The Erickson Funny Farm!

The Fall Festival was a hit! We won a prize for being the best Group Idea for the parade. We were the Erickson Funny Farm. KJ was a Chicken, Ella was a sheep, and Aimee was a cow. It was really cute.

Daddy made the fence and then our good friend Denny helped me attach it to the wagon the morning of the parade. Grandma bought a bunch of candy to throw out to all the people watching and it all went. We had a lot of competition this year but we still won a prize. It was once again a lot of fun. I twas amazing to me how many people look forward to our parade appearance every year. They always want to see "those triplets"!

Aren't they cute!
After the parade was over we then spent the rest of the day enjoying the festival. They had a funky hair booth this year so all of the kids wanted to get their hair colored. It was a lot of fun!


There was also a Ferris Wheel and the tallest slide in MN was there too. The kids loved the slide and KJ would have spent the day going down the slide over and over again. However, it was not cheap to ride so we had to limit him. There was also a race track and a train at the festival and the kids just loved it. There was also a petting zoo and tons of kids games to play.

At the end of the day we spend the last hour dancing to the music. KJ would go drag everyone he knew out on the dance flooer with him. He had Grandma, Mommy, Sue, Uncle T, Kristin, and the list could go on. It was fun to see how much the kids really enjoyed dancing. They were pretty good little dancers too.

Overall, the festival was a hit. The kids had a hard time going to sleep that night because they kept talking about all they saw and did that day at the festival. They are already looking forward to next year. Now I just need to get my thinking cap on to figure out what we will be in the parade for next year.

Tail Shakin

Tomorrow we have our big day. It is the annual Church festival. Every year we dress up as something and partake in the parade. Tonight we had a dress rehearsal with our good friend Kristin (creative mind behind every years parade theme). I caught Ella and Aimee Shakin their tails and KJ was tail-less but he still gave it his best effort. You just have to love their belly laughs. Enjoy!

Fire Trucks For Real

First I would like to say that it has been a week since I have posted to this blog. It bugs me but I have been out of town. Yes, that is right, I was able to leave town with some friends for the entire Labor Day weekend! Boy did it feel good to get out of town. We went camping up north and it was beautiful weather and so relaxing. I really needed that.
So anyway, back to my fire truck post. The past few days, Jon and I have noticed that our electricity was doing some strange things. We both just chalked it up to the power company must have been doing some testing or something. Anyway, last night when Jon got home with the kids, the lights in the house were very dim and would not get any brighter. Jon called our Electrician friend and he told Jon to flip the switch on the circuit breaker so Jon tried that and it worked. Later on in the evening, I was downstairs and when I started the dryer, the lights got very dim and then they came back up. I thought it was weird but was so tired I decided to go to bed. In the middle of the night I woke up and there was no electricity in our room. Something felt weird to me so I woke Jon up and told him the power was out again. He then said, not in the kids rooms because I can hear the fan. He then decided he better head downstairs to take a look and check things out. Jon then came back up stairs and asked me if I would go down with him. Once, I got down there he asked if anything seemed weird to me. It did...it smelled like burned rubber. We both then proceeded to feel the walls and the ceiling to see if anything felt hot. Nothing did.
At this point I looked at Jon and said, do I need to wake the kids and bring them to my moms (it was like 2 AM), do we need to call someone to come out and take a look, or should we stay up all night in case of a fire? We were not really sure what to do but we decided it would best to call the dispatcher for the fire department to see what they thought would be best to do. They suggested either an electrician (didn't want to pay for one in the middle of the night) or the fire department. We opted for the fire department. Before we knew it, we had two fire trucks with lights ablazing sitting in front of our house. We have 5 firemen in our house. They were walking around checking the walls and the ceiling for haze and heat. Then three of the men got called out to a more critical call. The fireman came down to the conclusion that the house seemed fine but advised us to leave the circuit off for the night and if the smell got worse to call them back.
This morning, Jon called our Electrician friend and explained the situation. He said he would stop by on his way to another call. After he inspected our electrical panel, he said that God must have been looking out for us. The main line into the house was shorting out and the insulation was melting. He said that if we would not have turned the circuit off that the sparks would most likely have caused a fireball and then our house would have started on fire! I am numb to this news. My stomach hurts just thinking about it. I just THANK GOD that Jon was home with me and the house did not catch on fire. WOW!
I told the fireman last night right before he left that my biggest fear is having a fire and trying to get all three kids out. He was right when he told me we needed to start having fire drills with the kids. I intend to buy a ladder for our 2nd story and to start talking to the kids about what we should do if the house starts on fire. God sure watched out for us last night. Now we just need to get the electrical panel back in tip top shape!

