Happy 6th Birthday ~ AEK

My sweet children are celebrating their 6th Birthday today.  It has been a busy weekend full of parties and more parties.  More on all of those fun events later.

For now, Dad and I love you more than you know our sweet children.  Happy 6th Birthday!

A lost her 1st Tooth

Last night on the eve of her 6th Birthday Party, A lost her 1st tooth.  It has been loose for a few weeks now but last night we were able to pull it out.  So exciting. 
The Tooth Fairy came and low and behold A got a car wash token too.  So exciting. 
This is sure a sign that these little people are turning into not such little people anymore.  So exciting!

Preschool Graduation

Yesterday, we attended A, E, and K's graduation from Preschool. It was such a fun event and the kids were so proud to get their Diploma and sing songs to the audience.
We were lucky enough to have two Grandmas, a Grandpa, and a very special friend there for the kids as well as both Jon and I.
After the ceremony they had a cookie and lemonade reception at the church. As we walked into greet the kids, all three of mine ran up to me with a flower. I guess one of the many perks of being a triplet mom is three times the number of flowers! It was fun.
We got to have some great conversation with the teachers after the program and it was a great chance to Thank them for an awesome year and to say Good Bye. Amy, our kids teacher this year, said she was going to shed a few tears the last day of school. She will miss her class this year and I know that my three will miss her too. So school is almost out for the summer. I am excited to get some more time with the kids and I hope to plan some fun stuff this summer and make some awesome memories.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Tubing with friends

Our Friend Larry

Last week as I was picking the kids up from Preschool the office administrator asked me if we would be willing to watch Larry the rabbit for a weekend. Since she asked me this in FRONT of the kids, I was begged for the next three days to have Larry come and visit us for the weekend. So of course I would do what any good mom would do and I reluctantly agreed to pick up Larry at 1 PM on Friday.
Larry was a very soft bunny and we all fell in love with him right away. We even let him out of his cage and many times I would find Ella snuggled up on the floor with Larry. She bonded with that bunny like no one else.
Saturday morning when I walked in to check on Larry, you can imagine my surprise when he has escaped his cage. Luckily he was litter box trained so I did not have any messes to clean up but I am still puzzled as to how he got out of that cage.
We have two cats, Toby and Dexter and they even seemed to enjoy having Larry around. The part I liked least was cleaning out his cage every morning. That was a little nasty but we got through it.
You can imagine that this morning, when Jon announced it was time to pack Larry up to take him back to school, there were tears, lots of tears. It was heart wrenching to watch all three kids cry about Larry having to go back home. Ella was especially sad about poor Larry going back to school.
When we picked Grandma and Grandpa up at the Airport this afternoon, they asked about Larry and Ella's tears started all over again.
We will not own a bunny anytime soon. He was great to have around for a WEEKEND but the thought of cleaning out that cage every morning when I got out of bed well that is enough for me to say "No Rabbits" around here.
It was great to watch all three of the kids bond with Larry. It was good for all of us to have him

Wordless Wednesday ~ Love This Pic

It's That Time of Year

I have enjoyed spending the last few days with the kids. Well when they have not been at school or at play-dates with their friends. We have exactly 6 days of school left and then they will be on summer break and in exactly 13 days my trio is going to be turning 6 years old. I am in constant amazement with how fast time truly goes by with raising kids. Don't get me wrong, some days are long but the years are always short. I have been reflecting back the last few weeks on how far both Jon and I have come with our three miracles. It has been the ride of our life and I know that I take all the good and bad times and smile at where we have been and how much we have accomplished. I miss my little babies but I so love my big kids now.

In a few short months, I will walk my trio to the bus stop and watch them climb on and head to school. I am quite surprised how emotional this thought makes me. Don't get me wrong, I share in their excitement about starting school and taking that next step but I guess it is the letting go. They need school and I know they are going to LOVE it so I am not sure what all this emotion is all about. I think this must be natural for all mothers as they watch their little ones go out into the world. I guess it is like birds pushing their babies out of the nest to fly.

So next week we have Preschool Graduation and it will be fun to celebrate with the kids as we have accomplished another school year. I look forward to the summer and doing some fun stuff with the kids!

Oh what a ride this parenting adventure is!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Tubing on Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

To all the mother's I know, Happy Mother's Day. May today you have moments of feeling special and being spoiled.

To my own Mom! Thank you for being the rock of our family and holding us all together all the time. Thanks for your endless love and giving for all of us. Thank you for loving me no matter what and for loving my children even more. You are the best and I hope you know this Mother's Day and always, how much you are loved by all of us.

To my Mother in Law, Thank you for all you do for all of us over here at the Erickson 5 house hold. Thanks for teaching your son to be such a gentle, caring, incredible man. Please know you are loved even across all these miles.

