SNELLDOGS

Second Grade

2014-09-02T23:26:00.001-04:00

First day of school is probably my least favorite day in all the world. I just hate that Ruby is gone all day, I miss her. We all miss her.
I thought that as the years went on it would get easier, but it doesn't.
I still hate it every year. I still dread the day from the start of August.
But I do know that we are making the right decision.
This year I feel the most comforted. I know that Ruby is going to excel. I know that this is good for her and for us. I would rather her be home but I know she is where she is supposed to be.
Ruby is so smart and wonderful. People are drawn to her and she is kind to everyone she meets. I am so glad to see the girl that she is becoming. Ruby loves her family and it makes me happy that she does. She would rather be with us than anywhere else in the world. I love her so much. I am so glad she is my girl...

The boys didn't know what do without Ruby. So we filled our day aimlessly roaming Value Village and Michaels, we saved Target for tomorrow....

We also took some time to make some white bread and eat it with our home made raspberry jam. Noni's request...

We picked Ruby up and headed out for frozen yogurt. A tradition that I think we all love. She told us about her day and we just enjoyed each others company.

One school day down, too many more to go...

We love you Ruby Lou, the best second grader ever!!

Picture Scavenger Hunt

2014-03-24T00:39:00.000-04:00

It was one of those days today.
Justin took my keys with him to work (by accident) so we were home bound all day and by the end of it we were all ready to get out of the house!
So in our desperation to find something fun to do we headed to my own personal home away from home- Target (of course)
We met my parents there and had a little dinner and then decided to head to target and have a little picture scavenger hunt.
We had made the list up before we left the house and for a moment thought we had left it in the cart, found out it was 'just- in' Justin's pocket (found it 'Just-in' time, which coincidentally is Justin's favorite kind of time), put 15 minutes on our timers split into teams (girls vs guys) and away we went.
It was really fun.
Ruby was so fun to run around with. She loved it so much! And she knew where to find most everything (a girl after my own heart)

Something blue

Eyes

The word happy

feet

flowers

teeth

Rainbows

Bunny

fit into a small space

something with spiderman

pose with a mannequin

something that costs $5

This was so fun! We all had a blast! A highly recommended fun time!

Toothless

2014-03-24T00:30:00.005-04:00

This girl of mine has had a loose upper tooth for an incredibly long time. She was hesitant in getting it out- the last thing she wanted to feel was pain. So day after day she would work on it. Wiggle it a little bit here and there but she would not let anyone near it.

And then it finally looked like this.

Hanging on by who knows what, and still it was a whole day before it actually came out! Ruby would not let anyone touch it. So finally I convinced her to let me tie a piece of floss to it and then I tied it to her wrist so that if she moved her arm it would pull on the tooth. She freaked out. So I untied it from her arm. The floss was so long that it touched the floor even when tied to her tooth. So when she went to walk away- she stepped on it and out popped her tooth. She went from total fear to total relief and elation. This girl is the best.

Here she is with new toothless grin. I love this girl and her sweet face. She's the best.

The Chosen One

2013-12-20T00:44:00.000-05:00

We did something this year that I have been dreaming about for a long time.
We cut down our own Christmas tree.
And not from a Christmas tree farm- oh no, from the WILDERNESS.
One thing you should know before going into the wilderness to cut a tree- you will never find a perfect tree farm tree. If you want one of those you should probably go to a tree farm, or ikea, they have pretty good ones there too- for a great price I might add!
But if you want a one of a kind memory and experience, then you should go to elk water and cut a tree down. It was awesome.
There may have been moments when I was wading through and falling into waist deep snow, when I couldn't feel anything from the bum down that I may have thought- I'm never doing this again.
There may have been a moment when it seemed nigh impossible to find a decent tree- that I thought- Oh no, we made a mistake.
There may have been a moment when the tree blew off the van (while Justin and Blake were tying the other tree on the other van) and I saw so many precious branches and needles fall off that I thought- lets just forget this ever happened and go buy one.
There may have been a time when Eldon puked all over the van that I thought- I'm never taking this kid anywhere again. Memories or not.
There was definitely a moment when we were getting the tree home that I was hoping beyond hope that perhaps it was better than I remembered and finding out that it wasn't. In fact, it was worse.
But the good moments out weighed the bad making the bad not seem so bad after all.
We are totally doing it again and I am owning and loving my humongous charlie brown christmas tree with pride.
It is so sparse I was able to wrap the whole trunk with lights. I'm pretty sure the worlds definition of a beautiful tree is one whose trunk cannot be seen for all the branches filling out the insides. But I learned to ignore the worlds definition of a lot of things a long time ago.
I can honestly say i look at my tree and I don't think I have ever seen anything quite so beautiful. It makes my heart happy and i love it.
We made some wonderful memories with wonderful friends in the process which makes everything worth it.
So who is in for next year?

