Night out with the husband!

He's growing too fast...!

Graham on the left....

The first part of December has been a busy one ( just like everyone else's December)... full of dinner parties and Christmas shopping. Brycen and I have even had the oppurtunity to go out to dinner a few times with the babysitting help of our parents.

I can't believe that we are going to be celebrating with three when last year we only had one little man to look after. God has been so good to our little fam and we are very grateful for everything he has brought us through this last year... We have been helped by some many friends and family and I can't believe that we are coming into 2009! Lots of love from our home to yours.

BIG HUGS....!

Thanksgiving 2008!

Special Cousins @ the zoo.

We put Auntie Jill to work the whole weekend!

The Phoenix Zoo... I love Giraffs

A VERY proud grammy!

We had a very special Thanksgiving weekend with both sides of the family. Uncle Jeremy and Auntie Jill came over from California and spent the weekend getting to know their two new additions to the niece and nephew list. We were able to spend a bunch of time with family and on Sunday we went to the Z00 with grammy, papa, auntie steph, uncle kenny and cousins. We had a perfect day with 5 well behaved children and and a wonderful pot roast dinner to finish off the weekend. Thanks to everyone who worked around us and understood that these babies can make even the simplist of outing into a major deal...

Hope everyone had a special Thanksgiving weekend!

Hugs

Grammy Snyder made his special birthday cake...!

Big boy Canon munch'n on some birthday cake.!

Canon's 2nd birthday party was a fun CASUAL time of friends and family gathering in our backyard for some cake and ice cream. He had such a special time being with some many of his favorite people, and he even got a bit shy while we were singing happy birthday to him! He is such a delight to our little family and is completely taking on the role of BIG BROTHER... we love you little Canbino.

The Snyder "5"

My Three Sons...!

Graham and Husdon ready for bed...

HUDSON

GRaHam... CAnON....& HUDSoN

Forgive the major gap in time from my last entry... I'm sure I don't even need to express the crazy times that three precious boys can bring... Canon is now 25 months old and Graham and Hudson are 4 months and 1 day old. It is hard to believe that all of this time has already past, but all three boys are adjusting well and falling into a fairly good routine. The twins were measured a few days ago and Hudson weighs 15 lbs 3 0z. and Graham weighs 14 lbs 11 0z. These boys are having no trouble putting on the weight and growing big and tall..

Hugs from the Snyders

Halloween 2008...

Well... Brycen and I survived our first trick-or-treating experience with the boys. Canon was a little monkey for Halloween which I would say is very fitting. Graham and Hudson got dressed up for the event as well and we all have a good time. Stephanie and Kenny had their annual Halloween party and we had a blast. We always enjoy spending time with family and friends, and when you add sugar to the mix life just couldn't seem better. Thank you Darel and Patty for the extra help in making sure that ALL of your five grandbabies were looked after and well taken care of.

As far as the twins update... we had a doctos appointment on October 28th and the boys both weighed 10 pounds 5 ounces. They are doing so well and just growing like they should be. We are so thankful for their health and they are such good babies.

Hugs from the Snyders!

A visit from Great Grandpa Macy!

Grandpa MacKinney.... on the Bee Ride!

The Train Ride...

Bestest Buddies......!

Great Grandpa with his arms full!

Great Grandpa Macy just finished a visit from Indiana and we were so excited to have him with us. We made sure to put him to work with twin feedings and lots of "playing cars" with Canon. It blesses my heart so much to see the interaction between my dear grandpa and his great grandsons... I only wish that my grandma were here to give me all of her wisdom in raising twins and all that that entails. I miss her a great deal!

While great grandpa was here, my parents took Canon and he out to Schnephf Farms (sp) and had a blast. I am pretty sure that was Canon's first time meeting a goat! It was a special time for Canon to once again be the center of attention and I think he was more than okay with the ratio... 3 adults to 1 Canon. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa MacKinney for taking such good care of little Canon and giving him such a special time with you!

Hugs.

2 months old and going strong!

