February 29, 2008

A good day

Today was a good day. The sun was out. The weather was warm. My sister Rachel and her daughter Ava came over to our house for the afternoon to visit. We took our kids for a walk by our home that is being built. We hope to be in it by the end of April. Time will tell.

This is a picture of what is being done so far on our home. The boys love to walk by it and go inside and see their new bedroom. We are very excited for it to finish. Lance has worked really hard to get it done on time.
Then afterwards we went to the park that is just down the road from us. The boys love to swing and go down the slides. So that is what we did. It was so beautiful outside we couldn't resist.
Here are a fun pictures of our day at the park.




Here are some pictures of my sister with her adorable little girl Ava.

February 25, 2008

Husband Tag

I have been tagged. I guess this is a good way to get your husband to read the family blog. It was a fun idea and it made it even better with pictures so here we go.

How long have you been together?
Since December 2002

How long did you date?
dated from May to September 2002 and engaged from September -December 2002

How old is he?
He will be 29 this May

Who said I love you first?
I am pretty sure I said it first. That was the hardest thing for Lance to tell me.

Who is taller?
Lance

Who can sing better?
That would be Lance. He comes from a very musically talented family. I only sing when I am driving alone or in the shower.

Who is smarter?
Lance. He is so smart, everyone comes to him for answers. He is a pure genius.

Who does the laundry?
I do. That is what I spend half my days doing.

Who pays the bills?
I was in charge of the bills, but now I am not sure. I do most of it with the help of online services. I love that.




Who mows the lawn?
Lance does. I do it occasionally. I don't mind it at all.

Who cooks dinner?
I do. Lance is usually never around for dinner time. I don't really like cooking. I dread it everytime 5 o'clock rolls around.

Who drives?
Lance most of the time. Depending what car.

Who is more stubborn?
Me

Who kissed who first?
Lance kissed me first. It was on my parents door step after a date. It took about 2 months after dating for him to kiss me.






Who asked who out first?
Our first date was a blind date, set up by my cousin. But Lance always asked me.

Who proposed?
Lance did. He had just gotten home from singing at a CES fireside down at the conference center. We were both attending BYU at the time. After he got home we went for a walk around the Provo temple and that is when he asked me. It was perfect.



Who has more friends?
We both have a lot of friends. But friends with whom we just hang out with. Hardly anyone. We pretty much keep to ourselves. We love to hang out and we do that every once in awhile. Lance makes friends where ever he goes. I have had many friends too.

Who is more sensitive?
Me

Who has more siblings?
Lance = 10
Me = 2

Who wears the pants?
I like to think that Lance does. After all that is the man's role isn't it? But if you ask him, I do on certain issues. We both make decisions together. We are a team.

February 18, 2008

I can't belive it


I couldn't believe it. Something happened in the Snyder home. Yesterday I was trying to get the kids ready for their afternoon nap and Keaton came to me and told me he had to go potty. I just told him to go ahead and we would change his diaper afterwards. But he was pretty persistent on telling me that he had to go. So it clicked that he was talking about his "big boy potty chair." So we went into the bathroom and I put him on there and he actually went number 1 and 2. I couldn't believe it. I am not sure if he is still too young to start training so we will have to wait and see. Hopefully this will come pretty easy for the both of us.
I have held back because for a lot of reasons. Maybe he is ready. I had to take this picture because he was so cute just sitting there and talking to himself while he used the potty.

February 17, 2008

A balanced life

Who has a balanced life? Certainly not me at the moment. I was reading an article in the Ensign about living a balanced life and it really hit me that I need to make a change. Lance and I made it to the temple last night for the first time in a long time. We scheduled to do some iniatories for my mom. She has always been so on top of preparing names to take the temple. I really admire her for that. As I was sitting there in the temple just this overwhelming peace came over me that I was where I needed to be. It was so nice to be there. I have made it a goal to try to attend every week.
Making time for personal scripture study and personal prayer. Having that just makes all the difference in my day.
Getting enough sleep. Thank goodness Andrew is sleeping through the night now I can enjoy that. I never realized just how important it was until I got it. I try to sneek naps in now and then while the boys are sleeping. I love to sleep!
Exercise! No that is something I have not tired out yet. I feel like I already get enough with both boys. Running, playing around and just trying to keep up with them is an work out in and of itself. I would love to sign up for yoga class. Anyone know where I can go? I have about 10 more pounds of baby fat I need to get rid of. It has not been easy keeping baby weight off. Everyone told me that nursing would reduce me down to size in a heartbeat but so far it hasn't worked for me.
I have been trying to eat better and the most important reducing the amount of food intake. I have been trying to get my kids to eat better but how do you get a child to love his vegetables? Keaton is always wanting a treat and when he doesn't get it he will scream bloody murder. That tells me right there that it needs to stop. We have been doing prettey well.
Anways, wish us luck. Hope you are all doing well. Keep posted for more.

February 12, 2008

A little about me

I got this idea from a friend who tried this on her blog and it gave me the idea to try to it out. Just a little information about me for all those readers out there who don't know me that well I guess you can say.

10 years ago I:
I had already graduated from high school and was getting ready to start my first semster at Ricks College. I roomed with my good friend Mabry Lathen and a few others whom I had never before met. We lived in an apartment that was attached to a home. We lived in the basement. I guess you could say it was kind of creepy but we called it home. We had so many fun memories there. I met some amazing people with whom I still keep in contact with to this day. I remember loving being on my own and coming and going as I pleased. I really learned a lot about myself. I also dated someone very seriously whose parents would later become my Mission President and wife. What a small world.


This was our group of friends we hung out with. They were our FHE buddies.


This was the group I ran around with in high school.

This was me on my blessing day.

