Walking, Walking!

Caroline is walking everywhere and getting really fast! I love the way she waddles...like an Oopma Loompa.

This travel sized bottle of lotion is a favorite right now...random! But a girl must be moisturized.

See how much Luci loves being chased? Riiiiiight.

How times have changed...

This weekend we headed to the lake house for a little reunion weekend of Jon's group of buddies from high school. It was such a blast! We had a full house with 12 adults, 5 kids, and 2 dogs. A far cry from what a guys weekend used to look like ;)

I definitely laughed til I was in tears on more than one occasion. That is the sign of a great weekend!

We celebrated Jason and Casey's 30th birthdays

All the boys
Jon and Casey matching...This trend continued throughout the weekend.
Late night swim

As of this weekend, I can officially say that Caroline is walking more than she is crawling. I would say she is walking almost 100% of the time. We counted 51 consecutive steps this morning, and decided that means we are beyond the step-counting phase :) She is FAST! I can hardly keep up with her...Oh my! Guess it's time to go shoe shopping...

Here she is "driving" her high chair around the lake house this weekend.

Too funny!

SO Big!

Mimi came to visit us this week, and we had tons of fun...

We showed her all the exciting things we have learned at JW Tumbles, went to a Portrait Party for our Mommy Group, and of course went shopping! Whew!!!

Most importantly, thanks to Mimi's determination, Caroline has finally mastered "So Big". It's so cute!

How big is Caroline?
SOOOOO Big!!!
Of course this is her new favorite activity. She will randomly raise her arms in the air and look at us, waiting for someone to cheer for her.

A little video...
Sorry in advance for all the high pitch shrieking from both my mom and I.

4th of July Fun!

We headed to the lake house for the 4th again this year. It's so weird to think that last year at this time I was pregnant (and huge) with C and now she's here! Time sure does fly...
It was a fabulous time as usual. The Erickson clan (minus the Kansas City group :( who we greatly missed) was in full effect and our dear friends the Gillenwater's joined us as well. FUN!

Hanging out with Daddy on the beach...
I promise she isn't sunburned...just HOT.

First time on a boat with Mommy...
Gotta love the stay-puff marshmallow life jacket...safety first!

I couldn't pick my favorite 4th of July pic...

Happy
Serious
Silly
On the run
I made 4th of July fruit pizza (Thanks Meghan for the inspiration!)
Since I cook/bake so infrequently, I figured I'd better have evidence to prove that it actually happened :)

And finally, Jon stealing food from children...
He somehow convinced the girls to "share" with him.
My favorite quote from Kendall:
"Jon, do we have to share ALL of our food with you?"

Nice.

Happy Birthday, America!

Summer 'Do!

In honor of the record breaking heat we are having down here in ATX, I decided to chop off my hair. I figured since I wore it up all the time anyway, it might look a little cuter this way ;)

Jon snapped a pic before I headed to Bible Study last night. Caroline was kind enough to pose with me, so I wouldn't feel silly :)

It looked better BEFORE I got rained on yesterday, but that's ok :) It's so light and easy, but it feels so weird when i touch it...like something is missing...probably the 4-5 inches of hair that used to be there!?!?!

I didn't tell Jon I was going to cut it, so he was VERY shocked! Luckily he likes it a lot...whew!

10 months!

Caroline is so BUSY! She is in constant motion. Crawling, walking, clapping, dancing, and chatting up a storm.

WALKING! Oh my. Crawling is still her primary form of transportation, but she practices her walking every chance she gets. It's amazing how much sturdier she has gotten in just one week!

She loves to rider her Sally Snail...Thanks Grammy and Grandpa!

She is starting to imitate everything. Every sound we make...including Daddy's belches. Awesome. It's actually pretty hilarious (not the belching part, but the imitating OTHER sounds)
She makes a funny snorting sound when she sees Luci. I will try to get some video of it. I guess that's her way of communicating with her buddy???

She loves books, and carries them around with her everywhere!!! I have been trying to read to her more and more. Mimi suggested I read to her while she is eating...GREAT idea! She is a captive audience in the high chair, and I think she enjoys the mealtime entertainment :)

She is fascinated by the little door stop thingys...go figure.

Here she is kickin' back with her bottle. I mean check out that leg extension...and the pointed toe. Major style points here...
I absolutely love this age and stage. She is so much fun and has SOOOO much personality. I keep thinking...How could it get any better? And then, it always does!

Watch out, Here I come!

So, I was trying to get some video of Caroline's new favorite activity...standing up all by herself. Imagine my surprise, when this is what she did...