MS Walk 2010

Today was the 12th annual MS Walk for the Walking Maniacs team. This year we had a great turn out with about 25 people on our team. It was a beautiful day today for a walk and we all had a great time.
Big Thanks to Grandma Mary, Jane, and Rachel for watching kids and making lunch, Big Thanks to Grandpa Al and Gary for car pooling and grilling burgers and brats.
This walk means a lot to me and every year it is always a big success. This year between Jon and I we raised $3000. WOW! I am thrilled about that.
I feel so loved for so many friends and family that support me in this important cause, year after year after year! It feels great to fight against a disease that affects so many people. I am convinced that we are closer and closer to a cure every year. I feel good to raise money to support the research to find a cure.
Thank you to everyone that helped make today a success. My sponsors, friends, family you put one big smile on my face today and warmed my heart with your generosity. God bless all of you.

The Spring Show ~ Dance Dance Dance

Saturday night the girls had their final dance show. This year the girls have been in the Just for Kix dance program and they LOVE IT. They had about 7 shows this year and last night they performed all of the dances that they learned this year. It was so much fun to watch how far they have come over the year and just tonight, E told me that she wants to dance again next year. I think this dance gives them so much as they learn to perform in front of a few hundred people and I believe this gives them courage and confidence. Watching them dance makes a mom proud and Jon could not be there but we bought the DVD of the show so the girls can watch it with him later in the comfort of our family room. K is also a proud brother and proudly went to get his sisters at the end of the show all by himself!

Bowling for MS

Friday night some dear friends of mine put together a fundraiser bowling event for MS. This was to raise money for the MS Walk and my team the Walk'in Maniacs. The event was so much fun and we all really had a great time. There was a silent auction, a raffle, and money that could be won for great bowling skills. I am happy to announce that the event raised over $1100. Yahoo. This was great incentive to plan another event for next years walk. Go Team Walk'in Maniacs!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Happy B-Day Grandma Mary

Our Mexican Get A Way

Last Tuesday, Jon and I, along with our friend Steve and Lisa, boarded a plane and headed down to Mexico for a 4 night, 5 day vacation. We had a fabulous time. Steve and Lisa have triplets and an older child and Steve and Jon are in the same profession so it was fun to spend a few days with them on vacation away from work and kids. It was beautiful down in Playa Del Carmen where we stayed and so much fun to see the culture down there. The water was so blue and the weather was just perfect when we were there with the exception a rain the first evening. We had many wonderful meals and lots of great conversation over our stay. We swam in the ocean, walked the beach, collected many shells, got a little sun burned, had great conversations, and most of all we relaxed. One of the days we thought it would be fun to do a little adventure so we headed to the new amusement park in Mexico called Xplor. Xplor is a unique underground world, with activities that invite you to explore the 4 elements and rediscover your emotions and senses within nature.
Over 6 miles of adventure. Eleven exciting zip-lines, journeys through the jungle on unstoppable amphibious vehicles, an underground paradise where you can swim surrounded by amazing stalactites and stalagmites, a matchless raft route across stunning subterranean caverns while paddling with your own hands, and to complete your feat, a nutritious and light buffet, that will recharge your energy.
It was awesome to do all of these things and we all had a great time. I do not have any pictures from our day at this park as I did not have a water proof camera but I am sure we would of had some great shots. The Zip lines were my favorite and this is and adventure that I am not sure any of us will forget. Overall it was awesome to get away with my hubby and some fun friends. It was such an awesome place to go for a vacation that I am sure we will bring the kids back down one day to enjoy it with us.
It was nice to get back home to the kids as both Jon and I missed them so much. They were excited for the seashells we had found them and the fun shirts we brought to them. When we told them all about our trip all three of them got very excited about it. They all want to visit Mexico soon.

Big thanks to Grandma Mary and Grandpa Al , Jane, Uncle T, and Sue for helping out with the kids when we were gone. It's great to know that they are in such good hands.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Our new best friend!

Mothers of Multiples Convention

This past weekend, I had the pleasure to sneak away for a few days to the Mother's of Multiples Convention. I love this weekend for so many reasons but most of all I love it because I get to spend some time with my favorite Triplet Moms and we can all "let our hair down" for a few days. We laugh until or sides hurt and we talk smart most of the weekend.
This years theme was PJ party so you can imagine hundreds of women running around the hotel in their PJ's. It was great fun and we are already making big plans for next years convention as the theme will be 1980's and Girls just wanna have fun! Yeah!
So to my fellow Hot Mamas that helped me laugh and rejuvenate this past weekend! THANK YOU! Love you guys.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Toothless Grin

A Day At the Park

Last Friday it was a beautiful day outside and we were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa Erickson with us. We decided that it was time to get out of the house and do something fun so we headed over to a local park we do not get to go to very often and the kids had a blast.

The girls really loved to do the Monkey Bars and I was amazed at how well they do at them. They begged me to do them over and over and over again.
Watching them made me tired but the insisted on doing them. We loudly applauded each of the girls when they were done and they were so proud. I tried to capture some moments on tape and it is fun to look back and see the determination in their eyes.

K made some new friends at the park as he usually does. They spent lots of time playing hide and seek and just exploring the park.
It was such a nice day and we all really enjoyed the fresh air, and laid back afternoon. The weather is nice and I can hardly believe that spring is here but since we had our first thunder/lighting storm of the year last night it is now officially Spring time.

