Snyder-Stopping at Eleven



Okay, so that's not my better side!  Paul here.  Tell you what, after 11 kids, you tend to stop worrying about how your backside looks when pictures are taken.  You're just happy if the point of the picture comes through!  The point of this picture is quite simple.  When Christy and I aren't busy with the kids, we're very busy keeping the house running.  A maid comes in once a day to clean up the messes we can't get to, but aside from that, I'm the repairman and gardner, and Christy is the seamstress and mediator!  The kids are all old enough now to fix their own meals, I just make sure there's plenty in the fridge or juicer to keep them happy.  Our little farmhouse is bursting at the seams, but we couldn't be happier!



This picture may or may not have made it's appearance already, I'm too tired and too old to figure out if the picture is a repeat.  Suffice to say the kids like it when it snows so much that school gets cancelled.  It has to snow pretty bad for that to happen though!  They all gather around on the playground in our front yard and by the end of the day, we're feeding half the neighborhood!

Our Kenny and Jenny both celebrated their birthdays this go-round.  Kenny was first....

He's become such a handsome young man.  Christy's worried about all the young ladies who've started calling here for Kenny.  I keep trying to tell her she has nothing to worry about.  The boy is always going to love her, after all, she is his mother!  But, you know how moms and their sons are!

Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of Jenny before she transitioned.  You hear the girls talk, they'll tell you it's because all we care about is Kenny because he's the one who will bring the next generation in our home.  Not true, but that's girls for you.  I've learned to just keep quiet, 9 daughters will do that to ya!

Our girl Gabrielle moved out of the house just after the twins celebrated their birthdays.  She's gone to live at TRU with Frankie for a while.  I'm not real sure what she's decided to study, you'd do better asking Christy about that.  I seem to remember some talk about teaching, but I find myself left out of a lot of those conversations.  Christy tells me if I stopped talking to the trees I'd know what's going on, but let me ask you this...have you ever heard a tree talk back?....I think not.

Here's my last four at home.  From left to right, Isabella, Heather, Kenny and Jenny.  Kenny rather enjoys being the only boy in the home.  I talked with Andy the other day on the phone about how Kenny struts around like king of the house and he tells me that's how he felt for the longest time.  "Dad, as the only boy in the house, if you don't show that you're the tough one, the girls will barrell right over ya!"  I never noticed my girls being anything but loving towards the two boys, but of course, parents don't always see everything.

One thing I can say, our kids do a lot together.  From skill building to just hanging out, they are a real close bunch of kids.  Even when their nieces and nephews come over (some of them are older than this bunch), they tend to find themselves off in a corner chatting away.

Our girl Emil came over with her husband for a short visit the other night.  They left their girls at home with a babysitter.  "Mom, I don't know how you did it with eleven!  It's so hard with just two!"  My wife loves when the girls come over and show their appreciation to her.  She went so long crying herself to sleep at times worrying over those girls.  I'm so proud of our kids!  They've grown into such amazing teens, adults and parents! 

And just for the record, this really is my better side! 

I'm sending you off now to see what our Frankie and Gabrielle are up to at TRU.

Nott-What you think

Emily here!  Twin to Debbie and 5th child to Paul and Christy Snyder.  This is Gordon and I getting married.  We did the traditional thing and were married in our back yard with only close family and friends in attendance. 

Debbie was there in all her pregnancy glory!  She sure is beautiful isn't she!?  Once we cut the cake, she couldn't stay away from the cake!

Once we were married, we decided to spruce up the house a bit and while out shopping I took a detour to the little clothing shop in town.  I'm sure we all know what this is a picture of...

Yep, Gordon only minutes earlier surprised me in the fitting rooms...*sigh* that husband of mine is quite the romantic!

We donned our new clothes and look.  We both went for a more adult look.  I did away with my school girl clothes and hairstyle and Gordon decided the Afro was a more college look. 

One of the things we bought while shopping for our home was this cutesie hot tub.  We had more fun in that thing than I think is legal!

Like Debbie, we didn't get pregnant immediately and I started to feel very maternal.  I talked to Gordon and convinced him to make a call...

And we adopted our first pet!

Meet Titus!!  He's the sweetest little puppy yet!  Mom and Dad tried out having cats in our home when I was a kid, and I've always liked dogs more.  So, we're going to try it out and see how it goes.

I love this picture of little Titus trying with all his might to get into his big boy bed.  The struggle was too amusing to not get on film!

Pretty soon I was finding myself running to the restroom to empty my stomach.  I knew immediately all my dreams were coming true!

For some reason, my sisters and I find ourselves running to the sewing machine when we find ourselves pregnant.  I'm not quite sure what that compulsion is, maybe it's the cost of baby clothes.

I noticed one day that my tummy was a bit rounder than I remembered.  It struck me while painting a picture one afternoon and Gordon thought it would be funny to catch my expression on camera!

I couldn't wait to call mom and tell her the good news!  My smile was a mile wide...along with my exhaustion!

Gordon helped out with training Titus.  It seemed I could never catch him before he had to pee, so Gordon was the one responsible for paper training Titus.  Gordon was very busy with working in the Slacker field and housebreaking our puppy.

