Atherton Chronicles

New Design...Same old Blog!

2012-01-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

So I have been playing around for awhile on redoing the blog with a new format and new pictures. Many of you might have noticed, sorry if I drove you nuts! Funny thing is I came back to the old format with the blurry picture in the background, just updated the main picture with the kiddos and new pictures in the side. I will continue making updates as I get more time. Let me know what you think! If there is anything else you want to see from our little family let us know. Hope you all enjoy!

P.S. We thought it would be fun to do a picture right after bath time in the kids towels. Kinda ironic because when we usually try to do a "pose" picture it comes out horrible bad because of movement (blurry) or one of the kids refusing to smile or one of them is sticking out their tongue, etc, etc. First picture I took and it worked!

Josh

New Dishwasher!

2012-01-28T13:57:00.001-07:00

We bought a new dishwasher this past week and finally had the time to install it today. It is very energy efficient and most importantly quiet! Our last dishwasher was old and very noisy (sounded like a jet engine). We got so used to the noise that when we ran our new dishwasher we had to open it to make sure it was running! Grandma Bartmann suggested to save money and hand wash our dishes, but since we dislike washing by hand soooooo much we went with the new one! Sorry grandma!! ;)

My Dad, Joe Atherton

2012-01-24T11:56:00.001-07:00

Today is the 7 year anniversary of my father passing away from cancer. I have included below the eulogy that my good friend Beau Townsend did at my dad's funeral. My biggest regret is that my dad never got to see his beautiful grandchildren Noah, Ethan, Caileigh, and Olivia. We love and miss you dad very, very much.

Joe Atherton 1957-2005

Joe honored me by asking me to speak on his behalf today. Joe said that in the midst of this tragedy he wanted there to be some laughter. Over the years I’ve shared a lot of laughter with the Atherton’s because they’ve often welcomed me into their family.

Last June, at Jared’s graduation party, Carl Ribbing and I kept pouring water into Joe’s drink when he wasn’t looking. It took him a while to notice, and we all cracked up when Joe found out.

My favorite story has to do with Joe’s boys. I think any father can sympathize when it comes to attempting to take care of business when your kids go and mess everything up.

It seems that now and then Joe would take his kids with him on trips in the truck. When Josh and Jeremy were young they accompanied Joe on one of these adventures. Joe backed the truck up to the dock like clockwork, and left the truck running. With as many stops as Joe had to make, it didn’t make much sense to keep turning off the ignition. As Joe got out of the truck, he made a simple request at the boys. “Stay here, and don’t touch anything!” So the boys sat for a while, and became tempted by all the flashy buttons in the truck. The boys started to pretend they were driving the truck, and thought it wouldn’t hurt anything to turn on the lights. One of the boys, exactly who remains a mystery to this day because they each blame one another, accidentally pressed a button engaging the “Jake Brake.” The Jake Brake slows the engine down similar to downshifting a car. When the button was pushed, the truck instantly lurched forward several feet. Luckily no one was hurt, but had there been a forklift on the dock at the time, this story may have been a little more interesting. Josh admitted that he and Jeremy gladly accepted a spanking for that particular incident.

Although Joe wanted us all to share laughter I’d like to offer that you remember him as the man he was. Without a doubt, Joe was a hardworking man. As a husband and father Joe held his proudest job. Next to the devotion to his family, the vocation that we’ll remember Joe best for is driving a truck. What do our parents wish for us? Perhaps there is an underwritten hope that we become doctors or lawyers, or even politicians. Joe did something that deep inside we all wish we could do. Can you remember riding down the highway as a child, pumping your arm to the truck in the neighboring lane, doing anything for the driver to blow his horn? What could be more glamorous than traveling across the open country? This business was in Joe Atherton’s heart, and his life was that of a trucker.

Like any truckers life, Joe’s started out with his brothers Danny & Mike and his sister Cindy. Siblings are great when it comes to learning the initial skills of driving. Tricycle demolition derbies in the driveway and bike races down the street are perfect practice for the next real lesson; STEALING THE FAMILY CAR. I don’t know the complete history on Joe’s adolescence on wheels, but growing up he developed an interest for a life on the road.

As a young man Joe met Pam. As Joe continued his quest in trucking Pam took on the role of Joe’s life version of driver’s education. Pam taught Joe when to stop, when to backup and take a look, and to occasionally check the reflection in the mirror.

As time moved on Joe worked his way up to the next step in life which was his learner’s permit, and this came in the form of Josh. As Joe’s first son, Josh paved the way for his brothers. Every rule, every method of parenting, every mistake, and every victory was tested first on Josh.

Next for Joe came his actual driving test, and this test came in the form of Jeremy. Jeremy, with his sense of humor and precociousness often made parenting like the parallel parking portion of the driver’s test. Although Joe found parallel parking challenging at first, in the end the task came with a sense of satisfaction.

At last Joe finally achieved his driver’s license, and this took place upon the birth of Jared. Like a newly issued license, Jared’s life brought years of hope, experience, and pride.

So with his license, Joe hit the road as a trucker. Time on the road is hard on a driver, and harder on the truck. Joe added up the miles. He earned plenty of wear and tear. Like any of us, Joe got dirty and dented, and he desperately needed repair.

As Joe pulled over to rest, like a miracle, along came Jodie. Jodie was like a brand new engine for Joe. With Jodie, Joe’s odometer was reset at zero, and the possibilities were endless. With Jodi came Taylor who was shiny and bright like a new paint job. Cordell had bounce and tread like a new set of tires. Aron was young and edgy like a top of the line sound system.

With a complete overhaul, Joe had the love and energy to get back on the road and do what he did best. Joe drove for miles and miles back and forth across the country picking up new family members like Anne, Sarah, and the Ribbings along the way.

As on any stretch of highway, a driver faces ups and downs. Joe ran low on fuel. Traffic held him down. Joe’s load got heavy.

There used to be bumper stickers that read, “God is my copilot.” With full knowledge of this, Joe Atherton could not settle for the traffic life had to offer. He realized, “Enough of this! I was born to drive.” Joe put his truck into gear, and veered off of the road onto the shoulder. He hit the gas, and pushed past miles of traffic. The stretch of shoulder was miserable and bumpy at the end, but Joe raced through. As the traffic cleared Joe merged back onto the road. A huge electric sign above the highway read, “Detours and road blocks up ahead. Expect delays.” At the sight of this Joe kicked his truck into overdrive. Up ahead Joe saw a blockade that said, “Pain,” and he plowed right through it. Next came a sign that read, “Addiction,” and again Joe went right through. For miles barriers warning of, “Guilt, Finances, Insurance, War, Politics, and Broken Hearts couldn’t stop Joe. At last one final barrier stood in Joe’s path. It was wide, and it was tall. It was solid as steal and it had yellow road reflectors flashing all over it. The sign read, “Cancer.” Joe was scared, but he knew he had to drive through one last barrier, and he did with great power and strength.

On the other side of cancer the road was wide open. An emerald green sign read, “Forgiveness Up Ahead.” The sky was a beautiful blue, and Joe was peaceful. As a trucker on a heavenly high Joe turned on his radio. He tuned to the first clear station he could find. Joe drove in astonishment as he listened to his greatest wish.

Clear as day over the radio, Joe heard Josh say, “Anne you can do this. One last push and its over!” There was a silence, and then suddenly Joe’s first grandchild broke the silence with its first cry.

Joe switched stations, and heard Pam call with excitement, “Come on Scout, come on Butch! Bring me the ball!”

He switched again, and Joe heard Jodie’s voice saying, “Taylor, you are the most beautiful bride in the world.”

On the next channel Joe heard a crowded stadium chanting Cordell’s name.

The music played on and on.

Captain Jeremy Atherton notified the tower for runway clearance.

Jared Atherton confessed, “It feels so good to be done!” at his college graduation.

Aron cracked up as he cruised down the road with his best friends.

Cindy, Mike, and Danny reminisced around a Thanksgiving table.

Finally Joe listened as the family joined all together in one house waiting for his return from the road. It was the greatest sound he’d ever heard.

Joe turned off the radio, and slowed down his rig. Two strangers stood on the side of the rode flagging him down. The truck came to a stop, and Joe rolled down his window. “Do you need some help?” Joe asked them.

“It’s been a long time, Joe. We’ve missed you Old Man!”

Joe couldn’t believe it! “Mom?!!! Dad?!!! He gasped!

“Can you give us a lift, Joe?” asked Bob.

His parents climbed in the cab of the truck, and they headed on down the road.

Fran nudged Joe in the side. “I like your family, Joe. You did a great job.”

Olivia's 8 months

2012-01-14T22:59:00.001-07:00

My beautiful, easy going, smiley baby girl turned 8 months on Wednesday! Daddy was on a work trip so I had to take over taking some cute pics:) Our little girl is growing so fast; she now waves and says bye bye, is attempting to crawl, jabberin a ton( Ethan always says she is talking up a storm in the car), eating tons of food(and likes it all...every fruit and every vegi...we even started meat this week) and now sleeps through the night! She still loves her paci and loves to play catch with any ball, but most of all she loves her brothers and they can make her laugh..she always smiles when they walk into veiw:) She says ma ma, bye bye and ba ba. I think she ways about 22lbs give or take and is sporting 12-18 month clothes( which she has a ton of thanks to Marcy, Carrie and Aunt Sarah). Her hair is soooo long... well past her ears and her bangs are growing past her nose( the boys and I always get a laugh anytime Daddy attempts to do anything with it)Our family is so complete with Olivia around!
Here are some after bath pictures of her crazy hair!

Elk Mountain Wyoming

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Back in October I finally took an offer from my mentor and former boss Reed Brannon and his wife Denise to come up to their retirement abode up in Elk Mountain Wyoming for a little R&R. We joined up with my good friend and former colleague Luz Guidry and her family. Elk Mountain is about an hour west of Laramie Wyoming and about 3 hours from our house. It is right off of I-80 set back in this mountain that is beyond beautiful. The home was custom built by Reed and Denise with the help of many friends and family. We had a wonderful time hiking, fishing, going on ATV treks, bonfires, and of course smores! A big thanks goes out to Reed and Denise for hosting us all!

Noah on the ATV with Elk Mountain in the background

Reed Brannon

Reed and Ethan

Itzel at the bonfire

Noah, Itzel, Javon, Reed, and Ethan

Reed and Ethan fishing

Reed and Ethan

Reed and Ethan fishing with Noah in background

The Guidry and Atherton Families

Luz and Anne

Elk Mountain Wyoming

Wyoming Plains

Trip to Santa's North Pole!

2011-12-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

We surprised the boys by taking them on a trip to Colorado Springs to visit Santa's North Pole! Kid you not, there is a full amusement park that is centered around Santa and his workshop complete with reindeer. We then stayed the night at a hotel, which has become a favorite for the kids. We had to make sure to pick a hotel that had a good pool and slide! We had a great time and can't wait to go back next year!

Ethan getting ready to see Santa!

The "North Pole", which was covered in real ice!

Daddy and Liv at the pool

Olivia is trying to figure out who this strange man is!

South Dakota Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to the family farm in South Dakota for Thanksgiving this year. We got to hang out with all of our cousins, aunts, uncles, and of course the matriarch Grandma Bartmann. The best part??? Eating delicious turkey, ham, pie, and all the fixens!

