Atkinson Family Blog

Birthday Week...

On April 1, our daughter turned 9 years old. It's been a birthday that has kept on giving.  Kind of like Hallmark's message, a birthday that keeps on giving.  It has started out that this week is Spring Break.  On Monday, she went down to Ritzville and hung out with her Grammie and cousin for the day.  On Tuesday, our good friend and Tyler's teacher and her niece came and took Lauren shopping, etc. for the day.  On Wednesday, a friend came to stay the night and Lauren and her dad did some "shopping" for her birthday party.  On Thursday, I took her friend and Lauren shopping to the mall.  I can't remember when I had such a good time hanging out with Lauren and her friends.  It was so much fun.  On Friday, we simply hung around the house and just relaxed as I think she was tired of doing things and needed a break.  On Saturday, it was Lauren's b-day celebration.  We will be having a BBQ and just hanging around with friends.  Nothing special planned.  I believe that it's suppose to snow!  On Sunday, we will be going out to Cabella's to have some quality family time.  Back to school on Monday.  Like I said, I think this year it's the birthday that has kept on giving.  She has had a great spring break and wishes every week could be like this!

Happy 9th Birthday Lauren!  We love you very much!

Love, Mom, Dad, and Tylerina

Happy Birthday Lulu

Happy Birthday to you.  Happy Birthday to you.  Happy Birthday dear Lulu.  Happy Birthday to you!

That's right.  My oldest child is 9 years old today.  Doesn't seem like 9 years have gone by so fast.  It seems like just yesterday I was calling Eric home because I was having some major contractions and he thought I was joking with him.  Nope!  Turned out that at 7:26 pm we had a beautiful little girl.  She weighed 5 lbs. 7 oz and was 20 3/4" long!  Everyone that we called thought for sure that we were pulling a prank on them.  We had to have the nurses talk to some of them to prove that it really wasn't a joke!  Our birthday tradition in our house is that whoever's birthday it is, they get the choice of where they would like to go eat.  Today, I think that we are going to the Onion as Lauren likes to go and eat there.  She really likes it when they sing to her!  That might surprise a few of you knowing that she is a  very shy girl!  We hope you have a great day today Lauren.  We love you very much and are very proud of you!

Love, Mom, Dad, and Tylerina

Lucky the Leprechaun

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  We had an amazing event happen this morning at the Atkinson household.  We had a little visitor by "Lucky the Leprechaun".  Lauren makes a Leprechaun trap every year trying to catch the little laddie and so far, we haven't had any luck.  Last night was no different than any other St. Patrick's Day Eve.  She set up her trap, and she went to bed.  After we all had gone to bed, we all awoke to a destroyed house.  I went into Lauren's room to start her medicine and realized that her drawers were a mess, clothes sticking out of them, pillows all over the floor, and her jewelry box drawers were opened and rifled through.  She was amazed that he did all of this without waking her up.  He even left her a message on her white board.  I next went into Tyler's room and found his room just the same.  Toys everywhere, clothes all tossed around his room, etc.  I then came into the kitchen and tossed all over the counter was the cereal Lucky Charms.  There was some even by the trap.  We looked inside and there was no Leprechaun in there.  He got away again this year.

He left a glass of water for Lauren to take her pills, green.  I went in to take a shower, and low and behold, he turned the toilet water green.  I raced into Lauren's room to tell her what had happened, and she ripped off her vest and ran into the bathroom to check for herself.  She then proceeded to check every water faucet to make sure that all the water hadn't turned green.  She was dumbfounded that he had done this and no one had seen him.  He left dad's slippers hanging on the door knobs around the house.  It was the craziest thing ever.

Just when we thought we were safe and left for school that morning, we thought he was gone.  NOPE!  He had gotten left in the house and again proceeded to destroy the house again.  He left cupboard doors left open, turned the water in Bones' dog dish green.  He even took her jump rope and tossed it into the Maple tree.  He had also destroyed my bed covers after I had already made the bed!

He is just darn lucky that I didn't catch him!  Here are some pictures from today's events.  I will be glad when this day is over!  I have finally put my house back in some order.  After today, I can understand why people want to have a green beer!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Snow Storm 2008...

I just love the media.  I can't believe how much coverage we are getting from the snow that we have gotten.  I can't remember the last time I've heard that Spokane Schools were closed.  Crazy!  I can understand why, I wouldn't want anyone out there if they didn't have to go driving.  It's crazy!  I just wonder why the media can't report on some of the good things that happen around town.  You can't possibly tell me that nothing good happens around here???

