Life is Good.

Aerolyn's Soldier dance

2011-12-23T18:12:00.003-05:00

Aerolyn's ballet class learned a cute dance to "wooden soldiers on parade". It was just something fun they did at her last class before holiday break and parents were invited in to watch. The girls had so much fun. Check it out!

Purple Belt Promotion

2011-11-16T11:11:00.003-05:00

Bedtime Conversation

2011-11-12T06:53:00.000-05:00

After saying prayers with the boys the other night, this was our conversation:

Me: Branton, is there anything else you want to say to Jesus?

Branton: No, I wanna talk to God.

Me: Oh. Ok. What do you want to say to God?

Branton: I will sing him "peanut butter jelly time". He likes that.

Me: I'm sure He would smile. Do you know who God is?

Branton: Yes. He's an alien.

Will: No He isn't. He made everything and lives high up in heaven,

like higher than space. When we are grandpas, we will go to live

there.

Branton: Oh. Mom, I will hold your hand when I fly to heaven. You will

be like ironman.

Will breaking another board. Hammer fist!

2011-11-11T11:17:00.001-05:00

Our Carved Pumpkins

2011-11-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

Mr. B at Fredrick Meijer Garden

2011-11-10T05:40:00.000-05:00

More Grand Haven pics

2011-11-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

Baseball fun

2011-11-06T14:31:00.000-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Thanksgiving Fun

2011-11-06T13:09:00.000-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Funny

2011-11-06T13:03:00.001-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

3 Kiddos In Grand Haven

2011-11-06T10:31:00.002-05:00

This is a picture from the end of the summer. We had a great day in Grand Haven.

Branton singing

2011-10-26T18:57:00.003-04:00

First week of School

2011-09-09T08:08:00.003-04:00

I know I've been very behind on posting.

I have pictures from our Wisconsin vacation, summer at Englewright lake, and another belt promotion for Will.

This week has been really busy.

Aerolyn started 2nd grade and ballet, and Will started young five's and has continued with his TaeKwondo.

Branton is continuing to go to Grandma Judy's during the day and Will is with her for a half day. His class is Monday-Thursday for a half day.

So far, the kids are loving it, and that's a great thing for a mom to hear!

My Karate Kid Breaks a Board!

2011-08-18T22:34:00.001-04:00

Big Smiles

2011-08-10T06:50:00.000-04:00

Will's Birthday Party

2011-08-09T10:39:00.006-04:00

Will loved his birthday party. We had walking tacos, which Will has dubbed "talking burritos", carrot cake cupcakes, and chocolate zucchini cupcakes. Will loves his carrot cake. This is the second year in a row that he requested it for his birthday.

The gift theme was definitely super hero this year. Captain America, Thor, and the Super Hero Squad, along with a razor scooter and some new leapster games. Whew! Lucky kid.

Uncle Chris and soon-to-be-aunt Kara

Grandma Erickson has body guards!

I attempted to arrange the cupcakes into a green lantern symbol. Will thought it was cool.

Mackinaw Island Trip Pictures

2011-08-09T06:53:00.000-04:00

Hiking at Mill Creek

Zip Line:

Climbing Wall:

Biking the Island:

Arch Rock

Sugar Loaf

Ice Cream Break!

Devil's Kitchen

Nap Time

Fort Mackinaw

Boat Ride

Fort Michilimackinac

Playing Baggatiway

Happy 5th Birthday Will!

2011-07-18T06:29:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to my amazing 5 year old son.

Born Tuesday, July 18 2006 1:58pm

weight: 8lbs 11oz

height: 20 1/2 inches

Just look at him now!

I can't believe my little guy is 5 already. Time really does fly.

Five fun facts about my fabulous five year old:

1. Will learned to ride his bike without training wheels this past spring.

2. Will is able to swim without a life jacket and has no fear of water.

3. Will loves all things super hero and can tell you lots of facts about each character.

4. Will earned his orange belt in tae kwondo and will receive his green belt in August.

5. Will is a very sweet, and thoughtful brother to Branton and Aerolyn. His has been known to give away his treats and toys without thinking of himself.

Mommy and daddy love you so much, buddy. We hope you had a wonderful birthday.

Someone is turning 5 tomorrow!

