The Snyder Family

New York girls

2009-10-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a fantastic weekend in New York City with my sister and mom!!! I'll post some pictures of that soon...

I bought Tatum and I matching t-shirts while there and she LOVED it!

Here we are sporting our shirts.

"I have a blessing"

2009-09-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

So we were hanging out on Asher's bed closing down the day. We have been trying hard to keep the idea of God's goodness and His many blessings at the fore in our home.

The other day Ash kicked out a new song called 'I have a blessing' which Lish promptly wrote down in her journal. Last night I asked the kids which blessing they wanted to thank Jesus for as we prayed. With big eyes Ash raised his finger in the air. He disappeared and came back into the room with mom's journal so that he could share his song with us. Tatum didn't yet know it so he took some time to teach it to her.

These two videos are what followed. We did not influence the song at all. Only transcribed. Tate even added a line at the end. I love that they are only 5 and 3 yrs old. Here's hoping they turn into a dynamice song writing duo.

I have said this from the platform when leading worship before... as a father to this boy and this girl, it is difficult for me to find words to express what I feel when I hear them singing songs that bless and edify our Heavenly Father. As a musician, that is magnified further when they 'write' their own songs that are praise and worship to Jesus! That being true, how much must God love hearing us sing songs to Him from a heart that recognizes the blessings that He has richly given us!

Enjoy...

Practice

The Final Product...sort of

Brother & Sister

2009-09-03T18:21:00.001-07:00

They really are the best of friends....

and this is how much Tatum makes Asher laugh!!!

We are SO blessed.

An Archaeologist and a Ballerina

2009-07-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Look at what Asher (and Tatum) discovered in our backyard the other day!

It's a T-Rex fossil....amazing!

Besides the excitement of a dinosaur dig, Tatum started a dance class on Monday. It's a combo class so she'll be learning ballet, tap and tumbling. She is doing it with my niece Reagan, and the girls had a great time!

Happy Birthday

2009-07-06T18:27:00.001-07:00

to my favorite sister!

Independence Day

2009-07-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

Look at that...only 1 month between posts, and two posts in one night...not bad!

We had a great day on Saturday, celebrating our independence! What a blessing that is.

The four of us spent some time at Flaming Geyser State Park in the afternoon and then headed to my parent's house for a barbecue and fun fireworks show with their neighbors. It was the first year that our kids weren't scared out of their minds by the noise which made it extra fun!

Keven and the kids wading in the river

sharing a snack

learning to skip rocks

Tatum had just fallen into the water!

swinging on the tree swing

in the pool at Papa & Gma's

the big boys getting ready to "fly" some cans!

sparkler fun!

Ok, Ok, Ok

2009-06-03T12:22:00.001-07:00

After some gentle prodding from my sister and dear friend Judith....here are some pictures from the past two months!

Enjoy you two!

All dressed up to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior!

Tate and NeNe

We had the privilege of going to see Walking With Dinosaurs with our dear friends/cousins, Jason & Brett. It was an amazing production and it was followed by a great time hanging out at the Seattle Center.

Here is Tatum playing with her Dino Nuggets after the show!

At a birthday party for Sean, Keven and I, the kids were climbing my parent's huge cherry tree in the backyard which led to all of us getting in the tree! Once we finally convinced my grandma to get near the tree we were able to take a 4 generation picture! Priceless.

don't get too excited but there might be more to come......soon.....if I get around to downloading some pictures off the camera!

Asher is 5!

2009-03-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Asher turned five on Friday and we had a great family day with him. Asher loves mustangs and we have a wonderful friend who owns a black Shelby 500 GT Mustang, and let us borrow it for the weekend! We surprised Asher with it Friday morning as we headed out to preschool...his face was priceless! It was his "special day" at preschool which makes us in charge of a special day poster and snacks...

We were able to pick him up early from school and then head out for our fun-filled day, all of which was a surprise for the kids. Our first destination was Bremerton where we hopped on a ferry to Seattle. This was the first ferry boat ride for the kids and they loved it! I think it was the highlight of the day for everyone. Maybe not for Keven as he had to stay with the mustang because the alarm kept going off:)

After we got off the ferry in Seattle we headed for the Aquarium. It's been a long time since I've been to the Seattle Aquarium and while it was fun and the kids had a great time, if you have ever been to the Aquarium in Newport, Oregon....Seattle has some work to do.

Ikea was our next stop so Asher could pick out a "collection" shelf. He has been asking for something to put a collection on for awhile now. It's pretty funny because I'm not sure he really understands what a collection is but he just wanted some place to put the toys that he deems special each day...hotwheels and airplanes.

The day ended with him opening our present which was tickets to see Walking With Dinosaurs at Key Arena in May. We really wanted to do this last year but chose to wait until he was a little older. We are all really excited to see the show!

It was a really wonderful day with a really wonderful 5 year old boy! We are really enjoying watching Asher transform into a kind, loving, sensitive and caring boy. He cares deeply for people and is quick to think of ways to serve and give. We can see Jesus at work in Asher's life already!

We love you so much Ash!

Special Day

2009-03-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

Asher turns 5 this Friday, March 20th.... Five has always seemed like a significant landmark to me. I'm not sure why...maybe because it's half way to 10. There are days when I cannot believe I have a 5 year old and other days when I feel like he's been a part of me forever. It's quite something, this parenting thing.

This year my parent's decided to take Asher for a special day to celebrate his birthday. Keven and I are all for experiential gifts as we try to live a simpler, less cluttered, life. We want to teach our kids that a "present" can be so many things...not always stuff. So, while he did get a few things on his special day with Papa and Grandma, the best gift of all was the memories created and alone time with these two amazing people.

Their day started with a trip to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. This was Asher's choice and they had a great time! Asher was ready to teach Papa and Grandma all about dinosaurs!

There is a great insect and butterfly exhibit at the science center.

I love this picture of Asher in the mirror....I wonder what life would be like with two of them???

Papa and Asher inside a guitar!

After the science center they headed to Build-a-Bear for Asher's first experience there! He had so much fun picking out his new friend "Lektro".

Their day concluded with dinner at TGI Friday's. Since Asher went gluten and dairy free last September, he hasn't eaten at very many restaurants. He really enjoyed his little break from the diet....with no consequences!

Thank you Papa & Grandma for loving our Asher so much. Thank you for spending this kind of quality time with him....we all know that he will NEVER forget it!

Time with Daddy

2009-03-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Asher and Tatum LOVE their Daddy..a lot. They wait expectantly each day for his return home and the beginning of their special wrestle time! The other day, Asher was getting a little rough for my taste so I asked him to please be careful with Daddy. To which he replied, "Why, because he's old?" Keven and I laughed really hard at that!

The kids have also been playing with Keven's old hot wheel cars and Tonka trucks that he found in his dad's storage unit! It's been fun for Keven to bring them out, reminisce, and then watch his kids play with the toys he used to play with.

I'm thankful.

2009-02-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

I read this quote in a book I'm reading and it is resonating with me today so I thought I'd share it with you!

Suppose for a moment that God began taking from us the many things for which we have failed to give thanks. Which of our limbs and faculties would be left? Would I still have my hands and mind? And what about loved ones? If God were to take from me all those persons and things for which I have not given thanks, who or what would be left of me?

Patrick Henry Reardon

I am thankful today.

