The Erickson Family

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeen! (in a deep spooky voice)

2011-11-05T08:41:00.000-06:00

Halloween Festivities!

One of my huge "Thankfuls" is that I have a husband that will carve pumpkins with my kids when I won't because I HATE the smell and texture of pumpkin innards. I cant do it. I gag. These guys are getting pretty good at making some sweet Jack-O-Lanterns. Can you guess which one is Braidens?

The Friday before Halloween I had my friends over for some food, football and white trash costume fun. The People of Walmart was the theme. These guys are hilarious. I especially loved the the pregnant lady in the morph suit.

Paaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrttyyyy in Roosevelt!

My brother moved his cute little fam to Roosevelt, UT in April this year and I had not been out to see them yet so I decided to make the jaunt there, just me and the kids, for their little Halloween Party. Its about 140 miles from my house but it took 3.5 hours to get there between all the bathroom stops and getting stuck behind a horse trailer going 25. It was fun as their parties always are and so good to see little McCoy, or should I say, Mini Elvis.

Lets just say, he was not having it. That costume stayed on for about 8 minutes.

I swear if Braiden was ever something "normal" again I would die of shock. The morph suit thing is apparently all the rage this year. He told people was was "The Invisible Man".

Theres my sweet boy!

We caught a cute snapshot of Paige at he school Halloween Parade. They walked to fast it was almost impossible but I got her, wrinkles and all!

November Already??

2011-11-04T17:06:00.002-06:00

Holy moly. I cannot believe November is here already. Time doesn't just fly...it seriously books it without looking back! I can hardly keep up. I will say, though, that this is a great time of year for lots of reasons.

The Holidays are afoot! Craziness but fun, fun, fun! I love planning for what we will do for the kids and our family for gifts. Believe it or not, thanks to Walmart's lovely layaway program, we are just about DONE Christmas shopping but I am saving just a little for BLACK FRIDAY!! HECK YA!
Daylight Savings is almost over! That extra hour in the morning means more to me than anyone could ever know. I keep saying that is when I WILL get up at 5:30 every morning to run cause it will feel like 6:30 (but I hated waking up at 6:30, so we will see how that plays out).
Football season is almost OVER! Don't get me wrong...I love the game, enjoy watching, cheering, partying, etc. and I love that Braiden is excelling in his skills as a little athlete. But, dang, I am exhausted. I will be glad to NOT be a slave to the car 4 times a week while getting him to practices, scrimmages, games, tailgates, film reviews, team dinners, team parties, team pictures...you get it.
My Paid Time Off (PTO) will renew in January. I have been out of PTO since August due to my maternity leave. Combined with #3, wow, I really need a vacation. Thank heaven I don't have a conventional RN hospital job so I DO get weekends and holidays off!
All the good movies are being released! Breaking Dawn opens in 2 weeks and I cant wait! (Yes I am one of those...don't hate.)
The school year is just about half over! Not that I want my kids to get through with school quickly, I just want them to get through it PERIOD! I don't know how I will do it when all 4 kids are in school with homework, spelling words, book reports, projects, events, PT conferences, Jog-A-Thons, crazy hair days...you get the idea. I am terrified. Therefore I am VERY grateful to take it one semester at a time.
More and more fun milestones are happening every day with my little Max. He is so fun. I love that all I have to do is smile at him and he gives me the biggest toothless grin i have ever seen. Even though he smells like spit-up most of the time (thanks to reflux) I love his little baby smell and will miss that so much.
The Winter Clothes are out! I love my winter wardrobe. That includes but is not limited to all sweats and slippers! If its a rainy/snowy cold day, you better believe I am at home in my lounge pants keeping warm! (Also I don't have to care that my legs are pasty white)
MINT M&Ms and PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM! Oh yes, you better believe I already have a bag of the little beauties to hide and snack on for the next 2 months. My weakness is the peppermint hot cocoa at MCcDonalds...did you know you can get it sugar free??? MMMMMMMMM!

Halloween update to follow!

Family Foto Time...

2011-10-24T23:10:00.002-06:00

Man, I love these guys.

Another Night out with my WITCHES!

2011-10-24T22:24:00.001-06:00

WITCHES NIGHT OUT!

If I ever leave Utah, which I dont see happening soon, I will sorely miss Witches Night Out. I was introduced to this event last year by some good lady-friends and we are trying to make this a yearly tradition but 3 out of the usual 7 that normally go are pregnant/ miserable and another had other unbreakable plans so it was down to 3 of us. Nonetheless, we got dolled up, stayed out way too late, and had a blast!

~Me, Becky and Jessi all dressed up in our witchy best~

My favorite part about getting dressed up...the eyelashes. I love them. I would wear them every day if I didnt know that I would get some strange looks from people.

Up the street from Gardners Village there is a row of flag poles that we just cant seem to resist swinging on. Some people were just meant to dance on a pole. Me...not so much.

Like I said...me, not so much.

...and the shenanigans continue. No we are not dead or passed out in random places. Ever heard of planking? I must say I thought it sounded dumb but really it was hilarious.

Am I a sexy WITCH or what?

Fall Fun..pumkin farm and stuff

2011-10-23T23:09:00.000-06:00

So far October has been a fun-filled, busy month. Oh wait, that's my whole life. Well, no matter, here are some highlights from October thus far. I love this time of year when everything starts changing...and then I remember that I live in Utah and fall means its going to start snowing soon...bleh. So I like to enjoy the not-snowing for as long as I possibly can.

Halloween is in a week so you know there is more to come but you might have to wait till November.

Between football 4 days a week, middle school (keeping straight A's so far), scouts, Young Men's, hanging out with his friends, and answering all the phone calls from girls (yes, just believe it), Braiden is exhausted...and frankly, so am I.

Max is getting bigger everyday, no surprise and he is turning into a little ham. He smiles, laughs, squeals, and coos at anyone who will give him some attention. Its a small price to pay for some love from such a sweet little guy. We are having fun enjoying our little caboose.

Yesterday we went to this tiny (very tiny) local nursery where they had some fun things for the kiddos. This corn pit was the highlight for them. Even Eric had a great time digging for treasure in this thing. I, personally, was a little grossed out by it so Max and I enjoyed watching from afar.

Train rides, punkin pickin, and stuff.

Then we went to our traditional pumpkin farm. We love this place. There are tons of good ones to choose from and we got 6 huge pumpkins for $15! Nice.

My handsome 7th Grader

2011-09-19T22:07:00.001-06:00

Braiden Wigington 7th Grade

As much as I love these over-priced, totally unprofessional looking pictures that are forced on us every year, I have decided that this is the last time I will purchase school pictures (how hard is it to center the frame for heaven's sake?). From now on I will get my kids pictures done at the beginning of the school year as a group and individually. It will so be worth it to have pictures that I actually want to frame... at least he makes the picture worth every penny.

The un-Holy War: COUGARS vs UTES

2011-09-19T19:49:00.002-06:00

Are you a

or are you a

This brings to mind the word of a hymn I have grown to love:

Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?

Now is the time to show.

We ask it fearlessly:

Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?

We wage no common war,

Cope with no common foe.

The enemy’s awake;

Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?

Now is the time to show.

We ask it fearlessly:

Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?

(Go Cougars!)

Thoughts about today. September 11th

2011-09-11T22:29:00.001-06:00

Where were you 10 years ago today, on 9/11/2001? Braiden was 2 years old. I was already at work as I started early in the morning back then. A co-worker came running into the main area where everyone was and told us to turn up the radio to hear about the terrorist attacks in New York. We listened while we worked but soon everyone stopped working and was gathered around the radio listening intently while the scary events ensued. We ended up closing early and sending everyone home to be with their families. It was a surreal day. I remember it was hard to grasp that it was really happening and that it could mean that our country would soon be at war...and what would happen next? Where would another surprise attack happen? In our backyard? For a few short moments I remember feeling vulnerable in this country in which I had always taken my safety and security for granted. That feeling didn't last long as I saw how people came together to mourn and vowed that we would only stand stronger than before and never let some cowardly terrorists tear us down.

Eric and I took our kids to The Healing Field today. Its a memorial that consisted of an American Flag standing for each of the victims of 9/11 (each with their names and a short biography). Paige asked me what this was and why the flags were there so I attempted to tell her a little about what happened that day (as best as I could for a 6 year old to understand). Of course there is no way that her innocent little mind could comprehend the horrific nature of those events but I hope that by taking them there, they will remember the American Flags and why we are so blessed to live in this country.

God Bless this beautiful country, America.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

... And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

An amazing Day for Braiden

2011-09-10T23:18:00.003-06:00

Today Braiden had an especially good day. So good, its worth blogging about.

First, he got up at the crack of dawn and went on a bike ride with his dad and some friends. This is especially exciting because Braiden worked his hiney off to earn the money for this bike that he bought on his own. Its going to have to last him through adulthood for the price but at least he earned it. He biffed it a few times but still had fun.

