2014 Wrap Up

I say this every time-and I mean it every time-where did the time go???  Wow!  The last few months have gone by so quickly!  Time to "wrap up" 2014 and start a new year.  As always, I need to do better about writing our noteworthy events.  I know.  I know.  I say that every year.

Well, here are the "noteworthy" events at the Lloyd home for the last few months....

Nathanael is serving his mission in Rancagua, Chile.  He was at the Mexico City CCM for six weeks to study and learn Spanish.  He arrived in Chile on September 9, 2014.  He did tell us that it was quite a culture shock and he had a difficult time understanding the people.  However, he is doing well and learning to adjust.  Every picture that Nathanael sends shows him with a huge grin on his face.  He looks very happy.  We were able to Skype with him on Christmas Day.  I knew that I would be emotional and had warned him in an e-mail to be ready for that.  However, I was not prepared for him to be emotional.  Nathanael is always so pragmatic and logical and conservative.  It was a big surprise to see tears running down his face as we spoke.  It was nice to see that his tender side has grown so much more as a missionary.  It was also bittersweet as this is the first Christmas that our family has changed forever.  We will have our traditions- but our family will grow and it will never be the same.  Although this is really what I want, for my children, to grow and live good lives, I am adjusting to the role of a mother of young adults while trying to be a mother of a young child.  Nathanael "wrapped up" his year serving the people of Chile.

Lindsay Kaye has grown so much as well.  She turned 17 in September.  She is turning into such an amazing and beautiful young woman.  Lindsay was invited to Homecoming at Lone Peak High School with a young man who is a good friend.  She was then invited to Homecoming at American Fork High School with another young man that she likes.  She had a good time at both dances.  In October, she participated in the Utah State Feis and competed very well.  She placed in almost every dance that she performed.  For Halloween, she decided to be a Goddess and we found a modest costume that she added her own silver sandels and jewelry and it worked out really well.  In November, we went to Phoenix, Arizona so that she could compete in the Western Regional Oireachtas in a group dance.  We drove down on Friday, she competed on Saturday, and then we drove back on Sunday.  It was kind of a crazy weekend but we were also able to visit Travis' father on Saturday night at the hospital in Prescott, Arizona.  Lindsay performed very well but their group did not place unfortunately.  It was a good experience regardless.  It was nice to get away as a family and just enjoy being with each other.  In December, Lindsay participated in the Madrigal Feaste with the A cappella choir.  She was a "wench" and served our table.  In order to have salt for your dinner, your wench or page needs to kiss the keepers of the salt on the cheek.  I made Lindsay go get me some salt and so she had to kiss a young man on the cheek.  Travis was not amused.  Lindsay "wrapped up" the year by hanging out with her family on New Year's Eve even though she had other offers.  It was fun to have her here with us because I know that she is growing up so fast and I am sure won't always be able to be with us on these holidays.

Ethan "wrapped up" this last year being very busy!  In September and October, he played with his soccer team, Manchester United, that Travis coaches.  The team did well by coming in second in their division and moving up to another division.  Ethan is playing a new position this last season and he seems to really be excelling in it.  He enjoys soccer because he has been able to continue to play with his close friends.  They have a really good time together and Travis is such a great coach.  I always have so many parents thank me for supporting Travis in this because he is so good.  The reason that he is so good is because he does it for the boys.  He cares not just about them on the field, but off the field as well.  He recognizes that the boys have families with many other children and knows what the priorities should be.  Well, soccer is a great connection for Ethan and Travis and it has been fun to see Ethan really grow in his development.  Also in October, Ethan was William Wallace for Halloween.  He borrowed the Lindsay kilt and we got a wig and painted half his face blue to portray this man.  He looked amazing!  People did not recognize him at school.  The only problem was that the blue face paint caused him to have an allergic reaction.  He developed tiny little bumps that were itchy and then his cheek became a bit swollen.  We had to put cortisone cream on his face for several days afterward and then he also had to be on an antihistamine as well.  Weird.  In November, Ethan participated in the musical at Mountain Ridge Junior High.  He played a "brainiac" in "High School Musical-Junior".  We basically told him that he was Nathanael because Ethan was on an academic competition team just like Nat.  Ethan surprised us by his dancing.  He is a great dancer!  Also in November, Ethan played futsal with his soccer team.  He continues to get better and better.  He "wrapped up" this year in a futsal tournament.  He played hard and is always a good sport no matter the outcome of the game- win or lose.

