Rick, Deanne, DJ, Carter, and Morgan Ericksen Family Blog

2008-07-15T19:53:00.000-04:00

Morgan making a funny face while sitting on her cousin Audrey's lap just before watching the Stadium of Fire fireworks display in Provo July 4.

Morgan holding her first sparkler. Finally found something as sparkly as her eyes and personality!

The two ladies resting before the explosives light up the night air.

Mom and Dad giving Morgan attention (not that it is so rare anyways).

Note...

2008-07-15T19:44:00.001-04:00

At the request of Rick's Mom, who goes on this Blog all the time, frequently disappointed that it is rarely updated, the picture of the snake has been removed. If you are curious and know our email address, we can send you some pictures at your request.

A few from the Family Reunion in Provo

2008-07-15T19:42:00.000-04:00

This is Deanne's new favorite picture of Morgan. So funny!

DJ had a blast on the pontoon boat that Grandpa and Grandma Metcalf rented. Wind-blown hair and everything.

Look at the size of Rick's forehead. Ever-expanding. But at least he has a good looking woman at his side.

Carter just adores Morgan, and vice-versa.

Morgan Kicking Back after Church

2008-02-08T23:46:00.000-05:00

Morgan loves to be in the spotlight and smiling. It is hard to imagine her NOT smiling. After church last Sunday, Morgan came in and sat on the chair and just was adorable and we had to catch it on camera. This really isn't staged or rehearsed. She is a NATURAL CUTIE PIE!

2008-01-21T01:10:00.000-05:00

Carter is sure a happy kid as he gets ready to venture out into the frozen Utah County tundra.

Sleepy. This Christmas thing really gets me tired.

The 4 Ericksen's (Dan, April, Rick, and Deanne) at the top of the mountain at Brighton Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City.

Deanne and Rick took it to the VERY top at Brighton. From here, you could actually see clouds BELOW you.

2008-01-21T01:05:00.000-05:00

Morgan had to try this frozen treat. She's lucky it didn't freeze to it like the kid on "A Christmas Story".

Pretty in Pink, Morgan loves to spend time with her big brothers. See Exhibit A above and Exibit B below.

Believe it or not, Morgan actually sleeps with her bottom up. Hilarious!

Christmas Pictures #2

2008-01-21T01:03:00.000-05:00

This present from Grandpa Ericksen to Carter was sooo big that it was almost as tall as Carter (who is the tallest Kindergartener in his school).

An aspiring artist, Carter was thrilled that he got a sketchpad that he can connect to the computer and make fantastic art for other people.

Morgan loves her kitty. It purrs and slurps when you put the bottle near her face. Funny thing is that we have a cat that likes to hang out by our back door and the real cat gets jealous that Morgan's kitty gets to stay in the warm house.

The shoes are a little too big, but they are the same size as Morgan's smile. Very noisy walking on our floors...

2008-01-21T00:58:00.000-05:00

DJ was the first kid up on Christmas Day, of course. Here he is eating mint M&M's for breakfast. Great parenting, right?

Morgan's uncles got her a crib for her babies. Before it was even put together, she wanted to give it a try. Just to make sure it was safe for her babies.

Grandma and Grandpa Metcalf got Morgan a shopping cart full of fake food. Morgan was sure excited to give her big baby, Emma, a ride.

Morgan loved spending some girl time with her Aunt April, who was in Utah for the first time ever.

Pandora Radio - Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music

2007-12-19T17:56:00.000-05:00

Pandora Radio - Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music

2007-11-07T19:41:00.000-05:00

Carter was Stitch from the Disney Channel show "Lilo and Stitch." Here he is sitting in the hallway at his school waiting for the Halloween parade to begin.

This little creature is actually Morgan the Ladybug. No bug is cuter than a ladybug.

Two of our Trick-or-Treaters ready to embark on a candy hunting expedition. They knocked on doors for about an hour and 15 minutes, then Carter complained that he was getting tired and wanted to come home. Morgan wasn't tired, because her Daddy carried her most of the time. She tried to say "trick or treat" but was scared most of the time by all of the mutant children roaming our neighborhood streets.

Basement Status

2007-10-20T19:18:00.000-04:00

Just an update to the basement that I am working on finishing...

