Christmas Festivities

(Sorry, I didn't mean for this to be a book. There are pictures at the end:o))

As the Christmas holiday is coming to an end, I am constantly reminding myself what the real meaning of Christmas is. I don't want to forget that Jesus is the reason we have this wonderful day of spending time with family, opening gifts, and enjoying life. We have started a tradition where we have created a "Blessings Book" where we take time out to look at our last year and remember all the times the Lord has blessed us. We can get so distraught at the horrible things that happen in our lives, that we don't even see the blessings that are freely given to us. I know there are many more blessings that the Lord has done but here are a few that we remember:

* Patience and perserverence to endure a challenging and stressful year
* People to help us take care of the girls while Brian was at school
* He has met all our financial needs for 2009.
* He has kept us under His wing and kept us safe.
* Protected me through surgery and has given me more chances to get pregnant
* Stayed with Brian through a tough year of school and graduated with his EMBA
* Loves us unconditionally no matter how far away we may have gone in 2009

There are so many more, but these are only a few that have been posted in our notebook. we will get it out each year to remind us that God is always in the midst of us, working with us to become what He always anticipated us to come.

We were very busy celebrating Brian's 30th birthday and Christmas with all the families. On Dec. 20th, the Wiles family came up to our house for the first Christmas in Tennessee. It was so nice to have everyone here. The cousins had fun playing together and we all enjoyed getting together for Christmas! We always read the Christmas Story and then open presents which remained the tradition this year. Then everyone takes turns opening presents. It is so nice to see what everyone is getting!

For Brian's birthday, some friends came over and ate cake and ice cream. We stayed up late but had lots of fun talking, catching up and of course, playing with Brian's new PS3 game (Thank you Teri and Sid!).

Then we traveled with Brian to his work and then to his parents house to exchange gifts on Skype with the other McEacherns. It was a great thing to do since they live on the other side of the US. Ella and Ava enjoyed seeing Josh, Marcie, and Isabel opening gifts! We spent the night there and woke up in the morning to a great breakfast and lots of presents to open. Ella and Ava got a kitchen set for Christmas and just loved it! Thank you Gramma and Grampa! We still haven't unpacked all their toys and clothes they got. But that gives us new toys each day this week. YAY! The girls had a blast there and then we head up to Brian's grandparent's house. We had a wonderful lunch, played Christmas songs with the bells and began opening gifts. Grandpa/Papa always passes out the gifts, Jeremy always has surprise gifts from Santa, someone always reads the Christmas Story, and there is always lots of love and laughter. We had a great time being up there and makes Christmas more enjoyable.

We took the long 2 hour trip back home and played games and got into new pajamas which was quite relaxing. Gramma and Grampa came over to spend the night for Christmas morning. We all went to sleep after setting up the tree and actually slept in till 7:30! The girls were a little apprehensive at first but once they saw all the presents, got excited. We let everyone open their stockings and then we read "Happy Birthday Jesus". After opening gifts, I would say that Ella and Ava's favorite gift was their big pink chairs. Ella loved the keyboard and played it like crazy. Ava loved this little coffee pot we got the girls and made coffee for everyone all day long.

All in all, we have had the best Christmas ever! It has been so fun to watch the girls faces as they opened the gifts. It was fun to make time to just play and not worry about all the other things going on around us. We have been so blessed this year and we are anticipating an even more fruitful year next year. We expect to learn new things about ourselves and each other. We expect the best and can't wait to see what the Lord has planned!

Merry Christmas!

School's Out for Christmas!!

Today was our last day at work! I feel like a weight has been lifted and it feels wonderful! I got to see Brian and the girls, which made it that much better! And one of my new friends helped me clean my house! It has been a fantastic day! And now I get two days with my entire family! Then 2 weeks with the girls before going back to work. It can not get much better than that!

We are having the Wiles Family Christmas on Sunday. It will be so nice to see everyone! We are celebrating the holiday at our house for the first time ever! I am a little nervous about cooking because we have never cooked a large meal so we will see how it turns out:o) I am sure there will be pictures to follow all the festivities so stay tuned!

First McEachern Gingerbread House

Wow! Was this an experience! Last night,we read The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. The girls were not that into it, however, I finished reading it while the girls played with Daddy. I got this bright idea to buy a gingerbread house so we could make it all together. It was a lot of fun but a very big mess. Ella and Ava used half of the candy to decorate and the other half found it's way to their mouths! It was fun to watch them try and put the candy on without getting icing all over their hands. That didn't last too long after they tasted the icing! Here are a few pictures of the event:o)

Back to Normal Life...YAY!

Well first, I want to say how proud I am of Brian! He is absolutely wonderful in every way. Although it has been a tough year, now that Brian has graduated, it seems like this year has passed quickly! Brian graduated with his EMBA on Friday, December 11. Brian's grandparents, parents, and mother-in-law were all able to come up to Knoxville, TN to see him hooded. Thank you all for being so supportive of him while he went through school. There are no words to express all the sacrifices and changes several of you committed to while Brian was at school. We love you so much and just want you to know that we appreciate your kindness and generosity over this last year. We could not have survived the year as well as did without family and friends helping us through it:o)

Today, we simply enjoyed relaxing without thinking of anything else! It was so nice! We stayed home all day and played with the girls, watched movies, and cleaned a little! The girls are so glad to have Daddy home but we are definitely challenged with getting back to our regular routine. Let's just say, we were ready for 7:30 to come so we could put the girls to bed. Hopefully they will get back into the routine quickly!

