Christmas Memories 2008

Wow this past week has flown by for us. We had such a nice Christmas this year. All of the Erickson Five enjoyed the holiday. These kids were so excited and they are so mature now about gifts both giving and receiving. Both Jon and I were so surprised that they kept secrets about what gifts were bought for who. They would not tell Daddy what he got and they would just tell me that I was getting Stinky Socks (Jon's instructions). We had some pretty big boxes under the tree for the kids and they were there for over a week and the kids did not touch them at all. These kids were pretty spoiled this year but I know they have the true meaning of Christmas in their hearts. At church on Christmas Eve, K could not wait to see the baby Jesus in the manager. He walked right to the manger scene when we walked into church to see if the baby was there yet. He was not since they place the baby Jesus there at the start of mass but after mass, all three of the kids wanted to go see the baby Jesus. It was really very sweet.
On Christmas Eve Day, we opened the gifts with just the five of us. The kids knew that when daddy got home we would open the BIG boxes under the tree so they were going crazy. Below is a picture to show how they waited and watched for Daddy to come home. Once they saw his car, they went crazy. It was very cute and so fun to see them so excited. After our gift opening, we headed to church. The kids got to go up and sit in front for the homily since we were at the Children's mass. Both Jon and I get a little nervous when they do this because we have no idea what is going to come out of their little mouths. I am happy to report that it all went fine.
After Mass, we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for some Fondue. The kids watched a Christmas movie while the adults took their time eating fondue. It was fun.
Before we left Grandma's house to head home, Daddy checked on Santa's location on line. The kids were afraid that Santa would come and since they would not be in their beds sleeping he would not stop at our house. Once we had everyone in the van, Daddy called Santa to find out and ETA. The kids were thrilled about this and the next morning they reported to Grandma and Grandpa that Daddy called Santa on his cell phone.
Like I said, this Holiday season was so much fun. We all really enjoyed it. It is hard to believe that Christmas is already over but we have such fun memories that we will hold in our hearts forever.

Merry Christmas

Disney Here We Come

Jon and I have been debating for some time now about a trip to Disney World with our kids. We have made the decision that the five of us will be heading down to Disney World in the not so distant future. Now that the decision is made, I am thrilled and I can't wait until we can tell the kids. We wrapped a Disney Book up and put it under the tree. Once they open it, we plan to tell them about our upcoming family vacation.
Jon and I do not know much about Disney. We have a "Disney Specialist" helping us plan our trip but if anyone has any advice for me, please email me babyblues900@yahoo.com or leave a comment.
I once visited Disney a long time ago with my family as a little girl. It was a lot of fun but I don't remember the ins and outs of Disney from that trip.
It will be a great week with Jon and the kids and one that I think we all need. What memories will be made and fun we will have. So watch out Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and the rest of the gang...here comes the Erickson Five!

Your Smeller

Last night as Jon was tucking K into bed, they started to have a conversation about what people and things smell like. I am not really sure how this got started but I do know how it ended.

K said to Jon: "Daddy, do you think in the morning I could smell some pancakes and sausages"

Wordless Wednesday-Daddy's Buddy

Christmas with 4 Yr Olds

Both Jon and I have been enjoying this Holiday Season with the kids. They have so much wonder in their eyes and excitement in their hearts. Every morning when they wake up they ask if they can have their Chocolate from their Advent Calendars. Then we count how many days left until Christmas. This usually ends with them jumping up and down cheering because Christmas is getting closer.We have been so busy with work, school, activities, and most of all fun Holiday stuff that I have not had time to blog. I am happy to report that we are all having so much fun this holiday season. Three 4 yr olds at Christmas time is the best. I love this age. They are so innocent and as a parent it is so much fun to witness all the excitement this time of year brings.
We have decorated our tree, made cookies,done some shopping (they were angels for me), wrapped presents, sang songs, watch holiday movies, visited with Santa (5 times now), celebrated good cheer with close friends, and best of all talked and learned all about baby Jesus and why Christmas is so important. After all, He is the reason for the season.
I wrapped the kids presents the other night and they happen to be wrapped in big boxes this year. The next morning, A was up first so she found me for her usual morning snuggles. Then I heard her by the tree and she ran off quickly and this is what I heard her say "hey guys, you better come quick cause you gotta see this". The next thing I knew I had three very curious kids inspecting the new packages that were under the tree. I thought we would never hear the end of it but the kids all know that they have to stay there until Christmas when we will open them. E kept asking me that morning what was in her "box" and then she kept trying to guess. I finally told her that I was not going to tell her what it was. E replied "Ah, man". This made me laugh.

