SEPTEMBER

RYAN'S WEDDING - On September 1st family started gathering in the Treasure Valley.  We had a lot of people come over to our house and see it for the first time!  The cousins ran to their hearts content outside.  We grilled burgers on our grill for the first time.  We also used our firepit for the first time.  The only thing I would have changed about the night was the Erickson's horrible tradition of singing the birthday song.  They butcher it on purpose.  Jed says it's because no one can sing so they pretend like they are singing bad to cover up.  All I can say is they are achieving their goal then. :)  I am not a good singer by any stretch, but I always feel bad for whoever's birthday it is when the singing starts. lol Can you spot a little marshmallow roaster smiling at the camera in both pictures?

The next day, September 2nd, Ryan married Cheyenne.  They met on a mormon dating app called Mutual.  So they tell people they met at mutual which if you are mormon you understand that it sounds pretty funny.  Before they had met Cheyenne had turned in her mission papers and received her call while they were dating to... Boise, Idaho.  It was so ironic.  She served in Ryan's hometown mission.  It still makes me laugh. What are the odds?!  When she got back it was a quick blink of an eye and they were engaged.  We were all very excited for them!  All the little nieces adore Cheyenne and she gets mauled anytime she comes around.  Cheyenne has a very energetic and fun personality.  We are very partial to Ryan so when we went to meet Cheyenne for the first time I was pretty convinced it would take awhile for me to believe she was good enough for him, but she won me and all of us over that day.  They bring out great qualities in each other and are very happy!  We were very excited to be there for their special day!

The girls cheered so loud when Cheyenne and Ryan came out of the temple after the sealing!  It was so cute... and then she was mauled.  lol  She couldn't have been more gracious about it.  Ryan some cheers too - Kasen, Jagger, and Dallin are big fans of his.  But I'm not sure anyone loves Ryan more than Tyler.

I thought these two pictures were funny.  Cheyenne vs Ryan being mauled by little girl cousins.  I think Ryan looks a little less comfortable with it. haha

The luncheon and reception was at Scentsy in Meridian.  The location was great and the facilities were beautiful.  The first thing the kids saw and were obsessed with were the giant stuffed animals.

The luncheon was downstairs in a cool area Scentsy calls Main Street.  It looks like a little European street lined with shops and cafes.  Dinner was pasta so Ava was in heaven!  I kept taking pictures of her to be annoying. :)

There was also a really cute telephone booth that was a hit to play in.  I'm not sure Jagger even came out of it during the entire luncheon.

It is always so fun to get together and it is fun to watch all these Erickson cousins grow up.  They all get along pretty well.  The older ones are nice to the younger ones.  Just like there are "two sets" of kids for John and Coleen - there are also two sets of nieces/nephews.  The older set of cousins are now almost all married.  There will probably be a little break for a few years and then it will be nonstop events with the younger set between graduations, missions, weddings, baby blessings. It will be so fun to watch and be a part of, but I don't want it to come too fast though!  Even though most of the time I still feel like I'm not old enough for any of it, the circle of life rolls on.

A couple more great group shots.  I told Jed the family shot is probably the best I've ever looked in a picture ever!

Kinsley was in awe of everything about the wedding and reception - from the giant flower pots to the cutting of the cake.  She photobombed almost every picture!  That girl loves a good party. :) I asked her what her favorite part was and she couldn't decide, but she said watching Uncle Jeff dance was probably #2.

GETAWAY WEEKEND - The wedding happened at the perfect time because the next week we had horrible air quality from all the forest fires.  All outdoor activities and sports practises were cancelled.  The kids couldn't even go outside for recess.  Kasen's football games were also cancelled that week so spur of the moment I decided to go to Rigby ALONE!  When I told Jed he was like "What?! You're not taking any of the kids???" My mom guilt tried kicking in a few times, but I decided that Jed has no second thoughts about leaving me alone with all the kids to go to ropings for the entire weekend many times a year so I'm not going to feel guilty about spending a weekend away either.  I drove to Rigby and listened to 90s country music the whole way and sang my heart out - something I never get to do.  It's ironic that in my own car I have no control over the radio, and if it's not the radio it's a dvd playing.  So I enjoyed that!  I stopped at my oldest friend Lacee's house that night.  My other HS friends - Shalee, Lindsey, and Natalie also came over.  We laughed and talked until 2am.  It was so fun.  The next morning I helped my mom and sisters clean out the Loft and the big barn.  My mom hauled two truckfuls of stuff to DI.  We got a lot done.  It was also fun to just chat and laugh together as we worked.   I was going to drive home that night, but when I called Jed to tell him I was getting ready to leave he told me to enjoy myself and stay another night.  I was like, "who are you and what have you done with my husband?"  j/k.  So we met my dad for tacos and then my sister and I went and got pedicures.  It was really just what I needed - a weekend to take a little break from mom duties and do a few thing for myself.  I love being a mom and a wife, but I have definitely felt a little lost these last few months.  I realized that I have to do some things for myself and give to myself or I will have nothing to give to anyone else.  And that's ok! Because I hadn't planned to stay for Sunday I hadn't brought any church clothes, but I decided that I would just go sit in the foyer and take the sacrament anyway.  So there I was in my jeans and tennis shoes and sweatshirt.  I was a little self-conscious about it and I expected a lot of raised eyebrows.  But everyone that walked past me just gave me a warm smile.  I was excited to get home and hear that everyone missed me.  Jed had gotten a lot done while I was gone.  He put up a whole bunch of panels and made some horse pens.  I had hoped that I would be a little more appreciated for all that I do for everyone after not being there to do it.  Sometimes I feel like Cinderella.  Everyone was very nice to me and Kinsley wouldn't leave my side the rest of the day.  I told Jed that maybe I would have to do this a few times each year and he was like, "Wait, what?!" lol
AVA'S 12TH BIRTHDAY - This was a big birthday for Ava this year!  She was probably more excited to turn 12 than when she turned any other age.  She was really excited to start mutual and go to the temple.  She did not want me to make her a cake because she had engineered her own design.  She made herself a temple cake complete with an angel Moroni made out of melted butterscotch chips.  It was really yummy and Dallin was a big fan.

