look mom no cavities...

Last week I took Hayley to her very first dentist apt. Let me tell you she was absolutely fabulous. I love my pediatric dentist. He is very patient and very friendly. His office is very family friendly. Next to the dentist chairs there are 3 big bean bags and lots of toys. It makes it easy to take which ever daughter isn't seeing the dentist with you. Here is Hayley trying to pick her flavor of toothpaste and fluoride.

Hayley watching Dora (her favorite) while waiting for the dentist.

Here is Aubree in the bean bag chair watching Hayley patiently. We always have to take a stuffed animal to hold, even Aubree needed to bring one.

Tether ball the Erickson way

Eli's parents have a tether ball set. We like to play but our way, everyone stands way from the pole and then Eli spins the ball and everyone has to get on the tire before the ball wraps all the way around the pole.
And then we do it in reverse to get off the tire. This way its a lot more fare for those of us who are vertically challenged. It also is hilarious to watch Eli and the girls play.:)

Child labor?

A couple of weeks ago we had our little nephew over for a play date. Hayley decided what could make a play date more fun then crushing crackers into the carpet and couch? Well apparently to Aubree and my nephew vacuuming.

My carpets have never been so clean.

P.s. for my nephews birthday we got him a vacuum of his own and after he opened it he wasn't really interested in opening any other gifts until we hide it. hehe...

February goal....

Since Spring Cleaning is right around the corner I thought I would get a jump on things. I am going to take a room a week and try and dejunk/declutter/and donate the things we don't need or use. Hopefully by the end of the month the house will be a more organized place. To be fair we did go through the toys right after Christmas and I already donated all the girls old clothes that were too small or no longer worn. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

2 or 3 out of 31 not too shabby

So its the beginning of February so I thought I would let you know how we did on our goal of not eating out. We only ate out 2 or 3 dinners and all of them dates, we also took the girls to lunch a couple of times. I am so impressed at how easy it was, Eli was a huge help. On the nights that I wasn't interested in cooking Eli in shinning armor would step in. The girls would mostly try anything I cooked and then if they weren't interested we would get them a hot dog or something. I think they are a little young to understand the eat what I cook theory. So the eating in will hopefully continue. I found myself in a pattern of deciding what to cook in the morning, pulling out the meat from the freezer at lunch and then starting dinner by 5. I also decided that grilled cheese and soup counted as dinner, one of the few meals my girls loved. Thanks for your recipes and your support.

7 year itch? what itch?

Last weekend Eli and I celebrated our 7 Year wedding anniversary!! I love him so much! He is everything to me, he is my rock and my biggest fan. We don't usually do any thing fancy for our anniversary, just dinner and maybe the go to the Temple. Every year Eli gets me a little gift that relates to the number of years we have been married. Well this year he got me:

To tell me he set up 2 dozen roses, 1 on either side of a big envelope. The envelope held a copy of a license plate (holds 7 letters), copy of a statement that showed the money had been moved, and a copy of the photo of the car I wanted.
I of course cried. Eli and I have been discussing getting a new car for over a year. We have been going back and forth on whether or not to get a new car. So I was so surprised! I hurried and got ready for the day to go to the dealer and just look, but since the girls were troopers and we found one we fell in love with we got it!

I am so glad that 7 years ago I married my best friend. I am so touched by his love for me and our daughters. I am proud to say he is a reliable and honorable Priesthood holder. I don't know what will come next to our little family, but we can get through it all.

Forever is not long enough!

MLK Jr day...

A few nights before Martin Luther King Jr. day Eli was kissing Aubree goodnight when she said, " Dad I don't have school on Monday, because the King is giving a speech." How cute is that? Eli very sweetly explained to Aubree that we don't actually have a king, but I don't think she understood the democratic part. So since we didn't have to listen to a speech what did we do?

blow up the pool at Aunt Necia's!

It was so beautiful outside and 80 degree's. (that is why we live in So Cal-right) Uncle Brett hooked the hose up to the sink and filled the pool with warm water. The girls had so much fun, who wouldn't swimming outside in JANUARY!!