2011-07-17T20:27:00.000-04:00

Too Cute!

2011-07-06T15:15:00.000-04:00

Two American flags + Aqua-man undies = crime fighter!

Here Comes the Sun

2011-06-13T13:39:00.009-04:00

Aerolyn finished up her 4th year in dance this past weekend. The recital theme was "Beatles" so her classed danced to "Here comes the sun."

Her outfit was super cute and she really did a fantastic job. The action shots were taken during dress rehearsal. For the actual show, all the girls had yellow flowers in their hair. You can see them in some of the final pictures.

Next year she will be old enough to audition for the Nutcracker. She is very excited.

Will's Preschool Graduation

2011-06-06T07:07:00.006-04:00

On May 25th, Will graduated from Maple Tree Preschool. He was so cute. He knew the evening was a big deal and wanted to look his best in a tie. He had no idea what the diploma was, but he figured it out shortly after his teacher presented it to him (see photos). He was very bummed when I said that I was going to save it in a special place and he could not use if for playing pirates.

We love you Will!

Me and My Girl!

2011-05-29T04:41:00.000-04:00

Fun and Games Day

2011-05-28T05:32:00.000-04:00

Last week was fun and games day for Will's preschool. I was able to spend the morning with him! He was so cute and so excited to bring me to school. We even went out to breakfast together first, just the two of us. He felt like such a big shot.

The activities included: a parachute, obstacle course, bouncy house, story time and snack, face painting, paint station, and bracelet making.

EE and her boys

2011-05-27T04:40:00.000-04:00

Easter Sunday with Grandma and Bumpa

2011-05-26T04:37:00.000-04:00

These pictures crack me up. We could NOT get all the kids to look and smile.

I love Will's face in this one!

The B

2011-05-25T04:04:00.000-04:00

Zoo Field trip

2011-05-23T05:58:00.000-04:00

I went with Will on his preschool field trip to John Ball Zoo back on April 25. We had such a great time. The kids had a scavenger hunt for all the animals and had to fill out a sheet as we walked through the zoo. It was a rainy day so his class had the zoo to themselves.

Such a sweet little face!

Being goofy in front of his favorite animal of the day:

Breathing Treatments

2011-05-22T04:26:00.001-04:00

This has been the scene at our kitchen table twice a day for the past month. First, Branton was diagnosed with pneumonia (no breathing treatment required) as well as strep throat. I decided to have the other two tested since they both had fevers. Aerolyn had a positive strep test, but Will's was negative. The Dr. thought that Will sounded wheezy, more so than Aerolyn. In fact, Will was in and out of the doctor all winter with no apparent infection but a persistent cough. The doctor has decided that Will has asthma and will need breathing treatments daily, at least until the end of the summer.

Aerolyn is finished with her treatments and Will is down to 1 per day, usually first thing in the morning. The kids don't seem to mind it and it hasn't slowed anyone down a bit!

Orange Belt Promotion

2011-05-21T15:55:00.002-04:00

Will was awarded is orange belt today. We are so proud of him. He has improved so much and has been working really hard in class twice a week! Way to go Will!!!!

Check out his air!

Getting some more air:

Big sister is proud of him too!

Reading with Grandma

2011-04-13T05:25:00.000-04:00

Aquarium

2011-04-11T05:17:00.000-04:00

The aquarium was so crowded the day we went. We waited for an hour and a half just to get in and buy tickets, but the kids had a blast and we closed the place down. Branton actually fell asleep while we were in the gift shop at the end of the day. He was holding onto a pail of plastic sharks he had chosen for a souvenir and just passed out in the stroller (very unlike him).

The penguins, frogs and sharks were the biggest hits of the day. There was a special play area near the penguins that the kids really loved.

The day had lots of walking and lots of crowds, but the kids didn't complain a bit. We really had a great time.

3 little penguins:

Hotel Pool Pictures

2011-04-10T05:09:00.000-04:00

Most of these pictures are of Branton because this was really his first time swimming without an adult holding on to him the entire time. It took him about 20 minutes to get the hang of it, but then he was jumping of the edge of the pool and swimming everywhere! Way to go little guy!!!

