New Nephew!!

My sister, Jackie and husband, Chad had their baby boy on Sunday, September 28th...one day before my Mom's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom! Jackie was going to be induced on Tuesday because the doctor thought the baby was going to be pretty big...and boy, was she right! Elijah Charles Erickson arrived weighing 9 lbs. 10 oz. and 22 inches long. Jackie was doing fine, but Elijah was turned a funny way and wouldn't drop so they ended up doing a C-section. Both Jackie and Elijah are doing great and are due home tomorrow. Hopefully soon after I will have a picture to share!

On the home front, we are five weeks away from welcoming our little one into the world! We got the crib set up today so it is becoming a reality of how close we are. Can't wait to find out what this 24/7 kicker looks like!

Enjoying the AR State Fair

On Monday we drove to Fort Smith to see Mamaw, Grandpa Jack and Tammy. The state fair is going on so we took the opportunity to go on half-price armband night. The kids had a great time riding the rides as many times as they wanted to. We even got all 3 to ride the real ponies! (Huge accomplishment!) We couldn't get any pictures, because the charged an outrageous price to have it done. The kids went strong until 10 pm and then crashed as soon as they were put to bed. Definitely could not do that schedule every night of the week!!

Hope, Tammy, Nolan and Daddy on the carousel.

Grace never looks like she is having fun, but then doesn't want to get off!

Helicopter ride

Nolan really got the waving thing down after only a few rides

Hope loved this ride!

Some of the Cutest Razorback Fans I've Ever Seen!

The Arkansas Razorback football team played a big game last Saturday against Alabama. Unfortunately, the score wasn't so great for us at the end, but our three kiddos cheered them on anyway! We went to a family fun day at the grocery store (which was a silly waste of time, but the kids had fun anyway) and then went home to watch the game. Hope says her favorite team is the Razorbacks...her Daddy is so proud! :-)

First time Haircuts!

You might think that first time haircuts refer to the twins, but it actually refers to Hope and Nolan. Hope has been needing a trim for a LONG time but she was always to scared to have it done because she loves her long hair. Well Nolan NEEDED a haircut badly and I convinced her to have me trim hers as well. Granted it was only about an inch, but it still counts in my book as her first cut! She sat still very well and didn't seem disappointed or upset at all. Now Nolan was a different story...

I had trimmed Nolan's hair a while back just around the ears and neck, but have never given him a full "cut". His hair on the top of his head had gotten ridiculously long...in the wind he looked like the little old men that do the "comb over"! Anyway, getting him to sit still was more difficult than I thought it would be...I had to call it quits and then I finished the job this morning! :-) It's not a great cut, but he looks so grown up now...it's hard to tell a difference in the photos, but we can see a big difference at home. He's growing up!! Grace appeared to want hers cut, too, but Mommy isn't ready to do that yet...just getting long enough to do cute pigtails!

Go Cowboys!!

We had plans to go to our friends house for dinner and to watch Monday night football: Cowboys vs. Eagles...however, due to the strong storms over the weekend, they were still without power. So we went out to eat and then came home to root on the Cowboys. I had to get a picture of Daddy with his little cowboy fans. We had bought both of these outfits for Hope when she was little and they work perfect for the twins now. Hope was extremely disappointed that she didn't have a Cowboys outfit, so we will be working on finding her a shirt before the next game! :-) The Cowboys didn't let us down, but gave us an exciting game to watch and a win to celebrate!

Our Funny Little Monkeys

We came home from church on Wednesday night last week and I was taking off my shoes to look up and see our funny little monkeys all posing together! I told Guy to grab the camera quick and he managed to get the picture before they changed their positions. They think they are so funny when they peek between their legs. They keep us laughing...

A Couple of Days in Branson

We got to take a couple of day get-away to Branson over Labor Day. We always enjoy our time there and we all love to go to Silver Dollar City. The twins tried out the frog ride this time and we found a new area to play in filled with foam balls. They loved it! We also enjoyed swimming at the resort but I forgot to bring my camera. :-( We did manage to escape most of the rain, but it rained all the way home! Daddy and Nolan on the frogs.

Grace was content to sit in the middle of all the balls!

I couldn't get Nolan to look at me for a picture. He was too busy throwing the balls and then cleaning them up!

Hope and Grace are ready for the frogs!

Hope's favorite part of the ball area was shooting them across the room.

Sweet Bedtime Routine

I know this is kind of silly, but this is one of the sweetest moments of my day. Yes, I love the quiet time with my hubby and the house is quiet...(I love being a Mom, but everyone has their limits! :-)) But I really love the way the kids all lay on the rug in the twins' room for bedtime prayers. They are so sweet and cuddly and started this little routine all on their own. It started soon after Grace and Nolan started to walk. We brush their teeth and then they run into their room and bury their faces in this furry rug. Then we pray together as a family followed by lots of hugs and kisses good night. Now granted, not every night is sweet and cuddly (especially after a long day and everyone is extremely tired), but this night was a fun moment and a picture I will cherish for the memories it reprensents.

Mamaw's Visit

Mamaw, Guy's Mom, got to come and spend a week with us...August 21-28. Because she only lives an hour away we get to see her about once a month but for only a day or two. So she decided to come up for a week so she could get some good play time with the kids. I loved having another set of hands around to help out with the kids and she even helped clean around the house...Moms are great! She also loves to take pictures of the kids so here are some she took that week.

Cuddle time on the couch and cute grins!

Princess Hope

Mamaw loves to rock, so we brought out the rocker from the twins' room and Hope had to get hers too!

Playing dress up with hats is a favorite playtime activity right now...poor Nolan often gets stuck with the "girly" ones, but he doesn't seem to mind!