Candy, Candy, Candy!

Ahhh, Easter morning, when you can eat candy for breakfast guilt free. Or in Sara's case, squeezy cheese straight in your mouth without the cracker. Easter fell on conference weekend this year, so it was a full morning of egg finding and sugar binging. Everyone had over 30 eggs filled with money and candy of their own color to find, and a basket filled with a few of their favorites. The Easter Bunny is always generous because he knows mom will be sneaking a few treats when the kids aren't looking. Apparently this won't be a problem, because two weeks later we still have bags of candy. (Mom and Austin haven't been given free rein on everything yet.)
Everyone had a great time coloring eggs. Austin wasn't last this year to finish...he always works on his projects the full time he can. I don't care how old I get, I still love seeing the colors when the kids lift the egg out of the glass it's being colored in, and their little faces light up with excitement as well. The sad part was not getting to roll them because of the snow, really cold weather, and then leaving for St. George. Carson and Sadie were on the verge of tears when they caught me throwing them away weeks later. I should have cracked one open and let the smell cause a different kind of tears.

Carson even managed to choose colors besides blue. Sadie and Sara actually enjoyed eating a few of theirs, which is a nice change from throwing them down the hill for the seagulls the live near Old Main. I've always wondered if birds get gas, because after an egg feast like that on old main, it would be nasty!

The older boys love mixing colors until they achieve what they call a "dragon egg", something that looks a little different and magical. This cracked egg turned out to be a mistake that worked.

Dinner was yummy and the entire day was uplifting, relaxing, fun, chocolate filled and perfect!

Say What?

Sometimes as a mom, I truly can't believe the words coming out of my own mouth. The following phrases didn't sound any less crazy when spoken in context. Here's this week:

"Would you kids please just eat one bite of cake and see if you like it."

"Carson, take your toast off your head and eat it."

"Hayden, stop jumping on the trampoline with the shovel."

Yes, the last one I yelled out the back door for the entire neighborhoods enjoyment.

I've always loved writing down cute/silly things the kids say. Apparently I should start my own book....101 Things You Thought You'd Never Say As A Parent....because they actually do come in handy at times.

Have You Heard The One...

Have you heard the one about the doctor, the orthodontist, and the cowboy?

Well, we at the Snyder house will admit to brainwashing our children. The best rootbeer: A&W. Which college team to cheer for: Aggies. To carry it a step further, beginning at an early age, we find out what they are interested in and decide what they are going to be when they grow up. Some of their choices are logically eliminated, seeing as how there aren't any college courses offered under Spiderman Skills. Other choices require more convincing. Really, pizza delivery probably isn't as great as it's cracked up to be, and you will eventually get sick of eating pizza. Honest, the shuttle bus driver in Hawaii doesn't love his day job inspite of the location. When Hayden learned the word pediatrician we jumped up and down for joy and encouraged that route whole heartedly.

Austin wanted to be a dentist before he could even spell the word. That was until he found out orthondontists probably make more money. He still can't spell orthodontist, but he's determined he will be able to buy all the legos he wants working only four days a week, if he can just survive a mere 20 more years of school.

So with medical schools shining bright in our futures, you can imagine the shock when I was helping Sadie fill out her Star Student paper for kindergarten and she revealed she wants to be a cowboy when she grows up. Inspite of her delusional belief they had a horse at her orphanage in China, we are pretty sure she'd never even touched a horse, let alone rode one. So I've determined we have a few choices concerning the matter. We can either (a) sign up for horse riding lessons in the spring (b) move to Wyoming and buy a ranch (c) buy a Fisher Price doctor kit and pray for the best.

Early Easter

Alright, I'll admit it....I saw this dress for Sadie in the mall and couldn't quit thinking how cute she'd look in it. Then I realized she's never had an Easter dress. Then I found a cute dress for Sara in the same colors. Then I realized the boys could use new ties, and Austin loves the color yellow. Somehow it all seemed justified. Anyway, we had fun dressing up for church today in our "Early Easter" outfits. Easter falls on Conference Weekend this year so we welcomed spring today. I wondered as we were walking to church, how many more years my boys will be willing to "match" the family on Easter. I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Happy Spring! Happy Easter! Happy Day!

