Celebrations

"Whatever the past has gone, the best is yet to come." Lucy Larcome

Last week, I turned 33! That is not old, not old at all but it is amazing to me that with each new year and Birthday, I am starting to notice the less excitement I have about them. I don't feel old but I have noticed that the last few times I have gone to buy a bottle of wine or some beer at the liquor store, I have not been carded. YIKES! Do I look old? I guess I haven't noticed.

Having a Birthday is so much more fun when you have kids around. They LOVE to sing Happy Birthday, Eat Cake, Open gifts, and have a party. They really enjoyed my balloons and of course the cake. It was a fun party we had over at Grandma's house. Jon and I also got to go out for dinner one night with some of our closest friends. Overall, this Birthday celebration was awesome, even if I did not feel like celebrating.

I was spoiled rotten and it was clear that everyone who knows me was not going to let me forget this Birthday.

Super Sliders

Today one of my good friends invited the kids and I over to play on her water slides that look like this. The kids had so much fun running around her yard and playing on this. It was a nice relaxing afternoon. Thanks E for having all of us over and feeding us lunch and treats.

I was also able to sneak away today for a much needed massage. That was really good for my soul. I felt refreshed after and hour of massage and good conversation with G. The best massage therapist around.

The best laughter for my soul was letting my kids play "Car Wash" tonight in the back yard. They washed every piece of outside play equipment that we owned. Ella would scrub it with soapy water, KJ would rinse, and Aimee would wipe dry. It was a hoot to watch all three of them in action. The best was spraying Aimee with the hose and watching her squeal with joy.

Tomorrow I am off to work. It was been a week and a half so I owe I owe it's off to work I go!!!

Back In Our Groove

We are home from the activities last week. At this point in time I do not want to go into details about how the last week went. I will say that our kids are so amazing and once again they handled a hard situation way better than expected. I will post on this experience when I feel a little more emotionally stable. I am still not feeling like myself so for now I am treading lightly through life and I do not want get to deep in my feelings for now.

Today I headed to the gym, took the kids to T-ball, went to the mall, and ended up at Pump It Up for a fun play-date with the multiples group. It was a great day and we are all tired tonight. It feels good to be getting back in our "grove" around here. We have about 5 weeks of summer left. I intend to fill those weeks up with lots of fun activities.

Thanks to all of you who have responded with thoughts and prayers for myself and my family as we say goodbye to GG Del. The funeral was beautiful. We really appreciate all the thoughts and prayers. More to come later...

My Little Magician

Wordless Wednesday-Lil Priate

In Memory of GG Del April 30th, 1922 - July21, 2008

Last night GG Del went home to meet my Grandfather in heaven. For us left behind we are frozen with grief. For GG Del she is now home.

A few weeks ago I found this story from this website. This story gave me a great perspective on life and death.

The Dragonfly Story

"In the bottom of an old pond lived some grubs who could not understand why none of their group ever came back after crawling up the lily stems to the top of the water. They promised each other that the next one who was called to make the upward climb would return and tell what had happened to him. Soon one of them felt an urgent impulse to seek the surface; he rested himself on the top of a lily pad and went through a glorious transformation which made him a dragonfly with beautiful wings. In vain he tried to keep his promise. Flying back and forth over the pond, he peered down at his friends below. Then he realized that even if they could see him they would not recognize such a radiant creature as one of their number.
The fact that we cannot see our friends or communicate with them after the transformation which we call death is no proof that they cease to exist."

by Walter Dudley Cavert

I miss GG Del so much already. I have a lot of healing to do. We all sat around last night talking about GG Del stories and we laughed and laughed. She was an amazing woman. As Jon said to me last night "She is the strongest woman I have ever met". I take comfort knowing that GG Del is with her husband of 52 years up in heaven.

Wordless Wednesday-Rockstar

2 Flower Girls and a Ring Bearer

Yup...that's right, my oldest friend K got engaged a few weeks ago. I am delighted that she asked A, E, and KJ to be in her wedding. They do not really get what it means to be in a wedding but when K told them that they will get to dress up, KJ replied that he had a batman costume at home he could wear! Probably not what K was thinking but it was cute.
I am also going to be in her wedding. It will be so much fun. We have a year to prepare for this big event but in this doom and gloom summer I am having, this is my ray of sunshine. Thanks K for asking all of us to be a part of your day. Love ya!

4 Year Check Up

Today the Erickson 5 headed over to the doctors office for the trio's 4 year check up. We had a great visit with the doctor and the kids all did an excellent job. We were there for an hour and a half and the kids were pleasant the whole time. The doctor asked them all kinds of questions about food, car seats, activities, and he even played games with them. The doctor is amazed at how healthy and bright these three kids are. It feels good to go to their appointments and get such positive feedback on them. As I mentioned last year, this doctor is incredible and both Jon and I are so pleased that we switched over to this new practice. You can find the statistics from last year here.
I am surprised that E weighs more than A but is shorter than her. I asked the nurse to re-weigh both of the girls because I was sure she had it wrong. However, she did not. Amazing. KJ gained 7 lbs over this past year! He is growing!


