Painting

So I know that I have been blogging in spurts, but I started work and I am still trying to keep a house in order. Here the boys are helping Dad paint baseboards. They did a pretty good job.

Go Giants!

Take a look at our little Giant fans.

First Day of School

So unlike you folks back "east", first day of school was this week. Avery started first grade where as I was held back still in 5th grade. All in all it was a good day for students and teachers alike.

Love

I think the Lord has been convicting me about this topic. So many times we think of love as the mushy stuff we see on TV or what we felt when we met our spouses. That love is often times conditional. I will love you only if you stay within these boundaries. That is not the kind of love that our Heavenly Father has called us to. He has called us to love like He has, giving His life so that we might be saved. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." 1 John 3:16a Now for most of this we just give lip service to loving others because if we truly loved people it might cost us something we want. (This is where the conviction comes.) People, including myself, are too self-absorbed to look up and around and see the hurting of those around us. We are to love with our actions as well which means we have to know about people first. "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." 1 John 3:18-20 So my challenge for myself has been to look up and out and find those who may need a little extra love this week.

Back to School/Work

So this is the school where I work. It was built in the 60s and is two story with an annex and some portables. I work upstairs in room 13. I am fairly emotional about it all right now because starting Monday I begin work. I have had 13 weeks with Asher (3 months) and now I go back to the trenches. It makes me sad to leave my kids at home, but I leave with the knowledge that their Daddy will take good care of them and teach what they need to know. Avery also gets to go to school here too. He will be in the first grade. Now I do not feel like I am old enough to have a first grader, but there he is. I am sure there will be more to come with Avery and the first day of school.

Waiting

Update on Asher: We went to the specialist today and discovered that we are going to wait two months and have another ultra sound. If anything has changed for the bad we will do surgery. If nothing has changed we will wait another 3 months and do another ultra sound. If it gets better I don't know what we will do. So hurray for no surgery yet, but we are not out of the clear.

Modesto Part 2

Here are the Atchison boys. Who says California kids are all about the city and beach. Mine are not. We often call them surfer cowboys. They love the country and all things boy which means all things with wheels.

First Born

I have blogged about the other two, but haven't really talked about Avery. He is 6 going on 30 or so he thinks. We have often said that he has an old soul. We love him because he is ours, but he has such insight and can figure things out especially spiritual things rather quickly. He is silly and loves to have the attention which I have no idea where he got that from ;)

Thumb sucker

Well, as hard as I have tried to not have a finger sucker it looks like I have no choice with this one. Asher is quite determined to suck his thumb. If only he could hold on to it we would be fine.

Funny things

Here is a video with Aiden falling asleep at dinner. We were laughing so hard. I guess he was really tired.

Oklahoma Part 2

The great thing also about being in Oklahoma is seeing family. Very rarely do we get to spend time with our extended family because we are all over the place from the East Coast to Alaska. Here are some pics of my cousin Cindy with her children and Asher of course. My cousins' kids are the only cousins my kids know because they don't have any real ones (hint, hint ;) ).

Oklahoma Friends

Asher and I took a journey to Oklahoma this past week. It was so quick even though it was 5 days. When we have been gone for so long it is hard to see all the people we need to see. Here are a few visitors. Probably the most important people. The first picture is my good friends Andrea and Sami. We always have so much fun together. The second picture is Andrea and Sami with Asher. The third picture is Shelly, Katelyn and Calleigh with Asher. Last of all my dad and Asher writing an e-mail to G-ma. Asher and I had lots of fun and we want to come back with the whole family next summer. We miss you guys and really California isn't too far.