Rico in Blue

Rico did it!  He's now an official BYU graduate, making three in our family. And we got to be there to celebrate last weekend.  Elder Oaks' talk at commencement presented an interesting concept. He spoke of the 'mark' graduates have from attending BYU.  He said that the significance of the mark is two-fold; first, like a banner, it will be visible and it will have an effect on others.  'But the most important effect of the mark upon you today is not the signal it sends to others, but the influence it should have upon you'. It was inspiring to see Rico in the blue cap and gown. You're off to great things Rico :)

Congratulations! 

thirty-six!!!!

CONGRATS, Mom and Dad!!!

Personal Progress

We recently had a cool Stake Conference where we were treated with a talk by Elder Oaks! It was great to have him visit. (Incidentally, he gave a talk a few days later at... Rico's graduation!) ... our stake meeting house was pretty packed! Elder Oaks made some excellent points in his talk, notaby, uniting with people of other religions to protect our 'free exercise of religion,' and about God's incredible love for us. Sis Oaks spoke wonderfully as well, about repentance, the atonement... and both spoke about the incredible blessing of eternal life. Something the YW president in our stake talked about that really inspired me in the meeting was the courage of the youth. Ever since being at Puentes ward one day when they spent a whole hour talking about each youth in the ward, their interests and personalities, I've taken a special interest to this group, in our stake as well. It's a tough atmosphere to be going through adolescence right now.

Vroom Vroom

It's kind of funny how people can get attached to their cars. At its very basic, a car is merely metal, rubber and plastic carefully arranged to provide a means of transportation. However, this doesn't prevent people from getting emotionally attached to their cars. They care for them, give them names, and a few people even declare their love for their machines. Sometimes you get one of these:

And other times you get a vehicle that keeps going and going and going, beyond all reasonable expectations. I've heard stories about some cars making it to 500,000 miles (or about 725,000 kilometers for our Canadian readers) before giving out. Lindsay's car is one of the latter. It's not going to get to 500,000 miles, but it's lasted well beyond its expectations. However, it's getting to be time to replace it, so we've started looking.

However, the car buying process isn't always the easiest one. There's deciding new vs used, what kind of car, what options do you want. Then there's dealing with pushy salespeople who may or may not be trying to rip you off. Hopefully we can negotiate that minefield and find a car that Lindsay loves.

Happy Birthday to Ian

Hope you have a great day Ian.  A bunch of us got together to wish you the best!

Ian often does kind things for his family even when it's not convenient or easy for him.  Whether it's giving me all afternoon for a nap even when he is super tired or reading Orince Caspianto to the kids at night when he is ready to crash after a long day.  He's my knight in shining armor.  

Love you so much honey, 

Meliss

Ian is brilliant and creative.  He works in an industry that makes it difficult to be a Latter Day Saint, but still manages 

to excel and stay in tune with the Spirit.  I admire how he spends quality time with his family, and maintains a great balance in other areas of his life.  Happy Birthday and Best Wishes for the coming year!!

Gramps

Ian, I love watching you with your family.  its just so obvious that they're the number one priority for you, even though you've also managed to excel in your career.

I admire how your'e willing to try anything from deep frying a turkey to running a marathon. And you can tell such a good story.  I still laugh about the time you were asked by a random friend to be what was it? - number 8 groomsman?  So funny:)

Happy Birthday!

Nana

Happy Birthday Ian! Hope everything is going well with your new job and your guys new house. You would have to be nominated for the LA super dad of the year award I'm sure if they gave out such awards.

All the best. 

Jordan 

Ian, I just finished reading some old posts from Melissa's Amazing Childhood blog.  Two of the posts I read were the one about her making that Martha Stuart birthday cake and the one about your trip to New York that almost didn't happen.  If I was in charge of an award ceremony you would be up for best supporting husband.  I find you remarkably tender hearted, funny and multi-talented.

Have a great birthday!

Char  

I love how you are willing to try new things and make them work.  Whether it's renovating a house or taking the kids to see Noah's Ark at the Skirball Jewish Cultural Center, you make room in your life to be adventurous and be successful in your endeavors.  It's very inspiring!  Thanks also for your encouragement as I have been teaching job finding these last few months.  You are a great example of hard work and innovation and it's really great to have you in our family.  Love you!  Happy Birthday!!

Linds

Ian is extermely dedicated in taking care of business.  Whether it's jetting off to the far reaches of the world in search of the perfect movie for work or jetting from the living room to the kitchen to help take care of the family, Ian can be counted on to help out.

