Indoor Games

On a rainy day a couple of weeks ago. Click here for more of these pics...

Happy May Day

May 1st brought us some surprises! A mysterious basket on our front porch!


Ethan loved the ring pop and bubbles, and mommy and daddy loved the chocolates!

The day also brought some fantastic hiking at Starved Rock. Click here for more pics on Facebook.

mmmm....corn

The first corn of the season for the Snyder family. And the first time for Kate to have it on the cobb!

Vicky is Agnes of God

Just before Thanksgiving of last year, I took an acting workshop that culminated in a showcase performance of several scenes from contemporary plays and films. My acting coach assigned me and my partner a scene from Agnes of God. Here is a recording of that showcase. You can find a synopsis and more info on the play at wikipedia .

This is part 1, the opening monologue of Dr. Livingstone in what was scene 4 from the play, I think. (or you can click here)



Here is part 2, where Agnes (my character) and Dr. Livingstone meet. Agnes' mental stability after "the incident" is in question throughout the whole play. It was interesting trying to decide for myself whether or not Agnes was a loony, or just misunderstood. (click here to see part 2)

Ethan's 4th b-day party

Finally...a little playdate for my little guy. As you may remember we had to cancel his celebration last week because he was sick. Here he is with his best buds today at our local McDonalds.

Here is the "baby table"

And the birthday "cake"

18 Months

Some new developmental milestones for Kate:
She has learned to say "no"
She jumps with two feet off the ground
She can give you a high five!

Words she can say: bye bye, hi, mama, dada, all done, more, car, apple, banana (she says, manna) no, outside, shoe, uhoh, up, eat, pray (she says "pay"), mine, baby, night night. She is starting to repeat words that she hears, especially if we take the time while reading out loud to her. We are working on the alphabet!

She also understands a lot of words, even though she doesn't say them yet. We can give her simple commands that she follows. She can bring something to you, put something back, clean up, sit down. She also understands taking shoes off (though she still has trouble actually pulling the shoes off her feet).

As you can see from this picture, I've started to try to do stuff with her hair. We haven't gotten it cut yet, but it's definitely getting unruly! I think the pigtails are a riot. When I first put them in, Ethan saw them and said, "Wow...It's like a fountain! A hair fountain!" I'd say he got it spot on!

Her 18-month appointment showed that she is 24 lbs and 33 inches tall. This puts her in the 45% for weight, and 85% for height. She is actually a bit above average with her 20 word count. It's normal for most kids her age to have 6 - 12 words.


Kate continues to delight us with her smile, her giggles, and her intelligence. One personality trait I already see is her ability to figure things out. She is not discouraged by a challenge, and she will work hard to overcome it (whether it be a puzzle, climbing a chair, putting a toy together). Ethan, on the other hand, is still very impatient when something does not work the first moment he tries it!

Easter True Testimonies

We know God performed miracles, we read about them in the bible. But does God perform real-life miracles, even today?

Easter service at Eastview Christian Church featured dozens of real life members sharing their real life miracles, changed-by-God testimonies. I was glad I had tissues in my purse. Watch below, or click here.

Ethan's 4th b-day video

Here is a video from Ethan's birthday. Can't wait till we get to celebrate with his friends!

Birthday Boys

The month of March is when I celebrate the two special guys in my life. David and Ethan! It's been a very busy month for us with lots of travel. David's birthday weekend brought us to Michigan for a wedding, and Ethan's special day was interrupted by sickness! Our celebrations have been low-key--a favorite meal, a favorite sweet treat and a few presents. I have to admit, I feel guilty that both these celebrations were not the big "to-do's" that we've tried in years past.

Ethan has had a high fever for the past 3 days, so we had to cancel his birthday play date. Today, he is much better and was able to enjoy some birthday fun. Hopefully we can have his party next week!


You might be wondering about the donuts. Ethan doesn't like cake! So we thought we'd improvise. Sugared donuts are his favorite.

Hearts at Home 2010

It's hard to describe what you experience at a Hearts at Home Conference. Not only is there a lot of laughter and fun just being with other moms who understand the ups and downs of motherhood, but there is also so much learning and healing. I have to say that during Friday night's worship with Christy Nockels, it felt like the floodgates of my heart just opened. I didn't realize how much I had been holding on to everything around me, just trying to keep life all together, that my heart had hardened against others and my Lord.