Home Sweet Home

2009-02-05T16:37:00.001-08:00

We are home! We have been home since about 1:30 this afternoon and it does feel good to be here and to have our family back together again.
Asher was amazing while we were with Tatum..we are so proud of him. Being away from us is not always easy for him but he did GREAT!
Tatum is amazing. We found out late in the day on the day of surgery that her epidural was leaking the medicine out of the insertion site. So, there is a good chance she was getting very little, if any, pain medication all day. You never would have known....must have a high pain tolerance like her mommy!
The final hurdle to coming home was getting her to walk. She had the IV in her foot so there was NO way she was going to walk until that was out...and the band-aid was off. That happened this morning and there has been no stopping her since.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. We have been truly blessed this week.

Recovering

2009-02-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

Well, we are resting in Tatum's room at Mary Bridge after a very successful surgery this morning. Everything went just as expected and we are now settling into our two day hospital stay. Tatum is doing as well as can be expected...sleeping occasionally....watching Diego....enjoying some peace and quiet. She has an epidural, catheter and IV in place so there isn't much moving around going on. All of those things will hopefully come out tomorrow.
We are now anticipating a visit from Papa, Grandma and Asher and later, NeNe!

Thanks so much for your prayers for our sweet girl. We are so blessed.

Surgery Update

2009-02-02T18:49:00.001-08:00

Family and Friends,

Tatum's surgery is scheduled for 8:00 am tomorrow (tuesday). It should take around 1 1/2 hours.

I will update as soon as I can to let you know how everything went!

Thanks so much for your prayer support.

We love you!

Airplane Fun

2009-01-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

We are at home today...resting...trying to get over this never ending cold/cough that has made its presence known for too long. With Tatum's surgery on Tuesday...we need her healthy. Please pray!

So, after watching some "history of airplanes" the kids got creative taping Q-tip bombs and boosters to their airplanes!

Calling all prayer warriors...

2009-01-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

We found out last week that Tatum will be having surgery on Tuesday, February 3rd...

A little background on why...

*When she was 10 months old she had a high fever with no other symptoms for 10 days. Her fantastic primary care physician decided to check her for a UTI. That came back positive which was VERY good news to all of us....that it was "just" a UTI. Apparently, urinary tract infections in babies are pretty rare so when one is diagnosed, many many more tests follow. Just after her 1st birthday we took Tatum to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital for a kidney ultrasound and a VCUG. It was really hard to watch our baby get strapped to a board for a pretty invasive test involving a catheter, dye and many x-rays. We were able to stand there with her and watch as they look a series of x-rays of her urinary tract as the dye went into her bladder. I have enough medical experience to know that what I was seeing on those x-rays was NOT good. The dye went into her bladder, up her ureters, and into her kidneys.

She was subsequently diagnosed with Grade 4 Renal Reflux. Grade 5 is as high as it goes. Her now urologist was shocked that this was not diagnosed in utero. Her care plan at that time was a conservative one...repeat ultrasounds of her kidney's every six months, repeat VCUG every year, and a daily regimen of low-dose antibiotics. He would give her until she was 5 to outgrow it and at that time, gave her a 50% chance to do so.

At her 2nd VCUG, things had improved and her reflux was now Grade 3! Treatment plan remains the same.

She had her 3rd VCUG on December 9th, 2008 and we were able to see that the reflux on her left side was completely gone...Praise God! The right side was still there so we patiently waited for her urologist appointment last week to hear the treatment plan. We assumed it would remain the same...

The reflux on her right side remains unchanged from last year...still a Grade 3. The concern now is that her right kidney is not growing at the same rate as her left kidney. There are other factors involved (like the fact that she has two ureters on her right side) which is causing her urologist to now give her only a 20% chance of outgrowing the reflux. So, he's going to fix it!

We have prayed every single day for 2+ years for healing for Tatum. We are so grateful for the complete healing of her left side and we are also thankful for the soon to come healing of her right side! While it does involve surgery and a 2 day hospital stay, she will be healed! I am most thankful for the fact that in approximately 8 weeks, she will no longer have to take medicine every day! We will be having a little party in our house on that day:)

God is so, so good and we are rejoicing.

We do covet your prayers still.....

*for the surgery to go perfectly

*for steady hands for her doctor

*for a quick recovery

*for minimal pain for Tatum

*for peace for Keven and I (and Asher, and extended family!) as we send our precious Tatum into surgery

I will keep you posted on the details of the day as I know more...time and all. Thank you in advance for your prayers!

As always we remain, "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer"

(Romans 12:12)

A First

2009-01-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

We got to attend our first school program last Friday!!! Asher's preschool Christmas program had to be rescheduled until after Christmas break because of the snow and it was worth the wait! What an honor to be able to watch my son get up on stage and be in a program! I can't believe we have reached that milestone...he's getting so big.

I also signed him up for T-ball today.....oh my.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T22:49:00.000-08:00

We pray that you will feel the love of Christ in a real way on this Christmas Day as we celebrate the best gift of all!

Keven, Alicia, Asher (4 1/2) & Tatum (3)

Fun in the snow!

2008-12-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

Snow has come to Puyallup, WA...and lots of it! As you know, this is a big deal around here as we hardly ever have this much snow on the ground for this long. It's been snowing off and on for a week now and we probably accumulated 6-8 inches. Enough for some snowmen and sledding!

These pics are from our first round of snow...not tons on the ground yet

Then the real snow came!

There is a big hill next to my parent's house that Lindsey and I grew up sledding down. It was a blast reliving our memories with the kids!

We even got mom to go down the hill!

Some of the neighbor kids had constructed a little jump and this was Papa and Asher after going over it! My dad's "ugh" could be heard from far away!

Getting ready for Christmas!

2008-12-12T15:09:00.001-08:00

We have been busy getting ready for our favorite time of the year! I love coming home to a house decorated with the signs of Christmas, having a Christmas tree shining in the background, and hearing old and new favorite Christmas CD's played!

Here we are at our annual trek to the Christmas tree farm. Asher was VERY happy to have a chance to hold the saw and help cut down the tree!

Tatum had fun playing in the dirt.

Papa had lots of helping cutting down his tree!

Keven and Asher cutting down our tree!

Tatum would NOT get off of Papa after cutting down his tree...it was really funny.

We had a great time decorating our first ever gingerbread creation.... a train!

This is Asher's special tree...his own creation. Our neighbors were decorating outside and as branches were falling off of their tree, Asher would grab them. Sabina eventually bundled a bunch together for him and we did this with it. It's my favorite decoration of the year.

Our "Bug" is 3!

2008-11-25T16:34:00.001-08:00

Tatum (or Bug as we like to call her) is three today!

Here is a look at what she has looked like on this day for the past three years.

11/25/05

11/25/06

11/25/07

11/25/08

Happy Birthday sweet girl! You are an amazing spirit...God has blessed us greatly.

A reward

2008-11-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

Asher's transition to preschool this year has been tough. He is a thinker (an understatement) and separation has never been easy for him, which is exactly why he is in preschool this year! So, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since the first of September, I have left my sobbing son exactly where he needed to be.

Sticker/reward charts have always worked really well for him so we decided to try it in this situation as well. Anytime we left him at preschool with no tears, he earned a sticker. He had to earn 12 stickers before he got a reward which took about 5 weeks. I knew exactly what he would love for his reward so on Monday after he put his last, well earned, sticker on the chart, we got to have this moment!

