Live, Laugh, Love: August 2010

School came fast this year and I don't know if I was ready for it. We started a week early and I really would have liked that extra week. Peyton was excited to go back but I think Bailey and Tyus would have enjoyed one more week of summer too.

Bailey started the 7th grade this year. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She isn't to fond of getting her picture taken and I have always taken their pictures on the first day. This year I tried to sneak one but she know what I was doing and didn't let me get a good one of her.

Tyus is in the 4th grade and his teacher is Mrs. Digerness. He loves having her as a teacher and I think will do really good in her class.

Peyton is in 1st grade this year and his teacher is Mrs. Cornia. She is also a fun teacher and he loves her. He has made her things and wrote her letters to take to school. I'm sure she gets a lot of little things like this for the first little while from the kids.

I hope the year goes as good as the first week of school did. The kids all did great and I think now are glad to get back with their friends and on somewhat of a schedule.

Our family had another great summer and I can't believe that it is over already. I haven't blogged for a long time so I am going to try to put the whole summer into one blog.... ENJOY!!!

T-Ball....

Peyton got to play t-ball again this year and he loved every minute of it. He was way excited when he got to hit the ball from the pitcher and not off the tee. He actually did really well hitting it that way. He thinks he is big enough to play softball with the big kids now, but unfortunately he still has one more year of t-ball.

Softball....

Tyus played softball and also enjoyed it. He is really good at hitting and getting around the bases as fast as he can. He would always feel bad if someone got out because he didn't hit the ball far enough to let them get to the next base. We would try to explain that it was ok but it really bothered him. He would have rather himself get out then someone else on his hit. He really does have a soft heart.
Soccer.....

Both Tyus and Peyton played soccer on the Evanston League. They both love when this season comes and enjoy getting to know the kids in Evanston. Tyus got to graduate to playing of the big field this season and he did really well with it. By the end of the game he was worn out. Thank goodness he has a lot of energy.

Peyton taking the ball down for a goal

Peyton with some of his team mates

Tyus getting ready to play

Kicking the ball!!
Look at the poor kid that it hit. Right in the face and he is even on Tyus' team.

Car Show.....

This year for Fathers Day we went to Wendover to a car show. We went with a big group of friends and had a great time. We took our camper trailer out and stayed at the KOA. We would spend the days at the car show, swimming, mini golfing and just being with friends. Both nights that we were there the adults went to concerts. We went to the Beach Boys and also Clay Walker. The kids loved seeing all the cool cars and it was even funner because one of our friends had 2 cars in the show. I think we will try to make this a tradition. We had a GREAT time!!!!

Enjoying the swimming pool on a hot summer day

Peyton standing by one of the cars that our friends had in the car show

4th of July/ Erickson Reunion

We did something different for the 4th this year and it was actually a lot of fun. Chad and Katie were coming that weekend for our Niece, Maddie's baptism so we decided to just have our Erickson reunion that same weekend. The reunion was held at my Mom and Dad's house. We set a tent up on their lawn and also mats on their porch. We got rained out one night and had to pack kids in out of the rain in the middle of the night. They didn't remember being moved and wondered why they were in the house when they woke up. The weekend was full of activities. We went to the parade in Woodruff and then hurried down to Salt Lake to Maddie's baptism. After the baptism we went back to Evanston and lit off our own fireworks. We also got to enjoy playing outside games with the family and of course we had to get the water guns out. It was a really fun weekend and I didn't miss going to the rodeo's at all. I wouldn't mind if we did something like this every year for the 4th instead of sitting in the hot heat at a rodeo.

Flaming Gorge....

Again we went on our annual week at the Gorge. This is always a trip that we all look forward too. It is a very relaxing week and we are with great company so that makes it even funner. The kids have made so many friends and they make new ones each year because so many different people come each time. The weather wasn't the best this year and we didn't get to spend as much time playing on the boats, but we did get a lot of card playing in. The guys did a lot of fishing, the kids did a lot of playing and the women did a lot of relaxing. You couldn't ask for a better week.

Peyton getting ready to go for a dip in the lake
(I love this picture)

Enjoying the water

Kids looking for crawdads

Tyus holding the fish that him and Peyton caught

Peyton holding cute little Ruby Sue

Visitors from California....

Our neighbor, Dave Etter, that has a house down the street comes from California to stay a few times a year. Most of the time it is when he comes hunting, but he had some friends that went on a road trip to Yellowstone. They wanted to come see his place and stayed for a couple of days. He asked if I would help cook so that the ladies would have to do it while they were on vacation. They were the nicest people and Chad, the kids and I were very excited to make such great new friends. They all had great big motor homes and they just parked them along our little lane. We got to go on a little tour of all of the motor homes. They were all amazing and nicer then a lot of houses.

One of the big motor homes

Motorbikes...

All 3 of our kids love riding motorbikes. Tyus bought one a couple years ago and has rode it a ton. This year him and Bailey bought one together, so Peyton got Tyus' old one. He was really excited to learn how to ride it and he did really well. He was a fast learner. Tyus and Bailey love riding their new one, but I think we are going to have to get another one because they all 3 want to ride at the same time. Bailey is really good to let Peyton ride with her so that they can all ride together. She is a great big sister!!!

Girls Camp...

Bailey is 12 and got to go to Girls Camp this year. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. It seems like I was just looking forward to my first year of girls camp. Her dad got to take her up and help them set up. I think she was excited that he got to share that with her. I think that he was excited to take his little girl up too. She said that they had a lot of fun and by the pictures she took it looks like they did.

Woodruff Ward Camp

Skit

FRIENDS and FUNNY FACES

Minatonka Cave...

Tyus got to go to the Minatonka Cave for scouts and he liked it so much that he asked if we could go back as a family. We went a couple days after he went with his scout group and we had a great time. He was so excited to tell us everything he had learned about it. In fact he could have taken over as the tour guide if he would have wanted to. I was impressed that he listed so well the first time he went.

After we went to the cave we went to the Demolition Derby in Laketown. This is a family favorite and we had a great time watching the cars crashing into each other. I didn't get any pictures of it, but we enjoy going to it each year.

4-H...

4-H is a big part of our summer. Our kids raise pigs to show at the fair. We get their pigs in March and the fair is held in the middle of August. The kids become really good friends with their pigs and they enjoy being out with them. That makes it hard to sell them and say goodbye at the end of the summer when they have to go.

Bailey did great this year and got Grand Champion Showmanship in her age group. Her pig was also a good pig and got 4th place over all.

Bailey giving her pig, Charlie, a back scratch

Tyus also did great and got Reserve Champion Showmanship in his age group and his pig was 10th over all (I think). He also showed chickens and got Grand showmanship and Reserve on the chickens. There were only 2 kids that did chickens, but he still did a great job. This was his first year to be in 4-H, so he did great for being so new at it.

Tyus with his pig Baconator

Peyton isn't old enough to do 4-H but he did get to be involved in the cloverbud program. I was his leader and I really enjoyed sharing this with him. We would meet once a week with all the 5-8 year olds and do projects that they would turn into the fair. He also had a pig that he raised just for fun and he loved doing what Bailey and Tyus did with their pigs. He got to be in the open class showmanship and he showed Bailey's pig. All the kids got a ribbon, but he thinks that he got Grand Champion so we just let him think that he did. He did a great job!!!