A White World

Mr, Snow Man

Today we awoke to the first white morning of the season.  Thankfully, it was a Saturday so there was no pressing schedule to be anywhere to quick which made all of the snow that had arrived so much more enjoyable.

Lots of Snow

It always amazes me when we get the 1st snow of the season, how excited the kids get about it.

Silly String for Hair

   

They were literally bouncing off the walls this morning in excitement for all the new white stuff.

Ta Da...our First Snow Man of the Year

I have to admit that is sure is beautiful when the snow sticks to the trees and it really makes for such a beautiful setting.

We were able to get a lot of house projects done today along with some time to enjoy the snow and play around.  We built a ginormous snowman today as well as we had a family snowball fight.  It was great fun.  

We Love the Snow!

It looks like we will have a white Holiday Season this year which always adds to the beauty and fun of the season.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Puppy Love and Neighbor Friends

Sparkle Boy

Last week, I took the kids to the Mall with me as I had a few returns/exchanges that I needed to make.  One of the stores that we went to was Victoria Secrets.  I saw no harm in this as I really need to exchange something so all we really needed to do was go to the check out counter. While I was busy with the woman at the counter, the kids were looking at all the neat things that they had on the shelves directly in front of the counter.  The girls were eying up the lip gloss and K had found a brush that he decided to rub all over his face as it was so soft.  The only thing he did not realize was that the brush was filled with glitter!  He was one sparkly little boy.  The girls and I had a good laugh and K turned red.  He took on the nickname "sparkle boy" for the rest of the night. 

Halloween Fun

The Erickson 5 All dressed up for the Costume Party!

Happy Halloween!  The Erickson 5 has had a weekend full of Halloween fun.  This year in our new neighborhood, we were strongly encouraged by all our sweet neighbors that it was time to do a haunted Cul De Sac!  Booooooooo!  It was a blast and turned out so cool and fun.

Nicole the Witch! 

On Saturday night we were invited to a costume party at one of our new neighbors house.  The kids go to school with their daughter and they are a fun family.  The party was a blast and Mrs. C did such a great job with making Halloween creative food and drinks. The games were a blast and the spooky Haunted trail through the woods was a crowd pleaser with the kids.

The Girls of the Neighborhood

On Sunday, we got invited to go to a pizza party and trick or treating on a wagon pulled by an ATV with a bunch of the neighborhood families.  This was so much fun and the kids had a blast trick or treating with some of their classmates and new friends. 

Carving Pumpkins with the Neighbors

The Wagon!

E, A, and their friend K on the Wagon

K the scary guy with his friend O the Werewolf

E the Witch

A the Snow Princess

Donelle and Joe all dressed up for the Spooky Cul De Sac!

We heard a lot of great comments about how spooky our Cul De Sac was and it was great to get to know some of our neighbors even better.  They really do it up for Halloween and The Erickson 5 cannot wait until next year to do it all over again and most likely bigger and better.  Now the only problem is what to do with all the candy that is sitting at our house....Hmmmmm I better figure it out quick before it is all eaten up by four sugar crazy kids (three small kids and one big kid)!

Wordless Wednesday ~ School Pics 2010

Sleep Overs Rock

This past Friday, we had a family "playdate" with some of our favorite triplet friends...The Clarks!  The kids had a blast running around and playing and even watching a movie.  The parents had fun hanging out and playing games.  It was a fun night.  The best part about it was the kids got to have the Clark kids sleep over night.  There was much talk and giggles from their big sleep over room but after awhile, it all quieted down and they all fell fast asleep. 

Jon and I enjoyed the next morning as we listened to their conversations as they woke up.  So fun to be "mouse in the corner" sometimes with the kids and hear life from their perspective. 
Thanks Clarks for a fun night!  We can't wait for the next big "Sleep Over"! 

Wordless Wednesday ~ A Father's Wisdom

The Not So Haunted Weekend

This past weekend was chuck full of events.  The kids had a few days off of school and our cousins came down for some fun activities.  On Friday we joined them at the Children's Museum and the kids had a blast.  Such a fun place to go for little minds.  We even went to the haunted hallows room and that was quite fun to wonder around in the dark. 

Saturday we joined Grandma Mary at the annual Pumpkin Festival Party.  The kids loved it and it is always a nice time to do a trial run on their costumes.  They got free pumpkins amongst a bag full of other goodies.  They even got their face painted.  They had a blast. 

We then met with the neighbors to plan out our "Haunted Cul De Sac" for the upcoming Halloween night.  It is going to be such a blast and I will post more pics after the event. 

Saturday night the cousins and their parents slept over.  The kids tried to build a gingerbread haunted house but it would not stay together.  Aunt Lori even sat and held it for about 10 minutes but it still did not stay so we gave up and decided that we had a "not so haunted house" mess on our hands. 

Sunday was Sue and Denny's annual Pumpkin Carving party.  Once again it was such a fun time.  The kids always love it and get so spoiled.  They had big treasure hunts this year and Sue's neighbor dressed up like a witch.  My favorite part was that K did not think she was real so he ran right up to her and when she moved her head and looked up he jumped back and ran right over to Sue as he was so spooked by it.  It was funny!  I do not have pictures from the party as I forgot my camera but they all carved (with help) scary faces on their pumpkins so they will fit into our "haunted" cul de sac. 

It was a great and busy weekend.  We look forward to the upcoming Holiday weekend and all the fun plans we have.  Stay tuned for a report on the Haunted Cul De Sac!  Have a spooky week!