I hope that the snow doesn't make you all homebound.  I hope that you are able to go outside and enjoy it just a little.  I know that my kids sure have!

Tana

It's almost February

Winter, winter, winter, can't you please go away?  I can't wait for summer.  I want the warm weather back.  I can't wait to take out our boat and go play in the water and sand.

Not much is happening on the home front at the Atkinson House!  Really, that is a good thing.  Tyler continues to be a monster terrorizing his sister.  We are now entering in the potty training stage.  Please wish me luck!

Lauren is doing good.  She has become my little book worm.  She has found the Junie B. Jones books very funny and loves to read.  She will bring her book along in the car and read on the way to the grocery store!

Eric is busy being Mr. Mom these days.  Since I've had to start working 6 days a week (busy season) he has the duty of staying home and watching the monsters.  Let's just say that by the time I get home, he has his coat on and is ready to go outside for some peace and quiet.  Even if it's -10 below outside!

Love to you all,

Tana

Happy New Year

It's the 3rd day of the new year and so far so good!  I'm not the type of person to make any new year's resolutions.  I take each day as they come.  What else can you do?  Do any of you have any new year's resolutions?  I hope that if you do, that you have enough will power to keep with them this year!  I hope that 2008 posses to be a good year!

Merry Christmas

Can you believe that Christmas is almost here?  I have decided that instead of our annual Christmas letter, that I will be posting it on line.

Eric is still with Spokane County.  He is anxious to get back to work, as he is finding more free time around the office with no projects going on in the winter.  He is still cooking up a storm and won the chili cookoff that he does every year.

I'm still working with Moss Adams.  I am gearing up for my busy season which will start after the new year.  I just got back from Washington DC (3 days) and had a great time.  I went for a class and got lots of sight seeing done.  I just wish I had more time to actually go in and visit things.

Lauren is in the 3rd grade, 8 years old and is growing up too fast.  She is almost as tall as I am.  She is active in Campfire with her friends and is loving it.  She currently has a little cold, but this is the first one of the season.

Tyler is in the terrible 3's.  His vocabulary is getting better and better every day.  He is currently still at St. Anne's Daycare and we are trying to potty train so he is able to move up to the preschool room and become a big boy.  That is a slow process.

We still have our dog, Bones, and cat, Clark Jackson.

We hope this holiday season finds everyone healthy and happy.  We have lots of family coming from all over this Christmas.  New York, Atlanta, Seattle, California.  We can't wait to spend time with all of our families.  I will be able to get to spend some time with my grandfather as well.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Tana, Eric, Lauren, Tyler, Bones, Clark Jackson

Christmas is almost here

That's right.  In case you haven't noticed, Christmas is almost here.  I haven't even begun to start my Christmas shopping.  That doesn't mean I don't know what I'm going to go and get for everyone, I just haven't physically gone out and gotten it.  Don't worry, I will.  I just like to wait and let the crowds die down a bit for me to go out shopping.  Does anyone like to go out the day after Thanksgiving?  NOT ME!  That is just craziness.  I don't know if anything is worth getting up at 3 am to go and stand in line to get "a good deal."  I hope you all get your Christmas shopping done (if you haven't already) soon!

Cheers,

Tana

Tyler is 3

Just 2 days late, but Tyler turned 3 on Saturday.  He is so pleased with himself that he is able to make his fingers show that he is 3 years old.  He has been celebrating his birthday for the last 3 weeks, so the poor boy thinks that he gets to continue to celebrate his birthday.  He went to Grammie & Papa's this weekend to have some fun and his Aunt and Grammie took him bowling with his sister and a little neighbor girl.  They had so much fun and Tyler ended up winning the game.  Happy Birthday Tyler.  I hope that you had a great time celebrating all 3 times.  Your mom and dad love you very much!

Love, Mom, Dad, and Sissy!

Greenbluff Trip

On Sunday, we went up to Greenbluff and picked some apples and pumpkins and got some of my favorite jam, apple butter.  It was a very cold day.  Windy and some rain, but we all had a great time.  We came home with 11 pumpkins (only 2 of which we will actually carve), and the rest are for decorations.  We also have 109 lbs of apples.  I will be making everything with apples this year.  Tyer loves applesauce, it's just too bad he doesn't like the homemade kind!  Here are pictures from Sunday!

Tana