Perfect Pumpkins

If I never do another blog it will be too soon. Operator problems are making me want to scream and say words my children should not hear! This should have been simple, but after uploading things up to four times each I'm done! You get what you get today!

It might not be painted blue, but Carson shows his Aggie pride no matter what holiday it is! He enjoyed our night at the Pumpkin Walk this week as well. He is about as loveable as a three year old can get right now!

Sadie dug right in with carving her jack-o-lantern. She designed the face and stuck with her project until all the guts were out of her huge pumpkin. She doesn't like it when moms not home, but mom is insisting on time alone for dates with dad. She did love getting her first haircut from cousin Natalee. Two months as a Snyder now....there have been some bumps along the road, but lots of smiles from this little peanut!

Sara had to have 2 teeth pulled by the dentist this week, and inspite of HUGE roots she's still smiling. It was probably the $5 the tooth fairy left! She's getting really good at riding her brothers ripstick and is exited to start practicing basketball for the new season. I can't wait for Sadie to realize what a sweet and awesome sister she's got.

We found out this week we've got our very own thriller dancing zombie living under our roof. Hayden was excited to participate in the 5th grade assembly. He also reminded us we needed to go to Grandma and Grandpa's to rake leaves....to jump in of course!

Austin is a favorite because he's big enough to carve his own pumpkin! He had to work hard this week to catch up from last weeks sick days.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Last Girl Standing

We sniffed, sneezed, fevered, coughed, ached, moaned, and worse. It took us down one by one this week.....except Sadie. I would have thought new illnesses would get to her fastest and hardest, but here she stands with maybe a slightly elevated temp after everyone else in this house has been miserable. We are learning she does everything in her own sweet time, and apparently getting sick is included. Hopefully she gets to skip this round, but in a large family it's tough to escape the latest virus. There's bound to be a remote control, a piano key, a computer mouse or a lightswitch that the clorox wipe misses.

Besides a decent immune system, we continue to learn about this new little girl in our home. She loves helping the kitchen....baking, chopping, emptying the dishwasher, hauling in the groceries. She's quick to lend a hand and would probably rather do more, if I'd just ask her to. Maybe her love for the kitchen is growing since she seems to spend the most time eating. Usually the last child sitting at the table is stirring their food around making it appear as if they've eaten more than they have. Not Sadie, she's just still eating. Meal time is never rushed for her whether it needs to be or not. The bus is coming...we are late to church...time goes at a little different pace for her. We should all probably learn a lesson from her instead of trying to get her to hurry more.

Sadie also survived her first real dental work. They deadened one side of her mouth to do some fillings in top and bottom teeth. She got a little bored by the end but didn't complain. I'm sure it was a very different experience to take in for the first time. The worst part was she didn't like the taste in her mouth after and wouldn't swallow, so she'd drool or have to spit for a while. Next month she is scheduled for the other side.

Sisters share it all....even chicken feet dad brought back from China!

Todd loved China so much the first time he headed back again this week (for work). His food consumption and souveniers weren't quite the same this trip. Thinking about the things he ate in one week almost make me remember how it felt to have the flu. He tried sushi, 100 year old egg (which he says is as bad as it sounds), snail, donkey, octopus, squid, camel, eel and tongue. Gee, they all sound so great, I wouldn't have known where to begin!

With Todd being gone, I recruited Austin to help me trim the plants for fall. He did a great job and it was a nice project to finish up. Austin is also learning the Peanuts theme song on the piano, which is so timely. I catch myself thinking about the Great Pumpkin each day while he practices. I'll be a believer for sure this year.

As Sadie and Carson continue learning their ABC's together, it's become a van staple to crank up the Little People ABC music CD. Sadie's accented "bringing home a baby bumblebee" is just as cute as Carson's three year old version of "Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolli, lollipop". As far as school work goes, she complains her flashcards are too hard, or gives the answer "table" when she doesn't know what a picture is. I continue to wonder what is sinking in but marvel at her ability to keep on going.

I thought Halloween traditions might be a little strange for Sadie, but she's loved all of it. Pumpkins, apples, costumes...she's as excited as the next kid. We talk about what everyone will be dressing as for Halloween and she's excited to be a bunny. It might be a strange tradition, but I think any kid will not complain about trick-or-treating when the candy starts filling up the bucket!

Organized Chaos as Usual

Weeks like this are the reason I've avoided being a blogger. How do I write about a week where everything was routine, or something we've done before and make it interesting enough to read. You might not be one the edge of your seat but I'll do my best to just hit the highlights.

Todd headed to China Saturday morning with three other co-workers. He should be there for about ten days, unless work decides to send him on to Germany. I think he's trying to imitate either rock stars or general authorities in being able to say he's actually flown around the world.

I got together a group of friends in the neighborhood to kidnap one who was having a birthday. We went out for ice cream at 9 pm at night and had so much fun we were "shushed" by teenagers and questioned by a police officer who had stopped by for an off-duty (I assume) snack. Laughing with friends is great medicine for stress and every day insantiy!