Fair and Friendships

I feel out of the loop with my blog lately. We have been doing lots of fun things this week so this is going to be a very random post.
Monday, our play date got cancelled so Jon and I decided to take the kids to the fair. It such a fun afternoon/evening with just the five of us. The kids really had a great time and KJ fell in love with Pronto Pups. He ate it in about 2 minutes and when he was finished he declared "I want more Mommy"!
We took our Cho Cho wagon with us to the fair and I was surprised at the comments and looks we got from people. I guess I should have been prepared for that but since the kids are older now we don't get as much attention. When we were in the barns looking at all the animals, I felt like we were on display. Jon and I just laugh about it. To us Triplets don't seem like that big of a deal but I can understand why other people might take notice.
So the day after the Fair the kids were talking to Grandma about what they saw. It was interesting to hear what they each "soaked" in at the fair. They were fascinated with the mommy pig that just gave birth to little piglets a few days prior. The farmer would hold the pigs up and they would cry. Aimee told Grandma that the pig cried because "he wanted to go eat his mother". I tried to explain to her that they were not eating their mother but I am not sure it clicked.
They also told Grandma that they ate cookies from the crayon bucket. We use the old cookie bucket for our crayons. I thought it was interesting that they noticed that.
Overall it was a fantastic day. I wish I had pictures to share with you but the camera died on my when I tried to take the first picture at the fair so we missed out. Boo hoo!
On Tuesday we were invited over to one of Grandma's Friends houses. Her friends Denny and Joan live on a lake so it was a lot of fun. The kids got to play in the sand and water and then we all went out on a boat ride. We did the same thing last year and Joan was sure surprised at how much these kids have grown up. We were invited back again next year! Yahooo.
The kids have really started to enjoy each other lately. They are so good to each other most of the time. It brings both Jon and I such joy to watch them play together and be best friends. They like to hug each other goodnight and they always look out for one another. I am envious of the bond that they will always share but so happy that they have each other. It is so precious to watch them hold hands not because we told them to but because they want too. They love to snuggle with each other and often times I can find all three of the sitting in one chair while they are reading or watching TV. They are so blessed.

This is a bible verse that I found at Lots of Scotts blog but I liked it so much I wanted to share with all of you.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm,
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands in not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)

Mommy Love

Tonight as I laying with the girls at bedtime. Ella wrapped her arms around me gave me a big hug and kiss and said "Mommy, I missed you". Talk about melting your heart!

I was busy with a softball tournament this weekend so I did not get the see the kids much. It was nice to know I was missed.

Black Lipstick

I was not happy when I walked into the living room after cleaning up from dinner to find the girls looking like this! However, once I scolded them and told them no more markers, I turned around and said I have to get the camera. Then the girls laughed and so did I. What goof balls to put marker on as lipstick!
They even went as far as going upstairs to the bathroom to apply the "lipstick". Thank God for washable markers...

THE WIGGLES LIVE

The day finally arrived. We had bought tickets to The Wiggles three months ago. The kids were excited to say the least. Yesterday was the day it all happened.

