Pre-K Grad!

Congrats to Jack who has officially graduated from Pre-K!

He had great time learning new things and making friends!

 

 



Brag

So here is my brag of the year, I normally don't like to but, I just found this out -
Mr. Wesley, who is about to finish up 3rd grade, was tested in reading, math and writing.
His scores are-

Reading: 10th grade level

Writing: 9th grade level

Math: 11th grade level

 

 

I'm so proud of you Wes, way to go! He most certainly did not get the math gene from me : )



Future Journalist

 

For those of you that know our oldest, he is an avid reader. He really reads any and everything he can get his hands on. A third grader who can read and comprehend above a 9th grade level, his reading  scores have been off the chart.

 

This school year they have been working on journaling and being the way he is, he has a hard time with imagination but, good news, he has greatly improved!

The teacher showed him pictures for inspiration (open hunting land and a tropical island) so that's why the first few lines might be confusing as I do not have pictures.

 



 

Abandoned Land

by Wes  Erickson

 

This kind of reminds me of where I live: colorful leaves, nice grass, by a lake. For no reason, there is a blue and white post just like the one by my driveway. If I could find the next place to live it would be there. The one (picture) on the left looks like a tropical island. I would want to live there. Well, except for that post. It is the land of a dead hunter. One day he was up in his tower deer hunting, when something huge came out of the woods. he tried to shoot it but the bullet did not seem to do anything. It hit the tower and shook it so hard it broke! The hunter fell down and was knocked out. When he woke up, he was sitting on a hospital bed, but he died soon after. No one knows what attacked him. Most think it was Bigfoot, the logical ones say it was a bear. All they know is that the marker is cursed.

 





 

 



Anti-Valentine

Valentine's Day. I guess I'm pretty much anti-Valentine's. Its not always been the case but, things happen in life and along the way certain dates in the calendar stand out, for good or bad reasons. This one is big, and I hate it, it will haunt me forever. They say it gets easier, so far, well, not so much.
You should be here. Celebrating your first birthday. You should be here but your not.
I think about you every single day.

Dinner: Impossible

For my Birthday, my wonderful hubby bought me tickets to see Chef Robert Irvine LIVE, an interactive cooking show!

I'm a big fan of his Dinner: Impossible and Restaurant: Impossible so I was soooooo excited to go!

If you don't know, he is a Chef on the the Food Network, and he basically goes into restaurants and tells people what they are doing wrong and how to fix it. He seems pretty tough on the show but he was super nice when we met him. 

He divulged a bunch of information about his show, especially about Iron Chef and how the 'secret' ingredient isn't so secret and they give them a week to plan out their menu...booo!

Also, he really doesn't care for Rachel Ray! He said he doesn't trust a Chef who has their own line of dog food - haha! He did talk a little about Paula Deen and some story about butter and his abs : )

By the way, he has HUGE muscles, but he wasn't very tall, I thought he'd be a lot bigger in person, I guess TV really does add pounds!

Anyway, he gave out a lot of really good cooking info, did some secret, impromptu cooking with tomatoes, curry powder and pineapples and best of all, the food was AMAZING!

 Pre-show...I"m so excited!!!!

 He stood directly infront of me, I was too busy trying to catch a photo of him I didn't even look AT him, only through my ipod : (

I did tell him to hold still - he paused for a while but I wasn't quick enough. 

Here is is saying "smell my beef" 

I was too excited for the first course and I totally spaced out on getting a picture. We had a pan seared scallop over a bed of pumpkin couscous and diced cucumbers. MMMMM, it was my favorite, so creamy and good - now I know how to make it!

 Second Course - Herb crusted NY Strip Steak (I think) with mashed potatoes and a mushroom/tomato something on the side. I'm not huge into steak so I didn't pay attention. I don't eat steak but figured I'd try it and it was really good! 

Dessert - English Fool

Basically it was whipped cream with fruit, it was really good though!

When he demonstrated it, he used pound cake, cut it up, put it in a pan with butter and kind of sauteed it, then had water, sugar and berries going in another pan. He whipped some cream and made a layed parfait, or Fool, as he called it.

Here he is again! 

I'll say it again, his muscles are HUGE and he said he doesn't really work out - only 20 minutes of cardio a day and about 15 minutes of light weight reps as well. He said he eats every 2-3 hours, that must be the trick - it's all in what we put into our bodies!

Count your Blessings

I've been dealing with a good bit of stress lately. Stress pretty much from my job. I've really come to resent living here and I'm not sure why, there are plenty of good things here but in my mind I can't shake the oppression of the area and wonder if this is the right place for the boys to grow up. This has really been affecting my moods and its hard for me to snap out of.
I've been letting things get to me that I shouldn't and been bringing that stress home to my poor husband. He told me the other day that I need to focus on all the good around me and not the bad, and its true, being a pessimist it is hard for me to see all the blessing that surround me each and every day.
I am in the early stages of trying to realize how blessed I am, I've decided to make a list of things I am thankful for!

