Good times with my family

Cayce, Reese and Stu came to spend the weekend with us while Jason was out of town! We had a special treat on Friday night: dinner out just me, Cayce and Mom! This never happens! We actually got to hang out all together with no interruptions from little ones! It was a sweet time to just be together and of course - we didn't take a single picture....we've got to get better about that! A HUGE thanks to Nathan who agreed to hang with the four kiddos during our no TV week so we could go out to eat! I love you!! :)
Saturday was beautiful so we spent the morning at the Greenville Zoo and took a picnic lunch to enjoy at the Cleveland Park playground! Nana joined us there and we even ran into Will, Clark, and their grandmother who also had the idea of coming to the zoo that morning! Too funny! The cousins had a great time and it was good to be together. We hadn't been to the zoo in a while so we got to see a lot of new critters like the giraffes! It is great to have a family that you love and even better to have family you love being with! Love you Nate, Mom and sister!

Weather for Walking

Camdyn and I enjoyed a walked together with both Sarge and Sadie on Thursday afternoon! Here is a quick photo I took of Cam with Sadie on the soccer field! Camdyn I enjoyed spending this time with you! :)

TV Fast Update

Well, we survived! :) After church today, Daddy called a family meeting to talk about how everyone did during our week of no TV. We only had one exception - letting the girls watch a movie while at a friends house but other than that we all did so well. Claire mentioned that she liked spending more time playing with her cousins while they were here this weekend instead of just watching TV which she noted caused her to be lazy and tired. Camdyn said that she had more time to pray and to play with her friends and family instead of watching TV. I commented that books I had read, music from church on Sunday, and Scripture readings were resonating in my mind throughout the week and not being replaced so quickly with images from the TV. Today at church a short video clip was shown of Jesus during his trial before his execution. I was moved to tears quickly at the bold graphics and music of this short clip. I think that my week away from TV allowed this first exposure to TV to sink in deeper than it would have had I been watching a bunch of mindless TV all week. Daddy survived great and has been such a trooper with all the NCAA basketball games he has missed. He commented on how much he enjoyed having game nights with the family at night and how he was felt like he was sleeping better with a smaller amount of TV exposure.
We feel that God is really challenging us to take this week and apply it to our everyday lives. So at our family meeting we agreed on the following:
No TV during the week, only on the weekend.
No TV watching from Sunday at 5 pm to Friday at 3 pm. So that means Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday afternoon we may watch TV. No TV will be watched on Sundays before church.
All shows are to be approved by Mommy and Daddy as usual and just because you can watch TV doesn't mean you can park yourself in front of the TV.
If there is a special something during the week (i.e. Clemson game, holiday special, etc.) Daddy and Mommy can make exceptions to the no TV during the week rule.
Mommy and Daddy do get to watch shows on Sunday night after the girls have gone to bed.

National Turn Off the TV Week is April 19-25. Try it and see what happens in your family when everyone is tuned into each other instead of TV!! :)

Snyder TV Fast - March 14 to March 21

These pictures show what our TVs look like this week. We had a family meeting on Sunday to talk about how much wasted time is spent watching TV and so we decided to cut it out for an entire week. The girls made "No TV - STOP!" signs to remind us and so far it has been AWESOME! NCAA basketball, Fox News, and Noggin shows have been missed but we are all doing much better than expected! More to report once the week is officially over!

First Lake Murray Trip 2010

Despite the torrential rain on the way down and the chilly temps we braved a trip to the Lake with our dear friends and the change of scenery and great company were worth it! :) Here are some pictures of our boat ride.....you can see how I spent most of the ride...bundled up! Thank you Temples for your hospitality and just being so generous with sharing your time away with us!

Spring has sprung!

I don't really know why but I have just enjoyed God's creation coming into bloom this year! I was so excited to see my daffodils making their way up through the mulch and my day lilies aren't far behind! But I was most excited to watch my cherry tree bloom for the first time! You may remember that Nate and the girls bought and planted this tree for me last Mother's Day. We didn't get to see any blooms last year so I was crossing my fingers all winter that it would withstand the cold and bud come spring! It has! It is no small joy for me to see this tree each time I leave and come back home and it reminds me of my sweet family! The pictures tell the story of God's creation!
"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge."
Psalm 19:1-2

Author's Tea

Claire was selected by her teacher, Mrs. Anderson, to share her story about Disney World at this month's Author's Tea. She practiced so hard for her reading and did a great job! This was her first time speaking in front of an audience and she conquered her butterflies beautifully! Thank you to Nana for coming to see Claire and enjoying the event with us! The picture above is Claire with our principal, Mrs. Mihalic and the Assistant Principal, Mrs. Hellams.
Here is Claire's story:
Disney World
When I was five I went to Disney World. I rode on the tea cup. My Dad didn't like it because it made him sick. (This got a huge chuckle from the audience!) I got a picture with Belle. She had a pretty yellow dress that was really long. My mom went with me on Space Mountain and it was very dark in there. There was a giant hill and robot people. I got a pink wig put on my hair just for fun. We had lunch with Cinderella it was really good. My very favorite thing was that lots of princesses signed my book!

Reedy River Run 2010

Both Claire and Camdyn participated in the Kids Mile Run this past Friday in downtown Greenville. They both did really well despite the chilly weather and they both received a medal upon crossing the finish line! This was their very first race and we were so proud of them! Way to go Snyder girls! :)

Snow Day Easter Eggs!

With the warmer weather we've had the past few days it is hard to believe that last week the girls were dismissed early from school for snowy weather! The girls had the idea to dye Easter eggs on their afternoon off! Here are some pictures we took of dyeing the eggs and their thoughts about the meaning of Easter!