Snowden Boys...and Girl

Pictures

2011-10-12T21:53:00.002-05:00

Fall!

2011-10-12T21:33:00.004-05:00

We are still struggling with uploading pics, so we can't get everything here, but we got a few to upload. We are beginning to think it is time for a new computer!

We love fall, here are a couple of pics from our fall trips this year! Enjoy!

(for Aunt Amy Andrew wears 6/7, Mo wearst 4/5 Noodle wears 3T)

backlogged pictures

2011-09-18T20:46:00.002-05:00

my munchkins on Andrew's birthday

the Noodle, what else is there to say?

Happy #6 Andrew

Andrew and Isaac

corn!

more pics

2011-09-18T20:33:00.002-05:00

super photogenic Mo

the big and little brothers

little lady got a balloon at Olivia's birthday party

Mo's facepaint at Olivia's party

Andrew's facepaint at the party

First Day of School!

2011-08-30T21:45:00.002-05:00

Mo's first day of school!

First Day of School!

2011-08-30T21:28:00.003-05:00

Noodle crying when Andrew left for school

Noodle and Mo excited for Andrew's first day!

Andrew, crazy excited about his first day!

Mo and Noodle on the hammock after family dinner night, notice Noodle still has her corn in hand

Mo posing in the hammock, he loves pics!

Well, the boys started school! Andrew had his first day of Kindergarten on Friday. He LOVES it! He feels like such a big boy riding the bus and hasn't come home crying! It did break my heart when he asked where his dad was while we were waiting for the bus.... Mo started preschool on Monday. He is with the same teacher he had last year, so he feels very much at home. He loves school too. Lets just hope it lasts! Noodle was adorable when Andrew left for school, she started crying, saying "I want Andrew". So glad my kiddos love each other!

Updates

2011-08-22T21:45:00.002-05:00

I promise, we aren't ignoring our blog! We have been having trouble getting pictures to upload, still a work in progress! Everyone has been keeping busy around here. Getting ready for back to school. This week Andrew starts kindergarten, Mo goes back to preschool next week. Soccer starts next week and we will hopefully be resuming piano lessons shortly! We are really looking forward to getting back into a routine around here. Still working on our house, kind of at a stand still right now just b/c we have done so much, so fast. So we are taking a couple of weeks off and then we will get started again and have everything done by spring. For those who don't know, we have completely redone the living room, new furniture, paint and trim. The kitchen got a new floor, fridge and table, just need to paint in there. The bathroom was gutted, new floor, vanity, beadboard on the walls, just need to finish painting in there. Noodle got a big girl bed, a new door and trim. The boys got bunk beds, but still need to paint, redo trim and put up wood blinds. The basement is cleaned out and once our friend Sarah moves out (she needed a place to stay for a couple of weeks while she found a new place since she and her husband are divorcing too) we will be updating down there to be our kid area, table and chairs for homework and projects, big open play area for running during the cold weather. The upstairs got one room done with new wood floor, drywall and trim work, need to lay floor in the other room and staircase, put in the walk in closet, and then we will be totally done! Until we start on the yard again in the spring! It has been very refreshing and helped a lot to start over new, this is our house now and we are making it the way we want it, it's been very liberating! So, we'll keep working on getting our pics up and keep you all updated on everything we are up to!

PICS!

2011-07-24T14:09:00.002-05:00

A few pics from our trip to the splash pad/park before leaving for Baltimore! Hopefully Papa and Grandma will take some good pictures and we can load them here for everyone to see what a great time they are having on vacation!

We're Back!

2011-07-18T20:09:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been awhile, sorry to all of our loyal readers out there. But, we are back now and that is what matters! We are adjusting to being a family of 4 and dealing with all the joys of divorce. Some days are harder than others, but overall we are making it through as a family. The kids are all in Baltimore right now, but many pictures will come when they get home! For now I will give you a little update on each of my beautiful babies

Andrew has become such a little man. He has really stepped up to the plate with this divorce and become such a good little helper to me. He is crazy excited to go to kindergarten in the fall. He still loves anything to do with sports. This summer was his first year playing tball and he does very well, just like every sport he plays. He really enjoys it, but keeps asking when soccer starts as that is his favorite. He absolutely loves his video games and loves if I sit and watch him play. He has struggled with the divorce. It has been hard to watch. He gets very angry sometimes and doesn't really know how to deal with it. I am doing everything I can to help him. I think that we will probably have to start counseling for him in the near future.

Joseph, my dear sweet Mo, has taken this very hard. He tells me he doesn't want to be with his dad and makes comments to Andrew that they don't have a daddy anymore. It breaks my heart. Joseph is crazy smart, and realizes a lot more than most people give him credit for. I think he knows a lot more about what is going on than anyone thinks. He is such a sweet boy. Joseph is my lover. He wants to sit and cuddle and be loved all the time. He would be completely content to sit on my lap all day long. he is getting into video games a little, but nothing like Andrew. He still loves Thomas the Tank Engine and is not a fan of sports. He played tball with Andrew this summer and tells me that he doesn't really like it, but he does it anyway b/c he is part of the team. He has said that he wants to play soccer again, so we will see in the fall. He is excited to go back to preschool this year and asks me frequently when he gets to go back.

Noodle has become the diva of all divas. She has such a strong personality already. She knows what she wants, and she gets it. She has absolutely no fear and I truly believe she thinks she is a boy. She wants to do anything her brothers do. She has formed a special bond with Mo. Many times they are inseparable. She is such a momma's girl too. The only effect I see that the divorce has had on her is that she is much more clingy to me and Lexie. She becomes very anxious if one of us is not within her sight. I think she will fare the best through it all just because she is so young. She will never remember life with her father so it won't be too much of an adjustment for her after this initial change.

Hope this is enough to keep you all going till they get back! I will post pictures as soon as I can. I have lots of old ones to get up here from the last year and I promise I will get them up as soon as I can!
Love Ya!
The Mom

Happy Birthday Noodle!

2010-06-02T19:41:00.002-05:00

mmmm cake!

so excited to dig in!

pizza dinner, yum!

chillin with Mo and the new birthday baby doll

she woke up in such a good mood!

pictures!

2010-06-02T19:32:00.002-05:00

gatorade mouth at the splash pad

splash pad fun!

noodle in the fireplace, one of her favorite places!

andrew and his first set of golf clubs!

2010-04-27T14:34:00.002-05:00

Andrew's first soccer game

Noodle and Daddy at the zoo

boys at the zoo

Mo and Noodle at Chuck's

Birthday boy at Chuck E Cheese

2010-04-27T14:20:00.002-05:00

little lady's first black eye

Mo turned the big 3!

Noodle and Grandpa with her first lollipop

Daddy and Noodle at Medieval Times

the munchkins at the Baltimore train museum

We spent spring break in Baltimore, visiting Grandma and Grandpa Simon. We had such a good time! We went to medievil times and watched the joust and knights fighting, the train museum, on base to see the tanks and guns... We were mesmerized! We've been keeping busy, hope everyone is doing well!

Love

Andrew, Mo and Noodle

Snow Babies!

2010-02-18T22:08:00.003-05:00

We got some snow (re: tons!) this week, and last week, and more is coming next week! Noodle had a great time in her first blizzard and the boys were living it up. Lots of cuddling up with blankets, lots of warm food and some good time together. Not so much fun driving to work, but hey, you can't win 'em all! We hope everyone is staying warm!

The Big Update

2010-01-26T21:59:00.002-05:00

Andrew is still loving school. He is quite the social butterfly and loves going to see all of his friends. He is taking piano lessons once a week and Miss Linda says he is doing great. It has definately helped with his attention span. Right now we are working on reading music. He struggles most with trying to not look at his hands while playing but has made great improvements. He is growing like a weed. There are days he wakes up and I swear he has grown inches overnight. He is a great big brother. He has definately embraced the role. He loves to sing for Noodle and tickle her. He lights up when she laughs at him. He loves his tools that Papa sent for Christmas and is constantly trying to "fix" the house. I call him my little man, he is growing up so fast. Andrew is my sensitive child and I often refer to him as the lover.
Joseph is quite a character. I don't think I have ever seen so much personality in such a little body! Joseph loves to entertain people. He also thinks he is adorable. He thinks he can smile his way out of anything. He is very strong willed. We have to tell ourselves a lot that one day this will be such a great trait. It is very frustrating at times though. He still loves trains, sometimes I think he may never grow out of that one. He is also quite funny and many times we find ourselves trying to hold back laughter so we don't encourage him when he is trying to get out of trouble. He is not growing quite like Andrew did and I think he will be our little short and stout boy; it definately fits his personality!
Elizabeth, well that little girl is something else all together. At seven months she already has an opinion about everything. She loves to sit in her exersaucer and watch the boys. As they run by her she screams and laughs at them. She is also compeltely in love with her Dad. Her face lights up when she sees him. She is definately a Simon; she loves to stick out her tongue and play with it; just like her Papa and brothers. She is growing a lot like Andrew did and is very long but has features just like Mo. She seems to almost be a perfect cross between the two boys. She is a lover like Andrew but has a temper like Mo. She has said Mamma, but stopped as soon as she knew I liked it! She is eating so well, her favorites are yogurt and pears. We recently discovered she is just like her dad and the boys and she loves Chipotle guacamole. She isn't crawling yet, but I think she is just being lazy! If we aren't looking she is up on her knees trying to move, but the minute she sees us she gives up and starts flailing. I think she just thinks she doesn't need to crawl becasue she can get anywhere she wants by rolling!
Scott has been busy at work. He has been working from home a lot. He just returned from his first business trip. He spent 4 days in Chicago, in a hotel room with no children or dogs. He is so lucky. The kids really missed him while he was gone but were so happy when he came home with presents for them.
I have been busy with work and the kids. We struggle trying to find things to do to try and fight off the cabin fever. We are looking forward to spring and being able to get out of the house. We have lots of plans for our yard this year and I really want to get the kids involved with the vegetable garden again. We finally got Noodle's door painted and the trim up on the door frame; just a couple of cosmetic things to do and the nursery will be done! Hopefully before her first birthday! We are updating the fireplace in February and are so excited to see the final results. One more thing we can check off the never ending list! We are so lucky to have found a great babysitter. Lexie has been with us since I went back to work after Noodle was born. The kids absolutely love her. It has been such a load off of our shoulders to be able to go to work and have someone we trust with our kids. She is great with the kids and they all light up when she comes in the door. It is so nice that she comes to our house, no wasted time packing them all up in the morning and driving them to daycare. That's more time I get to spend with them the days I work!
I hope this satisfies everyone's curiosity about us! We hope everyone is doing well!
Love
The Mom

