This weekend while visiting my parents, Grandpa took the kids to see kung fu panda. They were so excited to go and they loved the movie. Bennett was able to stay and spend the week in Bozeman. This was one of the fun things they did today. Enjoy!
http://www.kungfupanda.mcdonalds.com/KFP/?replay=1214259137609#youkungfu
You gotta love his fighting face! he's such a bad @#$!!
Lydia, the new song on my playlist is dedicated to you! Bring back any memories? Ah, high school!
Isabel loves her baby sister and loves to play with her. Yesterday Isabel was spinning (very slowly) around with Lillia in her arms, and Lillia couldn't get enough. When this first happened Lillia was squealing so loudly and laughing as hard as she could, but by the time I got the camera, I think she was getting a little tired. It was still pretty funny though. I wasn't going to post it, but the kids were insistent that I do. Enjoy!
Dad, Happy Fathers day! Thanks for teaching me how to play baseball, you are a good coach, and for taking me to roping's. I like it when we get to spend time together, just the two of us. You are a great Dad. Love, Bennett
Dad, Thanks for teaching me to ride horsies. I like to wrestle and tickle you. Your the best! Love,Will
Dad, Thank you for teaching me to ride Izzy and for helping me to ride her. I like when we play baseball in the yard and when we go out for ice cream. You are a lot of fun to mess with! Love ya, Isabel
Dad, I like your hugs and when we play together. You are a nice Dad. Love Evan
Dadda, Bla Bla mamamma ddadda hi bouie blub dadda daddda muma bah bah ieeeeeo whaaaaie. Love Lillia
It has been a few years since we have had an Erickson Family reunion, so Jake and Megan and Tara and Cole, planned a get together. It was a lot of fun to see everyone that came. (maybe next year more people will show up.) We ate (of course, what's a reunion with out lots of food?) and caught up with everyone while the kids ran around. They had games planned, but the kids were having so much fun playing football and playing on the play ground, we ended up not playing any. About half way through lunch, Will runs up to me saying he had to go potty. The bathrooms at the park were locked, so I told him to go behind a big tree. Well, he ran over to it, and instead of going behind it, he pulled down his pants right in front of everyone, giving us all a full moon. Everyone got a good chuckle out of this and suddenly everyone is rolling, laughing so hard they are chocking on their food. I look over and will is no longer going "potty" but is squatting and going number two! Jason runs out to stop him but it was to late, he was already shaking his bum, trying to get the poop to drop! I guess that's what happens when you grow up with horses and steer, they do it, right? I was laughing to hard to get a picture of this, but a few others did. As soon as I get a copy of one I will be posting it. It was just to funny.
Evan is kind of a loner, he likes to play by himself when he doesn't know that many people. He still has a great time no matter where he goes.
Bennett, Isabel, and Samantha playing on the playground.
Uncle Roger was giving kids rides on the four wheeler, and all them decided to jump on at once. I promise he was only going like two miles an hour! I'm not really a fan of kids on these things, but I have to say it was pretty funny.
It's stampede days time, so time for parade and rodeo. The kids have such a great time at the parade, and were so excited to go. Isabel was in it this year, she participated in a cheer leading clinic that the high school cheerleaders put on as a fund raiser. All the girls that did the clinic got to be in the parade and show off their new moves. Isabel was so excited! The boys couldn't wait to get all the candy and see the floats. ( this is just a small town parade so the floats are just decorated pick up trucks, but it is still fun.) We were able to sit by some of Jason's cousins and their kids, so it was even better having all of us there.
...............Evan checking out all his candy
..Lillia trying to get into some of Evans candy. That wrapper just wouldn't come off!
.. She finally gave up trying to get the wrapper off and just put it all in her mouth!
.........Daddy and Will enjoying the parade and the sun!
Will waved at every float and group that went by, just hoping they would throw him some candy! It worked most of the time. Both he and Evan came home with half a grocery bag full of candy. He was so cute standing there waving, I had to get it on video. He waves just like the beauty queen's!
By the time Isabel's group got to us they were pretty far behind the rest of the parade, so they just ran right by. I wasn't able to get much of a video of her, she was so funny, just a "hi Mom, bye, Mom" and right by. She had been saving a piece of candy to throw to us the entire parade, and after said "who got the candy I threw to you?" I thought it was really sweet of her.
....................................The Stingers
My sister in law, Kelly, just got home from teaching in Africa for a month. We are so excited for her to be home, but as you can imagine, it was hard for her to leave the children that she has grown to love. If you would like to read about her very cool trip visit macandkelly.blogspot.com
She really learned so much and it was truly a life changing trip. Please visit her blog and see what you can do to make a difference. Welcome home Kelly!