We don't know what is in our future but we know that this next year will be an amazing year, full of opportunity in all aspects of our life! The Lord is our guide and we are spending this year really listening and embodying His truths. He holds our future so I know that it is bright!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

We woke up this morning to a telphone call from Brian. He asked us what the weather looked like. I had not even looked outside. When we did, it was pouring down snow! The girls were so excited to see the snow! I was too. The ground was covered and we wanted to get out there before it melted away. So we got bundled up and headed out! Here are a few pictures of the girls in their winter wonderland!

On their way outside!


Ella jumping and loving the snow! She didn't want to go in!

Ava was a little unsure about stepping in the snow, but once she saw everyone else walking through, she decided to venture in and love it!


The cat seemed to enjoy the snow too!

"Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Rock"

On Saturday, Brian and I bought are first fake Christmas Tree. It was sad and exciting all at the same time. One tradition ending and one beginning... Last year, our tree made all of us sick so we decided to go the fake tree route. After looking at several stores, we found one for a decent price. We are probably out of the loop, but we thought it was the coolest thing when it came in just three pieces. On Sunday the girls and I decorated the tree. Kids really make the season that much brighter. They lit up like a Christmas tree when we turned the lights on. Ella caught on quickly as to how to put the ornaments on the tree. She stuck with it almost to the end with a few breaks for dancing to the Christmas music playing in the background! Ava's fine motor skill just haven't quite reached the hanging ornament phase so she lost interest real fast, but she loved dancing with her sister to the music. We are remodeling our basement and our furniture has not come in yet. The girls had the whole room to run and dance and they sure used it. It was such a nice memory of decorating for Christmas. We just wished Brian was there to share in the memory too.

My mom came and suprised us on Sunday! The girls had a blast. We went to Target and Ella and Ava got to pick out an ornament. Ella picked out a Tinkerbell ball and Ava picked a bright pink star! They had so much fun. Then we went and looked at some of the Christmas lights that were up. The girls just squealed with delight whenever they would see a house all lit up. It was wonderful!

The Never Ending Story Ended...but lives on!

I really had good intentions of keeping a blog and actually using it and update it regularly. However, priorities change and as life gets busy, blogging falls on the bottom of my list. I am going to attempt to start over and keep the blog updated but I am not promising anything:o)

I am going to start from the most recent events and then back track from there. Brian left today for his last and final residency period and UT. YAY! The next time I see him, he will be a graduate. I will finally have him back in the evenings since there will be no school assignments to complete. Although it has been a tough year, the Lord has had his hand over us daily even when we didn't deserve it. He has brought us closer as a family through good times and not so good. He constantly reminds me that He has complete control over our minor and major events going on in my busy life.

It makes me grateful to have an incredibly large and blessed family. Of course we have the Lord on our side! That is stating the obvious. We have had family and friends help us get through a trying year. For that I thank you and am so grateful for. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in all the details, that we (I know I do) forget the many blessings that the Lord has for us. It is a way Satan distracts us from what our purpose is for our life. Thanksgiving was a wonderful reminder of God's love for each of us. He has covered me and our family from things that could be potentially dangerous for us but he blankets us and hides us under His wing.

Here are a few pictures from our Thanksgiving celebration.

Here is my twin.

Maddie was Ella's best friend on Thanksgiving.

Breaking the bread, a tradition done for years and years.

Our entertainment for the night!

All the kids wanted to help sing Happy Birthday and blow out Gramma Teri's cake!

Fire Fire!

We had an exciting evening. Tonight, I was cooking dinner. Our light in our oven hasn't worked for months. Brian and I were talking in the kitchen and all of a sudden I see this bright light coming from the stove. I was thinking it was our light coming on randomly but i was definitely wrong. Our stove was on fire!!! I flipped a little while Brian tried getting it out. As homeowners, we have never had anything major happen and have never made our house stocked with things that could be used in case of a fire. We were unsure of how to get the fire out. We turned the stove off and poured water on it, which we were told was a big no no!!! So then, we were told to put salt on the fire. We thought that worked. So we got ready to leave and go out to eat since our dinner had been ruined. Brian checked it one more time after we had gotten the girls in the car and THANK GOD HE DID!!! It was still on fire!!! So then we were told to try Baking Soda and Flour. Our friend came over and helped out with the situation and once they got it out, they took the whole oven and set it on the back deck! We went and got fastfood and went to Lowes where we learned that we could replace the coile and our stove would be fine! We are so blessed to know that the Lord was taking care of us tonight!

Ava's Birthday Party

Ava's 1st birthday was a big hit. Thank you to everyone who helped us out. I was a little stressed before the big event. It was quickly put together, but everything went well. Ava opened presents first. The first present she opened was a set of twin baby dolls. She was done after that! She carried that baby doll around for the duration of the party. She came back every so often to rip the wrapping paper apart!

"Happy Birthday to Ava, Happy Birthday to you!"

Then it was time for the cake! She was a little unsure about it at first but once she realized she wouldn't get in trouble, she dug into that cake! It was hilarious, which you can see by the pictures.

Ella thought Ava needed a little help blowing out the candles. Mommy thought Daddy was going to burn Ella's face off!

Ella enjoyed it too and she got a big sister gift so she wouldn't feel left out. At 2 years old, she just didn't understand why all the attention was on Ava.

All in all, Ava's first birthday was a hit!!!