Little Victories

Just a few "noteworthy" things that have happened in the Lloyd home this last week...

Nathanael played in a soccer tournament with his team, Arsenal, this last week. The tournament was the Strikerfest. His team, unfortunately, lost their games (they were all very close). However, Nat scored a goal during one game and in another game he got a penalty kick which resulted in a goal for his team. His coach even commented how much he likes that Nat fights for every ball!

Lindsay also played some soccer this week. Her team has been busy training and getting more in shape. During one of the practices, they played a game called World Cup. She and her partner in the game chose to be Italy and won!

Ethan and Clarissa both had swimming lessons this week. Ethan has taken this swimming level a couple of times and was finally able to pass. He will now move onto the level that is the highest that I expect my children to go. I must admit, I was so surprised at how well he did this year. He told me that he was "determined to pass". He also washed his Grandma Jam's car this last week-something which he had never done before. Too bad that it rained that afternoon! Ethan also got his glasses this week. When we walked out of the store he remarked on the mountains and that they actually have trees and other things on them. He was so excited to see the leaves on the trees and see that they really are not just "big green blobs". He said that it was like a new world!!

As I mentioned before, Clarissa also took swimming lessons this last week. She has been terrified every summer and dreaded swimming lessons! She told me last summer that she was just going to be the "grandma sitting in the kiddie pool". All my kids have been very cautious but she has had an extremely difficult time! This last week, however, she actually allowed herself to submerge in the pool and try to swim. When she came up she said, "That wasn't so bad!" She also was able to do the back float for the first time!

One of my callings in my ward is the Nursery Coordinator. I bring the nursery treats to church every week (that is why all the kids love me-ha,ha). Anyway, one of the treats I bring is goldfish crackers. Zachary loves them and saw them in my closet. He figured out how to open the carton-which is not that easy and take some fish. He then closed it back up and hid it out of sight! Oh, Zachary! It took me a bit to find it. He was very clever and hid it right behind all the other nursery boxes-just enough out of sight!

My "moment of joy" came this week when Clarissa swam the front crawl for the first time! I was so relieved and pleased that she was able to really overcome her fear and do it! I hope that she remembers this experience and realizes that she can overcome her fears and do great things!

Cathy

Varsity All-Stars

The Ides of July

A few "notes" from the Lloyd home....

Nathanael was invited to go with another young man from our ward to attend a High Adventure Varsity All-Stars scout camp. He left on Monday at 6:00 a.m. and got home Saturday about 3:30 p.m. It really was "high adventure". He did rock-climbing, mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, etc. I am just glad that he returned home safe! They played some games and he won a game called, Poison Stump, twice. He also was elected to be the squad leader for his squad-the Foxes. He got to work with boys from all over Utah. It was a good experience for him and I am grateful that he had this opportunity to go. I am also grateful that all my "chickens" are now home for the summer!

Lindsay started her soccer training this week. She also got to go to the midnight show of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" with Travis. They had a good time. She got to go with her grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins.

Ethan had kind of a crazy week. He started out the week with a virus that mimicked strep throat. However, his fever broke just in time to go to the eye doctor. Ethan needs glasses! I did not realize how bad his vision really was until he was reading the eye chart and the letters DID NOT resemble the letters on the chart at all! Poor Ethan! We went and ordered his glasses yesterday. He wanted something completely different from Nat's style. I think we chose well-he will look just as handsome as ever! It is just too bad that we seem to pass on the genes that we would rather not-crooked teeth, poor vision, etc.

Clarissa enjoyed having her cousins come over this week for a Harry Potter party. She and Ethan also found an old "spell book" that they created and "practiced" the spells. They spent many hours this week dressed up as students from Hogwarts and learning how to do magic!

Zachary has impressed me this week by "cleaning up" after himself. He will eat his fruit snacks and throw the package in the garbage. After he gets a drink, he puts the empty cup on the counter. He also likes to help me with the dishes! It is totally cool!

My "moment of joy" came this week when I was able to use our microwave again. We have had a lot of things break down on us this last month. First, it was our vacuum. Then the clothes dryer was next. Then our van had a part that needed to be fixed. Next, it was the microwave. Travis also had to fix a leaky valve on our sprinklers and finally our computer monitor died. We were able to get the other things taken care of pretty quickly but the microwave took longer. It was very inconvenient to say the least. However, now it is fixed and working again and hopefully, we are good to go on everything else for awhile!

Cathy

Summer sizzles

Just some "notes" on the kids this week...

Travis took Nathanael driving for the first time this week. He took him to the church parking lot to help him get used to the "feel" of the car. Travis took a little video of when he started and I was so impressed at how calm and positive Travis was with Nat. I can't believe that he is old enough to do this (maybe I just can't believe I am old enough to have a child starting to drive)!!

Lindsay is taking a sewing class this summer because it is a skill that I have never mastered and I would like my girls to do better in that area. Anyway, I had to sew Nat's Eagle rank patch on his uniform because he has been invited to a special Varsity High Adventure camp with another boy from our ward. I had not sewn the patch on yet because the bobbin fell out and for some reason I cannot put it in right. I read the directions, I have had people show me how to do it and I just cannot do it! I get so frustrated that I want to "speak in tongues"! Thankfully, Lindsay put the bobbin in with ease and has helped me put patches on Nat's uniform and mend a few little items. It seems that she will learn to sew much better than I-thank goodness!