Fifteen

15 years of love...

and laughter....
with my best friend.

I'm glad I get to share it all with you.

Come Follow Me

Saturday was one of those great milestones for Sara. She was baptized by her father and confirmed a member of the church by her Grandpa Reeder. We are so happy Sara has decided to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. She was so excited for this day. We know she will be blessed forever because of this decision. Sara is a beautiful person inside and out, who always puts others before herself and tries to choose the right. This blessing will help her continue to be the good person she already is. Congratulations Sara...we love you!

Firsts

I love "firsts". They are usually exciting, cause to celebrate or milestones that mean we are learning and enjoying life. This week alone was full of them for our family.

The whole family enjoyed our "first" sledding adventure of the year. It was a ward activity out in Mt. Sterling. The hills were huge. The snow was a bit old so it was quite bumpy, but we still enjoyed the exhilaration of flying down the mountain with snow flying our faces!

Here's Hayden and Carson laughing after a not so gentle landing.
Sadie quickly learned the downside of sledding....climbing back up the hill. She has a way of getting a free ride. Here she is with Austin's friend Jeremy Pugmire. There are times I have to remind her that friends actually come over to see her siblings. This was Sadie's "first" sledding experience ever and she seemed to like it and hanging out with siblings and neighborhood friends.

Austin has a slight lego obsession. His "first" was building a set without actually opening the bag. He'd heard of someone doing this, so he had to give it a try. It's actually a good thing since it slows down the process for him, lengthening the building time, which we all know is a great part of the fun of legos! You can also see his purple cheek from a laser treatment...one of the "first" we've done in a long time. Austin also gave his "first" talk in sacrament meeting. He was complimented by so many people, which he deserved since he really did find information and write most of the talk himself. He was also the least nervous youth speaker I've ever heard. I've heard my grandfather was a great speaker....I wonder if that is a talent that can be passed without even meeting the person. The missionaries also spoke and I wondered how many talks Austin will give over his lifetime, today being just the "first" of many.

Sadie has been asking to go swimming and lesson time finally came around. Sadie and Carson are enjoying their "first" lessons together. That is when the pool isn't freezing cold. Sadie is doing great and seems to enjoy the water, although we are constantly praying her swimsuit doesn't fall off. Seriously, how can tights and swimsuits be baggy? And Carson, well he looks cute in his suit and goggles.

I've offered before without Sadie accepting, but this week she came home and requested her "first" peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She loves peanuts so I explained how peanut butter is squished peanuts. The jelly wasn't a hit, so we've eliminated it. This girl does love to eat, so we are always happy to find a new favorite.

Sadie is also speaking with sentences for the most part, including slang phrases "I just kidding", "Oh my gosh" or "Seriously!" It's very cute. At school, she is sounding out simple words. I am amazed, the teachers are impressed and Sadie is very proud of herself...as she should be. Six months and she's sounding out words, not to mention totally understanding the addition concept.

Sara was passing the time shopping with me and borrowed my cell phone to send her "first" text message to her dad. I'm guessing there will be just a few more of those in her future! A few million! She was also bouncing with excitment when she got to pick out her "first" set of scriptures this week. If her enthusiasm for reading them matches her enthusiasm for getting them then we are in good shape.

Hayden got to enjoy a "first" that all scouts look forward to...jumping in the pool with their clothes on and making floatation devices from them. What kid wouldn't love that!

Carson has decided to get in on computer time and has learned how to get to a few different websites the kids have bookmarked. The "first" time I saw him running the mouse made me laugh out loud. I remember struggling with a mouse in college and he's a pro already.

So now it's the "first" of March....I wonder what this month will bring!