Name Game

A friend of mine recently gave me some fun and interesting information about our names. Believe it or not, "Erica" is Latin for "Heather." So isn't it funny that I should have ended up with an Eric? And also, "Heide" is German for "Heather." It appears that I really liked those names for a reason, I just didn't realize what that reason was!!

Best Friends

Elise has taken a real liking to Erica, as long as I'm not holding her! Whenever Erica is on the floor, Elise has to be right there too, patting her or laying next to her. She's even started giving her kisses! I think these two are going to be best friends!

Primary Prophets

The kids had a Primary activity on Saturday with booths like a Carnival. One of the booths was a photo booth, which I ran. A gal in our Ward painted the posters for them to stand behind (aren't they terrific?) I got pictures of the girls, but Ethan had to leave early for a soccer game, so he missed out on the pictures. It was pouring rain outside, but they had their game anyway. He came home soaked!

Eight is Great

Ethan turned the big and important eight years old on Sunday. I can't believe how big these kids are getting. His baptism is scheduled for October 11th. For his birthday he got some 8-year-old inspired gifts, like a nice new set of scriptures (green, because that is his current favorite color), and a Cub Scout uniform. He also got a new scooter, and some Legos and clothes from family members. I think overall he had a pretty good haul! Ethan has been obsessed with sharks recently, so I made him a cake with a shark on it. It was kind of a funny-looking, scraggly-toothed shark, but Ethan thought it was cool. (The teeth were almond slices, if you're wondering!) Plus, the candles sparked when they were lit, and that was cool! He had to practically spit on them to blow them out!

Blueberry Bliss

After an unseasonably cool summer, we finally got some blueberries on our bushes! They aren't nearly as plentiful as last year, but we will definitely take what we can get! We just picked about four cups of them tonight. Here Heidi is modeling our largest and juiciest ones! Now I must decide if we'll just munch on them or make them into a pie....decisions, decisions!!

Back to School

Once again summer is over and we are back at school! A huge sigh now from parents everywhere! The kids were almost as excited as me to start school again this year. Heidi has embarked on her second year at Middle School in the 7th grade and is very excited about continuing Band. Ethan is starting 2nd grade and lucked out in getting the same teacher he had last year, whom he adored. Elise is in her last year of Preschool, now using her new fancy wheelchair. Her teachers were so excited to have her back again.

Andrew's Molten Hot Party

My sister Lissa and her family came through Everett on their way home from vacation and stopped by our house to have a birthday party for Andrew. They were all surprised to see an exploding volcano of a cake that I made for him! It was made with four layers of chocolate cake and LOTS of frosting! (The red was SO GROSS, but so much fun!) The kids all loved playing with the dinosaurs in the molten hot magma. I think it will be a birthday Andrew will remember for a long time, and it gave me an itch to design some more funky cakes! Hmmm, Ethan's birthday is in a week, what shall I design next?!!

By Heather's Hand

I am very excited to announce that I have a new online business. I have wanted to get this thing going online now for several years, and I finally am able to do it! I hope you will all check out my site that I have worked so hard on to get going. The address is http://www.byheathershand.etsy.com/.