All of the walls are now up, with the exception of a wall that I have decided to frame in the storage room so that I have somewhere to build shelves for storage (Deanne wants to make this a craft/exercise room too, but we will see). I made the HUGE closet in DJ's room about 1/3 of the size I originally had it by cutting and moving part of one wall, because a kid really just tosses clothes on the floor anyway and never uses the closet. It is still pretty large, however.

All of the electrical is just about finished. I am waiting to install lighting in the bathroom until we decide on fixtures and whatnot but there is an outlet already functioning in the bathroom. I had added 5 - 20 amp circuits, plus another 20 amp GCFI arc protected circuit to my service panel. I struggled a bit with the wiring on the first circuit, but after talking with my Dad and buying a voltometer, I have had no problems. There are 8 can lights in the family room - 6 controlled by one 3-way system, and 2 controlled by another 3-way system (we didn't want DJ to have to turn on all of the lights in the middle of the night when he needs to relieve his bladder). I also added 2 lights in the storage room and another can light in Carter's room that he can use as a work/art area. He loves to draw, just like his old man did years ago!

This week, we hope to buy the drywall and drywall screws, as well as the 4 interior doors. I would like to hire someone to put up the drywall and mud, but we have to look at our finances after getting some bids. I may end up doing it myself. My poor back.

I still have a goal to have the entire project done by Christmas. Originally, we had someone estimate the cost of finishing the basement at around $35,000-$45,000 to have it all professionally completed. At this point, we have spent a little over $1,300. Doing the work sure saves money, which is good because we don't have much. Haha!

Overall, this has been a good stress relieving project for me. I thought it would make more stress, but I really like spending time working on projects with my mind and with my hands. Plus, I get tools. No man will run from a project that allows him to justify the purchase of tools to his wife, right!?!

KEEP AN EYE ON THE BLOG FOR BIRTHDAY UPDATE FOR MORGAN. SHE WILL BE 2 YEARS OLD NEXT WEEK! AND STILL SUPER DOOPER CUTE!

A Few Pictures of the Basement in Progress

2007-09-16T15:39:00.000-04:00

2007-09-03T01:16:00.000-04:00

Deanne from the East Side! Word up!

The guy on the right is a lucky dude. He met this movie star of a girl and they hooked up and sailed the 7 seas together.

Morgan Video

2007-09-03T00:59:00.000-04:00

Wanna see Morgan talking? SOOO CUTE.

Grandpa's visit

2007-09-03T00:42:00.000-04:00

Grandpa Ericksen drove all of the way from Texas to see us and our new house. We are very lucky to have Grandpa here, especially so that he could read our little bookworm some stories.

Carter. Striking a pose as usual. POW!

2007-08-29T02:27:00.000-04:00

Carter is flexing his muscles getting ready to walk to school for the first day of Kindergarten. He was PUMPED UP!

Daddy decided to come home from work to meet Carter at his school and surprise him on the first day of school. He seemed pretty happy.

So...Dad is not the best cameraman. But Mommy is pretty enough to make up for Daddy's poor camera work. She was also very proud of Carter.

Day at the Zoo

2007-07-15T01:16:00.000-04:00

Morgan just loved that she could climb through this tunnel just like a teddy bear cub.

The ram wanted Carter's sandwich. Carter was not wanting to share.

Aspiring Artist

2007-04-13T01:39:00.000-04:00

More new house photos

2007-03-28T00:31:00.000-04:00

This is the view off of the back porch at the Watsatch Mountains and Utah Lake. It is truly spectacular, especially right after an afternoon thunderstorm.

This is the back porch and yard. Although the depth of the yard is not terrific, it is a wide lot, so we have two fairly nice side yards. We hope to put a trampoline of our own in one of them, and maybe a little garden. And we will definitely have many barbeques with our friends and family.

The kitchen again features knotty maple cabinets. It also has an island and a suspended iron pot rack, which is staying in the house. It's not huge, but huge just means more to mess and clean up!

This cute little room is going to be Morgan's room. There is another room of about the same size right across the hall that will be Carter's room. We are going to build another bedroom in the basement for DJ, which he is excited about because he wants to help build his room.

Yeah! We bought a house!

