More birthday fun

Kelsey got a little excited when she was able to open her birthday box from my dad (Great-Papa.) Not sure if it was the gifts or the fun boxes and paper that she liked.

If you know Kelsey at all, then you can just hear her screaming in the picture above.

playtime!

Ellyn

"Mom, can I PLEASE wash the dishes."

"Of course you can Sweetie! Have fun."

who is going to turn down that sweet face?

Happy Birtday Kelsey Anne

On September 5th (Labor Day!) Kelsey Anne turned one! We celebrated her day on Sunday with a family dinner, cupcakes, and great gifts.

We are so blessed to have Kelsey in our life, this last year has been fun. She loves her socks, her kitty and play with her bro-bro and sissy. She is walking all around and trying to run. She is a great kid and doesn't get into too much trouble. We are looking forward to seeing what the next year hold for us.

Ellyn helped me with the cupcakes. They were so yummy!

We had the family over for a BBQ in the back yard.

Just some of the cousins.

Grandma Snyder and Great Grandma Cannon. Kelsey is already on her phone, wonder who she is calling.

I think that she liked her b'day card just as much as she liked her gifts.

I know she liked her cupcake best of all.

"All Done!"

Make your own Picasso

With school in full swing in the Snyder house, things have gotten a little busy and some what crazy. But God is good, and I am able to get all the things done in the day that He needs me to do. The family gets to eat, the laundry get done and the house gets cleaned (for the most part.)

One of the subjects that seems to get forgotten for many homeschoolers is art. This year I am wanting to make sure we include more art projects and learning about different artists.

I found a great website that is helping with this goal. They take one artist and lay out a lesson for teaching about them and then doing a project to help the kids remember what they have learned. For our first lesson we learned about Picasso. I found some fun books with great pictures and the lesson began. We finished with making our own Picasso type picture.

I think the best part was telling dad all about what they learned and showing off their project.

1)We began our own Picasso with 3 pieces of construction paper. 2 small one large.

2)Then the kids drew a face on each of their small papers.
3 ) Then cut out each piece of the face. They ended up with 2 noses, 4 eyes, 2 mouths and so on.
4)Then it was time to put it all together. There was only one rule for putting the faces together, it had to be silly.
5)Last, but not least...pose for pictures!
Next time in art class, Andy Warhol.

deal of the day

Today's deal of the day was getting these RockStar drinks for $.67 each. They are normally $1.78 at Walmart and I was able to price match a local grocery store (that is 20 minutes away) and get them during my regular shopping trip.

Steve drinks these while he works, so hopefully this will last him a few weeks.

More deals today...

2 liter Pespi for $.88 (normally $1.25)

12 pack Coke for $2.50 (normally$4)

Yes we are a family divided. He likes Pespi, I like Coke. I am afraid that Andy has gone to the dark side. He will pick Pespi any day.

Swimming

This summer, just like last summer, we had "Pool Group". Pool Group was just a few moms and kids hanging out at the pool. It was great to have the same day every week and know that the kids and me, will have friends to hang with. One of the other great things about pool group is everyone, including mom sleeps good that night. We normally go to the Spanish Fork pool. It is close and not too crowded. But on this hot day we decided to head out to the Provo pool. Kelsey seem to like this one better. It had a more shallow part where she could crawl in the water and keep her face out of the water.

Pool check being over, I think Kelsey was ready to get in again.

camping

We were finally able to go camping this year! The one thing we did different was I got us all packed. Steve had worked the night shift and had to nap, so I was incharge of getting it all packed and in the van. Steve said to think of it like a puzzle, and if the pieces didn't all fit I would have to start over. I have to say for my first time I got it all in. Including the kiddos!

We headed up Spanish Fork Canyon to a new spot. One of the many wonderful things about living in Utah is we are so close to so many great camping spots. This one was just ten minutes from our house, which would come in handy Friday night when the baby wasn't sleeping just crying and I made the executive decision to take her home. After 40 minutes of crying I woke Steve up and said I was taking Kelsey home. He asked why. Have I mentioned he is a sound sleeper?

Kelsey and I both slept better at home (both nights). I don't expect this to be the norm for my camping, but it was sure nice to sleep in my own bed and get a coke from McDonalds on the way back to the campsite.

We had so much fun over the weekend, there were many things we did...

hang out in the hammock...

play in the tent...

have tin foil dinners...

(take chicken, potatoes and carrots, wrap in foil, place on hot coals and cook. super yummy)

eat smores...

roast and catch on fire marshmallows...

play games by lantern...

more hammock time...

have a game of horseshoes...

more hammock time...

(see the stick Ellyn has? that is because we got tired of hearing her yell "come push me!)

hanging out at the site...

collecting rocks down by the creek...

Kelsey loved the rocks. She would pick them up and look at them and then find more to look at.

play at the playground...

make mud pies...

and watch a movie. (?) I think Ellyn was ready to go home.

Have a wonderful Sunday

This is one of my new favorite worship songs

Our God by Chirs Tomlin

(click to listen)

Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You

CHORUS
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…

Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…

BRIDGE
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who can ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…

daddy sit time

Kelsey like most babies has her fussy time. It is usually between 5-6pm. Just as I am finishing up dinner or we are trying to eat. So, as many frustrated mom's do, I hand the baby off to daddy. And wouldn't you know it, she settles down. Steve says she just needs her "daddy sit time." Whatever it is, it sure works.