1. A job - this one I need to be more joyful about...still working on it but thankful to have one none the less
2. A beautiful house in a safe neighborhood
3. 2 sets of grandparents and 1 set of great-grandparents close by for the kids to enjoy (and us too!)
4. being and staying healthy
5. 2 running cars
6. A boat so we can get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and go swimming
7. A husband who loves me
8. 2 wonderful kids that keep me on my toes and keep me laughing
9. Plenty of food in our kitchen
10. The clothes on our backs
11. my dishwasher and washer/dryer!
12. Family
13. Zumba
14. Green grass
15. fresh strawberries from the garden
16. green beans from the garden - ok, i'll stop my self on these and just say ANYTHING fresh from the garden!
17. fresh, clean air
18. The sound of my kids' laughter
19. snuggling with Jack after a long day
20. I'm thankful that God loves me no matter what, even when my sin makes me black as night on the inside, He can see past it all and loves me anyway.

There is so much more to be thankful for but, unfortunately that is all for now

She Works Hard for the Money

I've been comtemplating my career lately, wondering if I should just give up and realize that I'm not ever going to find something that makes me happy and just go for a career that can earn me mad cash. The major problem of living in a small town is that schooling is limited and so are the jobs.

My problem seems to be that there are too many things I would be interested in doing and I can't seem to pinpoint one that I feel would make me truly excited to wake up for everyday.

I've known too many people that go to school and either can't find work in their field and have to go back to school or have simply gotten a degree and ended up becoming a stay-at-home mother, not using their schooling (btw, there is nothing wrong with that in my book).

HOWEVER, I do feel greatly disrespected when people tell me I need to quit my job and  be a stay-at-home mom.

Why?

There are many reason why I work: my sanity, the bills, being able to maintain the lifestyle we choose and provide for my children etc...I will remind you that this is a JOINT decision between a husband and wife, so why does the working mom take much of the blame?

So yes, I work a full-time day job AND a full-time night job and it works for us!

Do I miss my kids?
       You bet.

Do you really have to work?
        In this day and age with the bills - YES

Aren’t you concerned about not being there for your kids?
        Sometimes. But when they really need me (us) I'm there in a heartbeat.

Did you hear about that study on children of working moms?

         And your point is..? Oh, showing them responsibility and what a strong, independent woman is...I see.

It must be nice to get a break from the kids.

          Oh sure, cause the stress I get from my day job is soooo worth it.

Why have kids if someone else is going to take care of them?

           I (we, big props to my hubby) love our kids, because I chose to work 8 hours out of 24 doesn't mean I'm not taking care of them and teaching them the things they need to know.

 I’d miss my kids too much if I worked. 

           I do, most days ; )

 Women should be at home with their children.

           Hold on, wait a minute, no you did not. This one makes me burn. It takes 2 to make a baby, why does the responsibilty always fall on the mother? "Because it just does" is not suffiicient answer.

You shouldn't do (insert activity here), you are a mother.

          And? I can't enjoy my life because of that? Really? If I (hubby included) wasn't able to get out and do the things I (we) enjoyed, what is the point? Experiencing these things (me= zumba, hubby =  fishing) keeps us sane which equals a happier home life for everyone involved.

So please, respect a working mom (and dad), the only 'good job, momma' I usually get (really, ever get) is from my  husband, I wish more could be as supportive as he.

Pantalones de Mujer

This has been on my mind for a long time and now, after I've returned home from a most excellent vacation, I feel I must let it out.

LADIES - NO ONE LOOKS GOOD IN CAPRIS.



There, I said it.

It is solely my opinion but really, you can't tell me that they are more comfortable than regular pants or shorts, I mean, come on, does the shorter 3+ inches than pants really make it so?

Why women choose to wear short pants that cut off at the worst possible place on the body is beyond me.
Capri pants do nothing for you. If you are short, you don't look good in capri pants. If you are fat, you don't look good in capri pants. If you are tall, you don't look good in capri pants.

I will still love you if you choose to wear them but if you ask me if I like your pants or if someone looks cute, be prepared for my, as always honest, "no".

20

20 pounds in 7 weeks. That is how much weight I've lost thanks to changing my eating habits, Body by Vi and ZUMBA Fitness.

I've tried quick fix diets before with limited success, but then I had a friend and fellow ZUMBA instructor tell me about Body by Vi and how it worked for her. I sampled some of the product and loved it.

