Yes I know it's been forever.

Well, we've had a lot going on lately and I haven't been in the mood to blog. We recently moved to another house in October and are in the process of making it "our own" so that's taken a lot of time. I wish I would have taken some before pictures of the house to show you the transformation. Anyway, I'll leave the house for another post. I'm so behind on posting I don't know where to start. Anyway, below is the video of Alli and Meredith's choir performances at our church. Hope you enjoy!

Time at the Lake

A couple of weeks ago, Michael's Uncle Alan was kind enough to let us go stay at his condo on Lake Ouchita (sp?) and then hang out with him on his pontoon boat the next day. We took cousin Will with us and I think all of the kids (and us) had a great time. They all really enjoyed riding on the jet ski and being pulled on the intertube. They also loved jumping off of the top of the boat into the lake. Thanks Uncle Alan and Aunt Jan!

Fourth of July

Little did I know that I was possibly infecting my sweet family in Broken Arrow with the swine flu but through my aches and pains and not feeling well here are some pics I took. Luckily no one in that part of the woods caught it from me (Praise the Lord!) and as long as I was taking Aleeve I was doing pretty well. The girls, however, had a blast with their cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandma and papa with fire works and playing. Unfortunately I didn't feel well enough to attend my Dad's side of the family in Haskell on Saturday but maybe next year. They should really consider themselves lucky I wasn't there.

I then managed to pull myself together and we headed to Michael's parents for dinner that evening with Becky, Patrick and the boys. After dinner Michael started running a fever so we headed home relatively early.

Sickness and Praise in the Household

It's been quite an exciting past couple of weeks here in the Atchley household. I started feeling quite sick like on the Thursday prior to the Fourth of July but as a Mom does I just kept on keeping on. I did stay in bed Thursday evening but then woke up feeling okay enough to take the girls to BA like I promised them I would do to see the family. I found that if I kept up with my "Aleeve" I could manage to feel okay to make it through the activities. (I'll post pics later). The girls and I then headed back to the Fort on Saturday to celebrate the holiday with Michael's family Saturday night. Michael had mentioned that he hadn't been feeling so great that day and so that evening at his folks he started running a fever so we headed home. We just assumed that we were passing around some cold virus. On Sunday we knew we had to fight on because we were all so excited that Meredith was getting baptized and Michael was doing the dunking! What a praise to have our first born child have the obedience to follow Christ's example and be baptized. We were thrilled! In the meantime Alli woke up Sunday morning with a slight fever so I loaded her up with Tylenol and we all went to church. I kept Alli with us so she wouldn't infect others. Anyway, below is the video of Meredith's blessed day. My brother's family, my dad and sister (my mom had MRSA infection in her toe from where she had a surgery (another story all together)), Michael's parents, and Aunt Susan and Uncle Giles. Okay, now back to the sicknesses, Alli continued to run a fever once the Tylenol ran out and then Meredith started in on Tuesday afternoon with a fever. Alli, to this day, is still running a fever so I decided to finally take them to the doctor yesterday to get them checked out. While we were there I had one of frequent coughing attacks, and the doctor said that it sounded like a flu cough. So, she tested Alli for the flu and it came back positive!! She then proceeded to share with us that it had to be the swine flu since that's the only strand going around right now. Can you believe it?! So, to all those that we infected, I apologize. We had no idea. Michael and I are no longer contagious since it has been a while since we've run fever but the girls are still running a low grade fever. I'm beginning to get cabin fever!! I've definitely got my fill of Hannah Montana episodes and other Disney shows. To be quite honest, I think this flu is probably more prevalent then we realize. Most people, like myself, who get over it rather quickly just assume it's a virus and don't go to the doctor or the doctor doesn't think to run a flu test. We had to get it somewhere! Good luck and I hope no one else gets it anytime soon!

Welcome Baby Collin!

It was an exciting day on Monday, June 1, when my new little nephew Collin John was born. It was bittersweet in the fact that my Grandmother wasn't able to see her new and first great grandson that day but I'm sure she was rejoicing in Heaven with my Papa. I must say that he is quite the cutie. It was so cute to see Meredith, Alli, Carlee and Cydnee just hovering over this little guy. I can't imagine how smothered he's going to be at Christmas time with all of these mother hens looking after him. Carrie looked wonderful, of course, after she gave birth and didn't have any problems which is always a blessing.

We'll Miss You Grandma!