Ethan has been playing a computer game called Zoo Tycoon. He has really enjoyed "taking care" of the animals and watching them and their progress. Ethan has always liked animals and even though it is just a game, it is fun for me to watch him get so excited about what they do!

Clarissa is beginning her first novel. Earlier this week she told me that her "hopes and dreams were shattered". What? She told me that all the stories that she had written were falling apart in the book baskets or lost and that she wanted to be an "arthor". I told her that she can still be an author if she wants and we talked about some ideas that might help her stories to last longer. She then decided to write a book and the interesting thing is that it has the voice of Junie B. Jones books. She loves those books and checks out at least 5 a week to read. I have caught her reading in the dark when she is supposed to be sleeping! Hmmmmm, I'm afraid I know exactly how she feels-wanting to stay up and find out what happens.

Zachary has been teething this week and so he has been lovely. We have not gotten a lot of sleep and it has been hard to get anything done because he hangs onto my legs! Thank goodness for pain medication! He has also become a "daddy's boy" watching Travis fix sprinklers and work on other projects.

My "moment of joy" came this week when we were watching fireworks with my parents. They were sitting behind me and I turned around to see if they could see all right and noticed that they were holding hands. I am so grateful for their examples!

Enjoy the ride...

Just a quick "note"....

Nathanael has had a pretty laid back week. His soccer team did a scrimmage with another team for practice. Nat got to play forward-which he was excited about. He usually plays mid-field (which he likes as well). He just loves soccer! Hmmm, I wonder where he gets that from?

Lindsay went to girls camp this week with our ward. They went somewhere in Wyoming. It was about three hours away. She loved it! It was surprising to have her come home earlier in the day than expected. Apparently, their campground flooded and they had to sleep under a pavillion the last night. Early in the morning, the gentleman who runs the camp told them that another storm was coming and that they needed to go because if the levee broke, they would only have three minutes to get out. Lindsay wasn't too sad because her group got out of cleaning the toilets to pack up and go.

Ethan is once again experimenting in the kitchen. He and I were watching a show on the food channel about the "best pasta" places in the country. He turned to me and asked if we could make a macaroni and cheese pizza-he thought that those two dishes combined might be yummy. It sounds like a coronary to me! On the other hand, what a way to go!

Clarissa took over being the second mom to Zachary this week while Lindsay was gone. We had gone to the park to have a picnic and play. All on her own, she took Zac's hand and helped him climb up to go down a little slide that was just right for him. She did it almost the entire time. I did miss Lindsay and Lindsay's help, but it was good to have Clarissa "step in" and be my little helper.

Zachary is into the stage of closing his eyes when he is in trouble or does not want to do something. He is at that age where he believes if he can't see you-then you can't see him! It is actually quite humorous to watch-except when he is getting in trouble-and believe me-he is capable of trouble!

My "moment of joy" this week was watching Zachary ride the lawn mower with Travis while Travis was mowing the lawn. Zachary had such a look of pleasure on his face-and so did Travis!

Cathy

Little coincidence

Just a little "note" from our home this week....

Nathanael took the written drivers test on Monday and was able to get his Learner's Permit.  I guess we're going to have to start his 40 hours of driving...  Watch out everyone!!!

Lindsay is growing out her hair-for the first time and just needed a little trim.  The salon we went to were offering to put feathers in your hair-which apparently is the new trend.  Lindsay has wanted one for a long time and so we had a small, subtle feather put in.  Travis is enjoying teasing her about it!  It does look a lot better than the feathers that people put in their hair when I was in elementary school!  They were bright colors with beads on them, however, they were ususally on a clip and not "in" your hair.

Ethan and I had a chance to spend some "one on one" time together this week for his "day-off".  We were able to go and see  "Kung Fu Panda 2".  During the movie, he became quite emotional (I did too), so we had a little talk about how we are alike that way.  He feels very deeply and has to be careful of what he watches or reads because he internalizes it-just like me!  It is funny what traits and qualities get passed on!

Clarissa tried to run away the other night.  Travis spotted her walking down the road with her backpack on and her little mouse house-her favorite toy at the moment.  We called her to come home- which she did reluctantly.  Someone had not spoken to her nicely and so she decided to leave home because her feelings were hurt-she is just "slightly dramatic" which is why we love her so much!  Anyway, I asked her why she would leave me when I would miss her so much!  She said that I could come visit her every day.  I still don't know where she was going but maybe we need to have a little talk in Family Home Evening about what we say to each other and how we say it!

Zachary watched "Cars" for the first time this week and was glued to it the entire time.  He kept saying, "Go, go, cars, go, vooom".  He loves it!  Yesterday, as we were talking, he started walking backwards and grinning from ear to ear!  We think he must like the character, Mater, who drives backwards.  It is fun for me to see him get so excited about something like that!

