A big, Brooke bash (and Justin too!)

June 21, 2011

We had no idea who you were....but we knew we loved you already.

October 29, 2011

January 13, 2012

Then, you came into our lives on the most perfect, beautiful Friday the 13th there ever was!! :)
You were gorgeous, and you looked a lot like your brother, but with rounder, more feminine features. You had the sweetest double chin I ever did see!

And so beautiful!

Brother thought you were very interesting!

2 months photo shoot with Auntie Deb

And, you began to grow.

3 months

6 months

 

7 months

9 months

10 months and curls!

 January 13, 2013

And now, you're our big one year old!

You had your first birthday about two weeks ago, and the party was this last Saturday!
We had a joint party for you and Daddy, since Daddy's birthday is on the 19th. (His was a camo theme and yours was princess theme with zebra print and bright pink!) Couldn't let Daddy have a princess party so we decided to add some camo! (Thank you, Auntie Deb, for helping us out with that!)

You were a beautiful honoree!

We had lots of family over to help us celebrate!!

 And of course, Auntie Deb was there to help out with the fun that weekend! Here she is with GG, and everyone was wearing purple so we had to snap a quick pic! Can't believe I can't find a pic of Deb at the actual party but I think it's because she's always the one behind the camera! (LOL! Sorry Deb!)

Cakes!! Justin blowing out his 30th candle...wow...30! Now I can officially tease him about joining the "old" club!

Brother also got a present too since Daddy and sister were...

Daddy got guns, Brookey got books (and lots of other things!) and Kaleb got cars. It was definitely a success.

Now, to relax a bit and enjoy our big one year old. Cannot believe how time has flown.
Well, not sure if we'll be relaxing any time soon...Lol. But she is a joy!

We thank Jesus for her life. She and Kaleb are the reason we get up in the morning, the loves of our lives, and the sunshine in our days!


Psalm 13:6 "I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me."

Cute Kalebisms

So I've wanted to do a little something like this for a couple of days now because he is just at that really cute age. Here are just a few of the things Kaleb does right now that make me SMILE! (and a few pics)

Cars and trucks and all things mobile, put into containers, and carried around, or pushed around, all over the house.  Doesn't matter what kind of container it is, as long as cars and trucks and things of that sort can be put inside. This time the container of choice was a Pampers box. 

 

 

"One of these things doesn't belong here..." (the old Sesame Street song...) Don't think we'll be needing to fight crime in the refrigerator any time soon but - you never know.

 

 

THIS is after every meal. Yep. Still learning about throwing food down. And now we have two messmakers!

A rarity but it does happen. 

Yes, we love our cars.

And some other things..

* "She's 'seeping,'" means, "She's sleeping." (Sister)

* He always greets us with, "I got cars," in the morning when he wakes up and comes into our room, and when he's talking to one of his stuffed animals, that's how he greets them too.

* "Muk," is chocolate milk, which he has to have first thing in the morning with his breakfast of toast or waffles and his Flintstone vitamin.

* He has recently discovered Tigger cartoons, which he loves.

* He put on Daddy's boots recently, walked in them for a minute, then took them off because they were, "Too big".

* Frog is "fok".

* He loves talking to his stuffed animals - and loves any one of those stuffed animals to "chase" him (translation -  momma or daddy take the stuffed animal and chase him with it). Right now, a a little tiny penguin, which we use with bathtime, or a small beanie baby monkey are his favorite "friends".

* Cranky time is always before dinner and late afternoon. It usually includes at least one temper tantrum, or, five. Yes, we have personality and are not afraid to use it!!

* A mid morning snack  is always on the agenda.

* "Yuv you," is "I love you," followed directly by a hug.

* "Elphant" is elephant

* "Biyd" is bird

* For the longest time he called peanut butter, "buttay," for some reason but the other day he said it perfectly for the first time.

* "Nak" is snack

* He likes to use a napkin over his mouth when he coughs.

That's about all I can think of at the moment, but just wanted to record these sweet things for future reference (and blackmail). :)

Have a great day!

Crazy Christmas!

It has been a crazy last few weeks for us, so I am just now getting around to writing this!

