Wordless Wednesday ~ One Tuff Cookie

Giddy Up

The other day Jon was talking to the kids about where we should take our next family vacation.

E said "Grandma & Grandpa Erickson's House"

K said "Texas"

A said as she batted her eyes "Anywhere I can meet a cowboy Daddy!"

Wordless Wednesday ~ I Now Pronounce You...Brother & Sister!

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday was a hit again this year. I am starting to wonder who enjoys it more...Kids or adults? Our kids love to have a party and that is exactly what we did again this year on Super Bowl Sunday. We had a party and it was at Grandma Mary's and Grandpa Al's house. We had a ton of people show up and we had a lot of kids there this year too. A, E, and K loved having so many friends to play with and it was a fun night over all for everyone. As you can see from all the shoes...we really did have quite the party this year. It was busy but so much fun. We were just bummed that our NFL team did not make it to the Super Bowl this year but we have high hopes that next year they will show up.

Behind

Okay...so to all my faithful readers...if you are still checking in, as you can see I am behind on this blog. Not sure why but time has slipped away from me. So I hope this writer's block will slip away and I will be back soon to updating on a regular basis.

Dancing in the Kitchen

One of our favorite things about our new house is that we have a kitchen that we ALL fit into. This was not the case at our old house so we are delighted to have a bigger kitchen. One of our other favorite things is a speaker system in some of the rooms where we can have our Ipod play. Last night, Jon had Jack Johnson playing while the kids ate their bedtime snack. One of my favorite songs came on and Jon and I started to dance. Our children watched us in awe as we danced close and swayed to the music. Then all of the kids started to dance too. It soon became a full blown dance party right in the kitchen and oh what fun we all had. Nothings better than belly laughing and dancing crazy with your family.
So Thank You Jack Johnson for your music, Thank you babe for the dance, Thank you kids for the laughs, and Thank you God for all the awesome people and things you have brought to my life! Amen!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Wintertime Fun

Cousins Rock

Last weekend we were lucky enough to host Jon's family here at our new house. The kids just love when there Big Cousins E & E are around. They all had a great time together. K loved playing the Wii with cousin E because he knows so much about the games that K likes to play. We had a make your own pizza night and the kids really enjoyed that. On Saturday, cousins E & E came to the kids soccer game and A, E, and K were so proud to have them there and show off their soccer skills. After soccer, cousin Em came to the girls dance practice and all of us girls had a great time.

Saturday night the "dads" headed out to a hockey game of the local college and the one where Jon attended. I cheer for the local college but Jon along with his entire family cheers for the other team! My little E cheered with me though and not to rub it in...the best team won! We also got front rows seats to the funniest puppet show in town. Lots of crazy hair and funny jokes.

Sunday we all headed to church together. We were actually early to church which is not bad considering there was 11 of us to get showered and dressed. After church, we came back to watch some football and have an awesome Turkey dinner.
The kids went outside and did some sliding. They had a blast and Jon used his sisters fancy camera to shoot some great pictures.
It was an awesome weekend and so nice to host company in our new home. I think everyone enjoyed that part of it.

~Family a journey to Forever~

Wordless Wednesday ~ Grandpa Ronnie Surfing w/ Grandkids

Wordless Wednesday ~ Grandpa Al & Squeks

Wordless Wednesday ~ Roller Babes

Wordless Wednsday ~ Santa was good to us

The Move

It is safe to say that we are 99.9% moved out of our old home and into our new one. We have officially been sleeping at the new house now for a week. Much to my surprise, the kids all love having their own rooms and have been sleeping remarkably well at the new house. Our cats, Toby and Dexter seem to be adjusting well too. They meow a lot but they seem to be getting used to the new place fairly quickly. As for Jon and I, we have a lot of work to do ahead of us getting settled and organized. However, a big thanks to Grandpa Al, Uncle T, Jane, and especially Grandma M for all their hard work this past week with moving, organizing and watching kids so we could get some stuff done! Both Jon and I are really busy at work right now so they have all stepped up and helped us out. Grandma C and Grandpa R are coming this weekend and we look forward to having our first guests at the new house!
Jon has met a few of the new neighbors and they all seem very nice and excited to have us moving in. The house needs a little work but it is safe to say we are comfortable and we love our new home. After work slows down and I can focus more on getting the home set up it will feel even better. We moved just in time for the kids to get enrolled in the local school and hopefully we will all make some friends in the neighborhood!
Life is good and now our only hope is that our old house will sell or rent quickly! Here's to the approaching new year and our new dwellings! Cheers!

