now showing us this awesome place before now. We are looking forward to lots more hikes in the future. <br />
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Then we had our last planning meeting for our new life group. We are launching a new group with the Johnsons in a couple of weeks. It is so exciting to see what God is going to do with our new group! So see it was an awesome Sunday! Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-67286141333692620972016-01-02T15:26:00.000-06:002016-01-14T15:26:30.584-06:00Lost Tooth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our little Kate is getting so big and grown up. Yesterday she became even more grown up when she lost her very first tooth!!! She was so excited and so brave when her daddy pulled it out. She really wanted it to come out before she went back to school so she could sign her name to the January tooth in her classroom. We love her sweet little smile that is now missing a tooth. So cute!!!! </div>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-63749744457249060202016-01-01T15:19:00.000-06:002016-01-14T15:19:53.382-06:00Ringing in 2016!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We rang in 2016 last night with the Johnsons. It was a great night full of family fun! We started off the evening by going to dinner at Rosies. It is usually really crowded but we learned that New Years Eve when there is an Alabama game on TV is the time to go to Rosies!</div>
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We then came back to our house for some game time playing Catan! It was lots of fun!! Perfect, relaxing way to spend the evening. <br />
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The kids enjoyed some Wii U time and some movies. They manage to always make their own fun. </div>
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Hence the conga line that broke out around 10:00! They were a little crazy. <br />
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Everyone started getting a little tired so around 11:30 we put on the Netflix kids countdown and toasted in the New Year. <br />
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After the Johnsons left, our kids were still going strong so we stayed up and saw 2016 in for real. It was the perfect evening. Nothing better than ringing in the new year with friends and family!!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-17720033151546516482015-12-30T15:16:00.001-06:002015-12-30T15:16:30.431-06:00Where Do I Start? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It has been a whole month since I have done any blogging. What a month it has been. We are still alive and surviving. The past 3 weeks have really just been a big blur. We are somehow forging a new path for our family. A hard path without our dad and grandaddy but we are doing it. We have made it through birthdays and Christmas already. Hard to think about 2015 coming to an end tomorrow. In one way I am glad to see this tough year come to an end but in another I don't want it to end. We had Grandaddy with us for most of the year and it was good. But life moves on and so will we!! </div>
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I am going to go back and catch the blog up on everything that has happened over the past month. So be on the look out for past posts to pop up. Until then here is our little family on Christmas Eve. </div>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-17835447578292827762015-12-29T18:27:00.000-06:002016-01-10T18:27:56.662-06:00After Christmas Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After all the Christmas fun was over, we still had a full week off of school. It was awesome!! We didn't do much of anything but just hang out and play. It was great. The kids were excited to open presents from GG and Aunt Lisa one day. </div>
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Kate and I did some holiday baking since we didn't have time before Christmas. She was a great helper!<br />
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Our candy cane cookies turned out pretty well. <br />
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Ben had a great week riding his new bike around the neighborhood with his buddies and playing some new games. Chronobomb was a big hit!<br />
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We did get out one day and go to the dollar movie to see the Peanuts movie. That was lots of fun! <br />
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A low key week was just what we all needed!! Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-32315534745005358972015-12-28T18:20:00.000-06:002016-01-10T18:21:22.643-06:00Panthers Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The day after Christmas Opa came over and picked up the boys to head to Atlanta for the Panthers game on Sunday! They were so excited!!! </div>
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They enjoyed hanging out in Atlanta on Saturday night and going to eat at Ted's Montana Grill where Ben of course had to get a bison burger!! <br />
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Sunday it was up bright and early to head to the Georgia Dome for the game. The Panthers were undefeated so hopes were really high for that to continue. <br />
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The game didn't turn out quite like they wanted. It was a great game but the Panthers just couldn't pull it out in the end. But these guys still had a great time and I am so glad they got to go!! <br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-69460208246871841212015-12-27T18:02:00.000-06:002016-01-10T18:02:34.644-06:00Christmas with the Easts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had our traditional Christmas night with the East family. It was a hard time. We missed Grandaddy so much. But we found joy in talking about him and knowing he would want us to have fun. We changed things up this year and Matt smoked a ham. It was really yummy and we enjoyed some fun sides with it. </div>
