Kono Camping 2008

So, I hope that the Konopackis will let us come back again... Meet Barbara Anne and Dennis Konopacki. They are our dear friend, CaSondra's parents. They host a "Kono Camping" retreat at their home near Stevens Point where they allow you to move in and treat you better than family while feeding you like you're at a bed and breakfast. This place, their home - is amazing! It's a nice house, Dennis built it, but it's not just that. It's got a great yard, wonderful decor, lots of space, a serious wooded area (sorry about your beef jerky Dennis) and a place for a fire pit. But even still, THAT is not what makes the Kono Camping Weekend so special. Dennis makes a great big breakfast and that's pretty rockin', but that's not THE thing...

For those of us who know the Konopackis, we recognize that it is THEM that draws people to their family, to their home. I feel like another daughter there. I feel embraced and taken in. I'm taught to cook and expected to nap. We laugh, sip drinks and watch sports, but they show us how marriage and the work that goes into it looks. To me this is a glimpse of what God's love for us looks like or ought to. They are so warm and so real and so accepting of where you're at, but will speak the truth in love and then offer support in helping you to change and grow. It is so encouraging.

It is wonderful to see how CaS grew up and how she became who she is.

Dylan has been to the Konopackis more than I have...you can tell by how comfortable he is here. They love him and treat him as if he's just another extension of their hearts. It's so sweet.
Boy fieldtrip 2008: corn picking...this was a new experience for the husbands as they'd never had raw sweet corn before. It was the hot commodity for the weekend. Super yummy.

Mr. & Mrs. Konopacki, please forgive me for taking so long to write you a thank you...but THANK YOU! from all of us.

Already excited about next year. Hope you're reading for all 6 of us...

Theatre Anyone?

So, he's not shy... This is a typical time with Dylan. He is a performer...I don't know where he gets it from (he, he)...but this one likes to make people smile. While sometimes his efforts can be over the top and straight out obnoxious, I have to say usually his attempts to help me lighten up are good ones.

I'm learning to be resolved that he's not going to share my organizational skills or my efforts to be a person who likes to create and maintain structure. Nope, I have given birth to an artsy, creative boy and am about to ride the whirlwind of a new journey in life as I support and cheer him on this unfamiliar route.

I am a reader and writer. I was a cheerleader and really like to dance. I like to be in crowds, but then truly like to be alone. I am entertained easily at times and other times too critical to enjoy anything...WAIT! This is my child. I think I am a bit envious though, he seems more fearless than I ever was. He'll make friends with anyone and has people intuition skills that I never would have pinpointed at his age.

So, with that said, he's signed up for Drama Workshop this winter, he plays the recorder as all 4th graders do, he's holding out for drum lessons - he seems to really be dedicated to it. He is an avid reader and likes to draw and tell stories, he loves reading his Bible and still after three years says that he wants to put on plays for poor people.

Since that'll be us after feeding four kids over the next decade and some change, he'll have a pretty reliable audience in our family. I pray that he finds a way to put these talents to use in the church and bring God glory. Watching your children grow up, you see the potential God must see in us and it's awe inspiring. God really knows what He's doing.

Put your money aside now, because the Dylan Theatre is coming to a venue near you.

Roni turns 6!

So, another birthday...we have three in the summer months.

Veronica loves Fun World - yes, you've seen it before on Brina's birthday party. It's a big old foot locker of fun for them. We did the dance, dance revolution game - for the record, this is THE best work out for me. Santa...I want one of these for Christmas. (he, he)
With such a small turn out at this year's party, it was again nice of Choco-lotta to come and paint faces for the party. Here you have two cutsie princess bunny girls. This young lady is a newer friend of Veronica's from school. She has been over to play several times and they are really good friends to one another. With our biggest goal for Veronica this year being to be more socially appropriate, our focus is on her having as many "playdates" as possible. She already seems like a young lady here, she's grown so much since the beginning of summer.
Another Barbie cake...I wonder what the celebrations will be like when this is "Veronica turns 16!" It's so foreign for me to have girls in the same house as me. Since college, I've been the only girl in my home. Even though I'm a girl, it still takes some getting used to. Veronica is teaching so much about myself as a female and forcing me to reconsider myself at her age. Mom, what was I like?