2007-03-28T00:24:00.000-04:00

The front of the house from the Southwest corner.
This is the large Master Bedroom. It is large enough to actually stick 2 king size beds and a big screen TV in the room comfortably.
This is the Master bathroom. It has a walk in shower and separate corner jetted bathtub that could actually fit 2 people. Nice! Notice also the knotty maple cabinetry, which is featured throughout the home.
This is the upstairs living/family room. There is another large area in the basement that we will eventually finish and have a real family room down there.

NEW YEARS DAY SLEDDING UP IN PARK CITY

2007-01-05T14:54:00.000-05:00

D.J. went on a little hill with Morgan and she said "WHEEEE!" as she went down the hill. So funny.
Carter loves to hug Morgan every chance he can get.
This is the huge hill the boys went sledding on. They had a blast! Thankfully no one got hurt. That is D.J. on the top.

Morgan was not a fan of the Fat Man

2006-12-11T00:55:00.000-05:00

DAY OFF FROM SCHOOL, LET'S GO TO THE POOL!

2006-11-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Baby

2006-10-27T23:23:00.000-04:00

One of these days, Morgan will discover that babies are NOT part of the food pyramid.

A couple more from Labor Day '06

2006-09-22T02:01:00.000-04:00

We would have loved to have put some pictures of D.J. up from Labor Day, but unfortunately he was not with us for the weekend. Bummer. But we did have the younger cute kids who are super-photogenic!

Some pictures from Labor Day at Scofield Lake, Utah

2006-09-22T01:58:00.000-04:00

Some funny child quotes...

2006-08-19T13:59:00.000-04:00

Last night as we were driving down the road, Carter made a funny observation about family dynamics. Two of Rick's brothers, Paul and AJ, are room mates in Houston. Paul is a student at the University of Houston, and AJ is an attorney.

He said "Paul is the mom and AJ is the Dad. That's why AJ has to go to work."

Today, Carter found a couple of dollar bills that DJ had earned from watching the kids while we played volleyball at the Church. He took them and was trying to force them into his piggybank. Rick asked him where he got the money, and Carter admitted to taking them from DJ's wallet. Rick said to Carter that what he did was stealing.

Carter replied "So? But I can't go to jail anyways. I'm just a kid."

Some new cute pictures

2006-07-24T15:41:00.000-04:00

Morgan has the sweetest pigtails.

Look at these two huggable kids!

Carter thought that the bear was hungry and so he tried to give it some milk. Haha!

After a long day of arguing with D.J. and his parents, Carter couldn't even make it all the way up the stairs to his room without falling asleep.

Update

2006-06-17T01:16:00.000-04:00

Morgan is getting to be a big girl. This past week, she started to clap her hands intentionally and she does it when you say "clap" or "patty-cake." It is so much fun to interact with her.

She also has grown 4 teeth on the top now to match her 2 teeth on the bottom. Her smile is becoming more and more white. Time to run to Walmart and get a toothbrush for her, I suppose!

We are finally getting settled into our new place in Utah. However, there are some carpet odor problems that we are trying to get worked out. Smells like pet urine all over, which makes it impossible for us to let Morgan crawl around on the floor (YES, she is NOW CRAWLING). Hopefully that will get resolved in the immediate future and we can get all finished decorating.

The family just got back from 5 days in Bear Lake, Idaho, for Deanne's family reunion. There were over 30 people there in a 6 bedroom cabin. Deanne and the kids had a ton of fun, and it was fun to see how excited that Deanne's family was to finally meet the newest girl in the family with Morgan. A couple of her cousins just could not stop playing with her! She is a magnet to everyone!

Rick is starting his first three-month internship on Monday in the Salt Lake area. He is nervous and stressed out about it. We hope that the nervousness and stress will dissolve as soon as he gets a couple of days of the internship under his belt.

2006-05-18T23:28:00.000-04:00

Look at the beautiful girl! She is having a good time listening to Daddy's music and playing with her stuff! Check out the bottom snapshot with her typical Ericksen tongue of concentration.

Moody Gardens

2006-05-14T22:51:00.000-04:00

We got some free tickets to Moody Gardens, and so we drove the hour and a half down to Galveston from our home and spent the day having a good time. We got a late start since the boys had baseball and tee-ball games in the morning. D.J. hit three home runs this weekend - 2 on Friday night and another one on Saturday. He is really good at making contact and hustling around the bases!

