CHRISTMAS ALL OVER AGAIN

So I promised a long time ago that I would post these pictures of Julian and Caleb rocking out. Caleb is a rising star and Julian really knows how to hold down a beat. I also got a few other pictures from Christmas for your amusement.

Cross Country travelling

During our time here in the UK it hasn't been very often that we've travelled from one side of the country to the other in the same day. and we have certainly never travelled from one side of the country in the same day and then back again.

well yesterday that finally happened as I had a major cross country adventure with trains, planes and automobiles from aberdeen to london and then back again all in less than 24 hrs! It was also the result of us bargain hunting to get a good deal on a car and I ended up leaving Aberdeen by plane early Sat morning, landing in Gatwick by 9am and then driving all the way back up to Aberdeen by just past midnight.

It may not have been as exciting as one of jack bauer's timespans of only 24 hrs but there were certainly tense moments - Char and I thinking that the seller was actually in a London drug cartel and was really only after all the cash i brought for the car, me realising after driving for only a short time that the car may not even make it past North London for all i knew, and prego Char dealing with with 3 2yr olds all on her own while i was gone to name a few.


In the end though everything worked out precisely like it would have for Jack Bauer
and i think we did ultimately end up with a real bargain. I didn't have too much time to stop much along the way but it was still an interesting experience covering that much British soil in such a short time.

It amazes me to think how many different cities, languages, accents, battlegrounds, history etc you can cover in just the distance from London to Glasgow and also comparing that with the drive from Edmonton to Cardston which works out to be about the same amount of time!

The Power of Hello

Hey Gang,

Mom heard this on npr's "This I Believe" series. I thought it was great. Just like the scriptures often tell us - small things lead to that which is great. We don't know how much good we can do by simply saying hello. You can hear the entire essay by going to this link:
http://www.thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.php?uid=48202

Love to all,
Gramps

When I was about 10 years old, I was walking down the street with my mother. She stopped to speak to Mr. Lee. I was busy trying to bulls-eye the "O" in the stop sign with a rock. I knew I could see Mr. Lee any old time around the neighborhood, so I didn't pay any attention to him.
After we passed Mr. Lee, my mother stopped me and said something that has stuck with me from that day until now. She said, "You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody and not open up your mouth to speak, because even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you on the street." That phrase sounds simple but it’s been a guidepost for me and the foundation of who I am.... I believe that every person deserves to feel someone acknowledge their presence, no matter how humble they may be or even how important.
I still follow my mother's advice. I speak to everyone I see, no matter where I am. I've learned that speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it lets them come into mine, too.
The day you speak to someone who has their head held down and when they lift it up and smile, you realize how powerful it is just to open your mouth and say, "Hello."

Happy Easter Weekend

We had such a great Easter this year! I taught our co-op school on Thursday and we had an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. It was the boys' first one and they were so excited! Then on Saturday we went to an Easter egg hunt at our neighborhood rec. center where we all met up with the Easter Bunny. Julian was terrified of him, but Caleb gave him a high five (that's exactly what happened when they met Santa too!) Then on Sunday we got together for our Annual Easter Dinner with friends from the BYU film program. We love all these people, but we're scattered all over Los Angeles and although we used to see them a lot when we first moved here, we've all got a million kids and it's hard to get together so this is really the only time we get to see them. It's a fun tradition and I will post more fun photos- each of the six families had a baby and so we took a photo of all of them together (all 7) it was too cute.
Happy Easter everyone!

We are FAMILY

Thanks for the fun weekend! Other highlights included skype with the nephews/ grandsons in LA and Aberdeen, and of course the famous Birthday rendition from Caleb!

BIRTHDAY BOY!!

Friday, April 13, 1984 was a very lucky day for Dad and me. It was the day John Peter Schneider arrived to bring laughter, spills, thrills, philosophical insights, spiritual highs, midcourse corrections, nail biting news, high adventure, charm, athletic and academically amazing prowess and mostly lots of love into our lives and the lives of so many many others.
Thank you Nonny, Fudgie, Joan Pedro, Beej for being such an wonderful son, a great brother and an amazing inspiration to all of us Schneiders as you've made such excellent choices in your life.
We've loved having you here on Mercer Island this weekend, along with Linds and Wooz, to celebrate your 25 years of LIFE!! We've loved having you in our lives, period. Along with everyone else we know, we Love You and know that you are off to continuing high adventure and excellence as you continue on the paths you've chosen.

We join the rest of the family who've called and emailed to say Happy Birthday (loved the Happy Birthday Song Caleb!) and say now to you -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! You are TRULY the best!

We Love You!
Mom and Dad