How freeing to release it all to Him. How freeing to know how much He loves me. It's like I had forgotten.

To cement this truth, Jill Savage gave the morning keynote speech at the end of which she shared with us the truth of who we are in Christ.

You are secure and significant in Christ.

I am God’s child.
John 1:12


I am Christ’s friend.
John 15:15


I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.
I Corinthians 6:19,20


I am united with the Lord.
I Corinthians 6:17


I am a saint.
Ephesians 1:1


I have been adopted as God’s child.
Ephesians 1:5


I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:18


I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 1:14


I am complete in Christ.
Colossians 2:10


I am forever free from condemnation.
Romans 8:1,2


I am assured that all things work together for good.
Romans 8:28


I cannot be separated from the love of God.
Romans 8:35


I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected.
Philippians 1:6


I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7


I am God’s workmanship.
Ephesians 2:10


I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13




My friend Liz came down from Chicago to attend the conference. It was awesome spending the day with her, catching up on life. Great girlfriend time...

Happy Birthday, Asher!

I just had to post pictures of this fun birthday cake! Asher loves knights and soldiers, so his mommy made him a medieval, castle type cake, reminiscent of the sand castles they probably built while on vacation a couple of weeks ago!

The celebration was at our local McD's with a playland, so the kids had plenty of running around and climbing to do. After their happy meals we finished the playdate with cake and ice cream. Fun!!!

Spring Break 2010

We've just come back from a last minute getaway to the Wisconsin Dells. We stayed at the Grand Marquis Hotel, which is one of several hotels with indoor water parks specifically for children under 10. We had a great time and definitely recommend it to families with small kids.

Click on the album below to see pics from our trip. Or you can click here

Spring Break 2010

One of the highlights of the trip was dinner at Buffalo Phil's. We were seated next to a working model train and railroad, which brought out our drinks and food!

15 Months

I have not been very good about updating my blog, have I? Sorry! A little info about Kate. SHE IS A PISTOL. Very vocal, shows it when she's mad and even hits things in frustration. I imagine she will be quite strong-willed. Mommy and Daddy, buckle your seat belts!

At the doctor's appointment she was 24 lbs and 31 inches tall. That puts her in the 70th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. David was so happy to find that she had grown some! She wants her to be tall so that boys don't date her. HA! Can you believe that?

As you can see from previous posts, she loves to dance. This is one of the most fun ages right now. She's fun, but still small enough to physically control if she decides to pitch a fit. Ethan, on the other hand, is quite the little man now. You should have seen me trying to hold him down to get his flu shot this year. Me and the nurse were wrangling a bull!

Kate also has almost a full mouth of teeth, I think. She's missing a premolar or two, but that's about it. She has just a few words: mama, dada, night night, bye bye, uh oh. She has said "wow" "ruff ruff" and what sounds like "dog" and "all done". So strange to think that Ethan at her age had about 15 words already. But then again, he was JUST learning to walk. She's been walking since 11 months now!

She has also officially dropped her morning nap, which allows me to get out more. But this terrible winter weather is still keeping us indoors. Luckily, she and Ethan play fairly well together, though there are time when I have to step in and do some conflict resolution.

All for now. Time to go "night night".

Club Snyder

Our dance party in the living room

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRRtD1z7yTw

Family Portraits

Our Fall Photo Shoot. Sorry so late!

http://clcmphotography.smugmug.com/Portraits/Families/Vicky-David-Family/10575743_gr8Er/1/734826190_8x2TC

First Snow

Our first real snow! Enough to go sledding that is. Last night we were all bundled up and ready to go to one of the local sledding hot spots when we noticed our driveway had a slight incline. Hmm. Let's try that instead. It turned out to be just right!

Here's some video footage . I used the "night vision" setting on the camcorder at first, which resulted in some freaky looking faces! Then I discovered that our camcorder has a little light you can turn on. Perfect for nighttime filming!

A repost from last Christmas

An old favorite...Enjoy!

Last night, David and I watched our friends' kids, Coooper and Courtney. Needless to say all four kids had a great time. Take a look:

She Can Dance

Ethan's favorite toy is Thomas the Tank Engine. Kate's favorite song must be the Thomas theme because everytime she hears it she dances!

Philippines 2009

It's been two days since I got back from my week long trip to the Philippines. I'll write about the trip soon. In the meantime, here are some pics for you to look at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129527&id=610621963&l=355e5b0b04