2010-01-25T20:50:00.002-05:00

they think they are fixing, but really they are destroying the house

papa sent tools for christmas

happy gang christmas morning, notice daddy sleeping in the background, we were all up way to early that day

she likes to eat

smiling happy baby

We're here!

2010-01-10T22:41:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since we posted; we didn't fall off of the face of the earth, promise! Mommy has become crazy addicted to facebook, it's sad really, but has left little time for blogging. We had a busy holiday. Everyone got sick for Christmas, but had a great holiday none the less. Mom wants to do an overhaul of the blog so soon you should be seeing some changes (if she can figure out how to do it!) and lots more pictures of us, especially Noodle, mom knows she has been lacking there; they have been taken, just not posted. It's on the mile long list of things to do, so she's hoping to get to it all soon. It seems there are not enough hours in her day and it doesn't help that we get up so early in the morning. We have been waking around 530 every morning so mom has been going to bed pretty early to try to keep up with us! We still haven't figured out how dad does it, staying up till 1am and then getting up with us some days so mom can actually get some sleep. He's quite the amazing father some days! We hope everyone had a great holiday, keep checking back with us! Love you all; stay safe!
Love Ya!
Andrew, Mo and Noodle

2009-11-29T08:40:00.010-05:00

Saturday we took a trip down to Cincinnati to visit Union Terminal. We had a great time looking through the museum of natural history--ohh the bones!--and the museum of Cincinnati history with all of its models and trains! There was also a display in the rotunda where we got to pet some snakes!!!

We went through the ice cave and had a wonderful time in the children's museum downstairs. We played with all the toys and the tree house was a blast!!!

EnterTrainment Junction

2009-11-21T18:18:00.010-05:00

Pics from our trip to EnterTrainment Junction with daddy, grammy and grampy. The spaces are pretty narrow and the displays tall; and, the lighting is very low in most of the exhibits. None of this adds up to great photography. The Christmas area was open and well lit, so those pics are okay.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T18:39:00.002-05:00

Mo with candy before it even began! We had to bribe him into his costume with lollipops

There aren't words!

Who knew pink could be soo cute!

Like father, like son....

Quite the poser when he sees a camera!

Oak Openings '09

2009-10-19T21:50:00.003-05:00

Photo op with Gram; she has 14 great grandchildren, 18 grandchildren and 7 children of her own, she is amazing

God put trees on this earth for little children to climb, you can't convince them any differently

Such a poser

Happy, happy boy! That's what 5 donuts gets you with Mo

There aren't words.....

If you ever want to test yourself try this out: get up at 4am to feed a hungry baby b/c you worked all day so she refused to eat while you were gone, realize there is cold air coming out of the vents and it is 60 degrees in the house! wake your ever joyful husband (please note sarcasm here, as if it isn't obvious) to relight the pilot, then feign excitement when said husband tells you that it keeps going out. pray while husband calls heating and air serviceman (henceforth to be known as my hero) to come out at 530 in the morning to fix the stupid pilot light. meanwhile small children start waking when they hear all the commotion. begin to dress them for the very cold day ahead. breathe a huge sigh of relief when the hero arrives at 6am, fixes the furnace and tells you that it is only about 60% efficient but does not need to be replaced this year, next year when it must be done it will cost $3500! who has that kind of money sitting around! not me! get on the road around 715 to go to oak openings. fight with tired, cranky kids who don't want to sit in the car for 2.5 hours and can't hold their bladders for more than 20 minutes at a time. arrive at oak openings, enjoy wonderful family time and eat delicious food prepared over the fire. let the middle child eat as many donuts as he wants b/c it is easier than fighting with him, and what the hell, it's a special occaision. pack up and head back to dayton. now the children are more tired and more cranky. thankfully the oldest two fall asleep, as is daddy, while driving the car. take over the drive and let daddy deal with the screaming baby who just wants to be out of her seat. arrive home around 330, start dinner, feed the fam, daddy goes to bed at 530pm, bathe the kids while straightening up the pig sty and mopping the disgusting floors and scrubbing the bathroom that looks like a high school boys locker room, do 5 loads of laundry and get the kids to bed. lay down to sleep, sleep? what's that? make daddy get up with the baby at 6am, it's his turn and he slept a long time. get up and do it all over again, this time substitute the furnace with the dryer and the drive to toledo with preschool and piano lessons. some days i amaze myself. i know so many people have real problems, but this is enough for me. what did i do with all of my time before a house and kids?

love ya!

the mom

As promised, pictures!

2009-10-12T20:59:00.003-05:00

Mo walking away, typical, Mo does what Mo wants

The water is calling!

Mo wanted to pose

Yum! Monster cookies

Daddy and Noodle, not her best picture ever but still soo cute

2009-10-12T20:51:00.002-05:00

So many pumpkins, so few hands...

Forced photo op with Mommy

Who doesn't love a donkey?!

She'll never say she isn't loved

She loves the exersaucer!

First Field Trip

2009-10-08T12:57:00.010-05:00

Today was Andrew's first field trip. He visited Young's Jersey Dairy Farm in Yellow Springs.

He got to feed the goats--sticky tongues!--and he saw cows, chickens, and piggies.

He learned how the farm makes its oh-so-yummy ice cream and indulged in some vanilla after lunch.

He also took a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch to pick out yet another little orange gourd for Halloween.

The trip was fun for all and daddy took lots of pictures!

Getting off the bus

Milkin' away

Feeding the goats

'Nough said

700lb pumpkin

Moo

Nothing runs like a Deere

In the patch

Miss Us?

2009-10-02T19:22:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack in posting. We've been crazy busy, and honestly I couldn't even tell you why! I just know there are not enough hours in the days! Noodle had her 4 month check up today; all is going well. She's growing like a weed. Doctor was a bit concerned about her refusal to eat much other than nursing. She HATES the bottle and when she has to take it will only take what she has to so she isn't starving. Then when I return it's on like donkey kong. We have had many nights with her nursing every 2 hours to make up for the day! Doctor was ok for now since she is growing well. We are going to start cereal this week and see if that helps at all. Gearing up to start making our own baby food!! Got a new food processor to make it a little easier. Wish us luck! Andrew is thriving in school. Our little social butterfly is having the time of his life. They have been learning about water and can't say enough about the experiments they do in class! Mo is Mo. He still struggles being the middle child but we are gonna make it through! He will be getting some much needed one on one time with Mommy this week so that should help. Lots in store for October so we should be able to get some good pictures posted. Saturday working on a landscaping project; Sunday to the pumpkin patch and sunflower field, next weekend a party and the saurkraut (not sure how to spell that one) festival, the following weekend Oak Openings, the next weekend Mommy and Daddy are getting a sitter and doing the haunted house thing, then the next weekend is Halloween! Andrew wants to be a ninja, Mo can't decide and Noodle will be a butterfly. It's going to fly by! Pray for good pictures possibilities! It's been raining a lot here and we're trying to work everything around that! What fun! Hope everyone is having a great time. We are looking forward to the next couple of months! We'll talk at you soon!
Love
The Mom

Seems like yesterday.....

2009-08-31T21:47:00.004-05:00

Still don't know how to rotate pictures.....

There are no words......

Cute, Cute, Cute.....Sooooo Cute!

It seems like it was just yesterday when our sweet little Andrew was born.....then today he had to grow up and go to school! Initially he was very excited about starting preschool but then we got there and he said...."mommy how bout you stay in the parking lot in the car". It broke my heart. But then he saw Mrs Wolf and all the kids that are in his class and he walked down the hall away from me and didn't look back. That shattered my heart. My baby boy all grown up. I maintained and I didn't cry. I had to choke it back but I was able to keep it in. Maybe I will be better at this next year when Mo starts...probably not, but I'll try.....

Noodle is growing fast...she is such a momma's girl. She is not a big fan of the bottle and while I am at work she only eats enough so she isn't painfully starving. When I get home she eats and eats and eats....it has been a rough adjustment but one we both need. She is a perfect angel when she is with me but when I am gone she makes it clear to whomever she is with that she is not happy that her mom is not at her beck and call. Kind of makes me feel good but sucks at the same time. We definitely have a different kind of bond than I have with the boys. Who knew it would be like this!

