Christmas is coming!

 I had planned on a cute Christmas card with a picture of Team Eckert in our matching Xmas jammies (Bernie included) but Emmy got stitches, the picture got delayed.....and I got TOO BUSY.  I decided to collect our memories in a collage and send it off to get to our friends and family in time for Xmas.

Bobby had a solo, duet, and was a very enthusiastic dancer at his Xmas program.  His teacher told him that he really needs to go into singing, dancing, theater.  He was so much fun to watch up there.  I love his personality!

Emmy and I wrapped up a fun volleyball season.  She is so positive out there on the court and I really enjoyed coaching her this year.

Emmy also has been working her little butt off in hockey this year.  She has made some great improvements and we are really proud of her.

We are packing for our next adventure - a family ski trip to Breckenridge.  I just finished my last two courses for the EdD.  I have to defend my dissertation and take comp exams but I feel that that is really no big deal considering all the credits of coursework I finished in the past years.  I'm proud of that work but no doubt could never have done it without my family.

Enlisting help from family

We had to enlist help from Grandma Launa to make our weekend activities work.  Bobby had a basketball tournament.  They won two out of three games.  He worked hard and played harder and had a great game!  He scored a lot and was such a hustler on defense.  I love watching him out there and he has earned the nickname "Dash" from his coach.  Sounds very similar to my nickname in HS...."Speedy"  Our sweet Emmy had to acolyte without her partner Bobby, but she looked beautiful and represented us well.  Grandma took these pictures.  She is growing her bangs out and also getting some stitches out today.  A freak accident with Bernie's kennel causes a gash to her right eyebrow and I ended up with an early trip to the ER last week.  It was a stressful time for everyone but she is healing very well.  We also celebrated TWO Thanksgivings with two dinners last week.  The Moldenhauers had us over for a great meal and then we headed over to the Eckert house for another yummy dinner.  We are so blessed to have family and to have our health.  I am so very grateful.

Some wins and some losses in the Eckert household!

We had some highlights and lowlights to share from the past week.  The worst event was that Emmy had a freak accident with the dog kennel gate and ended up with 5 stitches in her eyebrow all before the start of school.  I rushed her to the ER, my parents came to take Bobby to school, and Robb met me at the ER.  Emmy was very worried about needles to numb the site where stitches would need to go after her first experience in the ER with lip stitches.  This time, only numbing cream was needed and the stitches were clean and much easier to tolerate.  She thanked me MANY times for taking good care of her and for staying calm.  On the inside I wasn't so calm, but I can usually keep it cool when I need to and problem solve.  Robb almost passed out when the stitches were put in though!  He gets very protective of our Emmy.  Speaking of protective, poor Bobby cried all the way to school with Grandma Launa assuring him that Emmy would be just fine!  He checked on her classroom twice to see if she was there later in the day (and shared the news of her injury with her class).  She actually asked for a stay at home day and we obliged her, but Bobby was really missing her.  He made her these Get Well cards at school during break.  Emmy's friend Reagan also wrote her a card and delivered it after school to our house.  Emmy will be just fine I'm sure and we learned that we are pretty blessed with love, friends and family when we need them!

 Bobby shot his first buck out at the ranch.  He was beyond excited. We are so grateful for Grandpa Kelly and Grandma Launa and all our ranch memories!

My parents took the kids to a Rudolph play at the Civic Center.  They also enjoyed a dinner at Applebees.  What lucky grandkids!

Bobby starred in a play at school.  He was the star character and had a lot of lines.  He really enjoys acting (he practices a lot in the games he and Emmy play and make up together).  He did a great job and he sure loves his teacher this year.

Busy weekend!

 I played a 4 person volleyball tournament this past weekend.  My team was a lot of fun and we made it to the semifinals.  The kids and Robb were there to cheer me on for a lot of the day.  Emmy stuck around until the end and was very popular as a cheerleader.  She would shout out, "You got this mom!" and "I Love you mom!"  I felt very special.

 Bobby got a roughrider round-up this past week for being the sweet, kind, caring boy he is.  Robb and I tell him often that no matter what gifts or talents you bring to the world, your kindness and care for others is the most important way to serve God.  I think he gets it!

 I was at the kids' school last Friday for Math mentors.  I played math games with both kids and discovered that Emmy is definitely faster at converting fractions when compared to me.  Bobby beat me in the math games where we tried to create number pattern to create 100.  He gave me some answers which allowed me to win the game, but really at math that day he was the winner.  I love that the kids are so smart and confident.....there are no two kids I'd rather lose math games to.