Jason and the boys getting ready to tile

Uncle Duane and Liv

Grandma Bartmann and Liv

Olivia first food: 10/11/11

2011-11-20T06:50:00.005-07:00

Here are some pics from Olivia's first meal..sh was a big fan!

Here is the freezer full of baby food I mad last month: green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peaches, plums, and pears:)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-18T06:46:00.003-07:00

Olivia update

2011-11-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy since school started that I haven't had the chance to blog at all. But here I am doing an early morning 4-6 month update on Olivia.

4 months
The month of September brought big changes for Olivia. At her four month check up she weighed in at 16lbs 8oz(95 percentile) and was 25.5in(90 percentile) tall. While we were watching the first Bronco game of the season, Olivia rolled over for the first time and since then has been a rolly polly. She started grasping at toys and became real smiley. She would giggle when Daddy "ate" her neck:)She wore 6-12 month clothes, the outfit below was such a cute Kenna outfit...thanks Marcy for so many cute clothes.

5 months
Olivia's 5 month day was celebrated by her first solid food. She loved it and Mommy was hoping it would help her sleep better at night(it didn't really work:( She loves her food but her new bubble blowing makes it a real mess. Olivia really started playing with toys this month and started showing a little bit of a diva side. She really is such a mellow baby and hardly ever cries...but you take the sippy cup away(or a few other things she really loves) and she goes from 0 to pissed. It's actually pretty funny:)

6 months
We celebrated Olivia's half birthday last Friday at the Zoo...Noah, Ethan, Olivia and I had a great time and Olivia loooved all the animals and loved even more all the kids. She started sitting up last week(see previous post) and now enjoys sittin up and watchin her crazy brothers. Her 6 month stats from her doctors appt: 28in tall(97 percentile), and 19lbs 1oz(90 percentile). She is DEFINITELY smaller than her brothers(by 10 pounds) but still a big girl:) She currently still fits into 6-12 month clothes but has mostly transitioned to 12-18 month( that is what I mostly had from Carrie and Marcy for winter clothes)Unfortunately,she has been having these high fevers(up to 104 degrees) of and on over the past month and a half...the doctor can't figure it out..we are just hoping they will just stop. Fingers crossed, she hasn't had one in two and a half weeks.

Olivia Sitting Up!

2011-11-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

Our big girl Olivia is sitting up! I know, not a big deal.....unless your Olivia! Miss Olivia LOVES to watch her brothers and it has frustrated her that she can only watch while laying down or in a chair. Now she gets to watch her surroundings by sitting all by herself. What a big girl!

Here is the video:

Laughing

2011-10-06T22:26:00.000-06:00

Anne and I witnessed our boys playing with Olivia and making her laugh so I immediately grabbed the iPhone and started rolling tape. What we caught was funny, crazy, a bit goofy, and blackmail footage for when both of them are teenagers ;)

As a bonus, I also uploaded a video we had of Noah making Ethan laugh. Very funny!

We have been calling Ethan and "running man" because when he throws he fits he runs in place and stomps his feet (Anne and I do everything we can NOT to laugh!). He was doing the running man for Olivia in this video and shows his singing skills.

Hiking with Grandma and Grandpa

2011-10-06T21:34:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful Colorado weather and go hiking with Grandma and Grandpa (Mary and Carl to the rest of us). Hiking is an interesting event for us lately. Our boys stop every few feet and pick up a new and exciting object....usually a rock or stick. We have had a few bump and bruises with the sticks which is why we constantly have to remind Noah and Ethan to "keep the sticks on the ground"! Olivia is comfortable riding with mom......and usually falls asleep a fer minutes in. Thanks for the fun hike Grandma and Grandpa!

Goofing around (Son in Law might be in trouble for posting this!)

Leaps and Bounds

2011-08-28T21:33:00.000-06:00

Great picture of all 3 of my babies!

Noah's 1st day of 1st grade outside our house!

Outside his classroom- he looks so grown up!


Ethan learning how to ride his bike with training wheels:)

The past couple of weeks have been crazy and it has hit me that my babies are growing by leaps and bounds! Noah started 1st grade last week and just LOVES it! Mrs. Herman is a great teacher and Noah really likes her:) It is quite an adjustment to have him at school everyday so he sleeps very well at night...Noah's favorite part - he gets to play on the big kid playground!

Although Ethan misses his big brother everyday...he is truly enjoying being THE big brother with Olivia and spending some quality time with his grandparents. Last week we practiced riding his bike with training wheels instead of his trike on our daily walks. He is getting very good and rode over a mile last week with Mom and I.

Olivia is changing sooo much...in the past month she has become such a smiller...she even giggles now:) She loves laughing at her brothers and when daddy "eats" her neck. She is grabbing at toys and loves her baby gym and sitting up in her bumbo watching her brothers.

I went back to work two weeks ago:( There were tears the first morning, but I am so blessed to have family around to watch them. It has been busy, but much less stressful then in the past with out Student Council. I did have lots of unpacking to do, I was thankful to have Carrie come and help me one day! I am soo lucky to have the schedule I have and be able to spend every other day with my babies:)

Olivia- 12 weeks

2011-08-05T06:25:00.000-06:00

The Rankin family is in in town and Josh's cousin Jessie took some amazing pictures of her for her 12 week shots. She wants to be a professional photographer someday and she is well on her way!

Aunt Sarah had repainted her toenails to match her dress for Uncle Carl's wedding:)

Cuddling with Grandma:)

Her first pigtails!

These blue eyes are not photshopped

South Dakota Vacation

2011-07-26T23:31:00.000-06:00

With over 300 pictures and videos on my iPhone I decided to finally post some pictures from our vacation to our family farm in South Dakota.

We had a great time with our Bartmann family spending time at the lake, time at the farm hauling hay bales, riding tractors and 4 wheelers, and just hanging out with the family. A big thanks goes out to Eric and Amber for hosting us at the campground and in their boat! We would also like to thank Duane and Barb for allowing our craziness to stay at their house. We love and miss you all!

Ethan on the 4-wheeler

Grandma Bartmann and Olivia

Olivia and her newly painted toes, thanks to Aunty Sarah!

Family "reunion" at Lake Vermillion

Noah driving Eric's boat ;)

Ethan being silly

Ethan and Torin on 1 of hundreds of tractor rides. Uncles are going to bill us for fuel ;)

Common sight after another long day on the farm. Whew, we are worn out!

Family Photo Session

2011-07-08T07:40:00.003-06:00

We got our first family photos last Saturday as a family of 5. Unfortunately Olivia was in one of her rare fussy moods. The boys though did such a great job and we got some great shots of them!

Olivia- 8 weeks

2011-07-07T07:38:00.000-06:00

Olivia is growing into her flower:)

Olivia yesterday in an outfit that my friend Meggan Hovick made her

Olivia was 8 weeks old yesterday and changing so much. She is now sleeping a 5-6 hour stretch at night(thank goodness). She is still taking quite a few cat naps during the day with one long nap in the morning and one in the afternoon. She is smiling a ton...I will not be paying attention to her and then look over and she has on the biggest smile. She is becoming interested in toys and is starting to try to get them with her hands. She loves her little floor activity mat. Olivia loves her paci... and really like the one Sarah and Jeremy got her that has a horse attached. Her nicknames so far are Liv, Livie, sweetheart, princess and Ethan calls her chunky monkey. She still fits in some 0-3month outfits but is mostly in 3-6 month because of her length. We started using cloth diapers with her last week and they are going so well..way easier then I thought..and so far no leaks and no diaper rashes. All in all Olivia is such a sweet little girl, she hardly fusses. And best of all, she loves her brothers and gives them the most smiles throughout the day!

How we have grown!

2011-06-27T16:03:00.000-06:00

Today we had a 6 yr check up for Noah and a early 2 month check for Olivia. Ethan went to the doctor about a month ago for his 3yr check. What did all the appointments have in common...we have very big but very healthy kids. Even my little peanut Olivia is growing like a weed! Here is a little update and comparison of each child:

Olivia:7 weeks
Weight: 12lbs 4oz- 95%
Height: 24in-97+%
Head: 15.5- 75%
Taking a look at those stats you think..big kid...right? Well check out her brother's stats below

Noah- 6 week
Weight: 17lbs 8oz
Height: 24 in

Ethan-8 week
Weight: 18lbs 8oz
Height: 24.5 in

So that is why we call her our "peanut" because in the Atherton boy world...she is!

Ethan 3 year stats:
Weight: 44lbs- 100+%
Height: 40.5 in -100+%

Noah at 3yrs:
Weight: 43lbs
Height: 41in

So the boys are about the same size.

Noah 6 year stats:
Weight: 68lbs
Height: 51.5in( that is 4ft 3 and a half)

My little boy is a giant and very proud of it! His height fell even further off the growth charts then his weight. The doctor called him tall and skinny...even though the doctor said he was only about 68 lbs in 6th grade:)

So moral of the story is that Josh and my DNA mix makes beautiful but giant children that we are very proud of:)

Happy 6th Birthday Noah!

2011-06-23T20:52:00.002-06:00

6 years ago Noah Joseph Atherton came into our world and forever changed our lives. When it was just Anne and myself, all we thought about was each other, our families and our jobs. In a way, we were a bit selfish. We had no clue what was in store for us!

Now, looking at our family, we can honestly say that we are the luckiest mother and father in the world. Noah was just the start, and he taught us how to love beyond what we ever thought was possible. He is an amazing little boy, full of life, full of love. People are always commenting on how polite and nice he is. Just today we were at cub scout day camp and one of the other older boys in his group forgot his candy money. Noah, without having been told went and bought two pieces of candy with his own money and offered a piece to the boy. The rest of the day Noah and this boy were best friends. How strange is it that our oldest son can still amaze us day in and day out? Our children led by Noah are truly God's blessing.

Hope you had a great and wonderful birthday Noah!

With love,

Daddy, Mommy, Ethan and Olivia

Olivia's 4 week birthday in pictures:)

2011-06-08T21:34:00.000-06:00

Big brother helping put her to sleep. She loves her paci!

Morning cuddle with big brother Ethan!

Life is so tiring:)

A little smile!

Our big girl measured in at 10lbs and 9oz today!

Olivia:3 weeks

2011-06-01T08:02:00.002-06:00

I can't believe that it has already been 3 weeks since my precious baby girl has come into our lives. We are adjusting well to our family of five. To say the boys are obsessed with their baby sister is a understatement. They are still fighting over who holds her and they would hold her, touch her, talk to her all day long if she let them!

She is growing fast and last week at her 2 week checkup she was 8lbs 14oz(she gained a pound and 3oz in about 10 days) She eats every two hours still during the day and every three hours at night. She is starting to be more alert during the day and the boys love trying to make her "smile". Olivia already has her Daddy wrapped around her finger...Josh said the other day that not spoiling the baby in the family will be easier said then done. To say the least Josh and I are so proud of our 3 kids and love that our family is complete:)

Here are some pictures that I took to be in her birth announcement!

Introducing Our Sweet Olivia Grace!

2011-05-17T14:38:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, we recently welcomed our 3rd child....and first daughter Olivia Grace to our family! Olivia was born on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 at 8:55am and weighed in at 8lbs 7 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Anne and Olivia are doing fantastic and we are so blessed and grateful for our sweet little Olivia!