Clarissa also competed in the Utah State Feis and did very well.  She placed in a couple of dances which is awesome because she has so many girls her age compete.  For Halloween, she was a character named Mabel from a Disney channel cartoon called "Gravity Falls".  We went to the Deseret Industries to make her costume and I felt like it turned out really well.  People who know the show knew who she was.  She even had a stuffed pig for her pet-  Mabel has a pet pig named Waddles.  Clarissa has been participating in a writer's workshop at school for 5th and 6th graders.  The teacher is a published writer whose children go to the same school.  Clarissa wants to be an author and so this is perfect for her!  Clarissa "wrapped up" the year by trying out for the school play-"Tom Sawyer".  She gets to play "Cousin Mary 1" and she cannot wait to start rehearsals!

Zachary has "wrapped up" his year by adding a few more gray hairs to my head!  First of all, he played soccer in September and October.  He is playing with his friends and Travis is his coach of course.  Zac was able to score a couple of goals this season and started to figure out how to anticipate where the ball was getting kicked and then stopping it and dribbling towards the goal.  Zachary was Puss n Boots for Halloween.  He would put his costume on all the time and pretend he was on an adventure.  He also got to play in his first Turkey Bowl with the family on Thanksgiving Day.  He told me that he scored a touchdown and was so excited.  Apparently, he really didn't but he really thought that he did and it doesn't really matter as long as he had fun.  Now for the him giving me new gray hairs.  Travis and I had been out all day and were tired so we locked our bedroom door to take a nap and not be disturbed.  All the kids were downstairs playing.  A little while later, Lindsay came upstairs and knocked on the door to tell us that she was taking Clarissa to McDonald's for dinner for "Sister Day".  A few minutes later, Zac came up and knocked on the door and asked where Clarissa was.  I explained that Lindsay had taken her to McDonald's for "Sister Day".  A bit later, Travis and I got up to decide what to eat for dinner.  Ethan came upstairs and was getting something for himself to eat as well.  There was a knock at the door.  Ethan opened it to two police officers who had Zachary with them.  Apparently, he had tried to walk to McDonald's by himself to meet his sisters and had made it to Hart's where someone noticed that he was alone and called the police.  I was mortified!  The police officer had to take my full name and birthdate and Travis' full name and birthdate.  She told us that it looked like an accident but that if it happened again, we might be charged for neglect.  Whaaat??  In my mind I was thinking, I know I am not a bad mother-I have a missionary who is doing well.  I know I can raise children!  Well, Zachary was really scared and has since been good about asking us when he wants to go somewhere like his friends house.  Well, the next story was when we had gone to East Canyon with Travis' family the weekend after Thanksgiving.  It was Sunday and we had gotten home from church.  Travis was taking a nap and I had just put chicken on to boil because it was my turn to cook dinner.  Apparently, Zac wanted a drink and so he climbed up on the counter where he hit his head on the light that knocked him off balance.  He then fell on the tile floor taking a Correlle dish with him that shattered.  I ran over to see him laying on the floor in a pool of blood around his head.  It was awful!!  We had never been to the emergency room with any of our children before and we didn't know where the nearest hospital was.  We put pressure on the wound and loaded him in the van.  When we got to Henefer, I was able to get cell reception and call 911.  The bleeding had stopped by that point and the dispatch told us to go to McKay Dee hospital.  I kept him awake on the way there.  By the time we got there, he did not have good color and he was lethargic.  They did a CT scan and he did not have a concussion  or any skull fractures or anything wrong.  What a blessing!  He did need 3 stitches in his temple.  The Correlle had cut his head when it shattered.  We felt so grateful that it was not worse. I think Zac thinks that he is big like his siblings but he just doesn't realize that he can't always do the things that his siblings can do.  Well, we also found out that he is allergic to cats, dogs, trees, etc. these last few months.  I had to take him to get tested and they had to give him about 30 shots in his arms after doing the grid on his back.  We were at the allergist's office for 2 hours and poor Zachary was miserable!  Zachary "wrapped up" this year being very lucky and hopefully he has learned to be a bit more cautious!