This Christmas has been busy, and I didn't even get my Christmas cards out. Oh well. Just been too crazy- with the kiddos, with planning showers, and with general Christmas "stuff". 

 Guess I will start with before Christmas, since that's when I left off here...

We started the holidays off to a rough start with the kids and me getting sick for about three weeks with yucky crud that is going around, so didn't get as much done during that time  as I'd have liked! Mommas, you know how it is...you make a "list" for the day, and you are determined to get the stuff on that list done that day....and then a kid gets sick, and well...your "to do" list has completely changed! Lol. Snuggles (and not to mention, meds:) sneak up to the top of the list and the rest can wait. :)  But anyhow, Justin's mom, my mom, Justin's sister, Justin, his dad, and  Brooke ALL have holiday birthdays (or birthdays very close to the holidays) so not only did we need to prep for Christmas but all the birthdays!! So, needless to say, it's a busy time of year for us. 

But this year, I decided a family photo was definitely in order, since we haven't gotten any real "family" photos since Brooke was about two months old. Figured it was due time! 

So, here are a few of those photos that my sweet friend Maria Duncan took, who, by the way, is absolutely awesome and I would recommend her to anybody. :) So, that said, here ya go. 

Just a few of my favorites!

      

 Doesn't she do great? It was a frigidly cold day too (the one day Snyder decides to be frigidly cold!), but we managed to get a couple outside even. The one in the black and white is the one outside, and you can kind of tell by Brooke's expression! Lol. 

Spent Christmas day at GG's house (my grandma's) and Nana and Grandpa came to visit, along with my aunt and uncle, Wayne and Dena and their kids, and of course, it would not have been a holiday without Aunt Deb/our family photographer for holidays (one of my best friends - we go way back). 

A few photos from the holidays...and some just random!

Just before Christmas Eve service!

  

I am LOVING doing this girl's hair...but yeah, I know, I already mentioned that!

Breakfast these days is always toast with jelly and chocolate milk. Oh, but it's called, "Muk." And it's not complete until it's ALL over the face!

Nana and Brookey Christmas Day at GG's!

S'mores, thanks to our lovely fireplace we hardly ever use! But...it's definitely K approved! He kept asking for "more, more!"

The following Tuesday we had to make a fast trip to Lubbock that morning with the kiddos to get some things for Brookey's birthday and a shower I'm planning...and, yes, of all days, it was the one day it decided to snow. We were pushing strollers around in the ice....

Sweet cousins Abigail and Brooke!! They are going to be good buddies! Christmas Eve at Aunt Shelly's.

Just a for fun pic!

Another one! She can fall asleep sitting up! She's skilled. 

And one of her crawling through the toy I bought for that specific purpose! Finally! I have been so ready for this stage - it's so fun! And....she's EVERYWHERE! Yikes. Today I found her doing the same thing I used to catch Kaleb doing - so funny. She was putting her head on the vent underneath the oven and feeling the air blow out (I was baking). So funny that they have done some of the same things. Must be from the same family. ;)

 And so, we've been busy! Here is a monthly update on the sweet ones, and I won't keep you any longer! 

Brookey, you are:

*saying LOTS of things. You say all sorts of sounds, but you also say, as of TODAY, :), "outside," "uh oh," and "fell down". Yes, I like to brag!
*CRAWLING!! Praise the Lord! I feel like it is so long awaited. I LOVE this stage, even though it opens up a whole new arena of things for you to get into, and get hurt with, but it's SO FUN!
*pulling up too. So I know it's not long before you take off on us!
*still loving having me as your comfort. You are very cuddly, and you LOVE having me hold you. I think I have spoiled you rotten!
*loving your brother. He is your WORLD! You love him so much, and every time he comes around, practically, you squeal in delight. 
*still sleeping in momma and daddy's room in your crib. Pretty soon, we will transition you to your room with brother!
*waking up in the morning about 7:30 and going down to bed about that time. You are a good sleeper!
*are different from your brother in that when you are sick, you don't sleep. I am not used to this, because he always sleeps MORE when he's sick. But you....like to stay up and cry. This last month, you were teething (four teeth at the same time) and had an ear infection at the same time, and you cried from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. one night (when daddy was on nights of course) and then throughout the night. THAT made ME cry!!
*LOVING books. You laugh so much when we read, even though I am sad I don't get to do it as much with you as I did with your brother, because there simply is not enough time! 
*still taking a bottle, but you are eating with us at every meal and loving everything!! Which, is awesome. You ate broccoli today, and bread, and carrots, and apples, and squash and pork loin. You are such a good little eater.
*learning how to use  a sippy cup. :) I am planning on buying you one just like brother's, because I think you will like that best, just like he did.
*loving soft things, but crawling is your new pastime. You are all over the place. Still love music, though, and you still dance when you hear it! You are our little musician girl! 
*wearing size 12 month, and some 12-18. Wow.
*still about 22 pounds. You are petite, but long, like your daddy!