We ALL had a blast. Daddy, Grandma, the kids, and myself all headed downtown for the big show. It was a lot of fun. Kendrick cracked us up the most as once we got in our seats he did not speak a word for the entire show. He was mesmerized. He LOVED it. You couldn't even get his attention for some apple juice or popcorn because he was so focused. Like Grandma said "he is hardly even blinking". It was so much fun and it was even entertaining for the adults. Jon, Grandma, and I were both laughing pretty hard a few times.
My favorite part of the show was when they turned all the lights off and asked all of the parents to open up their cell phones so it looked like it was stars.

Then we all sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! It was fun and very cool to see all of the lights.
Overall it was a great experience and I am so glad that we were able to get tickets and take the kids. They are still talking about it so I know they had fun.

New Wheels

We have some new wheels here at the Erickson household. A fellow triplet mom is packing up and moving so she sold me these jeeps dirt cheap for the kids. Jon was not thrilled about this idea as he says "It is just one more thing we need to find storage for". However, it was such a deal that I could not pass it up.


So a few nights ago after dinner we headed down to the street to try these out. They are two seaters so one of the kids does not drive but at this point they don't seem to mind. They did pretty good with the Jeeps but they are lacking one major component to driving...STEERING! Jon and I spent a good half hour chasing after these jeeps trying to teach the kids how to steer. We made a little progress but not much. There were a few times when they ran right into the curbs or each other.
I look at it on the bright side...at least they will learn how to steer their toy jeeps and be well practiced for when they hit 16 and have their drivers license. Aside from that, Jon and I will get a good work out chasing after them in the mean time.

Trend Setters

When I got home from work tonight something strange happened. I walked in expecting the usual excitement from the kids with hugs and kisses and such. However, when I walked in to the house it was dead quiet. I asked Jon where the kids were and they were all upstairs playing.
When I hollered up to them they came around the corner and the girls were dressed like this: In case you are not able to tell they have their underwear on the outside of their pants and they are each wearing two or three pairs of pants. They told me they were getting their swim suits on. I was surprised at how well they could dress themselves when they really put their mind to it. KJ on the other hand did not dress himself up simply because he does not have the patients for it. However, he was wearing his "Chicks Dig Me" shirt that really shows his personality. His Daddy dressed him in that.
The girls were so proud of how they were dressed that we decided that it would be fine if they wore that to play outside. Playing outside turned into taking a long walk so we proceeded to walk through our neighborhood with the girls wearing their underwear on the outside of their pants. I know that Susy and her husband surely enjoyed it as I am sure the rest of the neighbors did too!

Daddy's 1st Playdate

Last week, Jon took the kids on a playdate. It was the first time he has ever done this so I was nervous but yet excited for him. He managed to pack a lunch, pack the stuff for the beach, get the kids dressed, fed, and in the car by 9:30!
They went to a beach around here that had a lake that was filtered. They picked up his friend Mike and his little girl Ruby.
I was hoping that this playdate would go well so he will be encouraged to do it again sometime. The good news is that everyone had a blast including the dads! They even managed to get some good pictures.

Sunday Mornings

I love to take the kids to church on Sunday mornings! It is so much fun to dress the girls up in one of their many dresses and to fix up their hair. It is also fun to turn KJ into a handsome little man!
I hate to admit this but we do not make it every Sunday to church. This is hard for me as I really do enjoy going. This is something that I really want to work hard at getting better at. The kids might be able to go to Sunday School this fall. I am waiting to hear back on the ages for it. If they can attend Sunday school that will make going to church so much easier for us. Our church does not offer a nursery so when we do go to church the kids sit with us and sometimes it is hard to listen and soak everything in when you are tyring to keep three-three year olds quiet and entertained. My kids are angels in church so this really is not a good excuse but it is still hard, of course not near as hard as Jesus dying on the cross for all so I feel guilty even writing that it is hard to go to church with three-three year olds!
Anyway, I wanted to post some pictures that my friend Sue took of the kids after church a few weeks back. I just love how dressed up they are!