Noah and Ethan are adjusting very well to their new sister. Noah wants to help 24/7 and has even changed a few (wet) diapers. Ethan is a bit more hesitant, but still interested in Olivia. In fact, Noah and Ethan fight over who is going to hold poor Olivia next. Luckily Olivia takes it all in stride and doesn't seem to mind the loud and crazy household. It actually seems that she likes it since she can sleep through it all.

Today we ventured out for the first time since coming home from the hospital. We stopped by Target and then Anne and Olivia dropped me and the boys off to do some fishing while the two of them finished off some errands. Of course Olivia slept through it all with the exception to eat ;)

We want to thank all of our friends and family for all your support and love. We are so lucky to have you all in our lives and thank the good Lord for all of you!

Love,

Josh, Anne, Noah, Ethan, and Olivia.

More Pictures:

Happy 3rd Birthday Ethan!

2011-05-09T01:00:00.000-06:00

Today our little guy Ethan turns 3 years old! Where has time gone? We are completely head over heals in love with our little guy and thank the good Lord for blessing us with him. We call Ethan our little crazy guy, because he jumps before he thinks, but it gives him his unique personality. He loves playing with his older brother and loves watching the robot movie at Grandmas house. EJ is on the move 24/7 and wears us out with his endless energy. Ethan is also very excited about his new sister and was a bit bummed that the two of them couldn't share the same birthday (mom and dad were relieved!).

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Love,

Mom, Dad, Noah, and baby

Baby Room

2011-04-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I was able to take a few days off from my busy schedule and help Anne get our daughters new room prepared for her arrival. With a couple of gallons of new pink paint, washed and folded clothes, setting up the crib, and installing a new light and fan we are all done! Just a few minor things left and we will be all ready.

Here is a video I put together:

Happy Birthday Anne!

2011-04-27T08:54:00.000-06:00

Today is my wonderful and amazing wife's birthday. When I try to describe Anne, I just smile and say that she is the most loving, caring, down to earth person you will ever meet. She always puts other peoples needs before her own (especially when she is pregnant!). Anne is also an awesome mother. I don't know how she finds the time to teach crazy high school kids and be a mother at the same time. I can tell you that she does both flawlessly and perfectly. Some of you may know this, but Anne is currently 37 weeks pregnant and this weekend (when she is nearly 38 weeks) Anne will be going to the high school prom.......yes prom. In fact, Anne is in charge of the entire prom, from set up to take down. She is in charge of hiring the DJ, finding the location, printing tickets, finding volunteer parents, security, etc, etc, etc. With all this going on she still manages to take care of our crazy family household and be 38 weeks pregnant!

Two weeks ago Anne and I celebrated our unofficial 14th dating anniversary (April 14th). Yes, we are "one of those couples" who are high school sweethearts. The first time I met Anne I was head over heals for her. The bad thing was both of us were dating other people at the time. When I broke up (err, she broke up with me) I waited for Anne's boyfriend to mess everything up. You see, we all hung out together through our church youth group. Anne and her boyfriend went to Longmont High School while me and a few others went to the rival Skyline High School. So the only time I got to see Anne was Sunday afternoons. Anne and I quickly became very good friends and I became less and less patient as time went on. Then it happened. Anne's boyfriend decided to break up, which I later found out from Anne was just fine with her. I wasted no time. I called Anne up and asked her if she would like to go with my family for a skiing day, which she said yes (the entire phone call consisted of my very immature brothers mocking and making fun of me for asking a "dirty" girl on a date ;). We had a great time together and I knew I had to ask her to be my girlfriend.....

The next part of the story is a bit embarrassing, but what the heck!

One night, I decided to ask Anne to be my girlfriend. I spent hours trying to figure out the best and least embarrassing way to do it. For some reason I was very worried about rejection. So, I called Anne up and asked to speak to her brother Justin, who was 10 years old at the time. Justin got on the line and I asked him if he could ask his sister a question. Me, "Could you ask your sister if she would be my girlfriend?" Justin, "What?!" Me, "Will you ask your sister if she would be my girlfriend?" Justin, "Yuk, why would you do that?" Me, "Just ask her!" Justin, "Okay, Okay!"

I could her Justin put down the phone and say to Anne, "For some reason, Josh wants to know if you want to be his girlfriend." Anne then took the phone and said yes (to my relief!) and the rest is as they say, history.

Before you judge and mock me, I have to tell you that at the time I was only 16 years old and very inexperience in the game of dating! I was head over heals for this awesome girl and I couldn't believe that she might have felt the same way about me. Over the next 14 years Anne and I have been inseparable. It is truly amazing that a 15 year old girl and 16 year old guy could start a journey and 14 years later be married, have jobs, a mortgage, great friends, great family and best of all, 2 soon to be 3 beautiful children who love and adore us.

When Anne and I talk about our time together we are both amazed at how much our lives we have spent together. Anne and I have been together for nearly half of our lives! I was there when she got her drivers license, I was there at her first high school homecoming and prom (we ended up going to 2 homecomings and 2 proms during high school), we were together when we went to Rome and Paris for a pilgrimage to see the Pope at World Youth Day. We both celebrated our high school graduation together with a party, and we both went to college and graduated together. For all the great times we have spent with each other we have also shared in low times. Anne was with me when I did the eulogy for my grandfather and later my father, and I was there when both of her grandpas passed away. Anne I were also together as we watched the horror of Sept 11th and we were sitting together in a hotel in Tampa, Fl as we watched the news of Pope John Paul II death. Through it all we have done everything together. We always joke that the more time we spend together the less arguments we get in. We were meant to be together.

All the time Anne and I never broke up, something we told each other if we ever did it would stay permanent. We didn't want to deal with the silliness of breaking up and getting back together, much like all of our friends routinely went through. We were both committed to each other. Still are.

As with any relationship, Anne and I have had our fair share of bumps in the road, but through it all we have grown stronger and more committed to each other. As our family grows so does our love for each other. How many people can say they have been with their spouse since they were teenagers?

So my beautiful and wonderful wife, you are celebrating 30 years of life today and I hope you have a great and blessed birthday. I promise that next year we will make up celebrating your 30th with some alcoholic beverages (aka tall margaritas!).

We love you so much!

Josh, Noah, Ethan, and Baby Atheton

Trip to Bear Lake

2011-04-13T07:00:00.004-06:00

For Anne's spring break I took most of the week off to help out with getting the baby room together and just hanging out with the family. On one of those days, Anne and I had a bright (hehehe) idea to head up the Rocky Mountain National Park and visit our favorite place Bear Lake. During the summer Bear Lake is absolutely beautiful and has some of the best hiking around. During the winter Bear Lake has awesome snow shoeing trails which are very popular. On this particular day, we just wanted to take a quick stroll. Well.....lets just say the wind was blowing and we were not prepared for the weather (Yes, a Boy Scout is supposed to be prepared!).

Anyway, rather than blabber on and on here is a little taste of the first few minutes of our visit. Please notice what little Ethan has to say about our excursion!

I had to add this picture! Says it all. Gotta love how this 4 ft sign is nearly covered by snow.

I caught my little guy balling up a snowball to throw at his dad. Notice the look he is giving me!

The end to a short but successful trip to Bear Lake!

Leprechaun Trap

2011-04-10T20:50:00.000-06:00

For St. Patricks day the students of Ms. Etherington's Kindergarten class were assigned a homework task: Make a leprechaun trap!

Noah was very excited and knew exactly what and how he was going to make his trap. He worked very hard and lo and behold a beautiful green and gold trap that he got to show his entire class on how it worked. Unfortunately for our carpets we spent the next weeks trying to get glitter out of everything (another blog post).

You can always tell when Noah is working hard by how far his tongue is sticking out (a trait he got from his mother!)

Finished!

Anne 28 & 32 Week Pictures

2011-03-28T14:38:00.000-06:00

Okay, we know that we haven't been up to speed on the pregnancy pictures. I promise, we have a good excuse (another blog posting in the near future...good news!).

For Anne's 28 week my mom watched the boys for the weekend and Anne and I went to Denver for massages, a very nice dinner at the Chophouse, a movie, and hotel at the swank Curtis. We had a great time and enjoyed hanging out with each other. A big thanks to my mom for helping out!

Here is Anne at 32 weeks:

On Friday Anne and I went to the doctor for a late 32 week appointment for a scheduled ultra-sound. We found out that our little girl is measuring perfect and the best news was that Anne no longer has placenta previa! Awesome news. This week is spring break for Anne and Noah so I decided to take a few days off to help with getting the baby room ready. We will send out pictures as soon as we are done.

Here is a picture of our little girl!

Kids will be Kids

2011-03-14T23:22:00.000-06:00

The other day Noah and Ethan were riding with me in a moving truck (moving my mom's stuff) and I was eavesdropping in their conversation. This is what I overheard: Ethan, "Noah, who gave me my hands?" Noah, "They are a gift from God." Ethan, "How do you take them off?" Noah, "You can't because blood would squirt all over the place and it would hurt really bad!"

I am constantly taken back on how truly awesome it is being a parent. Just the other day I dropped my kids off at my mom's house and had a sinking feeling for leaving them. Why? They were in safe hands with my mom, but I truly hate leaving them during the day! I am truly heads over heals in love with my boys and I love being their dad. Noah in fact said to me the other day, "Dad, thanks for being my daddy!" Wow. Kid just got some bonus points for that one.

Up next? My beautiful baby daughter due on May 15th. I have a feeling that this softy chump might go to an all new level of protective/caring dad. Can't wait!

Sledding Day!

2011-02-14T16:44:00.004-07:00

Back in December when we had lots of snow we took a trip over to the local high school where there are some HUGE (Noah's words) hills to sled down. Here is a quick video of our adventure!

Of course we had to include Noah and Ethan's favorite song "Ring of Fire"!

Day at the Farm Park

2011-02-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went to the farm park up in Fort Collins with Paul, Carrie, Torin, Ella, and Logan. It was a bit cold, but overall a great day to see the cows, goats (Ethan's favorite!), chickens, and the cool barn.

My Dad 1957-2005

2011-01-24T00:00:00.001-07:00

My Dad

My dad passed away on January 24, 2005 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Six years later much has changed; we now have two beautiful and awesome sons in Noah and Ethan, and we have a daughter on the way due May 15th (and couldn't be more excited to meet her!). One thing that hasn't changed is the fact that we all very much miss my father. I think of how much my dad would have loved to see and play with Noah, Ethan, and Caileigh. In fact, he would have adored them more than anything else.

Here is the eulogy that the "Rev" Beau Townsend did at my dad's funeral.

We love and miss you dad!

Joe Atherton 1957-2005

Last June, at Jared’s graduation party, Carl Ribbing and I kept pouring water into Joe’s drink when he wasn’t looking. It took him a while to notice, and we all cracked up when Joe found out.

My favorite story has to do with Joe’s boys. I think any father can sympathize when it comes to attempting to take care of business when your kids go and mess everything up.

At last Joe finally achieved his driver’s license, and this took place upon the birth of Jared. Like a newly issued license, Jared’s life brought years of hope, experience, and pride.

