This one's dedicated to the new Mr. and Mrs...

I'm dedicating this blog to my little sis, Angie, and new brother-in-law, Jordan. They were happily married on April 8.

A special and unique wedding, indeed!

Pictured to the left is the new happy couple in front of the home they completely renovated together in the historic Golden Belt Neighborhood of Durham, NC. I recently asked Jordan to estimate the number of hours they spent on the house, and he guessed 3,000 at least!

This home, and their passion for building community is one thing that brought them together. Their faith and their volunteer work for the Disability Ministry of Reality Ministries is another.

They held the ceremony and reception at places very near and dear to their hearts: The ceremony took place right in their backyard with the reception following at the Reality Center.

Hard work pays off!

A lot (I mean a lot) of work went into the wedding planning! Angie planted nearly 500 tulip bulbs, which by God's good work were in perfect bloom for the big day. The parents and sisters were put

to work the week of the wedding finishing odds and ends around the house and yard. Tom Jones built the arbor for the flowers and engineered the outdoor lighting. The Capps family spent hours painting the front porch and helping with some yard work. Debbie Jones was the hospitality lead, making sure everyone was well fed, taken care of, and was also in charge of some of the shopping. I had the pleasure of being Ang's right hand gal and kind of enjoyed when I got to settle some decisions and be the boss a bit =) Angie and Jordan even brewed their own beer for the reception!

Everything was completed in time for the big day. The ceremony was truly unique and special. As you can see pictured above, the wedding party and guests joined hands and formed circles to bless the couple and pray over them. Rain and storms were in the forecast all day, and you can only imagine the stress and anxiety that caused. The ceremony ended about 8, and the rain made an appearance when we were safe and sound at the reception!

My Matron of Honor speech

I could go on and on, but will let pictures tell the rest of the story. As far as how happy and proud I am of my sis, you can read for yourself in my speech below (yes, the planner in me typed it out in advance). It went a little something like this:

I am so thrilled this day has finally arrived. Words just can’t express it. But, I’ll give it a shot.

First of all, if you know my sister well, you would agree that she is very thorough and analytical with all decisions she makes. So this whole wedding proposal was no decision made lightly. Rest assured, while it may take her a while to reach the decision, once she has, you can guarantee she’s absolutely 100+% confident. Perhaps it’s her mathematical background from school, or her analytical thinking from her father.

So, Jordan, you’ve absolutely won her over! We are so happy to have you a part of our family. In addition to now being a husband, you are now a son in law, brother in law, and uncle. Congratuations (good luck)!

Considering I have the floor now, and I am the big sister, I suppose it’s only fitting for me to attempt to embarrass the bride by bringing up some moments from childhood and the teenage years. So, here we go.

Did you know that Angie wanted to be called “Asterly” for a period of time? I think we may have been required to address her as “Princess Asterly”.

Angie dreamed of being a hair dresser when she was young. I leveraged that during my teen years and made her wake up early (seriously, 5 am early) to fix my hair before school. Sorry, sis.

As any teenager, Ang went through some phases. Early on she was into Kirk Cameron and NKOTB. Then she turned a little grunge, dresses in plaid, and got rave for a talent show performance where she sang Zoombie by the Cranberries (there may be a select lucky few of you here privileged to see a video of it).

Back to her being thorough with everything she does, I often called her “slow poke”. When we did dishes after dinner, I would get impatient waiting for her to rinse, so I’d just take over and do it all myself. There were even a couple times I cleaned her room for her. Now, I wonder if this was intentional on her part, a way to get out of doing the chores knowing I’d just give in and do these for her.

As any big sister, I was bossy. And, I never let her be the teacher when playing school. But the “teacher” role would come along later in life. Speaking of that…

I know that I’m nearly 4 years older than you, sis, but in many ways, you’ve played a big sister role.

You introduced me to Christ and continue to set a Godly example for myself and my children.