Next- Football season has begun and so has my enslavement to the car and getting him from place to place. Anyway... he caught a pass and ran the ball to the end zone that created the WINNING touch down for his team, the Jordan Marroon Beetdiggers. He was the star of the game and on cloud 9. It just about brought me to tears to see his face when he came running toward me and his dad. He was so happy.

To see my children be happy by accomplishing something they have worked hard for makes me one proud mama... but for me to be proud of him is not the most important thing, he has to love and be proud of himself, and today he was. Way to go Braiden!

My little Cam Cam...4 years later.

2011-09-10T23:04:00.000-06:00

All the Kiddies at Camerons party tonight at Planet Play
(all you can eat buffet combined with arcade game galore, pretty much 4 year old heaven)

Once again, many thanks to the lovely cake makers at Walmart without which my children might never have a cute b-day cake! SpongeBob is the favorite this year.

"Goofball Cameron" (thats going on his wedding invations)

We couldnt decide between the Cars toy set or the bike....so we got both. We just love that kid too much.

We just had to take the opportunity to get a pic of the 4 of them together. Apparently its asking too much to have them all look at the camera and smile all at the same time. Oh well, I will take what I can get. (By the way, I still cant believe I have 4 kids).

Baby Cameron, 4 years ago

Mommy and a very cute 4 year old

Schools back in! 7th grade and 1st grade...

2011-09-08T21:11:00.001-06:00

Notice the porch light is still on? Braiden has to catch the bus at 6:30! I was half asleep when I took this picture. Braiden was very excited for the first day of middle school and he has loved it for the last 2 weeks.

Getting ready for school!

Cameron had to stay behind but wanted to be in the picture. Still in his jammies.

First Day of 1st grade! Isn't she a cutie?

This was a few days later but I had to post it cause they are so cute.

A Blessed Day ~ Blessing day for Max

2011-09-08T20:57:00.001-06:00

Max on his blessing day~August 7, 2011

LOOK AT ME! I AM 2 MONTHS OLD!

National "HOLY CRAP YOU"RE HOT" day!

2011-08-30T18:26:00.000-06:00

30! (+4)

2011-08-24T23:15:00.001-06:00

Before the clock strikes 12 and it is no longer August 24th I need to leave a little thought on my blog (the closest thing I have to a journal). Its been a pretty crazy day for me as I started back to work today after 10 weeks on maternity leave. Why did I choose to start back on my birthday? Not sure, it just worked out that way. The kids are all back in school and there was no reason to avoid it any longer...also the fact that I was not getting paid was hard to swallow thus the need to not delay.

It was hard to wake up early and it was hard to leave my baby at daycare (although I have done that 4 times now, it never gets any easier) and it was hard to be at work, sorting through 1700 emails, feeling totally lost and pretending that I was OK with it while keeping a smile on my face. Thank goodness for good people surrounding me that made it bearable.

Today is the 4 year mark from my 30th b-day (in other words, I am 34). Its funny because just the other day I was communicating with an old friend from high school and I realized that it has been 19 years since I started high school! 19 years sounds like forever but I maintain that 34 is not OLD! I don't care what my 12 year old says.

My 30's have been the best years of my life. Let me explain: My teens were somewhat, although not completely, tumultuous, filled with broken hearts, friendships made and lost, stupid mistakes, and hard lessons learned. I survived my teens, barely, thanks to my Mother's merciful heart, and moved on to start making (MOSTLY) good decisions, falling in (and out of) love and learning more hard lessons in my early 20's while also crossing some major milestones (like having my son). My later 20's started to smooth out and look up for me with another chance at love, the arrival of my baby girl and learning to forgive and accept my love-ones for who they are; not judging them for what they do.

My 30's were kicked off by the arrival of my 2nd son and the loss of loved ones. I started to work on improving myself and making the changes I wanted rather than sitting around and wishing I had done it. In the past couple of years I have accomplished things that I never thought I would and most recently, of course, given birth to my last baby boy. Making the decision to be done having babies would seem like it would be an easy one, especially when I have four now. Although, the worldly side of me says that I just can't do this again and my sanity would suffer a huge blow at news of baby #5, it makes me a little sad to think that my power to procreate is coming to an end (that doesn't mean that I am thinking about having more...trust me, I am done.) but, wow, look at the posterity I have created. It's amazing, really.

What I am getting at is this: While I do tend to gripe occasionally and sometimes, whether its hormonally related or what-not, I cry and get sad because life can be hard and exhausting, I have chosen to take a hard look at my life and give thanks today and every day for where I am and how I am blessed to be what I am. I am a sister, a daughter, a mother, a wife, a friend, a mentor, a neighbor, and most importantly; a woman. I will say it again: My 30's have definitely been the best years of my life. Happy B-day to me.

Time for Tea

2011-08-17T12:36:00.000-06:00

Summer Adventures 2011 part 2

2011-08-10T23:25:00.000-06:00

As previously mentioned, the summer so far has been pretty busy, what with the arrival of kid #4 and all. The hardest part of all of it has been trying to keep the kids entertained while running on 4 or less hours of sleep and keeping a newborn fed, clean and happy at the same time. Don't get me wrong, we spend lots of days at home playing in the plastic pool in the back yard and renting Redbox movies but these are some of the things the kids have been able to do so far.

We spent a day at the Hogle Zoo a few weeks ago. I wanted the kids to have it fresh in their head so they could compare it to the San Diego Zoo. The local aquarium is a favorite too but I don't have any pics (too dark in there).

Paige is a little water-baby. She loves putting on her swimsuit, playing in any body of water, and being wet. The Gateway Mall in downtown Salt Lake has a splash pad that she loves. She gets so excited I have to remind her to slow down so she doesn't run into anyone or slip and fall.

And then there was Cameron... He on the other hand, hates getting wet. He will toy with the idea but if anyone splashes him, that's it, he is done. While Paige was in Heaven, Cameron stayed dry with Max.

Whitney and Ashton decided to have a niece and nephew sleep-over one weekend. The kids loved it and so did we. It was really nice to have some peace and quiet and the kids had a BLAST!

The kids went crazy rolling down the grass hill. They were super itchy afterward. Now they know why MOM never lets them do that.

Braiden and Uncle Ashton.

We celebrated all the July birthdays on July 31st when my grandma happened to be in town. My sister Bonnie and her daughter Abby's birthday is the 30th and Baylees b-day is the 28th. Max also met Grandma Lundberg for the first time.

The girls took Bonnie out for a night of shopping and eating for her b-day. We ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (on National Cheesecake Day, by the way). We very much enjoyed the cheesecake...oh and hanging out was fun too.

Brace-Face Braiden!

2011-08-10T14:46:00.000-06:00

Guess who got braces...

Isn't he handsome?

Summer Adventure 2011

2011-08-10T00:00:00.004-06:00

School starts in 2 weeks. The summer is almost over...I have mixed feelings about this. It's most definitely time for the kids to go back to school. They are bored and possibly getting dumber by the second with all the Nintendo DS and Sponge Bob they are currently taking in. I have been on maternity leave all summer which I also have mixed feelings about. Its been great to be home with my kids since, as a working mom, I don't get to do much of this. However, since the very reason I am home with them keeps me very much on my toes, it has also been hard to be home.

I have had to think of every activity possible to try to keep them busy and entertained and keep myself sane. We have done swimming lessons, dance camp, scout camp, the local zoo, the local aquarium, multiple trips to various parks, splash pads, McDonald's play places, and mall food courts and they seem generally satisfied with their activities this summer.

And of course, since I am home we had to take advantage of this time and take a family trip to California to visit our very favorite place. We decided to also throw in Sea World and San Diego Zoo while we were there. Are we crazy for doing all this with a 5 week old baby? Yes, a little. It was not easy but we made it work and we had a really good time. Think of it this way...we braved D-land on Christmas Day. I dare say that after that we are able to do anything. It takes colossal patience and a good attitude. Both of which I had 93.4% of the time...good enough.

For me, a trip where the kids get to see fun and educational things while laughing and learning and spending time together as a family while we also avoided any major disasters along the way = a successful adventure.

After a couple days in the car our first stop for fun was the San Diego Zoo. I remember this zoo from field trips in elementary school and I wanted my kids to see that there are zoos that are way bigger than the Hogle Zoo. We had a good time despite the miles of uphill walking and the extremely humid climate. Ugh!

If you ask the kids they will probably tell you that what they remember about the zoo is bouncing on the giant trampolines. Paige was even doing flips on these things. Personally, my favorite part was the giraffes and the merekats.

The next day was Sea World. We headed straight to the Shamu Show and the kids braved the very front "soak zone" row while Eric and I hung with the baby in the safe and dry zone. All I can truly recall from that day was that it was stinking HOT! The kids got nice and wet from the Shamu Show but Eric and I remained toasty.

I really think that this is the only picture I have with all 4 of my kids in it so far. Its not easy to round up all 4 of them but this backdrop at Sea World was picture worthy. Oh and I have to mention that Cameron is a goofball.

The kiddos show off their loot on the way out of Sea World.
So long to Sea World for at least another 5 years or so.

Disneyland!!

