Just some random stuff

Colton and Christopher jamming on the $15 garage sale bargain!

4 diaper cakes... 4 boy babies...
thanks Dani for the help!

Quite a jump at swimming lessons!

Live like no one else...

Live like no one else now, so you can live like no one else.

You may already know the mantra of Dave Ramsey, and if you don't, I hope that you take up the cause with me. Get out debt. Scrimp and save and sacrifice, pay off everything... everything. We are looking at our lives and what we can eliminate, sell or decrease so that one day, very soon, we will be completely out of debt. Withhold the satisfaction so that we may live like no one else by paying cash for everything... everything. New car, new house, children's education. EVERYTHING.

What is my biggest motivation, you may ask? What is driving me to choose the generic brand, do without one more, make a cold lunch for my son and husband? ...My daughter(s).

What?

Somewhere out there, there are two little girls (possibly not born yet), that are waiting for us. It is hard for me to write about it without bringing me to tears. For a long time I have known that I would adopt. For a long time I thought it was a fantasy, something that sounded nice and thoughtful, but probably something that would be out of our grasp. My heart yearns for my children. I can see them in my heart and I long for the day that I will hold them in my arms. What is holding me back? Debt. A big ugly cloud of debt, that day by day and paycheck by paycheck we are chipping away so that soon we can bring our beautiful girls home.

"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name, welcomes me." Matthew 18:5

Would you qualify for adoption?

More info on adoption:
Shaohannah's hope
Children's Hope International


I know, I'm kind of all over the place in this post, but this is what is going on with me. :)

Birthdays, and BBQs and Bottoms... oh my!

Ok so this may be a long one since I haven't blogged for a while.

1. Birthdays: Christopher and Eliana's birthday. Almost two weeks ago we shared Christopher's birthday party with our good friends the Cottos. I think it went really well and everyone had a good time. (considering it was a couple of one-year-olds' birthday party, which has the potential to really be torture.)




Pics:





2. Birthday #2 my sister Carrie had her birthday also and I just wanted to show off these fun washcloth roses that I made to go along with other fun kitchen stuff:
















3. BBQs: We have had a few BBQs (or Bakazoo, as Colton used to call it, and we still do), so I thought I would add a pic of Christopher kicking back in the pool:

4. Bottoms: So I just added this because it started with a B and that was kind of my "theme" for the title. I just love it when they sleep with their little hineys sticking up in the air. If I tried to sleep like this, I think I would need to see a chiropractor.

Happy Mother's Day

I hope you feel blessed this Mother's Day!

Oh the randomness of it all

So if you've blogged for a while, you can relate to what I am about to say. You get an interesting idea, snap a couple of pictures, think of equally interesting and witty comments... but then forget, run out of time or just don't post those blogs. So now I am in a quandary. Do I post them one at a time and hope that I get to each one and give them each the interesting, witty post that they each deserve or do I just end up with one large post of random ramblings. I choose random...

1. My kicky summer do'
Apparently this is the week to get your haircut. Check out Rachel and Ann's new looks!

Before After


2. Jesse's best man and his two oldest boys (from near Seattle) had a thing to do in Butte this week, so they traveled all the way up here to visit us. We had to check out the Lewis & Clark Center.

3. How do you get hot chocolate stains out of a little white hat? "Dye" the hat in hot chocolate mix. Whatever works, right?! It actually turned out a cool beige-y, tan.


4. Christopher likes to snort his boogers. Apparently I also did this (as a baby) and was lovingly nicknamed, Snortney Cortney.
5. Last but not least. We bought a tent yesterday in hopes that this summer we will break free from the remodeling that consumed our every weekend and that we will actually enjoy the beautiful scenery of Montana. Here is our test run. To include a little marshmallow roast later that evening.

Happy Blogiversary!

Tomorrow is my 2 year blogiversary. I thought that it was time to change the look. Bear with me as I experiment a little and hopefully don't get a brain hemorrhage while deciphering HTML. Let it be known that I have actually had a college class in HTML and yet still can't work my way through most of it. Tell me what you think of the new look! Constructive criticism is encouraged! Thanks for hanging around for the past 2 years!

Whatta Weekend

Our weekend started promptly Friday afternoon when Jesse got home from work. We traveled down to Helena to visit Grandpa Doug and Grandma Nicole. We had a really great time and Colton got a new fishing rod and caught his first fish (which is a rite of passage in our family)!

Colton reeling in his fish

21 inch Rainbow trout
(it was really good that night in a trout dip, yummy!)

Our results:

					CHIP	CHIP	AGE	PLACE	SEX
NO.	NAME	RACE #	SEX	AGE	TIME	PACE	DIV	OVERALL	OVERALL

1128.

