Living it up in Lake Tahoe

This past weekend, Jon and I attended the wedding of his good friend Jeff.  The best part about it was that the wedding was in South Lake Tahoe.  I had never been to this beautiful part of the country so it was especially fun for me to visit and check it all out.  It was so beautiful...I mean truly amazingly beautiful!  I would love to go back some day and go skiing in the winter. 

We flew into Sacramento on Thursday morning and spent the day visiting some winery's on our way up the mountain.  We had our friends Brad and Stacey with us and they were a lot of fun to have on the trip.  We had lots of laughs touring the country side trying to find winery's. 

Once we ended up in Lake Tahoe, we found our awesome condos.  Jon and I scored the Master suite in one of the condos and it was big, beautiful, and it totally spoiled us.  It had a steam shower, a large tub, king size bed, fire place, flat screen TV, mini kitchen, and a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe!  Really why would we need to leave the room!  It was nice to be spoiled. 

Friday was the wedding for Jeff and Abby.  They both looked so happy and in love.  It was such a beautiful setting and Jon and I could not be more thrilled for them and there adventure of starting their married life together.  This night we celebrated Jeff and Abby with some awesome food and great drinks.  It was truly an awesome event! 

Saturday, we took the Gondola up to the top of Heavenly Ski resort and it was breath taking views and so much fun.  We started the day off in the hot tub with some fun conversation with all our friends that were there for the wedding.  What is not to love about waking up in a beautiful place and getting into the hot tub!  So fun. 

The next day we headed back down the mountain and headed home.  It was a great trip and one that I will never forget. 

For All My Mom Friends

This was given to me by a friend.  I had to scan it and put it on the blog.  Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Best Friends

Celebrating the big 6

This year for the kids 6th Birthday, I suggested we go to a local party place and have their party.  They had a different idea in mind and I am so glad. 

The kids wanted to have their Birthday party this year in our new yard.  So that is when the fun began.  I went into planning mode and I pulled in help from "The Village" so the party went off with out a hitch. 

Each kid got to invite 5 friends to the party.  Luckily all the kids were able to come so that worked out perfect for us.  I then formed three teams, each kid and their friends.

  I tie Dyed 19 t-shirts before the party with a little help from my friend Stacey.  Each team had tie dye shirts that were different colors.  Then we had three stations, a bouncy house, an obstacle course, and then the 3rd station was arts and crafts.  At the end of the party, we had Oreo Cake and sang Happy Birthday to all three kids.  It was such a fun day.  Each child got to take home their t-shirt, an award, a bag of snack mix, and a sucker.  It was perfect. 

Jon and I were very pleased with how well the party went.  All of the kids got along great and had so much fun. 

The night after the kids party, we had another party with our Triplet friends.  We had our favorite triplet families over for a BBQ.  There were 13 kids for this party and they all had fun running around and playing in the bouncy house.  We did a pinata this night to and it worked out perfect as each kid got a chance to hit the pinata once.  Once it fell down, there were coins, candy, and toys to be found by all.  You can imagine that not one was missed off the garage floor.  It was a fun night and a very busy weekend.  

It was a great way to celebrate the kids turning 6 years old.  I still cannot believe we are already at 6 but I am sure I will continue to say that year after year after year.  The most important thing is that I am loving this ride!!! 

Happy Birthday Babe!

 Today The Erickson 5 is going to honor one of our own!  A man with many names, Daddy, Babe, Son, Brother, Friend, and the one he was given (not) so many years ago....Jon!







To one incredible man from your 4 biggest fans....Happy Birthday!














We love you so much and appreciate all the hard work you do to support all of us.









Thank you for being a loving husband and father.  Most of all....thanks for being my best friend!











Here's to many good things in the year to come and beyond.

Wordless Wednesday ~ B-Day Fun at the MOA

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!