Santa Claus Came to Town ~ Literally

We had a big surprise this year on Christmas Eve. After we attended the 4:30 PM Children’s Mass at church, we headed over to some friends of Grandma and Grandpa for a little holiday cheer. After about 15 minutes snowballs started to hit the window and as we peeked out, not only was Santa Claus standing there but so was Mrs. Santa too! The kids went crazy and Santa could hardly get through the door of the house.

Everyone including the Mom’s and Dad’s got gifts and everyone (even dad’s and Uncles) got to sit on Santa’s lap for a picture. It was so fun and the kids loved it. I told the trio that they were so good that sparkle must have requested a special visit just for them and their friends from Santa. K told Santa all about Sparkle and Santa told K he knew Sparkle well! It was perfect!

Grandma Mary and Grandma Rachel sure had a big surprise for all of us and we all loved it. It was nice for the kids to get so much one on one time with Santa! They loved it.

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday ~ We Love our Uncle T

Christmas at 5

WOW! Life is crazy for The Erickson Five these days! We are really enjoying A, E, and K this holiday season. They have so much excitement and wonder in them. They are loving having Sparkle living with us and it is a good reminder to be nice to each other and kind and this goes for the Mom and Dad too! They love to open their Advent calendars everyday and they will not eat the chocolate until I read the bible verse that goes with it.
Last week we went shopping for some gifts and they had a blast picking out presents for some of their friends. Tonight, A and E spent a long time color their teachers pictures to give them for Christmas and then we watched this home video of them when they were 2 and we all laughed so hard we cried! It felt great and was so much fun. It is hard to remember them so small but I loved watching this to remind me how far we have come and how quickly time is passing! Nothing has ever made me want to stop time more than being a parent. I like the quote "The days are long but the years are short"! So true some days.
As we are quickly approaching the birthday of Baby Jesus, I am reminded again of the short years as it truly feels like it was just yesterday that we celebrated Jesus birthday. Three five year olds at Christmas is a blast. They have love in their hearts and excitement and wonder on their faces.
The Erickson Five is on the verge of a big move (literally) and as bittersweet as it is to move from our awesome neighborhood, we are excited and hopeful that we will settle quickly in our new dwellings and start making many fun new memories in our new home. I pray that our kids will adjust and thrive during this time of transition. We Thank God for our friends and family who are so willing to help us out this holiday season with moving and celebrating. Wish us luck this week and please keep us in your prayers! God Bless!

Word Wednsday ~ Catching the Spirit

Wordless Wednesday ~ Dancing Queens

Wordless Wednesday ~ Tennesse Friends

Sparkle The Elf Has Arrived

Recently, I purchased the kit, Elf on a Shelf. This includes a book and a minature elf to go along with it. The story is the elf explaining about what his job is around your house at Christmas time. The elf sits somewhere in your house and observes the behavior of the kids (and adults). Then with Christmas magic, he goes to see Santa every night to report how everyone has been behaving good or bad! Then each morning he will be in a new spot and it is the kids job to find him. He could be in the bathroom, the kitchen, the family room, laundry room, or even in the car. The kids are thrilled and K exclaimed "I cannot wait to find him tomorrow morning!"
Our first job was to give our new elf a name. The kids all decided on "Sparkle" which seems appropriate since he does have a sparkle in his eye. Sparkle has been given strict instructions from Santa that under no circumstances he cannot speak to the kids. He can only observe, listen, and report back to Santa every night. A keeps asking me if he is real and I keep reminding her about the rule that he cannot speak to us. There have been many discussions about what he eats, if he is hungry, who is friends are, etc.. We are having a blast!
We told the kids that they can tell the elf some of their wishes this holiday season. Shortly there after, I found K in the living room whispering to the elf.
This is going to be such a fun addition to our holiday traditions. We welcome Sparkle with open arms and it is so fun to have the holiday season upon on now and all the excitement and energy it brings.

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

We had a fun thanksgiving this year. Grandma Mary invited her friend Becky and Becky's daughter Monica, to our Thanksgiving feast. We had never met Becky or Monica but much to our surprise they were GREAT and so much fun to be around. The kids especially fell in love with Monica and all three fought over her attention all day long.
We ate dinner around 3:30 PM and it was AWESOME! Grandma Mary out did her self again and I am so thankful she cooked! One of these years I do plan to host Thanksgiving....hmmm...maybe next year if we have a kitchen/house with lots of room!
After we ate, Grandma AL, Uncle T, Monica, Becky, Jon, the kids and I decided to take a walk through the woods to work off some of the food in or bellies! It was the perfect idea and the kids had a blast running through the woods. We got back just in time for the sun to go down and then we had to play some horse racing.
The weather was nice, the food was good, the laughs were plenty, and we all had so much to be thankful for. It was a perfect day!
Thank you God for another successful, relaxing, and awesome Thanksgiving Day!