Aerolyn and Will are naturals in the water. Both of them can swim to the bottom of the pool for diving sticks and swim across the pool unassisted. It was really nice to sit back and relax while they wore themselves out.

(I did actually swim even though you do not see me in any pictures)

Lego Land!

2011-04-09T04:58:00.000-04:00

For spring break this year we took the kids to Chicago to visit Lego Land and the aquarium. The hotel pool was a big hit as well.

Lego land was really cute. It was basically a bunch of life size statues of well known characters, two rides for little kids, a 4-D movie, a "tour" of a lego factory, and a play area. The play area was set up for kids to build cars and test them on ramps, build sky scrapers and test their ability to stand in an earthquake, and some giant legos for the littlest ones.

It took about 3 hours to see and experience it all. Then we had lunch and went back to the hotel to swim.

Will and Branton were actually scared of some of the lego animals and characters.

Note the scared look on Will's face:

Also a little scared of these harmless Lego people:

Aerolyn on the "Harry Potter" ride (I didn't get a good picture of Will, but he rode it with Daddy)

Giant Legos:

Testing out their cars:

Branton's 2nd birthday pictures

2011-04-08T05:53:00.001-04:00

Branton got to celebrate his birthday 2 days in a row. First we had cupcakes with Grandma Raine, Bumpa and GG and then we celebrated Uncle Chris's birthday, Daddy's birthday and Grandma Erickson's birthday at Grandma Judy and Papa's.

2 Year Stats

2011-04-07T16:09:00.004-04:00

Branton's 2 Year Stats

Height: 35 inches 75-90%

Weight: 26.8 lbs 25-50%

Head: 19 inches 50%

Will's 2 Year Stats

Height: 34.5 inches 50%

Weight: 27.25 lbs 40%

Head: 19.25 inches 60%

Aerolyn's 2 Year Stats

Height: 35 inches 75-90%

Weight: 28 lbs 50-75%

Head: 19.5 inches 90%

Someone is 2!

2011-03-24T10:38:00.006-04:00

Happy 2nd birthday to my sweet little B! I just love this baby picture of him with the little dimple showing.

This is the most recent picture I have of B on my computer. I really need to take some new ones.

Tonight we are having dinner at Culver's with icecream sundaes for dessert and I am making cupcakes for 2 birthday celebrations this weekend.

His 2 year appointment is next week, so stay tuned for stats!

Gold Belt Promotion

2011-02-27T18:19:00.007-05:00

Will was officially promoted to his gold belt on Saturday. His forms are really starting to improve. He struggles to remember the sequence, but he is beginning to get the hang of the directions. His kicks are really coming along. The kid is getting some height!

I love his face on this one:

Patiently waiting to be presented his new belt: (he calls it a belk)

bow

Mr. Sydney is congratulating Will with a hand shake: (the kids shake hands with each instructor after receiving their belt)

Master Chan is waiting for a high five:

My Favorite: I'm so glad I captured his jump! Master Chan is a great instructor.

The kids with their new belts:

A serious moment after changing the belt:

Celebrating with Grandmam, Bumpa and G.G. at home after:

Bumpa is pretending to fight Will:

Father Daughter Dance

2011-02-16T06:54:00.000-05:00

Eric took Aerolyn to the "Princess Dance" (father/daughter dance) at the end of January. She was so excited. They went out to eat at Applebee's before the dance. Aerolyn chose her favorite purple and black dress so daddy had to wear a matching purple tie. Aerolyn was in heaven. Daddy said she danced the entire time, twirling and waving her princess wand. They were both tuckered out by the time the evening was over.

The wand and tiara were favors given out at the dance.

Chocolate Fountain!

2011-02-13T16:38:00.006-05:00

Every year for Valentine's day we dust off the chocolate fountain for an afternoon of crazy, chocolate fun.

This year we used milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate like last year. Our dipping items included:

pineapples, bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries,

animal crackers, vanilla wafers, ritz/peanut butter sandwiches,

pink heart marshmallows, pretzel sticks and cashews!

Whew! It was crazy! And a giant mess, which is part of the fun.

The big kids were super excited. Branton woke up this morning with a double ear infection, but he was a trooper and managed to enjoy a few minutes of chocolate bliss.

Grandma and Papa came over to watch all this dipping. We had a wonderful time. This is one tradition that everyone loves.