Pictures by Kelly Kennedy

http://www.one3p.com/

As of October 21st these boys are officially 2 months old and I can't believe how time flys. The Lord has been very gracious to Brycen and I as we are already able to sleep through the night with them. We give them their last feeding at 10 p.m. and they eat again at about 6:30 a.m.. I am no good to anybody if I don't get a good amount of sleep and the Lord knows this! Hudson and Graham continue to grow in size and personality and we are more and more connected and grateful for these boys everyday. Bedrest feels like a lifetime ago and so insingificant compared to these major miracles... I am happy to be out of that season of my life... make no mistake! These boys keep me very busy and as of Monday I am without our nanny Super-Julie.... she is already very much missed and we will always be indebted to her for the awesome job that she did with the boys. She became a true friend to me, and a major blessing to Canon and the boys!

Hugs from the Snyder Five!

Canon the big helper!

As if the Lord hasn't already answered so many prayers for us, He has been faithful with Canon's transition as BIG brother. Canon loves these boys and always wants to love on them. He doesn't show aggression towards them and he watches how the adults take care of the babies and tries to duplicate it. It melts my heart everytime I see him interacting with either of his brothers and I am so thankful for such a kind hearted little boy. We are getting along pretty well over here and getting a fair amount of sleep, which is a big deal to me.... I need my sleep! Sometimes I can't believe that this is my life and other times it seems like this is the way it always was. ( or was meant to be) We are happy, healthy, and savoring every second!

So far so good!

Graham Bennett ~ about 5 lbs 10 oz.

Hudson Brandt ~ about 6 lbs 11 oz

Canon has been amazing with his brothers... so gentle!

I love these boys with all my heart!

Well, Hudson, Graham, and Canon are now under one roof and we are starting to get into some type of routine. Things are going surprisingly well and Brycen and I have even left eachother alone with the three boys... ! It might not sound like a major accomplishment but Brycen and I felt pretty excited about things. Hudson came home with us last Wednesday and we are so thankful to the Lord for all that He brought him through. Thank you to everyone who prayed for healing and a fast recovery. There is no doubt that the Lord was in charge the entire time. We are managing to get good amounts of sleep ( only by the grace of God) and our house is not as chaotic as I had expected... All in all we are doing well and are so grateful for all of the meals, visits, and prayers!

The boys are here!

Hang'n out with Hudson Brandt!

Graham Bennett with daddy, 4 days old and he is home!

Hudson Brandt 7 days old, staying in Intermediate Care

As of August 28th we have Graham home with us and Hudson is still up at the hospital and we are hoping to have him home very soon. The doctors are saying that Hudson is making great improvements and we are so happy to hear this. He is not having to have any assistance in his breathing, and his infection in his lungs seems to be almost cleared up. The main thing that we are praying for and focused on now is his feeding. We need him to be able to eat a good amount without the help of a feeding tube. He also needs to be able to keep his energy level at a safe degree after he eats. Right now he is becoming very sleepy and worn out after he eats. Other than that, Canon is doing very well with all of the changes and he is being so gentle with Graham. We are feeling so blessed and can't wait to have all of our family in one place for the first time.

Thanks for the prayers!

The night that changed everything!

Night out with the Brett and Kristin!

After several days of mall walking, going to Costco, and making many trips to Target... I was under the assumption that I would not be having these little ones any earlier than my c-section date of September 1st. We decided to have dinner with our friends Brett and Kristin while it was still easy to get out for a quick bite. As soon as we got to dinner I started having pretty steady contractions...about 10 an hour but tried not to make too much about it. In the second hour I had about 10 more contractions and started to think that maybe this was the night. We finished up dinner and headed out to the parking lot to say our goodbyes and thought we should grab a picture of this last night before the boys came. We headed home and grabbed a few things and that early morning at 1:56 & 1:57 Graham Bennet and Hudson Brandt joined our little family. Graham stayed with me while I was in recovery and Hudson went up to NICU with dad because he was having very labored breathing. The next few days were difficult and there have been many challanges with his health ,but the great news is Hudson is doing so much better and he will hopefully be home in a few days. More in the days to come...

Hugs and kisses!

Twins Room in progress!

Grammy Snyder made the bumpers, crib skirts, and window vallance!