2014 has been a wonderful year overall with some big changes in our growing family.  One "moment of joy" was when I read Nathanael's weekly e-mail the Monday after Christmas and he seemed that he was doing well and the other children were downstairs laughing and playing a game together and I felt such satisfaction and gratitude for each of them and the wonderful people that they are growing up to be-I was filled with joy!

Time Flies....

I think the saying goes, "Time flies when you're having fun.".  I agree and would add- time just flies!!!  I really need to get caught up on this blog.  My goal was at least once a month and unfortunately, I have failed miserably.  However, now that school is back in session and I am trying to get back into a good routine, perhaps I can actually accomplish that goal.  Maybe.  I am certainly not going to make any promises-but here are the "noteworthy" highlights from the Lloyd home in the last 5 months????

Nathanael's life has changed the most in the last 5 months.  On April 9, 2014, he received a letter calling him to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to Chile, Rancagua.  I was so surprised!  Because of his Tic Disorder etc., we had to have him speak to a counselor at LDS Social Services to determine if he really was able to go and serve a full two year mission.  He met with a gentleman for about an hour and a half asking him over 100 questions.  At the end, he asked for a list of Nat's accomplishments and strengths.  We just printed his resume and the man looked at it and exclaimed that if he was able to accomplish all those things, he certainly would be able to serve a mission!  We invited family and friends to dinner that night and also had them guess where they think he would go.  It was an exciting night and I was so grateful that he was so anxious to go and serve.

The next week, we celebrated his 18th birthday.  It was incredible to me that I became a mother 18 years ago.  Where did the time go?

Nathanael did go to Prom with a young woman that he did not know very well but he had a really good time.  It was kind of a last minute thing but I was glad that he was able to go to Prom his last year of high school.

On May 4, 2014, Nathanael received the Melchizedek priesthood from Travis.  I kept asking Nat if he were ready for this added responsibility.  Finally, Nat told me that he was ready and that I shouldn't worry about it anymore.  We were so blessed to have our extended family come and be there to support him.

On May 18, 2014, Nat graduated from the seminary program.  He was asked to speak at this ceremony.  He gave a wonderful talk and it was such a blessing to hear him bear his testimony.  I started to realize that he had grown up right before my eyes.

Nathanael graduated from Lone Peak High School on May 31, 2014.  Honestly, I felt relieved to have him graduate.  He is so brilliant but it was difficult at times to get through for him and for me.  There was an insert in the program and his name was listed as receiving the top score on his team at the Academic Decathlon.  Incidentally, he helped get the team a $2000 dollar grant this year.  He was a great captain and a great leader.

Nathanael received his own endowment at the Mt. Timpanogos Temple on June 6, 2014.  We went to JCW's afterward for dessert.  Again, we were blessed to have so many family members come and support him.  That night, he became a man.

Finally, he spoke in our ward on July 27, 2014 with two of his friends who were also leaving the following Wednesday.  Again I was grateful to hear him bear his testimony.  We had a family brunch afterward and then various ward members visited later that day.  I am so grateful for all the support that he was given. That weekend before he left was wonderful.  A dear friend of his was able to get tickets to see a taping of one of Nat's favorite shows, Studio C, and he chose to take Nat.  In between sketches, the audience gets to ask questions and the cast members give them good, better, and best advice.  Nathanael's friend was chosen to ask a question.  He asked what Nat should do to prepare for his mission.  They then asked Nat where he was going and he replied Rancagua, Chile.  Everyone cheered and they threw him a t-shirt.  The advice that he got was to live the Gospel, eat rice and beans so that when you eat rice and beans, you think of home, and pretend that you cannot read Spanish!  I doubt anyone would appreciate that experience more than he at that time.  The next day, we went as a family to eat lunch at a family owned Chilean restaurant.  The couple that runs it was so friendly and the food was incredible!  We had the best time as a family.  It was definitely my big "moment of joy" these past few months.

Monday, July 28, 2014, Nathanael was set apart as a full-time missionary and given a beautiful blessing by our stake president, President Noble.  I cried throughout the whole blessing.  Afterward, we changed and headed over to a local park to have our family picture taken by my sister-in-law, Leslie.  It had stormed all day and I was worried that we wouldn't be able to do it outside where we had planned.  However, the Lord blessed us with a tender mercy and the weather ended up being perfect.