I am so proud of his accomplishment. He is now excited to go to preschool and we all got to memorize and embrace some wonderful scripture about fear!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9

Halloween

2008-11-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

Although we are not big fans of Halloween, the kids enjoyed dressing up and going to the big event at Calvary Community Church.

Asher put on the armor of God for the occasion! He does not really like to dress up and so the "costume" only lasted a few minutes!

Our Princess Kitty

They got to sit in a firetruck at the church.

Defending the flamingo....(his cousin Reagan)

God, God, He Loves Me

2008-10-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Last night, after we got home from church, we heard something wonderful. I have to believe that our Father's heart swells when He hears things like this...I know mine does.

So, today, a reminder from our children:

Oh, God loves you and wants you to know him...

hmmm...

2008-10-17T19:01:00.001-07:00

http://kevensnyder.blogspot.com/

This girl...

2008-09-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Rocks my world!

So You Think You Can Dance

2008-09-24T15:25:00.001-07:00

So, anyone who knows my sister and I at all, knows of our little love-affair with the show
"So You Think You Can Dance".
Could possibly be more than a love affair.....

Needless to say, we look forward to the start of the show every year and this was our third year going to see the dancers on tour. The first year we went by ourselves and had a great time. Last year we had the wonderful company of our husbands and while we had a great time, our seats were terrible. NEVER get floor seats to a show like this....FYI.
This year we made it a girls night and brought our mom and Grandma along. The show was great, probably the best one so far, and we had a wonderful evening with the girls!

Until next year....

1st day of school!

2008-09-09T16:45:00.001-07:00

Asher started preschool on Monday! He was really excited to go with a little apprehension along the way!

It's hard to eat breakfast when you are ready to go!

Tatum REALLY (and I mean REALLY) wanted to go to school too...many tears were shed.

a little pre-school bike ride

pep-talk from daddy

Asher is really happy to have cousin Reagan at school with him

outside of school

When he got in the car after we picked him up, Asher said, "Mom, I LOVE preschool"! His teacher said it was one of her best first day's ever....all the kids were kind and attentive! That has been my prayer for Asher and knowing some of the families that are attending this preschool, I'm sure it's been their prayer as well! What a blessing.

Let's Cook

2008-09-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Tatum got a new apron at the fair today and after her bath, put it on and declared, "let's cook!"

So we did....

Some more Tatum.......

She has really enjoyed being naked these past few days:)

Princess dinosaur

I said to her, "Tatum, you're beautiful" She replied back, "I'm not beautiful, I'm a dinosaur"

Pretty in pink.....even a pink golf ball!

hiking in daddy's boots

She is a very funny and imaginative 2 year old!

What we've been up to

2008-08-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

For the 5 (maybe 10) of you who check my blog on a regular basis, I apologize for having to look at the same post for a month. Blogging is just really not at the top of my priority list:) Here is a pictorial look at what we have been up to this summer.

Playing in Grandma & Papa's pool

face in the water...a big deal!

We've played LOTS of baseball

Asher working hard on a "project"

Asher's first soccer class! He loved it and will be doing it again in the fall.

Tatum and cousin Meagan dressing up!

going on safari (with Meagan)

catching bugs in the snack trap

painted toes for the summer!

helping Daddy wash the cars

the kids had a lemonade stand at our annual garage sale this year! They were interested in doing it for about an hour and then our 9 year old neighbor friend took over:)

Asher got to have a special day with Papa at the air show...they had a wonderful time.

The big event of our summer was the accident Keven and Tatum were in. Praise the Lord that they were both OK but my Altima was not....we now have a new car.

We are also off to our beloved Bella Beach on Wednesday so I'll certainly have some pictures of that when we get home!

Thank You

2008-07-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

We are home and Asher is doing well. His surgery went completely as expected and we were home five hours after leaving the house very early this morning!

Thank you so much for your prayer support today! Asher could still use a few more prayers for reduced pain and a little fear of the toilet:)

God is good.

Prayer Request

2008-07-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hello all of my prayer warriors! I would love to enlist some prayer support for our family tomorrow (tuesday). Asher is having surgery in the morning. It's a minor surgery but they will be using general anesthesia. His surgery is scheduled for 8 am.

We would covet prayer for:
*peace for Asher (and Keven & I)
*safety during surgery
*quick recovery from anesthesia
*the first time he has to pee post-surgery (you can guess what sensitive organ this surgery entails!)

Thank you so much!

Your Word of the Day

2008-07-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

As created and defined by Asher (4 yrs old).

Inferlation: making a spot on the window move with one's eyes.

Who knew?

Who knew I had a Green Thumb?

2008-07-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

My tomato plant is now taller than me!

What a weekend!

2008-07-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

We just had the most fun-filled weekend celebrating the birthday of our great country and celebrating the birthday of my awesome sister!

We started our weekend on Thursday night with an all adult date night to Chopstix dueling piano bar. Linds & Sean, Keven and I, my parents and Grandma all went and we had a great time! I have no pictures of the evening but we really did have fun!

Independence day was spent mostly relaxing at home with our family but we also spent some time with extended family as well and this was the first year that we had our kids up late enough to experience some fireworks. We really had no choice and our neighborhood put on quite a show! It was so fun to experience the fun through Asher's eyes! He was so excited about it all. Tatum was still a little unsure but she was safe sitting in NeNe's car!

Asher's new "4th of July" hotwheel

Keven and my dad reliving their childhood by blowing cans into the air with firecrackers

Asher and Tatum liked watching but did not like the noise

Saturday morning we headed to our local farmer's market and ended up down there for about four hours, wandering around, visiting the library and having lunch. It was so wonderful to have beautiful weather this weekend!

Sunday was Lindsey's actual birthday and her husband, Sean had planned a nice surprise for her! She & Sean, and five other couples headed to a Mariner's game! We all took the train up to Seattle and surprised her by getting on in Puyallup while she and Sean got on at the next stop in Sumner....It was another beautiful day and quite a game to be at. 15 innings later we were on our way home. The train is a great way to get to the game but unfortunately, you can't leave until the game is over! My parents had all four kids for the day and we were a little behind schedule as you can imagine! We ended a fun weekend with a birthday barbecue at my parent's house.

At the Mariner's game

Lindsey and Reagan were really excited about this gift! (I think it was serving utensils)

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

2008-07-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

...Play in it instead!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

In thinking about Father's Day, I wanted to start here....celebrating our heavenly Father. Everything else, the many incredible blessings I have been given with my own father and now my children's father, are because of Him.

He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior. Psalm 89:26

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

I have an incredible earthly father as well, now known as Papa! He has filled my life with love, encouragement, peace, strength, comfort, adventure, fun and now the joy of watching him be a grandfather. I have always been able to find comfort in his presence....such an amazing earthy example of what it means to run to the Father for peace, comfort and rest. I am still, so blessed by him.

One of my greatest privileges for the past 4 years has been watching my amazing husband become a father. It makes my heart sing to watch the way my kids love their father and how he loves them back. He brings the presence of the Lord into his kids' lives so beautifully through his wisdom and love of worship. It is such a blessing to have him leading our family!