Okay, has it really been so long since I posted something? I don't even know where to start and I don't want this to be the longest post in history but so much has happened in the last few weeks. I went in for my regular dr. appointment at 35 weeks and the ultrasound showed that the amniotic fluid was low for both babies... that bought me a couple of days in the hospital while the babies were monitored and we waited for the fluid to come back up. I came home August 14th and I was told that I had no more need for bed rest. The doctor basically told us that I had no activity restriction and should go ahead and try to have these babies. Oh I forgot to say that during my hospital stay I had to be given tributalin on two separate occasions to stop contractions. Let's just say after speaking with my doctor we agreed that if I start to labor again there will be NO stopping of anything!

We had a great appointment yesterday and were told that baby b is 6 pounds 9 ounces and baby a is 5 pounds 5 ounces. What a miracle that they are so big... never in a million years would I ever have imagined such an amazing outcome. The fluid looks great and I had the cerclage taken out yesterday. As you can imagine, the last couple of days have been filled with malling walking, trips to Costco, and my favorite Target!.. I am having contractions almost every hour but they only reach a certain intensity and then slow down. Well, that's the latest from over here... we are ready to meet these little men.

Hugs...

36 weeks~ 2 days

33 1/2 weeks along!

I think my face says it all... "are we done yet"? I have had several requests for a more recent preggo picture, so here it is...this is 33 almost 34 weeks pregnant. I never thought that I would have made it this far, but here we are. I am now going into the doctor twice a week to be monitored for contractions and also watched by the doctors themselves. We had a really good update on our Monday appointment -July 28th I believe. The ultrasound told us that twin A is approx. 4 lbs 3 oz. and twin B is approx. 4 lbs 5 oz.. They are both doing "practice" breathing and continue to thrive which is a major answer to our prayers. We are set for a c-section on Monday September 1st at 10:00 a.m., but if you ask me... these little men are coming before then. we are getting very excited and somewhat anxious at the same time. Things could happen any day now. Thank you for all of your prayers, we know that we would never have made it this far without the Lord's protection and blessing over this little family. Only He knows when and how this will all happen, we just need to trust, trust, and trust some more! Hugs from the Snyders

~33 weeks, 4 days~

Dancing, Dancing, Dancing.

One of Canon's new ways to entertain himself and others is dancing in the living room to the country music playing on the television . Just thought this would be a kick to watch!

Friends come in all forms!

Canon's Monkey-duck

Canon has found comfort and friendship from a unique and unsuspecting new friend. He travels the entire house with his monkey-duck at his side. He reminds me of a little mama kangaroo... I don't know. We are now just a few short days from reaching our 32 week mark and it feels so good to have successfully made it this far. That being said....at out doctors appointment on Monday we were told that I will be having my c-section on September 1st which is 6 weeks away. This is great news for the babies and they should be at such a good weight and so healthy by 38 weeks. I had never before Monday dreamed of carrying these twins to 38 weeks and it was a bit much too handle at first. We are very thankful for the protection and healthy conditions of these boys and hope that I can make it all the way to 38 weeks. Hugs!

~31 weeks and 5 days~

Canon's 1st official haircut......!

When I was at the doctors office last Monday I asked if it would be okay to get a hall pass to get our son his first official hair cut. I was given the "okay" to head out with Brycen and Canon for the momentous day! He was the PERFECT little boy the whole time and seemed to love every second of it. His barbers name was Stella and we went to "V's Barbershop" for this special occasion. They gave him a little certificate at the end that says that he has graduated from babyhood and has made his way into boyhood... a little bittersweet for Brycen and I to read.... ! Daddy also got his hair trimmed and it was such a precious father-son treat.... I walked out of there with the two most handsome boys in the world! I would say it was a "hall pass" well spent!
Love from the Snyders!

~29 weeks, 6 days~

How we celebrated the 4th of July!

Stay'n COOL on the 4th!

I know... I know....I'm on bedrest, so what am I doing taking pictures of Brycen and Canon at a pool right? Well, we are very blessed to have some great friends that literally live about 700 yards from us and they have allowed us to cool off in the pool. As you can imagine the weightlessness of being in the water is an amazing feeling for me and I gives me some relief from the increasing pressure. We were so excited to hang out at the pool because it was an "outing" that we were able to do as a family. ( it feels like a lifetime since the three of us did something together outside of the house). We had such a good time and ended the day with fireworks! There is a large park about a mile and a half from our house and they ended up doing fireworks there this year. We were able to have Canon see fireworks for the first time just by sitting/laying in our front yard and we had a great view. I felt like God put those fireworks there just for us and just for our current situation. Hope you all had a beautiful 4th of July and were able to stay cool and relax a bit! We love you!