Mo is kind of caught in the middle right now and is struggling a bit. His temper has become quite a lot to handle lately. He is madly in love with Noodle, and she is with him. The minute she sees him she smiles. He sits with me and sings to her while she is rocking to sleep...so cute. But....he has become very clingy. He wants what he wants when he wants it and does not hesitate to make it clear to everyone within the general vicinity. Today he was so upset b/c he couldn't go to school with Andrew. It was very cute, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a new train. I know bribery isn't great, but sometimes it is just what the doctor ordered.

Scott has been busy at his new job. Very challenging and it keeps him busy. It has helped a lot that he can work from home two days a week and is only commuting to Cincinnati three days a week. He will have to start doing some traveling in the near future and we're going to have to figure out how that is going to work.

I am sooo glad to be back to work! I feel guilty because I want to go and not be at home with my kids. So torn... I am miserable at home every day. I love what I do and it is very fulfilling, but I worry b/c much of society says what my children need is for me to be at home with them. I think we really have the best of both worlds, I am gone 3 days a week, enough time for me to get away and them and interact with adults, basically maintain my sanity. And it gives them different perspectives to spend time with someone else, and nobody can ever say my kids aren't social. I think the time away from me has helped that. Still I wonder....in twenty years they will let me know if I screwed up or not.....
Hope everyone is doing well! We're thinking of you all!

Love

The Mom

Baltimore Baby! Part Deux

2009-08-03T21:14:00.002-05:00

Noodle and Aunt Jen at the beach; it was windy

The boys at the fountain at the inner harbor

Andrew in the water oasis at Port Discovery

Mo at Port Discovery

Mo at water oasis at Port Discovery

We had a great trip to Baltimore, fun filled and busy! We went to the train museum, Port Discovery (Baltimore's children museum), shopping, the beach....We had a great time and wore ourselves out! Uncle Jimmy and his clan finally got to meet Noodle. All in all it was a successful trip. We can't wait to go back again! We ate lots of fresh seafood! Yummy Baby! We hope everyone is enjoying summer! It hasn't felt like summer here, kind of cool lately. We are getting ready for mommy to go back to work next week. Lexie, our new nanny will be starting and we are very excited! Mommy is VERY EXCITED about going back to work. She says we are too much to handle 24/7. Whatever that means. Daddy is enjoying his new job and loving the ability to work from home! Mommy is looking forward to her shopping trip planned with Sara at our new outlet mall! We should make out pretty well with that one! Andrew is crazy excited about starting school! We have a lot to look forward to! Enjoy the rest of your lazy days!!!

Love

Andrew, Mo and Noodle

Baltimore Baby!

2009-08-03T21:04:00.002-05:00

hard to see, but this is one of the crabs we caught

Mo LOVES the ocean, we had to drag him out!

Noodle chillin'

Andrew and Tipper

Grandpa and Noodle

Baby Baptism

2009-07-22T07:55:00.004-05:00

She smiles!

Flowers grandma bought for Noodle

Two boys causing trouble

She's not a heathen anymore! Last weekend Noodle was baptised. We had a lunch at the house after. All in all it went pretty well. Noodle is starting to smile and laugh and really develop a personality. She is a lot like Mo with her facial expressions and temperment. She is adored by her brothers and loves to be entertained by them. She has become a pretty good sleeper. She gets up once at night to eat and goes right back to sleep! We'll see how long that lasts. We are going to Baltimore next week to get out of the house. All the boys should be there so it should be another interesting trip. We are going to try to hit the children's museum and aquarium so there should be some good pics to post. We're getting ready for August. I will be going back to work on the 11th and the new nanny will be starting. The boys are very excited about it! I have been ready to go back to work for awhile and am really looking forward to it. On the 17th Andrew has his in home development evaluation and he starts school on the 25th. He is very excited about going shopping for his school supplies. He is planning on buying a transformers backpack and can't wait. We will make a special day of shopping, just Andrew and Mommy. Daddy started his new job this week. It sucks that he has to drive to Cinci but it is better than Georgia! Once he gets settle in the job he will be able to work from home a couple days a week so that will help. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Have lots of fun!

The Mom

pictures continued

2009-07-08T08:13:00.002-05:00

Big fat lip; it's even worse the morning after

Such a ham for the camera

What a way to fall asleep

Say Cheese! Random Pictures

2009-07-08T08:01:00.002-05:00

The first non-sponge bath; she's a water baby!

Playing with Grandpa Snowden July 4

Quality family time

Tummy Time!

Just hanging out!

2009-07-01T07:55:00.003-05:00

Playing with aunt Michelle and the new Shark slip and slide!

Every 4 year old needs silly string!

Don't you love my hat?!

The cake; we have a small obsession with transformers.

The loot! Mom and Dad went a little nuts with the transformer theme.

Here are a few photos for everyone! On Saturday we had my birthday party; just a small get together at home. We couldn't really do anything major b/c Elizabeth is still too small. I had a great time. We had a silly string fight in the living room thanks to uncle Chris. Mommy had lots of fun cleaning that up. Did you know that silly string sticks to wood floors and to get it up you have to get on your hands and knees and scrub? Mommy knows that now. We have been preoccupied lately trying to decide if we will be moving to Georgia. Mom and dad have been doing a lot of talking lately about it. Mom says we will be getting our pictures done next week so we will get those out for you. Hope you are all doing well!!!

Hugs and Kisses!

Andrew

Cakewalk

2009-06-20T09:53:00.004-05:00

Driving the pink jeep; what fun!

Mo is coming around! No more hating his sister!

The awesome edible arrangement Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Rosa sent. It was quite delicious and even came with chocolate for dipping!

Two children is a cakewalk. We know this now that we have three. Three is a crazy-mad life change! We are in for the ride of our lives.

She's Here!

2009-06-05T21:46:00.003-05:00

Miss Elizabeth is here! She was born on Tuesday June 2, 2009 at 7:36am. She weighed in at 7 pounds 7.4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. We are all home, happy and healthy; though a little tired! We will post more as soon as we get settled and rested!

Love Ya!
The Mom

Random Pictures

2009-05-25T13:54:00.003-05:00

Two little boys hard at work for mommy!

Andrew's vegetable garden; finally done!!!!

Two cute little boys!

Easter baskets!

Momo and Daddy on zoo day!

All Grown Up!

2009-04-08T08:30:00.004-05:00

MMMM...blue frosting!

Joseph and Nevaeh going for a ride....he likes the older women!

Shy boy during his happy birthday song!

The Cake.

Who doesn't love a Thomas Cake?!

Our baby boy is all grown up! That's how it seems anyway.... This weekend we had a small get-together for Mo's second birthday. I can't believe he is two already! We were lucky to have some great weather and everyone seemed to have a good time! Mo's checkup went well on Monday and the doctor has no concerns for him! Tomorrow he gets his day out with Mommy and Daddy and we're heading to the zoo. One of our traditions is now to get a day out with Mommy and Daddy and no siblings for birthdays. We should be able to get some good pictures at the zoo. Then next week we will get official 2 year pictures taken. We've been keeping busy here; we've started our nanny search and have been busy going back and forth to Columbus to see Uncle John. And of course getting ready for Elizabeth has taken up a lot of our time. The daddy will be building our raised garden soon (hopefully this weekend!) and then we will begin planting our vegetable garden. I can't believe it's almost time to plant already! We are hoping to really get the boys involved in planting and harvesting our veggies this year. We think it is something they will really enjoy! We have started the process applying at preschools for Andrew to start in the fall. The program we want is highly selective so we are crossing our fingers! It is an integrated program with small class sizes with half of the class "normal" and the other half disabled. It is a great learning environment and children who are in these programs generally do very well. There are only a couple of classes though and they are tough to get into so we have applied for a backup. Who ever would have thought we would be going through so much for preschool! I feel like we are applying to colleges! We hope everyone is doing well! Hugs and kisses! We'll try to keep you all updated!

The Mom

***we should have some more and better birthday pictures when everyone forwards what they have to me! I was a little busy and missed a lot of shots!

Air Force Museum

2009-02-22T20:36:00.010-05:00

Today Daddy and I went to the U.S. Air Force Museum. It has to be one of my favorite places to go. We saw old airplanes, airplanes that crashed and have boo-boos, airplanes with guns, and the Shark Airplane! Daddy took some pictures so everyone can see how cool the planes are.

Andrew & Mommy--OOPS!!! Wrong Strawberry B*tch!!!

This is Bockscar. It was the Nagasaki bomber.

Look Papa! Me and Ronald Regan!!! Ike is cool too!!!

Is that a thermonuclear explosion or am I just that hot?

Sorry Goose, but it's time to buzz the tower.

COSI

2009-02-15T07:46:00.004-05:00

The entrance to the frog exhibit

Boys in the moon

Inside the spacecraft

Last weekend was mommy's weekend to work so we had a boys day out. Daddy took us to Cosi in Columbus. We had so much fun spending the day just being boys.

In an update about Elizabeth....mommy tried to start working on her nursery updates and has now turned a simple update into a full construction project. A very larg hole has appeared in her wall and she will be receiving a new door. Mommy is not very happy. She says she wanted to have this room done by now and not have it be like when Mo was born and Aunt Jen was finishing Andrew's room while mommy was on the operating table! It should be interesting to see how long this takes!

