Gideon's Baptism

There is a post I've been meaning to put on this blog for a couple months now and just seem to forget by the time I finally sit down to the computer. But, anyway, a very important event happened in Gideon's life on November 2nd. He was baptized. He was so excited! It was a wonderful day and Gideon seemed like such a big kid that day. He really is a cutie. He certainly has been a handful at times these past 8 years, but he is a sweetheart with a huge smile and we just love him to death. Great job, Gid!

I realized that I put way too many prim and proper pictures of us on this blog and that really isn't a true representation of the Snyder crew. So, I thought I'd start this new year out by coming clean with the real "us".

Yes, I know, it can be a bit shocking when you really get to know us:

Kinda scary if ya ask me:

This is how Seth cheered on his sister for her basketball games last year:

This is how Kels and Jake normally look, although I make them clean up once in a while:

Silver has a bad habit that we're trying to break her of, but she's very attached to her "stogie":

A few days after Christmas we went out to take some pictures for our Christmas letter. For the last couple of years our Christmas letter has turned into a New Year's letter. What's wrong with that - nothing I say! So, anyway, we found a great spot out in our woods and we kinda liked how these turned out. It turned unseasonably warm in the days after Christmas and got up to around 65 or so. So, we were thrilled to have a little break from the cold and wind, but we had to maneuver around the mud to get into the woods.

Christmas Eve's eve

Wow! What a month it's been so far. I feel like I've been very busy, but I've also been able to enjoy the season.

I love Christmas time! I feel so much joy and anticipation. I'm not big on the commercial aspect of Christmas. I just love the feelings that come along with this beloved holiday. One of the things we did early in the season is watch The Nativity Story. We had never seen it before and it is a lovely film depicting the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. In this world of turmoil and confusion, I feel so very blessed to know and love our Savior. I'm thankful to be able to teach my children about Him and His life and to have the scriptures as a guide. I can't imagine a life here on earth without a testimony of Him. So, as Christmas approaches we are looking forward to all the usual fun things about Christmas, but we also need to slow down and savor the real reason we celebrate this joyous time.

I know it's been a while since I blogged so here are just a couple of the things that we have been doing this month:

Right after Thanksgiving we began a huge wreath making project. We offered to do a fundraiser on our farm making fresh, live evergreen wreaths from blue spruce trees on our farm. We have a wreath making machine that we bought last year. The fundraiser was for the Choral Boosters and we kind of threw it together last minute because we'd never done it before and we just thought of it. They ended up selling 145 wreaths and I had an order for 18 more. The chorus kids came and helped put wreaths together for three different days. They did a great job and we got them all done and people were very happy. So, it might become and annual thing.

Steve and had a great adventure at the beginning of December where we went to Anaheim, CA for an ACN Convention. We had decided to go as an anniversary trip and Christmas present to each other. It was very quick - Friday to Sunday- but we had a great time and the convention was amazing! We had a bunch of family with us and we just really enjoyed ourselves.

Last Thursday we got our best Christmas present- Seth got home! His best friend from here flew out to meet him and drive home with him. Seth has taken advantage of his first year of college and having a car and had driven our poor, old Taurus all over the west. On his last roadtrip home from Vegas for a friend's baptism, the old car finally gave up the ghost. In fact, he called us about 3 minutes before that last photo was taken as Steve and I were strolling around Hollywood, CA to say they were stranded in Cedar City, UT. Luckily, my brother Thatcher lives there and he was able to help them out. Thatcher went and got them, put them up for the night and loaned them his car to drive back to Rexburg for finals the next day. Thanks, Thatch!!! Then, my dad offered to let us borrow a little pickup he had and wasn't using for Seth to drive home with. We're going to keep it for a while and get it back to them somehow. Brooke's going to have to learn to drive a stick-shift. YIKES!!! But Thanks, DAD!!!!! Needless to say, we are so grateful to have Seth home safe and sound. He's already started the process of getting ready for his mission and says he ready to go.

Our 20th Anniversary!