29 Plus 1

2013-12-12T23:56:00.001-05:00

I hate to admit it,
But I turned 30.
THIRTY!

It seemed (at the time) like a huge unwelcome milestone.
But I have learned to accept it. In fact, I'm determined to embrace it.
Life needs to be embraced and enjoyed.
Yes there are trials, yes there are things you don't want to have to deal with or do, yes there are ages you don't want to turn, there will always be adversity.
I have learned in my thirty years on this earth that things are always better if we choose to be happy.
In fact, its my new mantra.
CHOOSE to be happy.
Its a choice, and its one that I want to make.
So, though I may not like it, I'm going to choose to be happy to be 30.
Its really no different, plus there really isn't anything I can do about it anyway- so why not embrace it and enjoy it?
If I were to choose, I would choose happy.
So, here is to a happy year going forward.

(Also aren't Ruby's teeth in this picture the best? She is always making me laugh!!)

Mustache Face

2013-11-27T13:13:00.003-05:00

Happy Wednesday. Our house is full of sickness right now so we have been taking things slowly and keeping everything low key. Just hoping for and looking forward to better days.... Isn't that the best mustache face you have ever seen?

Thanksgiving 2013

2013-11-27T00:04:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving this year was great!! We were able to hold it at our house which was a little stressful but it made us get our butts in gear and get things done!

We decorated a thanksgiving tree complete with turkeys we had made the year previously and acorns we put together this year. Ruby loves it, Noni tolerates it, Eldy doesn't participate!

Teepee painting. This was SO FUN! and easy! The kids loved it so much and I loved it too! They made great center pieces.

Candy turkeys. We made one for each kid, they were really fun too and really easy for noni to make on his own. Though next time I going to pick better tasting candy...

Pies, Pies, Pies! I made so many pies! I made all the apple Kathy made the rest, pumpkin, custard, lemon, and coconut! They were all delicious!! The sad part is that my apple pie didn't get cooked until the end and everyone was gone by the time it was ready to eat... So only a few of us got to enjoy it, but it too was delicious!

Noni loved peeling and coring the apples, that little man of mine is a really good helper.

And before all the festivities started we headed out to Kathy's and picked some pumpkins! She grew a ton and they made the best jack o lanterns for halloween and great decoration for thanksgiving. Plus it was a REALLY fun day! The kids loved it!

Thanksgiving this year was great. I'm glad to live near family so we can celebrate it together!!

A Little Catch Up

2013-11-26T23:56:00.001-05:00

Its time for the blog game I like to call-
A little catch up

aka- a year in a nutshell

I was recently going through this last years photos and I just can't believe that we made it. It was quite the challenge at times. But one thing I did notice was that on the whole it was amazing. We had some challenges and hills to climb but we still had fun doing it. I know there will always be challenges and I am forever grateful for the family that I have to help me through them.

Ruby's first day of school. It was hard for me, but she is doing very well. She is making great friends and has a great teacher. I just love her so much it is still hard for me to say goodbye to her each morning. I am always happier when we are together.

Here we are drowning my school sorrows with frozen yogurt on the second day of school

If there is one thing that Noni loves it is nerf guns. He just thinks they are the best (and lets be honest, they are)

The after effects of Noni feeding eldy a fudgesicle. Sometimes moms have to use the bathroom too, and apparently dads think it is a good idea to arm a three year old with a fudgsicle and head to work while mom is doing just that. It made me laugh so hard, this is what I came out to. Myers said- 'He kept moving his face!' So he couldn't get it in his mouth!!!

Squinkies up the nose- enough said.