Ava's birthday landed on a Wednesday this year so she had school on her birthday.  She wasn't sure anyone would even know all day, but when she showed up in the morning her locker was decorated with a big sign that said Happy Birthday and streamers and even some blinking lights.  The two girls from our ward had stayed after school and decorated it for her!  It was such a sweet thing to do and made Ava's whole day.  She said people told her Happy Birthday all day as they passed by her locker.  That night I brought home Olive Garden - Ava's favorite place to eat and we celebrated with cake and presents.  Then Ava got to go to her first mutual activity!  It was the 1st practice for the temple cultural celebration which was pretty cool. At the last minute Ava decided to invite the girls from her primary class bowling that Saturday morning and then for ice cream.  Jed was gone the entire weekend to a roping so I took all the kids too.  Luckily some girls couldn't come to the party because I wouldn't have had room to bring them in the van anyway!  Note to self - think about how many seats you have in your car before inviting people... It was a really fun time for everyone except Dallin.  He had major meltdowns the entire time which was so fun. 

The highlight of Ava's birthday was being able to get her temple recommend.  She went in before her birthday and did her interview with the bishop.  She really wanted to go the day she turned 12, but because of schedules we couldn't go until about a week later.  We woke up really early - about 4am to get down to the baptistry in time to be back for school.  Ava had started doing family search back in the spring looking through her family lines.  She wanted to find her own names to take to the temple for the first time she went.  She spent so many hours on family search each Sunday and she would even facetime with my mom when she had questions or was confused.  By the time her birthday came she had 12 female names and even more male names ready for temple work.  Jed and I were so proud of her because she got 0 help from us.  This was truly something she did on her own motivation.  Her dad baptized her and the temple president even came to talk to her and thank her.  On the way home, both Jed and I were feeling sleepy, but Ava was just on cloud 9.  She was just as chatty as could be and started talking about each of the names she had found.  She had them all memorized and where they were from.  She had visualized in her mind how old they were, what they looked like, their occupations, and personalities.  She described each one in such detail that it made both Jed and I cry.  I have never thought of temple work like that or put that much effort into it as Ava did.  She is such a special girl who is very close to heaven.

DALLIN 16 MONTHS - This little boy just keeps getting more fun - and more crazy of course.  He loves taking rides on the 4-wheeler.  When we go outside he heads straight to it and climbs on and pretends to drive.  We take it down to pick up Ava from the bus in the afternoons.  He says "YEA!" the whole way down.  He also likes to make a neighing sound when we pass the neighbor's horses.  One day we were early so we parked halfway down the driveway and watched the horses for awhile. Dallin just loves being outside!  Dallin loves the horses and also likes the dog for the most part.  He can say a lot of animal sounds now for elephant, tiger, lion, cow, horse, etc.  but when we ask him what a dog says he says "GIGI!"  Now that the horses are over here we have to be careful and make sure Dallin doesn't go out to them.  He loves to go see them.  I think it's cute he likes them so much, but I wasn't particularly excited when I Jed texted me of Dallin sitting on them by himself walking around.  I don't think he's quite ready for that.

All my kids have loved books from little tiny babies.  Dallin has never let me read one to him.  He will not sit still long enough for me to get through one page.  This month was the first time EVER that I saw him actually hold a book and turn the pages and act like he was reading it.  Maybe there is still hope for him.  Kinsley has become quite the reader and usually has some book in her hand so I think Dallin is wanting to be like his big sis.

Dallin has also slowed down a little bit and plays with things longer than a few seconds at a time.  He really likes the big lego blocks and can actually hook them together.  He wants the legos dumped out ever time he comes into the living room.  He also really likes playing with rocks.  He has never tried to eat them - knock on wood - but loves to scoop up a handful and then let it run off his chubby little hand.  He is so intent while he watches.  You can see the wheels turning.  He is still sleeping in his "sleeping bag" as we call them.  He still has his bottle for naps and bedtime.  He really really loves the gingerbread man stuffed toy and takes it everywhere.

