Ethan's Pre-K Fall Program

Ethan's school hosted a family cookout with a little program to close. Each of the three classes prepared a song that they performed.

I never thought little kids could be so cute and tug at my heart strings so much! Here's Ethan with his class singing "The Butterfly Song" If you get my updates via email you'll need to go directly to my blog to view the video. http://snyderfamilynews.blogspot.com/

Fall Fun

Today was our first time at the "new and improved" Rader Family Farms. When I heard they were charging an admission fee this year I was REALLY upset! Moms are always looking for great places to take their kids for free, and for many years this was a family fall staple! We were not disappointed, and to be honest, the $5/person is well worth it (and it's only $3/person during the week! Kids 2 and under free).

This little piggy went to market... ha ha ha! I thought these piglets were the cutest thing!

The highlight of the morning was the jumping pillow. Ethan and Kate loved it.



I loved it, too. To be honest, I'm seriously considering quitting the gym and buying a season pass to the farm, just so I can jump to my heart's content!

David got some serious height! He looks like he's standing on the roof of this barn in this picture!

Woohoo!

We ended the morning with some snacks and pumpkin picking, of course.


We'll definitely be back soon! For more info on the farm, go to http://www.raderfamilyfarms.com/ .

First Day of School

Today Ethan began his first day of Pre-K. He'll be going three mornings a week. This is the same school he attended during the summer, so it was all very familiar to him. In fact, he was pretty excited.

This is what his mornings will look like this year...

This was also the first day of school for Kate. She'll be going to a program called "Mornings Out for Moms" twice a week at one of the churches here in town. She was NOT very happy! As you can see, this was the only picture I was able to take of her this morning.

By the time I picked her up, her teachers said she did really well and had a great time. Phew! No mommy likes to see those tears!

Another Year Older

Now that I'm in my thirties it seems like one birthday blends into the next! When people ask me how old I am I need to take a minute to think about it :) That doesn't mean that our celebrations aren't any less special.


This year we had dinner out with lots of friends and birthday cake at home with the kids. And David remembered how much I love colorful flowers. What a nice surprise on my special day.

Here are some pics from the birthday dinner, which was at my favorite restaurant in town, Rosies. Click here, or go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=204228&id=610621963&l=59ef7ac080

NJ Shore Vacation 2010

As many of you know, every summer we try to take a little family beach vacation. It's usually to South Haven, MI, but this year we decided to be a bit more adventurous! We decided to embark on a 16 hour road trip to Ocean Grove, NJ to visit my brother and his family for a week.

Some of the highlights are below. Click here to see the full album

Our Little Artist

Kate has discovered sidewalk chalk. She can sit for long periods of time out on the back patio scribbling little designs. I've often found her lying flat on the floor as she draws, as if needing to get down really close to her "art". Here is a picture of one of her recent creations. I kinda like it :)



Her love for coloring doesn't end outside, though. She loves her crayons and coloring books! I love it, too, since it's one of the only times I can get her to sit still :)

Indianapolis

As an end of the school year celebration, the Snyders took a short overnight trip to Indianapolis to check out their Childrens Museum and Zoo. We had always heard so much about it, and now was our chance to go. We were not disappointed!

We left late morning, and after lunching in the van arrived at the Childrens Museum just two hours before closing time. It gave us just enough time to see everything except one or two exhibits that Ethan wouldn't have enjoyed anyway. The dinosaur exhibit is definitely a highlight! Unfortunately, Ethan was pretty frightened of these large, lifelike displays that we had to race through the exhibit. So...no photos :( But he loved the train exhibit and the "Playscape" especially, which was basically one large room of all these hands on exhibits. Water, sand, slides, ride on toys, stuff to climb. He and Kate had a blast. It was planned perfectly, really. We arrived late enough to miss all the school crowds, but early enough to see just about all the exhibits. On our way out, the kids noticed this light display which had them (and us) rolling on the ground in laughter.



The next day we went to the Indianapolis Zoo. I haven't enjoyed a visit to the zoo this much in years! We had perfect weather, and the zoo wasn't so huge that I felt I was walking miles and miles just to see the next exhibit. One of the highlights for all of us was taking the train ride around the zoo.


It was to get off our feet, feel a cool breeze and snuggle up close to our kids :)


It was a great little trip! For more pics, click here or go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172271&id=610621963&l=b232e55509

BBQ-ing

The cloudy and rainy forecast did not stop our bible study group from getting together for some burgers and dawgs! Here is our small group, minus a few people. We are greatly looking forward to the day when our friend, Becky, comes home from Iowa where she is recovering from a lung transplant. She has been fighting cystic fibrosis her whole life, and we are praying that these new lungs will be like new life!


The kids...



Our monthly socials are one of our favorite monthly events. We potluck, usually doing some sort of theme, and just talk! This month was a special family event where all the kids came, too. What chaos! We love it...

For you, Mom

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A Very Happy Mothers Day

A wonderful day off! For Mothers Day I requested absolutely no cleaning up! It was lovely...


This morning I woke up to flowers and cards from the kids. Then after church we stopped off at my favorite local bakery for an assortment of croissants.

From Medici Bakery in Normal. For all of you U of C ers, it seems that a few Hyde Park establishments have followed me here to Central Illinois. In addition to a Medici we had a Harold's Chicken Shack open up. Makes me feel like I'm at home in my old college town with some popular Hyde Park eateries, ha ha ha!

After a lazy afternoon we ordered dinner from Biaggi's.

Nothing says Happy Mothers Day to me like a food-filled day with all my favorite treats. And I didn't even have to lift a finger :)

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.