As on any stretch of highway, a driver faces ups and downs. Joe ran low on fuel. Traffic held him down. Joe’s load got heavy.

Joe switched stations, and heard Pam call with excitement, “Come on Scout, come on Butch! Bring me the ball!”

He switched again, and Joe heard Jodie’s voice saying, “Taylor, you are the most beautiful bride in the world.”

On the next channel Joe heard a crowded stadium chanting Cordell’s name.

The music played on and on.

Captain Jeremy Atherton notified the tower for runway clearance.

Jared Atherton confessed, “It feels so good to be done!” at his college graduation.

Aron cracked up as he cruised down the road with his best friends.

Cindy, Mike, and Danny reminisced around a Thanksgiving table.

Finally Joe listened as the family joined all together in one house waiting for his return from the road. It was the greatest sound he’d ever heard.

“It’s been a long time, Joe. We’ve missed you Old Man!”

Joe couldn’t believe it! “Mom?!!! Dad?!!! He gasped!

“Can you give us a lift, Joe?” asked Bob.

His parents climbed in the cab of the truck, and they headed on down the road.

Fran nudged Joe in the side. “I like your family, Joe. You did a great job.”

20 Weeks!

2010-12-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Anne has officially hit the 20 week mark so what better time then to show a picture of her growing belly! Anne is feeling much better now with no morning sickness, which played havoc on her life early in the pregnancy. Mary and Carl bought her a super nice pregnancy pillow that has helped her with sleeping, though periods of sleeplessness are still abundant (darn uncomfortableness!). She is feeling Baby Atherton all the time....in fact this little girl is much more active than her brothers ever were! We look forward to meeting her in May of 2011!

Baby Atherton is a Girl!

2010-12-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that Baby Atherton, due May 15, 2011 is a Girl! Wow, we didn't see that one coming! We all expected a 3rd boy and in fact had decided on a name, but were very surprised when the doctor told us the news. Anne has already gone to Gymboree and bought a new pink dress and shoes that we wrapped up in a Christmas gift and gave to our parents to surprise them with the news. Obviously they were all happy! Can't wait to meet the newest addition to our family!

Christmas Cookies!

2010-12-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

The Ribbing family got together the other day for our annual Christmas cookie decoration night. Of course since we now have kids the assortment of cookies includes a lot more frosting (gobs of it) and tons of candy......eating that is. Ethan's routine of decorating included the following steps: 1. Eat candy 2. Put some frosting on a cookie then lick fingers 3. Eat more candy 4. Put a bunch of candy on cookie 5 Eat cookie.

After realizing that Ethan wasn't producing any cookies for the "good of the cause" we had to modify his technique that including eliminating the last step.

When we finished we split up the cookies and attempted to go to sleep.......with our kids on a sugar high. Oh well, the joy of Christmas spirit is everywhere!

Noah

Makenna

Noah, Makenna, & Ethan

Cookies!!

Go Broncos!

2010-11-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, the Denver Broncos haven't been that good this year. In fact, I nearly cried when they got hammered by the stink'in Raiders a couple of weeks ago! However, we are diehard fans and want to see our Broncos win some games! So, here's to my beloved Denver Broncos and (hopefully) them beating the San Diego Charges and that crybaby Phillip Rivers on Monday night football!

GO BRONCOS!

Fall 2010

2010-11-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the past month or so Anne and I have taken some "cool" fall pictures. The boys are growing up so fast it seems it almost saddens us! Thank goodness we have another one on the way!

We had the chance to stop by Grandma Ribbing's house to enjoy the fall colors. Some how she was able to talk the boys into raking her yard.......and then mess it up again ;) Noah and Ethan we even receptive to taking a few pictures, though Ethan lost interest after the third one!

Grandma "Peggy" Ribbing

After Grandma's house we headed over to the Denver Zoo for the "Boo at the Zoo" Halloween day. It was very busy but Noah and Ethan were able to pull in their fair share of candy. Ethan even growled at the lions to see if he could get a reaction (he didn't;).

Halloween with the Atherton's

2010-11-04T07:54:00.000-06:00

We had a great Halloween this year with Noah dressed as a race car driver and Ethan dressed as a lion. We invited the Townsend and Smith family along with our parents to go around our neighborhood and scare people into giving us candy. Ethan was over it after the first couple of houses, but Noah and his buddy Emaus could have gone all night. When we got home both boys had collected a small fortune of candy (we found out that our neighborhood is a goldmine for candy!). Anne even overruled daddy and let Noah and Ethan eat as much candy as they could muster! Great fun had by all!

Noah and Emmaus Townsend

Ethan growling!

Ethan, Cana, Emmaus, Noah, Makenna

Buddies

Trick or Treat Street

2010-10-30T09:16:00.000-06:00

Anne, along with students from the Longmont High School Student Council help put on a "Trick or Treat Street", which provides a fun and safe opportunity for kids and parents to enjoy the festivities of Halloween. We met up with Marcy and Zack Smith, Seth and Kelly Haley, and Carrie and Paul Bartmann, along with all of our kids (getting to the point where there is too many to name!). We had a great time hanging out and watching Ethan eat every piece of candy he got. When we finished up at LHS we all went over to our house for some pizza and drinks.

Today we are heading to the Zoo for more Halloween festivities and then over to my mom's house to celebrate my little brother Jared's birthday.

Logan and Ethan

Seth Haley looking scary!

New Atherton Baby!

2010-10-21T15:57:00.000-06:00

Anne and I are very excited to introduce you all to the newest addition to our family; Baby Atherton! We had our 10 week appointment today and everything looks great. We are scheduled to go back next week to meet with our doctor and hopefully get a better quality photo from the ultrasound. Baby Atherton is due May 15, 2011. Big brothers Noah and Ethan are totally excited!

Camera's broken...economy sucks...just an excuse.

2010-10-18T16:18:00.000-06:00

Okay, I have to admit. Our camera is broken and since 99% of our blog postings have included pictures it is hard to post without a camera. Yes, I am guilty of making a stupid excuse for not posting ANYTHING since August on our family blog. I even got a concerning phone call from an anonymous mother-in-law (oops;) worried that the hustle bustle of our lives had taken over so much that we couldn't update our "wonderful" blog. "I'm sorry", I replied, "We're lucky if we can get the laundry done these days!"

Yes, I admit that if I took a little bit of personal time with our blog I probably could update it every once in awhile. My over busy cousin Joe Bartmann proves that fact every time he manages to log on to the bartblog and doodle around,.......which seems to be way more than I can muster. He even manages to keep a garden and has double the children I do.

What's the deal? Well, because of wonderful (sarcasm) economy and the fact that most non-profits are hurting these days we at the Longs Peak Council, Boy Scouts of America decided no to hire a new district executive for the Longmont area. Which basically means I am back to my old job PLUS doing my current job. This has literally stretched me to my limits of what I can physically do, but like all non-profits we have to hold the line until things get better.

I have realized that life is full of excuses that each of us create to give meaning or explanation of why we don't get things done. I am done with excuses. Yes, the economy sucks and I am doing the job of 2 1/2 people. Yes my camera is broken and I am too cheap to buy another one (the warranty ran out 2 weeks after it broke). Yes, I am very busy and have a hard time updating my blog, or calling friends and family to update them on our family.

SO WHAT! Being busy is just an excuse. Period.

No more excuses. No more reasoning or bargaining with my time.

Time to break out the old AAA battery powered digital camera that is barely digital. Here's to me being cheap, which is a fact not an excuse.

Lakeside 2010

2010-08-28T09:36:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we all went on our annual trip to one of the oldest amusement parks in the nation, Lakeside in Denver. Both Noah and Ethan did a reading challenge at Longmont Library and one of the perks is free admission to Lakeside. It's always a trip down memory lane since both Anne and I went to Lakeside as kids (I actually did the same library program as my boys!). Lakeside is very old but both Noah and Ethan had a blast!

South Dakota

2010-08-19T05:09:00.001-06:00

These are old pictures from our South Dakota vacation in July we never posted. Noah wanted to look at our blog and was disappointed they were not there- so here are a few:)

4th of July

2010-07-05T14:27:00.001-06:00

We had a great 4th of July spending time with our good friends Lindsay and Ty Cashen and their Daughter Ellie. We met up in Denver at Ty's parents house and participated in a kid bicycle parade and then had lunch while watching Noah and Ethan do the slip-n-slide.Ty's parents Pat and Marty were awesome hosts and we even got to see our friends Lindsay and Ryan, albeit for only a few minutes (they were headed to the Rockies game). We then went over to Anne's parents house to have dinner with the family were we hung out until heading over to a friends house to watch fireworks. Unfortunately, we were delayed by about 45 minutes because of heavy rains but lucky they still had them despite the torrential down pour!

Noah, Anne, and Ellie Cashen (14 weeks old)

Noah, Ethan, Anne, and Ellie Cashen

Bike Parade

Lindsay Cashen, Lindsay Sell, Ellie Cachen (baby), & Anne

Dad Life

2010-07-01T12:34:00.003-06:00

I should have put this up on father's day!

Noah Birthday Party

2010-06-29T10:44:00.001-06:00

We had a great 5th birthday party for Noah, even with a little rain and lightning! We showed up to the pool around 4pm and the clouds, rain, lightning and thunder quickly followed. Luckily we had a building near by that we retreated to where we ate pizza and cake and watched Noah open his presents. When we were done the skies opened up to a beautiful Colorado evening and we were able to enjoy the pool for the next 2 hours. Happy Birthday Noah! We love ya.

The racing cake my mom and Anne made

Noah 5 years old!

Finally swimming after the rain!

Happy 5th Birthday Noah!

2010-06-23T00:01:00.009-06:00

We can't believe that our little boy is 5 years old today! Wow, it is truly amazing how fast time truly goes by. Noah is such an amazing little boy and we are so blessed to have him as our oldest son. Today Noah requested banana pancakes (eggless), Toy Story 3, and McDonalds for dinner. Grammie Pammy is coming over after dinner to take Noah to Baskin Robbins to get the biggest, baddest ice cream cone they can make.

Noah 3 Months Old

Uncle Justin is leaving John Deere Tractors effective, sadly, on Noah's birthday. Justin is heading to greener pastures as a field tech, but unfortunately that didn't make breaking the news any easier for Noah. You see, Uncle Justin is Noah's source for green John Deere Tractors (Justin can get an employee discounts). So, Anne and the boys had to head up to Greeley yesterday to get a new tractor for Noah. Lucky guy;)

Noah 1 1/2 years old

Saturday, we are heading to Roosevelt Park where they have a nice splash area to celebrate Noah's birthday party with his 25 good friends (this has ballooned up from the planned 10!). Weather is supposed to be good for a good time at one of Noah's favorite spots!

Noah 2 years old

Noah seems to be growing at bionic speeds these days, both physically and mentally. He towers over other kids his age and seems to like to boss his little brother around.....lovingly. He is always reminding his parents about things....lost phones, to lock the car, to close the garage, to feed beta, and even to buckle his seat belt, though he now knows how to do that by himself. What did we ever do without our Noah?!

Noah 3 years old

How can I forget my little boy learning to ride his bike back in April?! Mom was a bit scared that he would fall but Noah really wanted to learn (he's been watching the other, older neighborhood kids). It took us about a week of practice without the training wheels but once he got it he was off! We worked for another couple of weeks to learn how to start and stop (kinda important). Now? Boy, we have a hard time keeping up with him and he is building some really strong leg muscles. Great job big man!