Here are the statics from today:



A

Height: 38 1/4" (15%)

Weight: 33 lb. (30%)



E

Height: 37 1/2" (7%)

Weight: 33 1/2 lb. (34%)



K

Height: 39 1/4" (22%)

Weight: 38 (65%)

Fun at the Little Beach

Last night we were invited to go over to our friends the L's for a party at their beach. We had a blast. They also had the C's over. All three families have triplets and the L family also has an older daughter too. There were six adults and 10 children.


The kids had so much fun swimming in the lake and making sand castles. We all brought picnic dinners and ate right there on the beach. Then at the end of the night after cleaning up the disaster that all of us made on the beach, we cleaned it all up and then the guys took the boat out for a ride and all us ladies took the kids back in the house and gave all 10 kids a bath and put PJ's on. Amazingly, it went well. The L's want us all to come back again so that is a good sign.

Story Telling

These short stories are brought to us by A, E, & K and the director is Sue! Enjoy!

They are all cute but KJ's really brought a smile to my face. I accused Jon of getting a speeding ticket and not telling me about it. I have no idea where KJ learned all about speeding tickets. So cute!

Home with a Heavy Heart

Yesterday, I reluctantly packed my suitcase and returned home from a 5 day visit with my Grandma (GG Del). As I have posted before, she was recently diagnosed with both bone and liver cancer. During my visit, she went from not so good to worse. I watched her physically and mentally change every single day I was there.
I honestly believe that nothing can prepare you for caring for a loved one that is in so much pain. It makes you want to rip your hair right out of your head as you can do nothing but watch them in pain. The kind of pain that it hurts so bad you can't breath, talk, or even focus. All Grandma could do was just sit and shake. This would happen on and off all day and night long. Poor thing. I bottled up all my emotions when I was there and just went into care mode. However, once I sat down on the airplane yesterday I started to unbottle all those emotions. I swallowed hard the whole way home as I did not want to start on the airplane or at the airport. I made it until I saw the van and Jon driving it (w/out the kids thanks goodness) and then I just lost it. I dropped my bags and lost all control. Jon just stood there and held me until I had enough sense to get in the van. This whole process hurts. My heart is heavy and my eyes are red. I was no good yesterday as I spent most of the day just laying around. Someone told me that the kids would be good medicine for my heart and that person was right. Yesterday, when I got home, Ella gave me so many bear hugs over and over again. Then she told me she had a surprise for me since I was such a good mommy. She then marched upstairs and brought down one of her stuffed animals. She told me that bears name was "Rock star" and that I got to keep her. Today as I was ready to leave for work she told me to hang on as she had another surprise for me. She marched off with her hands on her hips and then when she came back she out stretched her arms and said that she had lots of bear hugs just for me. So sweet.
Also today, as I was leaving for work, Ella asked me where I was going. After I told her that I was going to work, she then asked when we could have a day where I did not have to go anywhere. KJ told me today "You should try and be happy today mommy"! These kids can sense everything that is going on. Today when Aimee got up she crawled right up into my lap and snuggled with me for about 5 minutes. I think I was missed.
It is hard being here away from my Grandma but it is also hard being there. It is just hard being when someone you love has to go through something like this. Everyone goes through it, it is just my turn right now. GG Del landed in the hospital today so I hope that they can get her pain under control and help her to feel as good as she can right now. I just pray for peace for all of us.

Wordless Wednesday

When did my little Aimee get so big? Love this picture! So serious about T-Ball.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday America!

It has been a full day around here. The kids had fun and we ended our night watching some fireworks with the B triplets. The best part about today was that The Erickson Five was together all day!
Tomorrow I am off to visit GG Del. She was diagnosed with both Liver and Bone cancer last week. We since have learned that the cancer is basically everywhere and it has even reached up into her skull. She will start some radiation on Monday and we hope that will help with all the pain she is in. I spoke with her on the phone today and she sounded good. It will be good for me to visit. The blog might be quiet for a few days but please say some prayers for GG Del and all of us who love her. God Bless.

Slip'n and Slid'n

Tuesday was a perfect day. We did not leave the house at all. We hosted a play date for a majority of our day with some friends we have not seen in a few months. The kids had a blast running around the backyard, playing in the sandbox, on the swing set, in the pool, and also going down the slip'n Slide.
It was a hot day so after awhile, I decided to give the slip'n slide a try myself. The kids thought that was great. We would go down and then run back up the hill and do it all over again. We did this for a solid hour. It was a blast. I think the kids really enjoyed me sliding with them. After dinner that night we went outside again and did it all over.

I then decided it was time to take a short clip of them. Aimee is not in this as she was standing at the water faucet ready to turn it off. You will hear here shouting at the kids to get off the slip and slide. Also, I got a kick out of KJ's last slide down. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

(This is something new I am trying out on my blog. Pictures can speak so much sometimes.)