As most of you already know, my grandmother, Wilna Hardwick (mom's mom) passed away on Wednesday, May 27th here in Fort Smith. She was living with my parents and had come over with them that day to see Meredith's soccer games in the morning and then go to the girls' dance recital that evening. Well, after the soccer game when she was using her walker to enter my house she got very weak and started feeling very dizzy and nauseous. Once we got her in the house we realized with her speech and body language that she may be suffering from a stroke and we then called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She then slowly got worse until she left this earth to be with her heavenly father on Wednesday. Actually on Saturday, Sunday, and during the day Monday we thought she might beat it. However, we then found out it was a hemorrhage type stroke and was in the part of her brain that affects respiration.

Her funeral was then on Saturday, May 30th and was very nice. The minister at her church did a wonderful job as he did at my Papa's. Of course, it always makes it better when the pastor has a relationship with the deceased as was the case with my grandparents. She was truly a woman who did her best to follow God's word and read it daily. She was an inspiration to all and I will always cherish my sweet memories of her. She was 89 years old and I find such comfort in the fact that she no longer has her chronic pain from arthritis and back pain. She's having a party in Heaven! I love you Grandma!

Alli's Dance Recital Performances

Well, I gave up loading my movies to Youtube the way I normally do and tried a different way and it worked. So, below are Alli's dress rehearsal performance of her tap routine to "I Feel Good" and her ballet recital performance. I hope you enjoy them!

Meredith's Dance Recital Video

Below is Meredith's dance recital video. For some reason I'm having difficulties in posting Alli's performances on Youtube but as soon as they get on there I'll be sure and post them to my blog as well. Meredith's takes "hip hop" and I thought their performance was too cute. Her friends Olivia who is directly behind and in front of Meredith during the routine and Layla who is to the side of Meredith are also in the video. Enjoy!

Go Go Jonah!!

Meredith was a children's musical at our church a few weeks ago and she a couple of her friends sang a sweet song together and here it is!  Enjoy!  I did!  (not that I was proud or anything.)

Baby Shower for Baby Collin

Our house has been in disarray lately since we got new flooring in the bedrooms so my office furniture has been in our dining room, etc. so I just now have gotten up the energy to post.  A couple of weeks ago my sister-in-law, Carrie, had a shower given to her by a couple of her close friends to celebrate the upcoming birth of her son.  Her friends thought that since she had a house full of pink that she needed some boy stuff and I agree!  I was able to drive to Broken Arrow by myself (yeah!) and stayed a night while Michael kept the girls.  I enjoyed eating out with my family the Friday night before (at Ricardo's- YUMMY!) and made a quick jaunt to the mall Saturday morning to the Apple store which was great.  (You can't beat Apple's customer service by the way.)  Here are some sweet pictures of the shower.

Easter Post - Finally!

Well, now that it is almost the Fourth of July, I thought I'd post my Easter pictures. I must say we had a great Easter weekend. On Friday morning we headed to Grammy's house (Michael's mom) along with cousin Will and we dyed Easter eggs and that afternoon we saw the Hannah Montana movie (previous post). On Saturday my parents and grandmother along with cousin Carlee came over to watch Meredith's soccer game and then that afternoon we had an Easter egg hunt in the back yard. (Notice Alli's "high heel" flip flops) My mom brought plastic eggs with her and headed to the bank to get some coins to fill them with and the girls had a hay day. On Sunday, as most of you also experienced, it was raining cats and dogs so it was a rainy day at church and then once we got home Alli started running a fever. So, Alli and I stayed home while Michael took Meredith to his parents' house for Easter dinner. They did bring some food home for me so I was quite appreciative!

Hats off to Miss California

Unfortunately I missed the Miss USA pageant last night. Believe it or not, I usually try and watch the pageants but with trying to get the kids to bed and stuff ready for school the next day, I missed it this year. However, I did see the video of Miss California answering her question from one of the judges, Perez Hilton. I am so impressed with her because you know that she knew if she answered his question honestly in regards to same sex marriage that she was going to lose points with at least him. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Perez Hilton, he is an openly gay blogger that dishes dirt on celebrities and it's not pretty either. He has to be one of the crudest individuals that dish celebrity dirt (if there is such a thing). Who knows, Miss North Carolina (the winner) may feel the very same way as Miss California but she was fortunate enough to draw another judge's question that was less controversial. Here is the link to the article and video of her answer.



