NYC

Jon and I got away together with out the kids. We went to NYC for a few days with our good friends Jon and Michelle. We all had a blast and what a fun city that is to hang out in. I really did enjoy NYC and I can't wait until we can go back again someday!

We went to the World Trade Center site and wow did that bring back a lot of memories of that day and time in 2001. What an emotional thing to do. I can't even imagine being at that location on that day. . We also went to Wall Street, Central Park, Little Italy, China Town, the Pier, Canal Street, Soho, Greenwich, Grand Central Station, and the Museum of American Natural History. It was an awesome trip and my first time being in New York City. We rode the Subway all over the city and felt safe the entire time.

It was so nice to get away with Jon. We were focused soley on each other and it was fun to be the center of his attention. We really needed that trip.

Potty Pep Talk

So the night before we started potty training back in April, Jon and I took the kids to the MOA to go on some rides. While we were there we walked past Build A Bear and so I promised the kids that once they got potty trained we would go and build a bear. Since we have 2 fully trained and one trained to go number one I decided it was time to go and get our bears. We took Grandma with us and I was so glad we did as it was a little overwhelming at first. There are so many choices. The kids really enjoyed making their kitties (hello Kitty) and Dog (K picked this). They all selected a sound for their furry friends: A selected a meow, E selected the Happy Birthday Song, and K Selected the Take me out to the ball game song. Here are some pictures of them warming up the hearts for their new furry friends.

After they all helped put the stuffing in the bears then there was an "air" bath selection where you washed up your new friend. K really liked to wash his new doggy and proceeded to do this about 25 times even after we had the new doggy dressed.
It was a lot of fun, a little expensive for three furry friends that were all dressed up but so worth it. These kids worked hard at potty training and we felt they deserved a big treat.
A is still struggling on going number 2 in the potty. I can't seem to figure it out with her. I am not sure if she knows that she has the power so she just refuses or what. It really gets me angry when she poops in her pants and then dances around and sings that she just pooped her pants. It would be one thing if she felt bad about it but she thinks it is funny. Jon and I are struggling with what to do about this. We had to take her kitty away from her yesterday and she still has not earned it back. She needs to poop on the potty before she gets it back.
Tonight as we were tucking the kids into bed, E asked why A did not have her kitty. We explained that it was because she poops in her pants. E then asked why she does that so I told her to ask A:
E "Meme why do you poop in your pants?"
A "I scared Lela"
E "What are you scared of Meme?"
A "I don't know"
E "Meme it does not hurt to poop in the potty, it feels good"
A "Oh"
E "Only babies poop in their pants, Meme, You need to go on the potty"
K then pipes in with "It doesn't hurt Meme and it kind of looks like snakes"

Jon and I just giggled at them. He if she won't poop on the potty for Mommy and Daddy maybe she will do it for E and K.

Another potty story from tonight. K went potty and when he was done he got down from the toilet and said "Bye Bye Toilet Paper you are gonna go see the sharks now!
I have no idea where they get this stuff.

Traditions

While Jon and I escaped for our mini vacation to NYC, Grandma had the kids. On Friday night, Uncle T, Grandma, and our friend J took the kids to the MOA for some rides and then they all went out for dinner.

I hate to blog about this as I do not want to Jinx them but the kids are usually really well behaved when we go out to eat with them. We have had many people compliment us on their behavior while at restaurants. Of course, we have had our moments but for the most part they are good kids.

Friday night was no exception to this. The kids did a great job during dinner. Uncle T said there was a table of older women nearby that were consistently watching and commenting on the kids. He said these women waited to leave until my mom, the kids, J, and T were ready to leave.
As they were walking out, one of the ladies pulled Uncle T aside and told him this:

"Your children were so well behaved during dinner tonight and I am really impressed. My father passed away a few years ago but he had a tradition of giving children who behaved in restaurants a dollar for being good. I would like you to take these $3 and put them in the kids piggy banks for future use".

Uncle T was so dumbfounded that all he could do was smile and say thank you!
I think this is an incredible story so I wanted to blog about it. It makes Jon and I feel good to know that our kids are so impressive. It made Grandma M and Uncle T proud too. What a feel good memory! I certainly will pay that one forward some day.