A Day at Galveston

2006-05-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

We decided to go to Galveston Island on Saturday because we won't be anywhere near the beach in Salt Lake in a couple of weeks when we move. This was Morgan's first time to the beach, although we didn't try to put her in the water. We did put her in the water a little bit at Moody Gardens earlier in the day. It was a lot of fun, and the weather was absolutely perfect! The picture on the bottom is one that Deanne took without looking through the camera - it isn't touched up or cropped at all. What a great job!

Carter is Jumping for Joy cuz he's 4

2006-05-07T22:36:00.000-04:00

Morgan's 6 month old now! Isn't she pretty in pink?

2006-05-07T21:33:00.000-04:00

GUESS WHO'S 30!!

2006-04-12T02:32:00.000-04:00

NOT MORGAN! IT'S SOMEONE ELSE!
YEP! IT'S RICK! (This is Deanne blogging this picture. Rick didn't want me to make him look this old. Hehe. I'm a horrible mean wife.)

Carter's Baseball game

2006-04-12T02:30:00.000-04:00

Daddy holding Morgan
Morgan is sticking her tongue out to the other team.

More pictures from the Park

2006-03-17T18:13:00.000-05:00

I love my Uncle Paul!

Get me off this grass! Grass is for bugs!

Kids at the Park

2006-03-17T18:12:00.000-05:00

Spongebob Squarepants birthday cake

2006-03-13T23:20:00.000-05:00

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
Carter's cake-pants!

It's Tough Being THIS CUTE!!!

2006-03-13T23:13:00.000-05:00

Carter's Birthday party pictures

2006-03-13T23:09:00.000-05:00

Carter struggles to find a way out of these foam blocks at his birthday party. He had no problems getting in them, however! HAHA!!

For his birthday wish, Carter imagines a wealthy family and a good 401K for his Daddy, and chocolate...

He got the chocolate. 1 out of 3 wishes coming true ain't too bad!

Mommy and Morgan enjoy one another's company at Carter's birthday party. Precious!

2006-03-13T23:02:00.000-05:00

Morgan can no longer stay still in her bed. She now likes to pivot around on her back while lifting her bottom up with her legs and pushing one direction or the other with her feet. So cute.

Carter's Grandpa Ericksen got him a new big boy bike for his birthday. He wanted to ride it right away, and so he strapped on his helmet shortly after this picture was taken and headed for the highway (just kidding)!

Just like a BOY! He likes all kinds of things that fly!

Speaking of boys and flying, DJ enjoyed the afternoon at the gymnastics facility that Carter chose to go to over Chuck E. Cheese's. Here we see him in a perilous position. Look out for the ground, DJ!!!

I'm eating from a bowl Part-Time now!

2006-03-08T00:56:00.000-05:00

Yum, yum, yum! It's time for my first cereal! I am already a PRO at eating from a spoon. I am a BORN NATURAL!
I just went to the Doctor for my checkup, and I am now 14 pounds 14 1/2 ounces, and 25 inches long already. I am growing so big I am about to burst out of my diapers!

2006-03-08T00:48:00.000-05:00

Check out Carter on his bike with his tongue in full concentration! Typical Ericksen male!
D.J. trying to be like Tony Hawk. Skaterz Rool!
Yes. It is true, just like my bib says. I AM Mommy's Little Princess!
I just got so tired from doing nothing all day that I decided I needed a nap. But I like to take my naps in stylish clothes!

2006-01-28T12:06:00.001-05:00

Morgan is learning how to smile more and more each day! She really responds well when Dad sings to her and when he makes her punch the sky or play air-drums. How cute!

Mom and Morgan playing around

2006-01-28T12:06:00.000-05:00

2006-01-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

Check out this art that Carter did today on a paper plate in Church. He says that it is a little girl that is a Child of God. He is an excellent artist. DJ will have to put some art on this website in the next day or two. He is great!

2005-12-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

2005-12-31T12:52:00.000-05:00

Carter is becoming quite the cartoonist/artist. He likes to draw characters and portraits of family members and worms. Check out his wizard drawing on the table in this picture. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it so it can be seen better.

2005-12-25T19:02:00.000-05:00

This is a picture we took while taking pictures for Christmas cards. Sorry if you did not get one - we didn't get to give them to everyone. We hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas!

