Wordless Wednesday ~ Better Not Show This Dog Bed to Jon!

Steamboat Springs 2012

Uncle T, Jon, AEK on the mountain!

We are on our 2nd annual ski trip to Steamboat Springs this weekend.  We are all having such a great time and we have vowed to come back again next year as well.

The kids have been doing great in their ski school.  We feel that they are really coming a long way with their skiing and we know that we will all enjoy many skiing adventures together in the months and years ahead. 

Yesterday after we dropped them at ski school we were standing at the base of the mountain waiting for everyone to get their ski passes for the day.  It was fairly busy around there and soon we heard a ski instructor shouting to his class "Hey class what's my name?"  He did this a few times over and over again and low and behold...it was AEK's instructor for the day.  It was fun to see so much enthusiasm from the instructor and we were pleased to know that AEK were going to have a great day; have fun, learn a lot, and create great memories.  Sure enough they had many stories by the end of the day when we picked them up from ski school. 
 
Today they had a very kind young lady who they just adored.  Both of the days went great and they have skied over 12 miles on both days.  We know this because they put a GPS tracker on the kids to show where they went on the mountain and what they did for the day. 

AEK are up to skiing some of the blue runs and are loving it. Tomorrow we are all going to ski together and we are looking foward to sharing some of our favorite runs with the kiddos tomorrow.  We are all getting spoiled here with good times, good food, lots of laughs, and good nights sleep. 
Stay tuned for some more pictures soon as Jon plans to bring his camera out tomorrow and get some actions shots along with trying to capture the mountains.  It is truly amazing here and there is nothing like cruising down the mountain with the sun shinning, and to top it all off a breath taking view.  Awesome, just totally Awesome! Once again, we are loving this vacation!  We are truly blessed to have this time. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Oh Gracie How You have Grown

Water Park Fun

This past weekend we headed out of town and caught up with some of our favorite "triplet" friends, The Clark Family.  Awhile back, a deal came across one of those "Steals" type discounts and we could not turn it down.  It was lodging for 12 and water park passes for the weekend.  We split this with the Clark family and it was a heck of a deal. 
The kids had fun hanging out together and the adults had a great time catching up and relaxing.  Oh how life has changed for both our families. The kids are getting so much older and it is easier to just "hang" out since all of the kids do so well together.  We have been friends for about five years and we sure do enjoy making memories together. 
It was great fun and my only regret is that I did not get the fancy camera out to take some photos at the water park itself.  We spent 8 hours at the park on Saturday and another 4 hours on Sunday.  It is safe to say we were all tuckered out when it was time to come home. 
Thanks Clark family for all the memory making fun.  We for sure have to do that again. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Future Architects

New Years Eve 2011

What a fun night we had on NYE.  We hosted our annual New Years Eve party and although our guest could attending was lower this year than usual, we had an awesome time. 

The kids had their very own party downstairs with crafts and at the kid midnight (10 PM) we had a count down and a balloon drop.  It was so fun and the kids LOVED it.  My fingers were a little sore from tying all those balloons but it was well worth it for the excitement the kids had over. 

Later in the evening the women took on the men in a game of Battle of The Sexes.  Although it was close, the women won the match.  That means we have a girls night out while the guys stay home and watch the kids. 

Above the guys are thinking hard about their answers.  Below, the Women were having a good laugh and a ton of fun. 

Much to our surprise and delight most families stayed until the real mid night and the kids did another count down.  It was a lot of fun and we even got to enjoy the fireworks from our local ski hill that we can see right from our front windows. 

It truly was a night to remember with lots of laughs, cheer, and fun.  It will go down in the books or the blog as another fantastic way to start the new year. 

As the evening came to an end, we had lots of dance parties going on with both the kids and the adults.  You can see we really rocked the house.  Happy New Year to all and may the year ahead be full of lots of laughter, happiness, great health, and joy!  We are off to a good start.  God Bless.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Look closely, Uncle T is a Sioux fan?!?!?

Working Hard

The last two days I have been in Chicago for work! I have been helping to get a new 300 bed hospital's kitchen up and running! Lots of fancy equipment that I would love to bake some cookies in these fancy ovens.

Or make some pizza in this fancy pizza oven.

I have learned that being on these projects is an a amazing experience and for me it is always exciting to watch the project come to an end but sad to say good bye to the team.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Life is always better at Grandma's House

Wordless Wednesday ~ Who Needs Expensive Toys When the Box is So Entertaining

Merry Christmas 2011

This year we headed out of town to spend Christmas with Jon's family.  The kids were so excited to see their cousins and to be a part of the Christmas play at Grandma's church.  As you can see from the photos the three of them were sheep.  They really enjoyed being a part of the Christmas Story and the only disappointment was that K did not get to Baaaa in the play.  He has been practicing his Baaa for weeks in advance. 

We all had a great time with Appetizers on Christmas Eve night at Aunt Lori and Uncle Chris's house.  The adults all visited and ate while the kids watched the movie Polar Express.  Then as the night got late, we checked where Santa was located and when we discovered he was in the US we decided it was time to head back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to get the cookies and milk out and get to bed.  E was frantic about getting home in time and K kept telling her that he saw Rudolph in the sky.

The kids finally settled into bed, and when Jon and I decided it was time to get to bed ourselves, we checked for Santa one more time and we discovered that he had arrived in the very city we were located so we jumped into bed and went to sleep. 
The next morning we were jolted awake by three crazy excited kids.  It was 6:45 AM but we do owe a lot to Grandma Carol because they were up at 3 AM, then 3:30 AM, and then 6 AM.  She finally unleashed them on us at 6:45 AM.  A was still sound asleep however so she needed to be awoken.  She did not seem to mind.

