A short check in...

Well I can't believe that Christmas is already over! Where has this year gone? This year it was pretty low key for the most part. The day before Christmas eve me, Jill Bullard and Twylla went to go see The Forgotten Carols. WAS AHHHMAZING, thanks to Jacody for surprising his mom with such a thoughtful gift! We laughed and laughed (Itchy Buns). On to Christmas, I took a long nap on Christmas day and it was NICE! We had a fab dinner at the Gibbens that evening and played Super Mario Bro's Wii FOREVER! It was the bestest. On Christmas EVE I GOT TO TALK TO DAVID! Opps didnt mean to have caps on. It was awesome to hear his voice again. He's loving it and is freezing his hiney off as well. I'm so very proud of him!
The kids loved their presents and had a blast playing the whole day! I need to upload the pics so soon I will have them up. Well here's my short up date for now..time to go to sleep!

Wow so this was in my drafts (7/22/09) and its old but Im gonna post anyways...LOL

Wow! I have stunk at this whole bloggity blog thing lately! Ok so lets see whats been happenin'.

I had an amazing time in Park City Utah in June with some of my scrapfest peeps and I also got to meet some new ones!!! I was flying standby and was sooo worried about transporting my scrapbook stuff onto the plane, as well as my clothes. When I was going through security, I had 2 small bags full of my toiletry stuff and the lady laughed and said I was only allowed 1!! Really airport security??? I am a girl! Here's what Sarah packs in her toiletry bag..

1. Shampoo/conditioner
2. Hairspray
3. Hair palmade
4. Face Wash
5. Moisturizer
6. Small bottle of perfume
7. Chapstick
8. Lip Gloss
9. Mascara
10. Foundation
11. Toothpaste
12. Contact solution
13. Reg. Lotion
14. Root Boost

So thank heavens she said that if the nice gentleman behind me would let it go through on his tray then I could take it aboard!! Ya that defeats the purpose right?? I was so not complaining and was grateful that I got it through.

So I flew in (by myself :/ yes I'm afraid to fly) on Thursday and was met my Neigh and Beth at the airport and we headed over to Arby's for dinner. Then I was sooooo excited to go over to the Salt Lake Temple, which I hadn't seen in FOREVER. What a different feeling you get when you're there. Such a rich history there and an amazing place to see. I can't wait to make a trip with the kids sometime soon, so they can experience it as well. (Pics coming soon)

So off we went on our way to Park City and stayed at Molly's aunts/uncles condo. Soooo beautiful there! We scrapped, ate junk & Neigh amazing cooking, went up to the alpine slides, watched movies, slept it, ate at Cafe Rio (YUM) and explored an old cemetery!! Aweeee I so didn't want to come home but was lucky enough to get on the same plane as Molly and there literally was one seat and she asked the gentleman sitting by her if he'd trade! Molly you are my HERO!!! thank you xoxox

BEFORE SCRAP CRAP

AFTER

The end of June we went with some friends from our ward camping at the Grand Canyon. It was a blast!!! We survived through a ton of RAIN and cold temps but once again I was in awe of the beauty of the canyon. *sigh*

The Fourth of July was way fun as always. We went over to the Gibbens for yummy food and swimming. We then headed over to Florence for fireworks and enjoyed the show.

Now on to the bested thing EVER!!! I went to Wicked!!! Yes I DID! Are you jealous?? It was super amazing. We did have nosebleeds but we were the 2nd and 3rd row balcony seating so we had a pretty good view. So the night started out with Vera letting borrow the "burb" (thank you sooo much). So we piled into the burb and Twylla, Neely, Amber, Kerri, Jaime, Laura and Jen went to Chili's for dinner. Then after a slight issue with parking we made our way to our seats. I can't even begin to describe how fantastic it was.