Florida Memories Day 4 & 5

This was our last full day of vacation down in Florida. We decided that it would be a great day to take the kids out on the boat and go fishing. We got everything all packed up and loaded the kids up on the boat to leave and then the boat would not start as the battery had died. We then let all the kids get in the pool for awhile so the battery could charge. It was at this time that the guys suggested I take off for the outlet mall again since we had to wait awhile for the battery to charge. I of course had no problem doing this.
I left the kids swimming with the dads and headed to the mall. A little later, Jon called and said they had got the boat started so he wanted to know if I had a problem if they took the kids fishing without me. Since I was hungry and still enjoying my shopping, I told them that it would be fine. However, now I do regret not being there for the big fishing adventure.
The kids had a blast. I don't really know all the details but I will post some pictures. They kept some of their fishes so they could show me when they got back. The fish did not make it though so we had to cook them up for dinner. The kids LOVED it. This in itself was amazing to me.
We did not do to much the night before we left as we had a lot to pack and an early morning. We did one last swim with everyone and it was a blast.
Thursday we got up and got all the kids dressed and fed for our big adventure home. The kids did an awesome job traveling. They listened well and behaved so good on the airplanes. It really makes Jon and I want to schedule our next trip with them. We have our thoughts on going somewhere this fall but we will have to see how that all works out.

Smile Making Stories

This is a story Sue sent to me from her visit with the kids the other day. I thought I would share as it made me smile.

I found an old intercom system so I put one end in the playhouse and the other in the kitchen. The kids got way too excited about it and didn't quite understand. I told them to go into the play house and I would call them on the intercom when lunch was ready, and then they could come up to the deck and pretend they were at a restaurant. Well I told them it was time on the intercom, and then they yelled out the door of the playhouse that they were coming, rather than tell me on the intercom. Soon came a whole big entourage. Apparently Ella decided her baby was coming so they needed a high chair, which Kendrick was carrying. They they had to bring the baby's food too. We got all settled and I said when people go out to dinner, they talk about their week. So Kendrick said he would go first. Apparently we have been doing too much pretend story telling because he launched into a big tale. Aimee said a little something pretend. Then Ella went and told us her name ( which was not Ella, but something else), she told us she was 31 and that Aimee was 20, and her baby was really a boy and ate all his food. She chatted just like she was someone who was 31. When she was done eating, she got money out of her purse to pay, and told everyone to come and for KJ get the high chair. Aimee of course stayed because she wanted to help with the dishes.

Devastation

So I posted a few days ago that GG Del needs some prayers. Today we finally got some news. GG Del has cancer in her bones and her liver. This is what has been causing her so much pain for six plus weeks. It is great to have some answers but I can't seem to stop crying as my heart is breaking for what is ahead for her. I always wished that when it was time for her to go she would she would pass quickly and in her sleep. That is still my wish for her but now I am just hoping that she can get to that point with little or no pain.

Above is a picture of GG Del with our family. This was taken at Easter time of this year. She is the one on the right.

GG Del means the world to me and our family. I posted this about her just a few months ago. She is still very sharp and has her mind so we can all be grateful for that. I am not sure what the next few weeks and months will bring for us but overall I hope that we can find comfort for her and that we can control the pain. I also hope that we can cherish the times we have left and we can find comfort in our heavy hearts!

Florida Memories Day 3

On the Third day of our vacation to Florida we decided it was time to take the kids to the beach. We have never had all three kids at the ocean at the same time. I was excited to see how they would react to the water and the sand. We packed all of the kids up, the beach towels, a picnic lunch, waters, sand toys, beach umbrella, water toys, and headed to the beach. It was a blast. The kids did no know what to think of the water at first because the waves were loud and they were crashing into the sand but eventually we got all of the kids out in the water and we did a little body surfing. They LOVED it.

Mike also brought a fishing net along so he waded out and brought back all these little fish and the kids had a blast picking them up and putting them in the buckets. This was so much fun and then the birds came! YIKES. Pretty soon we were surrounded by the birds as they all wanted the little fish. The kids thought it was cool and I was just praying that no one would get pooped on. At one point E and KJ were chasing the birds down the beach.

The kids also enjoyed being pulled on the boogie boards up and down the beach. This was some good exercise for Jon, Mike and myself. It was so much fun to be at the beach and let all the kids enjoy. We are not used to how hot the sun is down in Florida so we all got a little sun burn that day even with SPF 30 and SPF 50 on but we learned our lesson. We headed home from the beach and all 4 kids took a nap that day. They were wiped out.
While the kids and the dads were napping, I ran over to the outlet mall that is located near their house. Boy did I get some serious power shopping done. It was awesome. Every store had so much stuff on clearance. I did get some great deals and I was really happy that we had our car seat bags so I could get a lot of the stuff home.

When I returned from the outlet mall, it was time for dinner so we all headed out on the boat to go catch some dinner. While we were out on the boat we saw dolphins. I was thrilled as I remember paying a lot of money in Hawaii to go see some dolphins. As I watched my kids look at the dolphins, I wondered if they really knew what a treat it was to be on a boat, on the gulf, and watching dolphins. I am sure they don't but I am sure grateful that we were able to be there at that time and experience all the new things. We had an awesome meal and when we were heading home, there was a great sunset so we snapped some pictures. I think this night on the boat is my favorite memory of our trip. It was so relaxed and we all had so much fun. When we got back to M & H's house we all went swimming. What an awesome night.