Will We or Won't We...

Marriage is under attack. That should not be shocking news to anyone. Andy and I are determined to stay committed to our promise that we made to each other and to the Lord as long as we both shall live, no matter how difficult times get. And when they are difficult, we need encouragement and support because it's much easier to fail when you don't.

I just read a great article on intimacy in marriage and want to share it with those of you who are interested. In an effort to keep Eckert Escapades a 'family blog,' I have posted the article in it's entirety over at Hospital to Home.

It's quite a lengthy article, but I believe you will not only be challenged by it, but also blessed.

Christmas In Review

We had such a wonderful weekend together. Andy had Monday and yesterday off of work and we absolutely loved having him home. Here are some pictures from our Christmas:

Andy and Samuel reading about the First Christmas.

I made some homemade cinnamon pecan rolls for breakfast.

We gave Samuel a soccer ball.

We hung snowflakes from the rafters to add a little excitement to Christmas morning for Samuel. He had a blast trying to jump up and catch them.

I made Andy and Samuel matching pajama pants. Here they are playing with his new bongo drum we also got him.

Samuel sporting some new sunglasses from his Aunt and Uncle.

Mommy and Samuel cuddling by the Christmas tree.

We went to the Lester's for the evening and had a birthday cake for Jesus and sang him "Happy Birthday." Two candles to represent all the girls and boys of the world for whom he came to save.

Merry Christmas From The Eckerts

He's Got Dance Fever!

Sam, The Snow Pig

One week ago Sam had not a single piece of clothing that would be adequate for the snow, but between Samuel's three sets of Grandparents he is now totally set for the winter season! He now has a snow suit, a new hat, new mittens, new snow boots and a fancy new sled. Everything fits him perfectly. He's obsessed with his boots. Gigi and GranRan sent them yesterday for him and he wanted to put them on immediately.

Thank you to all of the Grandparents for letting us open some of his Christmas gifts early. You all are such a blessing!

"Oh, Wow!"

Saturday before the snow really started to come down we went out in our front yard and picked a Christmas tree out. Pretty convenient, I'd say. We got the tree up before Samuel went to bed, but waited until he was sleeping to decorate it. He was so surprised when he woke up Sunday morning to a decorated tree. He's been doing quite well with it. All of the soft non-breakable ornaments are down low and he hasn't taken too many off. I change up the tree a little each year and this year, I made paper snowflakes. He's more interested in those than the ornaments. That's fine by me. I was hoping they would be a good distraction. The good thing is, I don't care if he tears them up, since I won't be using them next year. And as a side note, I had a great time decorating with the snowflakes. They are so cheap to make and can be used to decorate all different things. I will post some more pictures if I end up using them in other places in our home.

I'm not a big Christmastime celebrator. I hate the materialism that comes with Christmas and all the hoopla that comes during the surrounding weeks . I wish we could celebrate Christ's birth without every company trying to make millions off of this event. But, this year having Samuel old enough to enjoy it all, I have found a new joy in this season. Christmastime through a child's eyes is so magical. He gets so excited as we pass homes with Christmas lights and decorations in their yards. His new phrase this season is "oh, wow." He is just mesmerized by each and every Christmas object. My prayer is that some day when he is older, he will truly understand that this season is not about gifts, trees and decorations, but it is about Christ and the miracle of his virgin birth. I hope one day he will say "oh, wow" to that!

Banana Dance

He's a monkey alright!

Finger Foods

My mom got me just a plethora of baking supplies this year for Christmas and I have had such a good time trying all of them out. She got us some 'real' big muffin pans so we could add to our previous pan of what we liked to call a muffin pan. Nana couldn't however neglect her 'Doodle Bug.' She got him a mini muffin pan. It's adorable. Yesterday I made some cranberry orange streusel muffins and tried out our new pans. They worked like magic. Samuel especially loved his muffin. It's fits his fat little hand perfectly.

He's on this new discovery of his fingers. He has realized he can cross them. So now he has them crossed ALL THE TIME! Here he is modeling his blueberry stained hands and face.

Peace My Friend

We have a friend. His name is Patrick. He would hesitate to call us his friends. But he is. He is the Associate Minister at our church, Eastview Christian Church. He loves his flock, and he loves pointing them to the Truth. He likes to call himself 'The Bishop' after Andy and I nicknamed him 'Bishop Lester' awhile back. Lester is his last name. It stuck. He's strange like us. Consider yourself warned. But, I guarantee you will be encouraged by his blog: peacemyfriend.blogspot.com

And to match a face with the blog, he is the 'guy' in the brown shirt at the head of the table in the post below this, 'Party Time.'