Hello

Wow so I missed alot! Well here's the recap...I have now decided that my children have benefited from the no TV and started getting their homework done quicker and there was less attitude..hmmm what a concept. LOL Sooo we will continue with that.
I've been crazy busy with family shoots which is a blessing and much appreciated! I have some exciting news coming so stay tuned. :) Work has been sooo much better now that it has cooled down and I gotta say that I love the girls that I work with, they are sooo stinkin funny. We dressed up as E.S.I (Eduprize Schools Inc) AGENTS for Halloween. We has cop glasses and all. Pictures coming soon.
I volunteered to make Pompons for the Oompa Loompa's in Lydia's play this week and I made..drum roll please....52 of these little balls of cuteness. Im also helping with makeup again. :D I love it!!
So I also got a new "old" calling as well. Im the 2nd Counselor in the R.S. Presidency. LOL Im very excited to work with these ladies but have to say that it was so weird to go to the first meeting and it wasnt with Vera, Amy and Brandy...Im going to miss them!

Check This out! Kayla & Brett

I am soooo very proud of these :) Adorable couple wanna see more?? Check em out HERE

Day 7,8,9 (hahah 7 ate 9 ok bad joke)

Hahaha so as you can see I've been a little busy. That being said, I had a very eventful past few days. So this weekend I took pictures of my sis in law and her family and can't wait to share them with y'all. That Carsyn is adorable and I think we need to steal her away for a night at Aunties and Uncles' house. :D Here's a peeksie... isn't she stunning and beautiful and her momma and dad arent half bad either!

On to Sunday...so for awhile we knew that our Relief Society Presidency was going to be changing because a dear friend of mine, Vera (aka Relief Society El-presidente) was moving. Well on Sunday we were all somewhat surprised to find out that we were all being released without a new presidency in place. The Lords work will carry on and we are still acting as a presidency until the official one is called. I loved working with all of the presidency and have developed some close and awesome friends! It's been a blessing to serve the ladies in the ward and I'm going to miss the Jones family more than anything. I have always considered Vera family and I will miss our long talks in the burb. I have always been able to get advice when I needed it and a kick in the rear when I needed it. ;) I have learned so much from her and she is a wonderful example to me. Best of luck guys...whew ok lets move on.

Monday was when we went and sat down with one of the brides to go over DJ stuff and give her her pictures. She loved them and I felt that this session gave me tremendous growth and I am very pleased with how they turned out.

Tuesday....spells relief! We won the case against the crazy neighbor lady and our dog. We showed up to court to present our evidence that our dog is not a nuisance and a couple of our awesome neighbors also went to testify. Well animal control couldn't get a hold of the lady for weeks so they dismissed the case. WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!! So she can't complain about us ever again!! CHAA- CHING!! Now we need to bring her a Book of Mormon!

Day 6

TIRED!!! :D

Day 5

Best day ever!!! Got to spend lunch with some awesome ladies and I was so glad to see my Neigh again! Me and Twylla tried on the biggest Grandpa glasses at Walmart that we could find and once again made the clerk only wish she were friends with us cause we are AWESOME and of course we had to take pictures of our awesomeness!!! The clerk had wondered if we were drinking! LOL ****We need to try on our Christmas sweater vests with cardinal appliques on them again Twy!!! Then went to the Bridges for Issacs' bday and laughed our hinnies (sp?) off! So I totally checked it on spell check and ninnies, whinnies, pinnies and shinnies came up, what the heck is that???) Now I am off to bed, later than I should (I am now changing my post time so you can't actually see what time it is) and hopefully I'll have something enlightening to share tomorrow. :)

P.S. I have been dreaming weird dreams full of action and a scary chasing spider. Gooooo no T.V.!!! Hahaahahaha!!!!!

Blushing Brides and Day 4

Aren't they gorgeous????? Just a little peek of the wedding sessions that I'm editing...

Ok so today was a cruddy day for me. Bad things happening right and left, kids fighting, hubby and Kim still sick...just one of THOSE days. So I will read my scriptures, say my prayers and go to bed...because tomorrow I get to see Neigh and the girls! :D Night!