5 Things to do on my list tommorrow:

1. Get card sent out to my Miamaids.

2. Pick out Paint colors for our new home.

3. make bread (if my kids will let me)

4. spend one on one time with each of my children.

5. attend mutal


5 Foods I enjoy:

1. Slushies, smoothies, any kind of cool drink. I don't drink caffine.

2. Salads

3. Chicken enchiladas and fajitas

4. Deserts- pretty much of any kind.

5. Chinese Food


Me and my family when I was little.

My mom said I always played in dresses.

Me singing to the music. I loved to sing.

Me, my mom and my little sister.

What I would do if i was suddenly made a billionaire:

One thing I know I would do is buy a bigger car. The one we have now, barely allows us to fit what we want to in it. I would pay off my mortgage, buy a boat and just travel. We could retire and Lance could just stay home and be with us. I would donate to charities. I would help my family with financial problems if there were any. I would just love to give to people without having to rethink it through.

My siblings and I. Taken after my brother returned home from his mission.


5 jobs I have had:
1. I worked many summers when I was younger at the snow cone shack. It was a popular place for people when it was hot.
2. Other Mothers
3. I was a nanny for a young family of 3 girls who lost their mother. It was challenging but I loved those girls. It was hard to know where to draw the line between them wanting a mother figure or just a friend.
4. Schneider Pest Control secretary. I was offered this job right after Madalynn passed away. It was an instant opportunity that allowed me to stay busy. I worked with some really fun people.
5. Stay at home mom. This is by far the best job I have ever had.

Favorite T.V. Shows:

1. Lost (don't ask me why)
2. 24
3. The Office
4. American Idol


Most beautiful places I have been to:
This was along the coast in Northern Chile in Vina del Mar.

The City of Santiago, Chile. The Andes Mountains are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. They are always snow capped.

La familia Zanartu, Ochagavia, Chile. I love this family. The boys always came looking for us. They were the ward mission leaders family.

Saying our goodbyes at the airport.



Things people don't know about me:

1. I hate seafood. I have never been a fan of the smell, the taste of the look of it. On my mission, it was offered to us quite abit. I had to learn to eat it and then try to spit it out afterwards. I try to avoid that aisle in the super markets.

2. I have this thing with wrinkled clothes. I always try to iron our things. One time I ironed the sheets for our bed because it bugged me so bad.

3. I have a fear of public speaking. I don't like giving talks and being in large audiences.

4. I love to people watch. I could do it all day long. It is really interesting to sit back and watch how people funtion. There are a lot of wierdos in this world.

5. Our first child, Madalynn passed away an hour after she was born. She was born with a rare syndrome that doctors couldn't really explain to us. She was so beautiful. I wish you could have known her. She still inspires me to this day. Pink sunsets in the cemetary have become one of my favorite things. Everytime I see one I am reminded of her. She is buried in the Mesa City Cemetary in Meas, Arizona. She is not alone. She is there with many other babies who have gone on before and after her from our family line.


Graveside service for Madalynn Kay Snyder July 28th, 2004

February 4, 2008

Ice cream and parties






Here is a recap of our past weekend. The boys got ice cream pushups if they ate all their lunch. Why is it that children will not touch vegetables like they touch ice cream or any kind of treat for that matter? How do you get a child to love his vegetalbles like they love a treat? Does anyone know? We have really tired to inforce the healthy eating now with the boys but not matter what we do it doesn't seem to work. Andrew does pretty well. He usually will eat anything you put in front of us his face. Now when we walks with you, he will lead you into the kitchen and will want you to open the pantry door so he can get a peak inside of something to eat. I guess he watches Keaton too much. I swear they are eating us out of the house. Keaton's favorites are for breakfast- hot chocolate and toast, or if there are muffins in the pantry he will take that over anything else. He is our little "muffin nazi" if you will. That is all he seems to want. A poppyseed muffin. Those are his favorite. If there are none left, he will simply just tell me," Mom, got to the store and buy some ok!" It is just that simple to him. He always makes us laugh with some of the things he is starting to say. Another one of his favorites is "I'm not talking to you mom!" I can't wait to see what comes next. They all tell me it will get worse. Yippy!!!!!
Andrew is learing to walk. His confidence is building up. He wears a smile from ear to ear when he attempts to walk. It is quite cute. I can't wait until he is more independent. I will miss the cuddling and the needing to be held, but it is nice when they can get up and just go on their own.
We leave for the Bahamas in a month. Who's counting? I can't wait for a vacation. Lance and I have not had a vacation without children since he started having chilren. We are looking forward to just sleeping in and just having fun being together.
Young Women's is great! I am really liking it. I am with the Miamaids and there are only two of them right now. Which makes it even easier right now but between now and September we will recieve 10 new girls. I only have to teach once every 6 weeks. We are combined with the Laurels so there are plenty of teachers to go around. For our activity nights we are learning how to make stained glass. It is really quite simple. It just requires lots of slow work and patience. I hope that I can get to know the girls more and be a fun leader. It can make or break the Young Women experience for the Young Women.

February 1, 2008

A tribute to the Snyders

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Here are a few pictures that my mother-in-law sent to me. They are the only ones that we have so far. As you can tell I married into a very large family. Lance is the 4th of 10 children. They are so much fun to be with. They have such a fun time when they get together. It was a little crazy all living under the same roof for a week but we did it. I just wanted to pay tribute to the Snyder family. Thanks for raising such an incredible family. Everyone lives such righteous lives. My mother and father-in-law are amazing people. They are so knowledgable about anything. They have made me feel very loved and welcomed. Thanks for raising a great son. Lance has been a great father and husband. We thank you for teaching us all so much. We miss you while you are away. We love you!