Spencer

I appreciate how Ian appears to know how to deal with just about any situation. I am thankful for the extra effort he took to set up my internship with Sony 2 summers ago despite the obstacles. I also love how he does not skirt away from voicing thoughtful insights on what's on his mind. All of these things make him very fun to be around. Happy birthday Ian!

Beej

What I like about Ian is that he provides good insights on lots of subjects. He is smart without being intense or acting like a know-it-all. I also like that he worked really hard to get to the career that he has today. He has a good balance of being optimistic and pragmatic, which is really admirable.

Rico

 Ian is fun to hang out with because he is always so knowledgeable about pop culture. I think it's great that he's such a hard worker and so devoted to his family as well. Happy birthday Ian, hope it's a great one!

Rach

Making FHE A Little More Impactful

We've undertaken a little project to make FHE a little more engaging and impactful for the boys.  Our first "stunt" was to teach about Noah and about the role of prophets and then visit the Noah's Ark Exhibit at the Skirball Museum.  If you haven't been or seen photos, you can check it out here.  The kids had a great time and the only hiccup was Christian's fear that our house wouldn't be safe through the flood.  We assured him it would be there when we returned.

We were impressed that they remembered the lesson so much more vividly as a result, so we've decided to try it out a little more regularly.  We're going to cover the six days of creation for the next few weeks.  I'd appreciate any thoughts on good activities for each week and also any teaching thoughts.  This is what we've thought of so far:

Week 1:  Light and dividing of day and night -- Picnic and watch the sunset at the Santa Monica Pier
Week 2:  Creating the firmament and Heaven -- Still at a loss on this one
Week 3:  Dividing the land and the sea -- Tide pools
Week 4:  Plant life -- Huntington Gardens
Week 5: Lights in the Firmament -- Griffith Observatory (maybe combine with Week 2)
Week 6:  Sea Life -- Long Beach Aquarium or Marine Animal Rescue
Week 7:  Animal Life -- LA Zoo or Natural History Museum

Anyway, this may be too activity heavy, but we'll see if we can have some fun with it.  Look forward to your thoughts.

Another successful year for Juice

OJ turns 59 today and from what I can gather it's been a pretty good run thus far.  Happy Birthday Dad!  We all love you lots.

Coleen (aka your wife) said: Happy Happy Birthday to OJ
When I first met you I thought you were perhaps the smartest, kindest, wittiest person I'd ever met.  I've met a lot more people in the last 36 years so now I know for sure that's what you are...

So Smart - I don't think I've asked you any question about any topic that you haven't been able to answer.
So Kind - You always know what to do to make someone feel better. 
So Witty - You make me laugh every day.  That's why I'm still sane. (That may be debatable to some.) And you make everyone around you laugh too. 

Have the best 59th Ever.
xo Forever, Coleen

Melissa said:

I love how dad really is a good listenert. He always has nice things to say and is such a sweetie. I remember when he tried to really get into waterskiing because he knew that everyone else liked it and wanted us all to have fun. We love you dad!

Ian said:

I don't think I've ever seen OJ complain.  His happy and understated approach to serving his family has always been impressive to me, but has taken on a lot more importance now that I have kids.  I'm grateful for his example.

Jordan said:

It's always been a pleasure to visit with you dad over the past couple years since we've moved back to Edmonton we always love hearing your intelligent insights and thoughts about life. Thank you for your willingness to entertain the boys (they always love playing grampa monster with you)  and help out with them over the last couple of years and hope we have many more good memories with them to come.

Charla said:

You are so interesting.  Your memory and intellect are pretty amazing and I see how much your children admire that about you as well.  I am so grateful that my children can be close enough to you to be able to spend time with you and to get to know you - I hope your influence rubs off on them.   I am also so grateful for how willing you are to help us - from babysitting to advising as a doctor.   Other things I love are your gentle manner, your beautiful humility and your kindness.  O.J. I hope you have a wonderful birthday! 

Lindsay said:

What I love about you, Dad, is that you are always so funny, fun to be with, and low key.  You never take things too seriously.  On another note, you are a great support and strength. It's wonderful to share scriptural insights with you and I will never forget how I stumbled upon you reading conference talks one time when I was in my emotional teen  years.  It had a powerful affect on me.  You are a good example and you have always been there to support and comfort me when I have needed it.   Thanks for that! I love you!  Have a blast this birthday!!

Spencer said:

I like how OJ is always so calm and relaxed, even under pressure.  Must be the medical training, but however it happened it’s really great!  Also I like how kind and caring he is to his family.