Wordless Wednesday ~ My Favorite Guys

School House Rocks

Tonight, Jon and I headed over to the kids school for conferences.  They went GREAT!  We are so happy that the kids have adjusted well to their new full schedule and to being at school most of the day.  From what we have been told, they are thriving, leading, and caring students.  It felt great tonight to confirm that we feel we made the right decisions on where to send the kids to school.  I have no doubt that not all schools are created equal.  Last year as we were deciding on which school we would choose, I was amazed at all the choices parents are faced with when deciding where to send their kids to school.  There is always room for doubt as a parent but I can say that Jon and I are pleased with our decision and love to watch our kids learn, make friends, and experience their "new" world of academics! I can only hope and pray that their enthusiasm for school continues for a many years to come.  It is great to watch them succeed at new things.  The other night K read a whole page of his book by himself and the smile across his face when he finished was priceless and one that I, as his mother, will never forget!  SO AWESOME!
 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Girls Rule

A Perfect Ten

Yesterday, was the perfect kind of day.  It all started out when we arrived at church in the morning.  I dropped the kids off for their first day of Sunday School and I headed to Mass.  Much to my surprise, it was the anointing of the sick. As you recall last year, I blogged about this same Sunday at church. 

As it was such an amazing experience last year, It was again this year for me.  I was alone in church again as Jon was out of town but when they asked those who wished to be anointed to stand, there were people all around me who held out their hands and some even placed their hands one me.  Again, I felt the spirit moving through my body.  It was incredible and I thank God for such an amazing experience.
 
After Mass, I picked up the kids from Sunday School and we headed out to enjoy such a beautiful day.  The weather really has been spectacular this past week and it looks like we will continue to have such great weather for another week or so.  It is great to see the sun everyday and get some good Vitamin D.  The kids are loving it too. 

Later in the day we met some of our favorite friends and went to the movie the Alpha and Omega. Such a good movie with a great message.  The kids really enjoyed that. 

We ended our day picking up one of our most favorite people, Grandma Mary, at the airport.  She was thrilled to see us and we were equally as thrilled to see her.  E told Grandma Mary that she really really really loved her and then followed that up with she really really really meant it.  What a homecoming for Grandma Mary! 

It was the perfect Ten Kind of a day which seems so appropriate for 10/10/10! 

A Walk in the Woods

A week ago, Grandma and Grandpa A took the kids for an overnight.  Grandpa wanted to take the kids down into the woods for a little fun and he cordially invited Grandma along too.

I grew up by these "woods" and fondly remember many adventures spent exploring and hiding out in the woods. It thrills me that my own children get to have the same fun.  There is a steep hill that we nicked named "Dead Mans" when we were growing up.  It is a sledding hill and there is a path next to it that is much less steep called "wimpys"!  The kids had a blast on Friday night running down "Dead mans" and having Grandpa catch them at the end.  Grandma tried to catch a few times but almost ended up head over feet so Grandpa had to do all the catching. 

I have not had the opportunity yet to make it down into the woods this fall season but I hope to do a trip soon.  I am sure it is beautiful and so scenic down there.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa A for taking AEK on a little adventure.  They cannot wait to do it again. Who knows, I think this year it may be a good idea to introduce the sledding hills in the woods to the kids! Get Ready!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Belly Laughing

1st Field Trip ~ The Apple Orchard

This past week, the kids got to go on their very first field trip for school.  They headed over to the Apple Orchard.  Jon got to join them for this field trip and they were so excited. 

They got to go on a hay ride, check out pumpkins, and they could each pick 6 apples to take home.  They LOVED the apple cider and of course begged Jon to buy the Apple Crisp kit so we could have some warm apple crisp with the apples they worked hard at picking. 

It was a great sunny fall day and so much fun for the kids and the Dads too. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Welcoming Liam

10 Years

A few days ago, Jon and I celebrated 10 years of marriage.  It was a busy day for both of us and due to work we were not together on our anniversary this year.  We have pledged to plan a vacation just the two of us to sneak away and celebrate, reflect on, reminisce, and honor our marriage.  I CAN'T WAIT!

I am married to my best friend, soul mate, and the person that I love to share my life with. I feel blessed to have such an incredible man and marriage in my life.  Ten years has slipped by and we have lived through a lot....both good and bad.  What I love most about celebrating 10 years is that it is a good time to reflect on our marriage.  Where we have been, where we are now, and where we are headed.

Life has changed some for Jon and I this past month with the kids going off to school, my increased working time, and Jon's new position at work.  We have adjusted well to this change and I feel so content with our life together.

Babe, I love you more today than I think I did 10 years ago on one of the best days of my life.  I cherish you and the way you love me and the beautiful life we established together.  I look forward to another 50 years of memory making with you.  Happy Anniversary Babe! 

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

The Erickson Five Enjoying A Baseball Game

Sunday we had the chance to go to the baseball game!  It was a sunny day and it was fun to be outside watching the game.  We were a little chilly as our seats were in the shade but we all had a good time.  Our team did not win but it was great to see the excitement on the kids faces and to spend some quality time together as a family.

Yum Cotton Candy

The Hot Mamas

The Boyz

Jon and A Having Fun

E, A, K loving the stadium

Yeah....Running the bases!

We were lucky enough to get seats right by our good friends The C family.  Our kids love their kids and Jon and I both enjoy their parents so much. The L family was there too and they came and joined us for some memory making fun. 
I think one of the best parts about the day, aside from spending some good quality time together, was after the game when the kids got to run the bases.  It was cool to walk down on the field and the kids thought running the bases was so cool. 
It was a great fall day!  Go Twins!