Atley's Journal

Atley ate oatmeal and baked cinnamon apples for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of hamburger stew with meat, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes.  She also ate whole wheat dinner roll and apricots. At the lunch table Atley saw a "much younger" picture of Svea and she said, "Svea with a haircut." Haha.  I didn't see it, but I said it was probably a baby picture.  Avi jumped right on that bandwagon. Avi said, "When she was a baby her hair was  little . That means she didn't get a haircut Atley." I love how she worded that. This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  I thought this was cute because Svea is holding her sister Avilene up on the teeter-totter.  :)  With help from Atley sitting on the tail on Svea's side.  It's so fun to have a piece of play equipment that so many can play on at the same time. Pictures from today; Atley was playing with the beads and tape measure again.  Like I've mentioned before the...

Atley ate most of French toast and most of dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate two servings of pulled pork, ate whole wheat toast, ate peas, and two servings of watermelon.  A few weeks ago Atley figured out that if she'd wash in the bathroom sink for mealtime then she wouldn't have to wait in line to wash in the kitchen.  Now she goes in there and washes every meal.  Good thinking Atley. First picture: Well it's that time of year again and we live on a School Bus route so this is what it frequently looks like at the window right now.  They love the big school buses.  If you look closely there is actually a 2nd school bus in the picture.  A small one headed in the opposite direction of the big one. Avi is pointing out the buses to Svea.  (Svea is partially hidden beside Avi.) Second picture:  Initially it was just Linnea and Svea at the window driving their cars back-n-forth on the window sill.  Avilene said, "Gary, look ...

Atley ate three servings of whole wheat toast and ate mangoes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate bites of ground beef mixed with marinara sauce, bites of whole wheat spaghetti noodles, ate most of cauliflower, and ate her fruit salad. These first two pictures are left over from yesterday afternoon.  Avilene was pounding out a tune on the xylophone and Atley was dancing up a storm.  :)  It was pretty cute.  Following picture; Nora, Avi, and Atley were running up and down the sidewalk and I asked them what they were doing.  Avilene said, "We're running so we don't get stung."  Ha.  Well hopefully that works because there are some bees around and they're not very nice this time of year.  I like how Avi was watching her shadow as she was running. Next picture; This is one of two big doll houses we found at a garage sale that's in very good shape. We've been needing to thoroughly clean and sanitize them - plus a tub full of accessories th...

Atley ate whole wheat bagel and three servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate shrimp, large serving of brown rice, bites of stir fry vegetables, and ate raspberries. I took this first picture yesterday afternoon when Svea and Atley were the only two kids outside; Callahan was still taking a nap, Avi had a doctor appointment, and Nora was visiting her new school.  Atley was sitting and spinning on one of those toys you see and Svea moved in on her.  Uhhhh, I think maybe you've moved a bit too close Svea.  If you saw this in "Live Mode" you'd see Atley's knee bonk Svea's elbow on the way by, but Svea didn't even flinch!!  :)  They kept right on spinning!!   Next picture: Nora loves playing with the cameras and we took everything off an older phone except for the camera so that gives us one more!!  Nora was thrilled - to put it mildly!!  You can see Atley reading her book and ignoring Nora's plea; "Say cheese Atley, say cheese...

Atley ate whole wheat bran cereal and raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate half of her chicken, ate whole wheat pita bread, no avocado, no cucumbers, and ate pears. First picture - It was the CUTEST moment when Nora saw Atley this morning.  She was totally squealing with delight.  Daddy Ryan got to see it and it was pretty special.  Atley was playing with cars and ramps before Nora arrived and immediately switched to dolls.  That was so sweet Atley. In the picture Atley got the airplanes and Nora was concerned about her baby NOT fitting into the airplane.  "I gotta get my baby!  I gotta get my baby!"  Relax Momma Nora -  Nope, that's not happening anytime soon.  Haha.  Following picture; they had their capes and were running circles on the mattress. Atley said she was "catboy" (Avi's favorite character) and that was driving Avi nuts and Avilene was yelling; "Catboy doesn't have a cape!!  Catboy doesn't have a cape!!" ...

Atley had two servings of whole wheat bagel and ate grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate several bites of hamburger and sausage pizza with olives, pineapple, tomato sauce, and peppers.  She also ate several bites of pineapple on the side. Atley was standing on the igloo loudly singing, "I have a lollipop, I have a lollipop, I have a lollipop..." to the tune of "We wish you a Merry Christmas..."  Haha!  Her song only had four words, but she was right on tune and it was easily recognizable.  :) First picture: Linnea and Atley started doing exactly what they were doing yesterday; running from the window to the mattress and diving on the mattress.  Atley got them started with this: "Hey Linnea, let's do running!!"  :)  Second picture: After you run for awhile then you just have to catch your wind!!  No better place to lay your head than the window sill!!  :) Outside time this morning.  Atley was at the steering wheel on th...

Atley ate whole wheat toast and three servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate pork chop, whole wheat tortillas, bite of carrots, no potatoes, and ate a large serving of fruit salad. Here's some background on this note: Avi was stung by a bee three weeks ago and then stung again last week.  Except the second time she got stung twice!  I found the bees coming out of a hole in one of our outdoor climbers so hopefully that put an end to those!!  Yesterday afternoon when we were outside Atley informed me; "Gary, if Avi gets stung by a bee I will tell you!"  Haha!  Ok thank you Atley.  I would probably never know otherwise!!  :) Pictures from this morning.  Atley and Linnea were running back and forth across the room doing spectacular dives onto the mattress.  :)  You can just see a piece of Linnea in the far upper left corner of the picture standing on the yellow bench waiting her turn.  :)  Following picture: ...