On a more positive note, we are all VERY excited for spring. Our 65 degree day last week planted the bug. Mommy has started thinking about all of our outdoor projects and looking forward to all of Kettering's park and rec updates. We are getting huge updates to our water park, rec center and neighborhood parks. It is all very exciting. We'll update with pictures of our park as it gets going. We are big park people so all of this is very exciting to us! Check it out at

www.ketteringoh.org/newweb/about/BondLevyRenewal.php

Hope everyone is having lots of fun!

Hugs and Kisses!

Andrew and Mo

It's a Girl!

2009-02-06T12:23:00.003-05:00

Upside down picture b/c mommy doesn't know what she is doing! This is snack time at Bounce U during our break between bouncing rooms!

This is one of the many contraptions at Bounce U (upside down picture again) you have to scale to the top and then go down a giant slide!

A little unsteady, but tons of fun!

More bouncing equipment!

Mo loves his dogs!

Holy cow everyone; mommy is having a girl! She truly never believed this would happen. Mommy always had a perfect plan in mind of raising 4-5 BOYS who would one day go golfing with daddy while mommy would go shopping. She had dreams of never having to pay for a wedding, and only having to cover the rehearsal dinner and open bar! Mommy likes being Queen Bee and being adored by all of her men! This has thrown a serious wrench in mommy's plans. Suddenly pink things are appearing in our house. Talk of baby dolls and barbie fill the air. We must tell you, it's a bit unsettling. Boys are the only thing we know in this house! What are we going to do with a girl! Daddy is VERY EXCITED. We are hoping he has some kind of clue as to what to do with this girl. We'll have to wait and see.

Yesterday Mommy took us to the coolest place! It is called Bounce U! So much fun we can barely describe it. 2 rooms full of inflatable bouncing equipment to completely wear us out! Mommysays it was the best $8 she's ever spent! It was kind of hard for her to take pictures with everything going on, so if you go to their website you'll get a better idea! http://www.bounceu.com/

We hope everyone is doing well. We are keeping busy getting ready for Elizabeth's arrival, moving bedrooms, getting rid of all the old and bringing in the new!
Hugs and Kisses!

Andrew and Mo

The Timeline

2009-01-01T15:52:00.002-05:00

We've been a little busy; here's our timeline to give you a bit of an idea....
12/19 annual Christmas dinner with Chris, Matt, Danielle, Leslie and Angie
12/20 drive to Archbold for Christmas with the Simon clan (horrible weather)
12/21 drive back to Dayton in snow, freezing rain and 40mph winds
12/22 mommy works
12/23 mommy works (horrible weather, every major highway in Dayton is closed d/t freezing rain), was supposed to be off work at 5 but didn't leave till 11 b/c of good 'ol mother nature
12/24 drive 9 long, long hours to Baltimore
12/25 Christmas Day; too many presents couldn't even see the floor of my parent's house!
12/26 daddy's birthday; mommy went outlet shopping with jen and grandma (it's a tradition), i love micheal kors! also got great new bamboo jammies for d-day! ebola virsu begins to take over mommy's body
12/27 drive 9 even longer hours home to dayton, ebola starts working on daddy
12/28 mommy admitted to hospital for cardiac workup! yippee, also day of Snowden family Christmas, at mommy's house!
12/29 mommy discharged from hospital to follow up with cardiologist next week, finally real food but no appetite d/t ebola virus stronghold, sucks a lot cuz daddy got all of mommy's favorites from DLM
12/30 mommy alone with boys for the first time in a week, forgot how tiring they are, daddy home from work early d/t severity of ebola
12/31 mommy's first day back to work, ebola and heart make it difficult, exhausting, wished home 2 hours early, yippee! sleeping by 10pm
1/1 first day mommy can breathe through both nostrils simultaneously, winning the fight against ebola! made mistake of trying to shop for furniture for basement play room, exhausted again, decide sudacare shower soothers are the greatest invention ever and we would not survive without them, sudacare may have created ebola to boost sales......

Sick, Sick, Sick

2008-11-12T21:32:00.003-05:00

The best picture we could get at our annual outing at Oak Openings. Pretty bad, we know.

Joseph on Halloween. He screamed bloody murder when we tried to put on his costume, obviously he won and wore his jammies to greet trick or treaters.

This is the first year Andrew picked out his own costume and he chose to be a race car driver. Stunning. We were trying for Star Wars but he wanted nothing to do with it.

Well, the last three weeks have been a whirlwind of sickness in our house. We've taken the last 3 weeks and passed around the most awful cold. As of right now Mommy is the only one left with it. She has had it the longest and quite a bit more severe than everyone else. Better than us boys being worse off! We've been keeping busy enjoying our Indian summer and now we're getting ready for the Holidays! Mom is feeling very festive this year so it should be a good one! We hope you are all doing well!!! Enjoy the pictures!

Love Ya!

Andrew and Joseph

Great Quotes, You can't make this stuff up

2008-10-08T17:54:00.003-05:00

"Poops are fun and stinky" Andrew Snowden
"I like farts, farts are fun" Andrew Snowden
"My peepee is big" Andrew Snowden

Can't wait to hear what comes out of Mo's mouth!

We're still alive!

2008-10-05T21:20:00.002-05:00

For all of you out there that think we've disappeared, we're back! Just a little tidbit for tonight but mom will put in the full update sometime soon. We've had a busy summer with the kitchen and hurricane ike. We went and got our pumpkins today so you get fun pictures of all of that!

Love Ya!

Andrew and Joseph

More pictures!

2008-07-07T11:59:00.002-05:00

Swimming with papa; sticking out the Simon tongue!
We're on our way to the ball game!!! Go Orioles!
Our little Ham!
After the big win! With an excited looking Uncle James in the background!
All 7 boys out to lunch!

We're Back!!!

2008-07-07T11:48:00.002-05:00

Three candles and an ice cream cake covered in sprinkles!
Chillin' with uncle Chris!
The Big 3!!!
Little boys love cupcakes!
Water lovin' boys!

Sorry we've been gone so long. Things have been pretty hectic since we started our kitchen remodel. Mommy is sooooo ready to be done! Thanks for all the birthday wishes! We don't have too much to say today, but I'm making mommy post lots of pictures for you all while Mo is sleeping!!!! Hope you're all having a great summer!
Love Ya!
Andrew

A quick add on!

2008-05-18T21:21:00.003-05:00

Mo's hospital room was right down the hall from the oncology wing. Seeing those poor children with cancer reminded us to tell everyone to register with the national bone marrow donor registry. Right now they are sending out their registration kits for free. Just go to their website, http://www.marrow.org/ it doesn't even take 5 minutes!!!! I got my kit in the mail about 3 days after I registered on the website and it took less than 5 minutes to complete! They especially need people from varied ethnic backgrounds.
Just imagine if it was your child who had cancer and bone marrow could possibly save their life. Wouldn't you want everyone possible to be registered?!
The Mom

Like a very bad dream....

2008-05-18T20:24:00.003-05:00

The mommy didn't get to shower or do her hair, do not fault her for this. All of the cords hanging off of the little boy are his IV, his heart monitor and pulse ox.
Who every thought a bottom sticking out of a hospital gown could be this cute!

Today we get a little story...

Once upon a time (Friday), a little boy woke up happy as can be. This little boy (Mo) woke up as he usually does in the morning, smiling and talking, excited to meet a new day. It was this boy's mom's first of 4 days off in a row. Much was planned for the weekend. They had some shopping to do, lots of cooking, a bbq, finalizing plans for a new kitchen, the boy's dad had a tee time for golf....big, big plans for the days off. But...the little boy began to not feel so well. After breakfast he became grumpy and was inconsolable. He reluctantly went down for his nap. When he woke up from his nap his crib was full of vomit. He had woken up and vomited in 3 different places in his crib and then layed down and went back to sleep. Apparently not long before he woke b/c the stench was fresh (in case you don't know it is a very foul smell). There was vomit in his hair and all over his clothes. So the boy got a bath in the middle of the day. The boy was not happy about the bath, that is how the mom knew something was wrong b/c the boy always loves a bath. The boy's mom thought he might just have the stomach bug that was going around so she decided to keep an eye on him and call the doctor in the morning if things hadn't improved. The boy's dad came home from work early and they hunkered down for a long afternoon of vomit and sleep and vomit and sleep. The poor boy didn't even have the energy to cry. And he only wanted his mom (the mommy likes that feeling) and nothing to do with his dad. So the dad took over the big brother and the mom dealt with vomit and a sleeping baby boy. After trying fluids a couple of times the boy was able to keep down a couple of sips of pedialyte before bed and the mommy and dad were very relieved and thought the worst must be over. Then they went to bed. The next morning the dad tried to let the mom sleep in and got up with the boy. But moments later a very concerned daddy woke the mom to look at the little boys diaper and there was blood in it. Not a good sign, the mommy and daddy both know this. The boy had woken in a good mood and daddy had thought that everything was golden, but he soon became lethargic again (while mommy was walking down the stairs). Then mommy looked in the boy's crib at the vomit the daddy saw when he got the boy up. And there was more blood. An ever worse sign. so the mommy brushed her teeth and threw some clothes on and drove very quickly, but very safely to Dayton Children's Hospital. Once there an xray was done and it showed that the boy had and intususseption (the mommy is not sure exactly how that is spelled, sorry). Basically the boys intestines were telescoping into each other and creating a very bad situation. The daddy found out later that this could have killed the little boy in just 3 days if it hadn't been found. That really scared the daddy. The doctor told the mommy and daddy there was one thing they could try and if it worked the little boy would not have to go to emergency surgery. The mommy and daddy desperately wanted to avoid surgery. So the interventional radiologist (a very nice and very inteligent woman who deserves every penny of the probably half a million dollars she makes yearly) gave the little boy and air enema under flouroscopy (the mommy is afraid of what that bill will look like). And thankfullly (hallelujia, praise Jesus, thank you God), it worked to un-telescope the little boys intestines and he did not have to go to surgery. He did have to stay in the hospital overnight to make sure his intestines stayed where they were supposed to. Then, he finally got to go home. The mommy and daddy are so releived to have the little boy home, safe and sound. And can now just pretend it was all just a very bad dream.