A Day With Thomas

Grandma Mary and "Auntie" Jane watch the kids for us on Friday's when I have to work. They have been doing this for us for over a year and they love it and the kids love it to. Grandma and Auntie take these kids all over the place and they all have a great time.
Earlier this summer my mom found out that Thomas the Train was coming to our area. She immediately bought tickets for all of them to go. This took place this past Friday. It sounds like they all had a lot of fun.
They got to meet Sir Topham Hat and they also got to go on a train ride. Not to mention pick up a few new Thomas toys and have their picture taken with Thomas. They all had a great time.

The Naitonal Holiday!

Today is what my dad calls the "National Holiday"! It is my birthday! The day started out awesome for me as KJ woke up early and he crawled in bed with me. As I was laying there snuggling with him he said "Mommy, I love you"! How sweet is that.
It has been such a perfect day. I was able to go work out this morning (which I love to start my day that way). Then all five of us headed to a local beach for a picnic lunch, swim, and play time. We all had so much fun. After lunch we took the kids to Grandma's for a nap. Jon and I headed home to get some much needed organization done in our house. It felt so good to get some stuff cleaned up around here. It has really been bugging me. We have a whole van load of stuff we are going to take to the salvation army tomorrow! These kids have taken over the house but Jon and I are fighting hard to get it back under control! I am sure it sounds crazy to most of you that I wanted to spend my day organizing but that is exactly what I requested and it felt great. We made lots of progress in this house with no interruptions. Tonight, I received a gift of a wall hanging that said "We've Surrendered to the children" Both Jon and I laughed so hard as some days that feels so true!
I have to say that this has been one of the best Birthdays I have had in a long time. I cannot tell you how many phone calls and emails I have had today from friends and family wishing me a Happy Birthday! I feel so loved.
Tonight we had dinner at my parents house. As we pulled in the drive way I noticed that the American Flag was out. Jon asked me about it and then we both laughed because we realized that my dad hung it out to signify the "national holiday" that he declares my Birthday. It was pretty funny so Jon took my picture by the flag.
As I was tucking the kids into bed tonight they told me "Thank you mommy for having a Birthday"!
In my book, it does not get much better than that!

Roughing It!

Jon and I, along with my parents and brother decided it was time to take these kids camping. I was very nervous about it as camping can be so "dirty" and there are lots of things around like camp fires and poison ivy that don't mix well with three year olds.
I am happy to report that their first camping trip was very successful! They had a blast and so did we. There were a lot of firsts on this trip. The biggest was sleeping in the tent for the first time. We brought along an air mattress and they all fit on that. Ella had a little trouble falling asleep at night as I think she was a little scared but if we laid with them it did not seem to be a problem at all.
They all slept all night and so did we. They also took a nap everyday for us so we could keep them up later at night to watch the sun set and to eat some s'mores. KJ loved to play ball in the camp site and then run into the woods to find it once he would hit it there on purpose. Aimee loved to look for rocks and save them. Ella loved to carry her purse, baby, and cell phone around the camp site and act like a mommy.
The kids saw the sunset for the very first time and thought that was really cool. We then took out some flashlights and walked down to the beach to see the stars come out. They loved walking down the beach with their uncle Tony and finding leeches. They would actually hold them and throw them back into the water. (It was kind of yucky for the mommy but I did not want to ruin the fun).
They got to see where Smokey the Bear lives but he was not around that day so we did not get to meet him. We spent time swimming and going for boat rides in Grandpa's fishing boat. They enjoyed many cho cho wagon rides around the loop and they made friends with all the other families at the camp ground.
They liked to be around the camp fire and all three of them were very careful around the fire. They knew to stay back.
We found a frog one night and we also would sit very still in the campsite so the chipmunks and ground squirrels would run right up to us and eat. It was so much fun and the kids just loved it. We have already decided that this will be an annual trip for our family. We can hardly wait (now that the 9 loads of laundry are done) to go back next year.