~29 weeks, 6 days~

Those boys are putt'n on the lbs...

Teri celebrates 29 years and I celebrate 29 weeks!

As you can see from the above pic.... I made it to 29 weeks and a very precious friend of ours, Sarah, decided to help the occasion with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robins.. yummy! On Monday the 30th I had a very encouraging doctors appointment and Brycen and I got some great news. We had an ultrasound to measure the boys and make sure they were on schedule with their growth... they were! Twin B was just 3 0unces short of 3 lbs and Twin A was over 2 1/2 lbs at 2 lbs 9 ounces. What a blessing to know that everything is on track. I also found out that I passed my 3 hour glucose screening and I do not have gestational diabetes....Yeah! Last but not least, the doctors is giving me a new goal of 35 weeks and they are encouraging me to see that as the new place to "get". They say that I am physically doing great and are happy that at this point I am not needing any medicine to keep contractions away or stop labor. Great news all around and we left that doctors appointment feeling so blessed and overwhelmed by Gods protection on those babes and myself. Hugs!

Canon making his way to Pinetop.....

A quiet moment... so precious and rare!

We have made it to our 28 week goal and we are praising God that He has protected these little babies day in and day out for all of this time. I am feeling great and a bit big these days and would definitely say that the nights are getting harder to get through and a bit uncomfortable. I know that this is only a small stitch of time and then before we know it we will be a house full of babies. Yikes! Brycen, Grammy, Papa, and Canon are finishing up a weekend in Pinetop full of Golf, movies, yummy dinners, and walks. Thank you Grammy and Papa for letting the boys come up and get a change in their routine. I believe they will all come back refreshed and ready to "tackle" these last several weeks!

Hugs and Kisses...

~28 weeks~

How to pass the time....!

We are nearing the end of week 27 and can't believe that we are almost at 28 WEEKS! I know that we are not out of the woods, but there were some days when I wasn't sure time was going to creep all the way to the present. I had my weekly ultrasound for the fluid check and the boys are both doing well. The ultrasound showed that both boys are head up and I am definitely feeling the extra pushing on my ribs these days. ( I'll be sure to thank those boys some day for that! )

Grandma MacKinney came over on Wednesday ( her day to watch Canon ) and she brought a play pool with her. As you can see, the two of them had a blast and I even dangled my toes in the water as I lounged in a chair. Has anyone else noticed that it is hotter than blazes outside? I have been so sheltered these last several weeks by how brutally hot it has been and I am willing to accept that as my "silver lining" for now. Sometimes it's good to be in the dark about something!

I just pushed Brycen and Canon out the door for a long weekend up in Pinetop with Grammy and Papa Snyder. I am excited for the boys that they are able to get out of the heat and get a change of location. I am also excited that I have a quiet house for the weekend... YEEHAW!

Hugs from the Snyders!

~27 weeks and 4 days~

">26 1/2 weeks preggo......!

Hello all, looks like we are moving right along and doing really well in the Snyder Home. I had another really fast ultrasound today and the babies are doing well. Heartbeats are strong and their amniotic fluid looks good. My next major doctors appointment doesn't happen until June 30th so it will be a bit of a waiting game until then.

I am finding that the newness of this situation has worn off and I am a little bit crazy these days as I am sure Brycen can tell you, but hang'n in there just the same I guess. I am always reminded that I could be letting all of this time pass in the luxury of a hospital room and it gives me a brightened perspective. We are a week and a half away from our second short term goal of 28 weeks and we are so thankful! Twenty-eight weeks has shown to be a good milestone for babies... there is a 90% survival rate of a baby born at this stage, and they typically catch up with other kids their age by 2 years old. Thank you for all of your continued prayers and love... it means the world to us to know that these boys are loved even before they have arrived.

~26 weeks 4 days~