The MS Walk Was a HUGE Success!

I was a top fundraiser!

We had such an awesome day for the walk today. It was not sunny and bright but the rain held off and we ALL successfully completed the walk. Here are a few of the highlights from today:

• There were 17 people that walked on my team with me.
• As a team we raised close to $5000.
• I hit a personal fundraising high as I raised $2815 to be exact.
• The MS Society raised over $2M dollars from this event.
• We had fun and everyone that walked said they would walk with me again next year!

Every year that I do this event I always have a lot of anxiety about raising the money and putting the team together! Every year this walk continues to be a success. I have learned that no matter what he weather does (one year it snowed 12") we always seem to finish this walk and people feel great about what they have accomplished.
This walk helps me feel the warmth and love from so many people who donate their money and their time by walking with me.

God has sure blessed me with incredible friendships and support from a tremendous amount of people. I am tired tonight after walking so many miles but I am going to bed feeling fulfilled!

What A Week!

This week has been so busy for us. I actually worked close to 40 hours this week! Yikes. I am sure glad that I do not have to do that every week as it is really hard to manage a house and work that much.
Our week started off with a bang when we discovered that the suspicion that we had about having mice actually became a reality. So this story begins when the other morning after I got home from the gym I was about to get in the shower and I looked down to see a DEAD mouse about 5" from where I was standing. Needless to say at that moment I screamed to Jon who was still in bed that we had a dead mouse in our bedroom. He immediately got up and took care of it. It is important to mention at this point that we have two cats that live in our house and one of them caught this little mouse and played with it until it was no longer alive!!! Thank GOD!
Fast forward a couple mornings later and I woke up to my alarm. I was about to get out of bed and head to the gym but I heard Toby jumping around. At the time I just figured that he was playing with Dexter (the other cat) but then when I looked down and saw that Dexter was no where in sight I just knew Toby was after a mouse. Sure enough before I could even blink a mouse ran out from underneath Jon's dresser! I think my heart stopped and then I started screaming over and over again, "there a mouse in here and it is alive" This of course jerked Jon awake and in the next five minutes I (and Aimee and KJ who happened to walk in on this) watch Jon in his underwear and Toby (the cat) chase this mouse around our bedroom. Jon finally caught it and disposed of it.
So after this incident I declared that it was official...we have a mouse problem. Jon went out and got some traps. We have yet to catch any in the traps and if we don't in the next few days I will be calling some professional help in to get rid of the mice. The last thing I need is to have to deal with a mouse if and when Jon is not around.
So on top of that happening and me working crazy hours, last night we were blessed with the Stomach flu amongst our kids. As a parent of triplets I can say that the hardest thing about having multiples is when they all get sick at the same time. Luckily they are getting old enough now to make it to the toilet or in a bucket so the mess is less but it is still no fun when you have kids that are throwing up.
I am exhausted to say the least as I have had about 7 hours of sleep in two nights. Please pray for us that Jon and I don't get the flu, we are healthy for the big MS Walk on Sunday, that we don't have any more mouse incidents, and most importantly that the kids are back to their happy and fun loving personalities tomorrow.

4 Generations

Today is my Grandma Adele (paternal Grandmother) Birthday! She is now 85 and she does so well. I hope to have a good long life like her. She has more energy that me most days. What a positive attitude she has on life and she is so brave. Her passion in life is playing cards. She loves to play cards and I think she must be in 5-6 card clubs as she goes almost every day to play cards.
Since Great Grandma Adele is hard for the kids to say we call her GG DEL. These kids love their GG DEL. The only problem is that she does not live close to us so we don't get to see her very often. The kids pray for her every night when we pray. We even call her sometimes so they can talk to her.
Grandma Adele helped me with Potty training a few weeks ago too. She would sit with them while they were on the potty. She would sing or tell them stories. It was really sweet.
These kids are so blessed to have a great grandma that they can get to know and remember. She is such a sweet lady and we are all so lucky to have her in our lives. Happy Birthday GG DEL!!!

New Sport: Hill Rolling

So last night Jon and I were out in our backyard with the kids just hanging out before it was bath time. Jon started to roll down the hill with the kids and they loved it. He would hold one tight with his arms and then roll and roll and roll down the hill. He would then let them climb up on his back and give them a ride back up the hill.
It was fun to watch them roll and laugh and have a great time. Here are some pictures from the event.