(I mean, is there really any other reason to go to California, anyway??...jk)

Day 1 at Disney was for California Adventure. We did the new Little Mermaid ride which was great. It is really cute and thankfully the wait wasn't terrible. There was also the Ferris Wheel, Monsters Inc, Bugs Land, and the Tower of Terror for Braiden and Eric (Paige and I don't do Tower of Terror).

That night in the tram on the way to the car the kids were getting extremely slap happy. I caught these pics while they were playing some silly game. Its amazing how they can have so much energy after 10 hours at Disneyland.

Day 2 of Disney I didn't take many pictures but what I did take were real gems. Don't the kids just look thrilled

Paige is finally tall enough to ride the Indiana Jones Ride. These are a couple of pics I took of her expressions during the ride. Needless to say, she was terrified and will probably never do it again.

Day 3 was a combination of Disneyland and California Adventure trying to get every last thing in that we could. The kids got their giant pickles (ew) and Cameron finally crashed about early evening. I really wanted to crawl into that stroller and join him.

So WHAT WAS MAX DOING THIS WHOLE TIME? See above. Pretty much just sleeping, eating and pooping. He has since developed a strong hate for his car seat after spending so much time in it. He did pretty well, all things considered. It is not easy to tote a newborn around like we did but it all worked out. At least I can positively say that I will never have to do it again.

The drive home was looooooooooong.

Max, Max, and more Max

2011-08-09T22:15:00.000-06:00

Max~ 2 weeks old

Paige and Cameron are very proud to be a big brother and sister. Paige is especially enamored with her little baby brother Max.

Max and his Uncle Deputy Ben

I am in LOVE with these pictures...and Max.

2011-07-17T17:13:00.000-06:00

PICTURES OF THE DAY

2011-07-17T16:22:00.000-06:00

PICTURES OF THE DAY

(Excuse the potential inappropriateness but these are too precious to keep hidden)

Cameron is already a Nintendo DS expert even at the un-ripe age of 3. At least he chose to actually use the toilet rather than just going in his pants while still holding the DS. I wouldn't put it past him. LOL.

Oh the shame...

And right behind me at the very same moment, Paige was laying in her bed with HER Nintendo DS. Keep in mind that they can see each other from their positions and discuss their attack strategies for whatever game they are playing... this is most certainly wedding video material.

Birth Announcements for Baby MAX

2011-07-16T20:29:00.001-06:00

where are the pictures?

2011-07-12T17:00:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...Max is 3 and a half weeks old now and I have hardly posted any pictures of him because I cant find the little gadget to upload my pictures (cause the SD card drive in my laptop is busted) so that's why I am slacking in the picture department. They will come....soon they will come.

What a Day!

2011-07-07T21:45:00.000-06:00

June 17, 2011 was a crazy day with a crazy beginning...

*Max Jay Lundberg Erickson*Born at 6:40pm*7 lb 15 oz*21.5 inches*

And a really good ending.

Welcome to our family Baby Max... I am so glad you are here.

All things Paige in June

2011-07-03T22:54:00.002-06:00

June was a crazy month for the Erickson family for many reasons this year. It actually is every year but this one was especially exhausting...in a good way. Lots of exciting happenings, but first things first...

Paige finished Kindergarten with a perfectly adorable Patriotic Program. She had been walking around the house singing "You're a Grand Ole Flag" and "Yankee Doodle" for weeks and finally got to perform them.

She did a great job. She really loved her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Morgan. She was actually sad every time someone asked her about finishing school but she keeps reassuring us that she will still see Mrs Morgan when she is in First Grade.

On June 6th Paige turned 6 years old. For weeks she has been asking how soon her birthday was so I was very glad that it finally came. We planned a looooong time ago that she would have a "Hula girl" party and so, even though I was very great with child, a Hula Girl party we did have and it was a hit thanks to Oriental Trading Company and my friends and family who helped me keep all those kids busy for 2 hours.

Braiden and Eric worked hard in the kitchen to prep the Mac and Cheese and fruit kabobs. All attendees were required to wear a Lei and their best version of a Hawaiian shirt.

Each little lady was adorned with a grass skirt and hair flower at the door. Then they were kept very busy with fun crafts including do-it-yourself leis, sand art and homemade picture frames that they got to take home with their picture in it.

All the girls got their pics taken in their Luau garb in our "tropical" back yard.

Paige made out like a bandit with tons of cute gifts from all her cute friends. Little girls are so fun. Boys are fun too but there is just something about little girls birthdays that is special.

The kids played on our backyard in the pool while Braiden filled water balloons and threw them. No party would be complete without a water-balloon attack from big-brother.

Paige rocked her HULA GIRL look. She is too cute.

They all looked so cute....especially Cameron! One of these things is not like the other...

Thank you Wal Mart Bakery Lady for your cake decorating skills of which I have none, nor do I wish to develop them...I only speak the truth.

Maternity pics? NEVER!

2011-06-01T22:00:00.000-06:00

Maternity Pics? Never!

That was what I have said for each of my pregnancies but as this one draws closer to the end and I feel fairly positive that this will be the last one, the nostalgic side of me decided that it would be totally appropriate for me to document this pregnancy and get some maternity photos done.

This was not taken lightly, I might add... I did lots of research to decided what I really

wanted out of my session and what I absolutely DID NOT want.

I have seen some pretty embarassing prego pics of people in the past and definitely was not about to humiliate myself by showing waaaaaaaaaay too much of me. I did get a little brave and showed some extremely tasteful and airbrushed belly but that was the extent of it. For the rest of them I was just going for the traditional, relaxed and totally comfortable look (which I definitely was not, but you get it).

So here is me, 36 weeks pregnant with our last son, Max Jay Erickson.

The Baby Shower

2011-05-31T19:55:00.002-06:00

The Spread

The Junk

The Exhaustion

The most comfy seat in the house

The "Super" Onsie

The Loot

The Display

The onsies and me

The Belly

The Darling Onsies

The Sistas!

The Girls

Bye Bye Birdie

2011-05-29T21:18:00.000-06:00

For a few months now we have been watching this mama bird build a nest in our pergola in the back yard. Well, apparently there were baby birds in it and they were ready to leave the nest...right onto our patio.

Paige and Cameron had a ball watching these baby birds hop around the back yard and even got so brave as to touch them. Paige gave them water and even tried to find bugs to feed them.

All the while the mammy bird was flying in circling over our heads. She was not happy.

This particular baby bird was the pudgiest one and didn't try to hop away much so he became Paige's favorite. They really wanted us to go buy a cage to put them in so we could keep them.

There were 4 total birds in the nest. Two were on the patio and these 2 eventually jumped out of the nest into the tree.

We eventually put the birds on the fence and they flew away. I couldn't bare to leave them on our patio to be eaten by the neighborhood cats. It was a fun experience for the kids to experience a little bit of nature and to see that its better to let baby birds fly free than to put them in a cage.

12! YIKES!

2011-05-27T23:26:00.001-06:00

Braiden turned 12 on May 20th! Yikes. I think yikes is my favorite word every May 20th because that's all I cant think to say when I think about how he is turning into a MAN right before my eyes. YIKES!

So, of course, in ritualistic style, Braiden got a weekend that was all about him. He was pretty lucky to get it too because I am feeling anything but energetic these days (35 weeks prego) so he was a double lucky kid and he deserved it.

Friday May 20th, 10 twelve year olds took over my basement all night. They ate 4 pizzas in like 10 minutes and a whole red velvet cake (Braiden's request). I have to say though that these are pretty good kids. They were all very complimentary, polite and well-behaved while in my house. Eric took them out for a little while to play my approved version of "night games", completely supervised, of course.

Saturday evening, Braiden again was the reason for the event when a large amount of the family and some friends all gathered to go see Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Strange Tides.

It was a pretty awesome movie (slacker took no pictures).

Little Caesar's saved the day!

Paige and Cameron were warned to stay out of the way of the 10 big boys and they did very well. They just wanted the cake.

So i made Braiden pose for this because the ceiling fan had actually blown out the candles before they were done singing happy b-day!

Our attempt at getting a group pic. Its a little like wrangling kittens to get them to all look at the camera.

Sunday, Braiden was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood as is the normal order of things when a young man turns 12 in the LDS Church. It was a pretty great experience and "rite of passage" for Braiden. That afternoon we had another family Barbecue hosted by Braidens dad.

I am so proud of him and excited for him to start this part of his life. It seems like he immediately has his time now dedicated to all sorts of exciting activities for Scouts and Young Mens and will soon be headed to the dreaded MIDDLE SCHOOL! YIKES AGAIN!

He has a 4 night camping trip coming up for Scouts to Flaming Gorge and I am all of the sudden scared to death to let him out of my sight for so long. Will he make good choices? Will he stay safe? Will he remember to brush his teeth? I suppose these thoughts are normal and I suppose I will adjust but its still not easy to watch your kids grow up.

Abby and Paige raiding the cupcakes.

Braiden and his best buddy Kobe. They have been friends since they were 6.

I don't care what he thinks, he is still my baby.

Ben done gradumucated! Good job Sheriff Watson!

