Mom -- I Wish You Were Blind

At what extent should become concerned on Teya's obsession with getting a pet? She brought up an unusual conversation a few days ago with her dad.

Teya: "I wish that mom was blind."

Dad: "What?! Why do you want mom to be blind?"

Teya: "That way, we could get a dog."

[Dad pauses as he imagines Teya hiding a dog from a blind mom]

Teya: "She would need the dog to help her get around the house."

Dad: "Oh, it would be a seeing-eye dog. How would mom know where to pick up the poop in the backyard?"

[Teya giggles]



Well, we aren't getting a dog, but on the last trip to the pet store (JUST TO LOOK) Teya selected a specific puppy that she pretended that she adopted--she just has to keep it at the pet store. When the puppy gets sold, Teya will select a new dog to adopt, and so forth.

You're Good at Soccer -- "Yes I am."

Cara and Teya only have one more week of soccer. Both are doing very well. Cara has scored six goals over the last three games as her team has won at a combined score of 9-2. It will be interesting when Cara's team, almost all 4th graders move up to the 5th & 6th grade competition level in the fall. They haven't lost a game over the last few seasons, but they will soon be some of the youngest girls in the league.

Teya is on a pre-school team where the league does not have goalies and the games are mostly back and forth scoring. Teya also scored a couple of goals yesterday. When we complemented her that she is good at soccer, her response was, "Yes, I am."

Teya at soccer:

Teya's #1. fan. "Go Teya!"

Sandy Pride Day of Service:

Bike parade at a neighborhood park

MuRDeR . . . MoRE ChOice tHaN DrUgS?

Our kids auditioned and were selected to be in a Sandy City play that will be performed in June. The play is centered around the Beatles and features many of their songs. After the first night of practice, the kids were told that the director would like them to be the featured singers of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". Not knowing the song, Sarah went home googled the song.

With the kids in front of the computer screen, they watched a youtube video someone had made of the song. Imagine Sarah and the kids watching a video of a young man asking a girl on a date, and then when the girl opens the door "Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammer come down upon her head. Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammer made sure that she was dead." The screen turns red, and the scene is of the girl sprawled out on the floor.

The upbeat tune has contradictory lyrics about a young medical student who murders his girlfriend, then a teacher, and then the judge. It's a vaudevillian-style song that was written by the Beetles as a tongue-in-cheek message relating that sometimes bad things happen out of the blue. I've added the song to our playlist at the left of our blog if you are interested.

At the next practice, the kids learned the dance steps to the song as a group, and it is being presented in a humorous way, as reflected in the tune. Steve Martin has a video version of the song that is not as violent as some of the other youtube videos. Jeremie's favorite is the video with a man dressed as the girlfriend, and the man's handpuppet is the judge.

After learning the dance steps, the kids told the director they would rather be dancers in the song rather than featured singers, and the directer seemed to agree that they would be good dancers for the piece. Anyway, with the song portrayed as a comical dance, our concerns are reduced a little.

After that first night and seeing what song our kids are involved with, we scanned the program to see what other Beetles songs might be performed. The popular drug songs "Yellow Submarine" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" are notably missing. So my observation is, I guess that it is better to sing about a serial killer than popularizing drugs.

ALL IS WELL AROUND HERE ON MOTHER'S DAY (except our neighbor's house is on fire)

Mother's Day had been pretty relaxing . . . Jeremie was able to come home right after church . . . we are cooking a turkey for dinning . . . the weather is a nice 70*. . . we were able to go for a walk. However, during our walk, as Tadd was showing us his friend Ella's house, five fire trucks, two ambulances, and a couple of police cars raced past us and turned down our street. At the site of the first fire truck and ambulance, Jeremie's first thoughts were "Uh oh. .. one of our neighbors had a heart attack." Sarah's thoughts, "Uh oh . . . Do you think OUR house is on fire?"

.

Anyway, all of the commotion related to a house down the street from us. From the story I heard, the fire started when the owner (Jay) was soldering a copper pipe in the wall. The back wall in the kitchen caught on fire with the fire traveling up the interior of the wall and filling the home with smoke. No one was injured, but the damage to the home is pretty bad. The firemen had to cut through the back of the house to make sure the fire wasn't smoldering within.

.

We feel terrible for Jay. He has been renovating his house over the last few years completely refinishing the exterior with fiber-cement siding and the interior with new flooring and a new kitchen--just completing the last details of the kitchen last week. Luck has not been in his favor with his house. A couple of years ago, someone out of malice had turned on a water hose in his basement window while he was out of town. After the damage was fixed, the ice maker in the fridge broke while he was out of town, again flooding the basement. Not to mention, he had lost his job in this down economy. The photos below show our kids smiling, but everyone in the neighborhood feels bad for Jay.