Twenty years ago on this day, Nov. 25th, Steve and I were married. As I type this entry, I am looking out my window here in PA, and the day is so much like it was that day that I'm feeling a little nostalgic. So bear with me... It was a Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and we only had the weekend, for I was supposed to be back in school (Ricks College) on Monday. It was a snowy, blustery day and people were traveling from Dillon, MT and elsewhere to the LDS temple in Idaho Falls to be with us. We got started very early in the morning and were married at approximately 11 am. I had been very sick with bronchitis for a couple of days and was very overwhelmed with emotion, exhaustion, anticipation, etc. So, when we finally knelt across the alter from one another, the floodgates opened and I couldn't stop bawling. Then, Steve began to cry and who knows who else, but it was beautiful and we were so happy. It was cold but clear when we got outside and we were able to get some beautiful pictures outside the temple. We had planned our reception that same evening in Dillon so we had to start back (2 hrs. away) and the weather was so bad that the pass between Dillon and Idaho Falls was almost closed. But, we were blessed and everyone made it to Dillon safely. We had a beautiful reception and it was soon over.

We started our life together in Rexburg, Idaho where I was finishing up school and Steve was working on a dairy farm. We lived in a little two-apartment house that Steve helped fix up for a savings on the rent. It was actually quite a dump, now that we look back on it, but with all our newlywed bliss and brand new wedding gifts we felt like a king and queen.

From there we hopped on our own personal roller coaster of life and we've been hanging on together ever since.... We've been exhilerated by incredible highs and hung on to each other through some deep lows. We heave deep sighs of relief during the nice level times, but brace ourselves for the next go around. Through it all, we're so grateful we found each other and that we've learned to laugh. We love our crazy kids, our families and each other and we're so glad we have eternity to figure it all out ... TOGETHER!

Then......

A few pounds and gray hairs later...

Now.....

If you want a good read for this Christmas season, pick up The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. It's based on his life experience and right now it's the New York Times #1 bestseller. It has a beautiful message and reminds us all to appreciate the wonderful things we have in our lives, especially during these troubled times. Each day is truly a gift.

We're still here!

Just in case anyone is wondering, we're still here - just very busy. At least I (the main blogger) am very busy. The kids have recently had a brief break from sports and the like. They all finished up their seasons a couple of weeks ago and it's been nice. Steve and I, on the other hand, have been extremely busy. I finally got all my paperwork into the school and immediately started substituting as an aide. They called me in several days the first two weeks and then four days this past week. I am really enjoying it, but it's a little stressful. It's anything from being a personal aide for a child with difficulties or a teacher's aide. The first two weeks I aided 3 different children at different times and last week I was in the second grade all week. I am also volunteering at Savanna's Pre-K. If I get 35 volunteer hours in and a video training then I can start working for pay and one of the teachers is going on maternity leave in December, so I'm trying to get that in. We have also volunteered to spearhead a pine wreath making fundraiser here tomorrow for the Choral Boosters. We are using our blue spruce trees and our wreath machine and the chorus students are coming over to help. The kids sold 140 wreaths so we really have our work cut out for us. Wish us luck! Besides that, I clean an inn between weekend guests and I spent DAYS cleaning out our little store to make it nice for this work party tomorrow. Since we didn't open this past summer, it really needed a lot of work done.

Steve has been repairing the barn roof and putting up a new chimney for our wood stove. That kind of stuff takes every spare minute of his time, besides his job, being Branch Pres. and working on ACN business. So, anyway, that's just some of the fun stuff that we've been up to lately. I like to be busy, though. I have a tendency to get the winter blues and being busy really helps to avoid some of that.

An update on Seth, too, is that he recently broke his thumb rollerblading and got shot in the eye with a pellet from an air pistol thingie. But, he looks like he's having the time of his life (from what we can tell in pictures). He only has a month left and then he comes home. His best from from here is flying out just to roadtrip home with him, along with a buddy they are "dropping off" in Georgia. No, it's not on the way to PA. And another friend from Oregon is coming along for the ride and flying home. So, we just home the old Taurus with over 200,000 miles on it gets them all home. We're sure getting excited to see him, though. Can't believe his first year of college is almost over already. He says he's really excited to get out into the mission field after his b-day in Feb.

So, anyway, that's an update. Hopefully something more interesting will follow soon. Ta Ta for now!