Sweet pea, you are so precious to us!! 


Kaleboo, you are:

*saying "I love you." Melts my HEART!!! Today, I came in from the grocery store, and you ran up to me, hugged my leg, and said, "Momma, momma, I love you!!" Sigh. Oh, it's just the best thing for a mommy to hear!!!
*but definitely going through a "twos" stage. You are still throwing tantrums when you don't get your way. And, we spank you. One of these days (may be twenty five years from now), you will thank us for these. ;) 
*putting two words together ALL the time. You are putting sentences together too, but it involves about three or four words strung together, such as, "Truck fall down."
*knowing your colors, your numbers, your letters and what most animals say. You are SO smart!
*learning to SHARE. It's a very HARD lesson, but you are learning. And, sometimes you do, with sister, and it's SO sweet.
*giving hugs to your sister. And that is so, so cute.
*loving your pink blanket. Lol. For some reason, the pink ones are the best. In your opinion. Probably because they're sisters!
*sleeping in a big boy toddler bed. But we are still having to help you go to sleep. You love to get out of bed and play! (of course)
*learning that the potty is good, but still not quite there yet as far as using it. You know that you're supposed to, but are really not into it. But one of these days you will be!
*coming and getting into momma and daddy's bed in the morning to snuggle. 
*having your toast and your jelly and your "Muk" every morning, along with your Flintstones vitamin.
*saying our prayer for us at dinner.
*saying prayers before bedtime (with help).
*going to bed about 8:30 and waking up about 8:00
*reading a book before bed with momma or daddy.
*eating a ton. You are totally boy. You have breakfast, then about two hours later, a "nak," then lunch, then after your nap, another "nak," then dinner, then probably another "nak" after that. I call you the "eatingest boy" I know! I honestly have no idea where you put it all, but you are most definitely a growing boy! 
*are STILL very, very picky about what you eat, though. That is probably the biggest thing that causes your tantrums. But...we are working on it, and we won't give up! :) You still love bread, and cheese, and yogurt, and bananas, and lots of fruits. Veggies are most definitely the downfall. 
*loving running around in circles these days when you get hyper, and we play, "Ring around the Rosy," and we do Pat a Cake, and we play with playdough, and we color with crayons and markers. You are not a HUGE fan of coloring, but you like it occasionally. 
*still going to Bible Club on Thursdays, and we have planned a playdate with a friend (Jaci) on Tuesdays that we have yet to get together with every Tuesday, but we will! We want to have kind of a crafts day that day with Jaci, who is about your age. 
*LOVING your cars and trucks and airplanes and motorcycles, and "fast cars!" The other day, you came up to me when I was eating at the table, and said, "Momma, fast!" I consider anything having to do with "fast," from you, as a BIG compliment. When you play with your cars around the house, they are ALWAYS "fast cars". 
*having a great sense of humor. You laugh at SO many things, and your laugh is hearty! :) 

K, you are a JOY!!  


Will leave you with the words to one of my favorite worship songs, since we sang it this last week at church, and it reminded me of God's goodness....

"You are so good to me. You heal my broken heart. You are my Father in heaven.
You are so good to me. You heal my broken heart. You are my Father in heaven.
"You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song, 
You are beautiful, my sweet, sweet song.
And I will sing again...."

"You ride upon the clouds. You lead me to the truth. You are the Spirit inside me...."
 
"You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song.
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song.
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song."

And one of my favorite new songs by Kari Jobe...



Amen to that! He is good, all the time. Thank you, Jesus, for busy holidays!