Sharing a milk shake at Child's Play, the best milkshakes ever.

I picked up some sod for our front lawn, justin had had enough of the hedges. Our van is amazing!!

Getting ready to lay the sod. Don't be fooled, they didn't do much.

New sod!

Sleep Eldy, my view every night as a I rock him to sleep...

Starbucks always makes the cold rainy day blues go away.

Caramel steamed milk, my favorite...

Noni's new sheets, they were on a crazy clearance at target, I love that place...

More starbucks, this time while we waited for Ruby's dance class to be over.

I love our front porch. Absolutely love it.

Sometimes a dad just has to ride his daughters bike.

Target Halloween wigs, look at that sweet face!

Noni the Geisha

Justin's Mowvember. I love this man.

Pumpkin picking at Kathy's, that was one of the best days!

Noni really wanted a hoodie this day, sadly he had outgrown all his hoodies. Luckily he is good at improvising!

Ikea, we all survived!

My most favorite target purchase. Look at that cute eyeball boy!

Eldy didn't want to be left out.

Myers loves to put stuff together and work with tools. This kid put this whole shelf together!

Ruby concentrating on reading, look at that cute concentration forehead complete with dimples.

I love to get Noni to try on glasses, I mean seriously, he is adorable!

We love to hang out at the park after school! This particular day they made a lady bug house for their new found ladybug friend 'Chariot'

This sweet baby naps about once a day for 20 minutes, then he gets so tired and ends up like this!

Spaghetti head!

I am so grateful for my family and for digital photos. I love being able to look back on the memories of the past while and remember the best of times. It is important each day, each moment to choose to be happy. It makes life better, it makes everything better, and it CAN BE DONE!

Styrofoam Head

2013-11-10T00:02:00.002-05:00

To complete our Halloween festivities we actually decorated this year!!

We made clay eye balls for Justin to bring to work, I mean there have got be perks to being an optometrist and one of them is definitely your ability to decorate with eye balls on Halloween. But don't worry, I have some Christmas eye ball decorations up my sleeve!

No Halloween is complete without the annual pumpkin carving. We were lucky enough to get some awesome garden pumpkins from my sister! We each got our own!

Ruby even did all the carving herself!!! It turned out so awesome. That girl is my favorite.

The styrofoam head (she really needs a name) found Justin again.... mwahahahaha

We decorated outside too. The bats were my favorite!

But I also love the caution tape, the monster face that Ruby and Noni designed (complete with mustache) and the wooden pumpkins that were a complete pain in the butt... but turned out better than I could have imagined!

Halloween was so fun this year! We were able to trick or treat with some great friends and my mom and dad came and handed out candy for us. It was the perfect weather and the perfect night. We had a blast.

Popcorn Head

2013-11-03T18:32:00.002-05:00

I'm finally getting to my halloween post, but before I begin and just so I don't forget I have to mention that Eldon took his first step today!!! It doesn't mean he is walking- he's still a long way off, but he took his first step!! This little baby of mine is growing UP!

Halloween was a lot of fun! I love Halloween. It makes me happy. It is when the creative juices are free flowing and I get to sew whatever my kids hearts desire! This year was probably the easiest of them all. Noni got a store bought costume (gasp- I know) I am usually one for purely homemade but I saw the ninja costume was on for 15 dollars and I knew I couldn't make anything for that cheap- so I bought it. He added his own homemade twist when he requested a popcorn head. So he became our popcorn head ninja. And he pulled it off!

Just hanging out with his popcorn head.

Ruby started off wanting to be a spy. Not a special spy, just a spy that wore black- and that's it. No mask, no name tags, no gadgets, just black. Eventually her ideas changed and she wanted to be a vampire spy so I was able to make her some bat wings and I snuck in a name tag. She loved it.

(Here she is with our trick or treating partner (the other Ruby))

And here she is during the costume parade with Noni and surrounded by Hulks!

Eldon still has no say in his costumes, which is just the way I like it, so he became popcorn. I knew I would be wearing him in the Ergo so I wanted something that would work with that. Plus 2 birds, one stone. I instantly became a popcorn vender, or a movie critic or simply a girl who loves a whole lot of popcorn. It was great.

Justin was a giant eye ball. I found it at target and I couldn't pass it up. My only regret is that I didn't buy two. Hopefully they will be back next year....

