I forgot to add a few things on Syd's wish list. Pre-paid phone cards are always nice (for her to call her dad), she also likes penguins and snow globes.

Okay, so about these pictures. Chel has the most awesome camera ever! She let me borrow it to take pictures of Syd's orchestra (for a fundraiser calendar) so of course I had to use it for a photo shoot with Syd. Didn't they turn out so cute? Of course it doesn't help that she is so photo-genic (definately doesn't get that from me). I hope you enjoy them!

Hi - I've had some of you asking for ideas on what to get Sydnie for Christmas, so here is her wish list -
*Movies: Night at the Museum, Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure, Bedknobs & Broomsticks
*Books: Levan Thumps books 3 & 4, Of Mice & Magic, The Lightening Thief
*Fuzzy black slippers
*Littlest Pet Shops: bears with snowballs set, chinchurra, elephant, penguin, around the world
*Webkinz: skunk, dolphin (any underwater creature), platypus
*i-Pod, i-tunes card for music
*Blokus for 4 players

Also, I am getting us a wii for Christmas, so another idea is games for that. Let me know if you have questions or anything. Whew!

The other day it snowed a tiny bit. All the kids are so eager for snow activities, Syd went out with some neighbor kids and TJ and spread out a little pile of snow and then took turns sledding. It worked pretty good!

Here is our trick-or-treat gang! Syd was Saphira (if you don't know who that is, she was a blue dragon). Thanks to our artist (Buffalicious), Syd's costume turned out amazing! Look close at the scales on her face and the blue and silver in her hair. We went trick-or-treating with dead pirates, cleopatra, emo, and a fairy princess.



A couple week ago, TJ & Syd were bored. I was trying to get work done, but was not succeeding. I asked them what they wanted to do. All they could come up with was making coffins. We found these huge boxes in a recycle bin and they each decorated them. They used them lots - climbed in, closed the doors, even took a little nap. TJ's got a little hashed by halloween, but they used Syd's to scare the trick-or-treaters who came by.

We didn't want our cats to be left out of the fun! They don't pose very good for the camera, but we got a glimpse. Charly was a witch, and Melly (thanks Mom) was a fat ballerina. And no, it's not just her fur that makes her fat.

Happy Birthday to Sydnie! (A little late blogging, but I'm getting there!) Syd wanted a Halloween'ish birthday this year, so we made a graveyard cake and eyeballs on sticks. Buffalicious made some fun characters for the graveyard - a witch, vampire, mummy, tree, and spider (I hope I didn't miss any). We had a 'deadful' party (you know, like dreadful).

I know I'm still behind, but I'm getting there. We have been fighting illness for weeks! Sydnie gets better for about a week and then gets something else. First a runny nose and cough, then swine flu (although she assured me she hadn't been kissing any pigs), now she woke up this morning sneezing like crazy and has used so many kleenexes! (We started a thankful jar for the month of November, and that's what she put in today - kleenexes!) Now, back to this picture. Sydnie has been anxious to be in orchestra ever since she was in 2nd grade. We found the different string instruments on-line and listened to how they sounded and she picked........the cello! It's been fun to watch her learn a new instrument, but between cello and piano practicing, we are keeping busy! I was informed she needed to name her instrument, so she named it Strings. Perfect, don't you think!
Here is a movie of her playing Mary had a Little Lamb - (sorry about the directions - but just think of it as good exercise for your neck.)