December 26, 2007

Another year over!





We had such a great Christmas this year. We woke up at 7 am and drove to Grandma and Grandpa Quinn's house for present opening and breakfast. They boys weren't quite sure what was going on because we were all in our pajamas and going to Grandma and Grandpa's house so early in the morning. We arrived and Keaton was so excited to see all the presents. We waited for the Laney's and Great Grandma Beard to arrive. Then when they did, we got busy ripping the the presents. Keaton's big gift this year was a Diego 3-wheeled scooter. He just loves it. He rides it every chance he can get. Andrew wasn't quite sure what was going on. He just loved being involved with what was happening. He got quite a bit of toys that light up and play music. He seems to really like those. We had a lazy day. You know, the kind where you can hang out in your pajamas for half of the day and just do nothing but play and be lazy. We haven't had one of those since we had kids.
Grandma Quinn made a great Christmas breakfast for all of us. Thanks Grandma for filling our bellies! The rest of the day we just hung out with all the family and friends.
I can't believe that another year has come and gone. We leave for Arizona on Friday. Eldon gets married in Oakland on the 28th. So we have another Christmas coming our way in a couple of days. We can't wait to join up with the Snyder clan. We will post lots of fun picturs when we get back.
We hope that you had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

December 22, 2007

Happy 1yr. Birthday Andrew!





Happy Birthday Andrew! I can't believe that my baby has turned a year old. Seems just like yesterday we were hoping in the car on a cold Friday morning at 5 am.. We were so excited to see you and have you with us in our arms. After the doctor worked with you on turning you head down you finally gave in and came in 4 hours. You were such a sweet little guy. It is hard to believe that this first year has come and gone. Where does time fly? This year has been a very eventful one for us. We have learned and we have grown so much. Having two is tougher than it looks. But we did it and we are so thankful.
We had such a fun party. We had all of our friends and family come over for a Gingerbread House making party. We had quite the displays too. We had lots of good food to eat and we just had a great time. Thanks for coming everyone! It couldn't have worked without you!
Andrew, thanks for being such an angel. You have always been so gentle and so calm. Thanks for being so easy to raise. We love you and wish you a Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!

December 18, 2007

December 13, 2007

First hair cut



Yes, we did it! We cut all the curls off. It was getting too long and it was starting to bother him. So last night we cut it all off. It was so sad to see all the curls go. It made him look so much older. He is a little man now. He didn't like it but he had no choice. I just hope that the curls will come back. When we cut Keaton's curls off they never came back. So we'll wait and see with this young man. We are all doing well. We have recovered from the Croup. The ear infections are all cleared up and now Keaton has come back down with something else. This morning he woke up and felt warm so I took his temperature and he read 100.9 so here we go again. I don't know what is going on, we never really go anywhere either. I guess I need to disinfect my home.
We are having fun with our family tradition of the 12 days of Christmas. We have picked a family who will never suspect us. It will be lots of fun. It is something I hope my children will get into. I remember every Christmas we did it with my family. The door bell ringing, hiding in the bushes and trying to hop on the car as it was driving by. It was such an adventure each year.
We have been busy with Christmas cookie decorating and preparing our sub for Santas. Making all the deliveries, and getting our family christmas cards sent out has worn us all out.
More fun pictures to come. Stay posted!

December 9, 2007

Christmas time


If finally feels like Christmas with our Christmas tree up and decorated and all our decorations out. The boys have had a fun time plugging in our lights and singing Christmas songs and reading the fun stories. Keaton has discovered Santa Claus and it is so fun to see him react when he sees him. I love this time of year. The weather calls for snow and that makes it feel even more like Christmas. The movie we have really watched quite abit is the Polar Express. The boys really like that movie. It is a cute one, but has some interesting parts to it. I found it kind of odd. There is a good moral to the story and I loved the ending.
We have had some fun attending ward Christmas parties and other events. We can't wait for Santa to come!

December 5, 2007

The Croup

Well it has offically hit our home. Both boys have the croup. It is a horrible infection in their airways. We went to the doctors yesterday and they were both terrified of the doctor. It was just me and the boys. It is hard to hold and comfort two screaming boys at one time. But we made it! Andrew has a double ear infection too which doesn't help the situation. They both slept much better last night. Thanks to some medication that helped us out. We will keep our fingers crossed that the next couple of days are better.
Our next door neighbor Ricki brang over some Grapefruit seed extract. If you don't know what it is, it is a natural herb that is suppose to fight off bacterias, viruses, and other junk that we tend to get sick with. She told me that you mix it really well with something to drink so they can't taste it. It suppose to help cure it within a day or two. So we are putting it to the test. She said that it has been her "cure all" remedy.
Wish us luck. These are tough days for me and the boys.