The End.

Mother's Day, From the Mom!

2008-05-12T09:59:00.003-05:00

Well, as we all know yesterday was Mother's day. I hope everyone called their mom! The weather was pretty nast here, rain and thunderstorms all day. Scott and the boys were not supposed to get me any gifts since I'm getting a kitchen, but they didn't listen! My day started with breakfast in bed, yum! For my gift we went and had our family pictures taken (something I have been talking about since Joseph was born!) The pictures turned out great!!! Probably the best ones we've ever taken. They would have been a lot better if my hair had cooperated! We'll get them posted soon! Then we went out to lunch and shopped around the mall a bit. I almost bought some jewelry but refrained myself until I can find exactly what I want. I don't want to settle for a piece that I just like. After we got home I got the best present every! Both of the boys took a 2 hour nap, AT THE SAME TIME!!!!! Then a trip to the gym and takeout for dinner. All in all, quite a good day! Today we're going for Andrew's piano lesson. Hopefully it goes as well as last week! We're hoping we'll get our piano this week, just have to get in synch with movers and such.
Hope everyone had a great day! We'll keep everyone updated on all of our project progress!
The mom!

***We're thinking of you Mimi!

Note from the mom!

2008-05-05T12:23:00.003-05:00

Today was Andrew's first piano lesson! Miss Linda is his teacher, she lives right down the road and has been teaching piano for a long time. She has great experience in teaching young children! We went today for a trial lesson, to see if Andrew was ready yet. I was a little worried that she would think he is just too young. But, the lesson went well, Andrew enjoyed himself and surprised us a few times. Miss Linda says she would be happy to take him on as a student! I was sooo glad she thought that he did well and was ready to start. She had told us from the beginning that she would be straight forward and let us know if he was not yet ready. But she was very impressed!! Yeah! We're hoping this will help to reign him in a little bit with his wild tendencies! After his lesson we took advantage of the Momo free time and got Andrew's hair cut. He now has a faux-hawk. Too cute! What a big day for my little boy!
Final word came from the bank today for our kitchen remodel, we will sign our home equity loan papers on Thursday and finally get all of this work started. Right now we're in the process of trying to find a contractor and make some actual decisions. We'll be so glad when this is all done! We're hoping to keep our costs down by doing as much work ourselves as possible. We'll see how well that works......
Yesterday we finished off our raised beds with the new landscaping stone. What an amazing difference it makes! It was a lot of hard work but we were so glad we did it! The next day body aches could be done without though.......
On to the next project(s).
Hope everyone is doing well. We are looking forward to a great summer and lots of fun!
The Mom

Little Boys Updated

2008-05-01T20:20:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone!! I'm sure you've all been missing us! We've been keeping mom busy testing her patience....you know, all the things little boys do! We've been working hard on our yard for the past couple of weeks! Mommy started planting early, but she couldn't resist!! Thankfully no frost or freeze so far! We'll be safe on May 15!! We put in a shade garden under the magnolia tree. A new sun garden went in on the side of the house. Our new herb and strawberry garden is currently in progress. Mommy dug it all out, but the plants still need to go into the ground. Mommy says maybe we won't put them in at all b/c they are doing soooo well in their little containers! We also started filling in our already existing flower beds and have started switching everything out to landscaping stone! This is the year for our yard!!! We'll post pictures soon! We have had a lot of fun playing in the dirt and making mud with the hoses! We've been blessed with beautiful weather so far, just a couple of cold days!!! It's been great.
Right now mommy is talking to contractors to remodel the kitchen!!!!! We were hoping to wait till next year, but we can't put it off any longer! We're very excited, but it is a pain! We'll update when we have some finalized decisions. As of right now all mommy says is that we are gutting the kitchen. Whatever that means!
Mommy is posting some pictures of our recent trip to the zoo! What fun we had!!
Hope everyone is doing well!!! We'll chat at ya later!
Love Ya!
Andrew and Joseph
***We're thinking of you Mimi! We hoping you're feeling "better". Call us if you need anything!

Better Late than Never!

2008-04-16T19:52:00.004-05:00

Mo on his new tractor!!!!!
Quality time with the pups....
Birthday boy!!!!
Chuck E Cheese!!!!!
Brotherly love, Andrew feeding Mo his birthday cake.
Mo turned one!! Yeah for MoMo!!! We had a great time at Chuck E Cheese. Mom says it should show us how much she loves us that she took us there! We had a great time playing and seeing everyone. Mo was still a litle under the weather, but did well. We also got our pictures taken and went to see Uncle John on his visit to Columbus. We had quite a busy week!! We hope everyone is doing well!!!
Love Ya!
Andrew and Joseph

you can see our pics at searphotos.com login kimberly.simon@sbcglobal.net password mouthers

Clarification from The Mom

2008-03-28T07:28:00.002-05:00

Maybe we weren't clear. We're not pregnant!!!!!!! And even if we were we would not EVER have a girl. We think someone we know is pregnant, but have not been told yet. That's all we meant, nothing more to read into that one!
Also, we like Aunt Amy's birthday ideas, much potential there.
Love Ya!
The Mom

From the mom

2008-03-27T23:51:00.004-05:00

Ok, so we all know a certain someone (Mo) turns the big 1 pretty soon (like 8 days!!!!!). What's a mother to do?? We need some kind of birthday plan (this is kind of an important one, don't you think?!). Normally we would have a little party here on the homestead, but I'm really not feeling it this year, for multiple reasons.
#1 would have to seriously clean the house, and of late am way to lazy for that
#2 the kitchen of the house is a bit (detect sarcasm here, bit should be some exorbitant amount) embarrassing, really don't want anyone seeing said kitchen if they don't HAVE to
#3 not sure many will make it this time around, Chelle will be oot, Grandparents Simon at a baseball game on the EAST COAST, Kidders are crazy busy this time of year, brothers Simon far, far away
#4 am working extra the day before the birthday (want money to remodel embarrassing kitchen)
#5 two large dogs, very large dogs, like to bark, a lot, want food off of table in embarrassing kitchen, I could go on and on (we LOVE our pups! except for the dad, he wants them gone but boys and mom get too much joy even with the barking and sometimes stinking and snoring, could go on and on here too)
So, any ideas folks???
Would appreciate ideas sooner than later!
Love Ya!
The Mom
**on a positive note, birthday pictures will be coming!!!!! i know everyone is dying for new pictures!!!!
***also, we think someone we know is pregnant. fess up already! inquiring minds want to know these things (it's an excuse to go shopping that the dad can't argue with)

Hippity Hop!

2008-03-24T20:11:00.003-05:00

The Bunny!

Playing at the mall a couple of weeks ago
I'm king of the world!
Flashlight egg hunt
Mo lost his clothes!
Waffle blocks, what fun, what fun!

Well, Easter has come and gone. :( We had a great time though! We got to go see our cousins, Jared and Josh, and Grandma and Grandpa Simon and Jen and James, and Great Grandma Simon.....the list goes on and on. Mommy and Daddy took me to flashlight egghunt! (It was after Mo's bedtime) What a good time! I found lots of eggs with my flashlight and they all had candy in them!!! That was just what I needed at 9pm, sugar! We had a lot of fun, but we're pretty tired. Hope everyone is doing well! Mommy has posted some pictures for those of you going through withdrawal. We will try to post more soon and let everyone know what we're up to!

Love Ya!

Andrew and Joseph

Resting Up!

2008-02-29T23:42:00.005-05:00

First time on the Metro!
Happy boy in the rainforest at the aquarium

Family photo op!
Waving to the dolphins!

We're back from vacation and just trying to rest and recover. We had a great time. We got to see all the sites in D.C., did some great shopping, went to the air and space museum and hit up the aquarium, and spent lots of time with the family. We all came home sooo exhausted! But it was a lot of fun! Enjoy the pics!
Happy Birthday Beth! We hear 7 is a great number!!!!
Love Ya!
Andrew and Joseph

The Great Flood; Big Steps!

2008-02-07T19:18:00.000-05:00

So much has been going on here we don't even know where to begin! On Monday our sump pump decided to die, right when the endless monsoon came. We had about 2 inches of water in our basement. It was not fun. Mommy and daddy spent lots of time clearing out all of our destroyed belongings, taking all the laundry that was in the basement to the laundromat, ordering new carpet (not the way mommy wanted to go about getting new carpet!) and just generally trying to pick up all the pieces. They just keep saying it could have always been worse. I don't really know about that. The house was pretty stinky for awhile and there are boxes of stuff everywhere in the house! We can't wait until it's done. Mommy and daddy are going to make the basement into a big play/media room for the two of us so that will be great!