DJ had a birthday party

2005-12-25T18:56:00.000-05:00

Last week, DJ turned 9, so we had a birthday party for him (although it was a few days early since he was going to be in Utah on his actual birthday).

We're gonna have more pictures of Christmas shortly. Check back soon!

Ho Ho Ho!

2005-12-12T20:58:00.000-05:00

The kids with Santa at our church Christmas party, Saturday, December 9, 2005. Amazingly, Santa knew all of the kid's names without Santa's Little Helper telling him.

2005-12-12T20:56:00.000-05:00

Here is a sweetie-pie!

Carter ready for Church

2005-12-04T20:49:00.000-05:00

Took this picture of Carter today before Church. He looked so dang handsome I just couldn't resist this photo opportunity.

2005-12-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

2005-12-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

Quite a bit blurry, but this is D.J. trying to get into the Christmas spirit!

Zzzzzzzzzzz

2005-12-03T21:55:00.000-05:00

2005-12-03T21:52:00.000-05:00

Morgan looks like a little shrimp on the recliner. Such a little munchkin!

Hopefully, she will stay ackwardly small for a long time.

Sleepy-headed girl

2005-12-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

She used to only be able to sleep on her back, and so we would place Morgan on her stomach to wake her up. Obviously, that doesn't work anymore.

Morgan and her Mommy

2005-11-27T23:02:00.000-05:00

These are the gorgeous Ericksen girls!

Morgan in her Blessing Dress

2005-11-27T23:00:00.000-05:00

Look at the cute baby! All dressed in white, and even has a pearl bracelet! We Love Her!!!

Morgan's Blessing

2005-11-27T22:19:00.000-05:00

Today, we blessed and named Morgan in Church. We were running a bit behind in getting there, and so Rick was sweating by the time the blessing was over from running around getting everyone in Church and getting Morgan up on the podium and blessing her. Plus, it seemed unseasonably hot in the chapel today (or maybe it was Rick wearing a suit for the first time in quite a while). Pictures of Morgan in her blessing dress will be forthcoming in a day or two.

Included in the circle during the blessing were Morgan's dad Rick, Uncle AJ, her grandfather, Jim, her great-grandfather Bryce, Bishop Cupp, and Tim Chartrand (our Elder's quorum president).

2005-11-17T22:26:00.000-05:00

Here we have a picture of Carter on November 8 at the Houston Texas LDS Temple. He is just a ham in front of the camera wherever he goes!

Also, the picture of Morgan with the bow in her hair is on her two week birthday! The picture of Morgan with the pink striped outfit is a week later on her three week birthday. She is already growing into such a little doll!

D.J. is flying to Utah for a couple of days. He will be back the day before Thanksgiving. He will be missed while he is gone. He is a big help to Deanne while Rick is in school.

CHECK THIS OUT

2005-11-09T11:27:00.000-05:00

On the left, you will find a picture of Rick, age 4.

On the right, you will find a picture of Rick's son, Carter, age 3 1/2.

They don't look at all alike, do they?

More Morgan and some Halloween Kids

2005-11-03T23:58:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of more pictures of Morgan. Also, there are some pictures of Carter the Froggy and DJ a.k.a. Roger Clemens (pitcher for the Astros). Enjoy!

2005-10-28T19:57:00.000-04:00

Carter the cheeseball!

The Three Ericksen Kiddos

Mom and Morgan - The Ericksen Women

I am a SUPERSTAR PRINCESS!!!

Carter is a HUGE baby!!!

SHE'S HERE!!!

2005-10-27T21:32:00.000-04:00

The family welcomes our new arrival!!! 8 pounds 1 ounce, and 20 inches long... and all GIRL!

The first time with Mom... on the outside!!!

A couple of other pics

2005-10-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

Baby Status III

2005-10-19T11:18:00.000-04:00

At the latest Dr.'s visit, Deanne discovered that she is still 70% effaced, but she has now progressed in dialation to 2.5 cm. We are now pre-registered at the hospital, but are getting more and more nervous that our little girl will come before the induction date. But we are still hoping that she will wait until next Thursday to get here.
Oh, boy... I mean, Oh, girl

Baby status II

2005-10-12T10:59:00.000-04:00

Deanne went to the Dr. today, and she has now progressed to 1 1/2 dialated, 70% effaced. Still planning on a late October due date.

