Christmas time!
Jon and Dallin on a hike with the other Young Men.
Fruit!
Birthday dinner for Carrie and Sharon. We love Schlotzsky's Deli.
Yep.
Kindergarten concert.
Third grade concert.
Picture time!
Seeing Santa at the ward Christmas party.
"I want a Christmas dog."
Dallin and Justin at a friend's Christmas party.
Pajama day at gymnastics.
Jackson's birthday! And his baptism.
Every year we make these to give to neighbors (and eat!). My mom used to make these, and her mom before her!
Christmas Eve jammies!
Way to go, Santa.
On Christmas Day, we spent the evening at Davin & Duprena's house in Queen Creek. We had a blast playing games, eating, chatting, exchanging gifts, etc.
Jon ended up with this Window Art Kit from the gift exchange, but we all ended up loving it.
And then... everyone got sick. So we spent the last week of December doing lots of laying around.
My Grandpa Kennington died on Dec. 28th. He was 94. Goodbye to my last living grandparent.
Happy New Year! Time for a game of Ticket to Ride.
Quotable Sniders:
Sharon Schooler Snider is one of the first people who come to mind when I think about "Christlike." Everyone needs a Sharon in their life! I'm lucky to have a live-in mother-in-law who is a friend I can laugh with, another mother I can consult with, an experienced chef, an expert genealogist, a "Jon Co-Manager" and someone I genuinely look up to and admire. She loves her grandkids, and I can't imagine raising our kids without her. She lives to help others, and I'm lucky to have her in my life.
I just realized that I'm about to have a birthday (Thursday) and my dad won't be calling me to tell me that it's the anniversary of when he fainted (minutes after I was born)! He fainted because he was SO exhausted from working so much (farmer and driving truck) and staying up all night with my laboring mother. But no one noticed dad fainted until he came to and swore and then they treated him for a concussion.
But maybe he'll find a way to pop in and say Happy Birthday to me anyway. 😢🥰
So much of grief is the highest high and the lowest low, all at the same time. The happy happy memories and laughter along with the longing. I am so thankful for eternal families.
If you can this month, give blood, because many many people's blood helped my dad stay with us a bit longer so we could hug him more times and get ready to say goodbye.
I stalked FB marketplace for two months and finally found the perfect bench for under our new shade tree. ❤️❤️ I call it Mom’s Reading Spot.
I headed out to interview a teacher and parent for an article -- I thought I was supposed to go to Desert Edge but actually I was supposed to go to Desert Thunder. DOH! In my defense -- DESERT. Thankfully, they're only three miles apart.
This is my lovely mom, Patty Redd Kennington. She is one of the most intelligent people you will ever meet! Mom never says negative things about anything. She encourages us every single minute. If we had an interest in something, then she would too. I love her passion for life-long learning. When she visits, it's like I get a vacation because she lightens the load by her presence and her constant service. I love you mom!!!
Merry Christmas from the Sniders!
It’s been a crazy year full of ups and downs, but through it all we have each other and the gospel. We said an earthly goodbye to Grandpa Kennington, while at the same time becoming closer as a family. Dallin has excelled at running, Justin at art, Sydney at dance, and Brynn at gymnastics. Jon traveled for work a lot this year and Carrie is writing for lots of clients. This year we spent a lot of time finishing the backyard. What will next year bring? No matter what, we have faith that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us and all of you.
I literally freaked out my teenager and chased him around the kitchen with a rake (semi-playfully).
*He deserved it.
**Scene: driving somewhere
Me: Oh my gosh that license plate said “amwriting”!! That is THE hashtag for writers on Twitter!
Jon: it’s not very safe to do while driving....
In the Snider family tradition, there is only one way to ready a lost tooth for the Tooth Fairy... not by the typical means of placing it under a pillow. No, all Sniders must place a lost tooth in a cup of water by a window.
Why???
I've asked many times over the years since being married to Jon. He tells me, "So it's easier for the Tooth Fairy to reach."
Yeah, ok. Sure.
Well, turns out, after using this method with all four kids, I have to agree, it's definitely easier to reach a cup than a pillow.