Noah June 2010

Noah, we love you very much and hope you have a fun filled 5th birthday. Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mom, Dad, and Ethan

Long Awaited Ethan update

2010-06-21T13:33:00.001-06:00

Since our very busy time in May, we never got a chance to give a update for Ethan on his second birthday. So here it is: a random compilation of pictures over the past year and an update on our big " little man" now that he is two.

Ethan at the children's museum in March

Ethan did a great job at his two year check-up with some amazing stats. Ethan is now weighing in at 39lbs 11oz and a whopping 37.5in tall. These stats are well off the growth charts, but since he has always been off the growth charts...he is just making his own curve:) This is slightly bigger than Noah in comparison who was 36.5in and 36lbs at the same age.We'll just say that we are going to have giants for boys:)

Ethan at Zoo lights in December

The biggest change in Ethan in the last 3 months is definately his speech. He went from saying his first sentence in the end of March " Stop it Papa Steve" to just saying an abundance of sentences and lots of long words. He now loves to point out and say " Look mommy at Apalcas" (my dad brought the boys to see them a few weeks ago and now he says that word so well). He will talk in long paragraphs with most of it I am able to understand and the rest you just have to ask Noah for the translation:)

Ethan showing us how to eat the chicken off the bone in November

His favorite thing right now are tractors and he has a keen sense in finding them as we drive down the road or ride our bikes at the park. We went to the zoo this week and his favorite exhibit was the construction windows where they are building the new Elephant exhibit:) He also loves to show off and does a great shake your booty dance with Noah.

Ethan- September 2009

The best part of Ethan growing up has been seeing the bond between him and "broder"(which is what he still calls Noah). Every morning the first thing Ethan does when Noah wakes up is greet him with a giant hug. They can play for more than an hour in the bathtub and yesterday Josh took the boys to the park and they played " catch the sand down the slide" for over a hour. The boys build farms and buildings with legos and love to wrestle. Don't get me wrong, they are also very good at fighting and bugging each other...but their world consists of 90% brotherly love and 10% brotherly hate:)

Ethan- June 2009

I look forward to seeing Ethan blossom throughout next year and see him transition even more from baby to boy. Next big obstacle is potty training. He has gone a few times already pee pee. Even went this morning standing up like a big boy after his bath. I am waiting for after our vacation to South Dakota...so we don't have to worry about accidents and car rides. So I hope by August the task is complete!

Noah's Last Day of Pre-School!

2010-06-12T00:00:00.003-06:00

Noah had his last day of preschool last week at St. John's Catholic School. It was a bit sad because Noah will be going to our neighborhood school next year and won't be with all of his little friends at St. Johns. Noah had a great year and really enjoyed school and can't wait for kindergarten!

P.S. Yes, we made him wear the same shirt to match his first day!

Mrs Amy Haggquist and Noah

Noah 1st Day of School August 2009

Noah's last day of school June 2010

Camp Patiya

2010-06-08T00:59:00.001-06:00

This past weekend I took up some high school kids from the I Have A Dream Foundation to have a fun filled camp experience. We try to do this as much as possible during the summer to give those kids who other wise might not have the opportunity to camp, hike, and eat like Scouts do. We had a great time trying out the archery range and cooking hobo dinners and dutch oven cobbler. Mary, Carl, Anne, and the boys camp up later in the day (just in time for the food!). Mary and Carl took Ethan home while Anne and Noah stayed to enjoy the bonfire complete with smores! We had a great time.

Noah folding his first flag!

The fire was a bit hot!

Camp Patiya west of Boulder

Me giving Mary and Carl bow lessons

Noah and Ethan "Trying" out the bows:)

One of my favorite Noah pictures

Ethan 2nd Birthday

2010-06-08T00:42:00.000-06:00

I know, I know, we have been REALLY bad with our blog!

Back in May, we had Ethan's 2nd birthday at the Sandstone Ranch in Longmont. I can't believe our little boy is 2! He really wanted a Elmo birthday (I'm still thanking the good Lord he didn't want Barney!) so my mom and Anne worked hard to make his Elmo cake. They did an awesome job. All of Ethan's friends/family came and we all had a great time!

The talent of my mom and Anne!

Easter

2010-04-12T16:05:00.000-06:00

We spent Easter by attending mass at St John's Catholic Church with my mom and then had a huge breakfast over at our house with Mary, Carl, Justin, Jared, my mom, and us. We then went down to Denver and went to the White Fenced Farm with the Hannigans and Grandma Ribbing. FYI: Never go to the White Fenced Farm on Easter! What madness! We all then went over to Grandma's for some Easter Egg hunting (kids had a great time). All in all a wonderful time with the family!

Spring Break in the Lone Star State

2010-04-05T13:58:00.002-06:00

We definitely had a great time enjoying our family over Spring Break. We got to find out really how massive Texas is as we ventured over 2400 miles during our 8 day excursion. Here are the highlights in order of occurrence:
#1 A road trip with just my husband(Pam and Steve took that kids on the Airplane to san Antonio)....that has not happened in a while. We had a great time chatting and catching up on some reading that I never have time for...18 hours was a long time in the car with "nothing to do "

#2 Dinner on the Riverwalk and Noah's highlight- the twilight boat tour on the Riverwalk

Noah and Anne walking down the riverwalk and Josh, Noah, Ethan and Steve enjoying the boat ride

#3 A 10 hour trip to Sea World...we definitely got our money's worth- highlights include Shamu and the baby, feeding the dolphins, the great roller-coasters with very short lines, and Noah's first " big rollercoaster"..the log ride.

Caileigh and Noah in awe of Shamu

Noah feeding the dolphins, the boys watching the dolphins and Ethan not too sure about the fish.

#4- Palm Sunday Mass at the Cathedral off the Riverwalk in San Antonio

The family(minus Steve) at the cathedral and The boys enjoying lunch at the riverwalk

#5 Early Easter celebration at the house we rented all with a Steak dinner and Easter egg hunt

#6 Visit to Abilene to see Jeremy, Sarah and Caileigh(also Noah's much anticipated visit of C-130s)
This visit was cut short by Jeremy's departure to Kuwait and the arrival of Sarah's family the next day

The kids loved touching all the buttons

#7 Great Wolf Lodge near Dallas: If you have never stayed in one...they are the best! They are found all over the US and have a water-park built right inside the hotel! The entire hotel is themed for kids including wolf den rooms, animal story time and much more! Here is the link:http://www.greatwolf.com/grapevine/waterpark
We also go the perk of having dinner with Brian Keogh and his fiance Katie!

I realized how big Noah is getting because he was tall enough to go on all the "big" water slides and had a blast!

#8 Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo- This was one of the many places we stayed on the way home. The boys loved all the stops at hotels with pools and this canyon was a great break. We hiked and had a picnic even though it was windy..the high that day was 85 degrees- I want Summer to come now!

#9 A Dairy Queen stop in the middle of no-where Texas. Sometimes these little things are the best highlights...here are some Texas Long Horns. This was the last picture of the trip...at this point the camera was out of batteries:(

#10 This last dinner of the night was spent at Rino's in Trinidad! It was perfect...Italian feast...live music...great company of my three favorite boys:)
Afterwards the kids had their last hotel pool trip- they didn't even complain about the drive once....as long as they new they were going to another hotel!

Spring Snow Day

2010-03-24T10:09:00.000-06:00

To celebrate probably the last snow day of the year, the boys and I played for almost two hours in the snow. This is a big deal for Ethan because all winter I would get him all dressed up and he would go out for two minutes and come inside...a lot of work for nothing:)

We built a snow man and a snow fort and shoveled the driveway. Here are some pictures of our snowman!

The boys giving our snowman a kiss!

The start of our snow fort. Ethan decided to munch on one of our snowman's arms(a carrot)

Now its time to finish packing! Here we come nice warm Texas!

Hanging with the Boys

2010-02-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted any photos lately of just Noah and Ethan.......so, I thought why not now?! Both Noah and Ethan are doing awesome. Back in January we moved Ethan into Noah's room when Jeremy and Sarah were in town and when they left we just kept the room assignments the same. It worked pretty well until the last week or so when Ethan decided that he needed to be awake at all hours of the night. This sometimes prompted good ole older brother to wake up as well! I have begged Anne to let me move Ethan to the other room but she just keeps on saying, "lets give it one more night." Finally Ethan slept through the night yesterday and we are hoping this stays true!

Ethan is talking more and more and we are finally starting to understand him (when Noah doesn't translate for us). He also has quite the personality and lately has been mr cuddle bug with Anne (won't let her out of his sights!). He is becoming enamored with watching TV which has caused us to limit his exposure to one show in the morning and one at night. A couple of days of this seems to have helped and he is back to getting into the trash and eating Tums (we called poison control and everything is A okay!).

Noah is charging along in pre-school and is doing great. We are starting to work with him on reading his ABC's and numbers 1-30. I can't believe what kids are expected to know by the time they enter kindergarten! He is also quite the talker (don't know where he got that from:). We had a friend of ours watch the boys the other day and she told us Noah talked the entire 2 hours! He loves to make up stories and when he gets bored in the car he will start making up really funny songs. The other day Anne and I were having a joking argument and Noah said, "guys listen, lets just calm down and talk quietly. Okay? Smiles all around!" What a character. He is also starting to use the computer, to the dismay of both his parents. We have been trying to hold off as long as possible, but then his teacher told us that his skills on the computer were behind the other kids. I felt like telling her, SO WHAT! Whatever. We have at least been allowing him to do educational games, etc.

Valentines Weekend.....A Bit Early!

2010-02-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

Super Bowl weekend was actually Valentines weekend for me and Anne. We were having a difficult time finding any babysitters for the actual Valentines so I decided we could do it a bit early! The boys and I surprised Anne with roses, a really big Valentines balloon (courtesy of Noah:), and of course candy. I also surprised Anne with a weekend away in Grand Lake with the boys staying at my mom's house. We had a great (& relaxing) time and got back just in time to see the Boy Scouts (Noah's reference to the Saints and their flour de lis on their helmets) kick some Colt butt!

I love you Anne!

A night of Baking and Imagination!

2010-01-26T19:17:00.001-07:00

Since Josh was working tonight the boys and I spent some quality time together baking. This consisted of Ethan dumping a jar of coriander that was on the counter, putting the left over flour on his head and both Noah and Ethan eating their fair share of egg-less cookie dough. It was my first time with the recipe and they actually turned out great!( Noah needed them tomorrow for school for an archeology dig- they are learning about Dinosaurs)

After making some cookies the boys played dress-up while I cleaned up the kitchen. They play so well together and spent 30 min going round in circles with their fire engines. Noah just loves to pretend and has quite an imagination. Today in the car he was making up a lullaby to put Ethan to sleep( although he was already sleeping)...I wrote down part of it because it was so cute it went:

I love you so much Ethan. I love you so much.
God loves you and everyone so much.( this was the chorus)

One of the versus went like this:
God died because he loved you so much
he loved everyone so much so they go to heaven.
like Scout went to heaven(grammy's dog)
I love scout
he is lucky to be with god in heaven

It was such a sweet yet funny song. Obviously Catholic school must be paying off. Which makes me think of another Catholic story from church a couple of weeks ago.