Wordless Wednesday - Sister Sandwich

Jolly Old St. Nick

Tonight we had our supper with St. Nick at church. Jon and I volunteered to help out since the kids are in the programs at the church now and we need to get more involved. We were put on kitchen duty and I was so glad that Jon was there with me because I would not have known how to turn on the over or the food warmer. There was about 160 people that showed up.
The 6th graders did a play for us on the story of baby Jesus birth. I was amazed how our kids were so engrossed in the story and sat and watched the play so attentively. At the end both of the girls ran up to me to ask if the Baby Jesus was real. So sweet. It was only a doll in this particular play.
Both Jon and I were so proud of A for sitting on St. Nick's lap. She has always been so afraid of St. Nick because when you think of it he can be kind of scary. A big old guy with a huge beard. However, she decided last night that she did not want to miss out on sitting on his lap.
St. Nick gave all three kids a good report. K was most smitten with him. At the end of the night he decided that he wanted to say good bye to St. Nick. He stood and asked St. Nick question after question until Jon and I said it was time to say good bye. We started to walk away and then K turned and asked St. Nick, "how many elves to you have"? It was pretty cute and St. Nick was just that a Saint to put up with all those questions. Overall it was a fun night for all of the Erickson Five. Christmas with three 4 yr olds is the best. Jon and I are thoroughly enjoying this holiday season and the innocence of it all!

Wordless Wednesday - Busted

A Dazzle of a Good Time

On Friday we decided to head out to the local Holiday Parade. It worked out perfect as Grandma and Grandpa, J, and Uncle B, and Aunt L headed down early to reserve some space on the curb and we met up with them later on.The kids loved the parade and they did not complain once that they were cold. The best part of the parade was that Santa was the final float. A, E, & K could hardly contain all their excitement. The Target Dog Bullseye was also in the parade.We have all decided that this will now be an annual event. We all loved the parade and had such a fun time.

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

We had such a nice Thanksgiving this year. The weather was cool but nice enough for some of us to take a long nature walk through the woods. The kids had a blast. We spend the entire day at Grandma M and Grandpa A's house. Aunt Lorretta and Uncle Bern drove up from the south to spend the holiday with us. It was so nice to see them and catch up. We all really enjoyed their company.
Grandma M made an awesome meal as she usually does. We all took turns toasting what we are most thankful for, and the kids enjoyed the special day too.
Lorretta and I actually did a little shopping on Thanksgiving nice and I got such great deals. It was fun because Lorretta helped me with a few craft things and she did an awesome job.
We played lots of cards and talked lots about GG Del and how much we miss her. I know she was there with us in spirit. We had lots of laughs and a few tears, especially when the neighbor showed up with GG Del's favorite Sour Cream Raisin Pie. Such a sweet gesture on her behalf.
Thank you God for my wonderful family, especially for my three beautiful children and my husband who loves me to the core. Thank you for such great health and such a beautiful and peaceful day. So many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday - Waiting Patiently

My Name is Horny.

Today as we were getting ready to go to dance, I reminded the kids to go get their "Friends" they wanted to take along with them. Every week they can bring stuffed animals along with them to dance. You can imagine my surprise when K came back into the kitchen and he said "Mom, I am going to bring Horny with me today". As I turned around to see if I understood him right, K was holding his moose and see mom this is my friend Horny.
You can imagine the laughter this brought to all the parents and the dance coach as we arrived at dance and K announced loudly that he brought his friend "Horny" with him. One of the parents told me that I needed to write that one down. I guess I just did!

Jack In A Box

The following made me smile. I love the anticipation that they have before the box opens. This video clip was taken at Sue's house. She said that she heard a lot of laughing after lunch and this is what she found when she went to investigate. So funny. Enjoy.

