Summer Fun

So now that summer is over I am just finally getting around to posting pictures....so this is just a little recap of what we did over the summer. I tried my hand at making clothes for the girls and lots of little baby clothes for my friends that were having babies.
We visited the cousins in Utah.
Matt played softball again and even did an overnight tournament at Bear Lake....they played all through the night and we just camped out above the field...it was a lot of fun.
Erickson Family Reunion. We went over to Boise and played at the water park. Then Matt took me out for my birthday and it was a lot of fun.
Avery loved the water park and playing with all her cousins.....unfortunately we all got burned from being in the sun all day...but it was worth it.

Playing in our little pool at grandmas house.
nelson Family Reunion over the 4th of July
Trips to the Splash Park in Rexburg.
Jumping on the trampoline at grandmas house.

Akward Converstations with a 4 year old

This morning Avery asked me a question that really caught me off guard......Sometimes it is hard to know when to be honest and direct or bend the truth a little...like when giving the birds and the bees explanation.

So Hailey was screaming and Avery asks.......
"Mom why don't you just lift up your shirt and let her eat you."

Me- "Uhmm you mean breastfeeding?" "Well she does not eat that way anymore."

Avery- "Why not"

Me- "Well because she eats out of a bottle plus I don't have any milk for her anymore."

Avery- "Why....where did it go....your butt?"

Me- "Uhh no...my body just doesn't make it anymore."

Avery- "Will your boobies go away too."

Me- "No hopefully I will always have them."

Avery- I hope I never get boobies.....and if I do I just will wear a big apron over them."

Me- Well you are a girl so you will get them when you are older

Avery- under her breath she says.......gross.

I guess sometimes I just don't realize she notices these things....and thinks about them....I just hope she does not offer all this information to her friends and teachers at preschool. I don't want her to go around and tell all her friends that they are going to have boobies when they get older.

Hailey

I can't believe how much Hailey has grown. She is almost 9 months now and it went by so fast I forget what it was like to have her as a new born:(
She is really a funny girl and I am trying to decide what her personality will be like. At times she is pretty mellow and just observes and then when you least expect it she will make a funny face that gets makes a laugh. Then she can also be a little temperamental....usually when she is tired and wants her mom...she is a little bit of a mommas girl...which I kind of like:) She is al ittle picky with some things....no binkis, no bottles, and she will let you know if she doesn't like what she is eating....usually cold baby cereal....she hates it plain...so I have to put fruit in it.

This is one of my favorite faces that she does...she crinkles up her nose and then sucks air in and out of it really fast to make funny breathing noises.

Just a little fathers day treat

So I saw these adorable cupcakes online and I knew I had to try them out. They are supposed to look like hamburgers with a side of fries. So I made a big batch to give to the Matt and Ron as well as the the fathers of the young women that I teach for fathers day.
I gave all my girls these little containers with a side of fries and put it in a lunch bag that said happy fathers day. I think they enjoyed it.
Not to worry there is no meat in these babies...just a yummy brownie and frosting....and the fries are just sugar cookies. They did not turn out as beautiful as the originals I saw on line but they were still pretty fun to make and yummy to eat.

What's the big deal?

So we were in the store the other day and I stopped by the magazine section to browse through a cooking magazine. I noticed Avery had picked up a magazine and was looking at it. As I turned to leave Avery asked if we could get the magazine. She had this huge smile and was so excited and when I looked on the cover it was Hannah Montana. Instantly I said no, and Avery kept begging but I kept my foot down. Then as we went through the store she kept finding things with Hannah Montana on them and begged and pleaded for these items. A Hannah chair, Hannah soap, Hannah fruit gummies, Hannah yogurt. By the end of this trip I was fed up with Hannah Montana! So I ask you what is the big deal with Hannah Montana? And why is my kid obsessed with her?

One of a kind

Avery loves to talk and half of what she says is made up...which I am wondering if this is normal behavior. Anyway whenever I take her in public I am always a little worried that she is going to say something inappropriate....because that has happened many times.

So whenever she comes with me to my chiropractic appointments she talks the whole time we are there to the chiropractor. Thank goodness he is a grandpa and tries to amuse her by engaging her in conversation instead of getting annoyed with her. So while we are there she starts telling stories and I am so worried she is going to ask an inappropriate question or spill some of our family secrets....like "my mommy says @#$* when she gets mad." She has said this before. But luckily she only says things like this....

"Me and my mommy went shopping and we saw Jesus at the store....he was buying presents for his kids I talk to him on the phone all the time."

"This little girl came to our house and she was lost and my mom told her to go home." (By the way none of these events really happened.)