My "moment of joy" came this week when Travis hooked up our new dryer that we got from our bishop.  Our dryer had just completely died the night before and our bishop had just purchased a new washer and dryer because his washer broke.  Travis offered to have he and Nat help him put them in and after they were finished, our bishop asked if anyone needed a dryer!  How cool is that?  Anyway, Travis hooked it up and we were able to "clean sweep" the laundry room-something that needed to desperately happen-and now we can have clean clothes again!  (Sorry to those of you who had to be around us lately-haha!)

Cathy

Lloyds, est. 1994

Wow!  A lot of "noteworthy" things have happened the last two weeks in the Lloyd home....

Nathanael went on a trek with the youth of our stake.  They just went up American Fork Canyon.  He had to dress up like a pioneer and pull a handcart.  He had a great time!  He said that it was a good experience for him and that it helped him to appreciate his ancestors a little more.  We all went as a family to pick him up.  As the youth were coming down the hill with their handcarts,  "Come, Come Ye Saints" was playing in the background.  I could not stop the tears.  To think that my ancestors sacrificed so much and left all that they had behind to come settle here was overwhelming and touching!  I was so grateful that Nathanael got a little taste of what they had to do including dealing with a broken handcart.  We were told that Nat did "great" and he came down the trail grinning.  After we picked up Nathanael, we went to Midway to eat at a local restaurant-Scrappy's Timp Freeze.  The food and shakes were sooo yummy!  We decided that this is a new tradition when we pick up kids from trek.

Lindsay and the rest of us went to the Scottish Festival while Nat was gone.  Lindsay is named after Travis' mother's family.  Clan Lindsay happened to be there at the festival.  We had several members of the family wearing the Lindsay plaid and so they were invited to join in lighting the torches and be part of the ceremony.  Lindsay got a Clan Lindsay t-shirt and she was so proud to wear it!  As I mentioned, Lindsay is named after Travis' mother's maiden name but her middle name is Kaye which is my mother's middle name.  Lindsay is named after both her grandmas.  Lindsay has a close relationship with both of them and has learned so much from each one!

Ethan also enjoyed going to the Scottish Festival.  He was able to get a wooden sword and shield there.  Ethan has an active imagination and really enjoys playing with his sword and shield. The shield has a Welsh dragon on it.  Our last name Lloyd is Welsh.  I learned that they have a red dragon on their flag when Travis and I went to Wales three years ago while he was touring with the Utah Chamber Artists. 

Clarissa had her end of season dance concert.  The dances were based on a book called "All Around the World".  Watching the dances with the words on the screen behind them makes me want to get a copy of that book!  Clarissa was a tomato for one dance and a little girl going to bed and snuggling her teddy bear for the other.  She did a good job and had a lot of fun!

Zachary continues to learn so many things!  He is at that age where it seems like he is doing something new every day!  Lately, he loves to go outside!  He gets all excited when we say, "Let's go!" 

Well, there are some other things that we have done lately as a family.  We went to the Reynolds family reunion in St. George.  The first night we went to Tuacahn theater to see the production "Little Mermaid".  Clarissa really got into it and thought that it was very exciting to watch.  When Nat was younger, he went to a family reunion to San Antonio, Texas with his grandparents.  At one point, he ended up watching the Disney version of  "The Little Mermaid" twice in a row.  I teased him the other day telling him that he must need to watch some version of "The Little Mermaid" during a family reunion! 

The next day our family went to the St. George Tabernacle where President Lorenzo Snow gave his talk on tithing-it was really cool.  Then we went to the St. George temple visitor center.  The Spirit was very strong there and we watched a movie about the importance of families.  By the end of the movie, Travis and I were very emotional.  I am so grateful to have been married in the temple and that both of us have the same goals and are in this together!  Later that night we went to the Fiesta Family Fun center and played miniature golf and rode the go-carts.  Zachary especially enjoyed being his daddy's ball boy.

The next day we went to Zion's National Park which is truly amazing!  When I was growing up, we went on the hikes to see the sights.  Travis' family apparently drove to a sight, got out and took pictures, and then got back in the car.  I did not even know that that was an option!  Because we have Zachary, we took a shuttle to some of the places.  I wanted to do a small hike but Zac got sunscreen in his eyes and Lindsay was grumpy (mostly due to the heat).  Anyway, the family reunion was good and a fun little trip for us.  It was fun to see my cousins and aunts and uncles that I have not seen for awhile. 

Travis and I just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  As I mentioned before, I am so grateful that we were married in the Salt Lake temple.  It is hard to believe that it was that many years ago that we began our journey together!  We sure have been through some ups and downs but we have both grown up together and learned from each other and have helped each other.  I know that I am a better person because of him.  I just can't believe that I have known him for half my life!  Where did the time go?  Back when we were first married we just wanted to be "settled".  Well, we are certainly "settled" now.  I've decided that I really need to enjoy this time with him and with our children.

My "moment of joy" came when Clarissa was crying because she was upset and Zachary gave her kisses and grinned at her trying to make her happy.  He then stayed in their bedroom and played with her!

Cathy