The other plus to the cup method is that paper money cannot be traded out for the tooth due to the water--so the Tooth Fairy's payout is only in loose change. My kids think a quarter is pretty stellar.
BUT.....
There is one downside to the cup method, however, and it took about 10 years to experience this downside.
So last night, Justin (age 11) pulled out a loose tooth and told me about it. We couldn't find our "Tooth Fairy Cup" (aka an heirloom cup from my grandma) so I told him to just find another random cup. He did.
Later, as I was cleaning the kitchen, I got thirsty....
And now you know why I shall always check water cups for loose teeth from now on.
Brynn keeps asking for a “Christmas dog” for Christmas. Well, stores are lacking in “Christmas dogs” so I slapped a festive headband on this one and called it good.
Two things my kids said today:
“That’s not poop, that’s guacamole.”
“Sugar is sweet, just like you.”
The Cats movie added a "main character" named Victoria who was abandoned.
The movie is a beautiful story about acceptance and finding out who you are, and also accepting others.
Here is a new song (written by Andrew Lloy Webber and Taylor Swift) that Victoria sings.
"All that I wanted was to be wanted..."
It’s so pretty.
Neighbors brought by fresh, warm tamales... Christmas cookies are great but these are 😍 🤤
There is some horrible crud going around.
Save yourselves!!!
It starts with a cough, which turns into hacking, then a fever, then a full body fire 🔥
All but three of the Sniders have suffered this foul monstrosity.
Am I the only person who doesn’t like the plot to Little Women? It just bugs me that Laurie and Jo don’t end up together, and that Laurie marries Jo’s sister.
Justin (age 11): “Mom you never style your hair unless it’s a special occasion.”
Me: “Yeah? So?”
The kids are still sick, but they are on the mend. Jon gave them blessings.
They keep finding new places to sleep. Brynn built herself a mini couch on the floor.
It’s been fun to learn that Justin talks in his sleep pretty much about the same stuff as when he’s awake... not creepy at all.
Gpa Kennington died Dec. 28, 2019. He was 94.
He was a hardworking dairy farmer who could grow anything, especially tomatoes. So many tomatoes! Best tomatoes you ever tasted.
He always wore overalls, a straw hat, and rubber boots. And maybe now in heaven he still is.
Growing up, as I’d round the corner of the barn, there grandpa would be... eating a raw onion, or holding a dead gopher, or starting up his mini-tractor (that he jerry-rigged), or carrying eggs into the farmhouse. He told us that iodine could cure anything.
Gpa sang while he milked the cows and had names for some of them. All summer he’d work on his cow manure processing inventions. Always gpa had big ideas.
Dad and gpa didn’t always see eye to eye on farm matters, but they respected the other’s work ethic and passion.
Gpa couldn’t hear well so we had to repeat ourselves a lot. His hearing aid would ring during church. He gave really long prayers.
When he’d hug me, his whiskers would scratch my face, but it was ok. He napped in his recliner sometimes, and went to church every Sunday, but otherwise he was out working. Always working!
At 17 he joined the military and went to sniper school. He was an excellent shot, having grown up shooting rabbits in Star Valley, Wyoming. He served in the South Pacific. After the war, he stopped in San Francisco on the way home and met Gma and proposed after only a few days! They married in the Idaho Falls Temple. After college, by divine intervention they purchased land in Ontario, Oregon, and spent the rest of their lives there. He built the most unique house you’ll ever see—out of stacked two-by-sixes for the walls.
He had seven kids and 31 grandkids. He loved us all. Gpa was a bit kooky, and he passed that onto us. There was always lots of hootin and hollering in at Kennington get-togethers. I was under the impression that all families were that loud and sarcastic. But now I know we were our own brand of fun. 😁
Gpa always ate his oatmeal with fresh thick cream. After Gma died he ate a lot of ice cream. We are all grateful to Aunt Wendy who has been taking care of him for so many years.
See you again someday, Gpa K, in the great big farm in the sky.
Two millennials complimented me on my shirt.
“I remember when this movie came out.” (And you don’t.)
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