2011-05-25T23:03:00.000-06:00

My little bro Ben graduated from UVU Police Academy on May 11th. He was one of the lucky and few to have a job right out of school. He was hired over a month before by the Duchesne County Sheriff Dept. so they have moved to the utterly far away and remote Roosevelt, UT! Its too far and we miss them too much but they are happy and we are very proud of him and Jenice for their hard work to get to this point.

He looks so growed up!

McCoy is obsessed with the "Shield". It was pretty cute.

Family gathering at moms house. I think this is the only family pic we have in a couple years. Too bad I am 1.5 my usual self!

Grandma and her chicks!

Mom and the sibs

Race for the Cure Team 2011

2011-05-25T22:47:00.000-06:00

May 7, 2011 in downtown Salt Lake City was the Susan G. Komen SLC Race for the Cure. It was a gorgeous day and I walked much further than I had planned.

My team had 44 registrants and raised just over $2000 between registration fees and donations. It was awesome!

We (Eric and I) have decided to make it a tradition to do the Race for the Cure with all the kids every year. I think it will be important for them to see us participate in philanthropic activies as a family and to learn about the effect of these devastating diseases that need continual work to raise money. They had a good time.

Bright eyed and bushy-tailed at 7am on a Saturday! What a gorgeous day!

The kids had a great time. I think they were in awe at how many people were there.

The husbands pushing the strollers

Eric and the Kids were good sports even though they all had to pee really bad!

Amy and Bonnie...carrying that belly 2.5 miles was no easy task!

Are you lost?

Exhausting day!

HCI's Pride for Pink 2011. This is not everyone that registered but these were the only people we could find to get together for a pic. Go team!

Spring 2011

2011-05-02T22:14:00.000-06:00

I love this picture but really I had to post something to get that Potato Bug picture off the top of my blog.

Potato Bugs...not cool.

2011-04-29T23:27:00.001-06:00

This has to be said, for those of you who are not fully aware of the somewhat gruesomeness of many of God's creations... I personally think God must have a sense of humor, otherwise, really, WHAT WAS HE THINKING???

I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago and she was telling a story about her son looking for "potato bugs" in the back yard. As soon as I heard the words "potato bug", I had to stop her with a "Say WHAT? There are POTATO BUGS in Utah?!?!?" She looked at me like I was loony, no argument there. "Of course there are potato bugs in Utah. Aren't they everywhere?". Suddenly it hit me that our definitions of "potato bug" were not jiving. We went straight to the internet and Googled "potato bug". She quickly understood why I was horrified at the thought of her son playing with potato bugs.

She was talking about these innocent little creatures, appropriately called "Rollie Pollies". Everyone has childhood memories of playing with these silly little bugs that roll up into balls in your hand and look like a tiny version of an armadillo.

Of course her son was playing with these. WHO HASN'T??

Wanna know why I almost passed out at the thought of a POTATO BUG??

Scroll down...

From www.potatobugs.com: The common Potato Bug is also known as the Jerusalem cricket. Our Native American friends call him “Woh-tzi-Neh” (Old Bald-Headed Man). In Latin America, he’s “niña de la tierra” (child of the earth). Other names include: Satan's fetus, the Devil's spawn, the Devil's child, the Devil's baby, the Devil's fetus, evil fetus, bald devil fetus, bald fetus of Satan, and earth fetus.

Do you get it now?? Maybe you have to be from California. Most people from central or northern Cali have come into contact with them. They don't hurt you, they just scare you to death. These things can get really big and when they walk across hard surfaces...you can hear them! They have opposable thumbs for crying out loud!! Not cool.

When my family first moved to the Central Coast in 1990, none of us had ever seen one. None of us knew they existed. They burrow in the grass so if you wanted to find one, they are really easy to come across. My first experience with one was seeing/hearing one run across the linoleum kitchen floor and I screamed a scream that my mom was sure would be my last. From that moment on, I never went barefoot in our house or across our lawn. Warning: if you see one, DON'T CRUSH IT! It's a sound that you will never get out of your memory...EVER!

They are ungodly. In short, they could easily be one of the top reasons why we left California.

To my good friends, William and Kate. Congrats!

2011-04-29T18:35:00.003-06:00

This historical day has to be blogged about for the billionth time. I will admit I am sort of a closet Royals Obsesser... I am a so intrigued by the grandness and tradition of it all. What would be like to be born into that kind of life??

Prince William and Kate on the day they announced their engagement.

The Happy couple after the reception. I think this was the 3rd dress of the day. Kate is so gorgeous yet so simple.

The dress. Not what I expected but so perfect for her

Westminster Abby. Just a simple little afair...ha.

Princess Diana on her wedding day back in 1981. Its a little sad that she wasn't there to see her son get married, in body anyway.

PS- I am sure my invite probably just got lost in transit.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-26T22:48:00.001-06:00

Easter Sunday Morning proved to be an Easter Bunny SUCCESS for 2011! That silly Easter Bunny hid their Easter Baskets and made them WORK for their reward. Can you believe it??

Turns out it was all worth it for them.

Braiden got a giant chocolate bunny and a new tie and tie tack. Apparently the

Easter Bunny (and the dentist) thinks that Braiden does not need a ton of candy anymore...

Somehow Paige ended up with a Justin Beiber CD...silly Easter Bunny!

After the Easter morning activities we put on our Sunday Best and headed to church.

Cameron was not happy that I put gel in his hair so he had a bit of a meltdown. Thus, this year's Easter Sunday picture. Cameron was not about to smile for me.

On the other hand, Braiden and Paige were all about the Kodak moment...

After church we headed to my sisters house for our annual Easter BBQ and egg hunt in their enormous back yard (something we don't have). As luck would have it, it rained all day so the egg hunt was a little wet but the kids had a great time and ate way too much candy in usual Easter fashion.

I have an amazing knack for thinking of things to complain about on a regular basis. But on Easter, I find it impossible to not focus on the blessings in my life. I have a wonderful family. My kids and my husband are the light of my life and I am so grateful for a "reason" like them to work to be a better person. We have a great home and live in a beautiful place surrounded by good people. I have a job that I love and Eric and I are blessed to be able to support our family with a stable income as many cannot right now. With all that being mentioned, I would not have any of it if I didn't have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I am utterly grateful and humbled by the sacrifice that He made for all of us...for me, my children, and their children....and for the ability to live eternally with him as a family. This is my testimony.

Go BIG BLUE- Blue and White Weekend

2011-04-26T20:46:00.003-06:00

Braiden had and exciting weekend on April 10th.

On the 9th, we were invited to an awesome b-day/tailgate party where some BYU Football players

were invited to be the center of attention to 30+ prepubescent boys, including Braiden (there were a few grown men that were pretty excited to be there too). Braiden was completely impressed and

inspired that evening. He loves football and he especially loves BYU football. These guys were really awesome to Braiden and all the other boys there that night by signing footballs, t-shirts and

other stuff and taking hundreds of pictures. Its great to have local role models for my son

that have achieved goals that he thinks in his young mind are impossible.

He left that party feeling completely on "CLOUD 9".

BYU QB Riley Nelson and Braiden

The next day, BYU had their pre-season Spring Blue and White Scrimmage at the Cougar Stadium.

Although the weather was cold and wet...a typical Utah Spring day, Eric and Braiden went to watch some of the players he had met the night before play.

He was so excited to see one player in particular that he spent a while talking shop with...Riley Nelson.

That was a good weekend for Braiden.

Go Cougars!

I am so there!

2011-04-25T20:53:00.000-06:00

The Disneyland TinkerBell Half Marathon

January 29, 2012

I am so there!

Adios to my favorite calories...for now.

2011-04-13T22:59:00.002-06:00

I am now 30 weeks pregnant (3/4 of the way, 75% done, mostly baked, however you want to put it)! Its reason to celebrate for sure as I am on the "homeward stretch" as they say.

How am I feeling, you ask? Do you want the truth or the watered-down version of the truth that I feed every person that asks me with a big smile on my face. "Feeling good!", "Taking a day at a time.", "Slowly but surely", and so on and so forth. I try so hard to appear positive and upbeat and grateful for the miracle that is occurring in my womb, but they know I am lying. I cant hide it.

The truth is I am so glad to almost be done. I need to be done. I feel icky, not myself, cranky, tired, swollen, annoyed, stressed, and so on an so forth. Dang, if only there were another way to get them here, I might have 8 kids! I love babies, just don't love having them invade my body. I need my personal SPACE!

SO ANYWAYS...last week I had to take a 3 hour glucose tolerance test since my 1 hour test was elevated. If you aren't familiar with the 3 hour GTT let me elaborate:

You fast for 8-12 hours, get you blood drawn, drink a solution that contains 100 gms of glucose. If you want to know what that tastes like, put 2 cups of sugar in a Sunkist Orange Soda and then gulp the entire thing down in 1 minute. Ugh! Then wait and hour, get your blood drawn, wait an hour, get your blood drawn, wait another hour, get your blood drawn. So in the end, you get 4 needle sticks, have to starve and sit there and try not to vomit up the orange death or you will have to START OVER! No way. A migraine and near black-out were on the menu for that day.