Tooth Fairies and the Car Wash

As I posted yesterday, K lost two teeth this week. Last night he put his tooth in his Tooth Fairy pillow and when he got up this morning, he came down stairs and he was so excited because the tooth fairly left him a car wash token! That darn tooth fairy must have been really tired last night and grabbed the wrong coins out of the money jar! Much to her surprise, K was thrilled that he got a car wash token and he cannot wait to go wash the car and PAY FOR IT with his new token! Gotta love it!

Worldess Wednsday ~ Happy T Day (X3)

Two visits from the Tooth Fairy

Yup, that's right, K lost not one but TWO teeth in the last 3 days. The first one came out on Sunday afternoon when Jon gave it a little tug. The expression on K's face was priceless and he was so proud. It was awesome. Then today after he got done with his Gymnastics, he went over to show Miss Ann that he lost his tooth. She took a look in his mouth and said "K it looks like the other tooth is just hanging there, can I pull it out for you?" K replied "Yup!" She looked at me and I said "GO FOR IT"! So off they went to get a tissue and the next thing I know, K came running around the corner with a tooth in his hand and some gauze in his mouth. He was so excited and proud. So the tooth fairy came on Sunday night and it looks like she will be making another appearance tonight. If you ask K what he gets from her he will tell you a lot of money ($1 in change!) It is so fun to reach these milestones with the kids. The girls are envious and check their teeth everyday to see if any have come loose yet. So far K is down 3, girls are down 0!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Enjoying the Weather

The things they say!

We headed out to town this past weekend to visit Jon's family and to watch our niece E get confirmed. It was a short but fun get away and the kids always love to be with their cousins. This trip there was a lot of laughs and here are a few things that the kids had to say:

The first morning we were there we all woke up about the same time. Jon got up to go to the bathroom so all three kids jumped into bed with me. When Jon came back into the room, he laid down on the kids blow up mattress and as he did, K exclaimed: "Daddy, you pop that thing and you are sleeping there tonight"

In church on Sunday, K kept asking Jon when church was going to be over. Jon finally told him that it would be over when it was over and to not ask him that question again. A few minutes later, K said "Daddy...(long pause)....um.....daddy.....when....when..............um.........when do you think you are going to tell me when church is over?"

A was marking up the JC Penny catalog for Grandma so she would have some ideas for Christmas gifts this year. She found a pancake maker that she liked so she asked me if she could put that on her list in which I replied sure if you want. Then I notice she marks it with an N. I asked her why she put an N down and she said because it should be on your list mommy not mine!

At dinner one night, K was eating dinner and sitting next to Jon. He leaned over and quietly told Jon that he did not like the cheesy potatoes that Grandma made. Just after he told Jon this (10 sec. later) Grandma piped up from the other end of the table and asked K if he liked her potatoes in which he replied "yes, they are good Grandma"!

We Got Bobs!

The girls have been asking me for over a week if we could get their hair cut. They insisted that they wanted "bobs" so today I called up my awesome friend S who does our hair and she said she had openings for tonight.
After dinner, the girls and I headed over to her house for some hair cuts. I was nervous that they would get their hair cut short and not like it but they LOVE it. S did a great job and the girls were so proud to strut into the house when we got home to show daddy and K their new doo's. It was a fun night. I am thrilled that they wanted to cut their hair as this will be much easier to manage from a mothers standpoint.
It is fun to watch them grow up and enjoy things like hair cuts. They really thought they were the cat's meow tonight! So fun!

Worldless Wednesday ~ Oldie but goodie

Sunshine is medicine

Today was such a beautiful day. It was warm for this time of year and we spent a lot of the day outside. The sun was out and it was truly a gift of a day.
K went on a date this morning with Jane and they had quite the adventure. He had a great time with her and was very patient and good. They had to wait in line for 2.5 hours and he did not complain once and actually told us he had a great time.
This afternoon we met up with some friends at a local park. All the kids had a great time and so did us moms! We got to catch up while soaking in some rays and vitamin D. Such good medicine for the soul.
Today was one of those days that just make you want to smile. I ended my day with a surprise visit from one of my bestest and oldest friends K! I am now on my way to snuggle with my babe and have a mini date! Ahhhhh....Life is good!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Great Neighbors

