Happy Holidays!

Yes. We are still alive and kicking! We have just had a few technical difficulties at our house. Nevertheless, here is the latest from the Lloyds....

After Nathanael had his wisdom teeth removed, he developed a secondary infection the night before Thanksgiving. His cheeks swelled up again and were very painful. Fortunately, we were able to clear it up with a stronger anti-biotic and he was able to really enjoy Christmas. Nat played futsal (brazalian indoor soccer) over the last few months. Travis coached this team and they won the championship the night before Christmas Eve. Both he and Travis considered it a wonderful early Christmas present. Nathanael also got into the holiday spirit by singing with Men's Chorus in a holiday concert at the school. I am not sure which he likes better-soccer or music! This year, I believe that Nat was grateful for pain medication and being able to eat normally again.

Lindsay participated in her school concert singing with SSA-the women's chorus. It was very enjoyable! She also participated in a holiday dance concert at school. Lindsay participates in futsal academy as well as plays indoor soccer with her team. She continues to improve and is learning a lot. I think Lindsay is grateful to be old enough to go to the stake dances!

Ethan also played futsal with his team as well as participated in futsal academy. It has really helped him learn some good ball skills that he can use in soccer. He sang in the little Christmas concert at Deerfield Elementary and did a great job! His face was very animated! He also found out that he gets to be the character, Michael, in the school play, "Peter Pan". He is really excited. I think that Ethan was just grateful for a break!

Clarissa sang in the little Christmas concert at Deerfield. She is very dramatic and really got into her songs! It was so fun to watch her! She has told me more than once in the last few weeks that she is sooo grateful for her family. I am so grateful that she feels that way!

Zachary was really fun to watch this year with all the Christmas festivities! He absolutely LOVES the movie, "Cars"! It was so satisfying to watch him figure out that when you get to open a present, it ususally has something in it that you like-almost all of which had something to do with "Cars"! I think Zac is grateful for "Cars".

There have been so many wonderful things that have happened in the last couple of months, it is difficult to pick just one "moment of joy". However, one of the highlights was on the way home from choosing a Christmas tree. Picking out a live tree is one of my favorite memories growing up and it is so exciting to me to go pick out a tree. On the way home, we had a tape playing. It was, "John Denver and the Muppets, A Christmas Together". We were all singing, "fa,la,la,la,la" along with the tape as loud as we could! It is a memory I think that I will treasure for a long time!

We are so grateful for this time of year to reflect on our many blessings at Thanksgiving and to enjoy family time together and fun memories at Christmas and New Year's. To me, it truly is the "most wonderful time of the year"!

Cathy