Noah was showing Kenna a picture on the front of the hymnal. It was a picture of Jesus holding the eucharist.
Noah said:
Kenna, this is Jesus...he died for us.
This is his blood and his skin:)

What is he learning at school!:)

My Dad

2010-01-24T00:01:00.008-07:00

My dad passed away on January 24, 2005 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Five years later much has changed; we now have two beautiful and awesome sons in Noah and Ethan, we moved to Longmont, Jeremy and Sarah got married and had Caileigh, Jared graduated from college (kinda:), and my mom still is a bit crazy. One thing that hasn't changed is the fact that we all very much miss my father. I think of how much my dad would have loved to see and play with Noah, Ethan, and Caileigh. In fact, he would have adored them more than anything else.

Here is the eulogy that the "Rev" Beau Townsend did at my dad's funeral.

We love and miss you dad!

Joe Atherton 1957-2005

Last June, at Jared’s graduation party, Carl Ribbing and I kept pouring water into Joe’s drink when he wasn’t looking. It took him a while to notice, and we all cracked up when Joe found out.

My favorite story has to do with Joe’s boys. I think any father can sympathize when it comes to attempting to take care of business when your kids go and mess everything up.

At last Joe finally achieved his driver’s license, and this took place upon the birth of Jared. Like a newly issued license, Jared’s life brought years of hope, experience, and pride.

As on any stretch of highway, a driver faces ups and downs. Joe ran low on fuel. Traffic held him down. Joe’s load got heavy.

Joe switched stations, and heard Pam call with excitement, “Come on Scout, come on Butch! Bring me the ball!”

He switched again, and Joe heard Jodie’s voice saying, “Taylor, you are the most beautiful bride in the world.”

On the next channel Joe heard a crowded stadium chanting Cordell’s name.

The music played on and on.

Captain Jeremy Atherton notified the tower for runway clearance.

Jared Atherton confessed, “It feels so good to be done!” at his college graduation.

Aron cracked up as he cruised down the road with his best friends.

Cindy, Mike, and Danny reminisced around a Thanksgiving table.

Finally Joe listened as the family joined all together in one house waiting for his return from the road. It was the greatest sound he’d ever heard.

“It’s been a long time, Joe. We’ve missed you Old Man!”

Joe couldn’t believe it! “Mom?!!! Dad?!!! He gasped!

“Can you give us a lift, Joe?” asked Bob.

His parents climbed in the cab of the truck, and they headed on down the road.

Fran nudged Joe in the side. “I like your family, Joe. You did a great job.”

Cool C-130 Video

2010-01-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that my little brother Jeremy is a Captain in the Air Force and flies the C-130 out of Dyess Air Force Base in Abeline, TX. Lately, Jeremy has been flying humanitarian aid, equipment, etc out of Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina to Haiti for the relief effort from the disastrous earthquake. As of Tuesday he had been down there twice and was tired!

Anyway, part of his training is airdropping anything from pallets of food, weapons, Hummers, etc out of the back of the C-130 while in high altitude! Very cool. Unfortunately (his own words:) they haven't done any airdropping in Haiti, but either way we are very proud of Jeremy and all military!

Here is a cool video of a C-130 airdropping pallets of who knows what:

He is......unique?

2010-01-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

During Christmas my "unique" father-in-law Carl decided he wanted coffee. Problem is neither Anne or I drink coffee and when we pulled out our rarely used coffee maker we couldn't find the coffee pot! Well, Carl decided he REALLY wanted coffee and found a solution: Sauce pan + champagne= great coffee. Wonderful.

Atherton's Got Talent!

2010-01-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Anne captured both Noah and Ethan dancing the night away awhile back. It's obvious that they both have their parents dancing skills!

Ethan's 1st Haircut!

2009-12-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Ethan got his first hair cut (yes, he is 19 months and getting his first haircut:) We were a bit worried that he would get a bit upset, but the little guy did such a great job and got a sucker for all his hard work!

Merry Christmas from the Atherton Family

2009-12-23T10:47:00.001-07:00

December 19, 2009

Dear friends and family,

We hope this holiday season finds you all in good health and spirit. While we can't say much about our economy we can say that our family has had a great year!

Where to start?

Ethan Joshua Atherton, age: 20 months, personality: a bit crazy, 100% boy, and a loving little guy. Ethan has grown from a crawling little baby to a running around the house toddler. He started walking at 9 1/2 months and hasn't stopped since. Ethan adores Noah and commonly refers to him as "brother". Noah and Ethan are always around each other which lends to a very strong bond. They still have those "moments" when disagreements happen, but all in all they love each other very much. Ethan's other favorite thing to do is read books. He could spend an entire afternoon reading books, though you have to make sure the books are relatively short because he will lose interest quickly! Ethan tends to be a bit daring by jumping off furniture and wrestling with his brother. Some say that much like is Uncle Jeremy when he was young.......which my mother says, "serves you right!".

Noah Joseph Atherton, age: 4 1/2, personality: energetic but calm, our cuddlebug, has a memory that puts his parents to shame, wants to be a farmer when he grows up. Noah is a great little boy that loves to play with his tractor and farm toys, loves to run, and run, and run, and loves to play with his little brother Ethan. Noah wants to be a fireman when he grows up (when he isn't running his farm) and got to have his 4th birthday at the new Longmont Fire Department station. Kids had a great time. Noah started pre-school at St Johns Catholic School this fall and loves it. Noah enjoys learning from Mrs Haggquist and is always excited to show us his art projects when he gets home. Anne and I have had the opportunity to volunteer in Noah's class, which has been an awesome experience. It is truly amazing how quickly these kids grow up! Speaking of growing up, Noah measured in at 4 ft tall a couple of weeks ago! To say he is off the growth charts is an understatement.

Anne is amazingly in her 7th year teaching Physical Science and Biology part-time at Longmont High School and enjoys it very much. She is in her 6th year sponsoring Student Council and enjoys planning food drives, dances, school assembly's, and working with students to improve their leadership skills. It is Anne's first year sponsoring Student Council all by herself and it has proved a challenge with her very busy schedule. Anne still somehow finds time to devote herself to our family and continues to be the glue that holds everything together. I truly don't know what I would do without her.

I (Josh) am in my 7th year as an Executive with the Longs Peak Council, Boy Scouts of America. In January, I received a promotion and am now in a supervisory role. With the economy in the tank it has proved difficult to be in the non-profit business. However, with the challenges comes new opportunity and new relationships which has been very exciting. Having two energetic boys has also been very rewarding and fun! Noah was in T-ball this spring and it was fun spending time with him to improve his skills. Sports has always been a focus in our family, and it seems that our little boys are going to love them!

It seems that as our family grows our "free" time has vanished. Hopefully the upcoming new year will provide opportunity to visit all of you more! Please don't hesitate to stop by for a visit. We would love to see you all!

With Love,

Josh, Anne, Noah, and Ethan Atherton

Plant a Tree!

2009-12-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Boy Scout of America has teamed up with the Arbour Day Foundation to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Boy Scouts in 2010.

Everyone can join in the Boy Scouts of America's 100th Anniversary celebration through the purchase of a Boy Scouts Centennial Tree. As part of the 100th Anniversary Generations Connection program, join Scouts all over the country as they plant "living legacies" of Scouting's commitment to supporting youth and their families. For just $20, you can buy a striking 2 - 4'-tall Centennial tree to nurture for generations to come!
For each newly purchased tree, we will plant another tree in the Flathead National Forest where recent wildfires have destroyed native seed sources. As those trees grow, they will shelter hundreds of wildlife species, prevent soil erosion and runoff, and generate oxygen for our environment.

As an incredible bonus, for every 100th Anniversary tree purchased, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant a corresponding tree in the newly created Boy Scouts of America Centennial Forest. The Centennial Forest will aid in re-planting the Flathead National Forest in Montana after recent fires.

To order your tree go to: http://www.arborday.org/partnerships/bsa/

Video:

Combining: Little Boy's Dream Come True

2009-12-01T21:15:00.001-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving week hanging out at the Bartmann farm and spending time with family. For those of you who don't know, the trips to South Dakota is something that Noah thinks about 24/7. He loves the farm and he loves his uncle's Duane, Pat, and Mike. Noah even told Pat that he was going to take the loader off the tractor, drive it to Colorado, hook it up to our house and bring it to South Dakota so we could live on the farm. When we asked him about leaving Grammy he simply replied that she could come too! Of course, his other favorite thing is to see Grandma Bartmann (Ethan started calling her GG) and to eat her yummy bread. Since Noah is allergic to soy and egg he usually doesn't eat bread unless we buy it from the expensive Whole Foods. Luckily, Grandma's bread is all natural and doesn' t contain soy! I was fortunate enough to get the recipe from Barb and will soon try my hand at bread making.

The uncles were a bit behind on combining corn due to a wet fall which turned out to be our gain! Noah was totally in his element and wanted to spend every waking minute combining with his uncles. Ethan in turn wanted to be everywhere his big brother was, so.....Anne was able to convince Duane that it wouldn't be too cramped in the combine. What happened? Ethan fell asleep in the first 5 minutes of combining:)

A big THANK YOU goes out to Duane, Pat, and Mike for allowing us to bother them at work and let a little boy live out his dream of being a farmer. We also like to thank Grandma and the rest of the Bartmann's for giving us a awesome vacation. We love you all!

Side note: When we got back home to Colorado Noah immediately went to his combine and tractor set and spent the next couple of hours playing farm. He also pretended to break down, something his uncles did a lot of while we were there :)

Here are some pictures of our trip.

Noah and the combine

Noah in front of the Ken Worth semi truck. He said the ride was "AWESOME!" He called it the Grandpa Joe truck.

Noah and Pooopy Pooopy Uncle Pat (inside joke;)

Noah and Uncle Duane in the combine

Ethan 18 month Check Up

2009-11-13T00:20:00.003-07:00

Ethan had his 18 month check up today and all is well and good! He weighed in at 34 lbs 5oz and is 35.5in tall. He is in the 99th % for height, 105th % for weight, and 100th % for head size. He got four shots today including a cocktail shot that included tetnis (and others), along with chicken pox, flu (normal), and H1N1. Poor little guy's leg hurt so bad that he couldn't walk later! Nothing Motrin can't fix.

The doctor told us that Ethan is a very normal boy with all the energy and spunk you would expect from a almost 2 yr old boy. He is very energetic and a bit of a wild man. It is amazing to see such different personalities from our sons but cool how they work with our little family.

To say that Ethan and Noah are the center of our world would be an understatement! Ethan completely adores Noah and commonly calls him "broder", even when we ask him to say Noah he still says "broder". He always gets upset when Noah heads out for preschool and gets excited when he comes home. Noah loves the role of older brother and is always looking out for whats best for his little brother.....even if it means telling mommy and daddy when he is doing something bad:) Noah is always surprising us with his compassion for his little brother just by the mere kiss on the head when Ethan is crying or letting him play with one of his coveted tractors. Of course Noah and Ethan still act like brothers and have their little skirmishes for toys or their parents undivided attention, but all in all they love being in each others presence.