Well I figured it was going to happen soon or later, but I really didn't think it would happen this soon. Blossom was killed last night. We got home from the dentist and the kids ran out to the barn to check on the cats, Isabel comes running into the house screaming and crying that Blossom was dead. This brought back terrible memories about the bunnies that we bought last year. They were out in the barn and it was Isabel's job to feed them. When she got home from school she ran out to check on them, and she came running back to the house screaming saying,"Mom, the bunnies are gone, there is nothing left but fur and blood!" Something (I don't know what kind of animals does that) came into the barn and skinned and ate the rabbits. Well I was really hoping not to find that kind of scene when I got to the barn, and thankfully no. Just a dead kitten (I think it had been dead for a long time since it was rock hard) it had four bite marks on the back of the neck and it was a little bloody, but that's all. There was also a tiny little bird with a broken wing in with the cats, and the kids thought the bird killed poor Blossom. I know it's not funny, and shame on me for this, but I had such a hard time not laughing at them. We buried blossom under a tree, and we all said a few words about what a special cat she was.(we have had her for three days!) Isabel cried forever, and even now hours later if you mention the cats she will start again. All the kids think that we should give Felix back to the family that we got him from. They have decided it would be better if he lived there, since it is just not safe for small animals out here. (We'll see if they will take him back or not, they seemed pretty happy to have gotten rid of them) I feel really bad for poor Isabel, her heart is just breaking. I thought I would spare her feelings and not take a picture of Blossom to post. (I'm sure some of you are happy about that as well.) I guess we are just not meant to have cats around here.
I took the kids to get their teeth cleaned at the dentist today. They all did really well, I am always scared that they will freak out and bite the dentist like many of the kids did when I was a dental assistant back in the day. Luckily that hasn't happened and hopefully will never happen. Isabel and Evan both have a cavity!! I'm so ashamed, what a terrible Mother I am turning out to be. (just kidding) It really doesn't surprise me to much that Evan has a cavity since he sneaks anything and everything sweet from the pantry late at night. I am not kidding, this kid will take full bags of marshmallows, cans of frosting (with a spoon), bags of chocolate chips, bags of brown sugar (with a spoon), he once took a jar of marshmallow cream (with a spoon, that was the worst thing I think I have ever had to clean up, once that stuff dries it's like glue.) He takes it upstairs to his room and hides under his bed until it's gone and then goes to sleep. So really I think we are lucky he just has one cavity! Isabel one the other hand hates to go a few hours with out brushing her teeth, go figure.
It was Will's first cleaning and he did awesome! he wasn't even nervous at all, just sat up in that big ol' chair and opened wide. The hygienist was really sweet and told him he was magic and he could move the chair if he thought about it hard enough. Will would close his eyes and make tight fists and then the chair would move. He thought that was just the coolest thing. Both Will and Bennett's teeth look great, no cavities to worry about.
I meant to bring my camera, but of course forgot it. I guess that's what happens when you are trying to get five kids in the car and to the dentist on time. I'm surprised I didn't forget anything else! (like my mind!)
Introducing the newest members of our family, Felix and Blossom. Isabel had a friend over on Friday and her friend mentioned that her cat had kittens and they were looking for a good home. We were not in anyway looking for another cat, (we have tried to have cats a couple times, but they don't last to long. They have been taken by the road, the owls, and I think even the neighbors!) but Isabel was very persistent and I gave in. When we took her friend home Isabel got to pick out a kitten. They were all so cute and Isabel just couldn't decide which one she wanted more, plus the fact that I'm such a pushover for a cute animal and my kids, we ended up coming home with two. Jason was not happy with me, he didn't want one cat let alone two, but two cats are better than one for a couple reasons. 1) they keep each other company, and are less likely to wander off 2) two cats catch more mice than one, and since they (the cats) live in the barn, they should be catching quite a few. 3) two cats means less fighting when all the kids want to hold one. The list could go on and on. (actually that was all I could think of) Isabel got to name them since she picked them out, and I really think they are cute names and fit the kittens. Can you tell which is which? Hopefully these cats decide to stick around, Isabel is becoming very attached already.
We finally got our garden planted today!!! HURRAY! What a load off my mind, we really should have done it last month, but with the cold weather and me being so sick, it just didn't happen. We actually had a few hours with nothing on the calender so we took advantage and started planting. I had a crazy time trying to find any seeds to plant. I think with the prices of everything sky rocketing, everyone is a little scared and planting a garden this year. I had to go to four different stores to get all the seed I needed, we still didn't get everything we wanted, but we got the basics. Corn, beans, peas, carrots, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and pumpkins. Every year I let the kids plant the pumpkins. They plant them and through out the summer they water and weed. I think it is a great way for the kids to see what hard work can accomplish. Come October, they have great pumpkins for carving, and it is all because of the work they did. (we didn't plant last year, I was still in hibernation from having a baby and wanted nothing to do with a garden. So Grandma gave the kids pumpkins from hers.) After the pumpkins were planted, we separated, Jason and Will tackled the corn, Isabel, Evan and I got on the peas and carrots, and Bennett decided to mow the lawn. (it was his first time mowing the lawn, and he was really excited. He felt like he was driving a car!) After those were down, everyone but Isabel and I wimped out and we were left with the rest to plant by ourselves. When we finally got it done, I was thrilled. It can be quite a chore to get it all done, especially with how big ours is, but nothing is better than fresh veggies from your own garden!
...............................Bennett's first driving attempt!