Soon, our little boy was becoming an adult dog!  The sparkles surrounding him as he transitioned into an adult dog were very reminiscent of our own transitioning period.

The very same day that Titus grew up I went into labor.  Gordon was at work when I found myself in the bathroom (big surprise, right?!) having the labor pains.  So, I had a couple surprises for Gordon when he got home!

Surprise one is little Addison..

And surprise two is baby Bianca!  You thought I meant Titus didn't you?!  Nope, these two beauties were completely natural.  No cheesecake here!  I didn't eat at mom and dad's like Debbie did! 

Big sister Carol came over to welcome the twins.  She was such a huge help those first few days.  I don't work, so most of the household chores are mine.  So while Gordon is at work, Carol helped out with the yard work, as that's her specialty!

Well, that's about it.  Here's a picture of our humble abode.  Thanks to sister Carol, the yard is quite beautiful!  I believe mom and dad are up next, so til next time, I wish you Adieus!

Odd Pic Out:



Titus found out what happens when you get a little too close for comfort to a skunk!

Isn't he just the cutest little pup sleeping in his bed?

Owens-Another Wedding to Report

Hi friends!  I'm pretty sure this is how you all last saw Aiden and I.  I'm Debbie, the fourth born to Paul and Christy Snyder.  You'll be hearing from my twin sister, Emily, soon enough.  But for now, this is our turn and our story!  So, tuck yourself in for a bit and grab a cuppa' java!

Aiden and I had saved a lot during our University years.  We did a lot of painting, sewing, digging, etc., and managed to save enough to buy this cute little home.  Of course, I didn't know that Aiden had left school until he showed up on my parents door step!  He told me about how he'd thought about it and how Frankie had told him to follow his heart.  Who knew my little sister could be so smart!  Now, don't go thinkin' I encourage anyone to drop out of school.  But, let's face it, Aiden was only there to be near me, and his Lifetime wish, surprisingly, does not require a college degree.

Mom, Dad and my sisters came by for our wedding.  I was so happy to see them again!  It'd been so long since the Snyder girls had all been under one roof together!

We said our "I Do's" under the wedding arch with rose petals falling all around us.  It was absolutely amazing!

And of course, I was so excited I jumped into Aidens arms as soon as the ceremony was over!  I whispered to him about how I couldn't wait for our honeymoon and maybe start our own family!

I've heard so many of my friends say that they hate this part of the wedding festivities.  You know, the cutting of the cake.  But honestly, what are the chances that I'll have a daughter that will want to wear my wedding gown?  Besides, if I do, and she does, I'm sure that the dry cleaners will get the stains out!  It's what they do! 

We decided to take an Asian honeymoon.  The hospitality of the Eastern area is beyond belief!  They know how to treat a sim so well!

Though neither of us has a speck of Asian blood, we decided to look the part and wore eastern garb.  It was so exciting!

We played Mahjong...

I raked a garden...(Someone said I'd get some sort of satisfaction out of it, but truthfully, all I got was a few blisters on my hands!)

And I learned how to Teleport!  That's useful, let me tell you!  When you're at the back of the house and the car pool shows up and is about to leave, "POOF" you're there!

Anyway, it was bound to happen.  We had to leave.  Our car pool showed up and off we went.  Back to reality.

Of course, once back to Twin Ridge, we couldn't very well continue wearing Eastern Garb, so I ran into town and bought us a couple new outfits.  I decided that it wouldn't hurt to pick up the needle and thread again when I saw how expensive the clothes were!

Aiden and I had a difficult time finding jobs in our chosen career path.  Aiden hopes to one day become an Education Minister and my dream is to become a Captain Hero.  Neither careers were hiring.  So, we worked a bit on our skills.  Thankfully, we'd saved so much that it wasn't necessary that we start to work right away, anyway.  It also gave us plenty of time to "work" on starting a family!

I worked on my painting skill and earned a pass into the secret community for all things artistic!  So far, my little art room has only one painting and a very messy desk, but I'm thinking about taking up learning how to sculpt as well.  Mom does so well with it, though I don't think I want one of those monstrous Vases she's made!

Finally, Aiden found a job as a Substitute Teacher, and was promoted the same day he started.  He had a couple more promotions and is now a Guest Speaker.  I'm so proud of him!

It took a bit longer to find a job for myself, but it eventually happened.  I'm currently the Police Chief for Twin Ridge!  Mom and dad were so excited for me that they invited us over for dinner.  Mom made her infamous Roasted Turkey and for dessert Cheesecake.  For some reason she and dad got a chuckle from that...

I'm obviously not the fertile mertile my mother is, but I finally started to think I might be pregnant!

It was either that or Aiden's cooking, and although he started off pretty shaky, Aiden's actually a very good cook!

But, I was for sure pregnant, and started working on a wardrobe for our new little one.  I thought I better sharpen up the needle a bit!

I leave you today friends, with a beautiful picture of our winter wonderland home.  I find the snow so beautiful!

Odd Pic Out:





Well, I didn't get a "Prego Pop" because well, the walls were down, as you can see here.  But I somehow managed to get a picture of the initial "pop" and got a little nervous when I looked at the picture and saw how huge she was...but it was just all in the timing.  After the "pop" went down, she was normal size. :)