November 30, 2007

Flashback Friday


Someone gave me this brillant idea to do a flashback every friday. I thought it sounded like a fun idea, so here we go. I was flipping through my old college pictures and found this picture. I am on the far left, Mabry, in the middle, and Brenda. They were two of my roommates from Ricks College. That kind of dates my college years because now it is no longer Ricks, it is BYU Idaho. It will always be Ricks to me. I was there when Elder Bednar was President. It was great to get to hear from him on Tuesday devotionals.
Anyways, this picture was taken at Monkey Falls just outside of Rexburg. We all attended the summer semester of school and after classes we would hope in Mabry's car and drive out in the middle of nowhere to this place. It was almost hidden and I am not sure many peopel knew about it but we came here often to swim and just have fun. Mabry was the brave one who would jump off the top of the falls. I don't remember how deep the water was but it wasn't that deep. She was a brave one. You could also swim up under the falls to the caves back behind. This was our summer fun. In Rexburg, you had to use your imagination and we sure did. We had a great year up at school. Mabry was studying in the nursing program and Brenda was an instructor at the Beauty College. She is the one who introduced me into cutting and coloring my hair. We have some fun times. Thanks girls for all the good times. I love ya!

November 27, 2007

Our Thanksgiving





This is the whole Snyder clan, minus one, who is John. He is serving in Brazil. We had so much fun. It was great to see everyone again. It had been a year and a half since we had seen Shauna and we got to meet her two adorable twins, Joel and Jacob. They are just the sweetest little guys too. We also got to meet for the very first time little Emma Marie. Oh she was so sweet. She was so fun to hold and squeeze. I forgot just how small they are. Thanks Paul and Lesa for letting us all crash at your house.It was so nice to meet Shelley. She is such a doll. Eldon, you found a keeper. We can't wait until you are offically married. They have set the date for December 29th in the Oakland temple. So all siblings are flying to California for the wedding, while the rest of us linger in Mesa. We will hopefully get to stay there until after the New Year for the reception. We had fun stuffing invitations and just being together. I know it felt like a zoo sometimes but we had a great time.
Keaton and Andrew really loved playing with the kids. It didn't matter how cold it was, they still wanted to be outside.
Provo was so beautiful. Mom and Dad's home is right up along the mountain. There is just an amazing view out their window. We loved being so close to the mountains again. Mom and Dad, you were so gracious with everything. How do you do it? We sure love you. We only wish that Arizona were right next to Idaho. Our boys sure miss you, but we have your pictures up so you are no strangers to them.
Here are some more fun pictures that we took. Enjoy. I will post some more later.

November 19, 2007

Thanksgiving plans

We have a busy Holiday season ahead of us. We leave for Provo tomorrow to be with the Snyders for Thanksgiving. We are so excited to be with all 9 siblings and their families, except for John who is on his mission in Brazil. We sure miss you John! We look forward to seeing Shauna and her family. She is Lance's older sister and she had twins in July and we have never seen them before. They have never met Andrew either and he is one month short of a year old. It has been a long time. Paul and Lesa just had their beautiful little baby girl last week. Congratulations!!!! Little Emma Marie is with us now and we hear that she is quite the angel.
For Christmas we are flying down to Arizona to spend with the Snyders again. Eldon, Lance's younger brother just got engaged this past weekend.Good job Eldon!! We can't wait to meet Shelly, his fiance. They have set the date for December 29th in the Oakland temple. We are so happy for you both! We can't wait to see you.
We look forward to seeing all of you. Happy Thanksgiving!

November 15, 2007

Remember when




I was cleaning out my office today and ran across a box full of old pictures. Ones that were taken years and years ago, well seems like it anyways. I found a pile of pictures of our engagement. I couldn't believe how young we looked. Was it really only five years ago we got married? Sometimes it seems a bit longer than that. But we are have had the most wonderful 5 years. We have had three beautiful children whom we love and cherish very much.
I remember meeting Lance for the first time. It was at church, 2 weeks after I returned home from my mission. We introduced ourselves one Sunday and from then on we just started talking in spanish, about missions and everything else. We had a fun summer doing so much. We ran around with Nicole and Rustin and just had fun being together. Thanks for sticking with me Lance. You were a real trooper to be with my family.
This was a trip back down memory lane for me. Remember when it felt so exciting to be getting married. The possibilities, the plans and what life had in store for us was such a thrill. On December 21st, we will be celebrating our 5 yr. anniversary. Thanks Lance for the best 5 years. It has been pretty bumpy but we have made it! Thanks babe for everything. I sure love you! Thanks for being such an incredible father to our children and a fun-loving, supporting husband.

November 13, 2007

Flashback



I was at a Primary Activity and the theme was Missionary Work. We set up a MTC for the kids. We are relay races and fun games for them to do. I was asked to set up a booth about my mission for the kids so they would get a feel for what a mission was like. I hadn't looked through my things for time. There were things in there that I had forgotten all about. Memories that resurfaced again. Pictures of those I grew close to and people who I cared so much about. It was so much fun to go through all of my things and remmember the fun times I had. Looking back now it all seems like a blur. It seems like a dream. Did I really go to Chile? Did I really serve and love those people there? It is a part of my life I look back on and smile from ear to ear. Some of my best friends who I still keep in contact were there with me. There were some friends I will say who bugged me to so much but later ended up becoming my best friends. Thank you!
Now I can sit and show the pictures to my children so they know a part of me that was so important. They enjoy the stories too.
The Lord has blessed so much. I am in debt to Him for His love and the lessons He has given to me.

