Happy Halloween 2011

Tonight we all had a blast.  We did our tradition with Jane on pizza before trick or treating and off to scout up some candy.  This year we did not do as big of a production as last year but Jon managed to get the house decorated and some music playing in the front yard and it was pretty spooky. 

We joined our other neighborhood friends tonight and the kids all rode on a wagon and went trick or treating.  They had a blast.  The adults all walked along side the wagon and had fun with the kids and catching up with each other. 

We have a TON of candy left over and the kids all got a big buckets full.  Needless to say, we are not in need of any sugar in this house for the next year. 

We ran into some of the older kids in the neighborhood tonight and they all knew K.  He was so proud to stand there and talk to the Teenagers.  They all were chumming with him and it was cute to watch how proud he was.  So fun. 

It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be November already.  Where has this year gone!?!?  WOW!  Time is sure flying by.  It think there is like 50 some days until Christmas now!  YIKES! 
Happy Halloween from  The Erickson Five! 

Spooky Good Times

Wow! It has been a crazy fun and busy weekend for all of us.  Jon missed out as he got called out on a trip on Friday afternoon but we still managed to have some good times regardless of his absence. 
Friday night we headed over to a city sponsored spooky event.

It was fun and the weather was not so bad so we managed to stay for a few hours.  We then headed back to our house and some friends from school came over along with their mom.  It was a fun night. 
Saturday, K started his basketball program and had a blast.  It was good to see him get back into it and he has been down in the basement practicing a ton ever since.

Saturday night we headed to an annual neighborhood Halloween party where EVERYONE must dress up.  This year I went as a Nun and the kids could not stop looking at me.... A said I looked weird, K did not say much but just kept staring at me, and E asked me what I was and when I explained it to her she said" Mom do nuns still exist"?  I thought that was pretty funny. 

Tomorrow is the big night and we have some fun stuff planned with the kiddos and of course Jane is coming over to get in on all the fun and excitement.  Let's just hope the weather holds out so we can have a fun and semi warm night out in the hood. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Happy Halloween

Halloween Fun Has Begun

This past weekend, Jon was out of town so the kids and I along with Grandma Mary decided to have some Halloween Fun.  We headed over to her grocery store for the 3rd annual Halloween party.  The best part about it is that the kids get tons of good stuff and a free pumpkin.  We always have a fun time at this event and it has become tradition for all of us including Grandma Mary to partake.

On Sunday, we headed over to Kristin and Kyle's house for the annual Pumpkin Carving Party.  It is fun to get together with such great friends, eat good food, carve great looking pumpkins, and have some fun.  What I discovered this year is that it is getting easier with the kiddos to get their pumpkins carved.  This year, K even cut out his pumpkins eyes and nose all by himself.  He did a great job.  Oh how grown up they are getting.

Saturday night I headed out to a 40th birthday party for one of our neighbors.  Jon was gone so I had to go solo but boy it was sure fun.  The theme was 80's so we all had to dress up in 80's attire.  We had some great laughs and a good memory making fun.

The last milestone of the weekend was that Grandma Mary and I decided it was time for Gracie to have her first bath.  I was up for a big challenge but much to my surprise, she was awesome and I think she kind of liked it.  She smells much better now and Jon will be so surprised when he hears about it when he arrives home this evening.  We have all missed him these past 7 days and we are all ready for him to be home.  I am sure Gracie will be the most happy about it.  I am the big you know what always telling her "NO"!   

It was a busy but totally awesome weekend!  Big THANKS to Grandma Mary for helping us out while the boys were away.  Love you Mom/Grandma!

Heart String Puller

So after a long, busy, and stressful day last week, I told Jon that I was not sure that we were going to be able to keep Gracie.  I was tired and at my wits end.

The next morning I find this in my Inbox...

Does Jon know how to get my heart strings or what!  Oh and for the record, we are keeping Gracie....for now!

Time to Catch My Breath

 Holy Cow, life has gotten crazy busy around our household.  Some days it is hard to catch my breath as my head is spinning out of control.  There are a lot of demands that need to be met every day around here and I just had to tighten my seat belt a little more for this crazy ride. 

Fall is always a time for adjustment to a new school year, new work schedules, and of course this year a new addition to the family.  Honestly, I can say that Gracie Mae is sure like a new baby and it some ways even harder.  So far I have lost a coffee table and an ottoman to her tiny but sharp little teeth.  She is growing at a rampant pace and after her last vet visit, they predict she will be about 80 lbs..  She is going to be a big pup. 

I do enjoy her and all the joy she brings to all of us.  It is fun to watch Grandpa Al and Jon with her.  She LOVES them and they LOVE her.  They cannot wait until she can go hunting with them next fall, (Secretly, I cannot wait either...but shhhhh don't tell anyone!)

On top of getting adjusted to a new puppy in our house, the kids have all been having a great time at school but this has been an adjustment as well.  I had not clue that when we decided to put them in three separate classes for 1st grade, how crazy it would be with three sets of homework coming home every night. 

It is hard to keep it all straight but so far, I think Jon and I are doing a good job. E's teacher told me the other night at conferences that she has no idea how we do but Jon and I are really doing a great job with the kids.  It felt good to hear that because on days when my head is spinning from such crazy schedules, it is hard to see the big picture.

I do realize though and often what gets me through all these crazy times is that someday in the not so distant future, I will look back on these crazy days and truly miss them.  Life is going by so fast that it feels like we just went from FF x2 to FF x8.  Every year seems to go by faster than the past year. 

Today the kiddos did not have school so I tool K and A to the Children's Museum and E had a date with Grandma Mary.  We all had a great time and it was fun to slow life down a little and have some fun together.  Looking forward to a couple of fun days ahead just relaxing and hanging out with the kiddos and Gracie Mae. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Girls and Their Dolls

Wordless Wednesday ~ Like Father, Like Son

Soccer Games, Birthday Parties, and Play Dates

This is what our day consisted of yesterday.  Can we just say busy busy busy!  We started out with Soccer all morning.  The girls and K both had games so that took up our Saturday morning.  Gracie was lucky enough to attend K's game with us but we brought her home before the girls game as she was wore out.

After Soccer, the girls came home to get dressed up for their Birthday party at the American Girl store.  They were so excited and wanted to dress up just like their dolls.  They loved it.

K had a play date with one of his favorite new friends from school.  they had a busy day playing football, board games, wrestling, and break dancing.  It was a full day for the boys.

Tonight as I tucked in all the kids, we talked about their day and how much fun we all had.  The weather has been great, the leaves are changing, and it is just awesome outside. Thank you God for being so good to us today.

Walk A Thon 2011

This past Friday at the kids school, they did a walk a thon for their fall fundraiser.  The parents were invited to join their kids and walk along with them.

Friday Grandma Mary and I, headed over to the school to join the 1st graders in their Walk a Thon.  It was a blast.  We had a ton of fun walking and talking with the kids and the parents.

This was the first annual Walk A Thon Fundraiser for the school and it replaced the Gift Wrap and Pizza sales.

It was a HUGE success.  The fundraising goal was $15K and they raised over that. 

What a fun and successful event to be a part of.  The money raised is going to go to support the additional computer equipment, along with some playground equipment for the school. 

So happy the event was a success and we are looking forward to partaking in the 2nd annual event next year. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Sister and Brother Love