That was last week. I got the results online this week and saw that they were a bit elevated so now that's all my nurse brain can think about. I have been avoiding all sugar, watching carbs and trying to be a bit more active after having scoured the Internet to find all the effects of Gestational Diabetes. I am not sure these hips can birth a 12 lb baby.

This time of year it is especially torturous when my FAVORITE candies are readily available and staring at me from all corners. Never mind the fat and calories that these little babies contain that would, under usual circumstances, cost me 7 miles on the treadmill. These will cause a certain glucose spike!

Oh how I love Cadbury Mini Eggs....and you may be surprised to know that I am a candy snob. I don't waste calories on just any candy. It has to be WORTH IT and these little beauties are worth it by the handful!

MMMMMM. Doesn't that look good?

There is an upside: I don't have to feel bad or weird about about the fact that I think I am the only person in the world that hates these:

I HATE PEEPS! These might possibly be the vilest things ever made. I shudder at the thought.

Badly needed haircuts...

2011-04-11T21:50:00.001-06:00

So I am admittedly NOT very good at making sure that either I or my children get regular haircuts like they (or I) should. When it comes to my hair, I have always waited to the point that I cant stand it any more then end up making a hasty walk-in to Fantastic Sam's or Great Clips for a $10 haircut. Not that there is anything wrong with those places...or a $10 haircut, but I, inevitably, walk out less than satisfied. I mean really, how much can you demand for $10?

So I was performing my daily torture ritual with Paige (doing her hair, in other words) and finally decided that she needed about 4-5 inches of the hay growing from her scalp trimmed off. I couldn't stand it anymore and neither can my neighbors.

At the same moment, I see my sweet little girl, I mean boy, Cameron, walk in and that seals the deal. How can any mother let their child get so shaggy?

So we did what mommy does and walk-in to Great Clips for some cheap hair cuts. They did a great job and my children walked out looking groomed and happy with hairy suckers hanging from their mouths. Success..until about 6 months from now when they get their next haircuts. Do you think that these are the stories my kids will be telling their therapists 20 years from now?

Lace up your (running, walking, sleeping) SHOES!

2011-04-11T21:15:00.000-06:00

The Salt Lake City 2011 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is going to be May 7th, 2011. I hesitated at first to register my team this year as I just didn't think that I was up to the task but some people at work have offered to help and I realized that this cause is worth the effort...even if I am too tired, pregnant, swollen, blah, blah, blah . So here it is. The 4th year in a row that I have organized the HCI's Pride for Pink Race for the Cure team.

So far we have raised about $2200 between registration fees and cash donations. I am so excited for our team and for race day (even if I might need a stroller to get to the finish line).

The statistics for breast cancer are amazingly shocking. Everyone knows someone that has either had or been effected by breast cancer. I don't know if its my infinite love of the color pink or if I will at some time be personally effected by this disease in one way or another, but I feel a certain responsibility to be as involved as I can to do my part in helping to fight breast cancer.

Please join my team or make a donation here.

Apparently I am the fool...

2011-04-05T22:09:00.000-06:00

As you know, last Friday was April 1st and, therefore April Fool's Day. It started out as a normal day for me. I took the day off of work as we had friends coming into town and I had some serious work to do on our house.

It was a quiet morning. Then the clock stuck 11am and bam! My cell phone started ringing over and over and over and over and...you get the point. I didn't recognize the numbers so naturally I didn't answer at first, but by the 5th caller, I had to find out what was going on. I answered:

Me: hello?

Lady: Hi, i am calling about your elliptical. Is it still available or is this an April Fools joke?

Me: (confused) OH! I didn't know that my husband had listed the elliptical but yes we still have it.

Lady: Can I come get it?

Me: Sure. (still so confused)

I hung up assuming Eric had just listed the elliptical machine without telling me and figured the price must have been really good or something. I was, admittedly, a little annoyed as I was thinking "Why did he list it that low and why did he put my cell number on there??" I called Eric at work and told him what had happened. He was completely confused because he said he listed it for $150 (seemed reasonable) and he had listed his number not mine. My phone continued to ring and a started receiving texts: "Do you still have your elliptical?" "Can I come pick up your elliptical?", etc, etc. I finally replied to a text: "Sorry. Its sold". Reply: "Was it really free or is this a joke?" WHAT?? I was so confused.

I decided to get on KSL and find out what was going on with this ad. Since Facebook is my homepage, it opened for me to see a post from my beloved bro-in-law. "Anyone know where I can find a Free Riding Lawnmower, Pool Table, Elliptical , BBQ, or baby jogger, or Jazz/Laker tickets ?? I have been looking ALL day." WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? I call my sister, explain my woes and confusion of the day and ask if she knows whats going on here. After a little sad lying and meager "I have no idea"...she admits it! I have been DOOPED!!! The victim of a very ruthless prank.

Ashton, my dearest brother-in-law, thought it would be HILARIOUS if he listed a bunch of fake stuff in the local classifieds and put various people's numbers on the ads...including mine! Little did he know that I really had an elliptical machine that I really was listing....OH CRAP! I have someone on their way here to pick up this elliptical and she thinks its FREE!!! Ashton must DIE!

At this point my phone was still ringing and dinging with calls and texts and there was no way I would figure out the ladies number in time. DING-DONG! There she was with her huge husband and truck, ready to take the FREE elliptical off my hands.

I had to shamefully explain the RUDE joke played on me and explain that they were also victims of this unfortunate series of events. Needless to say, THEY WERE NOT AMUSED...and they know where I live.

The moral of this story is...if you have a rude brother-in-law that has no fear or shame and loves to play jokes on the innocent and unsuspecting...don't let him have your cell phone number!

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!

Cousins Sleepover!

2011-03-29T20:12:00.001-06:00

Every now and then we like to have Bonnie's kids, my neices, over for a sleepover. This time we decided that we would take the opportunity to have girls night while the kids hung with Eric. (He's a dear!)

There are 2 of them and they are a package deal cause the little ones just cant be left out. Luckily they all get along really well. I don't think Cameron realizes, or cares, that he is the only boy. So this is what we came home to.

8 is great!

2011-03-28T09:16:00.000-06:00

HAPPY 8TH ANNIVERSARY!

March 8th, 2011

HINT: IT STARTS WITH A D and ends with a LAND...

2011-03-27T23:32:00.001-06:00

YOU GUESSED IT! We did it again. Disneyland is our ideal destination these days (ok years) and the opportunity arose in February. This time we shared the experience with our good friends, the Runias, and took the chance on driving our combined 7 kids across a few states to get some Disney fill!!!

Amazingly, outside of a little flu incident, a really messy car, and some seriously sore feet, the children all survived and the week was AWESOME!

ARE WE THERE YET????? (x about 476)

DISNEY DAY #1= RUN, RUN, RUN, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, GO, GO, GO, ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

DISNEY DAY #2= BREAKFAST WITH MINNIE AND FRIENDS THEN OFF TO WAIT, WAIT, WAIT TO SEE PRINCESSES AND PIXIES.

THE ONE THING IN COMMON WITH ALL THESE PICTURES= BRAIDEN STILL LOVES ALL THINGS DISNEY, DONT LET HIS TOUGH SIDE FOOL YOU.

JASMINE+MINNIE+GEPETTO+SNOW WHITE+ARIEL+RAPUNZEL+ TINK+ 6 VERY EXCITED KIDDOS= DISNEY MAGIC GALORE!!!!

I JUST THINK THIS LOOKS VERY DISNEY-ESQE!

DISNEY DAY #3= CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE, GIRLS ONLY LUNCH WITH THE PRINCESSES ($$$=OUCH BUT WORHT IT), MID-WORLD OF COLOR BARFING CHILDREN (bye-bye expensive Princess lunch), ALL NIGHT BARFING ME WITH CHILDREN= MISERABLE DISNEY DAY #4.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

2011-03-27T18:50:00.004-06:00

OK don't judge me for the potential "inappropriateness" of this picture but walking past the bathroom on a regular basis and seeing Cameron's bare bum creates a sense of joy and elatement for me...YEAH! In early February, Cameron just decided one evening that he wanted to pee in the potty and outside of the occasional accident here and there he is now very much potty-independent. We thought it would never happen. I was at the point where I was trying to figure out what we would do when he no longer fit the biggest diapers they sell...Depends?!?!?! Funny how kids can surprise you.

So...for another 3 months anyway, we are a diaper-free household!!!

Winter Dementia

2011-02-02T12:10:00.001-07:00

We dont get even close to the amount of snow that some people do so I have no room for complaint...but that never stopped me before. With the wind chill yesterday bringing the temp to ZERO last night, I feel a little like this guy...almost.

Diary of a Demented Snow Shoveler
December 8 6:00 PM
It started to snow. The first snow of the season and
the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by
the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down
from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So
romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow
covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic
sight! Can there be a more lovely place in
the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've
ever had!
Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a
boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks.
This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered
up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got
to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12
The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a
disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry-
we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on
Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much
snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see
snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such
a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14
Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The
temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything
sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed
up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is
the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and
buried everything again. I didn't
realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling,
but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish
I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15
20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4
Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2
extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants
a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think
that's silly. We aren't in Alaska , after all.