Happy Halloween 2009

We had such a fun Halloween this year. The kids really got into the Trick or Treating and E led the pack running from house to house. They got a ton of candy so I am sure we will be on a sugar high around here for the next few days. At one house they even got to make S'Mores! What a treat that was! I got to walk around with this character all night.....scary!
Our friend Jane came over with treats for all of us and we had a nice dinner "after" we took the kids out trick or treating. Jane hands candy out so both Jon and I can take the kids trick or treating. Such a nice treat for both Jon and I!!! Thank you Jane!
It was cold outside this year (in the 30's) but we all bundled up well and we had no complaints. It was a blast and Holidays are so much more fun with three little kids who really love them! God Bless.

Pumpkin Carving Fun

Some how we ended up with a lot of pumpkins this year. I think we had 8 pumpkins that needed to be carved. This past weekend we attended the annual Sue and Denny Pumpkin carving party. We had a blast and the kids love to go to the party, play games, eat treats, and carve their pumpkins. At the party we carved three of our 8 pumpkins so when Daddy got home from his hunting trip, he was excited to see that we had pumpkins left that needed to be carved.
Tonight after dinner he set up the pumpkin carving table and the kids went to work. They had a blast and there was lots of laughs which is always music to my ears. Jon had a good time helping them to get started and then he let them go to work cleaning and carving with their kid safe knives.
I was able to record a little movie of the pumpkin party. I wanted to capture Ella carving her pumpkin because she was working so hard on carving all of it out. You can hear her sigh as she is working so hard. She did end up carving the whole pumpkin her self with just a little assistance from Daddy in the end. K and A are also in this video. They are busy wiping their pumpkin master pieces up.
Watching this again tonight, all I can say is WOW these kids are getting so big. I am having so much fun as their mother. I love this age just as I have loved every age.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Soccer Star

Door Man and Umpire Teeth

I wanted to blog a couple of funny things that have been said around here lately.

Jon and I found out late last week that we got the house we put an offer on. We are excited but our current house has not sold so our excitement is masked by our anxiety of selling our house so wish us luck! Anyway, to get on with my story, we ran into the kids gymnastic coach a few nights ago at an Open house I attended. I never get to catch up with Ms. A because I am always working when they get to go to Gymnastics but she told me that K showed up the other day and announced to her that we are going to be moving. He told her "Yeah and our new house even has a door man"! I thought about this statement for a moment and then realized he was talking about our Realtor M that is always at the new house unlocking the door for us. We all had a good laugh about this and I told M that he needs to tell his new bride to start packing so they can move in so M can be the Door man. So cute.

Tonight as the kids were brushing their teeth, E announced to me that she has Umpire teeth and then she pointed to her eye teeth. Then she proceed to tell her brother and sister all about her umpire teeth. I laughed as she meant vampire teeth! We were at a Halloween party today and she got some "fake" vampire teeth there so she was obsessed all day with wearing her "umpire teeth"!

Kids ya gotta love'em!

Wordless Wednesday ~ A Scary Bunch

A New Hockey Star!

Last week, Jon and I decided to sign K up for Hockey again this year. Although this time it is more of a commitment to get him to practice and he will actually have games. Jon took him to get him all outfitted last week. It is safe to say that K was really PUMPED up about it and so happy to be starting "real" hockey. Jon was pretty excited for him too. It was great to see his smile and feel his excitement. K will have to work really hard this year learning how to skate and play but he assured me again and again that he really wants to do this. I think it is great for him to be so dedicated and with the help of Uncle T, Grandma Mary, Grandpa Al, and both Jon and I, we should be able to conquer "Hockey" this year and years to come if K so chooses to continue to play. So hears to our new Hockey Star!!!! Now I just need a lesson on to how to get all this equipment on and off of him! J

The Age of Trees

Grandpa Al planted three new evergreen trees in his yard awhile ago. The age of these evergreens was 5 years old. We decided that it would be a great idea to take the kids pictures with "their" trees. The kids were really excited about the idea and they now talk about their trees all the time.
It will not only be fun to watch these kids grow but also their trees! Great idea Grandpa Al!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Glitter Girls

Octber 12?