Atley ate two servings of whole wheat English muffin and ate dried plums for breakfast.  For lunch she ate several bites of chicken with stir fry vegetables (with pineapple added - yum).  She also ate a large serving of brown rice and two bites of oranges.  It's kind of a quiet morning around here this week - and - next week will be short numbers too.  Nora is gone the rest of the week, Avi is doing morning dance class all week, Atley is leaving Friday and gone next week, and Linnea is gone all next week. Atley was with me when I got Callahan up from his morning nap.  She spotted his missing pacifier under his crib; it's only been missing for several days.  :)  Thank you Atley!!  I don't worry much because I know it will eventually show up and sure enough Atley is frequently the "finder!!"   If I had to pay her "finder fees" it would be substantial!!  Haha!! First picture: Atley was jumping off the igloo, landing, and going right in...

Atley ate half of cheerios and a bite of banana for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground beef, whole wheat pita bread, no tomatoes, no avocado, and ate watermelon. First picture: look at all the various colors of ponytail holders I found this weekend.  My color consultant (Lauralea) said the kids would love these and they've been pretty impressed just looking at them!!  I usually let them choose which color and that takes forever!!  Haha!!  Just feels like forever.  I almost always end up saying, "Ok, choose a color or I'm gonna choose a color for you!"  Amazing how fast they can make a decision!!  Atley loved looking at these and telling Linnea the colors, but I don't use these on Atley's hair because she just has a LOT of hair!!  :) Next picture: This was pretty cute.  Linnea had been working hard to attach these legos flowers and I think she had 7 or 8 of them connected.  In the picture Atley was holding one in her hand and...

Atley ate most of oatmeal and ate raisins for breakfast.  For lunch she ate fish (Alaskan Pollock - all the kids really like it), whole wheat dinner roll, cauliflower, and bites of mangoes. This first picture is left over from yesterday afternoon.  Avi was spotting other kids with the binoculars, but Atley figured out a way to remain unseen.  :)  Second picture:  Avi and Atley put on some sunglasses and encouraged Nora to shine some light in their faces!!  Haha!  Silly kids! Earlier when Avi wanted a doll that Atley had she immediately started with some threats, but in the middle of a threat she changed tactics and it sounded like this; "Atley, if you don't give me that you will not get to .....  (pause) ....  Atley!! I have paint at my house!!"  Haha!!  It just sounded so random!! Next picture;  Atley and Nora were working with the legos and I like the look of determination on Nora's face.  Last picture; they we...

Atley ate whole wheat English muffin and oranges for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground beef, whole wheat elbow noodles, peas, and three servings of applesauce. First picture: This picture was taken by Nora's Grandma (Ryan's Mom) several days ago, but I just got it and I thought it was so cute.  I love how Avi has her arm around both of her friends.  (You can see her hand around Atley's neck.)  And of course the identical sunglasses adds a nice touch!!  :) Next picture:  Well Atley is in the house and it's now time to dance!!  :)  Nora was so thrilled with the tutu and shoes that Atley passed on to her.  It's nice to have a "fast growing" friend isn't it Nora!?!  :) Baby Callahan is not here today so our morning was much more flexible and we spent a long time outside!  The kids had a blast playing at the sand tables.  Last picture:  Avi and Atley worked at this table the entire time and they loved it!!  Th...

Atley ate most of French toast and ate strawberries for breakfast.  For lunch she ate most of paleo stew with meat, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes.  (It's SO good and nutritious!)  She ate crackers and tropical fruit. Atley was sitting at the table waiting to be served breakfast and said, "Thank you for the new chairs!" Haha!!  That was so cute and sweet!!  Well it's probably been almost a year, at least several months, since I bought those, but you are SO welcome!!  :) Atley asked to use markers and do some art.  Nora and Avi both wanted to join her.  But the cute part is how they always ask and they've used this  wording  for a LONG time.  Atley asked, "Can I do some  marker-ing ?"  Then Nora, "Can I do some  marker-ing ".  Avi; "Can I do some  marker-ing !?" First picture: Avi, Atley, and Nora were holding hands and going in circles on the mattress.  ...

Atley ate waffle and three servings of grapes for breakfast.  For lunch she ate half of her chicken, bites of whole wheat tortillas, ate corn, and baked cinnamon apples. First picture: Atley put on this frog suit first thing this morning and immediately started hopping across the room chanting, "ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit."  Haha!  It looks funny in live mode.  A short time later she spotted a rabbit outside and we went out to see how close we could get to it.  We watched it go scrambling and hopping away and across the street.  Linnea kept asking to go back outside to see another rabbit. Next picture: Atley, Avi, and Nora were playing with the legos again.  Notice Nora is wearing a mask. Maybe that was why she kept asking Atley to help her; she couldn't see real well!!  :) Last picture; Atley and Nora put on some sunglasses at the same time and immediately had to be goofy with them.  Love it!  I've sure enjoyed watching th...

Atley ate kix cereal and two servings of mixed fruit for breakfast.  For lunch she ate ground beef/turkey, whole wheat hamburger bun, bite of tomatoes, no avocado, and ate her cherries. Lauralea found a box of seven Mr Potato Heads and lots of accessories at a sale this weekend and it's an awesome find for the kids!!  We also did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this weekend so they were even more busy than usual. Next picture: That's Linnea in the Lion suit close-up!!  I was actually trying to get a picture of Atley in her frog suit.  She wore the frog outfit for at least 30 or more minutes.  I showed Avi the picture and she said to Atley, "you don't smile very good."  I said, "Avilene, you have an opinion about everything!!  She said, "I know!"  :) Next picture:  Nora and Atley were playing with the legos.  Nora said, "Hey Gary, my friend Atley is helping me."  Ahh, that was sweet and thank you Atley.  Last picture;...