We had a great time and are so thankful to Miles, Savannah and Jayla for joining us to help us celebrate Veronica's 6th birthday.

Kayaking Professional

So, he loves to be outside...

Just like his dad. This is when I see Chad in Dylan - he jumps into situations like this and I shirk away. Thanks to the Troost family, Dylan was out in the woods and camping for four whole days. They came and swooped him up and took them with their family & exchange student to the woods to camp and be close to nature.

One of the many things he got to do (firewood chopping, fishing, hanging around the campfire) was kayaking. They said that he was a natural. Within minutes he was steering and moving backwards and forwards and commanding his ship. He had a great time and was super calm and confident in his OWN kayack.

That is impressive and tender to me all at the same time.

I mean look at him...he's 9! He's four hours north of where we live in the middle of a lake by himself with an oar. He's having the time of his life...without me. He's growing into the challenges set before him and truly endeavoring to stand tall in the face of something new. After all this little boy has been through, I'm so grateful to God that we have friends who'd take him and expose him to these things and even more grateful that Dylan does not shirk away from them.

I pray that he only grows in his confidence that with God all things are possible. It is motivating to me to be able to move away from the edge of the proverbial pool and stand in the middle with eager anticipation about what is about to be sent my way.

Kayaking is only one of many ways I'll be called to stand back and watch Dylan and our other three children spread their wings. I'll be called to give them space while still shouting loud enough for them to hear my voice, letting them know we're there for them, that it's all going to be okay. In times like these, I think so much of how God loves me this way and parents and loves me in this way.

I'm not a professional...but yes, He loves me.

Meet the Reynolds

So, we had another wedding in August..Meet Cory & Katie Reynolds! They were married on August 19th in Waunakee, Wisconsin. Aren't they cute? This is a shot of them dismissing their rows of guests. It was a small, intimate wedding and we were glad to attend.

Cory was the DJ at our wedding back in April and Katie and I have been friends for the past three to four years in several capacities...book clubs, as neighbors, scheduling gurus (another way of saying controlling), education and fun. She is such a sweetie. It's been encouraging to hear from her as they are settling in. There are many others closer to her than I am, but I am often inspired by her eagerness to learn and get help in her life.

CONGRATULATIONS Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds!!! Keep God in the middle, He's got great plans for you.

Serving God

So, we're garbage collectors...It's truly a fancy title for "servants of God". The kids and I, Monica and her son Dartanian (center) got to help Marlo, [prayerfully soon, our sister in Christ], pick up garbage. Marlo is in charge of managing a couple of apartment buildings and with recently moving herself, fell behind in some of the work she wanted to get done. Funny, because I was tempted to feel as though bringing the kids would be a distraction from spending quality time with her as she studied about God. I am so glad that we brought our children because they were able to serve.


All of them served Marlo with an eager heart. Picking up trash isn't the most glorious thing they enjoy doing in their free time (unless it's a video game), but there was no reward and no bribes. It made me realize that our kids are eager to know that they too have a place in pleasing and showing love to God. We as parents, have a responsibility to find these ways and make time for them to give back at the age they are now so that it becomes a part of their character and journey with God as they grow older.

It was a tangible thing to pick up this garbage to serve our "neighbor" and I believe that God was pleased. I only pray that it made as much of an impact on their hearts as it did on mine.

Dentist Field Trip

So, I've learned a new definition of "crazy"...

We took all four kids to the dentist on the same day. It was another introduction into what I'm realizing is the wild ride of my life. Taylor only had x-rays and needed to be rescheduled for a filling and an orthodontist consultation (braces???), Dylan got sealants, Sabrina got high praise for sitting perfectly still during her cleaning and Veronica would be considered "most improved" since her last visit.

If that was all to our dentist trip, then you'd be wondering where the "crazy" came in, but here goes...