Cortney

2442

F

28

0:45:48

15:16

65 / 88

1128 /1539

615 / 904

1191.

Jesse

2441

M

34

0:47:18

15:46

29 / 38

1191 /1539

532 / 635

1193.

Colton

2443

M

6

0:47:19

15:46

62 / 101

1193 /1539

534 / 635

Here's our pictures:

Colton with the Icebreaker penguin.Jesse and Colton crossing the finish line.

Holding up our finishing medals.

Lazy Parenting

'The welcome discovery that a lazy parent is a good parent took root when I read the following passage from a DH Lawrence essay, Education of the People, published in 1918: "How to begin to educate a child. First rule: leave him alone. Second rule: leave him alone. Third rule: leave him alone. That is the whole beginning." '

I encourage you to read the entire article here:
Idle parenting means happy children by Tom Hodgkinson

He's a bit rough-around-the-edges Brit, but I get what you are saying. Really. I hear it. Give yourself and your kids the permission to just let them use their brains. Imagination is a wonderful thing. Thanks for sending me this, Brent!
(My favorite is "a happy mess is better than miserable tidiness". I don't think Jesse would appreciate it put on a plaque in our living room!)

Manifesto of the idle parent

We reject the idea that parenting requires hard work We pledge to leave our children alone That should mean that they leave us alone, too We reject the rampant consumerism that invades children from the moment they are born We read them poetry and fantastic stories without morals We drink alcohol without guilt We reject the inner Puritan We fill the house with music and laughter We don't waste money on family days out and holidays We lie in bed for as long as possible We try not to interfere We push them into the garden and shut the door so that we can clean the house We both work as little as possible, particularly when the kids are small Time is more important than money Happy mess is better than miserable tidiness Down with school We fill the house with music and merriment

Happy Birthday Baby!

He survived an entire year of snuggles, cuddles, squeezes and kisses! My itty, bitty baby boy (bitties for short) is one year old today. Here are a few quick pics of our family tradition of a breakfast birthday.

Apparently now that he is one year old, he has decided that he should climb the stairs. Before today he only went up one, maybe two stairs... today I turn around and the boy is 3/4 up the stairs. Ahhhh!
This is Colton last night after watching Iron Chef America. Notice the Dixie cups for the judges (me and Jesse). He calls it Aliscorno (no clue) and I quote " I started off with the Orange juice, added a touch of wa-tah (water using a medicine dropper), strawberries, blueberries, and tiny marshmallows... (pause) Enjoy!" What a ham!

Updated Pictures

Ok. So I spent most of the day uploading 180 pictures to our familys website. Starting from Christmas to the present. I have been quite the slacker on this, so people, there you go...
Now off to take more pictures!

Atchley Family 2008



:)

Ten for Tuesday

1. I am feeling like a hermit today. I think last week burned me out!

2. Plus the weather went from 70 degrees to 40 and snowing today. I have found that I am very effected by the weather.

3. I think my son is going to be a politician or something along those lines. He has to negotiate everything. RRRrrrrgggg. This drives me crazy.

4. I am ready for spring cleaning. I lack the motivation and energy. How much is MerryMaids?

5. Next weekend I have a baby shower and wedding on the same day.

6. If you have ever met my son, you will know that he has a strong resemblance to this cartoon character:



7. So this must be me:



8. As I write, Colton is setting a trap for his bear with Pistachio shells and little bells. And it took us almost an hour to do his homework. Homework that is designed to take 10 minutes. Not because of an inability to accomplish it, but from all of the time wasted on complaining, getting distracted and trying to figure out the laziest way of getting it done.
(He dissasembled his trap. He said "I wouldn't do that to my bestest bear.")
...I can't make this stuff up.

9. A week from today is Christopher's 1st birthday. How did that happen?

10. I am so ready for some nice spring weather.

Party (me) Hearty!

So we survived another party! Due to the snow we had to change it from a Saturday BBQ to a Sunday afternoon at Jumpers Gymnastics! The kids all had a great time and nobody got injured (that was my biggest fear)! All in all, I think it was a great party. So here are the pictures:

The entire group: It's hard to get 25 riled-up kids to sit together for a picture. Unless you tell them if they do a nice smiley picture, then they get to do the pirate argghhh picture (seen below)

Christopher as a baby pirate.This is Colton's pirate face.So I had to bribe him with candy so I could get a good picture of his costume.

Secret special agent sargent

Mom, do you know that your son is a secret special agent sargent?
you or Christopher?
Me.... you know where my secret cafeteria is?
Where?
On the stairs. And my secret playroom is in the office and my secret lair is my room.
Oh.
You know that Christopher is my secret agent brother. I will share my secret playroom with him.
That's very nice of you.
You know where Christopher's secret cafeteria is?
Where?
(giggling) hee hee, your boob!!! HA HA HA

Aaaarrrgghhhhh!!!!

