erica danielle

It's FRIDAY! Sten comes home today! YAYAYAY! Now THAT's a reason to celebrate!  1. a sweet little moment yesterday while I was working on some Midcurrent stuff during naptime, and Lucy was "working on some stuff" too. It was just the best thing to have her working next to me, my fingers on the keyboard, and her quiet little chatter and sniffly nose, the only other noise. It was a moment of joy in my day, a day that started out not so joyful as we spent our 3rd morning at the dr. office trying to figure out whats going on with our little Lucy Bear. 2. I'm on day 26 of WHOLE30! Although I am wishing I could bite into a piece of bread, or pour a glass of wine, I have been SO proud of myself for staying completely compliant. I feel so good, and although I was really only doing whole30 bc our holiday eating kind of got out of hand, I hope that I can continue with some of the habits I've formed. I made one of the breakfasts this week from the whole30 cookbook, a...

Love this lady who comes to my aid when I need to go for a run, or an adult to not make me go crazy, or to just have someone different for my kids to play with.... I couldn't have survived this week without the little reprieve she brought me in the form of her presence yesterday. When it comes to moms, I got the best one. Love you mama. xo. erica.

Sten is in Chicago this week for a conference, and I find myself thinking about what he's doing, and how he's doing just about every minute of the day. It's a good feeling to love the one with you're with, and to miss them when they're gone. There is an empty void in our house when Sten is gone. The kids most definitely feel it. Last night, when Olle was helping me set the table he could NOT fathom not setting a "big plate for daddy". I kept telling him that Sten was gone, but he just couldn't wrap his little brain around the fact that Sten wasn't coming home for dinner. In the last year since we've started on our new church planting journey I have seen Sten change before my eyes. He's always been the best, but this transition has made him stronger, smarter, deeper, and more humble. He is an excellent leader who leads with authenticity, truth, grace and a strong character. He makes the world a better place everyday. We miss you St...

Because I am over winter/sickness/snowstorms/gray days: Here are some of my favorite warm weather pictures over the last 2 years. bay lake. blue skies. downtown stillwater picnic lunch downtown Eau Claire PHEONIX! date night. downtown hudson sandy isla mujeres boat rides at nap time camping with my favorite people. I have approximately 1 zillion pictures I could have included in this post. My camera is always at the ready in the summer time. I know that winter forces me to slow down, to enjoy simpler things, and have a less busy schedule, but right now I wish I had a time machine that would transport me to the boat on bay lake on the hottest day of summer, mid-jump off the back of the pontoon. xo. edc

It hasn’t been the greatest week in the Carlson house. We’re on day 3 of flu, which means many tears and lots of hours spent watching tv.  The early part of the week, our evenings were spent around the table with new friends and that was the highlight for me. Sharing a meal and watching our kids play and develop friendships.  I only have 2 pictures from this week, so those will be my favorites.  1. Post nap snugs with this guy. He doesn’t wake up happy, but if I give him some of my time to wake up, our afternoon goes much smoother. His little features just melt my heart.  2.   Ever read this devo? I’ve read it off and on for a few years now, but there’s something about this new year that’s challenging me to think in all new ways. There’s nothing flashy about it, it’s just stories about her life that I relate to all the time.  3. Last favorite: I went for my favorite run this week to the camp st croix and listened to a running podcast that was recommended to...

Friday’s over?!? It’s Monday??! Besides getting a dump of snow mid-week, Monday-Wednesday were awesome. We had some above freezing temps and it was so good for our bodies to get outside!  1.  We met a new family randomly at the brewery in town and exchanged numbers— we had our first play date at the park and you can’t tell from the boys faces, but it was a hit! The kids had fun playing with a new friend!  2.  We hiked to the falls at Willow River Wednesday morning. It was beautiful!!! The way down to the falls was awesome, but there were quite a few tears on the hike back up. I forget how tired little legs get, and it’s always a lesson for me to move a little slower and be super intentional about making it fun. I’m not sure I was as patient as I should have been bc Lucy told me she never wanted to do that again when we were done. Lol.  3.  Art! What would we do without paint and markers and crayons and glitter? Lucy’s little hands make the best masterpi...

Olle boy is 2.5 years old as of yesterday. He is currently my difiant child, although I’m realizing that I should never peg my children as “one way” bc as soon as I do they inevitably change. He’s always telling us, “no” and running away from us to go throw something or knock over whatever Lucy is playing with. Everyday when he goes down for a nap, or goes to bed I just breath a sigh of relief, for a sweet moment of stillness. I remember this stage with Lucy as well, it’s suddenly like: shoot, they aren’t cute at doing these things anymore, this is bad behavior!  But BOY IS HE CUTE! As frustrating as he is, he can make me the happiest person on the earth. He’s always been my joy bring-er, and that hasn’t changed. He gets so excited to tell stories he just can’t get the words out fast enough, he loves certain clothes and especially anything having to do with sports. He loves to be big, and tells Lucy all the time that he’s a big guy and when he grows up he’s going to play basketball...

Back at it! I took a blogging break (unintentionally) but hopefully I’ll get back to documenting weekly!  Some favorites from this week:  1.) Crushed my 2017 running goals! 2,000 miles ran, and a marathon under 3:15. Feels good to have those behind me. I’ve been loving having no pressure to run and I’ve already done 2 new classes at the Y. I’m ready to change it up in 2018!  2.) These silly cousins were all mine this last Wednesday and they sure are lucky to have each other. Of course you can never get them to smile nice....  3.) These 2 cuties! They’ve been such troopers being cooped up inside most days. I love how their friendship is budding and my favorite thing is watching them play in the morning when they haven’t seen each other for 12 hours. :) 2018: I think you’re going to be a good one! XO, edc 

I can’t move on to January without recapping our December. It felt magical from beginning to end with lots of great family time and as a bonus we got to see friends we haven’t seen in a long time as well. Christmas time has a way of showing me all the best stuff in my life: Sten, my kids, our home, my sissy, extended family, close friends, all the little reminders that God has given me a lot.  Santa Lucia day at our house was a highlight! We got Lucy prepped all month and on the morning of the 13th she came into our room, came over to my side and said: is it Santa Lucia day???? She was sooooo excited to wear that crown and bring treats to daddy and Olle.  This is us on a 2-horse open sleigh! We spent an afternoon at Belle Vinez, where they really outdid the Christmas cheer! It was a perfect way to embrace winter and do something outside!  We got to go to Christmas at Crossroads with my whole family! It was such an amazing service and so fun to all be together!  I was...