November 8, 2007

A long night


I was sitting in our dinning room this morning feeding my children breakfast and I was so tired. Anyone who has children will know what I am talking about. One of those nights where your children are up every other hour it seems and all they want is to come into your bed to sleep. Well Keaton wakes up now about twice a night wanting to come and sleep in our bed. We've tried letting him cry it out but ever since we made his crib into a toddler bed he has figured out that he can just get out of bed and open the door to get out. It is really quite simple. So Lance battles with Keaton and I with Andrew. We both wake up at 7 becaause that is when the mechanism in our children seems to tell them to wake up. We are so exhausted. Feels like we haven't even slept yet. Then our day starts off to a rough start and we just are so happy! But then you look at their sweet faces with that huge grin from ear to ear because all they want to see is you and then you forget all about last night until it happens all over again.
My sister Rachel is in town with Ava. They are so fun to have around. Jason graduates in December so we will be so excited to have them back home. Good luck Jason! We are cheering you on. You can do it!
I am so blessed to have the family that I have. Seems like I take it all for granted sometimes. I am infatuated with my husband and desperately in love with my children. I love them all.

November 6, 2007

November 1, 2007

Happy Halloween

This year was extremely warm. Warmer than I remember. We started out at our ward trunk or treat which started pretty early. We were there at 5:30 p.m.. Most of the people that go each year told us to be there on time and we would know why. Holy smokes! I think the whole town of Star was there. The parking lot was packed with kids and cars. Keaton had a hard time at first. He didn't want to put his costume on but once he saw that all the other kids were dressed up then he seemed fine with it. So off we headed to the trunks. He was so excited for each piece of candy that was put into his bucket. We were finished in about an hour. Then we loaded them up into the car and headed to grandma's house for some more trick or treating. Great Grandma was there and happy to see the boys.
This was Andrew's first Halloween. He was relaxed in our arms and just watched all the other kids run around. Keaton was a little lion.I searched and searched for a costume this year. Seems like if you don't get it by the first of October then your options are pretty much limited. So silly mom, I procrastinated and waited alittle bit longer. I ran into this little lion suit and thought it would be cute. I was right! He was so cute. Some even commented that he looked like an ewalk. Is that how you spell it? Someone help me out here!
Andrew was a bat. He fit perfectly into Keaton's costume from last year. He was such a cute one too.
We had a great time. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Quinn, and Uncle Justin for coming with us. We had a good time. It wouldn't have been the same without you all.

October 22, 2007

Fun day in the leaves



Today we went over to my grandmother's house to wish her a happy birthday. After we were there for a while we noticed that she needed her lawn racked. She had so many leaves all over her lawn so we had a fun afternoon racking them up, hauling them off and just having fun playing in them. The boys jumped in the piles and we took them for rides on the tarp that we carried the leaves on. It was a beautiful day to be outside and they just crave the outdoors.
Keaton and Andrew had fun going for rides in Grandma's little red wagon. We pulled them all around the yard and over to feed the cows. The neighbors own a couple of calves so he let us feed them and they just loved that.
We have a lot of fun over at Grandma's house. There is just so much more room to run and have fun. They love being there and being together. It was a good day.

October 19, 2007


Another day and we are making it through. The boys have been alittle cranky. Both have a bad cold, runny nose and just fussy. It isn't much fun when you are trying to battle them both. But we find things to do and it keeps them happy. Naps, well today they are happening. Keaton did pretty well and Andrew, well, he screams anytime I try to put him down so he is in his walker following Keaton around the house.
Seems like no matter how much I try to clean the house, once my boys get a hold of their toys you can't tell I spent all the time making it look nice. Oh well, I just don't put things away anymore until they are ready for bed. It makes life so much easier. My mom has a sign that reads, "A clean house is a sign of a wasted life." I think it is true. I just let them reak havic on the home, sometimes.
I came downstairs to find Keaton taking Andrews picture with a little keychain camara that Lance brang home from work one day. I had to stop and take a picture of that myself. Keaton has been a helper this afternoon trying to keep Andrew happy. I sure appreciated it.

October 18, 2007

Snyder Family


I decided that it would be a good idea to post our lives on an update that you all can read about. I get so many emails and phone calls about what we are up and how big our kids are getting. It is a nice thing for everyone to read about our lives and know what we have been up to. I am not good at writing things so this will be a test to see if I am up to the task. Here we go.
We are staying pretty busy with our children. Keaton who turned two this summer is going on 7. I only say that because he has some friends in the neighborhood who are 7 years old and he is trying so hard to be like them. Andrew who is 10 months now is right behind them in his walker going a million miles a minute. You just can't keep the little man in one place for too long. He is always in Keaton's shadow. They are the best of friends. I think that Keaton is anticipating Andrew's walking. Just hang on Keaton! He is right behind you.