We arrived early for check-in, 11:40 for 12:00 appointments and weren't called for our first of four appointments until 12:45...note the times. They are LUNCHTIMES for us. Veronica was the only one to bring entertainment (her dolls), so everyone was a bit antsy, maybe even a little nervous about what to expect. Mark arrived to help us get through our appointments and I hope it goes without saying that the kids respond differently to me than to him. So, the quiet sitting in the waiting room, while waiting went into high gear when "DADDY!!!!" walked into the room. Suddenly the need for water and bathroom breaks and another bathroom time arose. There was a little girl in a wheelchair with a severe handicap that was unrecognizable to Veronica and she proceeded to shout it from the top of her lungs, laughing and pointing at the girl. The chairs weren't deep enough for me to sink into and hide...Mark, the angel that he is, handled it like a champ, pulling Veronica into her fear (why else do we laugh at others, right?) and introducing her to the young girl and her mother. Who knows how much Veronica learned, but I can say that I fell in love with my husband in a new place in my heart...

Finally, our kids are called back to the kids' waiting room where their teeth are worked on quickly, photos are taken for their files and because of their welcome participation, given lots of stickers and new toothbrushes and toothpaste. Oh, that reminds me, I still need to get them those flossy thingys...

Anyhoo, the ride was coming to an end...until it was time to schedule our next appointments. Whew! Needless to say, I'm grateful that the dentist's office is an appointment we only need once every six months. Unless, of course there are cavities (which two of our kidlets have) and need to be seen within weeks of the harried appointment I'd like to put into my distant past. Pray for me, these appointments require pain...oops, I mean, pray for the kids and their pain.

I'm proud of us though, it's another example of how our family does "normal, regular" things. It may not look like everyone else's "normal", but when we hit a bit of crazy, we know we're awfully close. Thank God that field trips eventually come to an end.

A(nother) day at the ballpark!

So, we went to see the Brewers play...again...We took all four kids for their second game this season and wouldn't you know it...it went 14 innings. 14 innings!!!! 14 innings with kids is a challenge, but our experience became kind of like being in the ring for 14 rounds. It was a four hour opportunity for the kids to master the art of requesting things (I really think they're asking for something new everytime) and for us it was about us sharing our wide range of ways to answer them with the word "no". We allotted everyone (including ourselves) $5 of spending money. They could spend it on whatever they wanted since we'd all had lunch before entering the ballpark. The boys were focused on how to stretch and even join their money. While the girls were focused on movement and being anywhere but in our seats.

We managed to get some smiles and laughs out of them. It was incredibly fun!
Afterwards, about 1,000 children including our four were able to run the bases. This is something done after every Sunday game. They all did well, now if I could only get them to all look at the camera and smile in the same photo...a new goal in my life.
I see how something as simple as a ballgame helps me realize how much of a team us Ericksons are. Dylan and I stayed in our seats and watched the long drawn out game, while Mark and Taylor, Sabrina and Veronica were much happier walking the stadium. Mark saw the line of kids waiting to run the bases and thought it was out of the question, I glanced at it and said, "let's get in line". We really are a good team, Mark and me. And the kids respond well when we allow one another's strengths to shine through and support the other. Because of our different strengths and ablility to meet the kids where they were at...everyone got to do, see, eat or visit something in the park that made it memorable and special to them....even with all of the begging. I had a great time and am so glad that we had another day at the ballpark.

All in the Family...

So, it was my first Erickson Family Reunion of sorts...

Happy Birthday Ruth and Happy Anniversary Bill & Ruth!!! Ruth is Roger's (Mark's father) mother. She is front and center with the white shirt and Bill is Roger's stepfather (suit coat and tie). It was an intimate celebration enjoyed while enjoying the Ponderosa buffet (haven't been to one in years) and also a time for meeting new family members.

Everyone was really nice, even if it was a little intimidating...none of this part of our family were able to make it to the wedding, but seemed genuinely excited to meet the newest compilation of Ericksons. Jeff & Terri (Mark's brother and sister-in-law) with 6 of their own children were in town all the way from Michigan for the week and were on hand for the celebration as well.