"I am going to go on a bear date with my dad and he is going to let me shoot a bear."

"My little sister talks to me all the time, she sleeps in my bed and tells me stories she always says to me..... Hey Avery whats up?."

"My mom gave me a hundred dollars for my birthday!"

These are just a few of the stories she tells....as you can tell she is her own person. She is.....strong willed....opinionated....talkative.....constantly in make believe land......and really one of a kind:)

Do You Ever Have This Kind of Day?

Today I woke up and felt just exhausted but of course my house is a mess and my list of things to do is more like a book of things to do. I look outside hoping that we will finally get nice weather so Avery can go out and play....but it looks like more snow. That means another day of staying in our house.....which makes me a little crazy.

So I remember I have to go into town for an appointment an I don't have enough time to get ready so I just throw on some clothes and throw my hair back in a pony tail. Now here is the tricky part....I have to get Avery dressed...this is one of the hardest things for me because she refuses to wear anything I suggest and she will not wear her warm clothes because she thinks it is summer. So for 20 minutes and multiple meltdowns she finally has at least long pants on. But her hair looks like she stuck her finger in a light socket.....and she refuses to let me brush it. So finally I get the kids in the car and we are running late.

I go to the chiropractor and he works on my back and he puts this special cream on it....it smells like icy hot...but stronger.....so not only do I look awful....I now smell awful. So after the appointment I have to run to the store, little did I know that my pony tail has loosened and my hair looks crazy. So here I am running around the store in my ugly clothes ...not to mention my stench...with my crazy hair and crazy haired daughter...with her mismatched clothes... and to add to the stress she literally asked for everything in the store. I am pretty sure at one point when we were in the vegetable section she was asking to get Brussels sprouts...which confirms she has no idea what she is asking for.......and yeah for me when I got home I realized my zipper on my pants had been down the whole time. Not to mention the first thing Avery does when she gets home is spill red juice all over my kitchen floor....just to add to the mess I have to clean!!!!

I am sure everyone in town thought I was some crazy person....and that anyone with any self dignity would not go into public looking and smelling like I did. It is not even noon yet and I want to crawl back in bed and dream about the day when my life will not be so crazy!

Avery's Princess Tea Party

For Avery's 4th birthday we had a princess tea party with some of her buds. It was pretty fun to see these little cuties come in their favorite princess dress.
When the girls arrived they were adorned with their very own princess crown and necklace.
The tea party included peanut butter and jelly sandwiches princess style...the were flower shaped, fruit skewers with yummy dip and homemade mac n cheese with special noodles.
our beverage of choice was pink lemonade complete with strawberries.

Princess scavenger hunt.
We colored, played games, made jewelry, and danced around......
Avery and her best buds
Each girl got to devour their own giant cupcake complete with lots of pink frosting.
The Princesses

Birthday Party Part 2

The cake! So i thought it would be no big deal to make a fun princess cake for Avery's Princess birthday party.....it was not as easy as I thought. The frosting's took forever to make....and then I made my own fondant....yikes that took a long time. Hats off to all you cake makers...after making this I realized how nice it would be to take a cake decorating class.

Trying on birthday clothes.
Avery loves Josh's friend Mataya and really wanted her to come to her birthday party. So Mataya was nice enough to come over and hang out with us and she even brought Avery a present with balloons. She loved it.

Springtime Fun

Josh had prom this last weekend and Avery was in heaven. She loves Josh's friends and seeing them in their beautiful dresses was like spending time with real princesses!
Hailey and Grandpa Erickson at Josh's ball game.
The classic face smashing that every grand baby gets by Grandpa Erickson.

Attempts at Family Pictures

I wanted to get pictures of the family in their Easter outfits and ....that was easier said then done. We took about 20 or more pictures and these were the best that we could come up with. Avery is in a stage where she will not smile for a picture or she does this crazy smile....so picture time is a lot more frustrating:)


Ya a cute picture!

The Joys of Spring

This is how spring works in Teton Valley. We have one maybe two beautiful days and then snow. So the nice days we walk to the park and play.
Then the rest of the week we bundle up and endure the snow.

The New Generation

So today i asked Avery what she wanted for her birthday and her first answer was..... a lady Gaga CD. First off.....I have no idea how she knows this singer....but it does not surprise me. Avery knows how to run my I Pod...she knows how to use the DVD player and TV and her CD player and the camera. (and no I am not getting her this CD for her birthday....she will have to settle with Alvin and Chipmunks)

It is amazing to me that this young generation is so technologically savvy. I can only imgaine what she will be like when she is 10...... I can't even firgure out how to set the time on my microwave!