I admire that you often choose against conforming to society. You've

influenced some of the ways I live my daily life, trying to be more “green”, live in a more “modest” way, and eat healthier.

Through your work with Habitat and other volunteer work, you’ve set a example of giving back to the community.

You even taught me to like coffee (thank you!)

Really, the list could continue on.

So, I thank you for all you’ve taught me, and for your wisdom..... (then I said a cheer thanked some family, etc.)

More amazing photos can be found on these sites:
http://jamphotography.myfotojournal.com/2011/apr/13/angie-jordan-mr-mrs/

http://picasaweb.google.com/waltzdog/AngieJordanWedding#



More about their house and neighborhood here:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/13059124/article-Golden-Belt-Neighborhood-s-1st-home-tour-is-today?instance=main_article


Until next time...


Disclaimer: There will likely be typos and incorrect usage of grammar in my blogs. I don't care, sorry! I am a mom of two fun-loving little kiddos that require a lot of my time. But, I do want to take a little time to share with family and friends. And, I've learned to settle with imperfection and operate by what I like to call "organized chaos".

We Have Spring Fever!

After such a long winter, the Snyder Family is as eager as ever to enjoy the Spring. We got a nice tease about a week ago, and long for the good weather again.

What's Lily into these days?

Good manners, I'm happy to report!

She's trying very hard to set a good example for her brother. She's more careful not to do things that he'll try...you know, "monkey see, monkey do."

I've heard a lot of “I’m sorry” without me even prompting it. She even started to tell a fib, something to the effect of “daddy said it was okay”, and when I questioned it and asked if I should call daddy to ask him, she said, “I’m sorry for lying”.

She learned a new prayer:

"Dear God. Please help me eat dumplings. And please help me eat all kinds of foods. Please watch over my family and friends.” Trinity and Adam should like this one!

Girl Time
We were enjoying what we like to call “girl time” while daddy was giving Luke a bath. I’m not sure how we got on the topic, but she asked if someday she could make lists like I do for things to buy at the store. So, I asked her what kinds of things would be on her list. She said, “maybe some barbies for my little girl.” I said that she probably had some things to buy that were necessary, and she said, “like food” and listed some items.

Diego and Vegas Bear

Lily has pretty much dropped her nap. She rests in her room for about 45 minutes, then I let her watch a little TV. She’s into Diego right now. “Rescue pack...coming to the rescue,” sings Diego and Lily. Long gone are the days of good old Curious George.

Lily insists on bringing all her favorite animals to watch TV with her. One day I heard, “mom can you move Vegas Bear so I can see the TV?” If you don't know "Vegas", he is pictured above. Is this the stuffed animal I had in mind for my darling little girl to cuddle up with - with all that the city of Vegas represents - NO! But daddy brought it home for her a couple years ago when he was in Vegas for a Bachelor party, and since then, it's been a fave. Vegas got puked on once, and to the point of no return, so daddy had to go online and search for more Vegas bears. We have a couple on hand for back up.

In her words:

I’ve been hearing a lot of, “you interrupted me,” lately. It’s mostly when she is singing and I join in. I guess I don't blame her.

“Do you know what my little girl’s name is gonna be? Love.”

“Daddy never does the laundry,” Lily says at dinner time. I didn’t pay her to say it either.

I told her that after dinner we needed to straighten up the playroom because it hadn’t been in a couple days. She replied, “and you know who did it, the boys,” which is pretty much true.

What's Luke into?

Learning and playing of course!

I recently spent about 30 focused minutes studying him up close while playing. It was fascinating! All the while he was mastering his skills, slobber continued to run down his face. He's mastered dropping plastic coins into the piggy bank slot. I think we have a future baseball or football player on our hands too...he's real good at throwing and sometimes even catching a ball.