After Santa gifts, and Mom and Dad gifts, the kids played and played and played all morning.  Then went the cousins arrived, we had gift session number 2.  As always, it is fun to watch the kids get so excited about gifts and Christmas.  We had such a great time visiting and celebrating with Jon's family this year. 

We headed back home yesterday and once we were unpacked, we headed over to the ski hill to put our season passes to good use.  The kids did awesome and we are so excited about going skiing this season.  We all collapsed into bed last night and fell fast asleep with full bellies and happy thoughts.  This week will fly by but we  are all enjoying some time together and it was a Very Merry Christmas! 

A Night With Cinderella

Around this time of year, we have started a new tradition where every year or every few years, we head to the city and have a fantastic evening with my parents, brother, Jane, and of course all of us. 

Last night we went to a fancy dinner out and then headed over to see Cinderella.  It was fantastic and I am truly becoming a lover of theater.  I was not sure what to expect with Cinderella but it was both funny and magical.  The kids have started to like going to the Theater as well and it is always fun to go to a show and watch their reactions. 
The first year we went, we saw The Sound of Music, the second year was Joseph and the Amazing Techno Color Dream Coat, and now we can add Cinderella to our list of Holiday shows. 
A fantastic evening with some of our fabulous family.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for such a special night out.  We love you. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Please Dexter won't you be my friend?

The Cub Scouts Went To NYC

This past weekend, Jon took K's cub scout troop to his work to teach them about airplanes.  I was lucky enough to tag along as a chaperon that day and boy did we all enjoy ourselves.  Jon lined it up so all of the boys could have a chance to fly the airplanes with the simulator.  I even sat in the captains chair and flew a little.  It was neat to go inside of the simulator and then it was as equally neat to watch the simulator from the outside move around as the groups each took turns flying the airplane. 

It was fun to for K and I to learn and experience what Jon does for his job.  Jon had a great time showing it all off to the cub scouts and some of their Dad's who tagged along.

I have much respect for Jon and what he does everyday.  It takes brains and guts to fly big planes and Jon makes us all proud. 
All the Cub Scouts were so well behaved and excited to experience flying the airplane.  We all flew out of New York and then back into JFK.  We helped take off and land the airplane and along the way there were different emergencies that arose and we saw how the pilots are supposed to deal with them. 

Kendrick was sure proud of his Dad that day and everyone really enjoyed the field trip.  Thanks Babe for a fun afternoon! 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Santa Came to the Neighborhood

A Thoughtful Gift

Our friends and neighbors, who love dogs and have one of their own, Gus, took care of Gracie for us while we were in Seattle for Grandma Mary's retirement party.  They were such good puppy sitters and gave us updates all the time.  It was awesome.  The other night, they gave Gracie a Christmas present.  It was the most adorable ornament for our tree.

We sure love it and this ornament will be treasured for years to come.  What a precious and thoughtful gift to our sweet puppy.  Thank you C family for being so kind.

Sparkle Updated

This morning we woke up to this...

Sparkle is zip lining from the top of the tree to the fire place hearth.  Crazy little Elf!  The kids went crazy, especially when they found out that Jon and I had nothing to do with the zip line.  We have already had requests from our friends with Elves to have Sparkle show their Elves tonight at the North Pole how to build a Zip Line.  We sure love our little Elf Sparkle!

Sparkle Is Back

Sparkle showed up at our house again right after Thanksgiving.  It is so fun to see how excited the kids get when he arrives.  He really does become the topic of conversation in our house for most of the Holiday season.  He has already been many places in our house this past week.
This year the kids drew him pictures and made bead jewelry to send back to the North Pole with Sparkle.  They were thrilled when the next day, Sparkle was wearing his wreath they made him and the letters were gone. 

One night he moved while the kids were watching TV and boy was their major excitement over him moving when they were still awake. 
We are so grateful that we get to have Sparkle in our lives.  He truly does bring so much anticipation and excitement to our Holiday Season.  The first thing A, E, K do in the morning is find Sparkle, that's even before they eat their advent chocolate for the day. 
What a wonderful time of the year! 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Daisys are Cute

Wordless Wednesday-Hanging with Gramps in Seattle

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

This year for Thanksgiving, we stayed home and went over to Grandma and Grandpa Amiot's house.  We were blessed to have Grandma and Grandpa Erickson with us too.  The kids were in heaven with both sets of Grandparents around to spoil them. 

Grandma Mary's friends Becky and Monica came from Tennessee as well so we had a full house.  As usual, Grandma Mary's cooking was outstanding and it was a beautiful day here so overall it was a fun and relaxing day for all.  We took Gracie for a walk down in the woods and she loved it.  She was running around like crazy; jumping in the water and racing after the kids. 

Friday, Grandma Carol and I did a little shopping with Grandma Mary and her friends.  It was a fun morning and nice to spend some quality time together. 

Saturday, we headed to a play at a local theater and it was fun to see.  It was just what I needed to get in the mood for Christmas with it ending with Silent Night.  The kids enjoyed the day and then we hosted everyone at our house for some more good food, music, games and fun. 

Sunday we headed to church to kick off the Advent season.  It was nice to teach the kids about Advent and make plans for how we are going to celebrate the season and help others who are in need. 
Overall it was a glorious Holiday weekend and some much needed relaxation time.  We may be limited to how much we can decorate the house this year for the Holidays due to Gracie Mae and her chewing habits but I am positive that regardless, we are in for a very magical and merry holiday season.  God Bless.