After losing his piece of banana in the fountain twice, Branton began dipping the stick and licking the chocolate directly.

Getting that "perfect dip" takes work and may require putting your hand in the fountain as well.

Hope your Valentine's day is filled with love!

Christmas Break 2010

2011-01-05T06:45:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from the rest of our Christmas break. I love the expressions on Oren's face. He is such a doll. My kids cannot get enough of him!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-04T06:41:00.000-05:00

These photos were taken at 6am! The kids could not resist getting up to see if Santa brought them gifts.
I didn't take many pictures of the kids actually opening gifts. I like to just watch them and forget about the camera. Branton slept in and opened his gifts a little later than the big kids.

Later that day, we had breakfast with my parents, GG, Kim, Chris and Oren; buttermilk pancakes, eggs, cinnamon rolls and homemade danish. Yum! It was a nice, relaxing day.

Posthumus Christmas Eve

2011-01-03T06:34:00.000-05:00

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with Eric's family: grandma Judy, Papa, Uncle Shawn, Uncle Matt, Uncle Chris, Kara (soon to be aunt), and Grandma Erickson. We don't eat a traditional Christmas meal. Instead, everyone writes down their favorite foods and snacks and we have a giant buffet of delicious treats!

This year we started the party around noon. The afternoon and evening were filled with food, gifts, playing cards, sharing a drink and playing the Wii. A wonderful time was had by all

Christmas Eve Excitement

2011-01-02T14:32:00.002-05:00

Dance party

2010-12-27T07:55:00.002-05:00

I just found this video on my phone. Branton is a super funny dancer. He cracks me up. The video is a bit dark, but you get the idea.
My kids all love to dance!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T19:29:00.003-05:00

Here is Branton's rendition of "Jingle Bells". Not bad for 21 months old.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Yellow Belt

2010-12-19T17:16:00.007-05:00

Will earned his first belt promotion back in November, the week before Aerolyn's birthday. He is now a yellow belt in taekwondo. All the grandmas and grandpas came to support him on this big day. He was extremely nervous. In order to be promoted, he had to memorize the first 9 words of Master Chan's student creed. "I intend to develop myself in a positive manner". We worked and worked on it for a couple of weeks. We even sang it to a tune, Zaccheus was a wee little man (I know, my Sunday school days are coming back to haunt me). During the actual belt promotion, he was too nervous to say it out loud but Master Chan knew that Will had worked on it. Will also had to memorize the order of belts all the way through black belt. If you see him, ask him about it!

This headband was not a required part of the uniform, but Will insisted on wearing it.

Notice the only child with a headband

Mister Sydney leading the boys through the basic form:

Master Chan is congratulating Will on his accomplishment:

My little guy is so proud of himself:

His tough look:

I just adore this little boy. Mom and dad are so proud of you, William. Keep up the hard work!

Aerolyn's Birthday Pictures

2010-12-19T17:06:00.004-05:00

So here are the pictures from Aerolyn's birthday, two parties worth. It's been almost a month already!

Happy Birthday Aerolyn!

2010-11-26T06:57:00.000-05:00

Wishing a happy 6th birthday to my amazing daughter!

Aerolyn had a big year this past year.

Here are a few of her accomplishments:

1) learning to read

2) mastering tying her shoes

3) learning to ride a two wheel bike

4) completing her first year of all-day-everyday school

5) running a 1/2 mile race

6) memorizing the Lord's Prayer and speaking at Branton's dedication

7) performing at her 3rd dance recital

8) losing her first two teeth

9) learning to swim laps and dive to the bottom of the pool

10) memorizing her phone number(s) and learning to use the phone on her own

Wow! She never ceases to amaze me.

Last night she couldn't fall asleep because she was thinking about her birthday. She told me that turning 6 has got her thinking about driving and going to college, and she isn't sure if she is ready yet.

I'm not ready for that yet either!

Happy Birthday Rainbow! You will always be my baby girl.

American Girl Day!

2010-11-25T10:50:00.002-05:00

On November 13 (GG's birthday), the ladies took a road trip to Chicago for a fun day of American Girl, Disney Store and fancy dinning. This was Aerolyn's early 6th birthday present. She really wanted an American Girl doll. For those of you familiar with the line of dolls, she chose Julie Albright. We had such a fun day. I have tons of other pictures to upload, but it's thanksgiving today and turkey dinner is calling!