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After dinner, it was present time!! There were so many presents as usual. <br />
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Cousin picture!!<br />
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Present time is always so much fun and crazy!<br />
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Kate loved her American Girl Grace apron from Granna!<br />
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The kids also got snorkel gear from Granna and Grandaddy for our trip this summer. <br />
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Kelly and Andrew got Ben some bison meat jerky. <br />
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Of course the infamous mint jelly had to show up again. Ha! It is a tradition. It was wrapped in a crazy box this year so disguise it.<br />
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We all spent the night at Granna's house and woke up to the smell of cooking beignets. It is a day after Christmas tradition!<br />
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Everyone ate until they were full. <br />
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That wrapped up our Christmas celebrating. It was a different, hard year but it was still good. God carried us through and allowed us to make good memories in spite of circumstances. Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-52694041510505707502015-12-26T17:50:00.000-06:002016-01-10T17:50:51.940-06:00Christmas Morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Matt and I woke up bright and early on Christmas morning and as usual the kids slept in. Ha! The one day of the year. Actually we woke them up around 6:45. We did enjoy the quiet before they got up. Sitting by the tree and looking at the presents!</div>
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Ben's stash for the year - a new 24 inch bike and Panthers stuff! <br />
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Kate's stuff - a doll diner and horse and lots of little surprises. <br />
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Adult stockings!<br />
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They were so excited to get up and check out their gifts!!<br />
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I love Christmas morning!! Seeing happy smiles and faces and squeals of joy. It is so much fun!!<br />
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The giant candy was a big hit!<br />
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After opening stockings and checking out the Santa gifts, we had our traditional Christmas morning breakfast of orange rolls and pigs in a blanket. <br />
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Then it was time to open our gifts to one another. Kate loved her Shopkins holder. <br />
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The kids worked so hard picking out gifts for each other and they couldn't wait for the other to open it. Kate was so excited for Ben to open the Lego she got him. <br />
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Ben got Kate a WiiU Barbie game! They were both so happy!<br />
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Kate's mermaid blankie tail was a huge hit!<br />
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I asked for and got several new pairs of sunglasses! <br />
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The rest of the day was spent playing and cleaning up. I love the Christmas morning mess! <br />
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Christmas morning selfies!<br />
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Ben and Matt played some of their new games. <br />
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Kate played dolls all day!<br />
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Ben got a lot of new football movies so we watched several of them. <br />
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It rained all day long! And when I say rained I mean poured. It did not stop raining. There were some serious flooding issues all around us. Lots of roads closed and craziness. <br />
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Mema and Opa braved the flooding and came over to play some games and see all the presents. <br />
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It was a perfect Christmas morning!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-40415737362171572142015-12-25T05:47:00.001-06:002015-12-25T05:47:03.775-06:00Merry ChristmasGather round ye children come<div>Listen to the old, old story</div><div>About the power of death undone</div><div>By an infant born of glory</div><div>Son of God</div><div>Son of Man</div><div><br></div><div>This song line has been my anthem this Christmas. That baby born over 2,000 years ago changed everything!!! The power of death was defeated by a baby!! Praying you all have the best Christmas celebrating the greatest gift ever. <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggByTvpXjEOwxFv3yngtfQkzovMTUAPo-zvupeD9c0ADpttpa2FoiXLpd7SN1UWkt-AAzQ7GU24SITjjCfHRoOBPCalhT-F9fVM5ie6ByO2VMC56jJcXMLe1PyWEDhZcTs1Q70AQI-inZ/s640/blogger-image-1799996777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggByTvpXjEOwxFv3yngtfQkzovMTUAPo-zvupeD9c0ADpttpa2FoiXLpd7SN1UWkt-AAzQ7GU24SITjjCfHRoOBPCalhT-F9fVM5ie6ByO2VMC56jJcXMLe1PyWEDhZcTs1Q70AQI-inZ/s640/blogger-image-1799996777.jpg"></a></div></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-83430753690493165422015-12-24T14:20:00.000-06:002016-01-10T14:20:33.391-06:00Christmas Eve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I think our Christmas Eve traditions are a favorite for all of us each year. I love that we do the same thing each year and can create special memories. We got all dressed and ready for a special Christmas Eve service at church. We had to get some pictures before we went to church! It was so warm Ben wore shorts and Crocs!</div>
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We were so excited Granna could join us for our fun Christmas Eve this year!!! She even spent the night at our house. <br />