Beej said:

I love how Dad is always where he needs to be.  Even if he can only make it to Church for twenty minutes because of his work schedule he’s there for twenty minutes.  His immense intellect combined with his compassionate heart endears him to everyone who has the opportunity of spending significant amounts of time with him.  I had the opportunity when working at the hospital to notice just how admired he was by everyone who worked with him.  Happy Birthday Dad!

Rico said:

What I really like about Dad is that he is always calm and willing to help others. He also goes about helping others in a way without being flashy. He also has a way of helping you with something in a way that doesn't make you feel like a moron for not noticing something that was obvious. I also like asking Dad lots of questions because he seems to know the answer to a lot of questions. He also enjoys learning the answer to something in the rare instances when he does not know the answer. Which is a thing I really admire about him.

Woozie said:

Dad seems to know EVERYTHING!  It's amazing!  But even though he is extremely smart, he is very humble about it.  Dad is also very supportive and willing to help you out with anything you need to do, he's the best.  Love you lots Dad, happy birthday!!!

La Bella Roma

Walking out of the metro station to the sight of this! The colosseum right at our face! it was sooooooo cool!


Colosseo!




inside the HUUUGE stadium... handbuilt. wow. Amazing to see the similarities from stadiums now.

Hence Spence in his jersey



Loving it. Even looking at these pics again makes me smile all day.


Booo.... the gladiators would not have gotten Spence's vote when the people voted on whether the fighters were brave and should be allowed to live.



The forum!! So cool to walk where Caesar walked



Trevi Fountain... so fun and romantic too... there were lots of people admiring this really rad fountain that just sort of surprises you out of nowhere, tucked in a fairly residential area. We tossed in our coins to increase our chances of coming back to Rome!! Superstitions, superstitions



Went for a walk along the streets from the Piaza del popolo



cool side street, adorable little delis and shops





Spanish steps. More about the people dotting the steps than the steps. it was a real party atmosphere. a guy tried to give me flowers and said they were a gift then tried to get money from Spence when i wasnt looking... hahaha


Beautiful sight at the top of the spanish steps! caught the timing just right.

Soo...loved the food
loved the history and i mean old time stuff...
loved all the delights of this place!
Italy is RAD. Want to go back!

Christian & Jack: Cat Hunters

My parent's have a cat that is the most gentle cat I've ever come across. I'm not sure how Cleo turned out the way she did, but any other cat would have clawed my boys by now. Thankfully, she's very accommodating as the boys (Jack especially) love to chase her. Jack is now demanding a cat, not sure how to explain to them that no other cat would put up with that rough housing.

To David, love Char

Heard you've got some interviews coming up. Thought I'd share a little song to help you get in the interviewing mood.

Ruby

I did it.  Nature helped.  Maybe God intervened.  April 2 I had some unexpected bleeding which led to an early - a wonderfully, mercifully, soul savingly early c-section. 

FINALLY after 8 1/2 long, horrible, never to be repeated months of pregnancy I have reached nirvana.
I feel as though I have woken up from a nightmare.

Woken up to a world that seems so generous, beautiful and full of joy.  I am so happy with my little girl - Ruby Kate Schneider.  We all love her.  I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to have children and I wish I could freeze my life right now and have my little ones stay this little and wonderful forever.

Life is once again in session.

Florence

So Lindsay told the Venice portion of our Italy trip, so I get to tell the Florence portion.



We took the train from Venice on Monday morning and got to Florence in the early afternoon. Here's some of the sights we found on the way from the train station to our cute little B&B:


The Duomo


Ponte Vecchio


Mmm, pizza!

The next day we went to the Accademia where Michelangelo's David is kept. They don't allow pictures, but the sculpture is AMAZING! There are a couple of copies around town, so we got pictures of those:



This bronze one is at Piazza Michelangelo, which overlooks the city.



This one is by the Palazzo Vecchio.

We then went to the Uffizi Gallery (once again, no picture). We then hiked to the top of a hill to see a church and got these amazing photos of the city:





Such a beautiful city, plus the history present in the city! I'd love to make it back there sometime!

Happy Birthday Beej!

Spencer: I've always liked your ability to stay calm, cool and even witty under times of stress (and even when there isn't stress, you're still calm, cool and witty!)

Lindsay: What I love about you, Beej, is you're so charismatic! For example, I remember being in Pirates of Penzance with you in High School and you were the only Freshman who got into the cast. Even though you were the youngest of the bunch, everyone loved you! Including all the Juniors and Seniors! It was really fun to have this experience acting with you.