Halloween Pictures

2010-11-09T06:35:00.000-05:00

Pictures from the Orchard

2010-11-07T18:31:00.001-05:00

Almost Halloween

2010-10-29T14:58:00.004-04:00

We are gearing up for halloween over at our house.

Aerolyn and Will are dressing up as ninjas this year. B is going to be a lion or a bat. The lion costume is pretty tight, so most likely he will be the bat. Will was a pretty cute bat back in the day.

Aerolyn has been making spooky Halloween crafts at Z-kids and the boys have made some great crafts at grandma Judy's. They are currently decorating our kitchen for this fun season. We have homemade ghosts, spider webs, candy corn, scarecrows, and even a spooky tree. The kids love it.

Aerolyn had a costume parade at school today. She was so excited about it.

Branton is terrified of anything and everything Halloween related. To be honest, he is scared of all large statues or figurines. The decorations at Target and Meijer make him cry and shake with fear. So, we have been trying to "friendly" up the season by referring to ghosts as "ghosties", and calling all witches "cute". He seems to be less scared of the smaller scale decorations at this point, but tomorrow's trick-or-treat experience may be horrific for him.

The big kids are looking forward to trick-or-treating and then a visit from Wanda Witch.

[Wanda Witch is the witch who will trade children a gift (i.e. book, movie or puzzle) for the bulk of their Halloween candy. They just leave their candy on the doorstep overnight and she replaces it with a present! It's magical and gets the candy out of the house. Parents: take the candy you want and bring the rest to work with you. I usually let the kids keep enough to satisfy them for a week of evening candy treats. So far, they have never missed it!]

I will post costume pics soon.

Aerolyn and Papa

2010-10-22T06:44:00.001-04:00

Aerolyn and Papa at the Goose Festival

The Cutest Goose Ever

2010-10-21T06:43:00.000-04:00

More Gosling Run Pictures

2010-10-20T06:39:00.000-04:00

Pre-Gosling Run Pictures

2010-10-19T06:42:00.000-04:00

Gorilla Day!

2010-10-18T06:35:00.000-04:00

Will had to bring home Gordo G Gorilla from his preschool class for 2 days and journal about how they spent their time together. (Technically parents do the journaling since the kids can't write yet and photos are required too. This is a major parent assignment when all is said and done).

Will and I decided that Gordo hadn't visited the mall yet and we were going to bring him on the carousel. Of course the carousel was shut down that afternoon, so we settled for a nascar ride instead. Then Gordo had a nice veggie wrap for lunch at the food court and got to see the new movie, "Alpha and Omega".

Will, Gordo and I had a fun day!

Toothless Grin!

2010-10-17T06:52:00.002-04:00

These two pictures were taken the evening she pulled out her first tooth; Tuesday, October 5. She pulled out the second tooth the following Thursday!

This video is Aerolyn after she lost the 2nd tooth. She loves to be on camera and gets a little carried away talking about random stuff. The purpose of the video was just to discuss the teeth. She is so funny. Listen to how she says the word "correctly". I laugh every time.

Spooky Graveyard

2010-10-16T06:29:00.000-04:00

A few Sundays ago, we spent the afternoon making "haunted graveyards" from a kit I found at Target. It came with cookies in the shape of grave stones and also candies and frosting. It was similar to a ginger bread house making kit you might find at Christmas time. The kids had so much fun making them. I don't think they tasted all that great since they are still sitting on the counter, but it was fun just the same. (Don't worry, no one is eating them now that they are 2 weeks old either)

Some decorated graves:

The finished products:

Pumpkin Dash 2010

2010-10-15T06:26:00.000-04:00

Aerolyn ran the "Pumpkin Dash" at Zeeland's Pumpkin Festival this year. It was the 100 yard dash for ages 5 and under. Next year she will run the 1/2 mile with the 6 and 7 year olds.

They didn't keep track of places or anything for this race. It was strictly for fun. All the kids got a ribbon and a bag of candy.

We had to be at the football field at 7am on a Saturday. I don't think her hair was even combed that morning.