He likes watching Baby Einstein movies in the car, but has figured out how to reach down and loosen his buckles so that he can get his arms out and lean all the way forward.  UGH! 

He is pretty predictable in his outside routes.  He definitely has his favorite places.  He loves to play on the 4-wheeler and go see the horses.  He also loves the water pump.  Especially when the dog's water dish is over there.  He just steps right into it.  He has no fear and climbs up on stuff or tries to plow through it.  He has started climbing which scares me!  He will climb up the ladder on the clubhouse and slide down the slide by himself.  I swear he will give me a heart attack one day.

SCHOOL - School is going good for everyone.  Ava has picked up a little bit of pre-teen sass.  She came home one day and I said, "Oh Ave you look so cute I'm going to take your picture."  And these were the progression of faces I got from her.  I finally ended on a smile though so victory.  Ava decided to run for student council.  She had to write a speech and make a video.  She spent a lot of time thinking about her "platform".  She wrote a great speech and memorized it for the video.  We recorded it outside (still shot below).  The videos were played for the entire 6th grade and lots of kids told her they were going to vote for her, but unfortunately she wasn't elected.  She thought she didn't care either way, but it was actually a really hard thing.  She was really disappointed.  Ava does really brave, hard things and I know that even though she lost she still won because she put herself out there and tried.

Eagle Hills Elementary is going great for these two.  There is a run club every morning before school and during recess.  Each student got a lanyard with a barcode specific to them.  Everytime they run a lap around the track they get to scan their card and it keeps track of their miles.  The top 100 runners in the whole school at the end of the year get to go on a special fieldtrip so they are motivated.  They have learned lots of things.  Kasen learned all the counties in Idaho and can sing them in a special song.  Kinsley learned the Pledge of Allegiance. 

This elementary school has a lot of activities.  They had an ice cream social this month.  Kinsley already got to go on a school fieldtrip.  They went to the Meridian Ag Expo.  Kins had a lot of fun. 

Another big school event was the Eagle Hills Hoe-Down.  It was a really fun activity.  There were all sorts of carnival games, food, a silent auction, and even rides on golf carts. Kinsley couldn't wait to get a ride from her teacher with some of her classmates! Kasen's favorite things were the football throw and putting his teacher in jail. The kids wanted to wear their western clothes and had so much fun.  We even won some passes to a hot springs in the area. 

Ava has really liked her GT block so far.  GT is just for English and Literature here, which she was bummed about but she is adjusting.  She made a model of a brain out of clay in GT.  She gets a few more electives here than at Heritage (although no marine biology :( so she gets to be in Home Ec.  First it is cooking and then sewing and then art.  All the 3rd graders got their own dictionary on the first day.  Kasen was really excited about his.  Ava helped him add alphabetical tags so he could finds things easier and quicker.

ACTIVITIES - Kasen has been involved in football and Ava has been doing fall volleyball.  So we are still plenty busy during the week.  Kasen and Jed are always practicing on passing and Dallin doesn't ever want to be left out.  He likes to "throw" the ball too and he loves to tackle Kasen.  Dallin also likes to get tackled and laughs and laughs. 

We went to a ward activity at our new bishops house.  It was really fun.  They had some races and an egg toss.  It will take awhile to feel like we are a part of the ward, but everyone is very friendly.  Jed and I both agree it takes at least a year before you get comfortable and make some friends in a new ward.  Kasen and Kinsley have been really into golfing and playing baseball in the backyard so we've spent time doing that in the evenings.  The air quality wasn't great most of the month and you can tell in the picture of baseball how gross it was outside.

The kids have spent time each night riding their bikes up and down the driveway.  Ava likes to ride down at sunset and take a picture of it each night.  One night after she got back I found a bunch of selfies she had taken.  They cracked me up so much.

WHAT IS HAPPENING? - This was a phrase I said out loud many times this month.  There were so many weird things going on in the world - especially with Mother Nature.  It almost felt eerie like the end of the world was near.  One night when we were driving home from volleyball it looked like the whole sky was on fire.  Then as the sun kept setting it looked like our whole city was on fire!

There were so many natural disasters in America and across the whole world.  I saw this post on instagram one day which listed everything that was going on.  So many places were on fire.  It was just bizarre.  It put me in a weird mood and one day I very randomly decided to go chop off 8 inches of my hair.  Because that's obviously a natural reaction to weird weather and disasters.

CONFERENCE WEEKEND - I think this was the first year I can ever remember where part of conference was in September.  The Saturday session was on the last day of September.  It is always a nice day to relax and be spiritually fed.  And by spiritually fed I mean almost lose your mind because your kids are super loud and you can't hear anything and your house gets destroyed because they get bored.  Am I right?  Yes I am.  My kids have always wanted to be in the room where conference is on which is awesome.  I don't think I watched conference at all until I was in high school and needed to get extra credit for seminary.  So I love that my kids are right there of their own free will and choice.  They are 90% good during conferences, but they do destroy the house. :) And yes we stay in pjs the entire weekend.