The Tuesday before he left, we went to his favorite Pizzaria for dinner.  Again, we enjoyed being together as a family.  It was a wonderful time but also made me a bit sad for I knew that our family would forever change-for good of course.  However, part of me was and is grieving that he is not my little boy anymore.  We stayed up all night on Tuesday because his flight was at 6:30 in the morning and we had to be at the airport 3 hours early.  There was no reason to go to bed.  Nathanael finished packing and it was time to go.  Travis gave him a Father's blessing that was tender and sweet at 2:30 am.  Travis had a difficult time getting through it because his emotions would take over.  I am so grateful for a husband who honors his priesthood and is worthy to give our children blessings at such important times in their lives.

At about 4:00 am on July 30, 2014, we said goodbye to our oldest child.  I watched him walk through security and a feeling of peace overwhelmed me and I knew that he would be okay.  He is ready.  He has been taught and prepared and grew up while I wasn't looking.  My!  How time flies!

I know that was a lot about Nat but I will be writing more about the other children in this blog as we have a mission blog set up for him and all that he is doing.  I feel so grateful and blessed that he has made this choice and that he has gained his own testimony and is serving because he wants to-not because Travis and I have made him go.  He will be a wonderful missionary but I do miss him.  However, I wouldn't want him doing anything else.

Okay.  Now for some "noteworthy" highlights of the others' activities......

Lindsay finished her Sophmore year in high school very strong.  She was able to sing in the Spring Concert with Nathanael and her cousin Hunter.  In June, Lindsay was able to attend girls' camp with our stake.  It was a really good experience for her and she enjoyed spending time with the other girls.  In July, she was able to attend an EFY (Especially For Youth) at Utah Valley University with her friends.  She really enjoyed the group that she was in and all the workshops, games, and dances.  This last August, she started her Junior year of high school.  She has a tough schedule but she is very bright and I know that she will do well if she works hard.  Lindsay was asked to attend her high school Homecoming dance.  It will be coming up this week and she is very excited.  The young man left a bunch of wood pieces cut into different shapes at our door.  Each piece had a symbol so you knew that those pieces went together.  One of the letters said, "Wood you go to Homecoming with me?"  and when we put the pieces together, it spelled his name.  We answered the next night creating a little beach and wrote "Shore!" in the sand (brown sugar).  This time Ethan got to help drop it off at the porch and run.  In the past, it has been Nathanael and Lindsay but now that Nat is gone, Ethan gets to help.

Ethan was very happy to finish seventh grade!  This summer he was able to attend a special scout camp to train young men to be good leaders.  He then was able to attend his scout camp with our ward and earn several merit badges.  He needs to finish up just a couple of merit badges and do an Eagle project and he will have earned his Eagle.  We are so close- sprint to the finish!  Ethan also participated in a couple of soccer tournaments.  His team did not win any "hardware" this summer but they were put in higher groups and played teams that are playing at much higher divisions.  So far his team has done really well to start the season and I think part of it is that they had to play at a higher level in these tournaments and the experience helps the players to "up their level of play".  Ethan himself has earned a starting position that he had not done before and he is doing really well.  He began eighth grade a couple of weeks ago and seems to really be enjoying Men's Choir in particular.  He is singing second Tenor.

Clarissa graduated from fourth grade and was voted "The Best Author" in her class.  She has been working hard at Irish dance this summer and was able to move to the next level with Lindsay.  I decided to work with her this summer in swimming.  She is so cautious but she did everything that I asked and she is becoming a good little swimmer.  I am so pleased because swimming lessons have been so hard for her.  We just celebrated her 10th birthday.  Again, how time flies!  She is my baby girl and it seems like it was just yesterday that I found out that I was having another girl.  I was thrilled and she brings such sunshine to our lives!  We had a "storytelling" birthday.  I wrote a Mad-lib story about the girls and they added the adjectives.  Then they made bookmarks out of patterned felt and gems.  Next, the girls played a game called, "Telestrations" that is like telling a little story with pictures and words or phrases.  Finally, they made paper dolls that could become characters in a story that they make up at home.  Clarissa had a blast because telling stories is something that she loves.  She started fifth grade and seems to be doing well.

