the Dentist

He's my only one that doesn't brush his teeth and yet my only one without cavities once again. I'm guessing it has to do with him inhaling his food and not chewing. JK :0) It's genetic....just like dad and papa....but then again "inhaling" food.....that could be genetic too.

We recently discovered a huge difference in how we eat around here. For me, once I feel full, I can't eat anymore.....the pain of being full is no fun and it would be torture for me to take another bite. Toki and Lolo are just like this. You can't get them to take another bite once they're full.....it's torture.

On the other hand, for Chris and Vy, the pleasure that comes from the food overrides the pain that comes from fullness. And thus, we see them clearing off their plates, asking for more, and eating brothers leftovers. Finally, there's a moment of excruciating pain, that we all hear about and then we move on.

I think these patterns of eating are more genetic than they are learned. Genetically, Vy is more like his dad then the other two are. They have so many little things that align such as body shape, skin color and eye, sensitivity to light, good teeth, warm feet, and even how they react to life in general.

Food allergies (wheat and milk)

We're back on a special diet for Toki. I spent $60 on the above stuff.....calcium supplements, hypoallergenic lotion, almond butter, wheat/milk free pasta and snacks. We're also staying away from eggs, peanuts, soy, and barley; basically all the stuff he use to be allergic to. We've been eating lots of potatoes and rice as staples.

Last week Toki had a cold. He stayed home from school for a couple of days. Towards the end of the week he wasn't getting better but instead was worse. It seemed to me he was having allergies. His symptoms included a rash down both sides of his cheeks and neck, puffy, itchy eyes, stomach ache, and congestion. He pretty much has eczema all winter long.

Come to find out, at the school "chocolate party" last Thursday, he had a whole milk shake. Anytime he has a lot of dairy, I notice he gets a stomach ache. I concluded that he became lactose intolerant since he was not raised on milk when he was younger due to a milk protein allergy. Anytime he has dairy I usually give him an enzyme pill to help him digest the milk protein. But for several years now he hasn't had hives and congestion with the ingestion of the above mentioned foods, so why now? I'm guessing his immune system has gone haywire. Perhaps having a cold and a milk shake at the same time was a bad idea.

Anyway, as for now, we're allergen free which makes school lunch a bit tricky.


This is a sandwich using "corn thins." They're a hit with the kids and I actually enjoyed it. Can't be too picky with minimal choices.

making progress

A little sentence that Lolo put together and can read

Kites and stuff

Last Friday we went to Soldier Hollow to tube. I liked it so much better this year than last year because it was warmer. The snow was slushy and we didn't sail down the big hill as quickly. I wasn't so freaked out for our lives, although watching Vy stand up as he went down was unnerving. This is our family picture attempt. It pretty much sums us up right now....Vy and Toki fighting over the blue tube, attacking each other, painful fits, and then more crying after dad whacks them too. Say cheese.

We went to the park to fly kites and we ended up staying for 3.5 hours. We had such a blast.

Toki and I battling out who can get the highest.


At first, the kite flying reminded me of our fishing trips.....trying to set everyone up and then having to do it over and over again and over again. Just like when we go fishing, someone has to get all tangled up. This time it was in power lines, trees, and brother's kite. After a while we got into the grove of things, we found a more open and windier field, a couple of the boys got side tracked, and it was all good.

playing in the sand doesn't require shoes






The Darth Vader kite that the boys fought over, ended up being claimed by Toki. It was the most difficult kite to get up. It was feisty and at first I thought it was broken. After a while, we got the hang of things, and it became the funnest. It twists and turns, spins and plummets, and if you're in the way, it will hit you. It was pretty sweet.

Lolo and I went to TJ Max to pick up the kites. He picked out the dinosaur for himself and asked me to get his brothers the star wars ones, which were better quality. Normally I get the dollar kites, which work fine, but the extra cost was well worth it. The kites rocked!

Happy March to you! Hope you get out to enjoy the wind. We're loving the warmer weather and I even got out to do yard work this week.

And the moment you've been waiting for

Drum roll please...