Mother's Day Humor

I had to chuckle this morning when the Bishop recounted how he had once announced the Mother's Day treats being passed out in church. Not wanting to offend anyone, decoratively wrapped chocolate was purchased for all sisters in the ward age 18+ whether they had children or not. In trying to announce that all sisters but not the young women were to get a treat, he announced "If you consider yourself a woman, take a box of chocolates."

Reg. Update of the Family

We had a fun weekend to close out the end of April and welcome May. On Friday evening we went and saw Sarah's hometown friend Randall Mcgee and Groark perform at Ogden's Treehouse Museum. Our kids were non-stop laughing at the show, and Teya's wish list of pets increased to include dragons (Groark).

Saturday started with Cara scoring three of her team's four goals in a 4-1 win in 4th grade soccer. We then headed on over to the Scout-O-Rama where the kids built paper rockets, rock climbed, learned to use a wheelchair, and at lots of candy.

Randall, the kids, and Groark.

Groark in action.

"You're salsa is made in New York City?!?!?

Fun at the Scout-O-Rama

We enjoy the parks around our house.

Ohhh. . . .We've got to build one of these.

The Snow is still Great in Utah!

After climbing the mountain, we sled down.

Scootles -- Our New Pet

Sarah finally caved in and let Teya get a pet. Teya saved up her money to buy a Zhu Zhu pet.

We welcome Scootles and his new home.

Sarah's New Hairdo - Kids Can be Brutally Honest

At first Sarah didn't want the following pictures posted, but she told the story multiple times over the weekend that people wanted to see the pictures themselves.

Sarah got her haircut last Friday while I was out with the kids on the bike ride. Her hairstylist wanted to do something special for Sarah's concert that night. However, when the kids got back from the bike ride, their comment was, "What happened to your hair?" I don't see what was wrong with the style and I think the kids overreacted. Needless to say, she hasn't fixed her hair that way since. I took a couple of pictures so we could remember the moment. The fun didn't stop there. A couple of days later, I downloaded the photos to the computer, and as I was looking at them, Tadd was also watching. When Sarah's new picture came up, he cried "No! Scary." and looked away from the screen.

Skiing

Skiing!
(Sarah wants to know why Tadd doesn't think this photo is scary)

.

.

There was an amazing view at the top of one of the mountains.

We had a blast on Friday at the nation's #1 ranked ski resort, Deer Valley, but we didn't come away unscathed. Jeremie learned that sunscreen is not just a summer consideration, and Sarah returned home sore similar to her old high school sport glory days. We had won two free day passes, free equipment rental, and four-hour ski lessons (about a $500 value) from a Ski Utah Promotion. Our ski instructor commented that out of the 25 years he had been an instructor, we were only the 6th group he had taught that live local.
In the video below, Sarah felt like she was "racing down the mountain on the verge of losing control". I'm not so sure others saw it that way. You be the judge.

Woo-hoo!!!

WhY Are We sO hAppY GrAndPA PoOpeD?

Yesterday, Jeremie took the kids on a 10.2-mile bike ride along the Jordan River Parkway Trail. We stopped at a couple of the parks along the trail for breaks, but by the end of the ride, Teya's legs were "mush". She was the only one who didn't have a 10-speed bike, and while everyone else could pedal at a casual pace, Teya's legs were non-stop turning. Jeremie enjoyed the trip as Teya was full of questions:

.

"Do kids have to move out of the house when they grow up?"

(A: Yes)

.

"Why?"

(A: So they can start their own families)

"Hey, Dad. . .When you grow up are you going to get a dog?"

(A: I am grown up)

.

"Dad. . . Why were we so happy when Grandpa pooped?"

(A: ____________[fill in the blank with your own smart answer])

.

At a park along the Jordan River Trail.

Yes, it's a mountain bike with a carrier seat.

Kyle's Baptism & Cara's BB Game

March was a fun month for the Snowders. On Saturday, March 6, we welcomed everyone in town for Kyle's baptism. It was a special day and we enjoyed all of the relatives who were there to celebrate the special occasion.

Jeremie has two more tries to find a baptism jumpsuit that fits.

Kyle also earned his Bobcat rank in Cub Scouts. Way to go Kyle!

March was also Cara's and Sarah's (coach) last basketball game. Our team only had four players, and when the game started, the opponent's coach put in only four players and kept about another four on the bench. However, after a couple of trips down the court, a fifth girl in was rushed in. The should have put all eight in. The following video is an example of how the game went. Cara's team is in blue, and Cara is the one bringing the ball down the side of the court and taking the first shot.

Cara has her parent's no-mercy genes. Though they didn't score on this trip down the floor, if it were a competitive game, the score was 38 - 4. However, as Cara's team ran up the score, they started to get only one point per basket rather than 2, so the scoreboard was a more respectable 28 - 4, or something like that.