Finally, Zachary is learning and growing so much!  I took him this summer as well to learn how to start to swim.  He also did everything I asked.  He didn't like it-but he did it!  He is off to a good start.  He then started his second year of preschool last week.  He was so excited!  He was up at 7:00 am dressed and ready to go and preschool does not start until 9:30 am.  When Travis and I dropped him off, he wanted to make sure that we were not going to stay.  Ha! Ha!  When did he become a little boy and not my baby?  Again, how time flies!!!!

Well, this has been a long one.  Whew!  I am ready to go to bed.  There are just a couple of other "noteworthy" items I want to write down because this is our family history.

One, we were able to go on vacation to Disneyland as a family this last June.  It was a wonderful vacation and a great way to end that phase in our lives.  It was interesting because we always listen to a "Harry Potter" book on the way there and back.  It was time to listen to the seventh book in that series.  We listened to it all the way there and back and just as the final words from the book were being spoken, we pulled into our drive-way.  It was so symbolic.  One story was ending and another one beginning-just like our family.

Two, Travis and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary while we were there.  Yes, how time flies!  We have had our share of ups and downs but I wouldn't want to be on this journey with anyone else.  He continues to be my best friend and I could not have asked for a better father to help me raise my children.  He is a man of honor and integrity and he lives for his children.  We celebrated by having dinner at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland.  It was a memorable experience.  (My parents had come with us and took the kids for the evening.)  I am so blessed to have the parents I do.  They are a couple of my favorite people in this world.

Too many "moments of joy".  I just feel so blessed and grateful.

March Madness II

I know that my post from March last year was also "March Madness", however, this March was even crazier than last March if you can believe it!  Here are some "noteworthy" items from the Lloyd home...


Nathanael started the month of madness in New York.  He went with the high school Chamber choir on tour. He was able to attend a couple of Broadway shows that he loves.  He was able to go to his favorite of all time- "Les Miserables" and then he also was able to see, "The Phantom of the Opera".  I saw "The Phantom of the Opera" on tour with my high school choir and so that was fun for me to have that connection with him.  One of the highlights of the trip for him was singing in Carnegie Hall as the feature choir.  He said it was "crazy" just before, but that they were able to pull themselves together and perform really well.  Nat loves the city and he was able to see some things that really made an impression on him like the September 11 Memorial.  After he got home from tour, he was here for a couple of days and then traveled to St. George, Utah to compete in the State Academic Decathlon competition.  He has been the captain of the team this year and he has done a great job.  Nat made the team an official club-which no one had done before.  He gave them ample opportunities to study the material together, meet with teachers with expertise in each subject, and he had a very optimistic attitude that they could win state.  However, he had a couple of people drop out the day before they went to St. George and they had to recruit at the last minute.  Nathanael did not get upset or angry, he just tried to help the new recruits as best he could.  His team won 3rd place in the large school category.  Nathanael was able to win 8 different medals and scored the highest on his team and was able to win $100.00 toward his college education.  (Maybe he can get a book with that money :)  Nat had worked very hard and so we were really excited for him to be so successful.  Overall, Nat's "March madness" was crazy but very good.

Lindsay also had a month of madness.  She first performed in our stake "A Night on Broadway" with Clarissa and myself.  She performed in "Lullaby on Broadway", "We Go Together", and "You Can't Stop the Beat".  She is a natural performer and she sang and danced beautifully.  A week later, Lindsay performed in their annual Irish dance recital with Clarissa.  The first half of the show is performing their dances that they compete with, and the second half of the recital is a class dance based on an overall theme.  The theme this year was Broadway musicals.  Her class danced to a song from, "Peter Pan".  Lindsay was selected to be Tiger Lily.  When I went with her to her teacher's home to get fitted for a costume, her teacher asked me if she does musical theater because she danced and acted so well.  She told me that Lindsay's example helped to make everyone else step up to a higher level and so she put their number towards the end because she thought it was well done.  This was quite a compliment because her teacher graduated from BYU in musical theater.  Lindsay did such a great job and it was so fun to watch her and Clarissa perform so well.  Lindsay also played on her Young Women's basketball team and won Region!!!