Day 3

I have two sickies in my casa today. Kimberly is having stomache issues and Rob has a high fever and cough. UGH! Other than that we went to the Florence library for story time with the Florence fire department. They got to even climb in the truck, see a real firefighter get his protective gear on and they each got a plastic fire helmet. How fun was that? Then we headed off to the Anthem park to play outside in this ever amazing and extraordinary weather. FALL is in the air people and I couldn't be happier!!! Oh and my fab sister in law cut my hair on Monday and I'm loving my new do! Thanks Rachel and I can't wait to take pics of your family!
Today I have to admit I missed TV a teensie weensie bit.... more as my release at the end of a busy day. I am loving the family time that we share...which is always perfect, so tonight I'm sharing "The Family:A Proclamation to the World" Now I know most of you all out there have read it but if you haven't even heard of it before or need a refresher, visit HERE and read all about it.

So HAPPY even though we truely don't have this season but it makes me feel better to pretend that we do...FALL!

Day 2

Spent today playing Yahtzee with my girlies and can I just tell you how SWEET that game is? So much fun, just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. I managed to clean out the under the stairs closet and note to self : forgot to collect the sand from the shoe basket for my sandbox outside. I also ran in to town to visit my sister Carrie at work and I went ahead and grabbed my IPOD for this VERY long drive into Phoenix. As I was going to put on my most favoritist acoustic tunes....I remembered! HA so thankfully I have some super swell church stuff on it and for the better part of the drive..no arguing in the back seat from the kids...ya QUIET and for those of you that have ever called me while I was in the car, you know that it is always loud...poking, screaming etc. Not today *SIGH* yes peace be unto my soul.

Ok tonight I am going to end my post by sharing my testimony :

I know that this church is true. That this is the restored gospel and I know that if I didn't have it in my life, I'd literally be lost. I stand in awe and I'm so thankful for the Prophet Joseph Smith for his strong testimony to bring the restored gospel to the earth, even when he was persecuted. I know that President Monson is a true modern day prophet and receives direct communication from our Heavenly Father for the benefit of His children. I'm grateful for a husband who possesses the priesthood and when I'm sick or just having a rough time that I can ask for a blessing for healing and receive the peace that I need. I have a testimony of prayer and I have seen Heavenly Father's hand personally in my life as well as those around me. I believe that Heavenly Father knows us individually and knows our weaknesses and strengths and still loves us indefinitely. I know that the scriptures are true and hold the many answers to the questions that we are seeking. I'm grateful for the temple and the work that is done for those who have passed. For the feeling of peace that I feel while I am there. For the knowledge of eternal families and that death is not the end.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Night!

Day 1

Wowser's I got a whole lot done today! Laundry including taking down the icky shower curtain, organized the kids craft stuff, cleaned up the office and organized the laundry room. Amazing what happens when your kids aren't stuck in front of the TV..I don't know..they actually played and when I called them...wait for it..they CAME!!! Their ever lovin brains were not sucked into and attached to Hannah, iCarly or some other show. Now they have watched a church movie today. Oh and Lydia thought it was a great idea to blast some mariachi music on the downstairs stereo, which I had to explain that even though we don't know what they are singing about, that it is sooo not bringing the spirit into our home and to please turn it off. (haha that kid cracks me up)

Now I have always had a love and a testimony of the scriptures, but sometimes I'm not always the best at remembering to read them on a regular basis. When I do, embarrassingly enough, I'm to the point of exhaustion and I end up reading a verse several times because I'm falling asleep. When did I get to the point of taking them for granted? Usually thinking that I'd be better about it eventually. Soooo here's to scripture study....

Pre-day 1 Missionary challenge Post

Tonight was a moment of excitement as well as a little uncertainty. LOL Oh how utterly dependent I have become of modern entertainment and my beloved DVR and worst of all, so have my kids. So much bickering between them and the attitude??? It sooooo needs to stop, so that being said I think this is a great opportunity for our family to become closer, strengthen our testimony and most importantly, impact those searching for the gospel. What is this that we are doing you may ask? The Atkinson family has been called and those of us 12 and up, have been set apart as ward missionaries for the month of October. We are to live the standards to the best of our abilities (no media etc) and pray for missionary experiences. We have a awesome district leader and we are gonna rock this! LOL! I'm excited for the change that will happen in our home and I know it will be a rough start, but we'll get this!

