I don't need a shovel, I have my head

Everyday Tanner manages to do things a bit differently than the usual kid. The advantage is that he doesn't care how things are supposed to be done, he doesn't think about making impressions or pleasing others, he just does what seems logical to him. So, if he can move sand with his head, then why not?

Channel Islands Dive Trip 2009

Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands June 2009 The "Sand Dollar", our home for the next 3 days

Kelp is beautiful!!

I feel pretty in my 7mm wet suit and mask





Dave gets ready for a night dive

Fresh Halibut speared by the cap'n

The Cap'n speared us fresh fish daily and made us eat it raw!

nice and comfy, just don't sit up in the middle of the night



We just returned from our annual California dive trip. Cold water diving involves the laborious and exhausting task of squeezing oneself into a thick, tight wetsuit. After the wetsuit is on then it's a piece of cake. On this trip we visited a huge colony of sealions, many of which swam out to play with us. As we hovered on the outskirts of a kelp bed, the sealions swam and spun around us. Sometimes they would swim right toward our faces and then at the last minute change direction to avoid a collision. Then when we had to swim back to the boat they escorted us to the ladder and stuck their little heads out of the water to watch us.

We slept comfortably and ate often, plus 10 great dives. Nice Trip!

Dave's Black Birthday

June 18, 2009 was a dark day for Mr. Erickson. He arrived home to a house full of black balloons and crepe paper, 40 mourners all dressed in black and a sign proclaiming to all the world that he had just turned fifty. Then he was forced to wear brown polyester pants, an old man's golf shirt, an ugly trucker hat and some flannel slippers. As we sat him down in a rocking chair we made sure he had a urinal and a walker handy while he opened his birthday presents. Welcome to middle age, Dave!!!

Beaches, Burgers and Disneyland

JUNE 2009 California

Strand Beach---- a long walk down but worth it!!
great surf but shallow enough for kids

The traditional "sand drip" sandcastle

A problem with the beach umbrella

Great body surfing!

I'm pretty sure that Tanner liked the beach

The long hike up to the road

A visit with Grandma and Grandpa Holt

Disneyland, an unplanned detour

In-N-Out Burgers on the patio

The best burger Hailey has EVER had!!

Long drive back home---Hailey gets comfortable

Tanner stays awake the whole drive

The last day of school---I pick the kids up---We start the drive to California!!!
Tanner knows something exciting is happening because the car is full of stuff, Hailey gets extremely comfortable in the back seat, ready for the long drive.

When we arrive at the beach condo it is dark outside but inside the condo it is perfect! Hailey runs to her beach decorated room and squeals happily, Tanner makes himself
comfy on the couch with 3 remote controls on his lap. Late the next morning we all make the trek down 150 stairs to a perfect beach where the surfers are catching cool waves, joggers are trotting along the tide line and kids are running in and out of the surf.
Although the ocean water is about 62 degrees all the cousins and a few of the nutty adults get in and start playing around....the rest of us hang out on beach chairs just far enough not to get wet but close enough to grab a kid if needed. How can you not LOVE the beach!

Curiously, we were happy to commit to a three day pass to Disneyland, something I had no intention of considering a week ago. But still, the clouds were gathering, the ocean was chilly, we needed an alternative. Who would have guessed that Tanner was delightful the whole time!! In fact, Tanner was our ticket to much shorter lines due to his disability...he never had a tantrum and we got on the rides quicker, it was win, win, win.

And last but not least, we had an In-N-Out burger nearly every night, it was the only time I have seen Hailey actually devour a food item.
FUN TRIP.......FUN FAMILY Thanks everyone!!

Darn Near Died Seven Times in Escalante

--- "Spooky Slot Canyon"---

(100 yds of tight twists, tough scrambles and cool rock walls)

Don't fart in a slot canyon

" Peek-a-Boo" Canyon and Pools
(muddy and slippery)

Water! , Water!

"Devil's Garden"
(cool arches and goblins)

" Lower Calf Creek Falls"
( a beautiful oasis)

"Devil's Backbone"
(thousand foot drop off on both sides, deep canyons)

"Death Hollow" ( a steep and dangerous descent into a river gorge)

First Time shooting a gun!!

It seems that every hike we did in Escalante involved some sinister name like "devil" or "death" or "spooky". Luckily, we survived the bad omens and lived to tell the tale. We avoided flash floods, lightning strikes, fatal falls , deadly storms, and getting lost in the desert. After our hard-core adventures each day, we got in the mini-van and four-wheeled it through deep, mud filled pot holes back to civilization. Finally, after 3 days of sphincter clinching on Dave's part, he was able to admit that what we did was "fun".

Meet Tanner's Free Babysitter

Saturday was a big "Yard Day" for us. We had 5 flats of flowers to plant, plus some major spring clean up. How did we keep Tanner out of our hair??? We just left him with our trusted Toyota Truck. For 6 hours our truck kept Tanner entertained. The truck let him push radio buttons, turn on the windshield wipers, the air, the lights, the horn. The truck let Tanner open and close its doors. Tanner didn't want to leave his babysitter for any reason, not even for lunch. Finally, after a fun filled day of "sitting in the truck", the vehicle had enough and let it's battery go dead. Only then did Tanner consent to leave his treasured companion.

Before and After

Remember Hailey's new bed? The bed that was supposed to give her a place to put her things, a bed that had shelves and drawers for organizing her precious items, a bed that had a desk where Hailey could do homework and school projects. What Happened???