Merry Christmas from the Sheldon's

We have somehow managed to survive the artic blast of 2008 at the Sheldon house. As beautiful as the snow is we are anxiously awaiting it's departure as our cabin fever has become unbearable. We have gotten out for several walks and enjoyed some serious down time, but alas, we are ready to do something away from home! We are looking forward to some time with friends and family over the next two weeks of Christmas vacation. We have planned trips to Lebanon and then over to Central Oregon. So we hope you and your families all enjoy a wonderful Christmas with safe travels, good food, and fellowship in this season of joy and remembrance of Christ's birth. So a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Love,

Amy, Sydney, David and Toby

Unto us a child is born....

Go Ducks! What a game.......Yes, Sydney's bow is almost as big as her head. Thanks Malaika!!!

Brian, your special apprearances in our photo was less than amusing!! Thank goodness for cropping!

Sydney showed real promise with the Christmas lights!!! Her dad needed lots of help fixing all of the burnt out bulbs!!!

Tongues were made for sticking out!!!

Round Two: Technology 1 point - Amy 1 point

Enjoy some of Sydney's Squawks!!!

November has been a busy month for Sydney. She is now rolling over, standing up (with a little help) and talking up a storm!!! She loves sucking on her hands and is producing enough drool to keep Oregon from facing a drought this year. She is so interested in the world around her and wants to be up and going!!! I am not sure how I will get anything done once she is mobile!!! Better start looking for a good housekeeper now.....

We had a great Thanksgiving. David got a much needed break from school and wrestleing and we were able to get some good family time in, oh and we ate a ton too!!! We have the tree and the lights up on the house and I am working on the inside Christmas decorations. As Sydney experiences her first Christmas we are struck with how important it is to teach her the true meaning of this holiday. We have a whole new perspective on the joy and wonder of childbirth and hope to share with her the true SPIRIT of the season!!!

Look for more posts soon. Sydneys weighs in next week, and we have some Christmas pictures that I will load!!!

The Sheldons

Trick or Treat

Only a couple more years and Sydney will be old enough to hit the streets for candy!! I am going to be one of those moms who confiscates "questionable" candy and then eats it all when she goes to school. Hopefully pants with elastic waists make a come back!!!! Sydney and I visited David at school today so his students could see her in costume. We are headed to our churches harvest party tonight, after we hand out some candy!!! David and Toby would be happier if we just stayed home, but I have a hard time giving out candy to 16 year olds without costumes. Toby grew out of this costume and his new one has arms, which look totally ridiculous. The little kids love seeing him, and we give out licks in addition to a handful of candy!!!

Oh almost forgot Sydney now weighs 11 lbs 3 oz and is 23 1/2 inches long.......

I've done it......

I probably take at least one or two video clips of Sydney every day in hopes of capturing a smile or a coo, and nothing. Well today I hit the jackpot!!!

Aunt Jen thought she might be ready to sit in the Bumbo chair yesterday!!! I pulled it out of the closet and thought "No way is her cute little behind going to fill up this chair"........

"Her neck is prettys strong, but it can't be ready for this!!!" Well she is ready!!! She turned her little head from side to side taking things in from a whole new perspective. Toby is excitied because he dosen't have to bend over so far to give her a good lick!!! It is both exciting and sad to see our little girl growing up so fast!!!

I bet you're wondering where the stinkin video is...... Well I tried loading it 5 times for over 30 minutes each, and nothing. All of my work was in vain!! Guess you will have to settle for the cute picture and I will keep trying to get the video to load!!!

October update

Sydney's one month photos

Dolled up for F-Day
I could not make this face the right direction, but I love this picture

October has been a busy month at the Sheldons.

David is back at work and gearing up for wrestling practices next week. He is realizing how precious his time with Sydney is and can't wait to get home from work each day. There have been Duck football games to attend, several of which he would like to forget, and lots of time shared with family and friends. We had our annual F-day the first weekend of October. Thanks to the Johnstons and the Schriebers for saving it from being a total bust!!! Last weekend we spent with our dear friends the Sumners in Black Butte. There is no better place to soak up the beauty of fall than on our long walks around the ranch.