On a much happier note Mo is walking! He decided to take his first walking steps yesterday (for daddy, of course). Now he is trying to master the whole thing. His greatest setback right now is that he gets sooo excited when he walks and tries to run and falls after about 5 steps, but it is progress! Mom has uploaded a couple of pictures of us for everyone going through withdrawal. We'll keep you updated on the basement progress!

Love Ya!

Andrew and Mo

Near Death Experience....

2008-01-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

Tonight my life flashed before my eyes. My brother tried to kill me. Now I know many of you think that I must be exaggerating, but I can no longer believe all these (very painful) "accidents" are just that. Tonight Andrew drove a giant Tonka truck straight at my head; full speed. How can anyone say that is not an attempt on my life?! The pushing and hitting have all been questionable up to this point. No more. Pray for me and the giant knot on my forehead and the big black eye that has started. Hopefully the beating mommy gave him will prevent any further attempts. I'm not gonna hold my breath. I can only hope I will survive long enough to get big enough to defend myself.
Love Ya
Joseph

*****GO BUCKS!******

Time for an update!

2008-01-05T22:32:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a crazy holiday! Momo and I had a great holiday, even though Mo was sick again; it seems like he is always sick. All day Christmas he had a temperature of 103! Mommy and Daddy had to to hold him all day long b/c he felt so bad he didn't want to lay down alone. We had to cancel our visit with Mimi b/c he was sick and yesterday the doctor put him on more antibiotics for a sinus infection which has flared up into an all over impetigo like rash (ask Mommy what that means!). The good news though, after 24 hours on the antibiotics he seems to be doing much better. Hopefully he can just stay healthy!
The Sunday before Christmas was our get together in Archbold; Santa stopped by for a visit and we had dinner and desert with the family (Papa and Gamma were in Mexico and missed out). We drove up and came back in the same day and that was a little tiresome but we made it. Christmas eve was with Daddy's extended family in Middletown. More yummy food and lots of fun playing with Great Uncle John. Christmas day was just the four of us at home with lots and lots of presents! Momo was still healthy when we opened presents so we got to enjoy that time together. Mommy made us a turkey for dinner and it was sooo yummy; I couldn't stop eating it! The day after Christmas was Daddy's birthday (he's soooo old!) and we went to Grammy and Grampy's for gifts and dinner (Applebee's takeout, a nice change after all of the holiday food). I didn't eat too well though, I was too excited about all of the presents. I must say we got a lot of gifts! Mommy says it looks like Toys r Us exploded in our house! I like it like that! Mommy worked New Year's eve and day so we just stayed home and relaxed with Daddy. Mommy says it is too dangerous to go out on New Year's so she works so people who want to go out can and she knows we are all safe b/c we aren't out and about.
Mommy didn't waste any time and took down the Christmas tree the day after Christmas and "took back the house". Now we are busy trying to get everything clean and organized. Mommy has lots of projects planned for this year and wants to get started! Yesterday the new light/fan went in in the kitchen; next will be the basement redecoration and the tiling of the fireplace. She is hoping to plan out the kitchen remodel after our Ikea opens this spring! Yeah for Ikea!!!
Well, I think that updates you all on our recent doings. A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! Pray for Momo's health this year!!!!
Love Ya,
Andrew
***Mommy will post pictures this week sometime!

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-24T21:49:00.000-05:00

From Top: Andrew in the snake's mouth at the zoo; on top of the crocodile at the zoo; Momo passed out tired at the zoo; Momo at Christmas in Archbold; Andrew at Christmas in Archbold (eating what very well could have been an entire pound of grapes!)

Wow! We've been so busy! Saturday mommy and daddy took us to the zoo to see the lights. It was 60 degrees out! It was awesome, we loved seeing all of the animals and the train. On Sunday we went to Archbold for Christmas with the Simon clan. Santa came to see us there and we got presents! We had a great time and ate lots of good food! It wasn't 60 degrees anymore on Sunday! We managed to survive the cold! Tonight we had Christmas with the Arnold's. We were living it up; the only kids there getting all of the attention, as it should be! We even got presents there!!!!! Mommy says Santa is coming tonight and when we wake up there will be presents!!!!! This is soooo exciting!!!! Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!!

Love Ya!

Andrew and Joseph

Music and Dancing

2007-12-18T22:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I must tell you all taht I LOVE to sing and dance; and I think Momo is going to be just like me! Uncle Chris and Matt got us a piano for Christmas and we both just LOVE to play it. All the way home the other night I played the piano and did my own version of singing. Mommy and Daddy just laughed at me. I have so much fun with all of my "instruments". And boy, do I have some moves! Once mommy figures out how to put video on here we'll get some dancing movies up for you!
Last night mommy and Chelle went to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. She said it was GREAT! AND, next year she is going to take me!!! She said I would love all the lights and lasers! She says everyone should go!
We're keeping busy being sick, again, and getting ready for Christmas. Mommy says she'll be so glad when the holidays are over and she can finally relax.
We hope everyone is doing well! We'll try to keep in touch!
Love Ya,
Andrew

Santa Claus is coming to town!

2007-12-08T22:13:00.001-05:00

Tonight we went to see Santa!!! It was soooo much fun! And we didn't even cry! The only problem was Mo trying to eat Santa's beard! We got some cute pics out of the deal! Hope everyone is enjoying the season!

Love Ya

Andrew and Joseph

Busy, Busy!

2007-12-04T21:05:00.000-05:00

We've been sooo busy!!!!!! Mommy and momo got back from Florida yesterday. They went for a long weekend with Grandma Simon and Aunt Jen. Daddy and I were left behind! Don't worry though, we had our own fun! Daddy and I went to COSI with Aunt Michelle and we had a blast!

On the sad side, Momo is sick. AGAIN! Mommy had to take him to the emergency room last night because he was having trouble breathing. He has croup again. He got a breathing treatment and a steroid shot and is doing much better now. You can all thank Aunt Jen for getting him sick. She was sick in Florida and gave it to Mo. Poor Mo, it seems like as soon as he gets over one thing something else pops up. We're just hoping he doesn't get any worse. Mommy doesn't want to go to the emergency room unless it's to go to work!

Well, enjoy the pics of COSI. Mommy forgot her camera this weekend so she doesn't have any Florida pictures but daddy got some good ones!
Have fun and we'll chat with you soon!

Love

Andrew

Turkey Day!

2007-11-22T20:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Turkey day everyone! We are enjoying time with our family, we'll try to post pictures soon!
Love Ya!
Andrew and Joseph

Houston we have a tooth!

2007-11-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

Momo got his first tooth last night! When we went to dinner there was no tooth and then half way through our meal daddy found it! Yeah for Momo! Mommy will post a picture of it as soon as she can get one, Momo is not the most cooperative when it comes to picture taking!
Last night Jen, Jared and Josh came to Dayton for a quick visit. We went to eat at Sake and had our food cooked right in front of us! It was sooooo cool, but a little scary. When they made the fire on the grill I jumped back and then into mommy's lap! Jared and Josh both had chicken thrown at their mouths, Jared caught his but Josh's mouth was just too small and it ended up bouncing off of his face! We had such a good time. Then we went for ice cream at cold stone (which Jennifer fed to Momo!) and did a little shopping at the Greene. I got new shoes and daddy got a couple of books. What fun! Well, gotta go, we'll post more pictures soon!

****welcome to the world of blogging Jared and Josh. You can link to their site, mommy has the link in our sidebar!
Love ya!
Andrew

A New Do!

2007-10-30T20:27:00.001-05:00

I forgot to tell everyone about my new do! This picture is of me eating dinner tonight before trick or treat. I love mac n cheese so much I eat with two hands at once! More importantly this shows my new hair! The other night while mommy was at work daddy was supposed to TRIM my hair. When mommy came home it was all gone. She was so sad she almost cried. Daddy said that it was time and I am a big boy now and needed a big boy haircut. It definately changes my look! If you ask me I say I don't like it, that's what I told Grandma Snowden tonight. If mommy has her way we will grow it back out but she thinks my BEAUTIFUL curls will never come back :( We'll just have to wait and see!
Love ya!
Andrew

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-30T19:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I know it's a day early but our Trick or Treat was tonight, so here it is! This was my first time to go trick or treating and I had sooo much fun! Daddy and I only went to a few houses but it was great! Momo had to stay home :(. We were pretty cute tonight, Mommy loved it. We got a good number of trick or treaters at our house too. Mommy says our costumes were very fitting. She always calls Momo her little sweet pea and she says I bounce off of the walls like a tigger. Obviously all the pictures are of us tonight, the last one is me starting to eat my candy! I LOVE CANDY! For some reason the picture of Momo is upside down and mommy doesn't know how to flip it, but I'm sure you all get the idea. Well, it's off to sleep for me! Happy Halloween everyone!
Love ya!
Andrew

Busy Weekend!