FOXNews.com - Exclusive: Carrie Prejean Says 'God Was Testing My Faith' With Gay Marriage Question - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment

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Hannah Montana Movie

A couple of week ago, April 10th to be exact, the girls and I along with some of my sweet friends and their daughters headed to the movie theatre to check out the new Hannah Montana movie.  My girls have been anxiously awaiting this movie since the first time they saw the trailer on TV.  Alli had already bought the soundtrack with some of her birthday money she had saved a couple of weeks beforehand so we already had the songs memorized.  Needless to say, the girls loved the movie and I thought it was pretty cute too!  Like I've said in previous posts, I'm always excited to see a rated G movie that's not animated since I don't see movies that often.  Alli didn't even have to take a bathroom break during the movie which is a record for her.  She often times gets bored with movies and deals with the boredom by having to go to the bathroom.  Now obviously were not talking about a real strong movie plot or an academy award winner but it had a good message and the music is great so that goes a long way with me.  The movie is geared probably for the 5 to 14 age range (girls) and they will love it!  

Happy Birthday Will!

I know I'm behind in my posting and those of you that read Patrick's blog know that my nephew Will had his 6th birthday on Monday, April 6th.  He had his party at a park here in town and they were able to rent a room there at the park which was really neat.  Bless his heart, Will has wanted his party at the park for the past couple of years but since his birthday is in April he has a hard time to get the weather to cooperate with him.  Usually it's a rainstorm and this year it was rather chilly but since they rented the room we were all warm and toasty.  Becky and cousin Sarah took the kids out to the playground for a little while before we headed home.  Oh yeah, did I mention his house must look like a Legoland?  Will loves legos and he hit the jackpot with this birthday.  I think he was thrilled with his haul.  Here are some pics from the party.

Spring Break

The day after Michael and I returned home from Las Vegas, the girls and I headed to Broken Arrow to spend part of the week with my family and sweet friends.  My Mom is still recovering from foot surgery so she wasn't able to be quite as active as what she usually is but she is doing great.  Dr. Brad said her foot is healing quite well which is wonderful.  On Tuesday morning the girls and I met my sis-in-law Carrie and nieces, Carlee and Cydnee along with my awesome friends Christy and her son Luke, and Jenni and her sons Noah and Ian along with another little boy.  We all went to a Bounce Around place in Tulsa where Cydnee had her birthday party the week before when Meredith got sick and we had to go home.  Needless to say, the girls were ecstatic they were able to go this time and no one even threw up.  This place was so great and I could only wish that they had one where I live.  They have two big rooms filled with bounce arounds and when we were there it was just for ages 7 and under which meant the kids weren't run over but big kids.  I think they all had a great time and were exhausted when it was over.  For lunch, we all headed over to Hideaway, my favorite pizza place in Tulsa, and it was yummy as usual.  Of course, the girls just loved spending time with all of the grandparents and great grandparents in addition to their sweet Aunt Staci who can do no wrong.

Las Vegas

Okay guys.  I know this post is bad timing after my Dave Ramsey post but hey, what can I say??

Anyway, Michael's company won the Carrier "President's Award" and in turn the presentation was in Las Vegas.  So, Michael's parents were so kind to watch the girls for us and we headed that way.  It's so funny because Carrier (the brand of heating & ac equipment the Company primarily sells) absolutely loves to have their stuff either in Las Vegas or Dallas.  So, needless to say, we've made the trip a few times and I can almost hear the hotel workers sigh and think, here comes the duds again.  They don't spend any money or drink any alcohol.  I'm sure we stick out there like a sore thumb but we enjoy the time away without kids nonetheless.  In the past, the events have always been held in hotels on the strip like the MGM or Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood) but this time it was at the Red Rock Resort and Casino and it was about a 20 minute drive from the strip but it was an extremely nice hotel.  I believe it was far nicer then either the MGM or Aladdin and would probably rival the Bellagio (sp?) or the Venetian.  However, I'm sure Carrier got a better rate due to its location.  It had flat screen TVs in the bedroom and above the large bathtub and huge two sink marble vanities.  If you were to stay here though it would be necessary to rent a car which we did.  In the past we've seen the Blue Man Group (okay, but weird), Penn & Teller (not impressed) and Mystere (excellent).  However, this time we were lazy  and skipped the shows and just ate and spent our money at a couple of expensive restaurants.  We ate at Emeril's on Thursday night and we were both disappointed.  We ate there the last time we went to Las Vegas and it was incredible.  However, the two dishes that we loved previously were no longer being served and therefore we got something else and it didn't live up to our expectations.  On Friday night, we had the Carrier awards dinner at the hotel which was nice as well with a gazillion courses so I had to remember all of my etiquette rules and being from Arkansas this takes some work (just kidding).  I just had to remember to use the silverware from outside in.  On Saturday night, our grand dinner finale was Morton's Steakhouse which is probably my all time favorite restaurant of all time but since you have to save your money to go there we only go once a blue moon and it's only located in large cities.  Luckily, Michael is on their e-mail list so we had a bit of a coupon for "surf-n-turf" and got salad, Shrimp Alexander (my absolute favorite), I got a filet and Michael got a ribeye, along with a dessert.  Michael picked the key lime pie and ordered the yummy raspberry souffle.  I've never tried to cook a souffle but it certainly looks like everything would have to go perfect in order for it to turn out.  Have any of you tried to cook one??  