It is 2 shakes a day, and let me tell you - they are so good (there are hundreds of different recipes out there so there is no chance of bordem)! Snacks in between and then a sensible dinner - easy!

If you are interested in more information, go to amyerickson.bodybyvi.com and check it out.

My goal is to lose 25 more pounds by May; I'm going on a nice little get-away with my sisters to Cancun - I'm so excited!

A Few of my Fall Favorite Things

I don't think I could survive without this product! BioSilk Silk Therapy fills in the tiny voids in the hair cuticle to make it smooth and soft.

 

 

Curly haired  people listen up - since our hair needs extra moisture this is a great product. I definitely can feel a difference when I use it!

 

This is not in production anymore but is easily found on the internet. Calvin Klein's Obsession Night is my most favorite perfume, hands down! I always get compliments when I wear it. FYI, this is the men's version (there is a woman's line) so yes, I wear men's cologne but it has a feminine scent about it that I love.

Fall weather means Fall boots! With my recent weight loss this means that I can wear this style - I'm so excited!!

 

 

Thank you Jennifer Lopez! I found these JLO jeans at Kohls and love love love them! Jeans that actually fit my body type, more room in the tummy with a skinnier leg - finally!!!

Dog Days of Summer

Where has Summer gone? I'm way behind in updating!

<> 

Wes has been a reading machine this Summer! He just finished reading all the Harry Potter books, his thirst for reading is insatiable - I'm so proud of him! He started the 2nd grade yesterday and seems to enjoy it so far, I hope there are many good things in store for him this year.

 Jack LOVES to swing. He also loves wearing his cape. He is a very interesting boy and makes us all laugh with the things he says and does!

Kyle has been doing a lot of Bass fishing lately, he's really good at it!

 I have been teaching Zumba 4 nights a week and have been really busy! I love teaching! Both Kyle and I have also been reading the Harry Potter books along with Wes so that took up most of my evenings as well. If you haven't read them, I highly suggest them, they are so well written and have a really good story line - and NO its not about witchcraft or that other junk at all - don't judge until you try!

Lastly, we have added a new member to the family. 

Meet Sugar! Super sweet dog who is so well behaved and loves to snuggle. We all adore her!

Part Lab,  part Pit, part awesome! Love this dog!

PDD-NOS

I've been contemplating this post for a few months. Its not something that is easy to share or that we really want to talk about. I dont' want to talk about it, I cry, then I feel stupid, so I mostly avoid the whole conversation.

I'll keep it short and start from the beginning.

Wes was an early talker, from his first word 'pup' (for our dog PuppPupp). His speech was so clear and easy to understand. He loved books, he would cry on and on for books, he couldn't get enough! He loved to jump in his jumper, he would jump for a good hour or two at a time - slobbery but happy!
He would have books memorized at 16 months and 'read' them back to us. We always thought he was pretty smart but we were first time parents and didn't let it get to us because we weren't sure what the norm was.

I started to notice my once fluent boy was stammering and repeating words and his mouth couldn't quite keep up with his brain. He liked to have order and line up his cars and trucks by color or size, none of these things really bothered me at the time. He would obsess over counting sprinklers or signs when we went on walks and would freak out if he missed one and we would have to start over again.
 

Come Kindergaarten time he had major seperation issues, I remember very clearly the teacher having to hold him down, on the ground while I left the room, he fought so hard to get to me and all I could do was turn and walk away. He had a hard time making friends in school, he wasn't interacting the way he should have, he wasn't paying attention, he couldn't keep his hands off the other kids. We received phone calls about twice a week for his teacher. I was mortified as a parent, I couldn't believe my sweet boy was acting out and being horrible in school! I was embarrassed and ashamed and felt like a horrible parent.

Wes was also starting to act out at home, he would throw terrible tantrums over seemingly small issues. There was no calming him down and all he wanted to do was fight and physically try to hurt us. We tried many forms of discipline, had many people try to tell us what to do and offer us advice and books and 'you need to do this, try this ect... Nothing worked.

1st grade started out so promising, the calls from the school were far less, a few here and there, but Wes seemed happier and was learning by leaps and bounds. He discovered a passion for reading, and I mean an insatiable thirst (he is just finishing up the Lord of the Rings books, and polished off the Chronicles of Narnia in no time at all). We would buy him The Magic Treehouse Books and he would have the first one read within 30 minutes - no kidding! His reading scores were off the charts at school and he was growing bored. His teacher said in her 17 years of teaching she has never seen a students with such high reading scores AND comprehension.

We just thought he was really smart.

