Apple and Pumpkin Picking

Since Elsie's field trip to an apple orchard she has become a pro at the "reach, twist, pull" technique of apple picking. She had to share this knowledge with Margot which meant another trip to the orchard. The orchard was almost bare. Luckily I was able to lift the girls up so they could each get 1 apple.

Margot enjoying her apple.

I can't believe it's pumpkin time again! Gotta love wearing shorts and a tank top in October to pick pumpkins!

Margot finds the perfect pumpkin and don't you dare try to help her carry it.

Elsie admires her pumpkin and makes sure it is just a little bit bigger than Margot's.

RUN!

The Erickson crew ran a 10K, 5K, and 1K race. The brain teaser for the day will be for you to match the Erickson with the race. It was a gorgeous day for a run and some family fun. Elsie loved that she was able to go through the snack tent after the kid race and Margot loved doing everything she wasn't supposed to do...such as, climbing on top of the haystack obstacle course while innocent children were crawling underneath it. Elsie and Margot looking very serious during their run. The shadow camera man is Soren, so I guess we can count this as a family picture.
The Lundberg family joined us in the fun. My good friend, Alyssa, and I go all the way back to 1st grade! Oh how the times have changed :)

So long September

September is cruising by and I just realized I've only given Erickson Blog Fans (also known as my brother and sister) one September blog post. Here are a few photos to get you up to date on our September happenings...

Elsie is now taking a dance class. It's her first "organized" activity. She wears this too cute dance leotard to class and Margot and I try to stay busy for 45 minutes while Elsie learns about jazz hands. Elsie loves her class.


We went on a picnic last week with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Doug. Margot had so much fun rolling around in sand filled with goose poop.

Books, jammies, and smiles...what could be better?

I was able to chaperone on Elsie's preschool field trip to an apple orchard. It was fun to see how the other half lives on a field trip. Much easier to keep track of 2 kids versus 22 students!

Preschool

Today was Elsie's first day of preschool! She bravely walked into her classroom after giving me a hug and kiss and said she only missed us a little bit of the time. I had no time to shed tears during this big occasion because I was wrestling with a wild 2-year-old, but that's a different story. So, here's what I know about Elsie's first day...all things she told me:
She was the napkin helper, they had circle crackers for snack, she didn't really want to play at the playground, and she used stamps for an art project. This is way for than I was expecting to hear about and I loved learning about every minute!

Happy Birthday Elsie!

Today marks Elsie's 4th birthday! When she woke up today she looked at me with a big grin and said "Mom, don't I look so much bigger now that I'm 4?!" And yes, she did look bigger! Elsie is thrilled to be 4, which in her world means getting a big girl bike (with training wheels) starting preschool in a few weeks, and taking a dance class! Our 4-year-old (I have to keep saying it to believe it) loves to tell jokes. Meaning she has the tone/delivery down but not the content. Example: Mom, why does a bat eat a cone? ha, ha, ha. The punchline is still being developed. She still loves books and has a fantastic imagination. Today she was teaching a balloon how to walk. I've enjoyed every year we've had with Elsie and am looking forward to seeing what this one brings!

Take a walk down the past 4 years with me...

Here she is making sure we are all aware that she is 4 years old.

3-year-old E.
2-year-old Elsie a.k.a. the cutest girl at an all-you-can-eat waffle breakfast.

1-year-old Elsie

Day 1 Elsie

2 + 4 = A Birthday Party

Elsie and Margot invited their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins over for a birthday party to celebrate their 4th and 2nd birthdays. I have to admit that it's nice to have one day of chaos to celebrate two birthdays, I'm not sure the girls will always agree, but it's worked great so far!

Highlights from the party included the kids going down the slip and slide (sorry no pics of this, it was toward the end of the party and I gave up on taking pictures and was instead having an adult beverage), water balloons that my dad patiently filled up, pin the tail on the donkey, and a fishing game. Also, not to brag but my potato salad was a big hit and I made some pretty cool cupcakes. Elsie loved opening her gifts. Princess pajamas, princess dress up clothes and princess toys were a few of her favorite gifts, are you sensing a theme here? These crazy princess ladies are unavoidable!
Cake face.

Margot enjoying every bite!

Can you sense their fear of fire?! Relax girls, this is supposed to be fun.

Um, don't worry Elsie you don't have to eat all the food on the table. Classic Margot face when the camera is out.

So close Margot! Folks, she didn't even have the blindfold on and went straight for the eyes with the donkey's tail. This girl may need some extra attention at school.

Had to include my dr. seuss inspired cupcakes. The top cupcakes are supposed to remind you of thing 1 and thing 2, the marshmallow things are the cat's hat and you can figure out the fish cupcakes in the middle, right?

2 in August

Happy Birthday to Margot Belle. She has spent the past few weeks telling whomever will listen she will be 2 in August. Finally, the special day has arrived! Margot's day started with a doughnut with two birthday candles and ended with a Diego video...life doesn't get much better. In between, she had lots of other treats, played at a water/splash park, played at another park and opened a few presents. Here are a few things to note about this special lady:

• She is super funny and has great dance moves, but when you think about who her mother is this isn't a big surprise.


• She adores her older sister and spends most of her day saying/doing everything Elsie does.


• She LOVES the water and is fearless when it comes to jumping, splashing and playing in the water.

And for your viewing pleasure, a reverse-order Margot photo timeline...

2 year old Margot
1 year old Margot

Day 1 Margot