On Saturday, we also headed to the Stratosphere and went to the top and rode rides which we hadn't done before.  Michael and I both rode the swings that swing out above the city and Michael rode the teeter totter thing that hangs off the building.  The heights don't bother me but I was a little worried about getting sick from going in circles on the swing.  I'm sure people below wouldn't appreciate throw up on their heads.  Luckily, all was good on that front though. Here's a picture of Michael on his teeter totter ride I took from the observation deck a level below and a picture of the swings that we rode.  I was obviously not allowed to take my phone or any belongings on the ride with me in case they were to fall.  

On Saturday we also enjoyed shopping at the Forum Shoppes at Caesars Palace and on Thursday night we hit the outlet mall which are the shops we would actually buy something at. 

 

  

Dave Ramsey

Sorry it's taken me a little while to post again this time.  Michael and I went to Las Vegas over the weekend where he had a work trip and then the girls and I spent time with my family in Broken Arrow during our Spring Break.  I'll put posts of those trips up in the next couple of days.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you all about a class Michael and I are taking at our church and it's a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class.  I'm sure most of you have heard of Dave Ramsey from his radio shows and commentary on TV news shows, but if not, he gives great financial advice.  It is such a simple concept and that is to stay out of debt and to save, save, save.  He encourages using cash and an envelope system and when your cash is gone for a particular thing, it's gone.  Now granted, I do feel like I need to apply for a concealed weapon permit when I leave the bank with the cash but normally, you don't carry all of the envelopes with you at one time.  Now, I must say that Michael and I are truly blessed that we are not cursed with a lot of debt but we thought that this class would help us keep it that way and also help us not spend as much money on junk, which in turn would allow us to save for our future more effectively.  Depending on your income, Dave encourages you to either have a $500 or $1000 reserve for emergencies so you don't have to resort to those dreaded credit cards.  He also says that if you need help to get to the goal you need to sell "stuff" that is not necessary.  We all are in possession of that kind of "stuff" - electronics, unused toys, etc. and it's amazing how quickly it adds up.  If you want to inquire further, you can click here to get to his website.  I would encourage those that need help financially to go to his website and inquire as to the closest class that is offered and take it!  I believe everyone (including myself) must remember that when we save and spend our children are watching us as well and the class will help guide you and show how we can truly be good stewards with our money as God intends.  

Twilight - I can hang out with the cool kids now.

Okay Staci, Jenni, Emily, Leigh Ann, ShaRhonda etc. I can now say that I have succumbed to the pressure and have started reading the Twilight series and I'm completely addicted. I must admit that up until about halfway through the first book I would think occasionally that it was truly ridiculous but by the last quarter of the book I was completely enthralled and forgot about it. I'm now on the third book which I broke down and bought at Books a Million today. No, I have not seen the movie but it comes out on DVD this weekend so I'll try and rent it in the near future. I know these books are popular among the "tween" age group but I don't know if I'd want my preteen to read them or not. It's not that the language is bad, it's not at all (there's a couple of words towards the end but that's it) but the electricity between the two main characters is quite powerful. Ugh. I dread it when my daughters are interested in these types of reads and movies but I know those days are coming. I guess it's best to be informed though about what the kids are up to these days, as much as possible, and that's what I'm trying to do. 