Party Time

Christmas time is always a great time to get together. And, we've been doing a lot of that lately. We are so blessed to have such a great group of friends where we live. It sure makes the holidays away from family much better.

I know this picture is blurry, but it's the only one I have of Samuel in his sweater vest. (Sorry Mom). He looked adorable.

We had a Christmas dinner with our small group on Sunday and had such a wonderful time. Julie made placecards for all of us that had our names and also a scripture verse that reminded her of us. Joseph even had one. She also made Christmas balls for each of us with our names. That's where the picture on our banner was taken. It was such a special night with friends.

The Scenic Route

I sometimes get discouraged about how far we live from the closest town. A few days ago it really got to me. It took much longer to get ready to get out of the house than I had wanted and I knew the trip into town was going to be a long one. I just wanted for once to 'run' to the store and it take less than 2 hours!

In reality we are not that far. It takes us 20-25 minutes to get to most everything. Our town doesn't have much, but it has just about everything we need. We have had an offer that we can move into a home right in town if we want to, and while it seems tempting some days, when push comes to shove, we really don't want to. We love living here on the farm. We love being in the midst of all of the beautiful creation God has designed for our enjoyment. And we love not having to drive somewhere to go on a hike. We especially love that Gamba has 80 acres to run through without the fear of being hit by a car. It sure makes up for his loneliness.

Most days I dream of all of the things that I could have done if I didn't have such a long commute back and forth to town. But, the reality of it is, I love those drives! Those times in the car are priceless to both Samuel and me. We see more farm animals than most people see in months. 9 out of 10 times I end up pulling off to the side of the road somewhere to get a longer look at some animals and to let Samuel practice what sound they make. I honestly can't even count the number of farms and animals we pass on our way into town. We see cows, bulls, goats, sheep, chickens and many horses.

That day I was determined that I was going to stop complaining about our commute and be thankful for all that we have been given. So what if we can't 'run' to the store. We are so blessed by what we have been given.

I chose to take my camera with me as I headed into town to capture some of these beautiful views we see on a daily basis. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I didn't even have to leave my car to take these shots.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

We had our first snow fall yesterday. It was just a dusting, but we had to celebrate anyways. There always needs to be something to celebrate each day, and yesterday, it was snow!




What we thought was going to be the biggest celebration of the day was that Samuel got a new toothbrush. We had high hopes this would end our toothbrushing wrestling match each and every day, but it did not. He was an hour and a half overdue for bed since we had been to church and then visiting with friends, but we still thought it would be a 'little' better. It was not! Tonight will be the true test, and I am holding out hope he will exceed our every expectation and realize that toothbrushing is oh so very fun!


But at least he's starting to show a liking to all of the farm equipment and knows how to say 'vroom vroom' now. He will be a great toothless farmer one day.

***Andy read this and asked why Samuel will be a toothless farmer, and my answer was 'because if he never brushes his teeth, they will all fall out!'

We Love You Daddy!

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Andy coming home from his deployment and meeting Samuel for the first time. Samuel was 4 and half months old, one day shy of 20 weeks old. It's so hard to believe it's already been a year. That day was so emotional for Andy and I. The day we had prayed for for months had finally arrived. Everything was finally as it should have been all along. I remember that day so vividly. I remember the butterflies I had and the pacing around the house! I felt like it was my wedding night all over again, but this time was better! We were just about to begin our life as a family, not just a couple.

He had missed so much, my last month and a half of pregnancy, Samuel's birth and everything that followed. We mourn that lost time, but know it will never have to happen again. Andy is thrilled beyond words that he has not missed a single day of this pregnancy nor will miss the birth of Joseph. What a blessing! Knowing I will have my best friend there with me during all of this is more than I could ever hope for. We are not taking this gift for granted. We are so thankful that we have been blessed with another child and Andy will be here to experience it all.

Here are some photos from his very first day back last year.

And these are some pictures we had taken the next day for our Christmas cards.
For Andy's welcome home sign I had quilted a sign that said 'WE LOVE YOU DADDY' from Samuel and the dogs. For his anniversary this year, I quilted it into a blanket. And we gave it to him last night as a gift. He was so excited to have the quilt as a representation of such a wonderful day. I will post some close ups of the quilt later, I just haven't taken them yet. And, yes, that's a cell phone in front of Samuel's face. He won't go anywhere without it.

Of course Samuel and Gamba had to stand right in the middle of the quilt every shot I tried to take. And what are those 3 blobs at the bottom right? well those are the boys foot prints. First is Samuel's, then Lutalo's, then Gamba's.