Thank you Keven for being such an amazing daddy to Asher & Tatum.

Going on Ferrari...?

2008-05-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

So I look up a little while ago. Ash is trying to give Tate one of his hats. She does not want it and is complaining that she wants her own Ferrari hat. So I do some minor moderating. Tate gets her hat and all is well.

Next, they are off to the pantry. Ash has the door open and is looking for something very specific...something about food for the tiger. Then I get it. "Oh...you want food for the tiger... that you are going to find on your - 'Ferrari'. Right!"

So, I help them accomplish their goal and we begin hunting the tiger. Well, apparently Oliver, our tiger in residence, has by now caught on. We are not having great luck finding him. Then I hear from under the bed, "There he is! I found him!" Off he goes! My two hunters on Ferrari close on his heels. They capture him and get to the feeding. The tiger is game to play along. After all, it is not everyday that a tiger gets two handfuls of tender morsels.

I am distracted for a bit and finally tune in to the commotion in Asher's room. They even have the door shut, which is against house rules. So, I go back to investigate. These pictures are what I find...

"uh, so are we really gonna..."

"tell ya what - capture this!"

"hey, a little help here?!"

"what the...?!"

"...could you, uh..."

"...oh, boy..."

"...really?"

"hey, ya wanna loosen the grip just a touch?"

We promise Oliver was not harmed during this adventure:)

Oliver is a champ. He has grown to endure these kids and I think is looking forward to the day when he can go sleep with them. Until then it looks like our tiger will have to endure being sat upon because "he wants to move and run away."

I am laughing out loud. Ash sets Oliver down and lies on him, then picks him up and moves him to the other end of the bed and 'contains' him, then tries another spot only to trip and land on the cat...all the while Oliver's face and eyes pleading to be rescued.

I look forward to their next Ferrari and wonder what they will find...

my wife, their mother...

2008-05-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

this flower is orange

the sky is grey (today anyway)

here are a few things

I just have to say...

when it came to selecting our mothers

none of us got much of a voice

but when it came to selecting my wife

I couldn't be happier that I made you my choice

all of the wife stuff

we'll set it aside for now

and focus on children

ours are blessed, i mean...wow!

you clothe them, you bathe them

you bandage their boo boos

and, i'm sorry to say

still change tatum's poo poos

you play with them, laugh with them

daily you teach them

i know that your heart says,

"for jesus i'll reach them"

you're gracious, you're diligent

profoundly kind

you're longsuff'ring and patient

it boggles my mind

so day after day

hour after hour

you deal with our kids

...no time for a shower

so 'till asher and tatum

can speak for themselves

just take if from me

('cause they're still little elves)

i want you to know

that we love you like crazy

and we love that your favorite

flower's a daisy

so to sum up our wee little poem this year

let's leave it to solomon

they say he was wise

at least that's what i hear

"she looks well to the way of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness

her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

'many women have done excellently,

but you surpass them all'

charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the lord is to be praised

give her of the fruit of her hands

and let her works praise her in the gates"

Alicia, I cannot tell you how blessed I am by God, first, that you are my wife, then, that you are the mother of my children. I am so glad that they are our children, even if only on loan from God - for a little while. It is easy for me to see why he has entrusted them to your care.

You are amazing. Thank you for not giving in or giving up. I know Asher and Tatum love you very much.

Me too.

More...

Picture Update

2008-05-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately so here are some random pictures from the last

three weeks!

I celebrated my 33rd birthday with a trip to Northwest Trek with the kids...

...and a Keylime Cheesecake!

We moved Tatum to her big girl bed which she is thrilled with!

I've had this bedroom set sitting at my parent's house for about ten years ... It's from my great-grandparent's farm house in Iowa. It's pretty cool to see my little girl sleeping in the bed now!

Going for a "hike" with her new backpack from Uncle Sean and the binoculars that we made at Northwest Trek!

One of their favorite things to do these days

Asher enjoying a bowl of strawberries....just days before we discovered that he is allergic to them....oops!

Snyder Look-alike Meter

2008-04-22T15:48:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history research - Family tree chart

Snyder Look-alike Meter

2008-04-22T15:38:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Happy Birthday Keven!

2008-04-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
St. Augustine

Thank you for being the hands that hold this family together. Thank you for leading us, for teaching us and for loving us. We are blessed beyond measure by you.

Alicia, Asher & Tatum

Birthday wrap-up

2008-04-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since Asher's birthday but I wanted to add a few more pictures of his celebrations!

Grandma & Papa had a little party for Asher at their house on his birthday....

The Imaginext T-rex he's been wanting for a long time....

I was so excited to give it to him!

Next came a party with all of our family.....

Keven hard at work making Asher's cake.

The final result!

Asher gazing lovingly at all of his dinosaurs (not all from his birthday by the way:))

Nail

2008-04-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Keven stepped on a nail yesterday...through his boot....into his foot. Tetanus shot and all.

This morning he was showing Asher the hole in this foot from the nail and Asher said,

"Hey, that's just like God." "He had a nail in his foot too, when he was on the cross".

To which Keven said, "That's right...why was God on the cross?"

Asher's answer: "Because He loves us"

So, today....a reminder from our 4 year old son....

Jesus loves you and he hung on a cross with nails through his feet and hands and died for you. Oh, he wants you to know...

Photography by Asher

2008-03-27T16:05:00.001-07:00

Spring snow!

2008-03-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful (to me) surprise snow fall yesterday. I know not everybody shares my enthusiasm about the snow but my kids had a blast playing in it!

Easter Pics

2008-03-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Asher REALLY wanted to wear a hat to church too.....

Easter Egg hunt at Papa & Grandma's

Asher was not happy that one of his "A" eggs was pink:)

FYI...Asher really isn't as grumpy as he looks in these pictures!!!!

Happy 4th Birthday Asher!

2008-03-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

4 years...It's hard to believe I've been a mom for 4 years. What a roller coaster ride it has been.

I could never have adequately prepared myself for motherhood. It's truly amazing what a child can do to you:) I am, without question, a better person because of Asher. I am, without question, more reliant on my Lord because of Asher. I am, without question, more in touch with the world because of Asher.

Asher has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and has since he could talk (which was early). He wants to know everything about everything and will not let something rest until he understands....much like his daddy! It has been a blast discovering things with him and learning more than I ever could have imagined about airplanes, sharks and most significantly, dinosaurs. He loves to be in the car because he can sit and take it all in. He sees things out the window that I never would.....opening my eyes to the world.

He has an amazing memory. He still remembers his first trip to the pumpkin patch when he was two. He remembered where we parked at the fair one year later (when he was two). My jaw drops open on a regular basis when he pops off with memories.

Asher has a very sensitive spirit....which we will have to guard carefully.

Keven and I have been blessed immensely by Asher and we look forward to the many adventures we have ahead of us with our son.

Happy Birthday buddy. We love you so much!

Can you guess what the theme of his birthday (life) is?????

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

We hope you have a fun-filled day of green!

An Irish Blessing

"May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again,

May God hold you In the palm of his hand."

a little bruised...but healthy!

2008-03-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

Keven and I are leaving today for a long awaited weekend in Seattle...just the two of us! We are going to the symphony tonight and then just doing whatever else we want for the rest of the weekend!!!

I was determined to leave my kids healthy so we went nowhere this week...