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When we got out of church the sky was absolutely beautiful!! A special smile from God. <br />
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First stop was at China Cook to pick up our traditional Christmas Even dinner of Chinese food! We think this was year 9 of Chinese on Christmas Eve. <br />
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We came home for a yummy buffet of all our favorites!</div>
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After dinner, the kids got to open their new ornaments and we all opened our gifts the kids got us from the Mistletoe Market. <br />
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We all got our pjs on and Ben read a Christmas book to Kate. <br />
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Then Matt read the Christmas story and we celebrated Jesus' birthday with a little cake. <br />
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Kate dictated a letter to Santa that Ben wrote. Funny story - We were driving in the car one day and Ben said "Santa is not real." Kate said, "if you don't believe in Santa then you won't get any presents." Ben quickly said, " I didn't believe in Santa last year and still got presents." Kate matter of factly said, "in that case he's fake!" Too funny! So I guess neither of them believe but they still like to play along. <br />
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We set out our cookies and milk and carrots and then it was off to bed for the little ones! </div>
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The stockings were hung all ready for Christmas morning. It was fun to add an extra one for Granna!! <br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-48031919019915681032015-12-23T13:50:00.000-06:002016-01-10T13:51:07.916-06:00Christmas Week Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our normal Christmas fun got a little off this year with everything going. That just meant we had to pack as much fun into the last few days before Christmas as we could. We kicked off with a campout in the living room by the tree drinking hot chocolate and watching Home Alone! </div>
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We had our annual get together with the Carlisles where we decorate Christmas cookies. The kids always have so much fun with this tradition!<br />
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The kids were very serious in their decorating this year although the creations were pretty crazy!<br />
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These girls were really silly. They even made a cookies that was insane. Covered with tons of icing and decorations. <br />
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This is the crazy cookie! No one could even eat it without going into a diabetic coma. <br />
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Such sweet kids and a fun time making cookies!! As you can tell by the shorts and t shirts it has been really warm this week! Like record high temperatures. Doesn't really feel like Christmas!<br />
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Our wonderful friends have been so good to bring our family dinner most nights which has been wonderful. We are able to get together as a family and not have to worry about cooking. Perry and Kate enjoyed watching some fun Christmas movies and Granna's house one night!<br />
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We broke out Ben's new drone in between the rain (in addition to warm temperatures it has also been really rainy). We now know why the instructions say to practice flying the drone in open spaces. It has a mind of its own at times! It flew off and we lost it for a while. We had to search through the mud before finding it a street over. But it sure was fun!<br />
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The McClures gave us a gingerbread house and Kate and Addy had been begging to make it. So we set out to do it today. <br />
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It was looking really good. <br />
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And then all the sudden it just collapsed. Oops! We tried to put it back together but had no luck!<br />
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So we just ate it! </div>
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As you can tell, we have given up on perfection this Christmas and are all about having fun. Things don't have to be picture perfect as long as we are together as a family and can laugh! Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-79313890210177678702015-12-22T13:29:00.000-06:002016-01-10T13:30:10.994-06:00New Ornaments for 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I always like to post the new ornaments for the year and the "stories" behind them each year so we will be able to remember them many years from now. So here is the new ornaments 2015 edition...</div>
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We of course have our Pottery Barn dated ornament. We have one from each year since 2003 when we were married. Our tree is getting full of them. This year we put a picture of us from the Grand Tetons which was also on our Christmas card. </div>
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We got this awesome stuffed buffalo in Yellowstone! It is handmade from a local to Yellowstone and so cute. It is one of our favorites ever!<br />
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The beautiful handpainted ornament came from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The park was celebrating 100 years so it was the centennial ornament. <br />
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We added a Team Gary bracelet to the tree in honor of my dad. It is a perfect way to honor and remember him every year on our tree. <br />
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Ben's ornament for the year was the cute bike ornament. It has lots of meanings. He is getting a new big bike for Christmas. He has also started riding around the neighborhood with his friends this year on his bike. And finally in memory of his Grandaddy who loved to ride bikes. <br />