I also love your spunky, unique humor and relaxed way about you. You get things done but you don't let yourself get pressured by others. You are deliberate and systematic so that you achieve results but they are on your time and in your excellent way, with interludes of silliness and humor.

Happy Birthday to my greatest younger bro (as opposed to my greatest youngest bro)!!

I love you Fudgie, Tah, or Beej!!!!

Rachel: I've always admired Beej's sense of adventure, he is up for doing anything that will get his adrenaline pumping and I think that's awesome and admirable. He's also very easy-going which is a great quality. It's always fun to spend time with him. Happy birthday Beej, I look forward to hanging out with you this summer!

Coleen: John Happy Happy Birthday!

You've been such a great roommate this year. You've been thoughtful and considerate and besides that you're a good cook. I've been able to see how you're such a loyal friend and how you go out of your way to make others feel included.
You're an incredible organizer - whether it's organizing an Easter egg hunt for the nephews or planning one or your legendary 'galas'. You take ordinary moments, shake them up and make them exciting.
Love you lots, xo Mom

David: What I admire about John is that he is able to relate with lots of people from all walks of life. He isn't exclusive to any particular group. I also like having him as a brother because we share lots of interests and are able to relate on many of the issues we are both going through (like getting married maybe).

Ian: I've always appreciated Beej's zest for life. He also has a great sense of humor. He brings joy and laughter to any setting.

Oliver: John has been a lot of fun as a "boomerang" child. Nano and I have enjoyed our time together with John this past year. He is a great uncle, and whenever we see Oliver and Ben they ask where John is. I greatly admire his passion for the outdoors, and hope to be able to follow his lead as I have more time. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN!! This is your year to shine.

Charla: -When I was hosting book club (before the pregnancy) I always loved what you brought to the discussion, whether talking about a poem or a short story you always have really interesting insights. John you are one of my favorite book club people!
-I love your easy going manner - I remember reading an e-mail from you when you were on your mission and had roughed up your face a bit in that bike accident. You seemed to have such a great calm and cool head considering your circumstance.
-I love how great you are with my boys, they love you so much! And I always appreciate how you so often seem to notice when I need some help and swoop in without even asking.
-Of course, I love your sense of humour as well.
You're a good one John. Happy Birthday!

Jordan: Happy birthday Beej! Now that we know you're staying in Edmonton next year we'll have to lock you in for babysitting for longer. It never ceases to amaze me how much Oliver and Ben get excited when you come
over, thanks for your help with them.

Jack's Haircut

We've been resisting cutting Jack's hair for a long time now. He just has such perfect golden locks that we've let it grow long. Here he is a couple of weeks ago.



The problem is that its starting to get a little ratty and people are starting to think that we have 3 sons and a daughter. Jack is easily our most accommodating child, laid back, easy going and a real treat considering how opinionated the rest of us are. I'd like to think he's the most like me, but the truth is he's probably the least. So, he hasn't made a big deal about cutting his hair.

While we were up in Sacramento for Easter with, and since my sister Faith is a hair stylist I asked him if he wanted a haircut. He was totally excited and asked for a short cut. As you can see from the pic below, this was as short as I could allow. As you can also see from the pic, he was absolutely overjoyed to have that hair off of him. What a sweet guy. Shame to lose the locks, but what a great face and smile. Totally easier to see now that the hair is out of the way!

Italy!

Our Italy trip was amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed Rome, Venice, and then Florence- ate tons of gelato and yummy food, and had such a blast together. I love Italy!!!!!! There are pics up on FB too thanks to Spence!

There is lots to tell but I guess I really should just start somewhere... let me start with Venice, and then I'll try to post again about more later. We were there on Sunday April 1, and saw St Marks square, the Correr Museum, and....

Sunset... Beautiful Grand Canal

We also heard some great music at the Florian Cafe... BUT One of the highlights of our trip was our Gondola ride! Our Gondolier was named Giovanni! Here are some pics


The Bridge of Sighs... people would get one last look at Venice as they were led into the prison on the other side of the bridge. They were said to *sigh.*

There were tons of beautiful sights as we glided along... it was really cool to be right at street level and get a different perspective as we passed little 'alleys' and streets. I loved this beautiful plant hanging over the wall.

When the moon hits the sky... no, actually we did get serenaded, but it was the tune, ' O' Sole Mio' I got a little on video- the last bit of his song. It was absolutely lovely as we coasted along. I was amazed at how quietly and beautifully he sang on this peaceful, quiet eve as we floated through the 'streets' of Venice. I'm glad Spence and I could do this! Luv you!