They are healthy thank goodness but because they were a little stir-crazy, Asher has a nice (almost) black eye and Tatum split her lip open yesterday:)

But they are healthy!!!!

Dressing the Princess

2008-02-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

This is the beautiful scene I walked in on this afternoon....I watched Asher dress Tatum from head to toe in her princess outfit. It was absolutely precious. These two love each other SO much and play together so wonderfully. I am blessed.

Pictures from Asher

2008-02-11T16:00:00.001-08:00

Asher has been randomly taking pictures with our old digital camera for over a year now. We finally got them downloaded and I wanted to share some with you.

nice picture of mommy:)

walking down some stairs

there were LOTS of dinosaur pictures!

I know it's a little gross but I couldn't help but share this one!

Finally....SNOW!!!!

2008-01-31T15:17:00.000-08:00

We have been praying for snow in my house for a long time. I LOVE when it snows and I wanted my kids to see some snow on the ground this year so badly. Our prayers were answered Monday morning when we woke up to almost 3 inches on snow. Now, those of you who we love dearly in Colorado and Iowa are probably laughing just a little right now but 3 inches is a big deal in Puyallup, Washington. School was even cancelled!

Here are some pictures of our day in the snow!

NeeNee and Asher playing a little "snowball"

Our snowman:)

A call to action

2008-01-17T17:13:00.001-08:00

My heart has been stirred and I'm taking action! If you are like me, you know there are needs in the world and you even have a desire to do something about it but you just don't know what to do. What EXACTLY are the needs? Where EXACTLY do I need to send money and what will that money do?

I was recently made aware of a situation in Zambia, Africa. Keven's cousin and wife are involved with two missions groups in Zambia and have direct contact with Action International missionaries down there. We had dinner with them recently and heard their hearts where Zambia in concerned. The next Monday, Brett sent me the following e-mail asking for prayer and/or financial help because of a current crisis in Zambia.

"At this point, the biggest challenge in the feeding program is that it is the rainy season and the cost of food and supplies has gone up significantly. It has been raining here every day to the point of roads being washed out. Charcoal has gone from 40,000 kwacha a bag to 100,000 per bag because it is all wet. We are starting to see an increase in the price of fish as well because they can’t get it into the city. Several bridges have been washed out as well.

The National food storage places in the South and East have been flooded and they have lost their reserves. With the rain not letting up, crops have not grown or they have developed fungus and are going to be spoiled. We are worried about there being enough food to go around this coming March, April and May.

For many of the children these are the only three meals they receive each week. It seems the crisis has reached a point of just trying to get them fed the three times per week right now".

The kids being talked about go to free schools put on by Action International. Many of these kids do not get to eat much. When they started the schools, the kids would eat the grass mats they were sitting on. Then they started the feeding program and miracles happen. :)

The thought of these beautiful children eating only three days/week right now with the possibility of that decreasing is more than I can handle. My heart was heavy all day on Monday and as I was sitting on my couch taking a break while my beautiful and healthy children were napping, I felt a little nudge and heard a little whisper..."so, what are you going to do Alicia?"
I know that I, alone, cannot do much. I also know it doesn't take much to make a difference in the lives of these kids. I also know that together....we could make a significant difference.

I look at my beautiful, healthy children and my heart aches. I get frustrated because my kids won't eat vegetables. I get frustrated because my kids turn their noses up at the food I prepare for them. Today, my heart is breaking because I know for certain there are kids in Zambia who would gladly sit at my table and eat my son's vegetables.

Today I am asking you to help me make a difference in the lives of the kids attending the Action International free schools in Zambia, Africa. The two things I know for sure that they need are prayer and money. Please pray for the flooding and food crisis. Please pray for the health of the kids there as their bodies strive to survive on eating three days/week. Please pray for enough supplies to feed them more often. Most importantly, please pray that they will feel the love of Christ from those servants in front of them on a daily basis and from those of us over here who are doing our best to do something!

If you are led to contribute financially to this cause, please send funds to Action International (mark Zambia Feeding on the memo line).

Action International
PO Box 398
Mountlake Terrace, WA
98043-0398

Thank you for hearing my heart today.

Thank you for considering this need. May God bless you as you do.

Alicia

Worship

2008-01-11T10:56:00.001-08:00

Keven has always led worship from the piano or keyboard but has recently begun learning how to play the guitar. The kids love when he pulls it out. After dinner last night Asher asked Keven if he would sing us a song (always a good thing) so Keven brought the guitar to the table and we worshipped for awhile. It was a really nice moment.

Tatum got out of her chair after gazing at daddy for awhile and got in front of Keven and said, "you're a good singer Daddy"

Asher learning to pick

My sick babies

2008-01-06T18:15:00.001-08:00

I think we're almost done....Asher is fever free today for the first time since Tuesday and we are praying Tatum will be close behind!

Waving the white flag

2008-01-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in a previous post that our family all had the nasty stomach bug the first week of December. We made it through that and were healthy for Christmas (praise the Lord)....
Yesterday we were at the doctor with both kids and....drum roll please....next up for the Snyder family....Influenza! Asher started with it on New Years Day and has just felt awful since. Tatum went down yesterday and seems to be handling it ok. Keven and I are healthy for now. Please pray that we remain so.

Believe me, I've been on my knees begging God that we will be DONE after this!

Despite it all...

God is good
All the time
All the time
God is good

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Snyder family.

We wish you a very blessed Christmas and pray that you will feel the love of Christ in it all.

Cheese

2007-12-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

The stomach flu sidelined all four of us last week....keeping us home bound for nearly a week. It was a first for us and I hope it stays away for a long time! It was a nasty bug that caused none of us to eat much for a good five days.
So, when my already skinny minny (who had lost nearly 10% of her body weight by this point) asked me for, "not little cheese, mommy...BIG cheese", I totally obliged!

A question for Jesus

2007-12-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

This was my conversation with Asher at bedtime the other night:

Asher: "Mommy, why did all of the dinosaurs have to die?"

Me: "I don't know Asher, that is a question we will have to ask Jesus one day"

Asher then sat up in bed and said, "Jesus.....Why did all of the dinosaurs have to die?"

Then there was silence for probably 10 seconds before he said, "Ok"

So, I asked him what Jesus had said

Asher: "So we can live"

Hmmmmm........

Makes sense to me.

Dancing

2007-11-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

We even did some dancing at our family birthday party on Sunday!

Tatum & Daddy

Asher & Mommy

Reagan & Papa

Birthday pictures

2007-11-29T14:13:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of our weekend celebrating Tatum's 2nd birthday!

Daddy made Tatum a Hello Kitty cake:)

Tatum had a GREAT time opening her presents!

The birthday girls

Ian, Tatum, Reagan & Asher....best friends and cousins.

Happy Birthday Tatum & GG

2007-11-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today I waited just a little too long to head to the hospital..... My beautiful little girl was born just shy of two hours after arriving and my epidural took effect about two minutes after she was born! In retrospect, I'm actually kind of glad that I got to experience the whole thing with no drugs (crazy I know).

Two years later, Tatum has graced our lives with too much love, joy and laughter to count. She is a sweet sweet spirit. We were discussing love languages the other day and one of Tatum's is definitely physical touch. Nothing makes her happier than a little back or tummy rub! She loves her brother more than life and any time in our arms with her ni-night (blanket) is good. She loves to sing, read books, eat Pirate's Booty, and do whatever Asher is doing (to the letter).