{Hmmm so lets check back in a day or so when I haven't watched my "Hero's" or "So You Think You Can Dance.. dance.. dance.." oh wait can't leave out my favorite office gang...something about Pam and Jim getting married..ahhh! } ;)

So here's a start..go HERE and read this article and watch this short video on our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness! :) See you tomorrow!

Isnt she LOVELY??? More to come....

Little Emma Bean

BEST birthday EVER!!

This year was my favorite!! It was like a week of goodness!! Neigh took me out for lunch at Macayo's my FAVORITE!!! Thank you again! Love ya and miss you!

Later that night we went to Grahmns Central Station for karaoke and dancing with our awesome friends and family!! Rob got up there and sang Bohemian Rhapsody with my MOM!!! It was so fun!! The next day Sunday (my actual bday) The Gibbens had us over for meatball subs and ALL of my favorite yummy things!! I had a perfect day!! Thank you Twylla for being so awesome. LOVE YA!!

Then my super fabulous friends invited me out for my birthday!! We had a blast laughing and Nikki brought me the best accessories that a birthday girl could ever have!!! Thank you again girls!! Love yaaaa ya'll!!

Time again for a update!

Ok so I have been terrible at keeping up so here is my attempt to recap the past few months! LOL

ONE WORD..Roller Derby!! HILARIOUS!!! Thanks Deweys for the invite! Apparently I'd make a good derby girl cause one of them was trying to recruit me and said she's teach me how to skate. Thats what I get for being tall and having a big boot-tayyy LOL



So me and Rob thought we should audition for the biggest loser and it was insane! We got to meet Sione and what a super nice guy. What was even more funny is I didn't even know who he was because I had never seen the show at that point. LOL Lame yes I am!!





The kids had cottage fair and Kyles class sang a little song and it was adorable!!





Lydia showed off her book report in her class.



In March my grandpa Kutshinsky passed away. So we traveled to Pennsylvania LAST minute.
What an amazing person he was and I loved spending time with my dad typing up his life story. He wasn't a member of the church and we wanted to but a little LDS into the mix so me and my sister Monica sang "Each Life that Touches Ours for Good" Actually made it through without bawling too bad. All of the us kids were able to attend so it was neat to come together and support each other. Auntie Karen is moving HERE so I am very excited!! We couldn't of gone if it wasn't for our amazing friends! Thank you for keeping the sanity! We love you!!

{Me and my cousin Richard}


{Eating at our favorite pizza place EVER Jioios}



{Visited Adam Falls and hiked..so pretty}







Us Twilight freaks decided to brave the crowds and get the movie at midnight. Sooo fun especially when they split the line right in front of us. Ohhh man some people got mad. Convenient for us though cause we got out movie right at midnight. I think its because we batted out eyelashes at the employee and he was struck by our beauty..or maybe not. LOL









Kimberly WROTE this song for planet earth and they asked her to sing it over the announcements at EduPrize on earth day! She was so awesome. Great job Kimby!!



Next the month of April was CRAZY!! David was preparing to leave on his mission. Me and Rob took him shopping with my mom and it was hilarious!! Him and Rob were trying on ugly ties and Miami Vice style jackets. We did a last minute Lake trip and had a blast on the boat! David left on May 12th and I'm so proud of my bro!!!

I am ADDICTED!!!!

I LOVE this song!! I keep playing it over and over and OVER again!! Makes me wanna dance!! Its from a new show called Glee..now I havent seen it yet so I can not say if it is a good show or not but this song is L*O*V*E!!! So here ya go friends warning it is a little cheesy but since I LOVE musicals this is right up my alley!! Sooo...turn up your speakers and dance.. no ones watchin!! :)

Perfection

This is one of the many things that have been keeping me crazy busy. Meet baby Tatum and big sister Taylor (Cheetos lips and all) LOL . Are they not the cutest girls ever???