Sunday was so busy!  Besides the tournament that I played in, the kids had hockey and basketball.  That is our Emmy in the penalty box.  She played aggressive and she played so well.  Bobby fouled out of his last basketball tourney game (I'm seeing a pattern here with these aggressive Eckert kids).  He stole the ball 3 times and scored 6 points straight in one game.  He and Emmy play with such heart and we love to see them give it their all out there!

November

 We renamed the SHS after Saint Gianna Molla and her daughter came to meet us all.  It was an inspiring event to hear the story of this mother who is now a Saint and her daughter was very kind and excited to hear of the new name for the SHS.

 Halloween was EXTRA cold this year and so we stayed inside to trick-or-treat out at U Mary.  Emmy was a cheerleader who her teammates didn't catch after throwing her up in the air for a stunt.  She did her own make up.  Bobby as a soccer player and we also brought along his friend who was a scary clown.  They had a great time and then we split up so that Emmy could go to a friend's party and I could take the boys trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.  We did the whole block and it was a cold, windy adventure.

 My work girlfriends and I attended the U Mary Gala.  We dressed up fancy and enjoyed a good deal of wine that night.  We had a great time together.  I'm blessed to work with such amazing women that are also friends.

 I bought the kids these cookies that they could color on to make their own creations.  They were into the art and into the eating of the cookies.

 Bobby had his first traveling basketball game.  They won enough games to play in the championship game where he faced his good friend Kellan.  They emerged with 2nd place and they had so much fun.  Bobby is an animal on defense!  He is a great little ball handler, but he is everywhere on defense and never gives up.  An old teacher/coach that Robb and I both knew from HS and Jr High was reffing one of the games and he said to us, "That Eckert boy has the Moldenhauer piss and vinegar I think"  I definitely was well known for being aggressive on defense....lots of steals.  Bobby is really quick and has that same attitude and it is so much fun to watch him play! 

I also got to coach Emmy's volleyball team last weekend.  They won their match as well and Emmy played great.  She is the first one to call the ball or cheer on her teammates.  She is positive and works hard out there and I enjoy helping her team.  It is fun to see the kids work hard and do their best in the sports they play.  Emmy is also busy with hockey and Bobby with soccer this fall.

Bobby's teacher has a Facebook page where she posts pictures of what the kids are up to.  This week Bobby read to his 1st grade buddy while dressed as a cowboy during spirit week.

Watchdog day

Robb is always a hit with the kids and teachers when he is watchdog at school.  He bought pizza for Bobby's class (it was Bobby's turn) and won a game that was played at the school assembly.

 We had a SNOW DAY in early October.  Can you believe it....we set a record and stayed home from work and school.  Kids were pretty excited!

 Bobby has been very busy in his accelerated classes.  He wrote this poem and even included a picture of his favorite country singer (Blake Shelton).  I didn't believe he wrote it at first since the words he used were so big.  Both of the kids teachers commented when we visited at parent/teacher conferences about how the kids use big words and are very articulate.  I think they get that from their writer mommy.

 Bobby spent some time out at the ranch with grandpa learning about the land, animals and farming.  His teacher told us that he often connects his learning in class to the MANY diverse life experiences he has including his time out at the ranch.

 Pastries with Parents 2019....it is always fun to meet the kids' friends and have a quick breakfast.

The kids did SO WELL this first quarter of the year in school.  All of their test scores are surpassing what they need at the end of the year.  Bobby's scores are almost doubled.  Both kids excel at math but they really are rockstars with reading.  Bobby has been reading to Robb every night out of a baseball book he loves and Emmy enjoys graphic novels.  We buy a lot of books!

Emmy and I had a Fargo girls' trip.  We got stuck in Jamestown for a while with a flat tire but we made the best of it and ate ice cream for dinner while we waited for our tire to get fixed.  The tires were expensive but we were glad to get back on the road.

 Our hotel breakfasts were really good and we met up with some friends too for lunch.

 We ran into another friend while shoe shopping!

 Emmy got some fake earrings and tried to trick her dad (didn't work).  She did fool her brother though for  a minute.

 We reserved our seats at Malificent and loved the movie.  Even better were the recliner seats with the removable console.  We cuddled up and enjoyed the show.

 We did have cupcakes for breakfast and rolled ice cream for dinner one day.  The weather was perfect for browsing the downtown shops.  We held hands and just enjoyed our time together!

 Emmy was excited to try rolled ice cream.  This was our last stop before heading home and it did not disappoint!

 My fashionista with an outfit she put together on our trip.

While we were away the boys were hunting.  Bobby shot his first turkey and squirrel.  He tried the turkey last night but thought Robb had "overcooked it."  The boys had a great time together while we were away!