Ladies Man

Tonight Jon and I decided to attempt a different routine for our bed time. We prayed with each child individually. It was really nice to have some one on one time with each kid.
When we got to K's bed we said our nighttime prayer together and then when we finished we asked him if there was anyone he wanted to pray for. He smiled this sheepish smile and said "Carolyn" and "Cora"! Then he smiled again. Jon and I could not help ourselves and we both burst out laughing. We of course told K what a nice little boy he was to pray for his friends but it was just too darn cute. When daddy asked him if he wanted to pray for anyone else tonight he said he wanted to pray for all the mommies too! It was just too darn cute!
We got together with Carolyn and her family on Saturday and Carolyn and K were flirting and playing together most of the night. It was pretty cute. Cora is a friend of K's from school on Fridays. Every week in his updates from his teachers they always write that Cora and K had fun playing with cars, or painting, or drawing. It does not matter what the activity is but they always seem to be doing it together.
I am afraid that I have to report that I have a little ladies man on my hands! At least he is a cute Ladies Man! :)

Pine Cone Party

The kids spent the afternoon at Sue's yesterday. Sue always takes such great pictures. Here is the email she sent to me last night about how it all went. I thought I would share because it was cute.

I just tried to stay out of the way and not be noticed. They were trekking out of the play house over to the bench that was apparently a car. There were big discussions about getting the stroller in the car, because A insisted they needed it at the mall. Finally they sent E to find me (up on the deck) and tell me I was to come and help them. I just told her the stroller could sit on the ground, and that could be the car floor and apparently it solved all the problems. They are so funny.

We went for a walk and they stopped at this cement square and E said they were going to have a party, and they all dumped out their baskets full of pine cones and sang happy birthday to each other.

Ice Cream

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream!

So this morning I told the kids that if they stayed dry the whole day at school "daycare" then we would go out for ice cream treats after dinner. Well they all stayed dry the whole day!!! Jon and I were pretty excited for them. So after dinner we loaded everyone up in the van and went to a new little ice cream shop by our house. It was a beautiful spring night here so it was a lot of fun to get out of the house and have a yummy treat.

They all talked about what color ice cream they were going to have. E wanted yellow, K wanted pink, and A wanted blue. When we got to the ice cream shop the girl behind the counter was really nice so she let us try some of the ice cream. K did not like the strawberry but E's eyes lit up when she took a bite so she had a scoop of strawberry. A was set on blue so she ordered what they call superman ice cream. It was bright blue and yellow. K could not decide so I ordered him a scoop of Oreo cookie and he ate every last bite of it. A not only ate her entire scoop but E also fed A some of her strawberry ice cream. A also finished off Daddy's waffle cone and some of mommy's frozen yogurt. At one point A had two spoons and two different cups of ice cream. Then she had a cone in one hand and a spoon in the other so she would lick the cone and then take a spoonful out of her bowl. It was really funny to watch her. She even tipped the bowl up at the end to get the last few drops of ice cream. Daddy told her that she should eat her dinner that way too!

As we were sitting there tonight I thought to myself how nice it is to be able to take the kids out for ice cream and all the other fun stuff we can do with them now that they are a little older. It is bitter sweet to watch the baby years leave us but I know that we have so much fun ahead of us and that is what I look forward to. It was a fun night, a little messy but a whole lot of fun!

Hot Mamas

I has such a wonderful weekend away with all my triplets, quad, and quint mom friends. The weekend was so relaxing and we all learned a bunch from the speakers and such.
Saturday night we went out for a nice dinner and then decided to go out to the bars. We somehow found the bar in town that was having a fashion show for lingerie. So we walked into this bar and there was a handful of people that were almost naked. You can imagine how we all felt at first being that most of us had not been out to a bar in a long time. We actually stayed for the show if you can believe that!
At one point a guy walked up to us and was trying all his moves. I told him that he had really picked the wrong group of ladies to hit on and then we all proceeded to get pictures of our kids out. He was so in shock it was funny. He thought we were all joking. We just smiled and laughed.