Two years ago today was also my Grandma's (or GG as she is now called) birthday! She was in the room as her third great-grandchild was born. It was a very special moment. GG is SO wonderful with my kids and they are excited to see her (and her purse full of Fruit Loops and M&M's) anytime they get a chance!

So, today we celebrate two special and God-blessed lives!
We thank Him so much for both of them.

Happy 2nd and 81st birthday's Tatum & GG

***pics to come***

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

Keven, Asher, Tatum and I (Alicia) wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

As we try to say in our house on a regular basis.....

God is good

All the time

God is good!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all genertions.

Psalm 100

Greenwater Hike

2007-11-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

We have had an absolutely beautiful fall so far here in Northwest Washington which has allowed us to continue our goal of being a hiking family! On this particular hike we roped my sister and family into coming with us. It was a great hike for kids and they did a fantastic job, hiking about
two miles total!

Refresing after the hike with a kit kat and some juice!

Halloween

2007-11-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from Halloween...cookie decorating and trick or treating. A few pictures are from the festival we went to at my sister's church.

visitng GG (who supplied them with enough candy that we could have stopped there!)

Tatum as a horse

Asher is dressed as a dinosaur but you can't see his feet and he wouldn't wear the head:)

the only thing Tatum wanted to do all night!

running through the leaves

with Grandma & Papa

Sweet Feet

2007-10-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is very often how we find Tatum when we check on her

before we go to bed.

Where's Papa?

2007-10-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is the picture sent to us by my dad last night with the above caption.

He spent Friday afternoon (that is him in front) climbing a support cable on the Narrows Bridge.

NICE!!!!

Nobody knew he was doing this until we recieved the picture last night! My mom didn't even know he was doing it until he got home yesterday:)

Smart man.

He was a pilot in the airforce and I guess he was missing the rush of heights.

You're awesome dad!

Science Center

2007-10-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have said before how much Asher loves dinosaurs. Not just loves dinosaurs, but is a bit obsessed with them. He plays with them, talks about them, reads about them and acts like them all day and then at night he dreams about them. His favorite library book right now is titled, "Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia". Keep in mind he is three years old. He looked at this book for an hour straight this morning. Seriously.

Anyway...we finally made it to the Pacific Science Center last friday to check out their Colossal Fossils exhibit! We had so much fun exploring all of the great things the science center has to offer. The fossil exhibit is really great and definitely worth seeing if you have any interest at all in dinosaurs.

Asher with Stegosaurus

Asher and Tatum with Allosaurus

digging for dinosaur bones!

testing her grip strength...

excavating some marbles

checking out one of the many butterflies in the butterfly house

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

We did our annual trek to the local Pumpkin Patch last weekend and although it was a beautiful, sunny day, there was still lots of mud to be found.
We are the parents who get the looks because we are allowing our boy be a boy in the mud! It is so fun and refreshing to watch him in his element. Tatum wasn't too interested in the mud at all but Asher did get his awesome cousin, Reagan, to join in on the fun.

Here are Reagan, Tatum and Asher checking things out

Should I???

I think so...

Come on Reagan, let's do it!

a boy and his mud

Asher giving Ian a tractor ride

They are saying "moo"

The picture of Tatum and the corn needs an explanation. She discovered, and fell in love with, corn on the cob this summer. After we were done wtih the pumpkins, we found Tatum standing next to this "pumpkin house" trying to eat the decorative corn on the cob. It was hilarious!

DOVE

2007-10-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Lisa, I was reminded of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. I have admired what the Dove company has been doing for awhile now. I believe so strongly in the message that they are trying to send to our girls. We have the advantageous yet unfortunate opportunity to live in a media driven world, images and messages everywhere. We are bombarded subtly and not so subtly on a daily basis with what society at large sees as "perfection". Logically, most of us know that these ideas are erroneous but those moments when our humanity takes over, it can be rough. Raising a girl today will be difficult. Keven and I are committed to raising Tatum to believe in who she is...a child of God. We want her to believe in who God made her to be and stand tall knowing that everything she is is exactly how her heavenly father created her.
But, let me say, I believe raising a boy in this world is just as hard for all the same reasons. We will have to shield Asher from the same messages. Our boys are growing up seeing these images as "ideal" also. We have to teach Asher respect and responsibility as a man.....responsibility to see women as God sees them. Also teaching him to believe in himself and in who God made him to be....enough to stand up for all of these things.

Oh man....God help us (literally!)

Check out the website above to see how you can support the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. I'm going to try to upload their newest short film onto my blog so look for it!

Oliver

2007-09-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

As I'm sitting here listening to my "beloved" cat, Oliver, scream/meow his lungs out, I thought I ought to introduce you to him.

I have always been a cat girl...we usually had two or three in our house growing up. Keven is not a cat guy...allergic and all. So, throughout the first year of our marriage the subject of cats came up a few times and we agreed to start looking for the perfect cat for our family. We happened upon a breed of cat called Burmese. We thought (at the time) that this breed sounded wonderful. So, for our first anniversary, Keven bought me Oliver.

This description is taken from the above link...

Burmese are extremely people-oriented; their personalities are almost dog-like in a tendency to shadow their owners and in a desire to give and receive affection. If encouraged, many Burmese converse with their humans, using soft, sweet voices (they are neither loud nor raucous).

How true that is, except Oliver seems to fall into the loud and raucous category. His need for attention and vocal abilities used to be really charming and laughable. Not so much anymore.

Since the kids came along, Oliver has decided that he is miserable in our home and tries anything he can to escape when a door is open. Or he sees how loud and how long he has to meow in order to get thrown out.

We have contemplated many times finding a better home for him but I REALLY want my kids to grow up with an animal and I REALLY want Oliver to be buddies with them.

Lately, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Tatum has seemed to warm Oliver up quite a bit and just the other day I found Oliver and Asher "snuggling" on the floor in his bedroom.

So, we remain patient with our "dog-like" cat and look forward to the day when he is seeking the kids attention and not running away from them.

There should be a rule...

2007-09-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

that mom's are never allowed to get sick or injured. It just complicates things, you know?

I was taking a class at the Puyallup Athletic Club on Wednesday morning and the teacher was warming us up on the steps (lisa...I feel your pain). About twenty minutes into it, my right foot slips off the step, rolling my ankle flat onto the ground. I felt something pop and my whole foot went numb. Now, I have a pretty high pain tolerance and my nature is to take a few deep breaths, stand up and keep going. Well, I knew right away that this was not going to happen. So, I very casually put my step away and hopped out of the room to assess the situation! A very nice man from the class came out to check on me and went to get me ice. I am one who would like to avoid attention at all costs so was pretty happy only a few people saw this happen. After about 10 minutes, I gathered my sweatshirt and water bottle, hobbled to the car and drove to Lindsey's house where my kids were, calling Keven on the way to let him know I would probably need his help for the rest of the day!

In all of my years of gymnastics and working out, I have NEVER done anything like this. I took step classes for years and never did this. It is SO hard for me to sit still and be taken care of.

I'm quite certain there is a lesson in this for me.....

Thankfully, I have wonderful husband with a servant's heart who knows me well enough to force my rear end on the couch!

