Wordless Wednesday ~ I Now Pronounce You...Brother & Sister!

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday was a hit again this year. I am starting to wonder who enjoys it more...Kids or adults? Our kids love to have a party and that is exactly what we did again this year on Super Bowl Sunday. We had a party and it was at Grandma Mary's and Grandpa Al's house. We had a ton of people show up and we had a lot of kids there this year too. A, E, and K loved having so many friends to play with and it was a fun night over all for everyone. As you can see from all the shoes...we really did have quite the party this year. It was busy but so much fun. We were just bummed that our NFL team did not make it to the Super Bowl this year but we have high hopes that next year they will show up.

Behind

Okay...so to all my faithful readers...if you are still checking in, as you can see I am behind on this blog. Not sure why but time has slipped away from me. So I hope this writer's block will slip away and I will be back soon to updating on a regular basis.

Dancing in the Kitchen

One of our favorite things about our new house is that we have a kitchen that we ALL fit into. This was not the case at our old house so we are delighted to have a bigger kitchen. One of our other favorite things is a speaker system in some of the rooms where we can have our Ipod play. Last night, Jon had Jack Johnson playing while the kids ate their bedtime snack. One of my favorite songs came on and Jon and I started to dance. Our children watched us in awe as we danced close and swayed to the music. Then all of the kids started to dance too. It soon became a full blown dance party right in the kitchen and oh what fun we all had. Nothings better than belly laughing and dancing crazy with your family.
So Thank You Jack Johnson for your music, Thank you babe for the dance, Thank you kids for the laughs, and Thank you God for all the awesome people and things you have brought to my life! Amen!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Wintertime Fun

Cousins Rock

Last weekend we were lucky enough to host Jon's family here at our new house. The kids just love when there Big Cousins E & E are around. They all had a great time together. K loved playing the Wii with cousin E because he knows so much about the games that K likes to play. We had a make your own pizza night and the kids really enjoyed that. On Saturday, cousins E & E came to the kids soccer game and A, E, and K were so proud to have them there and show off their soccer skills. After soccer, cousin Em came to the girls dance practice and all of us girls had a great time.

Saturday night the "dads" headed out to a hockey game of the local college and the one where Jon attended. I cheer for the local college but Jon along with his entire family cheers for the other team! My little E cheered with me though and not to rub it in...the best team won! We also got front rows seats to the funniest puppet show in town. Lots of crazy hair and funny jokes.

Sunday we all headed to church together. We were actually early to church which is not bad considering there was 11 of us to get showered and dressed. After church, we came back to watch some football and have an awesome Turkey dinner.
The kids went outside and did some sliding. They had a blast and Jon used his sisters fancy camera to shoot some great pictures.
It was an awesome weekend and so nice to host company in our new home. I think everyone enjoyed that part of it.

~Family a journey to Forever~

Wordless Wednesday ~ Grandpa Ronnie Surfing w/ Grandkids

Wordless Wednesday ~ Grandpa Al & Squeks

Wordless Wednesday ~ Roller Babes

Wordless Wednsday ~ Santa was good to us

The Move

It is safe to say that we are 99.9% moved out of our old home and into our new one. We have officially been sleeping at the new house now for a week. Much to my surprise, the kids all love having their own rooms and have been sleeping remarkably well at the new house. Our cats, Toby and Dexter seem to be adjusting well too. They meow a lot but they seem to be getting used to the new place fairly quickly. As for Jon and I, we have a lot of work to do ahead of us getting settled and organized. However, a big thanks to Grandpa Al, Uncle T, Jane, and especially Grandma M for all their hard work this past week with moving, organizing and watching kids so we could get some stuff done! Both Jon and I are really busy at work right now so they have all stepped up and helped us out. Grandma C and Grandpa R are coming this weekend and we look forward to having our first guests at the new house!
Jon has met a few of the new neighbors and they all seem very nice and excited to have us moving in. The house needs a little work but it is safe to say we are comfortable and we love our new home. After work slows down and I can focus more on getting the home set up it will feel even better. We moved just in time for the kids to get enrolled in the local school and hopefully we will all make some friends in the neighborhood!
Life is good and now our only hope is that our old house will sell or rent quickly! Here's to the approaching new year and our new dwellings! Cheers!

A New Hospital

It's official, the hospital project that I have been working on for over three years, opened it's doors to patients this morning. Wow! What an awesome achievement for all those involved. This project has awarded me the luxury of working part time the past three years as I was the assistant Project Manager working on Furniture, Artwork, Food Service, and other various areas. This hospital is a huge win for the community surrounding this building. As one of the legislatures said this morning as she was cutting the ribbon at the front doors, "This is my proudest moment serving as a legislature in this fine community!"
This has been an amazing project and I have worked with some amazing people. A few weeks ago they had a community open house and Jon and I brought the kids to it. I wanted them to see where "mommy" works. As we arrived, the med helicopter was flying in and we got front row seats to see it land. It was pretty cool and the kids loved watching it.
This project has been an amazing experience for me and one that I have learned a ton from. I am not sure what my next project will be but I look forward to that challenge.

Merry Christmas 2009

We had such a nice Christmas this year. We spent the holiday over at Grandma Mary’s since we are in the middle of a big move (More on that later)! We had Fondue on Christmas Eve and then after the kids were snuggled in their beds, we headed out for a snowy hot tub and it was perfect!

Christmas morning the kids slept in until 8 AM if you can believe that! It was nice that we did get some extra sleep that night though! Once the kids were up they dug into their stockings and were thrilled with all their goodies from Santa. They were also thrilled that Santa ate all the cookies and the reindeer ate the hay we left for them out in the yard! So fun!

After Stockings we had a nice breakfast and then we opened gifts from under the tree. We had such a nice time and the kids were thrilled with all their gifts. I loved K’s response every time because he was just thrilled with every gift he got. He would reply “This is just what I wanted….Thank you”! We spent the rest of the day hanging out with the kids and helping them to set up all their new toys. We had a nice Christmas dinner and then we all headed home! It was such a fun day.

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"!