reach for the stars

or the parrot.
whatver.

dear son,

i know you just want to be a big boy, but can't you stay little just a while longer?
i know that crawling is just sooo slow and that you would rather learn to walk, but really? isn't it more fun to sit in one place sometimes instead of roaming the whole house finding the dog toys to chew on, or worse, the dog food?
i know that you are sooo sick of rice cereal already and would much rather have whatever i have in my mouth, but you are still a baby, you know.
i know, i know, 7 months is sooo grown up, but don't you think you could let me cuddle you and hold you while you sleep for just a little bit?

i'm so glad you still let me rock you.
and kiss you whenever i want.
and laugh at me when i'm silly.
and give me your best smile every once in a while.
and light up when dad comes home.

and even though you are now 7 months old, and sooo grown up, you will always be my baby boy.
love you owey o.
love, mom.

dear friends,

i am so sorry i tricked you into thinking i was pregnant.
it was funny thought right?
i am even more sorry that my last post was not a trick, but in fact we really are moving to rexburg in 34 days. (holy schnikies!)
i am also really sorry that i am a bit of a murmurer when it comes to leaving the sun and the beach and my family and that i probably whine too much when i should instead look on the bright side. sorry you all have to hear about it, and sorry clint. you know i love you and would follow you pretty much anywhere. (but let's not get carried away, now.)
i am not sorry, however that i do have awesome friends.
thanks for laughing at me.
thanks for telling me it will all be ok.
thanks for the assurance that in the end, this is the best thing for us.
thanks for encouraging me to be supportive and keep my chin up.
thanks for reminding me that the time will go by fast and the snow will melt. (will it really?)
i am also not sorry that no matter where we are, this little family will be happy together and will make the best of the next adventure.
because as you all know, we are always up for an adventure.

love you, you're the greatest.
j.

neener, neener

tricked you! tricked you!
i love that you all went there.
don't you remember this post?
come on folks. i'm not that crazy.
i did however think that by making you think i was pregnant you might think we were a little less crazy when i told you that this is what is in our near future:


















yeah. not kidding. don't make me elaborate too much or i might cry.
clint is going back to school folks. and i am leaving the sun and the beach for the walmart in rexburg and the bitter, bitter (did i say bitter? who me?) cold.

and that's not all.
we leave in a little over a month.
i know.

so, in effort to find the silver lining, i am grateful that clint will be able to finish what he started there years ago and am grateful that i have little owey to keep me company in that desolate land. and we (i) did get a new car out of the deal. 4-wheel drive is what it's all about. in all seriousness, i know that this is a good opportunity for us and we are happy to be going to a church school. i just have to try and stay positive about the new life that is ahead of me and concentrate on supporting my man through thick and thin and making the best out of the next few years. that is what it's all about, right?

so the question is do you feel more or less sorry for me now than you did when you thought i was going to have 2 babies ? discuss.

btw, manda and tracie were the only one's who even came close!!

i've been putting this off...

for weeks now.
there is news in the erickson household and i haven't had it in me to write about it. i am still processing it all, and have written and re-written a million posts in my head, but none of them work.
so, it's up to you.
any guesses on what's new around here? (those who already know, no guessing, no cheating!!)
there may be a surprise for any lucky guessers!
here's a hint (cuz i'm generous like that):
we got a new car to accommodate our needs.

photoshoot.

a few(ok, more than a few) favorites from last week:






he's even cute with spit up all down his chin. (wish i would have seen that before snapping a million pictures!)

spring has sprung.

sometimes i forget about the seasons since i live here in the land where the weather is beautiful year around. but how could you possibly forget that spring is here when you have this amazing sight a few miles away:



the carlsbad flower fields. truly a sight to behold. can you believe that even though i have lived in san diego most of my life i had never visited the flower fields until yesterday? i know. sacrilege.
i took so many pictures, but it is just sooo gorgeous! these are all ranuncula by the way. and from the top of the field (picture above) you also get an ocean view. talk about a cherry on top!


amy and i decided we had to take the kids (not that they even knew where we were, but hey, at least it was colorful!) and so we strapped them to us and took the little tractor pulled wagon ride around the fields.



our tractor - john deere of course.


i love the stripes!


doesn't it just make you want to frolic?

and a few of the funniest parts of the outing - i think it was senior citz day at the flower fields. it was great because every single one of them got such a kick out of the babies and just had to pinch their little cheeks. you know they are missing their grandkids. also, every one kept asking us if owey and audra were twins (which is funny because they look nothing alike) and then the others were asking if amy and i were sisters. the best was this little old lady who was seriously like 95 - with a walker, cotton balls in her ears, lipstick drawn on, and who could hardly see - she insisted on helping amy put her baby carrier on. it was sooo funny, i had to get a picture. (her poor back!)



we also got a kick out of this guy. not the best picture because i was trying to be sneaky, but he was randomly set up with his little peruvian flute and a microphone attached to his face and was jamming like he was a rockstar. awesome.



welcome spring!

happy day.

the day has finally come when that magic number appeared before my eyes. yeah for goal weight day! could it have something to do with the near 200 miles i've run in the past few months? maybe just a little. here's to a new wardrobe and more running to celebrate.

100% genuine

who can resist that face?

i dare you to have a bad day when you have this looking back at you...

discovery.

if every stage of a baby's life had a name, this would be his right now:
discovery.
owey is loving his new status as a mobile little one and he couldn't be more thrilled to get around and discover all that is going on around him. it is amazing to see him explore all the things that he has been surrounded by for months, but is just now able to get an up close view of them.

from the second he wakes up, he is ready to take on the world. this is how i find him in his crib... anxious to get up and get moving.


luckily he hasn't mastered this yet on his own, but he loves standing up in his crib and peering over the edge.





fascinated by all the colors around him...


and of course, everything has to be explored by his new little teeth as well...


and from underneath...


even discovering himself in the mirror...

so much fun! now let me go baby proof before he starts moving quick!

sorry country haters

just listen to the words.
am loving this song right now, especially as my little baby boy grows up right before my eyes.

love at first bite.

discovered this yummy goodness at vons yesterday and i am in love. if you know me, you know that it's pretty hard to go wrong with anything ice cream (unless it's chocolate of course - i know, i'm crazy) but unfortunately my waistline doesn't really appreciate all the abuse. so, something sweet, ice-creamy, and not going to make me gain 5 lbs instantly?!? a dream!!
not only is this blood orange sorbet sooooo refreshing and satisfying, it also has ZERO grams of fat and 98 calories in 1/2 a cup. hellooo?!??!! now, usually i wouldn't equate a sorbet to ice cream. not the same. but man, this is gooooood.
mmm.. i just can't get enough! it tastes like a real orange! (beware: if you don't like oranges, you probably won't like it.) maybe that is because the only ingredients are blood orange juice, orange juice, and lastly sugar. could it be true?
i also picked up the pistachio flavored gelato version for the hubby (lover of all things pistachio and all things italian). even he, who doesn't get too excited about food (would rather have a magic pill than bother to eat) thought this was surprisingly delicious. i snuck in a few bites and had to agree! you'd better go get some before word gets out! goooood stuff!
as you can tell, i don't have the same problem as the hubby and possibly get way too excited about food. oh well.