December 16
Ice storm this morning. Fell on my face on the ice in
the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The
wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very
cruel.

December 17
Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go
anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to
pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but
stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I
should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to
her. I hate it when she's right. I can't believe
I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20
Electricity is back on, but had another 14 inches of
the stupid stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all
day. The stupid snowplow came by twice.
Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said
they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're
lying.

Called the only hardware store around to see about
buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have
another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob
says I have to shovel or the city will have it done
and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22
Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more
inches of the white crap fell today, and it's so cold,
it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes
to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I
had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed and
dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to
hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of
the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the
butthead is lying.

December 23
Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0.
The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house
this morning. What is she, nuts?!!
Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She
says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24
6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke
the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I
ever catch the idiot who drives that snow
plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his hair and
beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he
hides around the corner and waits for me to finish
shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100
miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just
been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas
carols with her and open our presents, but I was too
busy watching for the stupid snowplow.

December 25
Merry fricking Christmas! 20 more inches of the stupid
slop tonight - Snowed in
The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate
the snow!

Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation
and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife
says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking
idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one
more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26
Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It
was all HER idea.
She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27
Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze;
plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he
only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28
Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The woman is
driving me crazy!!!

December 29
10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or
it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever
heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30
Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now
he is suing me for a million dollars, not only for the
beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the
broken snow shovel down his throat! The wife went home to
her mother.
Nine more inches predicted.

December 31
I set fire to what's left of the house. No more
shoveling.

January 8
Feel so good. I just love those little white pills
they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!

2011-01-22T21:31:00.001-07:00

We are scheduled in 1 week to have an ultrasound with my doctor but, as luck would have it, we were in the mall today and walked past Fetal Studios (like Fetal Fotos). Eric and I both looked at eachother and knew what the next step was going to be. We couldnt wait any longer to find out the gender of our baby.

We were both pretty sure we knew what we were having and needless to say...

Face

Profile

Spine (baby was curled in a little ball when we first disturbed the slumber).

We were both wrong.

Its 100%, without a doubt, a boy.

You get what you get and you dont throw a fit. We both also knew that no matter what it was we are so excited to have another baby. Paige pouted for a few minutes at the news that she wasn't going to have a sister but then I told her that she would be the Princess forever and her brothers would be her protectors, and she was fine.

Now we just have to think of a name.

16 weeks and counting....

2011-01-08T17:58:00.001-07:00

Week 16 from http://www.babystrology.com/:

What is going on with your baby during week 16?

"Your baby is swimming in a tiny pool of amniotic fluid (about a cup of fluid has accumulated inside of you at this stage). This fluid plays an important role in the development of your baby's pulmonary system. The amniotic fluid allows your baby to breathe in the utero as the fluid moves in and out of baby's lungs. The fluid also provides protection to baby as it contains antibiotic agents to inhibit bacterial growth hence your baby is protected prior to its birth. The umbilical cord is attached to the lower part of baby's body. Legs are longer than arms and both limbs move; this can be captured on the ultrasound screen. Some women may also start to feel their baby move at this point of pregnancy; these feelings have been compared to gas bubbles. Many women do not recognize the feeling and may attribute it to being gas bubbles when actually it is their baby moving. Your baby measures at about 4½ inches (11.5 cm) and weighs close to 2¾ oz (80g). "

Well, I figured that, while this time of year there isn't much going on and most people are winding down from the holidays and making New Year's Resolutions to get skinny, I may as well blog about something other than the fact that I am getting anything BUT skinny....

I am pregnant with my 4th and likely, my last baby. I knew after having Cameron that I wasn't done but it took me a good 3+ years to convince myself to get pregnant again as I am one of those that loves having a new baby but really despises what we women have to go through to get them here. Don't get me wrong... I am so grateful for the power to procreate and boy, was I ever blessed with fertility, but I don't really love all the icky parts of being pregnant. That being said, here I am again, 16 weeks along, finally just over the sick stage and getting my will to live back.

I will be honest...I want a girl. Everyone says this, "I will just be happy if its healthy" but, although I WILL be happy to just have a healthy baby, I am definitely seeing pink. Paige and I are outnumbered. We need some strength in estrogen around here. So I find out what we are having in 3 weeks. Cant wait. Cross your fingers for me. I have been somewhat tempted to run to Fetal Photos but...nah, I can wait 3 weeks.

HELLO 2011!

2011-01-04T22:52:00.002-07:00

Well, its a New Year. We had a good time ringing in the New Year with good friends...then we ran away to get in our beds as soon as possible. By the way, its really cold here right now. So cold that we drove 5 houses down...it was 7 degrees outside. We couldn't walk. Anyway, New Years Eve is always fun but I think I am getting too old. Maybe we will start ringing in the New Year with Australia.

In honor of the passing of 2010, here is a little memoir of the 2010 highlights for the Erickson Family.

January-

Amy and Paige went to California to go through the temple with my little brother Jonny before he left on his mission, then hit D-land with Whitney and Ashton.

February-
Eric took Paige to her first Daddy/ Daughter Princess Ball.

March-

I ran my first Half Marathon in the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Disney World where Eric and I also celebrated our 8th anniversary (the best trip ever)! My brother left for his mission in Boston, Mass.

April-

I ran my second half marathon, the Salt Lake City Half.

May-

Braiden turned 11. He and I took a quick weekend trip to California/ Disneyland. Stress fracture, Race for the Cure with my family.

June-

Paige turned 5. We took a family trip to California which consisted of a visit to Sea World and Disneyland!

July- Eric and Luke put wood floors in our house! Yeah!

August-

My 33rd b-day...whoop de do. Paige Starts Kindergarten, Braiden starts 6th grade, Erickson Family Reunion, Football for Braiden.

September-

Disneyland Half Marathon over Labor Day weekend, Cameron turns 3, 7-day cruise to the Southern Caribbean.

October-

Halloween, Pink Series Park City Half Marathon. Oh, ya, did I mention am prego?

November-

Eric turns 38 and Thanksgiving at our house! (Not much else due to my morning sickness.)

December-

Paige's Dance recital, Family trip to California for Christmas.

So there you have it...2010 at a glance. It was a great year for us. I am excited for what 2011 has in store for our family. I am guessing it will be busy in its own way but I wont be running any marathons.

Christmas Journey to California

2010-12-30T19:30:00.005-07:00

I got a wild hair this year and decided to do something a little different for Christmas. We went to California and spent Christmas week at my Dad,s house and, of course, also visited the Merriest Place on Earth!

Below is a collage of every picture I took over the entire week. It was a crazy week to say the least but the highlight was of course, Christmas Day with family and then with our favorite Mouse!

I drove to California with the 3 kids on the 19th and Eric joined us a few days later. In those few days, I risked our lives driving in crazy rain down the Cajon Pass into San Bernardino, watched Southern California flood from my dad's house, took Cameron to the ER with croup, and braved Disneyland with the 3 kids on my own in the pouring rain...whew! What doesn't kill us makes stronger, right? On top of being pregnant and barely getting past the sick stage, I am extremely moody and tire very easily these days... just ask Braiden. Cant imagine why...

Needless to say, I was very happy for Eric to join us so I could have a little break from worrying about the kids' every move.

We had an excellent time at my Dad's house, hanging out with the kids and visiting. Heaven knows we had plenty of togetherness as there was no going anywhere in the crazy rain that did not stop for 4 days straight. We went to the movies, ate chips and salsa and played, played, played!

I took the kids to D-land on that Wednesday (was going to be Tuesday but 2am on Tuesday morning I was in the ER with Cameron so we needed our rest) and we had a great, although wet, day. It rained on and off all day but we had hardly any waits so I will take the rain. The only bummer if the day is that Cameron's Mickey Mouse jacket and hat were stolen right off of our stroller...yes, crime happens even at Disneyland. All I can hope for is that it went to a child that really needed it.

This is good pictorial evidence that it takes many shots to get a descent photo with this wild group. After about 14 shots...

...we got this. And my Dad's eyes are still closed. HA!

Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve brought leaving food on the lawn for the reindeer, reading the Christmas Story from the Bible, The Night Before Christmas read by Dad and all the kids squeezing into one room to sleep. Oh yes an don't forget the endless putting together, wrapping, taping, and Santa-ing. **WINK, WINK**

Christmas Day I was happy to report that the kids actually slept until 7:30am! Santa was good to everyone that day. Paigey got her Barbie Laptop and Cameron got his "Fwinkey Dog" (Slinky Dog). They succeeded to make a 3-foot high pile of wrapping paper in 2 minutes FLAT! Then my dad made breakfast... can you find it? Yikes.

We braved Disneyland on Christmas Day. I thought this was going to be a unique idea. Nobody actually goes to Disney on Christmas! Oh ya right! I think half of North America was in Anaheim that day! They actually SOLD OUT of tickets...SOLD OUT! Good thing we already had ours. We made the best of it and had a great time. The people are ruthless but patience is key unless you want to kill someone; and something tells me that isn't acceptable at Disneyland.