2007-10-22T14:30:00.000-05:00

We had such a busy weekend! Sunday was our annual Oak Openings day! It was great! The weather was perfect, warm and breezy! We ate lots of great food and visited with the family. We had sooo much fun and boy were we tired when it was over! It definately made for a long trip home! On Saturday we went to a pumpkin farm and had a hay ride and did some face painting with Jared and Josh and then out to dinner with Grandpa Simon. Fun, Fun Fun! Earlier in the week mom and dad carverd pumpkins with (for) us. We had a great time lighting them up on the front porch. Our pictures are out of order but I'm sure you can figure it out! Momo and I can't wait for Halloween!!

Love Ya!

Andrew

Picture Day!

2007-10-16T07:28:00.000-05:00

We finally got Mo's 6 month pictures done! They are a little late since he was so sick, but they're done and that's all that matters! Mommy even let me get some so I wouldn't feel left out! You can check them out HERE. Login:kimberly.simon@sbcglobal.net password: mouthers. Hopefully everyone is doing well. We're working hard to get well (Daddy has it now!). Talk to you all soon!
Love
Andrew
***Mommy tried to put a picture in but blogger is having technical difficulties!

Sick Baby Update

2007-10-13T12:56:00.000-05:00

Well, here's a sick baby update for everyone! After two visits to the pediatrician, two visits to urgent care and a trip to Children's ER Momo is FINALLY starting to act like his old self again. His chest xray was negative (yeah! no pneumonia), his neck xray verified the croup. He is on antibiotics for his ear infection, decongestant drops for his nose and tylenol for the fevers. He has pretty much turned into a crawling pharmacy! Other than the croup the 6 month checkup went well. He is ahead of the curve developmentally and still off of the charts with his weight and head size! We're finally starting to see smiles again. What a relief. He goes back in two weeks to check his ear and get his vaccines since he was too sick to get them the other day.
Andrew has been fabulous at playing second fiddle. He's been pushed aside to care for our ailing baby for the past 4 days and has been great. Thankfully he is pretty much over his cold. We'll definately have to do something good to make this up to him.
We'll try to keep everyone updated, right now we're just focusing on getting these boys better!

Happy Day!

2007-10-04T21:28:00.001-05:00

What a great day! Uncle Tony is home, safe and sound from Iraq. We're so glad he's back and safe. We can't wait to see him in November!!!!!! Tomorrow he goes to get a BIG tv to hang on the wall and we are so jealous!!! Maybe he can talk daddy into getting us one! Don't hold your breath on that one! Also, Baylor turned one today! Happy, happy, happy birthday Baylor! It only gets better from here! And finally...Momo is crawling!!! Just yesterday mommy thought it would never happen and then today when daddy got home from work Momo started crawling for him! Mommy was not too happy; she says daddy gets all the good firsts.
Hope everyone is doing well! We went to see Grandma and Grandpa Simon yesterday and had soo much fun. Today we are sick....ICK! Hopefully it will pass quickly.
We get pictures done next week so we'll post the beauties that they will be for everyone to see.
Love Ya
Andrew

We're Back!

2007-09-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

Just a few pictures for all of you that have been missing us! Aren't we cute?!
Daddy and Me! Saying hello to Thomas as he pulls into the station!
We were so tired after the train and time with Grammy and Grampy
Momo and Uncle Chris
Did I mention that I LOVE

trains!

Time Flies!

2007-09-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

Wow! Time does fly. It's hard to believe the month of August has already come and gone! We've been so busy we never got to update the blog! Not to worry though, tomorrow we will try to post. Andrew is going to see Thomas so we'll definately have pictures from that to put up. Everyone is doing well, growing big and strong. Scott is shrinking with his great weight loss plan and I am taking over all the weight for him! Just gotta get the thyroid in check and then get off of my lazy bottom! We've been spending our days playing. That never seems to get old. Momo is trying so hard to crawl! He has mastered going backward and is progressing toward moving forward. Mostly he just rolls to get where he wants! Momo also LOVES to hear his own voice. Most mornings he will lay in his crib for literally an hour and just talk to himself! He makes the cutest sounds right now and has teh best laugh. Andrew is fascinated by trains right now and can't get enough of them! I think I know the polar express by heart now; he loves it. Still refusing to potty train, he just isn't ready yet I think. He can potty on the toilet but I think he just doesn't want to be inconvenienced to make it a habbit! He knows just about every animal there is and will be glad to tell you what sound they make. More than anything it is monkey see, monkey do with him right now. Most of the time it is adorable; other times a little frustrating. We deal with it. Well, that's all for now, hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of summer!
Love
kim

Family Fun

2007-07-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

Testing the waters....
Bright white butt!
Me and my Grandma!
The Simon clan

Last weekend we went to Grandma Jean's for Lauren and Jeannie's graduation party! It was great to see all of the family. I had so much fun socializing and playing in the pond. Grandpa gave me too much sugar, again. Later we went to Jennifer's house and I saw my first fireworks! It was sooo cool! Mommy said it was the best fireworks she had ever seen. Momo liked it too, but it was a little too loud for him. All in all it was good times! We all took a well deserved nap when we got home!
****Feel better soon MIMI, mommy said she is soo sorry you don't feel well!

Baby boy's baptism!

2007-07-15T18:43:00.000-05:00

Little boy looks like a little girl!
The dunking!
Parents and Godparents...
Baptism is exhausting!
The seven grandsons!

What a busy weekend! Momo had his baptism today and the whole family (except Uncle John; he's too far away, and Aunt Amy and Uncle Derrick were out of town) came down and we spent some quality time together. After the baptism everyone came over and we had a little party where everyone ate too much and drank lots of sugar filled drinks! It was great!
Love Ya!
Andrew

Greene Days

2007-07-15T18:35:00.000-05:00

Snowden men......
Dancing man!
Checking in with mommy....
Daddy's boys

Last week mommy and daddy took us to the Greene to play in the fountain and do a little shopping. I LOVE the water! As you can see from the pictures above we had soooo much fun! Everyone should have a fountain like this!
Love ya!
Andrew

Zoo Pics!

2007-07-15T18:23:00.000-05:00

Andrew is a butterfly!
Goats are our friends.....
Taming the beast!
Brotherly love taking a break
Five little munchkins!
We had so much fun at the zoo last week. We got to see Mimi, Beth and Janet. Andrew had tons of fun hanging out with all of the girls. He, Baylor and Momo were the only boys! He's definately not used to that!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2007-06-23T17:35:00.000-05:00

Opening presents...
The BIG gift....
TWO candles!
Yummy...sugar.....

Happy Birthday Andrew! The big number 2! Andrew started the day opening his many presents! He got a tee ball set, his first tool box, his first play-doh, some african animals and the diego motorized 4 wheeler. He got on his 4 wheeler for about two minutes and then was done with it; it scares him so we're going to have to slowly work up to that. He has spent most of the day walking around with his screw drivers "fixing" mommy's house! We went this morning to the second street market with Chris and Matt and spent the rest of the day at home. It is raining and chilly out so our plans for a day at the pool have to be put aside for another day....All in all it was a good day, lots of family time together!

PICTURES!

2007-06-18T17:01:00.000-05:00

We got our pictures taken today! You can check us out at www.searsportrait.com;
login id:kimberly.simon@sbcglobal.net
password: mouthers

We're soooo cute!

Weekend in Pictures

2007-06-12T20:54:00.000-05:00

The forts at the water park......
A few of the slides at the water park....

Junior (front left), Josh (front right), David (rear)
Junior (left), Jared (right)

Joseph; exhausted from all of the excitement
Andrew and Grandpa

David
Junior and Jimmy

Jerry, water fountains are fascinating!

What a weekend!

2007-06-12T20:42:00.001-05:00

We had such a busy weekend! On Friday we drove to Pennsylvania with the Kidders. It was a very LONG drive. Saturday was the best day of all. We went to great wolf lodge and went swimming. It was sooo much fun! Even Joseph went swimming for a little bit! We got to see all of our cousins and hang out with Grandma and Grandpa! It was just great! On Sunday we went to the playland at McDonalds and had a great time there too! I was running around so much that sweat was pouring off of me. I really liked hanging out with the family; the only person missing was John. We'll get him here eventually! Mommy is having trouble uploading pictures, so this is it for now (us at great wolf). We'll get the rest up as soon as we can and you can all see us and all of our cousins! We're a pretty cute bunch if I do say so myself!

Love Ya!

Andrew

TICKERS TAKE TWO!

2007-06-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

THE TICKERS ARE BACK! THANK YOU SO MUCH BETH!!!!!!!!!

Fatty McFat!

2007-06-05T10:13:00.000-05:00

Joseph went to the pediatrician this morning for his two month check-up. All went well; he did not like his shots; but drank down the rotavirus vaccine! Tubby weighed in at 15 pounds 9 ounces. He is so fat that he doesn't even have a percentile; he is off of the charts! Dr. Heritage wasn't concerned, so neither are we. He is 23 inches long; 50th percentile. Daddy called him a little sumo. He goes back in two months and we'll see where he is then!

TICKERS!

2007-06-01T12:09:00.000-05:00

Grandma brought it to mommy's attention yesterday that our birthday tickers are gone! Apparently when mommy updated to the new blogger the tickers were wiped out. Mommy tried very hard today to put them back in but the way the template is set up it can't be done. When mommy has more time she will try again, but as of right now they don't fit into the blogger allotted space. I know this is very upsetting to everyone, as it is me; mommy will do everything she can!
Love
Andrew

Getting things done!