A New Hospital

It's official, the hospital project that I have been working on for over three years, opened it's doors to patients this morning. Wow! What an awesome achievement for all those involved. This project has awarded me the luxury of working part time the past three years as I was the assistant Project Manager working on Furniture, Artwork, Food Service, and other various areas. This hospital is a huge win for the community surrounding this building. As one of the legislatures said this morning as she was cutting the ribbon at the front doors, "This is my proudest moment serving as a legislature in this fine community!"
This has been an amazing project and I have worked with some amazing people. A few weeks ago they had a community open house and Jon and I brought the kids to it. I wanted them to see where "mommy" works. As we arrived, the med helicopter was flying in and we got front row seats to see it land. It was pretty cool and the kids loved watching it.
This project has been an amazing experience for me and one that I have learned a ton from. I am not sure what my next project will be but I look forward to that challenge.

Merry Christmas 2009

We had such a nice Christmas this year. We spent the holiday over at Grandma Mary’s since we are in the middle of a big move (More on that later)! We had Fondue on Christmas Eve and then after the kids were snuggled in their beds, we headed out for a snowy hot tub and it was perfect!

Christmas morning the kids slept in until 8 AM if you can believe that! It was nice that we did get some extra sleep that night though! Once the kids were up they dug into their stockings and were thrilled with all their goodies from Santa. They were also thrilled that Santa ate all the cookies and the reindeer ate the hay we left for them out in the yard! So fun!

After Stockings we had a nice breakfast and then we opened gifts from under the tree. We had such a nice time and the kids were thrilled with all their gifts. I loved K’s response every time because he was just thrilled with every gift he got. He would reply “This is just what I wanted….Thank you”! We spent the rest of the day hanging out with the kids and helping them to set up all their new toys. We had a nice Christmas dinner and then we all headed home! It was such a fun day.

Santa Claus Came to Town ~ Literally

We had a big surprise this year on Christmas Eve. After we attended the 4:30 PM Children’s Mass at church, we headed over to some friends of Grandma and Grandpa for a little holiday cheer. After about 15 minutes snowballs started to hit the window and as we peeked out, not only was Santa Claus standing there but so was Mrs. Santa too! The kids went crazy and Santa could hardly get through the door of the house.

Everyone including the Mom’s and Dad’s got gifts and everyone (even dad’s and Uncles) got to sit on Santa’s lap for a picture. It was so fun and the kids loved it. I told the trio that they were so good that sparkle must have requested a special visit just for them and their friends from Santa. K told Santa all about Sparkle and Santa told K he knew Sparkle well! It was perfect!

Grandma Mary and Grandma Rachel sure had a big surprise for all of us and we all loved it. It was nice for the kids to get so much one on one time with Santa! They loved it.

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday ~ We Love our Uncle T

Christmas at 5

WOW! Life is crazy for The Erickson Five these days! We are really enjoying A, E, and K this holiday season. They have so much excitement and wonder in them. They are loving having Sparkle living with us and it is a good reminder to be nice to each other and kind and this goes for the Mom and Dad too! They love to open their Advent calendars everyday and they will not eat the chocolate until I read the bible verse that goes with it.
Last week we went shopping for some gifts and they had a blast picking out presents for some of their friends. Tonight, A and E spent a long time color their teachers pictures to give them for Christmas and then we watched this home video of them when they were 2 and we all laughed so hard we cried! It felt great and was so much fun. It is hard to remember them so small but I loved watching this to remind me how far we have come and how quickly time is passing! Nothing has ever made me want to stop time more than being a parent. I like the quote "The days are long but the years are short"! So true some days.
As we are quickly approaching the birthday of Baby Jesus, I am reminded again of the short years as it truly feels like it was just yesterday that we celebrated Jesus birthday. Three five year olds at Christmas is a blast. They have love in their hearts and excitement and wonder on their faces.
The Erickson Five is on the verge of a big move (literally) and as bittersweet as it is to move from our awesome neighborhood, we are excited and hopeful that we will settle quickly in our new dwellings and start making many fun new memories in our new home. I pray that our kids will adjust and thrive during this time of transition. We Thank God for our friends and family who are so willing to help us out this holiday season with moving and celebrating. Wish us luck this week and please keep us in your prayers! God Bless!

Word Wednsday ~ Catching the Spirit

Wordless Wednesday ~ Dancing Queens