Home made go-cart by Chris

Seeking J i m m e r F r e d e t t e

for any one of our lovely Ericson ladies. I'm a huge fan. I'm so proud to be a BYU alumni. You've made us all proud. That's why we're so happy to let you know that we'd love to have you be a part of the family. Some of these ladies may have boyfriends but that's o.k. They're only temporary until you make your pick. And although not all are BYU fans, don't worry.....her love will be unconditional.

Meet Erica. Her love for children and life is exemplified by her service to children of all nationalities. She recently graduated and now teaches at some amazing school. She is an avid reader and collector of books. She's fun to be around and wise beyond her age. She's smart, thoughtful, giving, and has a strong ability to understand people even if they're not great communicators. You'll be very happy with this pick and your children will be so lucky to have her as their mother!


Meet Elsina. She's a high school teacher and past cheer leading squad coach. She herself was a cheerleader and dancer. She's got some funky moves and is always ready to impress. Her flawless skin and perfect locks are sure to catch your eye.



Meet Lauren. She's a great friend and easy to be around. She's laid back and sure to calm your nerves any day. She's very knowledgeable about fashion and make up. She grew up with lots of siblings and cousins and will sure be a great mother and wife.



Meet Maren. She's got great legs. They came in handy all through high school and college when she played volleyball for them. Her athleticism is sure to impress. She's also very smart and studying to be some fancy lawyer. She'll be certified to watch your back. You will not be disappointed with her sassy spunk.



Meet Katelyn. Recently graduated from BYU, she's interning at the church headquarters before heading to graduate school. She's musically talented and dances a spicy two step. Your family and friends will love her. She's a sweetheart and as cute as a button. You'll definitely move up in the world with this catch.



Meet Shauni. Although the boys are always chasing this gal, she will only have eyes for you if you pick her. Another brilliant Ericson girl, she can be whatever she wants....doctor, lawyer, accountant. You'll be wowed by her smarts. She's sweet and laid back but can work like a horse when it's time. You'll never be bored when you're with her.



Meet Malea. A Spanish gem, she speaks two languages. She's smart and spiritual. She has the most amazing hair, you'll never have to worry about your kids being bald. She's also a BYU student heading to high places. She's got brothers that will be at your beck and call; you'll have everything you'll ever need and more.


Well, there you have it....most of the single ladies in our clan. You are one lucky man!

sight words with S A M S O N

Love this website. It helps me with teaching Lolo how to read. This particular sight helps out with the most common sight words. It's pretty cool. We've only done the first couple of lists. Lolo also discovered all the printables. We printed up a bunch of worksheets that he's enjoying. It also has fun ideas for games to play with the instructions. The assignments get harder as you move up levels. so cool.

Besides this, we play games throughout the day....like what does _________ start with? What's this letter and it's sound? He can also read simple words if he's in the mood.

I like doing this kind of stuff with him. For one, the other two boys are gone for a good chunk of the day and we get bored. He has a decent attention span and he's fairly easy to work with. Also, I'm worried that he'll be behind when he starts up kindergarten in the Fall. In fact, I know he'll be unless I work with him. He'll be tested in the summer by the International school and I want to help him be at least at grade level.

My other two boys are smart but when they started Kinder here, they were behind compared to their peers. They both went to a neighborhood preschool but I never really worked with them outside of that. While other kids were starting at higher levels of reading, mine both were at the lowest level and moved up throughout the school year. I never worried about it. They've done just fine at school.

It's funny that the principal of their new school said that Toki tested AT grade level in everything except writing in which he tested below grade level. Although he is in the top of his class here, the reality is he's just at grade level when we're talking private schools. I'm actually quite excited about the quality of education the boys will be getting. It's a shame what's happening to the schools around here. In fact, we have the next 3 Fridays off due to budget cuts. Utah ranks 30th in the nation on test results. We didn't even make it in the upper half. Now a days, we really do need to supplement education.....music, singing, art, etc. which all are offered at their new school....not to mention cooking which I have my eye on.

I hope our transition goes smoothly and that we won't have too many more bumps to face in our transfer. We've been wanting this for a long time. We're more excited than nervous. Things are progressing in the right direction.

Vy was 16 months old.....Toki was almost 3. Lolo thought this video was so funny. There's still a lot of tug of war going on between the two. To that, they've added lots of not so nice things like punching and kicking.