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It was easy to come up with idea for Kate's ornament this year - Grinch!! In honor of her first play we got her this cute Grinch and Cindy Lou Who ornament. It even talks saying "Why, why are you taking our Christmas tree." This was a line from Kate's play so it was perfect!<br />
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And last but not least - an Elvis ornament! We got this on our Spring Break Memphis trip. Makes us all laugh!<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-49694799830753837712015-12-21T13:15:00.000-06:002016-01-10T13:15:14.004-06:00Closer to 40?!?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So today I turned 35. I guess that means that as of tomorrow I will be closer to 40 than 30. What?!?! I think I just mentioned that I still feel like I am 24 so 40 seems really impossible. Oh well, I guess I better just embrace it. <br />
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It was a tough day in many ways - just a week after losing my dad to have a big event was hard. But it was a good day overall. It started off with sleeping late and mimosas in bed since the kids spent the night at my mom's. My phone was blown up with calls and texts from sweet friends. I had people stopping by all day for hugs and with gifts. There were tons of cards in the mail. I could feel the love all day which I am so thankful for! <br />
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We met my mom and brother for lunch at Carabba's which was great. They showered me with lots of fun gifts. We had a low key afternoon then the Wrights came over for dinner (brought by a friend). It was perfect. I got a yummy Nothing Bundt Cake. <br />
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And then we played my favorite game - Catan!! They did not let me win just because it was my birthday. Not cool!!</div>
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It was a great day spent with all the people I love feeling very showered with love. I think 35 will be a good year. And maybe I will just stay 35 and not move towards 40! Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-82870340457450137312015-12-20T13:04:00.000-06:002016-01-10T13:05:02.973-06:0020 Years!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
20 years ago today Matt and I had our first date! CRAZY!!!!! Considering in my mind I am about 24 years old, having been together for 20 years is pretty unfathomable. 20 years ago it was the day before my 15th birthday (that would make me 14. AHHHH!!!). Matt brought over a Chic-fil-a lunch and some birthday presents (a book on how to torture your cat if I remember correctly). We watched the movie Guarding Tess and hung out for the afternoon. Who knew what that would lead to 20 years later...</div>
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We celebrated in a very low key way. We just got on our Pjs and ate leftovers while watching a movie. It was perfect after a very long, tough week. It was nice to just be together. <br />
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I am so thankful for Matt and for God bringing us together so many years ago! I often say it would not have been the path I would have chosen (meeting when we were so young and dating for so long) but it was God's choice for us and it was perfect!! While we were at the hospital with my dad one of the last things my dad and I talked about was Matt. He told me "you picked a good one." I sure did!!! Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-69583702956221528502015-12-19T12:46:00.000-06:002016-01-10T12:47:00.506-06:00Eckley Family Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We celebrated our first Christmas last night with the Eckley family. We were so excited that Brett and Joanna and baby Turner were coming for a few days. We had not gotten to meet our new cousin/nephew yet so it was going to be an extra special time. Everyone was smitten with the new guy including Uncle Matt. </div>
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First up was yummy steaks grilled out by Opa! Of course the main event of the night was present opening. The kids could not wait to dig in!!<br />
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The highlight gift was one for Ben. Opa got tickets for Ben and Matt to go with him to the Panthers game next week. Ben was totally surprised and his reaction was priceless. When he read the tickets his jaw dropped and he started crying. It had been a long, tough week and he was just overwhelmed with joy. It was the sweetest moment. Not a dry eye from any of us there. He was so excited!!!<br />
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Mema and Opa were so generous and the kids racked up! Ben loved his tickets, drone and Infinity 3.0!! <br />
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Kate got Calico Critters, a karaoke machine, art set and bow and arrow. She loved it all!<br />
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Then we just had a fun time playing with all the new toys!<br />
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The gift of the year for the adults was the Yeti cup! So exciting!<br />
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Ben and Uncle Brett got in a game of indoor badminton. <br />
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We of course had to get a cousin picture. Excited to finally get one!!<br />
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It was such a great night. So thankful for our wonderful family and great times together!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-36847662276898514172015-12-18T16:13:00.000-06:002015-12-31T16:13:20.814-06:00School Christmas Parties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Friday our lives started to get back to normal with Christmas parties at school. Matt was off so he got to experience the craziness that is elementary school parties. First up was Kate's kindergarten party. As a room mom I was supposed to plan the party but thankfully the other room moms stepped up and did it all! It was a simple party with bingo, a snowman craft, and cookie decorating. Kate had a blast! </div>
