All the girls love to hold Mason and sometimes we have had to deal with the arguing. I know that there will be a time when I have to force them to help take care of him, but for now the helpfulness is overflowing!!!

Mason is getting into a better routine, and is sleeping closer to 3 hours in between feedings at night so I am getting a lot more sleep. I have chosen to mostly bottle feed right now because he seems to be happier and full longer. I still nurse a little bit but, due to some complications with that I won't be doing it for very long. I weighed Mason last night after his bath and he is 10 lbs 8 oz's so he is not lacking in the food department!

Mason

This is a few minutes after Mason was born at 1:26 am

Mason Paul Forest is here

Mason Paul Forest Snyder was born around 1:00am this morning. He is 9pounds 11.6 ounces and is 21 inches long. Stephanie is doing well and will probably be coming home this afternoon.

more details to come.

Today I had a doctors appointment and found that I am now 2-3 cemtimeters dialated and 65% effaced. I also found out that the baby's hand is above his head and played with the doctors fingers a little when she was checking me!!! Not really what I wanted to hear but the other part is good news. Hopefully we will have a baby by the weekend!! I am still feeling pretty good so at least I am not miserable. I have been getting a cold which could be bad, but I hope that it will go away as quickly as it came. I am enjoying the time with my mom, next week we are hoping to decorate the house for Christmas time and get our tree up as well. I promise to post pictures as soon he arrives! :) Until then this will probably be the last time I write for a while.
Thanks for all of you who are keeping our family in your prayers.

So I am slowing down a bit in the whole posting thing just because I have been a little more worried about cleaning the house and homeschooling than sitting on the computer. I am still very much pregnant and feeling as well as can be expected at this point in time!! Today is always our busy day with Jazz class at 4:15 and Awana's at 6:05. I enjoy getting out though because I know that the walking has got to be doing something for me!!! Tomorrow my mom arrives in the evening so we are getting prepared for that. Hopefully I will be able to get the whole house clean. I am also planning on making a strawberry pie tomorrow for Chad...because I promised that I would make him one soon in the new oven, and since I don't make pies that often. (I am not really a pie eater....chocolate is soo my thing! :) ).

Last night I took Emma out for some one on one time and to let her spend a little of the money that she recieved for her birthday. I let her pick out the restraunt and she chose the new pizza place that only she and I like anyway. Then after dinner we went to Fred Meyer and she picked out a new toy, and since it was on sale she was able to pick a few out so she came home with a few more polly pocket items for her collection. I was surprised because she had only been talking about barbies and how much she had wanted a new one but once the gagillion choses were put before her she found that one barbie to three polly pocket items was not the choice for her!!! :) We had a great time just walking through the store and talking with each other. She even wanted to hold my had which I will cherish. Madison will get to go on a date as well, and I think she chose daddy to take her on that one.

Decorating my kitchen

I have been adding a few new touches to my kitchen lately, the newest being our new stove, but I also ordered a shelf from IKEA that doubles as a curtain rod that I just attached dish towels to. I saw this idea in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine and thought it was the perfect solution to the winter sun that hit your eyes perfectly as you are trying to cook and wash dishes during the day. This whole decorating thing is really helping me be pickier about what I keep and what I throw away so my stuff does not get so cluttered anymore!!! I absolutely love my new stove and it will definitely take me many months to figure out all that it can do!!! I think Chad has enjoyed cooking on it as well, but he will never admit to that! :)

Helpfulness

Heidi loves to help the Emma and Madison carry in wood to get a fire going. This time, however, Heidi took it upon herself to carry wood in by herself. She made a lot of trips before we finally told her she needed to stop. Otherwise I think she would have kept on going! One time as she was putting the wood down she scraped her hand and so she went around the room holding her hand out to be kissed so it would feel better. She is by far my picker upper in the family...don't get me wrong Emma does a really good job and sometimes does it without being asked, but Heidi seems to be naturally inclined to make sure things are in perfect order before she goes on her way. Madison we are still working with to be happy while we work and to take pride in all that we do whether we like it or not! Heidi is also the best mess maker in the family so I guess she is just making up for that :) !! I love how God created us and how our personalities shine through at such an early age in life. I enjoy discovering what they are going to be like as I watch them grow. How intricate our DNA is to have both of our parents personalities blended into us and yet we carry on our own uniqueness as well. Life is truely an amazing gift that God has given us, both in ourselves and the ability to create new as well. That is why the gift of children is so special to me.

Science Project

For Emma's birthday one of her presents was a rock growing kit from her Grandpa Perry. She helped me put the rocks in and then mix up the solution with water and pour it into the little aquairium that was provided with the decortive shark! Then we took pictures of the rocks growing over a 12 hour time period....adding more rocks at the half way point. This is how it turned out!!!

Pucker Up!!

Heidi loves the new chapstick that the girls got the other day from their Aunt Hollie! Now she will pucker up whenever she thinks she might get her sisiters to share some!! :) It is the cutest thing ever.