Wednesday, I spent most of the day sitting with my leg up, icing it, and "resting". I was not going to go to the doctor until I woke up the next morning with my ankle twice the size as it was the day before and all black and blue. The pain wasn't a big deal but I don't want to deal with any long term effects. So, I went to get an x-ray yesterday afternoon just to confirm it wasn't broken...it isn't. I will now spend the next week in a brace, trying my hardest to rest it as much as possible.

Seriously, shouldn't there be a rule?

Labor Day....a week later!

2007-09-11T22:08:00.001-07:00

A little late but here are some pictures of our day in Seattle last Monday. We love any chance we get to hang out downtown Seattle. We spend some time walking along the waterfront, played some baseball in the loop at SPU and then had a milkshake at Kid Valley. It was a wonderful family day.

Tatum spent most of our time at SPU trying to get into one of these mailboxes...no luck but she was certainly determined!

God Bless...

2007-09-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Tatum has a favorite song right now called "I See the Moon", sung by Chris Rice.

The chorus goes like this...

I see the moon
The moon sees me
The moon sees the one that I'm longing to see
God bless the moon
and God bless me
And God bless the one I'm longing to see.

This morning, Asher added another line to the end of that chorus....

and God bless the Nascars too!

It was a very funny moment.

Argentina

2007-09-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

Asher, our 3 1/2 year old son, wants to go to Argentina. Badly. Now.

Once he discovered that many dinosaurs were discovered there, it was all over. Yesterday and today he especially wanted to go to Argentina. We were wandering around downtown Seattle today and whenever there was a transition being made he would ask, "Can we go to Argentina now?" We tried the best we could to explain to him that it's just not that easy. That it's a long plane ride away and that it would require some planning, as well as more money than we have right now. None of these explanations were good ones for him though. He would just say, "let's drive to the airport now and get on a plane and fly to Argentina." Made sense to him.

So, we'll try to pacify him for the next 10-15 years and take him one day when he'll really appreciate it! We LOVE that he is so interested in another country and will definitely encourage travel and exploration. Until we can get there, we'll just learn all we can about Argentina and dream with our son.

one more thing...

***Two months ago when we were driving back from the Oregon coast, with no prompting, Asher says from the backseat, "Mommy and Daddy, lasterday I kayaked to Argentina to look for dinosaurs."

Bubbles and stuff

2007-08-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of random things....

Check out my sister's blog to see how much fun my kids had with Nee Nee on Monday!

I am excited about bloggers new "Add Video" button. Since I don't have YouTube figured out, this is great! I've been wanting to share this video for awhile now. This is Tatum blowing spit bubbles for the first time.

Forever Friends

2007-08-23T15:17:00.001-07:00

You know the kind of friends I'm talking about....the kind that when you meet them for the first time, you know you'll be forever friends. And not just friends. Family, confidants, supporters, cheer leaders, encouragers. No matter the time or distance between you, they are always there.

Keven and I (and now our kids) are blessed to have such people in our life. We met Michael and Judith Anhuth pretty much immediately upon our arrival to Highlands Ranch, CO 6 years ago this month. Keven and I moved there two weeks after we got married to join a church plant. We were pretty much inseparable from the get-go. Their first daughter, Hannah, was born just a few weeks after we met them and she became a big part of our life as well. Six years, four kids (two more for them and two for us), and one move later, we still don't know what we would do without them.

Tatum and I had the priveledge of spending last weekend with them. This was the first time they had met Tatum and the first time we had met their youngest, Cassandra. It was a short but sweet visit.

We love you Michael, Judith, Hannah, Isabella and Cassandra Anhuth!

Thanks for being our forever friends.

Hannah, Tatum and Isabella

Judith and her girls

Me and all the girls

Cassandra

***Apparently Michael was not around for pictures...I have none to share:)

The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families

2007-08-15T23:36:00.000-07:00

The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families is sponsoring a golf tournament on August 22nd. Keven is going to play in this tournament in order to support this fantastic organization. If you aren't familiar with the National Coalition-- click here to read about them.

If you would like to sponsor Keven and help reach the fundraising goal-- click here

Thank you for helping to support such an important organization!

The Little Gym

2007-08-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

We love The Little Gym! I have worked for The Little Gym of Puyallup for almost four years now. First as a teacher, and now as their part-time bookkeeper. It is a wonderful place to make a little extra money for my family. Now, both of my kids are attending classes and love it as well! Asher is in the Sports Skills class and Tatum is a Beast (a parent-child class).

It is a place where I have watched Asher bloom and become more comfortable around people and more confident in new situations. Tatum is slowing letting go of mommy's neck and participating in class more and more each week.

Never mind the physical strength and balance they are gaining!

I would highly recommend The Little Gym to anyone! Call today for your free trial class:)

Asher gaining some very important baseball skills!

a little golf with Mr. Jason

This is the part Asher is not to sure about...the gymnastics. He told me, "that is what girls do"

As a former gymnast, I sort of hoped for a little girl to do gymnastics with. Tatum showed a little promise today although I fear, she may be too tall. We'll see!

Bubble time!

Hanging out in the donut!

Evangelism at its best

2007-08-02T15:36:00.001-07:00

We went down to Pioneer Park in downtown Puyallup today to play in the wading pool and got an unexpected blessing. There was a group of teenage kids at the park witnessing to the kids. They were there through an Awana camp and were doing at extraordinary job. They had songs and a puppet show. They were painting the kids faces and making bracelets for them. All the while, spreading the love and message of Jesus. They were telling the gospel to the kids using colors. So, as they were painting their faces, or making their bracelets, they were explaining what each color meant in a relationship with God.

Our kids thought it was the coolest! Asher loves his bracelet and is asleep right now with his "Jesus story" next to his bed (the paper explaining what the colors in his bracelet mean).

God bless them for reaching out and trying to change the lives of our community!

Ocean Pictures

2007-07-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

Finally....some of my favorite pictures from our trip to Lincoln City, OR.

More to come.

A sweet picture with Papa & Grandma

Asher catching for Reagan!

Sisters

Worshipping on the beach!

Daddy finally got Tatum's feet in the sand.

Cookie!

2007-07-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Oh, if only all of you could have been with us for this moment. It was probably the funniest 5 minutes of our week at the Oregon Coast. I'm not even sure how it transpired but my dad was trying to say something but had a piece of cookie stuck in his throat and all he could get out was COOKIE! It wasn't just that he could only say cookie, it was that he said it in this squeaky high pitched voice.

Oh. My. Goodness.

We all lost it for a long time. Funny Funny Funny.

Ummmm.....never mind.

2007-07-23T17:23:00.001-07:00

Ya, so if you scroll down on my blog page, you will see the particular post I was just ranting about, titled Biscuits. Apparantly, blogger sorts posts by date (how smart) and since I first started writing that post at the end of June, that is the date still on there.

Ok, frustrations gone;)

What?!?

2007-07-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

I just have to say that I have been trying to post a particular post for way too long now and I do not know what is going on. I'm giving up for now but I wanted to at least say I have not dropped off the face of the earth....just been a little frustrated with blogger these days!

I hope to get some ocean pics on here soon too!

addendum to Sandy Treasure!