I also want to wish my sweet niece, Cydnee, a very happy third birthday. We all headed to Broken Arrow yesterday to go to her party and we were about half a mile away from the place and Meredith threw up in the car. So, apparently, she caught the awful bug I had earlier in the week. We then had to skip the party and head home as she threw up in a bowl all the way home. Lovely. Michael is now nauseous and not feeling well but hopefully his sickness will stop at that. Alli is our lone holdout and hopefully it will stay that way.

Tattoo Barbie

I thought this little news story was pretty interesting because Meredith received a Tattoo Barbie for her birthday and I'm the one that suggested to her Grammy that she by it!  Anyway, I believe those that are commenting during this news story clearly hadn't seen the doll.  All I know is that it was pretty much the hit of the party and my little niece Cydnee really liked it!  Pretty much it's just a regular Barbie doll that has a little tattoo  machine thing that puts temporary tattoos on you or the doll or wherever.  I'm sure a lot of people are against temporary tattoos but I think my girls recognize or will recognize the difference between a temporary tattoo and a real tattoo by the time they are teenagers or old enough to get one.  It's not like there were skulls on these tattoos.  Really, what's the difference between these little stickers/temporary tattoos and face painting or make-up for that matter?  They all wash off.  Let me know your thoughts.

Michael's brush with fame

A few weeks ago Michael made the journey to Nashville for a conference for work. (I'm sure my loyal followers remember my bitterness in him being able to visit our good friends that live there.) Well, it was funny because before he left to go to Nashville he was teasing our music minister at our church telling him that he was going to try out for Steve Green, a very successful Christian music artist. Now I'm sure you know what's coming next but lo and behold on the plane on the way home from Nashville to Dallas was STEVE GREEN. Those of you that are not familiar with him, Steve has been nominated for 4 Grammys, won 7 Dove Awards, and has had 13 number one Christian songs with the most famous being "People need the Lord."  Steve Green has also performed for our church with the choir backing him up.  (Of course, either one of the girls or I was sick during that performance so I missed it - just my luck.) So, back to the story, Michael, being the shy person he is, happened to pass by Steve and his wife's seats on the plane and struck up a little conversation.  Michael's version of the story he told to our choir went like this, "Hi, aren't you Steve Green?  Steve replies that yes, he is and Michael tells him where he's from and our church and asks him if he knows our music minister, Keith and Steve replies, Keith who?"  Of course, the choir loved this version but the true version is that when Michael struck up a conversation with Mr. Green and his wife that when Michael told him the church he went to Steve immediately asked how Keith was doing and clearly remembered him.  So, below are Michael's pictures of Steve Green so I guess it's up to you all to determine whether we should believe him or not.  

Birthday Party Slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Birthday Meredith & Michael!

Well, today is my sweet husband and daughter's birthday.  Meredith turned 7 and Michael turned 33.  It's so hard for me to believe that my first born is now 7 years old.  That just sounds so much older to me then 6.  YIKES!  She's growing up.  We did Meredith's big birthday celebration on Saturday at a pizza restaurant in Lavaca called "Steffey's" and we had a great time.  (Michael's got a bad cold so I'm not sure about his great time but the rest of us enjoyed it.)  The kids got to make their own individual pizzas which was a fun experience for them all.  They even had a "pizza" cake for her.  I'm just glad it wasn't at my house because the kids really liked flouring the pizza dough, a lot.  We then celebrated Michael's birthday at his parents house later that evening.  A day full of partying for us!  We're so wild and crazy.

Last night after church Michael and I then took the Meredith and Alli to WalMart to get new bikes.  Alli didn't get a big gift from us for her birthday so this was her birthday gift as well.  She wasn't too interested in getting a new bike in October but now she's all about it.  Meredith picked out a cute pink bike (with no training wheels) with streamers and a little ladybug on the seat.  Alli picked out a purple Disney Princess bike which she is quite proud of.  However, Alli kept insisting to me today that since both of her training wheels didn't touch the ground at the exact same time that it was broken.  I kept assuring her that as she got older and bigger bikes that's they way they are made in order to get her used to riding without training wheels but she simply told me that I was wrong.

Also, please keep my mom in your prayers.  She had some pretty extensive foot surgery today to hopefully make it easier for her to get around.  My sweet college roomie and high school pal, Christy's husband Brad did the surgery so I know she was in good hands.  As far as I know, besides being sick to her stomach from the anesthesia she is home in bed and all went well.