And people wonder why love Disney so much...look at those faces.

We got home after a VERY LONG DRIVE. As I suspected there was terrible traffic the second we got on the freeway by my dads house ALL THE WAY TO VEGAS! What should have taken 3 hours, took a whopping 6 hours! We stayed in Vegas and made our way back the next day. When we got home we had another Christmas with the gifts that we left at home. The kids thought they were in heaven. Christmas twice?? Whoopeeee!

I always like to take some pictures of the Christmas Decor to motivate myself the following year. Also so I can remember how my house looked during these times of the year. I am afraid that I will forget. These are just a few of my favorite little reminders of the season. I know its just "stuff" but many times during this time of year, especially this year while I have been super sick with pregnancy, I will sit in my living room and just look around, and my comfy home and the sounds of my kids makes me remember why I am who I am and how blessed I am to be me.

I especially love my Door of Love (the Christmas card door). I LOVE getting cards from my friends and family and hanging them up as a reminder of how loved we are. This year's door isn't to shabby! Thanks everyone. XOXO!

Paige, The Dancing Candy Cane

2010-12-20T19:49:00.002-07:00

The Erickson Children's Holiday Best

2010-12-20T19:19:00.002-07:00

In their Sunday Christmas best! Dont they look sweet? (Don't let them fool you)

Princess Paige

Cool dude Braiden. Watch the hair, it bites!

Cameron the goofball.

December Festivities

2010-12-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Festivities are afoot!

Braidens 6th Grade Christmas Program

Where's Waldo, I mean Braiden? Can you spot him?

Yipeee!

November 2010 Recap

2010-12-20T18:12:00.003-07:00

November was a month for slacking in the blog department so here is the quick November recap:

Not sure if I mentioned it but Braiden started playing tackle football this year for the Ute Conference Youth Football League. Yes, I said Ute. Its ok, we are still BYU fans. Their basic purpose is to train up youngins to play high school football so assuming we still live the same place when Braiden goes to high school, he would be playing for the Jordan Beetdiggers of Jordan High School. To our slight surprise, Braiden wowed the coaches at his try-outs and made the "A"team of the Jordan Beetdigger Mighty Mites. That was a day of joy and jubilation for Braiden and a day of fear and trepidation for me. Heaven knows I am proud of the kid. I know he has a talent and potential that needs fostering, but am I football mom material?? Yikes!!

Well, thank my lucky stars that he played with other boys in our ward and one of his coaches is our Bishop so I was given more help than I ever deserved in getting him to 3x/week practices and weekly games. On top of that, Braiden did great, continued to impress his coaches, learned a ton AND did really well in school all at the same time! Yeah for Braiden!! Go 64!! It made me NOT hate football and actually I have to give myself a little pat on the back for actually learning a bit about the game. I figure if I am going to be a pro-mom, I better know when to cheer, right?

As well as the season went, however, I was singing hallelujah when the end of the season came. Enough is enough. I will be re-charged by the time next season comes.

Braiden's Biggest fans are his little brother and sisters. They love watching him play. Cameron already has a plan for his football career.

Wigington #64

Family night consisting of Twister and Caramel Apples. Who could ask for more??

November 19th, 2010

Eric celebrates his 38th year on earth!

A tradition that we have maintained since the kids were old enough on Eric's birthday: We let the kids pick the flavor, frosting and decor for a birthday cake that they get to make for him. They have grown to look forward to this every year and Eric is always excited to see what they thought of. This year was all about marshmallows and sprinkles...ew.

I think that look is saying, "Oh, heaven help me not to enter a diabetic coma if I eat this."

Thanksgiving 2010

This year Thanksgiving was hosted at my house (Pot Luck style, of course).

We were graced with a bit of a snow storm right before Thanksgiving. This is the view from my front door.

Nothing much else happened in November...Oh! Except for our announcement of another little Erickson coming soon. June 2011 to be exact. Stay tuned for updates!

Halloween Extravaganza 2010

2010-12-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

Thats my son, fairy Braiden.

Paige at her school Halloween Parade. She was the cutest of all 12 Super Girls that I saw.

Eric's work trick-or-treating

SUPER CAMERON!

A Night with My WITCHES!

2010-10-26T22:48:00.000-06:00

October 22, 2010 marked my first time ever attending Witches Night Out with a group of crazy women that take pride in being 'witches'. We got totally decked out as you can see and partied all night long. I thought I was way too old to be acting like this....

I think not...

Till next year.

Punkin Pickin' and Guttin'

2010-10-25T23:17:00.001-06:00

PUMPKIN PICKIN'

Last week we went to the best Pumpkin Patch ever!!

I say that because we got ALL those pumpkins in the wheel barrow for 10 bucks!! The cheaper the better, right?

My kids are just so stinkin funny. Cameron thought that his job was to find the funniest pumpkin, Braiden was bent on finding the BIGGEST pumpkin and Paige...well Paige just couldn't decide.

PUMPKIN GUTTIN'

I would like to express to you how I loathe pumpkin carving. Call me scrooge or what have you, but I just cannpt handle the smell or the texture of pumpkin guts. Ugh, it makes my stomach turn just thinking about it.

Of course, Braiden took full advantage of my disdain for the foul stuff.

Cameron is just cute.

Paige is just a little silly. Oh by the way, can you see where she lost a tooth?

Thank goodness for Daddy and his strong pumpkin stomach. Happy kids= happy day.

Cruisin'...

2010-10-25T22:57:00.001-06:00

We left at 6 am on September 17th 2010 to begin our very long journey to Puerto Rico where we set sail for a very fun, long, crazy and relaxing 7-day cruise to the Southern Caribbean. Our destinations were exotic, hot and very sunny and we lucked out and had perfect weather the entire time. It was exhausting and unforgettable all at the same time. We went with a group of wild kids (I say kids only because Eric and I were the eldest of the group) and we had a great time.

Here is the pictorial proof.

Day 1:

We arrived in Puerto Rico by about 4pm and crashed in our hotel and we were exhausted. No pictures.

Day 2:

Day 1 in Puerto Rico

We explored our way around Old San Juan, stopped at Senor Frog's for lunch. Braved the pouring rain storm that came a went very quickly, We visited the Castillo San Felipe del Morro which was right next to an awesome old cemetery. Let pigeons eat out of our hands and went to the Parrot Club for dinner.

Day 3:

Second day in Puerto Rico and boarding day.

We visited another castle fort Castillo San Cristóbal and nearly sweat to death. Then we headed to the ship to cool off, get comfortable and set sail!

Day 4:

St. Thomas

Eric and I ventured out and walked around St Thomas open-air market, took a little city tour and went to a gorgeous beach complete with resident iguanas and white sand.

Day 5:

The Nature Island of Dominica

In Dominica we spent the day with the whole group and had a blast river tubing, exploring the rain forest and wading in the hot mineral pools.

Day 6:

St. Lucia

While part of the group went scuba diving, we took a scenic tour of the forest island of St. Lucia. This island is very mountainous so shortly into the drive I was feeling quite carsick. I had to ride with my head between my legs so I wouldn't hurl. Never the less, St. Lucia is a gorgeous place. We went to the Peton Volcano and saw the steam pools at the base of it, stopped at a local bakery and had some delicious bread, drove through acres and acres of banana plantations and admired a gorgeous waterfall from afar.

Day 7:

St. Kitts

St Kitts (AKA St. Christopher) was pretty interesting experience. We rode in a very bumpy, open-air cab and had a bit of an island tour, walked the rain forest for 45 minutes, stopped at a really cool botanical garden and then went to Cockleshell Beach, which was supposed to be the nicest beach on the island. I suppose "nicest" is a relative term but really? It was far from nice. We did, however, get some great, cheap massages on the beach which left me sore for days. If you are wondering about the pig picture, Cockleshell Beach has a resident pig, Wibur, that wanders the beach and just lives there...ew. That left me a little turned off to Cockleshell Beach but hey, you can win em all.

Evening of day 7: Dinner with the crowd

We had dinner every night in the dining room with our huge group and always had so much fun, eating, chatting, laughing, and eating some more. It wouldn't be a cruise if there wasn't way too much food.

Day 8:

St. Maarten

St. Maarten is a place that I pledge we will go back to someday. It was gorgeous and I think my favorite thing was that the residents are prohibited from begging people for money or trying to sell you stuff. Given that every island was crawling with people trying to swindle you out of every penny, this was quite refreshing and a perfect last cruise day. We wanted our last day to be a beach day so we found the perfect beach to go to- Pinel Beach! So gorgeous and very French (you know what that means, right? Luckily there weren't many nudists). We were there for about 5 hours and boy did my skin not appreciate that. The sun there is evil- even in the shade. I was probably in direct sunlight with 50 SPF on for about 30 minutes and got one of the worst burns of my life. I spent the rest of the time in the shade but no matter, I was fried. Eric was worse. We had a great time playing in the warm, crystal clear water but we paid for it. I resorted to covering myself with my beach towel because there was no other escape. We paid $15 for a bottle of Aloe Vera on the ship that night.