Embarrassing Moments

This past weekend, Grandma and Grandpa Erickson returned for another visit. We love having them down to our new house where we have so much more space for everyone to be comfortable. We had a great visit. They really helped us out as I was busy with the Multiples Sale and Jon was out of town. The best part about my In-Laws is that they have a great sense of humor. So on Saturday night when Ella said to me (in front of Grandma Carol), "Mom, why are you always in such a bad mood when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit", I about died. Grandma Carol started to laugh and laugh and laugh as she thought this was so funny. Then we all kind of laughed as it was funny.

Another moment from our weekend that made us laugh was when we were in the car and K has something that A wanted. She begged and fussed and cried but he was not going to give it up. Pretty soon we hear K say, "A do you know what one of the ten commandments is, you should not want what somebody else has"!

So Grandma Carol and Grandpa Ronnie, if you are reading this, please know that I am deeply sorry if I am at all crabby when you are down!!! :O) Thanks for a great weekend and all your help. We really appreciate it.

Father Kendrick

Kendrick has been extremely into the Bible these past few weeks. He asks all the time for someone to read the Bible to him and he loves it. He told me just the other day that he can't wait until he can read the Bible all by himself (we are still working on reading at this house).

On Sunday after church, the Sunday school teacher approached me and told me that she does not know what Jon and I do with our kids at home but they are such great kids and if everyone raised their kids the way Jon and I do, her job would be so much easier. She then proceeded to tell me that K is very smart, in fact so smart, that he would not be surprised that when he gets to school he will be considered "gifted"! I know that K is a smart boy, but I had not idea what she was talking about. She then proceeded to tell me that he just knows things that kids his age just don't know. After piecing some things together, the story in the Bible that Grandma Carol read before bed last night, was the same story that they talked about in Sunday School the next morning. I smiled to myself as I am sure K is very smart and may well indeed be considered "Gifted" some day but for now, he was just lucky to know the exact story the teacher was talking about. This still makes me smile tonight. WOW! He sure impressed his Sunday School teacher!
I am thrilled that K is enjoying the Bible so much. All three of my kids have Jesus in their hearts and this makes me smile. Sometimes at lunch, I will be busy getting the drinks, napkins or whatever and the three of them will break out in prayer with out being asked to do so. They talk about Heaven and God and his son Jesus all the time. Just today, K was sitting at the table decorating the cross he got in Sunday School yesterday and he was singing a song about Jesus as he did so. It was very sweet. I hope that this excitement about God/Jesus and Christianity continues for a very long time. God is good, very very good and who knows, I may have a little Priest on my hands!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Learning New Skills

Easter Festivities

Wow, what an awesome day we had this year for Easter. The weather was sunny and warm and the kids had so much fun. We started out the day early as our Daddy had to work so we all had a quick but yummy Easter Morning breakfast together. This was after the kids tore through the house looking for all the Easter Eggs the Easter Bunny had hidden the night before. We luckily were able to find them all but it was touch and go for the last one for about 45 minutes.
Then the kids and I got all decked out in our Easter attire and headed to church. I was nervous as I knew church would be very busy and I was by myself with three 5 year old's but they were angels. God reserved a seat for us up in front by the same people we always sit by and it was a very nice service and the kids enjoyed it too. I think you know you are at the right church when you get the chills when you are there. I really feel God's love at our church. I think the kids do too.
After church we headed back home and when we pulled up to our house we had the surprise of our life, our new neighbors had scattered hundreds of eggs throughout our front yard, in the rocks, bushes, and even the trees. There were also three baskets, one of each of the kids, on our front porch. It was so sweet that is almost made me cry. Tim, Perry, and I all watched with smiles on our faces and the kids ran through the yard to collect the eggs. I will never forget how heart warming it was that they went above and beyond to surprise us and treat my kids so well. It was awesome and it feels great to live next to people who are so thoughtful and fun.
Once we had our second egg hunt of the day behind us, we loaded up all our stuff and headed over to Grandma Mary's and Grandpa Al's house for some more Easter fun. The Easter bunny had hid some more eggs at their house and he also pooped on the floor again. It was big news and the kids learned that bunny poop looks, feels, and smells just like raisins.
After we had all our egg hunts down for the day, we headed over to the park to play some softball with the H family. They allowed all four of us to join in the fun and boy we had a great time. It was the women vs. the men and the women WON!

We ended our perfect day with a big meal at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Daddy was home just in time to join us for the meal and boy was it yummy and good. It really was such a fun and perfect day.
Oh and one last very important event that occurred on this awesome day....K decided that he was going to ride his bike on two wheels. He worked very hard at it and by the time that daddy arrived home, he was successful and proudly showed Jon how he could do it.
I will never forget what perfect weather we had and the excitement on the kids faces for the holiday. Most of all I will continue to Thank God for giving us his only son and for Jesus who died on the cross to save all of us and forgive us our sins. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Rejoice and Be Glad

Jesus Christ has risen today! Alleluia!

Rejoice in all things that renew your faith, refresh your spirit, and brighten the world around you!

Happy Easter!

Love,
The Erickson Five