That's right...count them...3 STEPS! Go Caroline!!!!

She has taken a random step/lunge here and there, but never more than one at a time!!!! I can't believe I got her actual first steps on video!?!?!?!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

I love my Daddy because he protects me,


he always gives me hugs and kisses,and he is my favorite person to cuddle with.
I love my Daddy because he gives me silly hats to wear,
he takes me on hikes,
and he reads me stories.
I love my Daddy because he plays games with me,
he holds me up SOO high,
and he feeds me!
I love my Daddy because he teaches me,
he gives me rides on his shoulders,
and he lets me help him in the yard.
I love my Daddy because he helps me read the paper,
he relaxes with me in the hammock,
and he takes me to work with him!

I love my Daddy because he takes me on the airplane,
he takes me swimming,
and he dances with me!
I love my Daddy,

And my Daddy loves me!

Love,

Caroline

A little bit of Caroline...

Eating is fun!

I LOVE to feed myself, because I am such a big girl!

I am always looking out for my buddy, Luci. She like to eat, too!What do you think of my pigtails?

The BIG Three-Oh...

Today marks my hubby's 30th birthday...3 decades of Jon Andrew Erickson!
In honor of his 30 years, I want to share 30 fun facts about Jon...

1. Jon was born in St. Louis, MO, and moved to Dallas when he was 6 weeks old.

2. His parents still live in the house that they have lived in since Jon was in 2nd grade.

3. Jon is the youngest of 4 boys. There is a special place in Heaven for my mother-in-law FOR SURE!

4. He is also the tallest of the 4...each on is actually an inch taller than the one before...6'2", 6'3", 6'4", and Jon comes in at 6'5"...He likes to say that his parent were breeders...ha!
The bros...Clark, Bryce, Steven, and Jon

5. His first car was a White Jeep Wrangler. It was his pride and joy, and he still talks about it all the time. He would love to have the exact same one again...not just the same make and model, but the exact actual one that he used to have.

6. There are only 2 foods that Jon won't eat...black olives and mayonnaise. Everything else is fair game :)

7. He doesn't drink cokes (except for the occasional Sprite).

8. Jon has a group of best friends from high school, and they are all still great friends today. It's pretty awesome. They are some of my favorite people too!
The guys at prom 1997
9. He was the senior class president at Richardson High School.

10. His "nemesis" (the girl he beat to win class prez) went on to be on the show The Apprentice with Donald Trump.

11. Jon is a Grill Master. He can grill, smoke, or barbecue just about anything.

12. He walked on the Baylor football team his freshman year. He worked his tail off and earned a scholarship, which is really quite an honor! He played Left Tackle, but started at all positions on the Offensive Line.
#71 in action!

13. He is an amazing brother and friend. He is a great listener and gives wonderful advice. I so admire that quality in him!

14. Jon can fix anything and everything. He really is very handy. And I tell you what...he is also a very proficient lawn maintainer. Our grass always looks perfect :)

15. He is one of the funniest and most quick-witted people you will ever meet. There is never a dull moment with Jon!

16. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals after college. He attended training camp and played in a preseason game!
#69...Hands on his hips, looking VERY important.

17. He has been to Europe 4 times, including the UK, Spain, Sweden, Russia, and Italy.

18. Jon bought is first house at the ripe old age of 24. It was quite a fixer-upper :) But there are some great memories in that house!

19. Everywhere we go, he sees someone he knows. Everywhere! I swear, he is the most social person I have ever met.

20. This man can dance. He really does have some serious rhythm. From 2-stepping to c-walking...he can move!
Getting his groove on at our wedding

21. Have I mentioned that Jon can also cook? Oh yeah! Not only can he cook, but he loves to do it!

22. He has completed 10 sprint triathlons.

23. He is an amazing father. He loves to sing, play, and be completely goofy with Caroline.

24. Jon loves spicy food. The hotter the better...he puts Tabasco on EVERYTHING!

25. Jon loves to listen to all kinds of music, especially rap and country.

26. He loves to watch Food Network...ALL the time.

27. Jon loves to hunt and fish. Anything that involves being outside, in cammo, not showering is pretty much right up his alley.
28. He is an incredible husband...supportive, thoughtful, romantic, and most of all FUN.

29. Jon is SMART. I mean super-duper-never studied for a test until the night before and still got an A-common sense-SAT vocabulary smart.

30. He once owned his own landscaping business... and a very successful one at that!


I love him 30 times more now than when I met him!!!!

Happy 30th, Jon!
I look forward to all the adventures we'll share over the next 30 years!!!

Even though you are old, I still love you ;)