Update on Potty Training

I thought that I would give everyone an update on how potty training is going in our house. The above picture is one that Jon took. He thought it was pretty funny to teach K to look at the paper while he was going potty. K wants to be just like daddy so he loved it!

So before we started this potty training business a few weeks ago I told Jon that I thought E would do the best, A would be right behind her, and poor K would take awhile to catch on. These kids have proved me wrong once again.

K is the champ when it comes to potty training. In fact, it is safe to say that he is basically trained and he has not had an accident in about a week or more. He will go pee and poop on the potty no problems and every time he gets off he looks into the toilet bowl and yells "it's a big one" . He also calls his poops snakes and I have no idea where he got that one from.

E is doing well with the peeing on the potty but it is the pooping that she struggles with. I guess this is pretty common for kids to have a fear of pooping on the potty. Last night after she went in her pull up she told us that she doesn't want to go on the big potty because the tigers might get her (I am not sure where this comes from). I explained to her that she was safe but I think it is going to take her some time to start pooping on the potty. It is such a struggle and I feel so bad for her because her tummy gets so upset when she doesn't go.

A, well what can I say about my dear A. She does go pee on the potty but she also struggles with the pooping. She will go in the toilet if I get her there in time but she does not tell me when she has to go so I need to catch her in time and run her to the potty.

Overall, I think we are doing great and we are basically trained for the peeing. Now we just need to work on going poop. These kids have pulled through this transition with flying colors! I did enjoy the diapers as it gave us more freedom but I do like not having to buy or change diapers anymore! I have promised them a trip to build a bear once we are good and trained. It will be fun to take them there but I need the girls to get pooping before that happens. I should make up a poop dance maybe that will help them! :)

This Mama is Out of Here!

Yes, that is right, I am heading out today to spend a weekend with some of my most favorite friends. These women all have triplets, quads, or quints and they have been a life line to me for the past three years! This weekend we are all heading out to the State Wide Multiples Convention and I am so excited!
Last year I went and it was so much fun. Great speakers and topics, food, conversation, a few glasses of wine and fun. This is just what I need from this past week and a half of potty training. Grandma and Grandpa are here to help Daddy out so this mom is going guilt free. Okay so maybe not completely guilt free as I think as a mom there is always some guilt but I am thrilled to get a little break!
I will update on potty training next week but I have to say that my remarkable children have proved themselves again and we have been accident free for three days now! :O)
Here is a picture of us last year at convention!

Oh how we grow!!!

Easter Photo 2005
Easter Photo 2006

Easter Photo 2007

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter Weekend. We still spent a lot of time on potty training but the kids seem to be picking up on it more and more with very little accidents occurring.
Yesterday we colored our Easter Eggs. I was sure glad to have extra help around with Grandma and Great Grandma there to help. E and A loved it and K liked it but he had no patients for coloring the eggs. He wanted to put the egg in the dye and then take them out right away. He did not understand that it had to sit in the dye for awhile to get it colored. We then made some cookies with bunnies on them. The kids enjoyed helping make them but they really liked being able to eat some right out of the oven.
Easter Day we decided to go to 7:30 AM mass so the Easter Bunny came when we were at church. The kids were angels at church. I could not have asked for them to be any better. It was great and what an overwhelming sense of peace I had sitting in the front pew with my parents, grandmother, and three beautiful and well behaved children. E sat at the end of the pew during communion and said hi to everyone that walked past her. It was pretty cute.
After mass everyone kept asking the kids if the Easter Bunny had come. I told them that the Easter Bunny visited us while we were at church. Since A is really afraid of the Easter Bunny she did not want to go back to Grandma's house to find the eggs and her basket. When we got to the door at Grandmas she just stood there until we all went in to make sure there was no bunny in the house. It was pretty cute.
Daddy got home around 10:30 Easter morning and the kids were really excited to see him! They were so proud of their sticker charts and told daddy all about going on the potty.
We had a big meal after the kids woke up from their afternoon naps and it was really yummy! The kids got lots of fun treats in their Easter Basket and this kept them busy all day long.
We had such a blessed Easter! What a true blessing these children are!
Happy Easter!

Transition #3 Potty Training

This has been by far the hardest transition so far! I was told Potty Training was hard but I guess I was still not prepared. We are now at the end of our 2nd day of potty training and we have had lots of success but lots of messes too.

