{"id":11237,"date":"2018-01-02T20:21:14","date_gmt":"2018-01-03T01:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11237"},"modified":"2018-01-02T20:21:14","modified_gmt":"2018-01-03T01:21:14","slug":"emma-and-eli-december-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11237","title":{"rendered":"Emma and Eli: December 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

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December is always full speed ahead finishing up the semester at school before it slides into the always anticipated and greatly appreciated\u2026CHRISTMAS BREAK! \u00a0We started December off with a bang celebrating Eli\u2019s 5th birthday on December 8th. \u00a0There was snow in the forecast, but the predictions were all over the place and most people assumed it would just be a few flurries like a normal \u201csouthern blizzard\u201d. \u00a0We woke Eli up that Friday morning and showed him that we had gotten him snow for his birthday. \u00a0It started snowing just a little bit around 6:30am. \u00a0I headed to school and then Clint brought the kids in just in time for the start of school. \u00a0We expected the snow to quit around 9am, but it just kept coming and coming. \u00a0Some of the schools in the area started early dismissal and the snow continued to fall. \u00a0We decided to release around lunch time since by then\u2026we were all glued to the windows! \u00a0Clint had come up to school to bring Eli\u2019s birthday lunch, but they just ended up taking his lunch home to enjoy in front of the fireplace. \u00a0Emma and Eli were so excited to be heading out with Clint! \u00a0I stayed a few more hours until all the students were picked up and then arrived home at 4pm ready to settle in by the fireplace. \u00a0I had a few things that I needed to get done for school and then we were going to make a WalMart run around 5:30 so we\u2019d have the necessary snow day rations (cookies, Dr. Pepper, etc.).<\/div>\n
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Driving to WalMart was a treat with all the snow piling up! \u00a0We live a short walk from WalMart, so it was pretty easy to roll across the street. \u00a0While we were at the store, the power flickered and an obvious generator kicked in. \u00a0Our neighbor friend texted to say that power in the neighborhood had just gone out. \u00a0We got home\u2026and it was definitely out! \u00a0It was quickly getting dark and cold. \u00a0Thankfully we have a gas fireplace, stove, and grill. \u00a0We sent Clint out to check on our elderly neighbors to make sure they could stay warm. While he was out, I grilled a pizza for us and waffles for the kids. \u00a0We were all having lots of fun figuring out how to do things with no power! \u00a0After dinner, our friends came over to hang out and the kids all put together a talent show. \u00a0We laughed and talked for a few hours before they made the trek back home through the snow.<\/div>\n
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We finished out the evening opening up Eli\u2019s birthday gifts by flashlight and candlelight. \u00a0When my Mom called to wish him Happy Birthday, Eli got on the phone and said, \u201cMimi\u2026they got me SO MUCH snow for my birthday!\u201d \u00a0We hope he knows that likely won\u2019t happen next year! \u00a0Emma and I slept downstairs in front of the fireplace while Clint and Eli braved the cold and slept upstairs with lots of blankets. \u00a0All through the night, we heard trees cracking, but fortunately no issues other than a mess in the yard.<\/div>\n
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We woke up to even more snow on Saturday morning (10+ inches total!). \u00a0We grilled cinnamon rolls outside and Clint scrambled eggs. \u00a0Since the sun was out, we decided to go and play. \u00a0Clint got some great video footage from his drone and we had a great time playing in the snow with our friends. \u00a0After we came in and warmed up, we decided we wanted to do some exploring. \u00a0We drove around Acworth and continued to be surprised by all the snow! \u00a0This just doesn\u2019t happen here! \u00a0We were excited that Henry\u2019s was open in Acworth, so we decided to have lunch there to warm up and enjoy some great food! \u00a0It was obvious that most of the other people there were escaping power outage as well!<\/div>\n
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Our power finally came on at 2am on Sunday morning\u2026and boy did it come on! \u00a0We must have had every light in our house on when the power went out. \u00a0Talk about a crazy way to be woken up! \u00a0Church got snowed out on Sunday and by that afternoon, we were all ready to resume our routines only to have schools closed on Monday due to so many trees being down and still a lot of power out. \u00a0We really enjoyed all of the beautiful snow, but were glad to get back too school on Tuesday.<\/div>\n