.....................................Daddy's little helper
.......................................my hard workers
......................................the finished product
......................................BEFORE 
Isabel has had a dead tooth for a couple of years. Evan got mad at her for some reason (it was really to long ago for me to remember the exact reason) and threw a toy at her. It just happened to be a big enough and heavy enough toy and hit her directly in the tooth. The next day it was all grey and has been that way ever since. The tooth has been lose for a couple months now, but every time she would wiggle it, it would get pushed up into her gums instead of coming out. Lately her gums around the tooth have gotten really swollen and irritated, so I knew that tooth needed to come out. As more time went on it became more obvious that it was not going to come out without some professional help. The last week it has been extremely sore and Isabel has been having a hard time eating, so I finally made the call to the dentist and got an appointment for today at 1:00. Isabel woke up this morning saying, "Oh 1:00, oh no, scary, 1:00" over and over. I told her it was really no big deal, and that the dentist would give her some medicine so she wouldn't feel it getting pulled. She was not convinced, a friend of hers from school had a tooth pulled and told her it was awful, and it hurt soooo much. The poor girl was scared to death! We got to the dentist and he is actually a friend of ours, he was so sweet to Isabel, telling her silly stories of Jason to take her mind off of it. (from the picture you can tell it didn't really work!)
Dr. Dansy numbed her gums and then gave her the dreaded shot. She did a lot better then I thought she would. She squirmed a little and made a few small squeals, but did really well. (seriously, how morbid am I, taking pictures of her while she is in pain! Anything for my blog!)
After the shot starting working she was so funny, it was her first time having any work done, so she has never had to have a shot. She kept asking if her lip was fat and if she looked funny. When Dr. Dansy came back he asked her to try and pull out her tooth. She was very nervous about this because it has hurt so badly for the last little while, but she went ahead and tried, (after a little coaxing) she was able to move it a lot but no luck pulling it. Dr. Dansy then got out the pliers, grabbed her tooth and told Isabel that she could pull it out if she wanted to. Isabel grabbed the pliers and gave it a yank. On the second try it came out. She was really excited that she was able to pull it out and that it didn't hurt! She was thrilled to have it finally out. Her gums are still pretty swollen, but that should be gone within a few days. The best thing was Dr. Dansy didn't even charge us for the visit because he said that Isabel did all the work! Nice job Isabel, maybe I have a future dentist on my hands! (you might not want to watch the video if you have a weak stomach! I'm kidding, it's really not that bad.)
............................................AFTER
.........................................Still as cute as ever!
Tonight was the Dodgers first playoff game. It is a two game elimination, which is a good thing, because they lost by one run tonight. It was a hard night on both teams (and spectators) because it was pouring rain. We had some wild pitches because the pitchers couldn't keep hold of the wet ball, and the other boys were so cold and wet they were having a hard time catching. The game started at 6:30 so I was able to watch about 30 minutes of it before I had to leave to take Evan to his game at 7:00. Luckily Evans game was cancelled due to the rain. I made a quick stop at the convenience store to pick up some hot chocolate before heading back to the Bennett's game. (it was soo cold, we really needed something to warm us back up) I am a true believer in supporting your kids in everything they do. If they are out in the rain playing then we are out in the rain watching. None of this watching from the car for me. I feel like, if they can do it, so can I. My other kids didn't feel as strongly as I did, and decided to stay in the car and watch a movie. Which was fine by me, that means less whining that I have to deal with. I don't know if they got bored or if the puddles were just too irresistible, but they only lasted in the car for about twenty minutes. About five seconds later they were soaked head to toe and completely covered in mud. Bennett's second game is on Thursday so more to come..... Hopefully the sun will make an appearance for that game.
Bennett worked on his webelos readyman badge today. Basically it is learning all about first aid. So we arranged for him and two other boys to go to the fire station and earn their badges. We have a guy in our ward who is a fireman and was happy to put on a class for us. They learned all kinds of great info from CPR to frostbite, shock to burns, and lots more. The funny thing was Bennett fell asleep half way through the class (I think he got up during the night to play the WII) and was so embarrassed. He didn't open his mouth the rest of the time there. I tried to get a picture of him asleep, but his friend sitting next to him woke him up before I got a chance to. After they were done with all the webelos requirements, they were able to go out and check out the fire trucks. They loved this!! Bennett had such a great time, (I know you can't tell from the pictures. He is at that age where it's not cool to smile!) he has now decided he wants to be a fireman.
Last night we were at Grandma and Grandpa Ericksons house for a little visit. My kids had been begging me all day to go see Grandma. We get there just as they are breaking out the brownies and ice cream. (perfect timing right!) We were all just sitting around visiting eating our desert when I notice big white flakes coming down outside. No, not snow, but pedals from the blossoms on the apple tree. So I decide to play a little trick on Isabel. I say, "Isabel, look outside it's snowing." She gets a little upset and goes to the window to investigate. She then says "oh man, I thought those were pedals!" We had her going for a few minutes, she even called all of her siblings in from the other room to see the "snow". When they finally saw that it really was flower pedals and not snow, they got really excited as they realized it was a perfect fun new game. They all ran outside and began pretending that they were playing in the snow. It was really quite cute to watch, but haven't we had enough of snow. Real or pretend? I say bring on the heat!
