Hello, family and friends!
I hope you are enjoying 2014 as much as we are. This is our
early Christmas letter (see how I spun that?), and we are pretty sure it will
be a year of great things. But first, here’s how the past year went down:
The initial big event of 2013 came in
June, when we welcomed William (Liam, for short) Matthew Ecker into this great
big world.
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| Sweet brothers! |
He was a bit overdue, but totally worth the wait. We are amazed that
a baby is capable of such patience; this little person is entirely joyful and
calm, which means that while the shift from two to three kiddos was…um…interesting,
he is making it as easy as possible! The pregnancy and labor went smoothly, but
I did have some issues post-labor, which made my mom’s help all the more
appreciated; she was grandma-on-the-spot for over a month!
I was able to take a hiatus from teaching
during the summer to really just recover and enjoy being a mom. Matt, on the
other hand, was working full time at the hospital in Fergus Falls while doing
full-time school in the form of clincals in Fargo and online coursework. We
didn’t see much of him, but we were able to squeak in a stretch at the lakes
with his family in August—always a fun and hotly anticipated summer vacation
for our kiddos, who get to run wild with all their cousins!
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| First day of kindergarten! |
Fall semester brought us into a new realm of crazy, and we
knew it was coming and inevitable, so we simply hunkered down and made do. It
was Matt’s last semester of school, and he rocked it, practicum and all. I had
a full-time online teaching load between M-State in Fergus and MSUM in
Moorhead. In addition, Grace started kindergarten, something she has been
anxiously waiting to do since she was about 1. Really. J Between Matt and I, we were
still able to juggle keeping the boys at home without daycare, so we maintained
a precarious balance.
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| See? Precarious balance. |
Then November happened.
One of my colleagues
had to go on spur-of-the-moment extended leave, and I picked up his courses in
addition to my own…all five of them, all in-house. It was a gamble, but we
weighed our options and decided that this was a prudent occupational move
during these less-than-stellar times in academia. Somehow, we were still able
to juggle the kids at home, and I actually got my grades submitted…wait for
it…early(!), but we had our hands full for a stretch.
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| Blurry, due to cheering photographer! |
At the end of the semester, though, we all enjoyed the sweet
victory of Matt walking across a stage to receive his NDSU RN, BSN pin and
diploma. It has been an exceptionally long journey, but I couldn’t be more
proud of this hard-working, hard-studying man. And he did it all with at least one baby on his knee!
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| Like this little stinker! |
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| SO excited! |
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| Matt is *most likely* not pinching his sisters here, on account of the occasion. |
2014 is just beginning, but what a year
it’s already been! We kicked it off with family on a Disney Caribbean cruise,
sponsored by Mom/Grandma and Dad/Grandpa. It was a full week of amazing sights,
incredible food, great entertainment, and sunshine. The best
part, we all agreed, was getting to relax together (and dress like pirates
together) as a family—what a treat!
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| YARRRR!! |
Not long after, Matt received word that he
passed his RN board exams, and he immediately got a job offer from Sanford in
Fargo. This means a commute, but we are glad that his weekends-only schedule
will still allow one of us to be home with kiddos. Top that all off with a new
ride (the much-anticipated Honda Odyssey of this mama’s dreams) that can
accommodate our growing tribe in the MIDDLE row (no more chucking toys and
snacks to the back!), and we feel like we’ve hit the jackpot. J
We are thankful for so much, but primarily for our family
and friends—you!—who make our life complete. May this year bring you joy,
health, and blessings!
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| With love, the Ecker family |