We did enjoy some Cache Valley classics this week. Todd, Carson and I ate lunch at The Italian Place. It's a small sandwich shop tucked on a side road that's been around as long as I have. It feels like something you'd find in New York, just cleaner and less people. Then, I took the kids to the Farmer's Market on Saturday. They had a great, albeit chilly, time decorating pumpkins, collecting candy, looking at the booths and playing at the park. It was nice to check off the list something I've wanted to visit for years.

Sadie has been with us long enough to begin repeating weekly/monthly activities. I think she enjoys the familiarity. It's comforting when dinner is spaghetti and I know she will like it, or it's pack meeting night and she's off playing with the kids in the activities. Her ESL teacher sent home some flash cards to help build vocabulary. Just think for a minute, how many words you use in just a couple minutes of conversation. She participates in everything and enjoys to the fullest of understanding that she can. It was red ribbon week at school and the children dress in a different color each day. She was fine until Friday came and she couldn't wear the kitty shirt she'd wanted to all week--we considered her participation duty complete and chose kitty shirt and Sadie happiness above the color purple! She also got a big kick out of "booing" the neighbors by leaving Halloween treats on their door, knocking, and running to hide in the dark.

Freezing weather arrived so we picked the seven pumpkins we had from the garden. They were growing in Sara's section of the garden, along with her cucumbers. I love hearing Sara tell friends "I grow cucumbers." You'd think she'd been gardening for years. Anyway, our pumpkins weren't jack-o-lantern worthy so we went to the neighbors and purchased according to dad's rule "you can get as big a pumpkin as you can carry!"

So there you have it...a week of the usual, Snyder style. We'll try bumping into the Queen of England or something to pick it up a little this week.

Fall Fun

So I didn't really miss posting last week, it's still being tweaked. I've had requests for our story of how Sadie's adoption came to be, and it's a tough one to write, but it's in progress. This week, on the other hand, was full of fall fun with friends and photos!

The kids were out of school anywhere from all week to most of the week for conferences and UEA. Sadie cried when she found out she was the only one not going to school on Monday and Tuesday. I'm not sure why she was upset, but she seemed to feel better when I finally told her that her friends and teachers wouldn't be there either. I hope she didn't think I was just making her stay home. All the conferences brought good reports, and once again I'm very thankful for good kids.

A five day break calls for a mini-vacation, but with Todd out of vacation days for the year we were limited to local excursions. Of course I was hoping to get some work done as well, so we started with yard work and a hotdog roast on Monday night. Everyone put on their work gloves and started trimming the flowerbeds. Darkness came long before the flower beds were finished, but it was a fun night. Sadie and Carson loved helping, and mom loved the older kids actual help. Sadie tried all sorts of new food...hotdogs, blue jello, smores, and burst-a-bobs (Starbursts melted together on a roasting stick..and yes, they are good).

Other events for the week were playing with friends for hours (Sadie even venturing to a friends house without a sibling), going to the movie "Up" (another first for Sadie?), and enjoying a perfect fall day at Hogle Zoo with the Wise family and cousin Aleisha. (We learned to take carsick bags forever more when traveling with Sadie for longer than 20 minutes!) The baby elephant and baby giraffe were incredibly cute. Carson was the official map reader the entire day, spending almost more time studying it than looking at animals.

(Nothing like cold weather to get Sadie in jeans, tennis shoes and a hoodie! We knew the Utah weather would make her a fan of all of them!)

And what would conference (church, not school) weekend be without a photo session in the canyon with beautiful fall colors and self-proclaimed torturted children. I used to think it was impossible matching four childrens clothing and getting them to all smile at the same time....until we had five! Thank goodness for fast cameras. Last week when I pointed out the leaves were changing, Hayden responded with "Oh great, that means it's picture time again."

(This is our favorite Sadie face--it cracks us up every time.)

The reward for smiling and helping mom cut boxtops for hours for the elementary school was cinnamon rolls! I'm not sure which the kids find better...the cinnamon rolls, or "the feast" which is scraping up the glaze, brown sugar and butter left on the cookie sheets when the cinnamon rolls are gone. No wonder we are all seeming a little pudgy lately. I'm just hoping everyones bulk doesn't mean growth spurts are coming soon to outgrow all those new school pants.

Sadie continues enjoying routine, filled with firsts. She makes her bed as soon as she gets up, and then changes her teddy bears clothes. She is so good to eat whatever, and I keep hoping she feels like we did in China with the food being different but still delicious. She loves bread and butter and Sunny D. We know it's especially good when we get the "Sadie yummy!"

Even at the quick rate, it's hard to notice how much more Sadie is speaking unless we really concentrate on realizing what's new. This week the sentences were long and very noticable. "What are you doing?"

"So cute."

"This for you."

She's also adding words, but uses them as we do when speaking to her, which is typical language development.

Carson is still figuring out the new dynamics of our larger family. He loves Sadie and wants to sit by her and play with her, but the language barrier can be frustrating for both of them. They are two-peas-in-a-pod one minute and water-and-oil the next. He's in one of those times where his mind wants to be older and more independent, but his body isn't always willing or able.

The Fabulous Five!

So it's back to real life in the morning. At least we'll have cinnamon rolls for breakfast!