Day 9: Disembarkation and the LOOOOOOONG trip home.

Luckily we weren't kicked off the ship at the break of dawn. We were able to sleep in a little, eat some breakfast and hang out for a little while before our number was called to disembark. At this point we were ready to go home but really dreading the REALLY long flight home. We made it home at about 1am and were very tired and still very sun burnt but so excited to see the kids sleeping faces and be back in our own beds.

Most of the group the first day in PR.

The whole crowd on formal night.

Me on Pinel Island.

The Ericksons and the Parrys in PR

Us in the taxi van on the Dominica Island Tour

Me...uh, I don't know what I am doing. Just being me.

Eric and I enjoying the Caribbean sun and slowly frying our skin but loving it.

A handsome little man turns 3- Sept 10, 2010

2010-10-03T21:27:00.001-06:00

Cameron Benjamin Erickson

From cute little newborn...

To cute little 3 year old!

Cameron had an awesome party at Pirate Island Pizza with friends and family complete with pizza, cupcakes, presents and video games galore...oh and not to mention a few pirates. AARRRR, Matey!

Happy Birthday CamCam!

Baby David's Blessing Day - September 5, 2010

2010-09-30T18:56:00.000-06:00

My California Adventure: Disneyland Half Marathon 2010

2010-09-30T18:45:00.003-06:00

Our First day in Cali we made a courageous trip to Downtown LA to shop in the Fashion District. It was pretty-much a giant flea market and it was blazing HOT but we had a good time haggling our way to some good deals!

September 5th we arose early and walked down to the starting line of the 5th Annual Disneyland Half Marathon. It was so fun and was especially exciting as my sisters did it with me. I am so proud of them for accomplishing such an awesome thing. This was my 3rd race, Whitney's 2nd and Bonnie's 1st!

McCoy Update

2010-09-30T18:10:00.000-06:00

Need I say more?

A day of firsts....

2010-09-30T18:05:00.001-06:00

FIRST day of 6th grade for Braiden

Firs Day of Kindergarten for Paige

Erickson Family Reunion 2010

2010-09-12T22:33:00.002-06:00

BFF

2010-09-12T22:10:00.000-06:00

Carrie Pabst, one of my 2 BFFs visited Utah and we were able to spent some fun girl time together like olden days. I love this girl!

Swimming, Playing, Visiting= Summer 2010

2010-09-12T20:59:00.004-06:00

Now that the summer of 2010 is coming to a close and the cooler temps are setting in I need to re-cap the summer for the Erickson Family in one happy little post. The pics speak for themselves but that never stopped me from commenting before!

~I posted this just because he is so stinkin cute~

~Summer consisted of lots of time spent with cousins and the back yard was very well used this year. If there is water, they will come...and they will swim in it till they pass out. I cant wait to bring these pictures back to torment them when they are teenagers.~

Since football is Braidens new love we took advantage of the opportunity to put him in a 1-day training clinic with some of the past and present BYU football players. The clinic is sponsored by New Skin and was so fun for them. We had to go all the way to St. George to do it since the Provo one filled up too fast so by 7 am it was about 85 degrees. The picture on the left is Braiden with Jake Heaps (BYUs new QB) and on the right we have the pre-clinic pep talk.

Baby Squishy

2010-09-12T20:23:00.001-06:00

This post is a little out-dated. My little nephew McCoy has since become even cuter and his cheeks have gotten chunkier, much chunkier! I call him "My little Squishy". He is oh, so squishy.

Miss Paige turns 5

2010-09-12T20:13:00.001-06:00

Paige turned 5 this year on June 6th. We partied it up Princess Style.

All of Paige's little home-girls came over and got dressed up in Paige's princess Dress-up clothes.

Within minutes they, of course, all had swim suits on and ended up in the front yard running in Paige's Hello Kitty sprinkler. Watching 5 year-olds is utterly entertaining.

It was a fun party. Paige had a blast and was spoiled like a Princess should be.

~Birthday Princess Paige~

I had multiple flash-forwards of this being Paige's 16th birthday party and had to be sedated.
Heaven help me.

Dance, Dance, Dance!!

2010-08-01T11:22:00.000-06:00

Its a Small World Afterall....

2010-07-31T23:11:00.001-06:00

June 9-14, 2010 marked the Erickson Family's one and only trip to Disneyland...this year.

Yes, its sad but true that we will only be able to do a family trip to D-land once this year due to other plans that will take all our time (and money) this year.

So the first day I flew in with Braiden and Paige and we spent a day at Disneyland and then the next day we caught a bus to SeaWorld. SeaWorld is pretty fun but also pretty pricey for what you get if you ask me...however; the kids always love it. There is something about smelly fish and giant sea mammals that amazes them. So...its all about them anyway, right?

The first day we spent at Disneyland, we ran into out neighbor friends, the Webbs, so we hung out with them the rest of the say and had a great time! Little Riley Webb and Paige are little buddies and had a blast together. We saw the Fairy Godmother, Mary Poppins, Jasmine and Aladdin, ate turkey legs and had a great time!

Eric got there the second day with Cameron and we stayed for 3 more days at Disneyland.

This year seemed to be different for Cameron. He is getting to the age where he is super excited about Disney and all it has to offer for little people like him. We bought the Disneyland Soundtrack not too long ago which the kids love listening to so they know every song.

Cameron Loved Pirates of the Caribbean and The Monster's Inc Adventure the most...he is most definitely a boy! He sang all the way through It's a Small World and Loved every second of the Teacups (ugh).

So something I learned this go 'round with Disneyland? Never go when there is some major attraction or show making its debut there. The World of Color show at California Adventure had its opening night (which we did not get to see due to the disgusting wait times) while we were there. The place was crazy...even for me and I am pretty tolerant of Disney crowds.

We ended up spending alot of time at the Paradise Pier Hotel where we stayed and hang out by the pool alot. It was fun and as always, worth it.

Till next time (that would be September for me when I return to run the Disneyland Half Marathon with Bonnie and Whitney...in case you were wondering)!

Salt Lake City Half Marathon- April 17, 2010

2010-07-30T01:09:00.000-06:00

April 17th 2010 marked the day of another bout if insanity for me...I ran my second Half Marathon in Salt Lake City.

It was a gorgeous day and I had all my favorite people waiting for me at the finish line.

The other good news is that I survived the race, it wasn't as hard as the first one and I shaved almost 25 minutes off my time from the first race! Yeah!!

Next up? The Disneyland Half Marathon Labor Day Weekend 2010!

One of many visits to St. George

2010-07-30T00:57:00.000-06:00

These posts are a little out of sequence but I am posting as I come across pictures of stuff we have done...How else will I ever remember? In April we made the trek to our favorite weekend get-away St. George, UT where my grandma resides. We spent the weekend with her just pretty-much doing nothing which is exactly what we love doing when we go there...nothing is bliss sometimes. We swim, we watch movies, we talk and talk with Grandma, and of course we eat.

We always make it a point to either very clearly point out the St George temple or actually go and see it. It really a gorgeous place and this particular day there was a bride out front. Paige was in awe of the Princess-like girl. She always tells me how she will get married there someday...but she "doesn't want marry Cameron...cause he is my brother! EW!." Aw, from the mouths of babes...

I love my sweet grandma so much. Since my grandfather passed away (2 years ago) she has been doing so well to keep herself busy with friends and substitute teaching and her little dog (which is more like a baby, by the way). But I can always tell that the sparkle in her eye has dimmed and it comes back whenever we reminisce about Grandpa. We all miss him alot but I can't even imagine how she misses him after spending 54 years with him.

We always make sure to wave good-bye to Grandma as we leave and she always waits for us to drive away before going back in. Whenever we leave her I cant help but wonder if this will be the last time we see her. This is how I will always remember her when I can't go see her anymore...waving good-bye with her sweet smile and knowing she loves us and will be here, waiting for us when we come back.

#1 is 11! Let's go to Disneyland!

2010-07-30T00:25:00.001-06:00

Braiden had an awesome birthday if I do say so myself. He turned 11 on May 20th. Yikes! I have said it before and I will say it again...am I old enough to have an 11 year old?? I'll never tell.

We had the good old family get-together for cake and presents and stuff as this year Braiden opted for a Mom trip to D-Land rather than a birthday party. Oh he still ended up with a friend trip (7 boys!) to the movie theater to see ShreK 4 and a very rowdy sleep-over, but no party...right.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Braiden and I took a whirl wind trip to California and went to the Happiest Place on Earth. We had a good time just laughing and listening to music and hanging out. These trips are the best for Braiden and I as we don't get 1 on 1 time so these are memories I, and hopefully he, will treasure forever. I just hope that when he is 16 he will still want to take trips with me.

Washed out Random-Ness!

2010-07-30T00:07:00.002-06:00

I was messing around with my camera at a family gathering not long ago and decided I really like these washed-out
pics I got by sticking the camera in everyones faces.

Can you tell who they are??