Ethan's month of madness is mostly because soccer season is starting up again and he decided to participate in track at school.  Track has challenged him a bit to push himself.  He has track almost everyday after school and then a couple of times each week, he has to go right to soccer practice.  I kind of miss seeing him in the afternoons.  Ethan has been able to compete in a couple of track meets and he has done fairly well.  He feels that track has helped him to get in shape for soccer-which I think it has.  He still really enjoys soccer and is having a lot of fun playing with his friends and being coached by Travis and Nathanael.  Ethan is growing in leaps and bounds and has passed Lindsay and I up recently.


Clarissa's month of madness was unusually busy.  She also performed in the stake "A Night on Broadway" with Lindsay and I.  She performed in "A Lullaby on Broadway", "It's a Hard Knock Life", "I Won't Grow Up", and "You Can't Stop the Beat".  One night during rehearsal, the director had Clarissa come up in front of everyone and told us that we all need to sing like her.  We had been told to sing louder and so Clarissa did. She could be heard over everyone else.  She was just doing what she was told to do-she did sound marvelous though!  Clarissa also performed in the annual Irish dance recital.  She was a "lost girl" and she was so fun to watch!  She really gets into character and makes it enjoyable.  The week after the recital, Clarissa performed in the school play, "Robin Hood".  She played a minstrel which was basically a narrator for the story.  She had several lines and she performed really well.  One of the directors of the play told her on closing night that she "lit up the stage" when she came on and that he was "blown away" by her performance each night- which made her feel really good.  The play was a really good experience for her.  She loved going to rehearsal and she loved performing.  Clarissa told me that she was sad to have it come to an end.

Zachary's month of madness was going to all these performances!!!  He is definitely turning into a little boy and is not just a toddler any more.  It is amazing the difference that one year can make.  He was very well-behaved during these performances and really seemed to enjoy seeing his siblings on stage.


My "moment of joy" this last month was actually performing with my girls.  I had not done anything like that for over 20 years. I really enjoyed doing something with them and being able to spend time with them in a different way.  I feel like I am always helping them get ready for their activities and making sure that they are ready for school and church responsibilities and so it was just a joy to actually do something with them and not just for them.

March went by really fast but I am excited to see what the future holds in these coming months!


Cathy

Fabulous February!

February seemed to fly by this year!  It was fabulous  and fatiguing (Is that a word?).  Here are some "noteworthy" items from the Lloyd's....

First of all,  Nathanael performed Faure's "Requiem" on February first.  It was called a Masterworks Concert.  He performed with the Chamber Choir and got to perform this piece with other schools'top choirs in the district.  Faure's "Requiem" is so beautiful to me.  I had also sung that piece in high school and I was pleasantly surprised at how much of it I remember.  After a fabulous and fatiguing day, it was a treat to sit and listen and "be still".

Lindsay's first day of February was mostly taken up by her participating in the Shelley Winterfeis put on by her Irish dance school.  Once again, she placed in most of her dances.  Lindsay is a fantastic Irish dancer.  It is so much fun to watch her dance.

Ethan has been spending February playing Futsal.  Futsal is a bit like indoor soccer but you have to keep the ball in control and not bounce it off the walls or let it go out of bounds.  It helps to develop a soccer player's ball skills and touch on the ball. Because Ethan is double-rostering (playing on two teams), he is becoming a first-rate defender.

February first brought success for Clarissa as well at the Feis.  She also placed in a few of her dances-which is quite a feat because she has sooo many dance in her age category.  Way to go Clarissa!  She is such a character and brings the sunshine into our home.

Zachary had a fun field trip to the fire station with his preschool.  I had woken him up and told him where he was going to go that day and he asked me to come with him because he was frightened.  It turns out that his teacher really needed the help and so I was grateful that I was able to go.  While at the fire station, Zachary overcame his fear and climbed in the fire engine and seemed to be completely interested in everything that he saw.  I was concerned that he would be "clingy" but was pleasantly surprised that he wanted to try new things and also be part of the group and not hang back by me.

My "moment of joy" this last month was during our stake Broadway Review rehearsal.  The girls and I are participating in this show together and one of the sister's in charge, brought Clarissa up to the front to tell us that she was singing louder than everyone else and that the rest of us needed to "step up" and sing out.  Clarissa turned red because she was a little bit embarrassed to be singled out but she was singing so well. She was loud but not screaming-she was right on pitch and it sounded fabulous!  I sometimes feel so bad that my children share some of my struggles with anxiety and OCD-and so these moments I treasure because they wouldn't be who they are without me as well.  I did pass on some good things too.