And I also made my dad's costume this year. The 'What Does The Fox Say' song is really popular at his school and I thought I could make that come to life. I made this awesome fox hood and freezer paper stenciled on the saying and we were done. It was quick and easy and wonderful.

If you want to check out other halloweens you can check them here and here and here. I love halloween, I love making costume dreams come to life... Until next year my friends... And now ON TO CHRISTMAS!

Pre Halloween Apocalypse (Is that a little dramatic?)

2013-10-27T22:51:00.000-04:00

This is what our day looked like yesterday. We spent the morning, while Justin was out saving the world one eye ball at a time, decorating for halloween. Which I have never really done, but really love. Ruby and Noni had a great time too figuring out where they wanted the caution tape and the bats and how they wanted to create the door monster. (I of course added a mustache, nothing is complete without a mustache- except Justin I prefer his face to be mustache free)

Take note of the pumpkins in the background- A good friend and I made those together and I love them! They look so amazingly awesome.

The weather was so terrific we sat outside and rode our bikes and played and decorated outside the entire morning. It was amazing. In fact I almost forgot that I lived in Canada and thought we might have an enjoyable Halloween this year. Then it snowed this morning. I mean really? It ruined almost all of our halloween decorations, a few of the bats are missing, the monster face is water damaged, the pumpkins are blown over and everything is covered in a thin layer of snow. And we are all inside cozy under blankets. I hope I can survive this winter....

On a positive note- I am excited to for the kids costumes this year. I just let the kids decide and be whatever they wanted to be. Ruby decided she wanted to be a Vampire spy, Noni decided he wanted to be Ninja with a popcorn head and a green eye and Eldy decided he wanted to be popcorn. (I know that Eldy is so clever) More of that to follow. I have high hopes that I am back on the blogging train!!

Painted Piano

2013-10-19T23:27:00.000-04:00

Best decision ever made!

Ruby Lou Conquers the Bike!

2013-09-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

This little Rublet has learned to ride a two wheeler (in May). She is incredible. I love watching her ride, it reminds me of when I first learned. She was brave and persistent, just like she should be. I think she is awesome. We rode from our house to my parents house (5km) and she did it all herself. It involved a little bit of coaxing and some 'you can do it' chanting but she did it! Noni is still working on learning how to steer his tricycle but he will get there one day... right? He is awesome too. Eldy is getting used to the bike trailer and slept the whole time instead of screaming at me- so that was a great improvement I would say!

Farewell Summer Friend

2013-09-21T23:04:00.000-04:00

This summer has been good to us.
We were able to vacation with friends and family.
Have cousin camp.
Enjoy the great, sunny, beautiful weather.
Spend all our time together.
And get settled into our new home!!
We are going to miss the summer...
The first day of fall is tomorrow.
And we all know that only lasts a day (maybe 2 if we are lucky)
Then onto the first day of winter.

Pictures of my kids crying should cheer us all up.

Noni doesn't cry all that often so it is hard to catch it on film. I'll just post this awesome picture of him enjoying a vanilla bean frappuccino on what may be the last day of good weather we see in a while. I miss Ohio...

Kijiji fiend

2013-06-29T02:06:00.001-04:00

I have been a crazy kijiji fiend as of late, I frequent the site looking for awesome deals and the perfect furniture for our house. Which for the most part I have done pretty well. I am still looking for that one amazing gem, but when I find it you will know. Anyway, in my site visits I have seem some interesting things. This one, however, wins first prize.

Hair of Micheal Jackson, http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-art-collectibles-Hair-of-Micheal-Jackson-W0QQAdIdZ499067412 Price: CAD 100.00

Someone was selling Michaels hair, 40 dollars per inch. A good buy I say if you are planning on cloning him... I guess then we would be able to verify the true source!

A Magical Day at Costco

2013-06-17T12:53:00.002-04:00

Sometimes things are just meant to be. You end up in the right place at the right time. Well this one particular weekend was that. We decided to head to costco to get a few things and when we arrived there was a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance in the parking lot. Upon further inspection we deduced that they werent there because of an emergency but they were there to entertain.

We took the kids over and enjoyed looking at all of the different vehicles and speaking to the operators.