B Loves Apples!

2010-10-14T06:45:00.000-04:00

First day of School pics

2010-10-13T18:21:00.002-04:00

I know these pictures are late and tragically terrible, but I was rushed and felt that I HAD to take a picture of both kids on the first day of school.

Aerolyn's pictures were actually taken after she got home from school on the first day. She liked the wind blowing her hair and thought a picture of it would look cool.

She had a great first day and was hardly nervous at all. She also LOVED riding the bus home.

Aerolyn after the first day of 1st grade:

The "cool" picture of her hair blowing:

Will was very nervous for school and didn't want his picture taken.

First day of preschool is very stressful:

Gosling Run

2010-10-11T18:51:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday, the kids ran in the annual Gosling Run at the Goose Festival in Fennville. I took some pictures of my own, but I haven't had a chance to empty my camera yet. These are the official Gosling Run Photos. You can check out more pictures here.

Aerolyn ran a 1/2 mile with the 5 and 6 year olds and Will ran the 1/4 mile with the 4 and under age group. They both did very well. Aerolyn finished 5th for the girls. She was bummed that she didn't get a medal, but she is learning good sportsmanship and becoming more determined to improve next time. I am NOT a runner and neither is Eric, so we are especially proud of her and just want to encourage her to keep running if she enjoys it.

Will was a bit more competitive this year (he walked last year), but still not that into it. He finished the race and ran the whole way.

I am so pleased that my kids enjoy running and participating in activities like this. I think it's so much fun and a great experience for them. All the kids were so cute and some were really athletic and quite impressive.

B talking

2010-10-11T15:11:00.001-04:00

I don't know why he wouldn't say, "Hi people." It's his favorite thing to say at church because there is such a crowd in the hall when we pick up Aerolyn from Sunday school class. It's really quite funny. He gets a laugh from almost everyone and then he laughs back.

Lost a Tooth!

2010-10-06T11:58:00.006-04:00

Aerolyn lost her first tooth last night!

She noticed it was loose on Monday evening and then pulled it out during Will's Karate class on Tuesday.

She didn't shed a tear! I was shocked.

She was super excited to put it under her pillow. This is what she said to me:

"I was thinking that the tooth fairy, santa claus and the Easter bunny might all be Jesus, but then I thought, what would Jesus want with all those teeth?"

She paused for a moment and then added, "The more I think about it, it's most likely an actual fairy that takes the teeth away. That makes more sense."

I was trying so hard not to crack up.

So, the tooth fairy came and left her a $10 bill and a pack of bubble gum (the tooth fairy was not prepared for the tooth to fall out so quickly and didn't have smaller bills on hand).
In the morning, Aerolyn was so excited to open the necklace box (the kind from the jewelery store) to see if the tooth was gone. She was astounded that a tiny fairy was able to open the box without waking her up.

She said, "I bet she used her wand to open the box and then transformed my tooth into this dollar (the ten dollar bill)." She then sniffed the $10 bill and confirmed, "Yup, it smells like a tooth!"

Too funny!

Branton's 18 month Stat comparison

2010-10-01T17:12:00.000-04:00

Branton
Height: 33 3/4 inches (90%)
Weight: 24.4 lbs (25-50%)
Head: 48.26 cm (50-75%)

William
Height: 33 1/4 inches (75%)
Weight: 26 lbs (50%)
Head: 48.4 cm (75%)

Aerolyn
Height: 33 inches (90%)
Weight: 23 lbs (50%)
Head: 48.3 cm (90%)

Busy Time of Year

2010-09-15T13:05:00.004-04:00

Well, school has started again and we are busy!

Aerolyn started 1st grade at Lincoln elementary and she LOVES it! She says Mrs. Jones is "wonderful". She attends Z-kids in the morning, where she plays and eats breakfast before school. I drop her off pretty early on my way into work. After school she gets to ride the bus home. That was especially exciting for her this year.

On Tuesday evenings she is taking primary ballet for an hour. This is her 4th year dancing, but her first year in a class that is specific to one type of discipline. Up until now all her classes have spend 20 minutes on Tap, ballet and tumbling.