February was fantastic, fun, and fatiguing!

Cathy

Big Steps

One of my goals this year is to post a blog once a month of the "noteworthy" happenings in our family.  I know I have said that before and I am already behind-here we go anyway...

Nathanael took a "big step" in January and began filling out his mission papers to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He had to have a physical and go to the dentist.  I first called the doctor to set up an appointment for a physical.  They explained that he had one last year on February 20th and that our insurance would most likely not pay for another one within 365 days.  However, the receptionist then said that I could call our insurance company and see if it is a calendar year or 365 days.  I called and our insurance starts over at the new calendar year!  Check.  Next, I called the dentist office.  Our dental insurance had a policy that will not pay for an examination before 6 months in between.  I told the receptionist about our health insurance and she called our dental insurance company for me.  She called me back and explained that it is 6 months to the day, however, there is a grace period of 21 days before the 6 month check-up.  Wow!  Check.  We were able to accomplish both things and get his paperwork done.  Now the waiting begins because he listed his date of availability Jul 1 and so the soonest that the information can be called to church headquarters is March 1.  This is a "big step" for Nathanael and our family!



Lindsay had a couple of "big steps" in January.  She finally got her driver's license!  It seemed to take a while to get it and I was honestly kind of tired of driving her to her friend's houses all the time!   Now she can drive herself!  Another "big step" for Lindsay was that she attended her first formal school dance.  It was Girl's Preference.  She asked a friend that she felt very comfortable with to go with her.  For their "day date", the group went sledding in Tibblefork Canyon.  They went to someone's house afterward for hot chocolate.  They they went home and got ready for the dance.  Lindsay was stunning!  We had rented a dress from someone who lives close by and Lindsay looked amazing!  I know that I am bias because I am her mom-but she really was gorgeous :)  The group all brought something for dinner and dessert.  Basically, she just had to pay for the ticket to the dance.  Lindsay had a really great time and I was please that she has the courage to take those "big steps" and ask the guys out on a date!

Ethan's "big step" in January was turning 13 years old!  Yes, I have ANOTHER teenager!  Ethan is now allowed to watch PG-13 movies and so Travis took him on his birthday to go see "The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug".  He absolutely loved it!  Ethan's actual birthday was so busy that we had celebrate his birthday in parts.  He had a late night with his friends, cake and ice cream with his grandparents, and on the actual day, we took him pizza to share with his friends at school. This is a "big step" to start a new phase of life! Hopefully, we will all get through these teenage years with minor bumps and bruises!

Clarissa took a "big step" by trying out for her school play and getting a speaking part!  The play is only for fourth through sixth graders. She started rehearsals in January and just loves them!  She comes home energized and grinning!  She is having so much fun!  She gets to be a minstrel with a speaking part.  The minstrels are the narrators of the play and so she has a lot of lines.  Clarissa keeps telling us that we are going to think that her character is funny.  Can't wait to see her perform!


Zachary's big step in January was turning 4 years old!  I can't believe my baby is no longer a toddler!  He is turning into a little boy.  He had his first friends birthday party.  Can you guess what the theme was?  Yes, of course-"Star Wars Legos".  I just invite their primary class for this first party.  We had about 11 little ones come and I felt like it went really well!  We had them first "use the force" to keep the balloon in the air.  Next, I made a matching memory game using "Star Wars Lego" stickers and cutting the "cards" into circles that matched the foam pieces that I was using so that it looked like a Lego.  The kids then used a light-saber to destroy a "Star Wars Lego" pinata that I had spray painted and glued on foam circles to look light a Lego Death-star.  Finally, Zac unwrapped presents and the kids had cupcakes with R2-D2 chocolate shaped molds on the top.  Zachary seemed to have a blast!

Our January was full of "big steps".  Once again, I am having a difficult time thinking of just "one moment of joy".  I guess that I am just grateful for the great people that my children are turning into.  Each one of them strives to do his/her best.  As I look at the year ahead, there will be many more "big steps"!  Here's to 2014!


Cathy