Arrest these nerds!!!

And he did!!

Contrary to what this picture says- she really did enjoy herself!

After having all the fun possible we headed inside to finish our shopping, and what surprises us there?

The PRINCESSES!!

They held Noni there against his will.

Ruby thought it was awesome. Especially when we saw tinkerbell and cinderella eating in the food court. But I dare say they forgot their manners...

And just when we thought we had seen it all what to our wondering eye should appear? But the helicopter! We were able to watch it land and be the first to explore!

The kids liked the helicopter the best. But really, who doesn't?

And in case you thought we forgot eldy at home- we didn't, he was there... being stinkin' cute as usual.

Nerd Alert

2013-06-16T21:58:00.001-04:00

It always amazes me what a nice outfit can do for the mood. It just puts a little pep in your step, ya know? lately I have been thinking a little bit more about my style and just going for it. If I think it looks cool I will wear it. I am in love with colored and patterned pants right now, they are awesome. As long as it is modest and awesome there is nothing I will say no to. I have decided that I will never again say 'i will never wear that'. Except when it comes to overalls I really cannot foresee ever wearing those again. But I have been known to eat my words as of late. But really, I won't wear those again.
I thought it would be kind of fun for me and my posterity if I documented some of the things I now wear that I swore I would never wear again.

Tapered Jeans. I mean honestly, not those nasty things, right? Well as it turns out- I wear those almost every single day. And they are awesome. And just to add insult to injury, sometimes they are colored and patterned!! My favorite are the flower ones. I know!! I don't want to talk about it.

Nerd Glasses. I love nerd glasses. If I could have 20 different pairs I would. I think they are awesome. The bigger the better. I keep saying- only to a certain point, but lets be honest, just when I get used to one large pair they don't seem so large anymore and I just want to go bigger. I love the mad men look. I cannot believe that I am now wearing the same type of glasses that I have relentlessly made fun of my parents for. And the craziest part? I think they look awesome.

Jean Shirts. I don't care what you call it. Chambray or jean it is all the same to me. Except its cool now. Ridiculous I tell you, ridiculous. But awesome.

Neon. I haven't totally grasped this trend yet, but I am sure I am on my way!

Slumber Party

2013-05-10T12:53:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine had a contest for her photography business and I was lucky enough to be the winner. She is really talented and I love her work. She wanted to do a fun shoot for the kids with a theme and she came up with a slumber party kind of theme with all white so she could focus in on just the cute little faces they have. I love them!!

I just think they are adorable! I can't wait to hang them in my own home!!!

The Weekend of My Dreams

2013-05-08T12:42:00.002-04:00

This weekend was a great one!!! We were busy but were able to fill it with a lot of memories and time with family.
Some of the hi-lights included:

Justin and Katelyn's mini ball tournament in Foremost. A little walk down memory lane for sure! We were able to see Katelyn make a basket but we had to leave after the second game and apparently that is when the basket making caught fire and Justin and Katelyn were basketball machines! It was so fun to watch them play and to hear Noni cheering for them. He is probably the best cheerer that ever lived.

I love this photo. I just love it

We were able to see a double incomplete rainbow- this is only awesome because of that youtube video about the double complete rainbow. If you don't know what I'm talking about you should check it out.

Addy and Josh and the kids came down for a surprise visit!! They stayed at the lodge and we were able to enjoy some swimming together. Myers was in love with the waterslide. Ruby was in love with the hot pool. And Eldon was his awesome self.

My baby nerds. I think they are awesome.

Three Cannonbombs

2013-05-07T12:22:00.000-04:00

This Noni of mine can be just plain crazy, but most of the time he is crazy awesome.
He fills me with joy just spending time with him.
Noni has 3 favorite things right now.
1. The number 3.
He will search high and low to find the number three EVERYWHERE.
The other day we were at the mall and he was looking in all the usual places for three's- the interac machines, the credit card machines, the sale signs. You know, the usual.
At one point he ran up to the poster at La Senza and started hugging it. Needless to say I got a little worried that my 3 year old was hugging a picture of a half naked model... I didn't know what to think, I couldn't believe what the world had done to my 3 year old and I automatically started making a mental list of everything I was sure we were doing wrong, and things that needed to change. I was panicking and worried for my little guy. Then Ruby (who understands Noni more than anyone I know) started laughing and says to me- 'haha, he is hugging that number 3 on the sign' (she must have seen the panic in my eyes!) It was just the number 3. phew.
On a side note- the number 3 is also my favorite number, always has been. But I do refrain myself from hugging it when I see it.

