How cute is our grandson. We just love him. Oh yeah, Nik and Trav are in the picture also. Cute family. Look what they found raking leaves. A cute boy.

President and Sister Erickson in the mission office. President Erickson in the Seventy's Hall in Nauvoo

Elder and Sister Dunn of the Seventy with us in Nauvoo.

This was a very satisfying leadership meeting. Each District was given a handful of tootsie rolls and then they needed to run through a course to the other side and hand off the tootsie rolls they had in their hand to one of their District members. They needed to get through a gauntlet of AP's and the President bashing them with pillows. Morale of the story, they needed to get the information from this meeting to everyone in their District. It felt good to be the deliverer.

My old softball games gave me alot of experiece of swinging hard and level. Tootsie rolls were flying everywhere.

Canton, IL fireside. This is where Elder and Sister Oliverson from our ward back home is serving. The branch has about 45 in attendance and it is growing with the help of the Oliversons.

Sisters Olson and Baker bowling with all the Elders on Preparation day. It was a formal affair for the bowling alley. Everyone was in awe of the bowling uniforms. There was some good conversations with others.
Taken November 13, 2008 while at mission conference with Elder and Sister James Dunn of the seventy.

Sisters Witt, Lancaster, Phelps and Pfeiffer at mission conference


Elder Pettit 6'7" and Elder Zimmerman 6'4". Sister "Erickson short but sweet.

Nikki and Travis little Kohen in his new Winter snow suit. He is like a marshmellow and can't sit up in it.

President's group took first place in the Preach my Gospel road rally at zone conference. Elders Cook, Bates, Johnson, Dalton, White, Jensen. Sisters Montgomery, Olson & President in the car.

Cute Kohen. I love his big brown eyes.

Hunter Stake in Nauvoo

L-R: Elder and Sister Crabtree, President and Sister Erickson, Roy and Joan Peterson, Cory and Sondra Peterson, Elder and Sister Oliverson, Elder and Sister Maynard at the Nauvoo temple. October 2008

Bill Lewis is a new convert that we have been working with for a year.
Looking at Adam-ondi-Ahman in the background Richmond, MO

My friends on General Conference morning while we were eating breakfast on the patio
I have got a new convert so to speak in Sister Shepherd who prepares lunches for us at the Champaign zone conferences. I got tired of the BYU apron she is always wearing.

Elder and Sister Crabtree arrived from our ward back home. That makes 4 couples from our ward serving in our mission.
Pres and Sister Erickson at Far West, MO. During a three day seminar with Mission Presidents and President Snow of the Seventy. They provided a nice tour of the all the sites.
Grampa and Kohen. Boy we love him and Tennison.
First car hit 50,000 miles a month ago so we got the new Toyota Highlander. It should last us another year.
Sister Erickson at the John Deere factory.

Nauvoo with Chad, Shauna, Warren and Beverly Lewis
Trent came to visit us before a week long seminar in Chicago the end of September 2008 We did find time to hit the links. Nice to get out with one of my sons.

Elder and Sister Oliverson with us at the John Deere factory Elder and Sister Maynard(neighbors across the street at home) arrived and are doing well as missionaries in the Illinois Peoria Mission

President's birthday with the Peoria zone.
President and Sister Erickson with Elders Johnson, Pettit and Anderson. AP's prior to Elder Anderson going out to the field.
Sister "E" and 6' 10" Elder Voss
Sister Hall and Olson after Peoria Zone Conference
Kewanee District meeting

Kohen on his 6 month b/d with President and Sister Erickson and their assistants, Elders Anderson and Johnson
Boy, I am glad all my kids are grown up. There are some real downsides to solid foods.
Out on the Mississippi river with Nikki and Kohen
Now they can say they have been in the Mississippi river. Kohen and Nikki. Joseph and Hyrum last ride statue in the background.

Grandpa and Kohen in Nauvoo

Nikki and Kohen surprised us this week for Trisha's upcoming birthday. We were abe to take Nikki and Kohen with us to speaking assignments and meetings. They got to experience the Mississippi river, Nauvoo temple and Leadership meeting. At Leadership meeting this week we had a new missionary. He is one of our new Assistants. Kohen got along with the Elders just fine. The Elders are working with him on his sleep disorder and his strange eating habits. He will be just fine. Today is his 6 month birthday so we all celebrated after the meeting. Grandpa also got the questionable experience of changing dirty diapers.

Sister Erickson fishing for fish. She could use a new fishing outfit.

Frequent visitors to our back yard.

Singing to the Relief Society who provided lunch at the Nauvoo Zone Conference. We are fed well by these good members.
July 4th corn. Just a tad higher than my knee.
AP's filming our new video we take to the wards regarding 1120. It is our Field of Dreams. Build it they will come. If the members build sincere friendships with their neighbors and the missionaries build trusting relationships with the members they (Friends of other faiths) will come to church. New goal is 1,120 during the four weeks in September. Momentum is building. Sister Erickson and I in a members Gator that takes us through the trees, bushes, river to get to the pond on the members 47 acres in the back woods in Galena, IL. This takes us to the natural pond that will be the place of a baptism this Sunday, July 27th. What a way to travel. It would be a great golf cart.

Portrait of Sisters Conference. We have the greatest Sisters in the Mission Field. We had them do a 30 minute presentation at Zone Conference right after this meeting. They did a great job. R to L front row: Sisters' Forsey, Bills, Erickson, Pres, Olson, Montgomery, Halgren, Back row: Cahoon, Hewitt, Witt, Pfeiffer, Mower, Bradley, Nilsson, Evans & Stratford. Weaving a tight testimony through an activity using yarn. This was showing how we can have our testimony strengthened through others.


An emotional testimony meeting down in the grove after talking about the Restoration.
The AP's mixing up the ingredients that make up a "Pure Testimony" at leadership meeting. Elder Anderson back and Elder Johnson forward.