Annabelle's Wizard of Oz Costume

Annabelle looked so cute in her Wizard of Oz costume for Fire and Ice on 8-22-08!

Molly (the doll) also dressed the part...

Annabelle - Wizard of Oz Artistic - Fire and Ice 8-22-08

Annabelle is going to do an artistic figure skating routine at the Colorado Springs Invitational. Here, she performs her program at Broadmoor Skating Club's Fire and Ice Exhibition on 8-22-08.

Rebekah and Joel - Fire and Ice 8-22-08 - Ten Fox

Rebekah and Joel did the Ten-Fox at the Broadmoor Skating Club's Fire and Ice Exhibition on 8-22-08. The first pattern was especially great!

Joel's Birthday Videos

Here are some video memories from Joel's birthday and also of our day at Mr. Biggs...

Joel's Birthday 8-17-08

We celebrated Joel's birthday at Red Robin. Here are some happy photos from our wonderful time together as a family. We cherish these moments.

On the way home we reflected on the funny and memorable things Joel has done in his lifetime:

• Joel's once decided to weigh the twist ties (he was fascinated when he saw his mom weighing fruits and vegetables) in the grocery store. All the twist ties in the store ended up on the floor instead! The Albertsons' store clerk was not too happy since cleaning up hundreds of twist ties off the floor is quite a job!
  
• Then there was the time, at the mall, that Joel decided to kick off his shoe. The shoe promptly landed in a man's sandwich instead of on the floor!


• Another time, Joel jumped out of the car as Dan was pulling into the garage. Joel was so excited since we had just bought him a Star Wars Darth Vader voice changer and wanted to play with his new toy. The heel of Joel's foot ended up being run over by the car! Fortuntelly, Joel's foot did heel up and all was okay.


• When Joel was very young, he decided to run away in the middle of the night since his daddy wouldn't let him watch TV. Joel grabbed a kid's shovel (so the bad guys wouldn't get him) and at 2:00 AM, knocked on the door of his babysitter's house asking to watch her TV. The baby sitter lived one block from our house. Fortunatelly Joel was returned home safely to his dad. Jo Ann was pregnant at the time and was not told until a few years later about what happened.


• We wondered if the swimming lessons Joel had in Manitou Springs were doing him any good or not. Then, one day, he fell into the condo pool fully clothed, and we both froze as we saw our little boy fall into the pool. Joel swam across the pool (in the deep end) and pulled himself out. We knew he had learned to swim.
  
• Recently, Rebekah dropped Joel's backpack (that weighs a ton) on Joel's pinky finger. Joel ended up in a cast for about about a month.
  
• We also have to mention the time that Joel was fascinated with the fountain where people throw coins into at the mall. He was so fascinated in fact, that he fell in! Not only was Joel soaked, but the mall security guard was not too pleased.

Wow, what a remarkable kid Joel is! Happy Birthday, Joel!

Indy Juvenile Pairs Competition - Rebekah and Joel 8-8-08

This is the video Dan filmed at Indy. It shows the kids from another angle.

Rebekah and Joel Juvenile Pairs Indy Challenge 2008

They did so well for their first big pair competition of the season!

Grandma and Grandpa Surprise Us at INDY Challenge 2008

Grandma and Grandpa showed up at the last minute to see Rebekah and Joel compete at INDY Challenge. This photo was taken after we all went out to dinner to celebrate.

Rebekah and Joel show off their pair skating medals from INDY Challenge 2008!

Rebekah and Joel show off the medals they won at the INDY Challenge! This time, they did pairs! They skated great!

Rebekah and Joel show off the medals they won at the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships 2008!

Rebekah and Joel show off the medals they won at the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships 2008!

Rebekah and Joel Schneider-Farris Win Silver at the 2008 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships!

We've just returned from an exciting week in Lake Placid, New York. Rebekah and Joel won a silver medal in the Juvenile compulsory ice dance event. They skated well in their free dance, but they fell near the end of the program on their rotational lift, so they did not place. I want to "show-off" their perfect performance from the practice session from the day before, so that video is first in this set. Enjoy!

Also, read Jo Ann's blog that IceNetwork asked her to write about the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships:

• Behind the scenes at Lake Placid by JO ANN Schneider Farris on IceNetwork.com
  
  

Fire and Ice 7-25-08

Rebekah and Joel did a great pair program and Willow Waltz. Annabelle landed a great Axel!

Annabelle's 9th Birthday

We celebrated Annabelle's 9th birthday at Chuck E Cheese. It was so neat to have Jo Ann's parents come. Annabelle loved having her grandparents at her party.

Before going to Chuck E Cheese, we saw the new American Girl movie about Kit Kittredge.

What a fun day!

We Got to Meet Janet Lynn!

Today, Jo Ann, Rebekah, and Joel got to meet one of the most famous people in figure skating. Janet Lynn gave a seminar in Colorado Springs and the kids were invited to participate.

Janet Lynn was the person that inspired Jo Ann when she was a young girl to love figure skating. I hope that today she inspired Joel and Rebekah to add joy to their skating.

Jo Ann's Parents Visit

The last time I saw my parents was a year ago. We were so happy to see them when they came to a medical school conference that took place this week in Colorado Springs! Joel and Dan smile to show how happy they were to go out to dinner with them!

Pairs Warm Up - Fire and Ice 7-18-08

Rebekah and Joel also did their Juvenile Pairs program for Fire and Ice. Their warm-up was really good, so I'm sharing it!

Rebekah's and Joel's Great Free Dance Performance in Fire and Ice!

Rebekah and Joel did a great free dance at Broadmoor Skating Club's Fire and Ice Exhibition on 7-18-08!

Joel's Intermediate Moves In the Field Test - Passed!

Joel passed his Intermediate Moves in the Field Test on 7-13-08!

Annabelle's Pre-Juvenile Freestyle Test

Annabelle is a great job! In addition to passing her pair test, she passed her Pre-Juvenile Freestyle test!

Annabelle's Pair Test With Rockne Brubaker 7-13-08

Annabelle took her Preliminary Pair Test With Rockne Brubaker today. She passed! It was so exciting!

Rockne is the 2008 U.S. National Pair Skating Champion and he's been teaching Annabelle pairs all year long! Listen for the cheers from Dalilah Sappenfield and her pair skaters who were watching in the background!