2. Cannonbombs. What is a cannon bomb? Well, no one is entirely sure. We think it is somehow derived from Cannonball, the jump you make into a pool, but are not entirely sure. If you ask Noni a question such as, 'What would you like to do today?' He will regularly answer 'Canonbomby' or 'What is your favorite food?' 'Canonbomb'. I love that kid.

3. His Fedora and sunglasses. That kid loves himself some fedora. And I love him in it. He is so dang adorable. Who knew a 3 year old mobster could be so dang adorable? If you spend much time with Myers you will undoubtedly see him in his fedora and iron man sunglasses that his Ohio friend Eli gave him.

And for your pure enjoyment here is a picture montage of Noni trying to put on goggles.

He did it!! I always knew he could!

Snellcome Home

2013-05-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

It is official and exciting!! We bought a house!!
Everything is finalized and we are super excited!

It looks like Medicine Hat is our permanent home. Which, after being semi-nomadic for the past 6 years, is a little bit odd, and is definitely taking some time to become adjusted to.
We love Medicine Hat and the people here, and we feel like it is a great place for our kids to grow up, and my parents live here (which is a definite bonus) but still I miss the adventure of moving and change. It is just hard to wrap my mind around the idea of being permanent.
I think I will love it though.
I mean, I can actually decorate! My pinterest finds will no longer be just distant dreams but can soon become reality!
Crazy 'Pinterester' here I come!!
It is going to be a 'pinteresting' next couple of months.
I could come up with these all day my friends...
I am excited for this new wonderful chapter in our lives. And I look forward to embracing it and making the most of it!!
We gain possession at the end of June, then let the painting begin!
Who wants to be our first visitor??
I see a lot of Sniebe adventures in our future...
(Also, wasn't that title clever? Snellcome home- like welcome home? I'm awesome)

magic irish boots

2013-04-15T06:01:00.000-04:00

Ruby is convinced that she can Irish dance. Somehow, one day, without any training, she just magically knew how to do it. You should she her perform, it is incredible. And, who knew, all she needed were her magic boots. She makes me smile every day. I don't know how I could live my life without her in it. I just love her, and her irish dancing!

Best Friends

2013-04-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

One of my greatest joys in life is seeing my babies get along.

Ruby and Noni really are the best of friends.

Ruby is so good to Noni and Noni is learning to be good to Ruby.

They are just sweet little siblings and I love to see it.
I mean, they have their moments but on the whole the really love being together.

One day Eldy will be big enough and all 3 of them will have to figure out how to fit on one chair- but I am sure they can do it!

It may be a challenge trying to fit this chubby old man baby on there, but I know they will find a way! Love can conquer all!

One In A Minion

2013-04-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

I found the minion costume while I was going through some stuff recently. I think Eldon pulls it off pretty well.

He is One in A Minion.

Vay Cay

2013-04-10T17:36:00.001-04:00

We were able to take a week off and head to montana. It was a great vacation where we were able to enjoy family, play with cousins all we wanted, shop to our hearts content, eat at delicious restaurants, enjoy great weather, and leave the real world behind.

I even found these great shoes- At an unbelievable 24 dollar price! I'm not sure if that is because people have tried them and hate them or if it is because they are super awesome and I am one lucky girl. I guess time will only tell. But I will say they are a lot harder to put on than I thought!

I was reunited with my long lost friend- target. I am excited for it to make its way to the Hat. Yeah, it may not be as good, but anything is better than Zellers. Am I right? Or am I right? But Target is awesome so how bad can it be?

And we successfully inserted Noni into his own bubble. He really needs some protection. He is just a little bit insane. In a good way.

We all had a great time and we can't wait to go back. It makes me a little nostalgic for Ohio. Even though you couldn't get any more opposite, they have the same stores and it makes me reminisce.

Now back to real life and spring!!! I hear springtime in Medicine Hat is going to be awesome for the Snells!!!