I'll See You Tomorrow At Church

Last night, as I (Jeremie) tucked Teya into bed, I commented that I would see her tomorrow at church. She responded with a smile, "Dad! . . .We're family! (meaning that we don't have to wait until church to see each other)." I just meant that since I leave for church at 6:30 a.m. and that she would still be asleep, that I wouldn't see her until she came to church. Anyway, I love the 9:00 a.m. church so that I can come home at a decent time. However, I think that it is tough on Sarah as she gets herself and the kids up in the morning to try to come on time.

WhY Can'T I GeT ThiS OuT of my PANTS!!!!

I have to tell you of a little disturbance in sacrament meeting this morning. It started when Tadd discovered that the insides of his pant pockets are made of a different material than the outside of his pants. His attention focused on pulling the white lining out of his pockets, but he didn't understand that the lining is sewn into the pants. Maybe you can imagine his frustration growing as he pulled his pockets inside out but couldn't detach the "white material" from his pants. The family quietly (and reverently as this is happening during sacrement meeting) tried to explain to him that the material can't completely come out, with Kyle also turning his pockets inside out to show the white lining. However, Tadd was beyond reason. Sarah had to finally take him out into the foyer to calm him down and push his pockets back into his pants.

Kyle's Birthday

For Kyle's birthday we went to the moon. Unfortunately, we forgot our good camera but we did have our cell phone camera. We had to post our adventure once we got back to Terra.

January & February

We've continued to have fun in 2010 and enjoyed the snow. Jeremie and the kids went skiing a couple of times. We also won day passes to Deer Valley Resort (the #1 ranked ski resort in the U.S.) but have yet to use our passes. Although we are BYU fans, we attended a couple of Utah Women's Basketball games (one of the games they were playing BYU, which we rooted for). Teya turned 5, and received an upgrade to her makeshift dog shelter for her birthday.

Fun in the snow.

Fun at a Utah Basketball Game

(The kids better grow up to be Cougars)

.

.

A video of Teya's original dog house. . .

which lead to the inspiration for her birhday gift. . .

An "animal shelter" that her mom could live with.

All in all, we'd have to say that we are pretty happy as noted by the song below that Teya and Tadd put together.

If You're Happy and You Know It!

December & Christmas

Our family has had a blast in December. We continued our tradition of riding the TRAX train to downtown to see the Christmas lights. It was a freezing cold night, but everyone had a great time. We even brought hot chocolate in a thermos to enjoy midway through the night.

Riding TRAX

We love to see the temple.

Warming up inside the visitor center at Temple Square.

Visiting temple square is definitely a family favorite.

Christmas Eve . . .

Grandma & Grandpa Lewis & Gr. Grandma & Gr. Grandpa Johnson came up on Christmas Eve, and we enjoyed dinner together and participated in a Christmas program the kids prepared.

Excerpt of Christmas program.

Christmas . . .

All of the kids but Tadd were awake on Christmas morning at 6:15 a.m. They were patient and waited until 6:45 a.m. before their parents woke up. They just couldn't hold off opening their presents any longer. We started opening presents without Tadd, who we thought might end up having his own private little Christmas this year, but he eventually woke up while we were still opening gifts. His last present was an electronic dog that Teya gave him. You'll have to watch the video of Teya's excitement when the gift was open, and Tadd's expression when Teya was faster than him to grab the dog to show him rather then letting him take the dog out of the box. Although it didn't show, he really was excited, but probably just wasn't sure quite what was going on.

Christmas morning (6:45 a.m.)

Tadd wakes up with a bear hug.

Tadd (Teya) opening Tadd's gift

We spent the rest of Christmas day enjoying our gifts. Cara & Teya played with their Webkins; Kyle played with an R/C helicopter and a car that drives up walls. Jeremie took the kid's sledding. We also had fun with the web camera Grandma & Grandpa sent for video conferencing.

Kyle and his helicopter.

Kyle's car really does drive on walls.

We're having way to much fun with the web camera. Why would anyone want to use the regular setting when the "Fisheye" setting is so fun?

Enjoying the outdoors on Christmas day. . .

Holly abandoned her snowboard for us to sell. Cara and Kyle made sure it worked.

Day After Christmas. . .

On Saturday after Christmas, we had a fun day at Hogle Zoo. We basically had the entire zoo to ourselves. Though many animals were unviewable inside heated rooms, the animals that were out seemed to be more active than what we've seen at other times of the year.

We learned our hand isn't even close to the size of a gorilla's.

(Do you know why gorilla's have long fingers? . . . . Because they have big noses.)

Up close with the animals in an uncrowded zoo.

Geoffrey the giraffe snuck into one of our pictures. . . What a joker.

Enjoying our hot chocolate, a regular on our cold outings.

We finished the night going out to eat, giving mom a break from preparing dinner.

Teya and Tadd shared a Kid's meal.

Goings on

Recent events with the Snowders:

Tadd gave Jeremie a black eye.

.

.

Teya being Teya

.

.

Tadd is excited about dinner

.

.

We completed a 999-piece puzzle.

(It was supposed to be 1000 pieces. . . We blame Tadd)