Ethan and Noah, Oct Blizzard

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Atherton family had a great halloween this year and Buzz and Woody truly enjoyed all the festivities. We joined Marcy and Kenna at the Trick or Treat street at the Children's Museum Friday. Then on Saturday, Mom and Dad brought Kenna and we all walked in the Longmont Halloween Parade with the Haley's. Noah loved this and rode on the back of the stroller waving to everyone. We then came back to our house to make some yummy Halooween treats(not that we needed anymore sugar) with Kenna, Marcy and Zach. Later that night the Townesends, Ribbings, Smiths and Athertons all got together at our house for some Chili before going out and Trick or Treating. Here are some pictures from the night:

Ethan, Noah, Cana, Emmaus, Kenna, Natalie

Pam showing us the thriller dance :)

All the kids Trick or Treating

Even Ethan loved this part saying" tic o teat" and then "tant to"(Thank-you)

Pumkinfesting in Longmont

2009-10-21T17:47:00.000-06:00

We spent some time with the St. John Catholic Preschool kids (Noah's class) at the pumpkin farm/patch. We had a great time and even learned a little about farming, though Noah announced to the class that he knows all there is to know about farming:) A week later we went to Anderson Farms on a family date with Marcy, Zach, and Makenna for another round of pumpkin-patching. Seems like our boys are no longer little, yes even "little" Ethan is growing! Can't wait for Halloween when we will post costume pictures!

SHS 10 Yr Reunion

2009-10-18T23:03:00.000-06:00

Anne and I spent last night hanging out with all of our old friends from Skyline High Class of 99 at the Dickens in Longmont. It was a bit weird seeing faces that are all grown up and (somewhat:) mature! Completely blows me away to think that ten years ago we all we heading out in the unknown and now to have the opportunity to see everyone. I wanted to thank my good friend Ryan Stromquist for allowing me to do my part and help....nudge.....blackmail him into planning this party. I also wanted to thank all of you who showed up and made a great party out of it. The crazy thing? I spent nearly all my time talking to people that I really didn't talk to in high school! How cool is that? Hopefully it was because I have matured but I also like to think that some us simply look forward to taking a break from our crazy, hectic lives to have some "adult" time and just relax and enjoy the positive energy. Some of us exchanged phone numbers and I hope that we can keep in contact, but I also know that our crazy, hectic lives will once again take control of us and time will slip away until we are right back at planning a 20 year reunion. Hopefully the huge success of this reunion will make us plan at bit better instead of waiting until the last second.

Cheers,
Josh

Time in Rocky

2009-09-29T10:53:00.000-06:00

We spent some time up in Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday enjoying the awesome fall colors of the aspen trees and watching the Elk bugle. Noah and Ethan were intrigued and excited to watch the Elk and we upset when we had to leave. Luckily we had a picnic not far from where the Elk were and every few minutes we could hear the the bull Elk followed by Noah and Ethan's somewhat perfect rendition of the bugle. The weather was cool but perfect and the crowds were light because of it being a Monday. This is the reason why we love Colorado so much!

Our Little Prince

2009-09-26T08:46:00.003-06:00

These pictures are a little past due. But in the beginning of September Noah had the opportunity to be the prince for LHS's Homecoming. Duties included, preceding the senior royalty at the assembly(Noah walked down the gym with the princess in front of over 1,000 people), riding with the King and Queen in the convertible in the parade(this was Noah's high light- he loved passing out candy and was very vigilant that everyone got a piece) and then finally walking with the King and Queen at the halftime show. Noah had a blast and looked so handsome and grown up in his tuxedo. The little princess was Doug( the head football coach) and Angie Johnson's daughter, Jordan(age 3). Although she is considerably smaller than Noah, she is just eight months younger than he is. Conor and Julie are with Noah at the game, they are the Student body president and VP, they are my right-hand people at school and they are so wonderful to Noah!

Lookin for Heat

2009-09-22T10:55:00.001-06:00

Don't know if any of you have noticed the weather we have had here in Colorado as of late. Yesterday we had a high of 57 degrees with a low of 39 degrees last night! Winter Park received over 3 inches of snow yesterday! As much as I wanted to hold off turning on our furnace I was finally forced to lite it up this morning after we woke up and found our house at a cold 58 degrees. Personally, I would have just thrown on a sweatshirt and called it good, but my 1 1/2 year old and 4 year old were shivering when they woke up (not a good sign). I might have ignored their pleading faces but I'm smart enough to know when I have lost a battle when I get that ever so encouraging (I'm being nice) look from my wife. So much for making it to November without turning on the furnace!

On the positive side I saw the 7 day forecast and it looks like we will be back in the high 70's by the weekend. Never a dull moment weather wise here in beautiful Colorado!

Longmont High Class of 99 Reunion

2009-09-20T00:19:00.003-06:00

LONGMONT HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1999

Longmont High School class of 99 had their 10 yr reunion last night and a picnic today to celebrate the anniversary of graduation. Anne was one of the organizers and spent a ton of time getting things together. Last night we all met up at the Oskar Blues Restaurant for some appitizers and good drink. We had a great time seeing all of our old friends, many of whom we haven't seen since we graduated. Most of you know that I graduated from cross town rival Skyline, so it was a bit weird hanging out with the "other" crowd:) Luckily I was good friends with most of Anne's friends so it was very natural for all of us to be together again. Today we had a family picnic over at Sandstone Ranch Park in Longmont. Everyone brought their children (too many to count!). It is amazing how much 10 years can change people but it is also amazing how quickly people reconnect with those old friends. Can't wait for the 20 year reunion.

Side note: Skyline's 10 year reunion is October 17th and yours truly is also one of the main organizers. How do Anne and I get sucked into these crazy events!

Anne, Lindsay Stortz Cashen, & Lindsay Sell

Boys Update

2009-09-18T10:10:00.002-06:00

Now that our camera is back in action we can post pictures! It seems these days that our little Noah is no longer little. He is 52 lbs and getting really tall at 43 inches tall.He is loving every bit of preschool, though when we ask him what he did he simply says, "We played and had fun!" He is an easy going boy but very, very active. Running around and riding his bike are two of his favorite activities! He is always reminding mommy and daddy to do things, such as buckle his seat belt (oops, thank God for Noah!), feed the fish, making sure mommy didn't leave her phone somewhere (very helpful:), and telling daddy to mow the lawn. What can I say, he's the first born!

Ethan is our crazy boy. He is now 32 lbs (3 lbs behind Makenna who is nearly 4 years old). He is very mischievous and doesn't hesitate to let us know when he needs something or is mad. Though is temper can be large, he has a big heart. Ethan loves to cuddle up to Noah when mom or dad are reading books and loves to follow around big brother. He is now talking and calls Noah "broda", says "lov ya", "dank yu", "hiii", "bye bye", "elcome" (welcome), among other words. Lately he like to grawl with his scary face (see him in his bath towel below). None of us seem to keep up with him, though keeping up with a 16 month old is usually a lost cause anyways.

I can't believe that just happened!

2009-09-13T17:32:00.003-06:00

Most of you know that I am a diehard Denver Broncos fan. I remember the early years of those 3 super bowls were we killed by the Giants, Redskins, and Forty Niners. I also have great memories of the late 90's when Elway and cast won 2 consecutive super bowls.

We all know the Denver Broncos probably won't be very good this year. They fired Mike Shanahan, hired an inexperienced coach, and traded away all pro (crybaby) Jay Cutler. However, I will still root on my hometown football team no matter what the record!

The Broncos played the Cincinnati Bangels today and to say the offense stunk would be an understatement. Defense player rather well. Denver let 6-0 until the Bengals scored a touchdown with only about 38 seconds left in the game with the score now being 6-7 Bengals.

With only 28 seconds left, on their own 13 yard line, and 2nd and 10, the next play was, well, unbelievable.

This is a fine example of why sports can be such a fantastic outlet (both positive and negative), especially when you know that the odds of your team reaching the super bowel are about as good as Brett Favre permanently retiring.

Here's the play:

New Family Member

2009-09-11T14:42:00.003-06:00

For the last year we have been dealing with a family member that was near death. This family member has an important role but had lost it's ability to control it's bowels and constantly dumped water all over our floor. We finally drew the line in the sand and said, enough is enough.

So, on Tuesday Anne and I went shopping to find a replacement for this dear old family member. We found lots of contenders, most way out of our price range. Finally, on Wednesday, we found a suitable replacement that had been marked 50% off!

The result? We got an Kenmore Elite Fridge that ranked in the top 2 on Consumer Reports "Best Buys", with an added bonus of being a top 5 Energy Star rated appliances. This fridge will literally pay for its self in a matter of 5 years when you compare the energy consumption vs our old, 11 year old clunker.

Out with the old, in the with the new. We wish you adieu old friend!

Camera Broke

2009-09-02T10:56:00.000-06:00

I'm bummed. Our nearly 1 year old camera broke and was sent via UPS to get worked on. Plus, to make matters worse is I have no time to blog! I promise we will get some new stuff out in the next few days.

Hope all is well.

Josh

Noah's 1st Day of Preschool

2009-08-24T20:59:00.005-06:00

Noah had his first day today at St John the Baptist preschool. He just LOVED IT! No tears...all fun! Here is before the school day.....

Here is the recap of the day before bed time. The important things he remembers: making new friends, standing in line and recess:)

Days like these make you realize how fast my kiddos are growing up!

Taking a Risk!

2009-08-20T21:59:00.004-06:00

Anne and Josh in front of Longs Peak

Anne invited me up to the mountains for the weekend to help chaperon for her yearly Longmont High Student Council retreat. While we were there we had the opportunity to try our heights climbing the high ropes course. It was waaaay harder than it looked and much higher! Anne decided not to go until all 30 of her students started chanting, "A-T-H-E-R-T-O-N, A-T-H-E-R-T-O-N." So, she reluctantly decided to go and did a great job. She even jumped for the free bar at the end!

We had a ton of fun hanging out with the high school kids!

Here is a video of me trying (very badly) to hook my legs on the free bar. Didn't quite make it:)

Grand Lake 2009

2009-08-12T12:06:00.006-06:00

The Ribbing family went up to Grand Lake for the weekend for a quick vacation. We rented a very cool house and spent time on the pontoon boat, playing cards, watching movies, walking main street, and playing at the beach in the very cold water. It was a great time and very relaxing to hang out with the family.

For more pictures go to http://picasaweb.google.com/jratherton/GrandLake2009?feat=directlink

"Pat Splat"

2009-08-10T15:08:00.001-06:00

I am totally copying this video from our cousin Joe Bartmann's blog but it was soooooooo very much funny that I wanted to share it with all of our friends, family, and the world;). This is Anne's Uncle Pat trying to "ski" in the Black Hills.

Thanks Joe for the awesome video!

Where has summer gone?

2009-07-29T10:18:00.005-06:00

Teton Mountains

I can't believe that the summer is winding down. In just over 2 weeks Anne has to report back to work with Noah following soon after to his first day at preschool at St. Johns Catholic School. Why can't we just rewind right back to early June when we were all getting ready for summer? Though, unlike most people I really, really, really, enjoy winter. I love not being hot, something that my little brother Jeremy would probably laugh at since it is currently 114 degrees in Kuwait!