"Sliming" everyone

I often get “slimed” by Luke throughout the day. His daddy and grandparents can attest to this too. He’ll bury his nose in my chest and anywhere else, and at the end of the day, I have evidence from about 5-6 snot marks on my shirt and sometimes pants. Same for our couch. Nice!

Biting

Luke left bite marks on me the other day. I thought it was just a loving hug he was giving me on my back, then felt what I thought was a pinch on the back of my leg. After further discovery, I found a bite mark and some blood. He's got some sharp fangs!

Injuring himself and rough-housing

Luke is all boy...and a clumsy one! He's injured himself a couple different ways playing in or near the entertainment center. Last Friday, and much to my embarrassment, a friend over for a play date had to point out to me that my own son was bleeding! I consoled him after he bumped his head, checked him out, and he was back to playing a few minutes later. His hair was covering up the nasty looking gash the fall left. Thanks, Jenny!

In his words:

"Gooooo", for Goose

"Ca" for car and "Ta" for truck...still his favorites

"Pa" for Papaw, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa

What's the family up to?

One thing I am excited about doing as a family is giving back to the community and volunteering together. I want to instill this value in my kids early on. I’m excited about a fun tradition we have started for birthdays. We made a donation of two birthday bags to a local food pantry (God’s Bounty in Wanamaker, the one Papaw helped make shelves and the handicap ramp for). Each bag included the typical party supplies that a child might have at their party, and a small gift. It was a fun way to get the kids (well, Lily anyway) involved, so we plan to do this for every birthday the four of us celebrate.

The kids took swim class at Raymond Park Aquatic Center. Indy Parks has some really great programs!

Christian and I reminisced about the good 'ole college days while attending a wedding of one of his fraternity bros. The boys carried on the tradition of "dropping trou" while serenading the bride at the wedding. Classy, boys!

Perhaps the most exciting bit of news is what is to come in 13 days...the marriage of Aunt Angie to soon-to-be Uncle Jordan. We are so excited for our trip to NC to celebrate this occasion taking place April 8!

First ever blog...

So, it's my first blog.  I'm going to try to keep it simple, which is kinda my motto this year in every aspect of life.  I'll try to post each month, and may add more design elements and jazz it up a bit.  But don't expect too much just yet (like I don't have enough going on already)!

Here's what we've been up to this year...

What's Lily into these days?

She loves her brother

Coloring for hours

Accessorizing (but with no shirt b/c she was too hot)

Celebrating being 4 years-old

Playing dress-up (pictured with Brooke at her b-day)

In her own words...

I asked Lily to try hard to listen and do things the first time I ask.  She looked at me very seriously and in the eyes and said, “Mom, I’ll listen every other day.” 

“God, please let Luke feel better.  God, please let Luke be careful when he plays.”  Lily's response after Luke hurt himself when they were playing rough.

Night after night, we receive very specific instruction on how to scratch Lily’s back.  Tonight it was, “Scratch it the tickle way.  I’ll show you where.” 

We were eating a snack at the table and Lily said, “Want to come snuggle in with me,” with an angelic look.  Then she said, “I love you so much”, and I replied the same and added in “even when you are naughty.”  Then, she said, “I even love you when you’re not letting me do things.”  

Climbing in bed with me, “I’ll let you stay in bed all day and not let brother come in and disturb you.”  Then she rubbed my head and played with my hair.

 

And then there's the TALKING BACK...

“You make me do everything,” when asked to pick up the toys.

And, I’ve heard a lot of, “I’m so tired of this” lately.

“I want to go in my room and think for a minute,” says Lily.  “And nobody is to disturb me.” 

After helping draw a butterfly and then asking how to make a ladybug, “you didn’t have to show me how to color the ladybug…I know how.”

What's Luke into these days?

Smiling

Cars and trucks

Momma's spaghetti (and not much else I'm afraid)

Helicopters (daddy had to go out and buy his own after having

so much fun with soon-to-be Uncle Jordan's)

 

Oh no, a tiara.  At least he's wearing camo.