Baby status

2005-10-11T22:05:00.000-04:00

We are now at t-minus 16 days until Deanne goes to the hospital for inducement, unless our new little girl decides to come sooner. Deanne's last visit to the doctor revealed that she was dialated to a 1. That was October 2.

We had a wonderful baby shower on Saturday, October 8, put on by my friends from Texas Woman's University. We feel really spoiled and loved. It was an amazing outpouring of generosity toward our family. The picture in this post is one of the games we played at the baby shower where the challenge was to see who could drink all of the water in the baby bottle the fastest. Luckily, for my sake, I lost this one.

More updates are likely to come on the status of the baby tomorrow, as Deanne has a checkup with the OB in the morning.

Yeah, power is back on!

2005-09-25T16:17:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

In case you have not heard, our power is finally back on here in Houston. After about 2 days, we can finally have air conditioning again.

Our food seems to have survived fine in the refridgerator, although I am personally a little afraid of some of the dairy products! But I usually am anyways!

Our family is holding up fine. It is nice to learn the lesson about emergency preparedness, and not so nice to learn that we take modern conveniences such as water and electricity for granted. We really do rely a lot on electricity. Hopefully, we won't run into any situations with gas like many of our neibors have.

D.J. and I have no school again on Monday and Tuesday. I guess the thinking is that most people left and it will take some time to get people back in town.

We love you all, and appreciate the prayers and calls.

Rick and Deanne

Pic of the boys!

2005-09-23T01:05:00.000-04:00

Thanks for this picture, AJ!

Hurrican Rita Update

2005-09-22T16:35:00.000-04:00

To dispell any and all rumors that are going around the nation about Houston and Harris County, Texas, regarding Hurricane Rita, I wanted to give you the actual information as of right now. First, however, let me give you a little geography lesson about Harris County itself.

Almost three-quarters of the Harris County in 1990 was covered by the city of Houston and thirty smaller communities; only 27 percent (310,000 acres or 485 square miles) of the county was rural. The county comprises 1,778 square miles (1,729 in land) and is the largest Texas county east of the Nueces River. Its southern half is level coastal prairie, and the northern half touches the rolling East Texas timberlands. Central Harris County is fifty-five feet above sea level. The land rises gradually to more than 200 feet on the northern borders, while the smallish bluffs around upper Galveston Bay descend to sea level. In 1930, when residents numbered 359,328, Harris County surpassed its rivals, Dallas and Bexar counties, by more than 100,000 people. It remained the most populous county in Texas. In 1960 it had more than a million residents. In 1990 it reached a population of 2,818,199. ONLY ABOUT 700,000 OF THESE PEOPLE IN HARRIS COUNTY WERE GIVEN ANY EVACUATION ORDERS, MANDATORY OR VOLUNTARY OR OTHERWISE. ALL OTHERS WERE TOLD TO USE JUDGMENT BASED ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL SITUATIONS.

* For comparison purposes, here is a bit about Salt Lake County, Utah. Salt Lake County occupies 737 square miles in the central part of the state of Utah, where almost 900,000 people live, or nearly half of the population of the state.

At 3:37 p.m. on September 22, certain parts of Harris County and the surrounding Galveston, Trinity, Wharton, and Brazoria Counties were given mandatory evacuation orders. These 200,000 - 250,000 people live in the areas most likely to experience floods. Note that they are coastal or floodplain areas. Other areas in the perimeter of the mandatory evacuation zones were given voluntary evacuation orders, while still others, such as in Spring, where we live, were given no orders, but some are still leaving. Given that we are in no imminent danger, and given that there are gasoline shortages along any route we would take for evacuation, and since many people are taking up to 24 hours to travel from Houston to Dallas (normally a 3-4 hour drive), and since people are not being allowed to exit the freeway once they get on, we have decided to ride out the storm here at home.

As long as the power is on, I intend on updating friends and family via this Blog. You can also read about my brother's experience in trying to evacuate from downtown Houston at ajericksen.blogspot.com.

We appreciate your concern, but we will be safe. Just keep praying.

This is it!

2005-09-10T11:46:00.000-04:00

We know, our previous attempt to use our old blog was an utter failure, but this time, we hope things will be different. With the boys growing up and our little girl on the way, we hope to add cute things and stories about our family quite often. We hope this will serve as a journal of sorts. Life is good.