2007-05-31T08:30:00.000-05:00

This is me sleeping in the high chair. It was just sooo exhausting to eat my lunch!

Here are the Snowden boys! I love to hold my brother now!

This one is me and my BEST friends. I love to roll around with my dogs!

Just wanted to let everyone know what we've been up to. I am really starting to like this big brother thing! Whenever we go anywhere I get to show him off to everyone and make sure that everyone knows that he is MINE! I also let mommy know if Joseph is crying b/c she obviously doesn't hear him b/c she doesn't get up and run to him like she should. Lots of times I make it into his room before her and have to talk to him and calm him while we wait for mommy. I keep trying to climb into the crib with him but for some reason mommy doesn't like it when I do that! We've been keeping busy around here. Mommy finally finished painting the living room (basque brown). It is lovely. This weekend we are going to work in the yard with daddy (he's THRILLED about doing yardwork!) and put up the trim in the living room. We are also getting ready for our trip next week. I am sooo excited about a road trip with my cousins! We will be taking lots of pictures b/c it will be the first time all 7 grandsons (that's right, no girls!) will be together. We'll make sure to post lots for everyone to see!
Love ya!

Andrew

2007-05-20T20:19:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more pictures to keep everyone updated on our growth! The first one highlights all of Joseph's fat rolls quite well. Then a certain cutie pie drawing. The third one is Joseph fighting AIDS in Africa! Who knew it was as easy as just laying on the couch! Lastly, all the Snowden men. Aren't we handsome!?! If daddy looks a little rough it is from the two bottles of wine he drank last night!

Love Ya!
Andrew

Snowden Boys Update

2007-05-15T09:56:00.000-05:00

We're keeping busy here! Joseph is getting so big, so fast! Mommy calls him tubby tubby b/c he's sooooo fat! She has to go shopping for some new clothes b/c he's getting so big! I'm not the best at counting but I think he has 3 chins! And his arms and legs look like sausages! I'm doing well too. I am allergic to my sunscreen so I am covered in red splotches (ALL OVER) but they are finally starting to go away. Once they are all cleared up I will get to spend time outside again! Mommy and I are working hard trying to decide what color to paint the living room and planning all our household projects. Have fun everyone!
Love ya!
Andrew

Random Pics

2007-05-15T09:33:00.000-05:00

Brotherly love! Hiding the ball. The joy of sweet corn! Party in the park with daddy!

Bath Time Fun!

2007-05-04T20:45:00.000-05:00

We took our first bath together! This kid is a water hog! Also; I'm not all about sharing my toys and having to hold back on the splashing! Joseph loved it though! He's a water baby just like me!

Love ya!

Andrew

Afternoon in the park

2007-05-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday after daddy got home from work we went to the park. We had so much fun playing and feeding the ducks! Joseph slept the whole time (as you can see from the picture that mommy isn't smart enough to rotate). It was great fun for all!! I hope you guys are all having as much fun!

Love ya!

Andrew

Weekend Away!

2007-04-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we all went to Archbold for Jared's first communion. (Congratulations Jared!) We had a great time visiting with the family; especially Grandpa Simon! Joseph and I like him and Grandma better than we like our parents! We stayed at Sauder Inn and went swimming (except for mommy b/c of her vac). We also went to the new playground with 26 foot slides! I had so much fun!!!!! Jospeh just sat in his seat and watched; he's still a blob and is not very interactive yet. That's ok though; I have enough fun for both of us! Mommy forgot the camera so we only have one picture to post that Grandma took for us. It is our first family picture with the four of us!!! We will be getting our pictures done sometime in the near future and I will have mommy post those too. That's about all that is going on here; we just hang out and play! We'll keep you updated!

Love,

Andrew

Finally Home!

2007-04-16T21:35:00.000-05:00

We're all finally home and settling in! Starting tummy time early! Brotherly Love and nap time. We love our mom so much we took a nap at the same time!!!!!

We'll keep the pictures coming and try to keep the updates frequent. Right now we are all just adjusting to the new living situation and enjoying daddy's time off of work and spending time together as a family.

Welcome to the world!

2007-04-16T21:08:00.000-05:00

Baby Joseph finally arrived on April 6, 2007 @ 0758 weighing 8 pounds and 20 inches long with a head full of brown hair and beautiful blue eyes.

Big Boy Bedroom

2007-04-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the big boy room (which still isn't done!!). There are still a couple of things to go up on the walls and the flooring situation, and we should be set! You can't see it too well, but the bottom half of the walls is chalkboard and already full of writing and pictures! Also notice the fire engine bed that mommy did not want! But Andrew and Joseph's happiness is all that matters to mommy!

The Latest

2007-04-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

Ok, here's the deal. Mommy wants a new computer; Daddy says NO-NO. We cannot justify a new computer when we spent $2000 on the last one, it's barely two years old and is under warranty....So they keep fighting with Best Buy. Daddy went to pick up the computer tonight and he got it home and it was still broken!!!!! So; he went back; and they took it again......Same story, different day! So mommy is typing from daddy's work computer again, so of course no pictures!!!
My new bedroom.....STILL NOT DONE. My money is on it not being finished before Joseph comes; they've only got 2 more days!! What do you expect when you leave everything to the last minute!!!??!!!
Joseph....Friday, April 6, 2007 at 0730! Mommy and Daddy have to be at the hospital at 0530! Suckers! I will be with Grandma and Grandpa Simon; snoozing. WE will not be getting up that early. After we go meet Joseph and see Mommy in the hospital we are going to Toledo for Easter. Mommy is sad that she won't see me on Easter, but it is better that way b/c she can't handle watching all the candy and soda that Grandpa gives me! Also, daddy promised mommy he will find a way to get pictures up for everyone to see the newest addition to our family. It will probably be on Monday when mommy is supposed to be allowed to come home.
Well, I think that's all for now! Love you all lots!

SORRY, NO PICTURES!

2007-03-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

Our computer is dead, again...imagine that! This time it's the power cord again. Daddy needs to go to the store and get another one, right now mommy is updating on daddy's work computer so we can't post our pictures yet. Hopefully we'll be back up and running soon! It definately will be back before Jospeh arrives, even if mommy has to go out and buy a new computer while daddy is at work!
Love ya all!!!!!!!

Andrew's Update

2007-03-11T21:21:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything so I just wanted to update everyone on what's going on in the Snowden house! Mommy and I have been sick (AGAIN!) for the past week and daddy woke up with it this morning. We are all tired of getting sick! Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 60's; HOORAY for spring! So; mommy and I are going to spend some time OUTSIDE. We had to have a little refresher course on what outside means since we've been trapped indoors for soooo long! Mommy promises she will take pictures of me and put them up tomorrow for everyone to see! Just wait; I'm soooo big!!!!!
Baby Joseph update: my little brother will be here on April 6! I am going to go to Toledo with Grandma and Grandpa Simon on the 5th so that mommy can go into the hospital and I get to see everyone for Easter. Poor mommy, she'll be stuck in the hospital for Easter so none of Grandma Jean's good eats for her! That's what she gets for getting knocked up!
My bedroom still isn't done! Mommy and daddy say they will finish it this coming weekend. I'm not going to hold my breath; I've heard that one a few times before! To give them credit; they really couldn't finish it this weekend since we were all sick. It will be worth it when it's finished! We're still looking for a cute rug, if you have any ideas let mommy know cuz she's not having much luck!
Well; I think that is all that's been going on here; check back for pictures!

Happy Birthday!

2007-02-28T08:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Michelle. Sorry it's a day late. Mommy has been off of work for the past 4 days and doesn't know what day it is anymore!

Happy Birthday Beth! I am thinking of you!

Hugs and kisses to you both!
Love
Andrew

SNOWED IN!

2007-02-13T18:30:00.000-05:00

This morning we woke up to LOTS of snow! Daddy got to stay home from work and we all got to spend some quality time together! Here are some pictures of us in the snow. It was a little hard for me cuz my snow boots are a bit too big, but I managed! There are also some pictures of me in daddy's sunglasses, I LOVE his sunglasses! The other day mommy came into the kitchen to find me sitting on the countertop with daddy's glasses on! I only got away from her for a minute and I made all the way up to the countertop!!!!!! I guess it's pretty obvious that I love to climb too!!!!!! Stay warm!!

Swim Lessons!

2007-01-30T05:16:00.000-05:00

Swim lessons started on Saturday! Yippee!! I LOVE swim lessons; it's like a giant bath tub! Daddy had to swim with me cuz mommy hasn't been able to find a bathing suit for her big 'ol belly! Hopefully she'll have one by next week so she can get in with me! I had a lot of fun, even if it was with daddy! I did throw a bit of a temper tantrum though, I just didn't want to get out! So, mommy got a schedule of open swim times so we can go back and I can get my fill! I'll have swim lessons every Saturday morning until the end of March!

Happy belated birthday uncle John! I was thinking about you while I was at my swim lessons!!! Hope you had a great day!

Well, that's all for now, my bedroom pictures should be coming soon, we just need to find a rug and curtains and we should be done!

Pictures, pictures

2007-01-18T21:18:00.001-05:00

I was babysitting Danielle's dog and I just love the cage!!!! Tons of fun.
And..a shot of my black and blue stitched up eye!! Even all banged up I'm cute!!!! This wasn't too bad, it was day one so it hadn't all kicked in yet...it later became EVERY shade of pink, red, purple and black! It was pretty cool.