Yesterday, E was the champ at this potty training stuff with no accidents. By the end of the day we did not even worry about asking her because she would just tell us if she had to go and then she would pull her out pants down and go. Last night when it was time to go to bed we were putting pull ups on all of the kids. E threw a fit about having to wear a pull up and went to bed hugging her underware. We thought that she was trained. Then when she got out of bed this morning she refused to sit on the potty chair and then at breakfast she wet all over the place. It has been a struggle with her all day.

A on the other hand has been slow to grasp the concept of potty training. She has gone on the potty but then she will forget and wet all over the place. Poor thing hates to be dirty. When she does have a success she gets really excited about it and it is really cute.

K had a slow start with the potty training. I think at first he simply just did not get it. However, today he has completely turned around with it and tells us when he needs to go. He has had the most success today on the potty chair with no accidents!!

The rules are that if you go potty on the potty chair then you get a sticker and a treat from the treat bucket. The treat bucket contains things like fruit snacks, suckers, M&M's and some crackers. If you go poopy on the potty chair then you get a sticker and a gummy worm (I should say snake because that is what K calls it). K has the most stickers but I think that is because he is the king of a little piddle here and there.

So wish us luck on many more successes and less messes! This has been a draining few days and I just hope that this potty thing clicks with them really soon! We got Elmo goes on the potty DVD tonight and they were really into that so hopefully they will continue to have some interest.

MS WALK

Today I have decided to post a very important message:

On May 6th, 2007 the Erickson 5 (depending on the weather it might be Jon and I) will be participating in the MS Walk. This will be our 9th year participating in the walk. We have a team called The Walkin Maniacs and we all have so much fun. The walk used to be 17 Miles but they have shortened it now to 9 miles. This is a little more realistic for me.

I talked about having my two year MRI done in this post From these tests I found out that the disease has progressed but my health still seems to be fine. This was not great news and I was down and out about it. Jon and I both fear what this disease could mean for not only myself but our family in the future.

This year it feels even more important to raise money for the MS Society. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS but they can't do it without our help. It's faster and easier than ever to support this cause that's so important to me and my family. Simply click here. You just need to type in my name Nicole Erickson and make sure you select the Nicole Erickson that goes with the Walkin Maniacs team.

Any amount, great or small, helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS. Thanks in advance for your support! I really appreciate it.

Next Up....K ERICKSON

In honor of the Twins having their home opener tonight, I thought I would write about K and his obsession with baseball. He LOVES hitting the balls with a bat. He will use anything as a bat, a doll, a cob of corn (play corn that is), an old paper towel roll, the broom, etc.. He also likes to play catch. He will stand with his hands together and catch the ball. He likes to throw the balls too. On Saturday at the Multiples sale I bought him a leather baseball mitt for $.75 I could not believe what a great deal that was. I think we will need to get him a different glove though because it appears as though he is left handed. He bats left handed and wants to wear the glove on his left hand.
Today we were out in the yard playing and we (Grandma, myself, and Daddy) were giving him some batting practice. I was floored at how he could hit the ball. Now, I have no idea if this is a normal thing for a 2 almost 3 year old boy to do but I was pretty impressed.
He keeps talking about going to the baseball game so Jon and I plan on taking him to a baseball game this spring or summer. It will be a lot of fun!
Of course as his mother I naturally think of him as a professional baseball player and I can already hear them announcing his name: Next up is K ERICKSON!!!! How cool would that be!
In the picture above he is using his sisters doll as a bat! It was a good thing the girls did not notice!

GG Del Has Got Some Moves

GG Del (great grandma Adele) arrived this past Thursday. The kids could not be more excited to see her. This morning at breakfast K insisted that he get to sit by GG Del. Then again after dinner tonight K had to sit on her lap. They love for her to watch their shows with them too.Their new favorite DVD is the Laurie Berkner band. They love to dance and sing along with Laurie and her band. They now have GG Del dancing with them too. E even lets GG Del know when she is not doing the moves right! Here are some pictures of all the fun entertainment we had tonight. GG Del is amazingly young for going on 85! I hope to be as lucky someday.


Grandpa and E making some moves!


The Audience!