Will started preschool at Maple Tree and he is really enjoying it. His description isn't quite as detailed or animated as Aerolyn's, but I think that will come. He likes to play at the centers and sing songs. He also really likes the train table. He attends for a half day, three days a week. The rest of the time he is at Grandma Judy's.

Will is also really getting into his tae-kwon-do class. He attends for 1 hour, twice a week. Daddy has been bringing him and says that he looks very athletic and is picking up on the skills very quickly. His uniform makes me smile.

Branton is going to grandma Judy's 5 days a week and loves to play with the kids there.

It is so nice to know that our children are well cared for when we are not able to be with them.
We are so grateful that Grandma Judy is able to watch them.

Eric and I are getting back into the swing of things. For the first time in years we are not taking master's classes and Eric is not reffing. Both of us are involved in our unions at school, so we have extra meetings to attend but nothing major.

Life is back to being busy, but Life is Good and we are so thankful for all of it.

Daddy and Beez

2010-09-11T06:32:00.000-04:00

More Summer Cottage pics

2010-09-09T06:21:00.000-04:00

The kids and Daddy

2010-09-08T06:17:00.000-04:00

Family Photo

2010-09-07T06:54:00.000-04:00

GG was sweet enough to snap this photo while Kim, Chris and Oren were visiting this August for Kendra's wedding. We can never seem to get everyone looking at once, but it's cute just the same!

Kim and Chris Visit

2010-09-05T06:57:00.000-04:00

Kim, Chris and Oren were able to come and visit for a few days this past August. We had a great time playing games, hanging out and spending the day in Ludington.

Family Fun

2010-09-04T06:52:00.000-04:00

Branton did NOT want to sit on anyone's lap for this photo. He is his own man! So adorable.

Karate Kid!

2010-09-03T13:46:00.004-04:00

This fall, Will is taking Tae Kwon Do at Master Chan's Martial Arts. He is super excited. He already has his uniform and GG sewed all his patches on it. The pictures were taken before the patches were sewn on. He has had 2 short private lessons and will have 3, hour long, private lessons next week. I think it is going to be great for him.

Bumpa's Birthday

2010-08-11T09:24:00.000-04:00

Bumpa's birthday was July 29. We all went out to dinner and then celebrated with cake and ice cream. We love you Bumpa!

Three Generations of William

2010-08-09T09:19:00.000-04:00

William Daniel, William Edward Gerald, and William Dean

Great Grandma Peggy and Great Grandpa Bill with Aerolyn and Will

Bumpa and the Kids

2010-08-08T07:34:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken on Bumpa's birthday this past July. I have more pictures to share.

Love you Bumpa!

A Googol

2010-08-07T19:05:00.003-04:00

Will recently learned that a googol was a very high number. He has now been using it frequently (as in multiple times per day) but saying "a googol-in" rather than "a googol".

Sample phrases we have heard as of late:

-I love you a googol-in
-Are there a googol-in people in the world?
-Do I have to stay in time out for a googol-in?
-I wish I could live at the park until I'm a googol-in!
-I will never eat soggy cereal, even a googol-in.

My favorite was when I got a Nook for my birthday and I said something about my "new nook". Will immediately wanted to know if newnook was as high as a googol-in. I guess "newnook" sounds as much like gibberish as "a googol".

That kid cracks me up.

Time Saver

2010-07-31T12:53:00.000-04:00

Grand Haven in July

2010-07-29T12:38:00.000-04:00

We finally made it out to Grand Haven this week. It was HOT! The water felt great and the kids had a blast. We swam, had a picnic lunch, swam some more and then walked the board walk. We stopped for dinner at Butch's Beach Burrito and then got an ice cream on the way back. A fun filled day! During the walk, the big kids wanted to stop and "pose" everywhere! It was really hilarious. Of course I had to take their picture. They had some cute ideas too. You can tell they are hot. I love summer!

Dinner under an umbrella at Butch's beach burrito

The kids insisted on climbing to the top of the bleachers for a picture:

Scooby doo ice cream, dripping everywhere

That stuff stains!

Rolling down the hill

Met the Culver's ice cream cone man and gave him a high five before running away

Branton is saying "Cheese"

Happy Belated 4th Birthday Will!

2010-07-29T11:55:00.006-04:00

We have been so busy these past few weeks, I am just now getting around to emptying my camera and finding a moment to sit at the computer.