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We got back in our routine just in time for Emma to have another basketball practice with her team before her first ever NCCS Basketball game. \u00a0She had a great time in her game and really enjoyed learning more about basketball. \u00a0She wears #20 for the Eagles and she is so proud to finally be an official NCCS Eagle athlete! \u00a0Most of the game she was bringing the ball down the court. \u00a0She really hustled on defense and pulled down several rebounds. I asked her after the game why she never shot the ball, she replied \u201cour Coach told us to work on our passing.\u201d \u00a0That she did\u2026she definitely passed a lot! \u00a0We had the best time cheering her on and look forward to the next few games!<\/div>\n
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Sunday afternoon was Emma\u2019s Christmas piano recital. \u00a0She did a great job as she has continually been improving. \u00a0Even Eli agreed that \u201cshe is getting better\u201d. \u00a0What a little brother! \u00a0From there, we hit the road to Summerville for the first family Christmas gathering of the year with Clint\u2019s mom\u2019s family. \u00a0We had a great time catching up with everyone, enjoying lots of good food, opening gifts, and watching football. \u00a0It was a really laid back evening and a great way to kick off Christmas! \u00a0We came back to three days of school before the break. \u00a0My upper school kids had semester exams while Emma and Eli had class parties and their annual Christmas concert. \u00a0Our entire faculty and staff spent Tuesday evening for our All Staff Christmas Party up at Lakepoint Station. \u00a0We had a blast hanging out with everyone, climbing their rock walls, playing laser tag, and eating way too much. \u00a0It was really fun to see everyone\u2019s family! \u00a0Emma and Eli\u2019s Christmas concert was really nice. \u00a0After the concert, they had parties in their classrooms and then they headed out for Christmas break with big smiles! \u00a0I wrapped up some things at school and then we were officially on vacation!<\/div>\n
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We watched Elf that evening and stayed close to the fireplace. \u00a0Eli headed to camp at the Y the next day with lots of friends for swimming and fun Christmas games. \u00a0Clint, Emma, and I ran some errands and had lunch at PF Changs. \u00a0The next day was just a family day. \u00a0We slept in a little and then ran errands, went out to lunch, went ice skating for a few hours, ate ice cream, and then just relaxed at home. \u00a0Emma has been asking to go ice skating for a while and Eli really caught on quickly! \u00a0He\u2019s probably more of an ice hockey player than a figure skater. \u00a0He takes great pride in skating into people!<\/div>\n
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The morning of the 23rd, we celebrated Christmas with Clint\u2019s Dad. \u00a0It was nice to have him at our house just so the kids could play and show him all of their stuff. \u00a0That afternoon we headed back to Summerville to ride on the Summerville Santa Train with Clint\u2019s aunt, uncle, cousins, and their kids. \u00a0We love the sweet Brison family and it was so great to get to spend that time with them! \u00a0We came home that evening and Clint and Emma headed out to finally see Star Wars. \u00a0I\u2019m so glad that they can enjoy that together! \u00a0Eli and I stayed here. \u00a0I did a few things around the kitchen while Eli entertained me with his puzzle skills. \u00a0That boy is really into puzzles\u2026.he did 10 of them all spread out on the dining room table. \u00a0He was singing Christmas carols at the top of his lungs while working. \u00a0So precious!<\/div>\n
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We woke up Christmas Eve morning and the kids finished up their awesome Advent Calendars that my brother and his wife had sent from Germany. \u00a0They had some really good pieces of Chocolate\u2026so Eli really dove into Advent this year!! \u00a0We headed to church early as Emma and I were serving as greeters for Christmas Eve and Clint was one of the deacons. \u00a0The Christmas Eve candlelight services are always some of our favorites! \u00a0We enjoyed coming back and serving that evening as well! \u00a0After church, we closed out the night at Chili\u2019s just enjoying each other\u2019s company.<\/div>\n