It's In Their Blood

This past week we have been blessed to have Grandpa R and Grandma C here for a visit. This is so nice for all of us because having two extra sets of hands around the house is so helpful. Grandma C does all the cooking and she did most of the laundry when she was here. What a relief to have that extra help especially this week since I have come down with the crude of a cold.
Grandma C brought the kids a new game. It is Leapfrog Alphabet, Number, and Shapes Go Fish. These kids love this game and have played it a lot these past few days. This makes me smile because I am sure that GG Del is watching them from Heaven with a big grin on her face. She lived to play cards and honestly she played cards up until her last conscious moment here on earth. She would always say "What do people do if they don't play cards!" Anyway, it touches my heart to know that these kids are getting into card playing just like all of us in this family. After all "It's in their blood"!
Big thanks to Grandma C and Grandpa R for coming to visit and helping us out. The kids sure enjoyed it and so did Jon and I.

Wordless Wednesday - First Snowman of the Season

Dance No More

I am not sure if I posted about KJ being in dance but he has been in ballet and tap dance with his sisters since September. Both Jon and I hesitated to put him in dance but he insisted that he wanted to dance so we signed him up.
Since that time K has really developed a love for sports, football, hockey, soccer, and his biggest love is baseball. He is so into sports that he requests to watch Sports Center when he wakes up in the morning. He knows exactly what teams he cheers for and just yesterday when his daddy put on a shirt for a team he does not cheer for he tapped Jon in the stomach and said, "I don't cheer for that team daddy!"
So a few weeks ago when K announced that he wanted to play hockey, Jon looked into it. There is a program through our local ice rink that has a hockey fast track. Kids can start when they don't even know how to skate. Jon called and there was an opening so this morning, Uncle T and I took K over for his first lesson. Jon had taken him to the used sports store and outfitted him with a helmet, shin guards and elbow pads and all of it cost $37. Thank goodness for the used sports store. Uncle T got K all suited up and I took him over and had him signed in. All the kids were stepping onto the ice and moving right along. I told the woman that I was not sure K could even stand on the ice so she helped him on and put him holding onto the side of the rink. He had a smile on his face the whole time. I think he was a little nervous at first but he really came a long way in his first 1 hour lesson. Uncle T was very proud of him. K is already excited about next week. Now if I could just get him to quit wearing his hockey helmet and shin guards around the house that would be good. He is also sleeping with a hockey puck every night. This is the puck that his daddy gave him and K is afraid if he does not sleep with it he will lose it.

Wordless Wednesday - Family Ferris Wheel Fun

Proud Moments

Jon called me at work today to ask me if I really knew what special kids we have. Jon was so proud of the kids today when he picked them up at school. Below is the craft they did at school. It might not seem like a big deal but when Jon told me that all the other kids said things like my truck, my blanket, my cars, etc., my children's responses to this simple question, melted my heart. E's Response

A's Response

K's Response

White Stuff

This morning, I was blessed with waking up on my own at 7:30 AM and then shortly after that, I was joined by E and she snuggled in next to me. I was so nice to cuddle and talk with her this morning. I LOVE doing that with all my kids. Soon after, K joined us and the three of us watched an episode of Calliou. They really enjoy that show. It was about Christmas this morning and they want to know if we can go Caroling this Holiday season. I think that sounds like a great idea, now I just need to find some people who would like to join us. I love to sing.
Anyway, I got up to fetch myself a cup of joe before I dove into our morning routine. As I came out of the bedroom, I thought it seemed unusually bright in our house. As I rounded the corner into the kitchen my mouth dropped as there was WHITE outside. It had been snowing. I was not prepared for that this morning. It was beautiful outside. Aimee came downstairs when she woke up and I told her to look out the window. When she turned around from the window her eyes were as big as silver dollars. She was so excited about the snow. I told her to go tell K and E so she went to find them squealing with delight. I heard her say "K and E it is snowing outside and it is sticking to the ground". Then all three children were squealing with delight. It was so much fun to see them so excited about the snow.
They even build a snowman (that is now melted) and they made snow angels. I wonder how long it will take for this snow novelty to wear off? Hopefully for all of our sake it will take a long time.