This is our invitation that I made (with a little help from the Internet and Photoshop!)So if you know me, then you know that I have a tendency to "over do" things. Apparently I can go a little "overboard". Well... ok, but it is too much fun!!! Things like this just bring out the kid in me! I just really want my kids to have great memories of their birthdays and this is just another way that I can make them feel loved and valued.

If you haven't guessed by now Colton's birthday theme is Pirates of the Caribbean. I have had waaaay too much fun with this theme!

Here is Colton teaching Christopher the art of swashbuckling!

And here is Christopher showing Colton what happens when
another pirate tries to take his gold! Hee hee

Happy Easter!

I have been awake since 4:00 this morning(it's 6:30 as I write this). I cannot blame it on children, or husband or anything else except the pure and simple fact that I am a child at heart. I am so excited to do the eggs and baskets, cook the easter breakfast, dress in our "sunday best", go to church, and have brunch with friends! I just have a song in my heart.
I can't express in mere words the love that I have for Jesus. I revel in his sacrifice. And then the miracle of hope in his resurrection. Hope that this life is not all that we have. Hope that there is something bigger than ourselves. As I experience the sunrise, I imagine "that" morning through the eyes of Mary Magdalene.
Walking to visit the gravesite of your friend, reliving in your mind the tragedy of all that had happened. Not understanding "how could this have happened", "why did this have to happen". You arrive at the tomb in the quiet darkness of the morning and find an alarming sight. The place has been desecrated. Vandals have taken the body and you run to tell your friends what you found. When you all return, you find all the burial clothes neatly folded. Stunned everyone slowly filters back to their homes and you stay, weeping for such a loss. You look up at where your friend was laid to rest and witness a most amazing sight, two angels dressed in white are watching you, puzzled they ask "Woman, why are you crying?" Desperately you say "My best friend, my very being, was taken and I can't even imagine what they have done with him." At that moment, you turn around and there is your friend.

I really encourage you to read John 20 sometime today. It brings me to tears and my heart soars. I love Jesus. And what's most amazing is that He loves me. With every flaw, and disappointment and all of my secret thoughts and feelings, He sees it all and continues to love me. Amazing!

Well the sun is up and I get to throw on my sweatshirt and tiptoe through the frosty grass to hide little plastic eggs filled with candy! Have an amazing Easter day!!!

Here's a picture of the boys' baskets. I hate those pre-packaged baskets that are too expensive and filled with a few pieces of candy and cheaper-than-dollar-store toys.

eeuuuwwww...

Colton: Mom, I like your toothbrush
Me: Oh, thanks...
-look into the bathroom-
Me: Coltonnn, you're not supposed to use other peoples' toothbrushes, that's gross.
Colton: it's ok mom, I will leave a little of my toothpaste on it so you can taste it.

...just wondering what "other" things he may have wanted to see if I could taste... ah, motherhood!

Christopher welcomes Spring

Since being born, Christopher really hasn't had the opportunity to play outside and for that matter in the grass. The early spring weather here in N. Cali was the perfect time to do a little exploring right out in the backyard. I forget how much little ones this size really are enthralled by little details. I just love how precise his pudgie little fingers can be and to watch him trying to pick the little white "flowers".

Update

Hi, I am still here!!! And still in California. Jesse's dads' surgery wasn't as soon as we had hoped, so I was needed a little longer than anticipated. He had his surgery yesterday and is recovering well (continued prayers are needed). I have my plane tickets changed to the 14th so I will be coming home soon. We have been able to do a little touristy stuff since we have been here and here are some of the pictures.



So in an attempt to make this easier and faster for me (dialup connection), I am doing this in 2 posts. Hope you enjoy!

If you didn't know already Jesse was in an accident last Monday. He had a little scratch on his finger and his neck was a little sore. He was x-rayed and they said he looked great. He was at work the very next day. Looking at these pictures I praise God that he walked away unharmed! His door was so squashed that he had to crawl out the back passenger window (shown here).

He said that he remembers the ceiling touching his head... um, ya think!?!

Grandpa Jim showing Christopher the seagulls on the pier.Feeding the seagulls at the pierMama whale and baby whale...um...k

Update (continued)

Christopher with Great Grandma Althea

Christopher and Grandma Linda at the Marina
Christopher's first walk on the beach (looking for agates)
Since 70% of our home in carpeted and has stairs, christopher has been enjoying his walker on the hard wood at Grandma and Grandpa's
I don't know who loves it more!? You are looking at the cleanest boy in Northern California.