There is nothing like daddy.

coupon burn out

We have been couponing since about February. And a few weeks ago I think I experienced coupon burn out. I had stopped looking at the coupon blogs, I had stopped using coupons, I had even stopped clipping coupons. (we take 5 papers each Sunday, one week there were only 2 inserts and one week there were 4, you do the math. that was a lot of coupons.) But I had just had enough. I think it started to happen around the time I was starting to plan our school year. I was getting our schedules worked out, trying to see how to fit it all in and trying to figure out what to do with the baby. And couponing was the last thing I wanted to do.

I had read a post on a blog that talked about dealing with burn out, which come to find out most couponers deal with at one time or another. But she had some great suggestions...

1) Don't try to hit every store and get every deal. (check)

2) Price match at Walmart to save time. (check)

3) Take a break. (check)

and the one that got me

4) Look for only the really great deals.

I found on the same blog a great cereal deal. I was able to price match at Walmart cereal that was on sale for $.97, and I had a coupon for $5 off 5 boxes. That would make them free, well free plus 3 cents overage! And... I had 4 coupons. Yes, that would be 20 boxes for free, plus the overage. But wait. I had more coupons, not quite as good but still pretty good, I guess. I was able to get 20 boxes for 25 cents each. (for those of you following along at home, that make it 40 boxes of cereal! for $4.) Now if that is not going to get me back in the game then nothing will.

It did. I hit Walmart once again for double coupon Tuesday. Got free nexcare bandages, a free post-it note, a 2 pack of dry erase markers for $.47, and was able to price match some great deals on produce. It feels good to be back.

I have to learn how to make this work with our life. Even tonight during America's Got Talent I will be clipping coupons. My goal is to be caught up on the clipping before Sunday. I enjoy couponing, my mom would be so proud of the deals that I am getting. In fact our last conversation was about couponing. I was just getting into it and told her and she was excited for me. She was big couponer when I was young, so it must be in my blood.

socks!!!

For some reason Kelsey loves socks. They don't have to be hers or even clean ones. I have to keep my eye on her when I am doing the laundry, she steals the dirty socks!

Today Ellyn was folding the laundry, and Kelsey saw the socks!

The socks were even responsible for the first fit Kelsey threw.

We were getting ready to leave and she found some socks, and I decided that she didn't need to take my socks to the grocery store. So I told her we were going to leave the socks at home, and then I took them away...and boy was she mad!

camping...sort of

This past weekend we were going to go camping. We try to go at least once a year and we haven't been this year. I didn't get to go last year, I was very pregnant, so this was going to be our first time this year. But, the weather man told us it was going to rain, and I don't do camping in the rain. I have memories of going camping when I was a kid and it wasn't if it would rain, it was when it would rain. We would pack up camp and then come home and unpack in the front yard so everything could dry off.

We were all pretty bummed about not being able to go this weekend, so we tried to come up with some fun "camp-like" things to do. We had a "camp" dinner, hot dogs, burgers and corn. We made smores. And some how the idea got thrown around to sleep outside. To me that is just crazy. Why would I sleep outside when I can almost see my bed?

But Steve has memories of sleeping outside as a kid. So guess who got volunteered to camp out with the kids? They had a blast. They looked at stars, there were a few that peaked out from the clouds. They even got bit by mosquitoes. These are the things that our kids will remember.

Summer fun

What's a summer without a slip and slide? Well, thanks to Ellyn's cousin she won't have to find out.

something new...

the running joke in our marriage is that we are always learning something new about each other, and when we do we say, "that is our one new thing for the month", like...my husband loves butterfinger candy bars (i knew that) but i didn't know that he hates peanut butter (?). so that was my one new thing i learned about him.

just last night he asked me to rub his feet, i have issues with his feet. i don't like to be in the same room with them. so he knows i will not rub them, but he still asks. and i was kind of rubbing them with my feet and i found out that he is ticklish on his feet. who knew? after almost 13 years of marriage you would think we knew it all.

Who me?

I am Kelsey Anne.

I am a happy baby.

I would never cry or get upset.

I never bury my face in the carpet and cry when mom puts me down.

I never throw a fit when someone takes away a toy that is not for me, like a screwdriver.

With a face like this I always get my way...

right?

(just don't ask mom, she is a little grumpy, i like to wake up at 5am.)

friends, food, fireworks and flour?

This weekend we had a very traditional BBQ. Our house was full of good friends, great food and a very traditional Snyder/Cannon game (if i were a truly good blogger i would know the history of the game and have a great story to tell right about now, but i don't. but i do have some great pictures of the game.)

The Flour Game

1. Firmly pack a mug full of flour

2. Turn mug over onto a plate and gently tap to release flour

3. Place small coin on the top of the flour

4. Each person uses a butter knife to cut away flour without causing the flour to tip and coin to fall

5. If coin falls on your turn, you lose and must pick up the coin with your mouth

6. Everyone laughs and we get great pictures

Be careful Kim, it is starting to tip!

Getting close to the end!

Looks like I lost! Flour doesn't taste too good.

Good job Genia.

Careful Torri,

Hey Andy was that a fun game?

Courtney, I think you got a little something, right there.....

And if you are lucky enough, like our dear friend Matt, you will have your face shoved into the plate of flour by your partner and "loved one".