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Now the third grade party was a little more wild!! There were lots of crazy games and wild children everywhere. <br />
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Ben and his crazy friends!! Third grade boys are interesting...<br />
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After the parties it was on to over 2 weeks of Christmas break!!! Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-71470188634479700712015-12-17T16:01:00.000-06:002015-12-31T16:01:48.730-06:00Star Wars: Force Awakening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After a very hard week, Ben and Matt had a little bit of fun!! About 2 months ago they were able to score tickets to the opening night - first showing of Star Wars episode 7 (well it just involved Matt stalking the websites at the right time). They were so excited to get to go and experience the new movie. They said it was awesome!!! Ben loved every minute of it. Since it was the first showing of it, there were lots of crazy fans there that made it even more fun. Lots of costumes and cheering all during the movie. Special memories were made. </div>
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A sweet story to go along with it - The tickets were for Thursday night at 7 which was going to be cutting it close for them to make it after the memorial service. People had lined up for days to get seats so they didn't know if they would be able to get 2 seats together. Thankfully a friend of a friend that they didn't know offered to save them 2 seats. They walked into the theater and saw this sign. Thankful to have people we didn't even know helping us out. We would not have made it through the past few years without the kindness of so many!! <br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-33965005186019483182015-12-16T15:42:00.000-06:002015-12-31T15:42:27.880-06:00Graveside Service<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On Wednesday afternoon we held a graveside service for my dad. It was just close friends and family and it was perfect. The weather was gorgeous (warm!). My dad was a very humble man so he would not have wanted a big fuss. He spent 20+ years in the army and retired as a Lt. Col. so he was buried with full military honors. It was so special to experience. There was a team of military pallbearers along with a 21 gun salute and taps played by a trumpet. My mom was presented with the flag from his casket. We are so thankful for these special pictures that captured the service. We will treasure them forever!</div>
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Ben and his Grandaddy had a very special relationship. They were so very similar in so many ways. Ben has struggled with the loss but the service was special to him. He protectively held on to the flag so tight. <br />
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Thursday afternoon we had a memorial service at our church. It was an amazing time celebrating a great man's life. It was full of special memories and a clear presentation of the gospel. My dad's number one desire was for God to be glorified and we pray that is what we were able to do through the service. It is never easy to say good-bye but we are assured that he is in heaven which makes it so much easier. We look forward to when we can join him there! Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-64304770058374149132015-12-14T22:47:00.001-06:002015-12-14T22:47:27.184-06:00My Daddy<span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Tonight at 10:15 pm my sweet daddy got to meet His Savior face to face. My dad was not perfect by any means (although, to his little girl he was pretty close) but because He trusted in a perfect Jesus right now he is standing before God. </span><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">He was the rock of our family. I never heard him raise his voice (except to yell at bad drivers). Kind, gentle, smart, funny and loving are words that just begin to describe him. I always knew my daddy could fix any problem I had (and he always would). </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">30 months ago he held me in his lap and told me he had cancer. He promised me he would fight hard but that no matter what happened God had a plan and he was sure of his faith. He kept his promise and fought so very hard. Harder than really humanly possible. But today surrounded by those he loved, God's perfect plan was revealed to us. My dad does not have to fight any more. He is free of pain and suffering and he is resting. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">This is the last picture of our whole family. Forever on this earth a piece of us all will be missing. But one day soon we will all be together forever. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxiZdke6OTaKq6D6binRPS51f6033yprVkFwLALJo-vZ3YESliW1XBNiT7J8XCqM7bcLFOSFRSqfW4Io_K8z8K7X753E5ZPtqtZ_9gtz0kfBDj7DpxvxZhZSM4Gf8a_xhawdpaqNfSsnA/s640/blogger-image-45418574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxiZdke6OTaKq6D6binRPS51f6033yprVkFwLALJo-vZ3YESliW1XBNiT7J8XCqM7bcLFOSFRSqfW4Io_K8z8K7X753E5ZPtqtZ_9gtz0kfBDj7DpxvxZhZSM4Gf8a_xhawdpaqNfSsnA/s640/blogger-image-45418574.jpg"></a></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6458207250744187458.post-13265885528894291662015-12-13T15:21:00.000-06:002015-12-31T15:21:51.337-06:00Kaylee's Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday Kate got to go to Kaylee's 6th birthday party. It was a painting party for Christmas ornaments. Kate had an amazing time and Ashley sent me some of the cute pictures!</div>
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Can't believe these sweet girls are 6 or almost 6 already. Where does the time go! So thankful for them and their sweet friendship!<br />
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04095716361003560056noreply@blogger.com0