2007-07-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

I also wanted to say how blessed we were by three total strangers who took time out of their day to help us look for my ring. A husband and wife dug with us for over an hour, so kind, generous and encouraging! Another lady stopped to help dig for awhile as well. They were all there when the ring was found! It's a beautiful thing when people who know nothing about each other, come together for a common purpose. It didn't matter who we were, they saw a need and "dug in"! I will strive to be more like those strangers, now comrades.

Sandy Treasure

2007-07-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to find something in the sand? Something that you REALLY wanted to find. Well, thursday morning, I had a chance to do just that.
We packed our beach toys up and headed down the path to the beach so the kids could play in the sand. It was a beautiful day and we were looking forward to some fun digging. Well...we did some digging all right.

At the bottom of the stairs, I stopped to take my shoes off, like always. I grabbed one of the shoes to shake some sand off and as I did that........my sometimes slightly too big wedding ring fell off into the sand. I stopped immediately and yelled for Keven. I explained what had happened and my very calm, cool, and collected husband went into action. We sent Asher off to play with Uncle Sean and Reagan and set Tatum down next to us (in the backpack). I knew the ring was not far from where I was standing so we at least had a good idea where to look.

Next time you are in some sand, drop something that has the same weight as a ring and see what happens. It's amazing to watch it just disappear. We did it with Keven's ring to see what we were up against. This was about 10:30 am. Keven drew a circle around our digging area and very methodically went to work. We wanted to make sure not to bury it deeper so we took our time and went section by section.
Time clicked by as we sifted and sifted sand. Sand is quite beautiful by the way, each grain amazingly unique. Just like our Lord made us....amazingly unique.

Anyway, you have some time to ponder while sifting through the sand with your husband, looking for this treasure that means so much to both of you. Keven designed my wedding ring and it's perfect and beautiful. But, this ring does not define our marriage. It symbolizes quite a lot, but it does not define us. We were both at peace the entire time we were looking, recognizing that it's "just a ring", thanking God we were not looking for one of our kids.

Two hours later, we were still looking. I had gone back to the house to work on lunch for the kids. While I was there, my brother-in-law, Sean, went to the Bella Beach office just to see if they, or anyone they knew, had a metal detector. Well, praise Jesus, one of their husband's had just gotten one...brand new, still in the box. She called him and not long after, he was down on the sand looking for my ring! I was on my way back to the spot where my precious husband was still digging, when I passed Larry, the metal detector guy, and his wife coming back up the stairs. I said, "please tell me you are coming back because you found my ring!" YES, he had found it. It was 1:00 pm now. Keven had been on his hands and knees in the sand for 2 1/2 hours.

When we got back to the house, Keven got down on his now sun-burnt knee to place my sandy treasure back on my finger. It felt good.

More than anything, it was nice to know that Keven and I are the same couple with or without that ring. We love Jesus and we trust him with our marriage.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my ring. I just recognize that my true treasures are elsewhere!

***The ring was found right where we thought it would be, about two feet in front of where I was standing when it fell off!***

We're back!

2007-07-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived safely home last night from the Oregon Coast. We came up via Hwy 101 which made it an 8 hour day for us. Our kids are amazing travelers so we had a great time!
Our week at the beach was fantastic...lots of great sand time, beautiful weather, laughter, and even some relaxation! I have not organized my pictures yet but if you would like a sneak peak, check out my very organized sister's blog to see some of her pictures!

We did have one exciting/scary/thought provoking morning that I will post about in awhile!

Vacation!

2007-07-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

We're off or a week on the Oregon coast today! There are 10 of us that go... the four of us, my parents and my sister's family. We started this tradition last year and had a great time! We discovered a wonderful rental community right on the water, just south of Lincoln City. Look for pictures in a week or so!

Biscuits

2007-06-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

Keven brought many amazing things to our marriage. One that all four of us appreciate a lot is his ability to make the BEST homemade biscuits. Asher has been helping Keven make biscuits for awhile now but this Sunday was the first time Tatum got in on the action. She had a great time! It's a messy process but special bonding time for daddy and kids.

Just because

2007-06-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist sharing this picture.

"Do you love Jesus?"

2007-06-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Asher and I were walking over to Papa and Grandma's house last night, about 3/4 of a mile from our place. He was holding my hand the whole way, except for the occasional stop to inpsect something along the side of the road.

I was really enjoying the walk and moments like that tend to take me to my son's future and what might be in store for him down the road. As I was thinking, sort of out loud, I said, "Asher, I sure hope you love Jesus." As I said, I was thinking about his future and hoping that God will be the one holding his heart for eternity. Then I asked him, "Do you love Jesus?"

He said, "Yeah, I like Jesus...but I love dinosaurs."

Right. He is only three. At least he likes Jesus. We'll start there and keep working.

Asher-ism #3

2007-06-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

Keven works part-time for a company called LTS LeaderBoard. He was working at Bryce Fisher's charity golf tournament on Monday.

At one point during the day, Asher said to me,

"Mommy, daddy's at a turtlement at the golf court."

I'm pretty sure that tournaments will always be turtlements and a golf course will always be a golf court in our house now!

Happy Father's Day Keven!

2007-06-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

We are blessed by you daily. Thank you for loving us each as you do. Thank you for playing, laughing and being an involved daddy. Thank you for being my parenting partner.

Most of all, thank you for being an example of Jesus to us all.

We love you T H I S much!

Frosting

2007-06-11T17:01:00.001-07:00

Saturday was our nephew, Ian's first birthday party. Ian is a very enthusiastic little boy and Ian loves to eat. That combination must be perfect for his first birthday cake experience, right?

RIGHT!!!

Really, this is for me?

Seriously?

Oh my goodness. I LOVE FROSTING.

Me too Ian, me too.

Pigtails

2007-06-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

When I found out I was having a girl nearly two years ago, one of my first thoughts was, "oh no, someday I'm going to have to do her hair"!

That day has arrived.

I have attempted pigtails twice now and today was much more successful. I'm sure this sounds really silly as most mom's can't wait to have girl hair to play with. My first attempt was on Saturday and with some loving encouragement by my sister, I learned that it's apparently important to make sure the pigtails are even when looking at her from the front. I was just excited that I got the part centered in the back! So, today I made sure Tate's pigtails were even all over! I think Linds was proud.

No matter what her pigtails look like, she pretty stinkin' cute!

Hmmm

2007-06-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

That is the name of Keven's new blog. This is something I have been wanting him to do for a long time so I am SO excited that today he posted for the first time! As a worship leader, Keven has a special place in his heart for this thing called worship. I believe God has given him insights that a lot of us don't have. I am often amazed. So, it is with pride that I introduce his blog. I hope you are blessed by it.

www.kevensnyder.blogspot.com

Asher-ism #2

2007-06-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

This was an exchange between Keven and Asher the other day.

Daddy, i'm a little bit sad.

why is that?

'cause i was walking and bumped into a dinosaur

oh, really? What kind?

it was a t-rex

did it hurt?

prob'ly a little bit...

Dip! Dip! Dip! Dip!

2007-06-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

Tatum has discovered dip and boy does she like it. If we ever have anything resembling "dip" at the table, we have to hide it from her or she won't be able to focus on anything else. It doesn't matter what it is...salad dressing, sour cream, honey, syrup.....she wants it all. This is her most recent dip experience (I believe it's ranch)

The bathwater was running before she was out of her chair!