Then trouble started happening, he would get in fights at school, other kids would pick on him, he was beat up so badly by some other boys that they were suspended for a week and Wes was moved permanently off the school bus to a different route. My boy had trouble making friends. He couldn't understand the social cues of the other kids, he had no idea how to play imaginary games, he doesn't know how to interact or what it is to be a friend. He has so much anger inside of him over this, it is so hard to see him want friends but not know how to make friends. He plays alone in the schoolyard, mostly kicking snowbanks and watching the other kids play.

We got a call from the school saying they wanted Wes to be observed in the classroom. At this point I assumed it was for behavior issues and I agreed it was a good idea. The woman from the school called me and introduced herself to me and let me know what her job was. I hung up the phone after our conversation and replayed the conversation in my head. Did she just say autism? nope not my kid, not happening, why??...then I started crying, not my son, please God not my son.

We tried not to let it get to us, they still hadn't observed him yet so we don't know for sure. Kyle bought a book on Autism and we started to do our own research. It was all clear now. We originally though he had Aspergers Syndrome, come to find out he has PDD-NOS.

Its hard, he looks like a normal kid and in alot of areas he is! He has horrific meltdowns, people think he is a spoiled child and I've often heard people (yes, other 'adults') yell at him, not knowing his condition and that his brain won't let him process his actions, unaware that its not socially acceptable to flip out in public.

This unofficial diagnosis from the school has helped us in many ways. We are disiplining him more effectively, but its not always easy. The school system has far exceeded our expectations and I cannot put into words how awesome the staff is, how wonderful Wes 1st grade teaching has been.

So now you all know.

Please keep Wes and Kyle and I and little brother Jack in your prayers.

7

Happy 7th Birthday, Wes!

 We were able to celebrate Wes' Birthday this past weekend at his Aunt and Uncle's house.

Wes chose to have angel food cake with strawberry whipped cream and an ice cream buffet.

As you can see he is a big fan of caramel sauce and gummy bears

 

 I cannot believe my baby is 7, time goes by so fast!

 Birthday morning he requested his favorite, coffee cake, instead of a Birthday cake!

We love you!

Prayers Needed

Tuesday will be a possibly life altering day. Please keep us in prayer as our family will be going though a difficult emotional time. Please lift Wes up and for him to have courage and understanding. Please pray for Kyle and I as we will need encouragement as parents.

This is not something that we are ready to speak about yet, hopefully when we get more answers soon...

Please let me clarify = this isn't about divorce (we celebrated 12 happy years yesterday!) or a terminal illness

Happy Feet

A Valentine's Day dance from Mr. Happy Feet

3

I'm a little late with this but, oh well.

My sweet baby Jack is 3!

Jack LOVES Super Mario Bros. so I decided to make Starman cookies - he loved them!
I also made a one-up mushroom cake but while we were visiting with my parents in the living room, Jack decided to get a closer look at the cake and poked two big holes in the side of it and it collapsed!

by request, green birthday pancakes

I can't believe he is 3!
Happy Birthday, we love you Jack!!

October/November Updates

We haven't been doing much in our household lately but we always *seem* so busy, time certainly goes by too fast. Here is a little update on the Ericksons.

getting ready to go out after the first snow of the season

The preferred cat of the household, Jimmy, she loves the kids and pretty much lets them do anything they want with her. I can always find her snuggled up with one of the kids in bed each evening.

Lunch with Wes for 1st grade parents luncheon

heading out to play after the first snowfall

this was *supposed* to be his Halloween costume but he wouldn't wear it that day, now i can't ever get him to NOT use this stuff!

Saturday morning wrestling match...well, everyday is wrestle-mania around here

Have you noticed Jack has a sword in EVERY SINGLE PICTURE? Wes and Jack play made up warrior games CONSTANTLY! It's super cute and I'm enjoying watching their creativity blossom plus, they really enjoy playing together! Yea!

A Makeover and Halloween

It was about time for a haircut for this boy...

Curly Jack - before

No more curls - after

Wesley the Warrior

He was pretty pumped about wearing this costume, he's been wearing it everyday since I bought it for him! Jack has the same costume in silver but he only carries the sword. He wouldn't wear it trick or treating but we finally got him to put on the helmet for about 5 minutes. They both had fun going to the casino for candy and later Wes and I went door to door in downtown Walker so he could experience 'real' trick-or-treating - he liked doing that better than the casino, I think we'll do that next year!

Morton.

Meet Morton Koopa Jr.

This is who my son, who will be turning 3 in 30 days, would like to have on his Birthday cake AND dress up as for Halloween!

Everything is about this Super Mario Bros. World Six Boss! Every time Jack plays pretend he is either playing as this guy or trying to defeat him.

I'm having a hard time trying to come up with ideas, hopefully I'll get lucky and come up with something good for Jack, until then I am at a complete loss!

Fall Fishing

The weather was beautiful on Sunday so we decided to take a family boat ride
and do a little bass fishing