Here's a toast to summer.....Thank you for your very weird and unpredictable weather so far, thank you for providing us a very scary drive home from South Dakota with the worst thunderstorm I have ever seen, thank you for all the sunny days for Noah and Ethan to enjoy the countless days at the pool, thank you for making my black car so hot that it nearly boiled my jug of drinking water, and last but not least, thank you for not drying out my lawn and causing my crazy neighbor to complain about it.

I know, summer doesn't technically end until September, but for most of us it ends when the kidos (and teachers) head back to school. If we could buy summer days Anne would literally take out a mortgage!

God is Great......

2009-07-23T11:22:00.002-06:00

Today, Anne called me and said that while in the grocery store her and the boys passed some old people in the isle and Noah started singing, "God is great, beer is good, people are crazyyyyy." Anne said that she was at first excited because she thought that Noah was singing one of his bible school songs (God is great...) but then she realized what he was singing and suddenly became embarrassed and hurriedly walked away.

Love it!

Aunties Birthday Surprise

2009-07-23T11:01:00.004-06:00

First and foremost, Aunty Nancy had a good ole' time at her 50th birthday party on July 11th complete with a 2nd round of toilet paper in the trees. Okay, I know she is really, really mad at me but please know that I, Josh Atherton, wasn't the only culprit! Secondly, your husband did taunt me and my fellow culprits by saying the 1st go around wasn't worthy and when he did it (way back when) he did it full steam without mercy. Since Nancy is heading down south in September I am on the lookout and will have my doors locked. Though, in the spirit of fun I will gladly let whatever happens, happens. I also wanted to thank my "older" cousins who are truly showing their age by not helping out (with one exception, but we won't go there). A new generation of Bartmans have picked up where the older generation left off!

Happy Birthday Nanners!

Photo credit courtesy of Joe Bartmann

Getting Lazy!

2009-07-23T10:47:00.004-06:00

Okay, I know I have been bad this summer about our blog. It just seems that we run out of time nearly every day and I just want to crash and sleep rather than blog! So, I've decided to do better.

Here is the latest:

Noah is busy doing t-ball practice and swim lessons two times a week. I thought that he might get burned out but he has pleasently suprised me with his energy and willingness to try new things (something we had an issue with earlier in life). He is growing so much that he looks like a 6 yr old. Right now he is sporting road rash on his nose and chin thanks to his 6 yr old body and 4 yr old gracefulness.

Ethan is now 14 months and well, just crazy Ethan. He has the inability to be frightened.....trust me he tries to jump off of everything and then climb right back up. His personality continues to grow, though we have found out that he has inherited the Bartmann/Ribbing temper (atherton's lack a temper:). He started walking at 10 1/2 months and has never stopped. He is talking more and more and loves to hang out with his grandparents. Pat and Duane also found out that Ethan is a big fan of the farm, just like his older brother. He was only happy and content if he was watching the cows or riding tractors. Lastly, he adores his brother, though he doesn't always show it. He wants to go everywhere Noah goes and tries to play with every Noah toy possible.

We can't believe July is nearly over and school will be starting soon (to the dismay of one Anne Atherton). I can't wait for snow!

Day Camp

2009-07-15T21:03:00.000-06:00

Anne, Ethan, and Noah all stopped by the Cub Scout Day Camp I was running a few weeks ago. We had over 400 cub scouts attend and was a huge success! We had the Colorado National Guard, Colorado State Police, Longmont Fire and Police, Boulder County Sherriff, etc all show up to show kids what they do. To top it all off we had a Black Hawk helicopter land at the camp! The kids loved it!

South Dakota Summer 2009

2009-07-13T20:05:00.006-06:00

We spent the past week in South Dakota with family and friends while on vacation. Noah and Ethan spent a majority of time looking at the cattle and riding tractors (couldn't get enough). Anne was able to spend lots of time with her cousin/twin Sarah and I got to "play" farmer:) We went out on Pat's boat and did some tubing and just enjoyed the great weather. On Saturday we went to Sports Days in Canistota where Noah competed in a tractor pull against other 4 year olds. He did a great job and came in with 2nd place! He got a trophy, ribbon, and shirt for his accomplishments (we were so proud!). Later that day we celebrated Anne's Aunt Nancy's 50th Birthday (very good food!) and got to hang out with the entire Bartmann clan. We had a great time and want to thank all of you who made our trip special! We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Noah's favorite tractor!

What a ham:)

Go Noah Go!

So Proud!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-07-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Today is my mom's (some refer to her as Pam:) Birthday. Happy Birthday! Anne and I are so lucky to have my mom in our lives. She is a wonderful supporter of the two of us and a great Grammy. Mom, we wish you all the love in the world and hope the next year is as great as the last.

Love you lots,

Josh, Anne, Noah, Ethan
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Some nice pictures of my mom!

Chubby Bunny!

Mom and Steve. Nice Hair!

Big Day at the Lake

2009-06-28T00:31:00.010-06:00

A good friend and colleague Barb Payne invited the Atherton's to go fishing at their private lake (since I haven't had any luck helping Noah catch his first fish!). We had a ton of fun and right before we left we decided to try one more time for a fish. Paul, Barb's brother recommended putting the fresh cut Walleye that Tyler caught earlier in the day on the hook just as the sun was setting. No lie, the line was in the water around 20 seconds when the pole nearly jumped off the dock! After a couple of minutes of wrestling the line, Noah and I (Noah did a really good job helping) were able to haul in a huge, 8 or 9 lbs Hybrid Wiper Bass! After taking pictures and being amazed at our catch we put the line back in and only a couple minutes later caught another Wiper Bass weighing in at 5lbs! Neither Noah nor I could believe our luck.

All in all we had a great day with the Payne and Fjeld families and finally landing Noah's first fish of his life!

This was the big daddy and first we caught! Notice Paul in the background loading the line up with some more Walleye (secret bate!)

Proud daddy!

The family! Notice how Noah and Ethan are starring at the fish!

Awesome Colorado sunset taken by Barb

Noah's new Bike

2009-06-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Noah got a surprise from Grammy Pammy for his 4th Birthday.....A New Cars Bicycle! Noah has been bugging us for the past couple of months for a big boy bike and he finally got his wish. Since Sunday he has rode it many times and is zumming up and down our street. Anne took him to the park today and all he wanted to do was ride his new bike. Good present Grammy!

Noah riding his bike:

Happy 4th Birthday Noah!

2009-06-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

Today is Noah's official 4th Birthday! On Sunday, all of Noah's friends and family met over at Longmont's brand new firestation #1 were my good friend and firefighter Jason Allison gave a special tour of the building and trucks. Noah was a bit gun shy at first but quickly warmed up to all the firefighters. He even got to try on a real fire helmet and sit in the drivers seat of the ladder truck! We all then went back to the Atherton house for cake and icecream. Thank you to firefighters Jason, Molly, and Billy! Thank you to all of you who attended and made Noah's 4th birthday special!

For more pictures of Noah's 4th Birthday go to http://picasaweb.google.com/jratherton/Noah4thBirthday?feat=directlink

The firefighter cake Anne and my mom made:

My shy 4 year old:)

Noah and Jason

Vacation Bible School

2009-06-20T07:42:00.005-06:00

Noah attended St. John's Vacation Bible School, which actually served as a warm-up to him attending preschool there in the fall. We had a little bit of separation anxiety going on the first day, but Noah is a trooper and got through his initial fears. By the last day they had a program that featured Noah playing the air guitar in front of the entire audience. Classic.

Here is Noah ready for school!

Happy Birthday Mary!

2009-06-18T13:54:00.003-06:00

Today is Mary's (Anne's mom) Birthday! We are so lucky to have Mary in our lives and if any of you know the relationship Mary has with her grandchildren it is something very special.

Happy birthday Mary!

Ooops! My Mistake

2009-06-10T13:06:00.003-06:00

Soooo, a few weeks ago I told Anne that I would take full charge of Noah's birthday party (at least the planning part:). I called up my good friend Jason, who happens to be a Longmont Firefighter, and set up a full tour of Longmont's newest firestation for the party (Noah decided on the firefighter theme). The plan was to do a tour of the station and head to our house for cake and ice cream. I even sent out an evite for RSVP's. I was feeling pretty proud that I was able to get all of these simple tasks done, then....

One problem.........

I scheduled the party on FATHERS DAY! Ugggh!

The bad thing is neither Anne nor I realized my mistake until a couple of days ago! Oh well. Nice try.

After much discussion we are still going to have the party and hope it doesn't ruin fathers Day for everyone. For me? Hanging out with my boys is all I need for my fathers Day.

Yellowstone

2009-06-06T09:11:00.005-06:00

We spent 5 days at the beautiful Yellowstone National Park and had a great time! Unfortunately, Anne and Noah had the stomach flu which put a damper on the vacation. Luckily, they both rebounded and we got home safe! Animals we saw were: Bison (lots and lots), wolf, deer, elk, black bear, moose, and mountain goats (with a baby!). It rained the last two days, but our rented pop-up tent trailer did a pretty good job protecting us (except for a few minor glitches:) Overall it was all great!

For all of our Yellowstone pictures click on the picture below:

Yellowstone 2009

Atherton's in front of the awesome Teton mountain range

Uncle Jared and Ethan near the sulfur springs

Ryan Uran's Wedding

2009-05-27T10:07:00.004-06:00

This past Saturday I was a groomsman in my good friend and college roomate Ryan Uran's wedding to Kim Carter. It was held at the Botanic Gardens in Denver and the reception was at the University of Denver (very good location and food!). We had a great time hanging out with all of our friends and are so happy for Ryan and Kim. We then all went to Martini Ranch in downtown Denver and met up with my brother Jeremy and sister-in-law Sarah who were both in town for a wedding as well. We had a great time! Congrats Ryan and Kim!

Ethan B-Day Pictures and Video

2009-05-21T23:38:00.003-06:00

Work has me running around with my head cut off, but alas, I was finally able to post a blog! Here are the pictures and video from Ethan's 1st Birthday Party. Thank you to all who were able to attend! Make sure to check out the rest of the photos and the video below!

Anne and Grammy Pammy's Cakes!

Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jratherton/Ethan1stBDay?feat=directlink

Video:

Happy 1st Birthday Ethan!

2009-05-11T21:43:00.007-06:00

Happy Birthday to our little man Ethan! Ethan turned 1 year old on Saturday and we celebrated by eating some homemade apple sauce banana bread (non-egg and soy) complete with a candle. We then drove up to Greeley to join my little brother Jared at his graduation ceremony from the University of Northern Colorado. We capped the day off hanging out with friends and family at Jared's graduation party. All and all we had a great day!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Love,
Mom, Dad, and Noah

P.S. Yes, that is a match on Ethan's banana bread....we forgot to get candles! He didn't notice;)

Ethan, Day 2:

Ethan, Day 365!

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T07:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Mothers Day to all of you mothers out there! The boys and I are sooooo lucky to have such a great mom in Anne! She is truly such an amazing mom to Ethan and Noah. We started our mothers day off with me and the boys cooking Anne some awesome waffles complete with fresh fruit, eggs, and orange juice. We then went to church with the Ribbing clan and spent time playing cards and hanging out. We then went over to Grammy Pammy's and spent quality time with her and Steve. A very relaxing day all and all.