We celebrated Will's 4th birthday at the cottage on July 18, his actual birthday! He was so excited. Monster trucks and bugs were the prevailing gift theme. He LOVED everything. He asked for a carrot cake and coffee flavor ice cream this year. I was able to get a delicious carrot cake at Costco and they decorated it with a dinosaur. I forgot to bring my candles to the cottage so we scrounged up 3 random ones and had to use a sparkler for the 4th candle.

It was great weather and a really fun day.

Aerolyn got a parasol from Grandma Raine and Bumpa:

Kara (My soon to be sister-in-law) wearing Will's new pirate hat

Will is making a pirate face

Uncle Shawn needed some shade

Aerolyn and Grandma Raine

Daddy and the birthday boy

Bob (aka sponge bob, bob the builder and bobby)

I love this look of determination as he opens his gift

Bug magnifying glass

The dino carrot cake:

GG and Will

Great grandma Erickson

Aunt Kris and Grandma Raine

Aerolyn posing with her parasol

Somehow people manage to escape my pictures. Not pictured but present: Uncle Matt, Uncle Chris, Grandma Judy, Papa, Bumpa, Mommy, and Branton.

4th of July Zoo

2010-07-15T20:13:00.006-04:00

While we were in New York, we visited the Seneca Park Zoo. The kids had so much fun. It was a small zoo, but it had a lots of shade and play areas. Aerolyn volunteered to go on stage and try to jump further than a bush baby. She received a bookmark for her effort and was very proud of it. The kids really enjoyed the polar bear and sea lion exhibit. The day was VERY hot, but with all the shade we had a super time. Even Oren looked like he was having a blast (See last picture).

Shark Wrangler

2010-07-13T09:29:00.002-04:00

Rochester hotel

2010-07-10T05:52:00.000-04:00

The entire time we were at the hotel the kids were swimming. They swam until their eyes were bright red from the chlorine. Bumpa, Daddy and Uncle Chris were kind enough to swim with them for hours and hours.

Niagara Falls

2010-07-09T06:47:00.000-04:00

Cousins!

2010-07-08T07:17:00.000-04:00

The kids got to meet their cousin Oren for the first time over the 4th of July. Aerolyn and Will couldn't get enough of him. Will sang songs to him and patted his feet and legs constantly. Aerolyn wanted to hold him the entire time. Even Oren seemed to be getting a kick out of these two goofy, big kids, getting up in his face all the time.

Here they are hanging out at the pool with Oren, Uncle Chris and Bumpa:

I'm not sure what Will and Branton are doing, but they must be looking at the same thing.

Look at that sweet face!

Notice the foot grabbing that Will is doing. He can't keep his hands off Oren!

My Sweet B

2010-07-07T07:13:00.000-04:00

Here is Branton during our stay at a hotel in Rochester. He is such a good natured guy. Always happy and so much fun! Don't mind his messy face. He was enjoying some Sesame street Graham crackers.

15 Month Stats Comparison

2010-07-06T17:03:00.003-04:00

Branton

Height 31.5 inches (75%)

Weight 22.04 lbs (10-25%)

Head 18 3/4 inches (50%)

William

Height 32 1/4 inches (75-90%)

Weight 24.08 lbs (50%)

Head 18 3/4 inches (75%)

Aerolyn

Height 31 3/4 inches (75-90%)

Weight 21.12 lbs (25-50%)

Head 18 1/4 inches (75%)

Will was the tallest at this age and the heaviest. Branton was the tallest of the three at his 1 year appointment. Funny how they have their growth spurts at different times. I wonder who will be the tallest.

Glasses

2010-06-24T21:15:00.004-04:00

While we were driving, Aerolyn spotted a parked car that had been in an accident. She shouted for Will to look at the crashed car. He searched frantically but didn't see the car she was talking about. Then Aerolyn got really worried.

Aerolyn: Mom! I'm really worried about my brother!

Mom: Which brother?

Aerolyn: Will! I think we need to bring him to an eye doctor?

Will: (Almost in tears) Yeah Mom. I can't see car crashes really well. I need glasses! (Read Will's statement with a "w" sound for all the r's and l's for full effect)