February 2013

Dear Friend,

This month has been a busy one.  Summer is all over the place and she is expressing more and more opinions.  She loves dressing up in hats and jewelry and then looking at herself the the mirror.

She is becoming quite the Daddy's Girl and acts a bit like a drama queen each time he leaves the house.  Elias knows it's a bit over the top, but it's no secret that he loves it!  Each night after dinner it's the "Summer & Elias Circus" where they do all kinds of tricks together.  Here's one picture & there are a few videos below.  

 This month brought an unexpected surprise when we found out that my Grandma passed away.  Grandma Jean was an amazing woman of strength and kindness.  I have so many dear memories of her and she will be remembered fondly.  She always made us feel so special as children and acted as though we were the very best she had ever seen at anything we ever tried.  When sitting next to you she would always hold your hand and gently pat it as you talked with her.  She is one of the most generous people I have ever met and she was always giving gifts.  She loved quilting and collecting antiques.  I had the privilege of living with her and my grandpa while attending graduate school and will always cherish those memories.  I loved talking to her about my classes over dinner and going on double-dates with them and Elias.  Once married, I came to love and respect my grandma even more.  Her entire life was one of love and service.  She was a do-er.  While her husband was building a successful career in Chicago, she was right by his side caring for their four children and serving in the community.  She founded and presided over various organizations throughout her life and improved each city she lived in.  I used to think it was just the 1950's way, until my dad informed me that her level of service was no more common then than it is today.  She was exceptional in every sense of the word.  Pondering on her life reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Gordon B. Hinckley, "It's not enough just to be good.  We must be good for something.  We must contribute good to the world.  The world must be a better place for our presence.  And the good that is in us must be spread to others."  The good inside my grandma was shared with the world.  Through community service, church callings, and even more profound, through her one-on-one interactions with family, friends, and strangers.  I love her so much and am grateful to have been named "Brittany Jean" after the grandma "Betty Jean" who has set such a wonderful example to me.   

I am so grateful we were all able to fly to Utah on short notice and be there as a family as we celebrated her beautiful, 90 years of life.

All of the cousins

My Grandpa with all of his children & their spouses

Some of the great-grandchildren

Catching up with my siblings

Summer & Grandpa Peter

It was such a joy to see my grandpa.  I love him so much and he is such an example to me of strength, endurance, and unrelenting love and devotion to one's spouse.  

We were excited to show him that Summer has 2 of his 3 infamous "3 S's" down pat!  (Of "shake, smile, and speak", she can do the first two like a pro!)

It was also fun to catch up with Elias' brother John & his family while we were in town!  They are a great family and we wish we could see them more.  

 

I thought it was pretty hilarious when Summer found the need to put on a helmet while following her cousins around.  Boy-play is a little more rough than girl-play!

The next weekend we had the pleasure of having Elias' parents visit from Boston.  Summer loved meeting up with Daddy for lunch on campus.  

We spent a wonderful day up in the city touring around.  There is nothing more beautiful than San Francisco on a nice day.  Oh, how I will miss that city!  

View of the Bay with Gram & Grandpa

Taking a ferry over to Sausalito

So...big news on the Erickson front - we're expecting!

TWINS!  

This picture was supposed to be a lot cuter, but Summer wouldn't stand still and this shot just doesn't give justice to Summer's belly.  Seriously, after dinner that darling baby belly is as big as mine!

We just had the 20 week anatomy ultrasound and all looks great!  They are fraternal twin boys and they are both measuring 10 days ahead of schedule (Elias is so proud of his big baby boys).  The ultrasound was a wonderful experience; I'll never get over seeing those little hearts beat.  One is currently in the breech position so they are both facing the other's feet.  When we tried to take a look at the first one's face the ultrasound tech said "awe, how sweet, he's sucking on his fists," but it was only a second before we saw that in reality, he had one fist guarding his face while the other was literally punching his brother's feet.  I couldn't believe it!  We checked the other end and the other twin was doing the exact same.  It was a straight up boxing match in there!  I'm thrilled they are healthy, but they are already moving around so much that it  makes me nervous for when they have more than a pound to throw around.  For some reason their legs made me especially emotional this time around.  Maybe it was because we couldn't get a good shot of their faces, but it didn't matter because their legs just looked like miniature versions of their dad's.  Should all go well we will be welcoming these little guys into the world this July!  We love you little boys!

Here are some videos of Summer's tricks with Daddy.  And a little clip of her doing her favorite pass-time.  Seriously...the doorstop never gets old!

We love you all so much and look forward to seeing some of you soon!  Hope you are all healthy & happy!

Love,
B,E&S