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Christmas Day was a blast! \u00a0We actually had to wake our kids up\u2026they were all snuggled asleep! \u00a0Christmas morning was relaxed as we opened gifts. \u00a0Lots of smiles and laughs all around! \u00a0We made pancakes and then privileged my brother and his wife and daughter while they were celebrating my niece\u2019s first Christmas where they live in Germany. \u00a0We had lots of fun \u201changing out\u201d with them! \u00a0We spent the rest of the day playing and just enjoying each other\u2019s company. \u00a0It was about 20 degrees outside, so we were happy to be inside with no where to have to go!<\/div>\n
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We woke up early on the morning of the 26th to head to Memphis for a few days. \u00a0We met some our dear friends Steve and Wanda for lunch when we arrived in town. \u00a0They have been like second parents to me since I was in high school and it\u2019s always a treasure to get to spend time with them! \u00a0From there we headed to my sister\u2019s house and were SO EXCITED to see her sweet family. \u00a0She and her husband have three kids\u2026a daughter that is the same age as Eli and three year old twin boys. \u00a0There was a lot of laughter and playing the entire time we were in Memphis! \u00a0It\u2019s always a treat to be able to stay at their house and just enjoy time together! \u00a0On Wednesday we took all the kids to Gibson\u2019s Donuts and then split off into girl and guy groups for the afternoon. \u00a0Clint and JD took all the boys to the Bass Pro Shop at the Pyramid while all the girls went shopping with Mimi. \u00a0We met back up for dinner at Katie\u2019s and then Mimi took everyone to a trampoline park to work off all of our holiday sweets! \u00a0The kids slept great after bouncing around for a while!<\/div>\n
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We spent Thursday running errands and playing. \u00a0Thursday evening Clint and I went out to eat with my sister and her husband and then all went to the Memphis Tiger basketball game thanks to some tickets from my awesome friend Steve! \u00a0We\u2019ve made that a tradition the last few years\u2026adult night out\u2026and I\u2019m so glad that we did. \u00a0We always look forward to it! \u00a0We left early the morning of the 29th and stopped in Corinth, MS to see my youth pastor and his family. \u00a0The Harbors have been investing in my life for 24 years and seeing them is always a highlight for our family! \u00a0We had lunch with them and spent some time catching up. \u00a0We hit the road and arrived in Chattanooga around 6pm to surprise the kids with a night at a hotel. \u00a0They love hotels with indoor pools! \u00a0We did that last year and it was so fun, we decided to do it again. \u00a0We let them swim until 10pm. \u00a0They slept pretty well that night too!<\/div>\n
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We drove home on the 30th with full hearts from lots of quality time spent with each other and those we love. After a serious grocery store adventure, Emma and I came home resolved to cook more and to make healthy choices. \u00a0She has been a big help in the kitchen the past few days. \u00a0I look forward to spending that special time with her! \u00a0Eli is back to his puzzles. \u00a0He is working on a 500 piece puzzle of the new Falcons stadium. \u00a0He is such a ham. \u00a0Every time he finds a piece he\u2019s been searching for, he high fives everyone and then does his puzzle dance. \u00a0Turns out that it also doubles as a touchdown dance for watching the College Football Playoff games as well! \u00a0Clint and I are so blessed with these two precious ones. \u00a02017 was a great year and we are excited about what God has in store for 2018!<\/div>\n
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December is always full speed ahead finishing up the semester at school before it slides into the always anticipated and greatly appreciated\u2026CHRISTMAS BREAK! \u00a0We started December off with a bang celebrating Eli\u2019s 5th birthday on December 8th. \u00a0There was snow in the forecast, but the predictions were all over the place and most people assumed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,21,22,37,12,16,32,18,33,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adoption","category-bible-study","category-cedarcrest-church","category-eli","category-emma","category-family","category-marriage","category-north-cobb-christian","category-restaurants","category-travel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}