Missing is Mark's sister Lori who lives in Kentucky with her four children. I've not yet met her, but can you believe that Mark had the least amount of kids in his family (until marriage + one)...

Anyway, the gathering was light and this picture was the biggest goal of the day. Mission accomplished.

It's strange though, being a part of our new family means "starting over" in a lot of ways...lots of ways that I never could have imagined. Getting to know people who knew someone else in your role reminds you of how "new" you really are. Fortunately, God is always trying to make me (and you) new in Him, so what another great opportunity to grow.

The mini-reunion went well and the love that is evident in Mark's family is encouraging to me. Dylan jumped right in with his "step-cousins"??? and had a great time.

I pray that Mark and I will be in Ruth and Bill's position surrounded by our children and their children at a cheerful celebration someday years from now and I really, really hope I look good too. (he, he)

Jesus is Lord!

So, we got to witness Pavielle's decision to make Jesus Lord of his life.


It was such an encouraging event to witness. We were grateful to have been invited and to make the trek to Appleton to spur our new brother on in Christ. This trip to support Pavielle was an amazing one for us because he and Taylor (the oldest) have been best buds since they were toddlers. We wouldn't want to have missed such a monumental time and certainly didn't want Taylor to miss it either.

I just read Ezekiel 36:25 & 26 today.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

This scripture offers me another new perspective on baptism and having a "new life" or becoming a "new creation". The disciples that followed Christ around for the three years of his hands on ministry were clueless about being different until His death provided the Spirit to change their hearts. We are the same. Even after baptism, we need to cling to the will of God to operate on us and give us new hearts so that we can love with Christlike love, rather than with human love.

Jesus is so simple and complex. We can often wonder and worry that kids who choose him at 13 and 14 will not keep Him at the center of their hearts. It's our human love that makes us fret over the commitment. Jesus' love will keep Pavielle faithful, if he allows Him to....just like He is willing to do for you and me.

It was a great opportunity to see God at work in the Burns' lives. It inspires me to pray and hope for our children the same gifts that Pavielle accepted at his baptism from the sacrifice and love of Christ. It's hard to proclaim this truth, but it is still the truth...

JESUS IS LORD!!!

Time Travel

So, we didn't have a July this year.

It was the busiest month that we've had in a long time (since March, preparing for our wedding) and it's almost hard to believe that we actually lived the month of July. I say this not because we did nothing, but because I didn't post any of our happenings onto the blog. For all six of you that read this somewhat regularly, I apologize for taking the month off - doesn't it sound better that July just didn't happen? We were so ultra busy.

From three Brewers games in one week (one with a tailgate and all four kids and friends) to the softball league each Sunday - three of which were doubleheaders, to two BBQs hosted at our home, to library visits (it's hard keeping up with all of those books) to Taylor being at camp for two weeks in different states to studying the Bible with someone each week to finally ordering our wedding photos (so many of them were good, it took a lot more effort than I'd anticipated) to initiating a prayer time with a sister everyday to being in a best friend's wedding to the Alicia Keys concert, it was busy. Did I forget to mention that I unpacked all of my husband's stuff this month?

Today is August 1st and I'm so grateful because I feel as if it gives me a new slate to attempt balance again. This month I want to spend more time reading my Bible with God, I'd like to read my book club book (Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky) and magazines, I'd like to get together with friends JUST to talk and laugh. I'd like to have quiet nights at home with my family and by myself. I want to be available and I want to be unreachable all at the same time. I wouldn't say that I'm striving for perfection, I know of no such thing except in Christ. But in my life and schedule, I'm instead hoping for true enjoyment of all of the moments that are laid before me; to be at peace and content in whatever way the day is delivered to me.

I don't want another month to pass by making me feel as though I've been moving at the speed of light only having moments, but not really living them. There were a lot of wonderful moments in the month of June. I am truly grateful for the memories, I only want to enjoy them as stories rather than highlights.

Here's to slowing down in the time travel machine that is life. And to enjoying and savoring moments like this one...


CaSondra Shim and me at Alicia Keys, Summerfest; "No One"