Our little girl will be 3 months old this week. She is talking up a storm, which we can still never manage to capture on video. She loves looking at her stuffed animals and has discovered that her reflection in the mirror is fun to admire. It gets even cuter when mom's face is next to hers!!! She can now roll over from her tummy onto her back, but she should be wearing a helmet because sometimes her head takes the brunt of the fall. She had her first shot this month and somehow I managed to keep it together. I did however feel like she deserved a new outfit for her bravery!!! We will get her new stats next week at her doctors appointment so I won't be able to slack off for another month before updating the blog. I know that she is growing, but there is something about an actual weight and height that makes it so concrete.

For some reason I have seriously underestimated how busy a stay-at-home mom can be!!! Oct has flown by, with fewer days actually staying at home than I would like. I am realizing that it is not necessary to pack an entire day with to-do's, and have made an effort to slow down to enjoy cuddling on the couch and a nap or two. I am proud to announce that I am in the race for wife of the year for 2008. I love having dinner ready for David when he gets home and taking care of things around the house so he has more time to relax and enjoy Sydney. I have even taken over the budget, which to anyone familiar with my spending habits, is a scary thought. Stay-tuned for my campaign commercials and live debates!!! I promise to be more amusing than Sarah Palin.

Hope this finds you all enjoying these beautiful fall days!!

The Sheldons

Caught in the act

One strong little neck

Our Little Pumkin
Not quite as big as a football......
Just another photo op


Here are a couple more photos of the babe, since I am sure you were all disappointed to see so few of her in my other post.

6 WEEKS AND COUNTING

So I feel like I have to apologize for my poor blogging behavior. Nearly a month has past since my last update. Father Forgive Me.... I am getting harassed by several of you to see new pictures!!! Clearly the standards were set way to high!!!! I do have to warn you that there is much to cover, so hold onto your hats this is going to be a long blog.... Sorry for those of you with short attention spans.....


SEPTEMBER.... Honestly I have been so caught up in enjoying each day with Sydney... and David, watching her change that this month has flown by.... Sydney is 6 weeks old as of yesterday, and weighing in around 10 lbs, without a full diaper. She has become so much more alert and we are enjoying lots of smiles and her little noises..... She continues to stretch her little arms like crazy and kick her legs, which has me thinking that Mia Hamm might just get a run for her money. The other day while I was trying to capture some of her coo's, she rolled over on the bed. David is sure that my weight beside her, gave her a little assistance. I am pretty sure that had nothing to do with it.

September got off to a crazy start with a visit to Lebanon, where Sydney was introduced to all 3 sets of Great Grandparents!!! She is so lucky to have them around to spoil and adore her. David headed to Eugene for the first Duck game, and Sydney somehow slept through the win with her mom cheering at the T.V. The next morning, going on too little sleep we headed back up to Portland to meet up with our friends Greg, Chelsea, and their one year old little girl Addi, to head on a road trip to Sun Valley. Both girls were troopers in the car as we climbed some serious elevation.... Sun Valley is beautiful and we literally stayed at the base of the mountain, in walking distance to the chair lift. No snow in September though!!!! We quickly learned that vacationing with kids was going to be a change.... We managed to get Sydney to the pool for her first swim, and take her on a hike in the sawtooth mountain range at almost 10,000 ft. We weren't really sure if a 3 week old was ready for all of this, but she didn't seem to mind!!! It was great to spend the week with Greg, Chels, and Addi and we are very blessed to have them as friends.The only souvenirs I brought back from our trip were a cold, and a lot of laundry. We spent the next week recovering.

David heads back to work the last week in September, so we have just been enjoying our time with him. I am not sure that he is ready to return after an extended summer off, but someone has to pay the bills. His horrible headaches have returned so we are navigating around those, and trying to enjoy these early days of fall with lots of walks. We already have over 20 pumpkins around the house and all of our beloved decorations up!!! I am annoyed because no one is selling my ornamental gourds and pumpkins yet so my decorations are not complete. Just one of the daily struggles I face as a stay-at-home mom.... I wouldn't trade it for the world!!!
Alright that doesn't even being to cover all that has gone on in a month, but I can tell you are getting bored, and blogs are only supposed to provide a snap shot right?? Not a short novel about the Sheldon's life that most people stop reading after the second paragraph.

God Bless
The Sheldons