Our Temporary Home...

We have spend the last 4 days living in this:


We had a lot of fun and the kids LOVED it but as you can imagine we are beat tonight as we do piles of laundry and get everything put away. I will post some more tomorrow on our very first camping trip with the kids!

They LOVED it and so did we!

Room Transitions

Jon and I made the decision to switch Kendrick out of the bedroom with the girls and into his very own room. We painted the walls blue (his request) and asked him what he would like the theme of his new room to be. He choose a sports theme. He now has a big boy bed with a new sports comforter. He also has his own dresser, night stand, chair, and we even moved his train table into his room. KJ is very excited about his new room. He has slept in there great every night. However, he still asks at nap time and bed time if he can sleep in the girls bed with them.
The girls are in the same room that they had but we moved a queen bed into their room and they are now sharing that. They seem to really like their new set up and they also have a dresser and hopefully some book shelves in the near future.
We decided to transfer KJ out because we were so tired of bed time being a PJ party every night. They would/could go on for hours and KJ was usually the ring leader in that party. We also have noticed that they have started taking some special interest in the fact that KJ is different than the girls. I guess it just felt like it was time for the switch. Of course Jon and I felt incredibly guilty moving KJ from the girls room. However, once again these kids amazed me as it was really no big deal to them. They love their new rooms and I love having more space for their clothes/toys/books and everything else we have for these kids x3!
Here are some pics of the new rooms:

Great Service

Today we recived a card in the mail from our new kids dentist and here is what it said:

Dear Aimee, Ella, and Kendrick,

Today was your first day at the dentist and you did a super job! You got your teeth cleaned and counted. Remember to do a super job brushing at home!

Dr. T

Is this great service or what!!!

She also sent us three big stickers for the kids with the card.

Now we have an awesome ped and dentist for these kids! Life is good.

We went to the Dentist!

Today was our first trip to the dentist. Jon was able to go with me and I was so happy to hear that. We were not sure how these kids would react to the dentist. On the way there they were all telling me what they were going to shoe the dentist like cuts on their knees and hands and stuff. They did not get the fact that the dentist was only going to look at their teeth. They were all pretty excited and each of them said that they were going to be first.
Aimee was the one who actually went first as Ella and KJ were in the bathroom when they called us back! She had such a poker face when the hygienist was explaining what all of her tools were. Aimee was very brave but she did fuss a little but was able to get her teeth all cleaned, flossed, coated with fluoride and checked out by the dentist! She got three stickers and a prize out of the prize bucket. She also got a new toothbrush and her very own picture of herself at her first dentist visit.
Ella was thrilled about being at the dentist until she saw Aimee fussing in the chair. She took one look at that and turned to me and said "I don't wanna be at the Dentist anymore mommy, I wanna go home" She then burst into tears. I knew this was not a good sign but I just kept telling her that it was all okay. Once Aimee got the price out of the price bucket, Ella calmed down a little. It took her a long time to want to get in the chair. I had to hold her for awhile and I knew she was scared to death. However, being the amazing child that she is she battled her fear and got in the chair. She did so good once they started. She had all of her teeth cleaned, flossed, and fluoride put on too. She got a prize, a new toothbrush, and her very own picture too. I was so proud of her.

KJ was thrilled to be at the dentist and he could not wait for his turn in the chair. We had another hygienist that cleaned his teeth in a different room. We went over with him when they started but he really did not even need us. He listened so well and he was able to get his teeth cleaned, flossed, and fluoride put on. He also got a price and a new toothbrush not to mention his very own picture too.


Here they all are standing with their prizes. They were so proud of their clean teeth that they could not wait to show Grandma when we got to her house. Tonight they told me they want to show Grandpa and their clean teeth too. I was not sure how it would all go but once again these kids continue to amaze me at all the awesome things they can do. We are going back in January to see the dentist again!