Yesterday morning when I awoke to my little E crawling in bed with me, she exclaimed "Mom is snowed and it stuck to the ground this time! Soon there was a whole lot of excitement with three little kids running around the house all crazy about the inch of snow on the ground outside. As the mother, I replied with "oh yuck" as I cannot believe that our winter is starting so early.
On a positive note, after the kids got home from school we all got "geared" up and ran outside to play in the snow. We spent the next 2 hours outside making a snowman, a huge snow fort, snow angels, and we even had a snowball fight with each other that lead to so many giggles. We had an AWESOME time and I smiled all night and even this morning about how much fun it really had. So as much as I dread the cold weather that has already arrived this season, I can't help but smile and rejoice in the fun that it has brought the kids (even the kid inside of me). Now, here is to a few days of Indian Summer that are hopefully coming our way so we can get a few more games of football, baseball in before we are in for the long hall of snow ball fights and snow angels.

Feeling Loved

Yesterday, as I attended Mass at our new church, I dropped the kids at their first Sunday School class of the year and I marched right down to the front of the church to sit in the front pew. This pew was selected a few weeks ago by our children who as we walked into the church started to run towards the front as they exclaimed "let's sit in the front"! Jon and I were both shy about it as this was a new church with new people and a new priest. However, we feel that if we sit in the front, the kids can see better and pay attention more. We feel that if our kids can demand to sit in the front we should faithfully sit there to even if the kids are not with us. Besides, there are less distractions in front which is always a bonus.
As mass started that morning, it was announced that the Anointing of the Sick was going to take place. This made my heart beat a little faster as I was a little nervous about how this was all going to "work" at the new church. You can imagine how I felt later in the mass when they asked all those who wished to be anointed that morning to please stand. I looked around me and not one person moved but since I live with MS everyday, I definitely wanted to be anointed as I need all the help I can get. So I stood up and then an amazing thing happened to me. As the congregation began to pray, I felt so much energy pumping through my body. At first I thought I was imaging it but then I realized, it was real and that the Holy Spirit was touching me in ways I have never felt before. I know this probably sounds crazy but it was so cool. I LOVED IT and I felt so loved. I just wish Jon could have been with me at this amazing moment. Healing powers and prayers are a very powerful thing. God Bless.

Daddy Our Hero

This past weekend we took some time out to honor our hero...Daddy. Jon has been working really hard for the past few years earning his Masters of Business Administration. We are proud to announce that he was able to finish up the program this past July and he graduated with honors at a 4.0 GPA. What is not to be proud of with that! He worked so hard and I could empathize with all his hard work and then with his relief when he finished the program has I know what it takes to go to school, work outside the home, and save energy to be a good spouse and parent. He never likes to celebrate ANYTHING that has to do with him or his accomplishments or even his Birthday but there was no way I was letting this one slide. He worked hard, earned it, and it is a very BIG deal!

Babe-Thank you for being such a great example to our children, for working so hard to benefit yourself and your family, and for just being an all around strong, faithful, determined, and dedicated Dad, Husband, Son, Brother, and Friend. We are so proud of you and know you are loved and honored. Way to go!

Wordless Wednesday - Grandpas Rock

To Move or Not To Move?

So as I have mentioned in a previous post, Jon and I have put our house on the market. After much debate for the past two years and a lot of house searching, we finally made an offer on a home that we would love to move into. The offer was accepted but it is a short sale situation so now it will be up to the banks to decide if they will accept our offer and sell us the house. This process can take a long time. I have heard sometimes up to 6 or 7 months to go through. We knew making the offer that it was a long shot and a long process.
In the mean time, the past few weeks Jon, myself, and our moms have been working extremely hard and getting our house on the market. I am proud to say that as of last Friday evening the house has been listed. We have some showings coming up this weekend that we are excited about so we will see how they go.
We really love our house and our neighborhood now. We could not ask for better neighbors and the location is great. However, when we purchased our home back in 2003 we had the intention of having two children so we thought the house would be a perfect size/layout for that. Well God gave us three at once and we could not be happier but the house is getting tight. Sure we could live in it forever and be just fine but now the kids are all asking for their own rooms and more space and Jon and I feel we could use the same so we are taking the next step.
This process has been very stressful on us. I am trying to stay calm and level headed about it all but there have been many sleepless/restless nights in the past two weeks. I have come to the conclusion that this is all out of our control and I just need to have faith in God above. We need the timing on some of these things to work out perfectly. I know in my heart that what is supposed to happen will happen. Jon and I view this as a win win situation. If we can sell our house and make the move that is great. If this deal does not go through we are great too.
My good friend T send me the following bible verses that helped her through some sleepless nights or moments of anxiety.

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts, offer up your prayers and requests to God”

Phil. 4:5

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Thanks T for the strength and love. This is exciting times for the Erickson Five. If anyone knows of someone who is looking for an awesome updated home let us know! For now, I am going to trust in the Lord. God Bless.