Brothers in Trouble

Cameron and Conner were being especially quiet one afternoon in February when I asked the girls to see what they were up to. Well, this is what they were up to! They had a lot of fun with the girls' nail polish in the bathroom. They painted the toilet, the bathtub, the floor, the door, the bath mat, their clothes, and themselves. These boys really are "partners in crime." They love getting into trouble. Cameron is the mastermind behind it all and Conner loves to follow his lead. In March, I went to change a load of laundry while they were in the bathtub and they completely flooded the bathroom. It took about ten beach towels and a wet/dry vac to clean it up. I'm always on guard to see what they'll do next.
I have to admit, I really do think the order of my children is perfect. I have three older girls who can help me, and these two little boys are best friends. They love to play together and watch out for each other. Cameron gets so upset when I give him a snack or a drink and I don't give one to Conner. He misses Conner when he is taking his nap and begs me to wake him up. Recently, Conner has learned to climb out of his crib. I can hear Cameron in the morning saying, "Conner get out of your crib so we can play!" Yes, we still call Conner "our baby" and Cameron loves to say, "Mommy, I love my baby." I look forward to watching how the relationship between these two brothers develops. They are a handful, but I love my little guys!

My Sweetheart for 15 Years

Valentine's Day 1994 Valentine's Day 2009

• Lloyd has been my sweetheart for 15 years now. Life is different than it was 15 years ago. We're a bit older. We have five kids. Life is busier. However, the reasons I fell in love with Lloyd 15 years ago are the same reasons I love him today. In honor of our 15 years of being valentines to each other, here are 15 reasons I love Lloyd.

• 1- He is righteous. I always knew I would marry someone who would take me to the temple. After almost 15 years of marriage, Lloyd is still strives daily to keep the Lord's commandments. He honors his priesthood and uses it to bless others. He diligently serves in his calling. He is an example to me in his personal scripture study and family history. I am so blessed to be married to such a righteous husband.

• 2- Lloyd is a hard worker. When Ii first met him he was in the Navy and lived on a ship. He was often out to sea for up to six months at a time. Military life was hard, but Lloyd rarely complained and was dutiful in completing his assignments. I always knew Loyd would work hard to provide for our family. After he got out of the military, he began working on his BA degree. He stayed at home with Courtney and went to school in the evenings. After four years of hard work, he earned his degree. We were so blessed when he got his job at SFO. Lloyd never complains about staying up all night long at work. He works 8 hours five days a week, and commutes around 20 hours a week. He truly is amazing and sacrifices so much for our family.

• 3- Lloyd is romantic and thoughtful. He will often leave me love notes or little treats. One time he hid five little love cards randomly throughout the house. When I found all the cards, he told me I would get a special treat. He then took me out for a romantic dinner. I loved the love letters he wrote to me while he was in the military and I still love reading his love letters today. A day never goes by without Lloyd telling me he loves me.

• 4- Lloyd is affectionate. He loves to hold my hand, hug me, and kiss me. The first time Lloyd kissed me I actually leaned away. We like to laugh about that. Even now I sometimes give him a hard time when I'm in the middle of something and he wants to hug me. Yes, I probably do act like he's annoying me, but I secretly love and adore how affectionate he is. Showing affection is definitely a way Lloyd demonstrates his love.

1. 5- Lloyd is humble. He never brags about anything he does. He is secure with himself and doesn't try to impress other people. He is teachable and avoids confrontation.

• 6- Lloyd is forgiving. He doesn't remember or remind me about all the mistakes I've made. He is always quick to apologize.

• 7-Lloyd is handsome. I have always been attracted to tall guys so it wasn't a surprise to me that I married one. Lloyd's beautiful blue eyes were the first thing I noticed about him. I also love his smile and when he winks at me. I love that Lloyd is as he says "a big guy." Thankfully, I never have to worry about weighing more than him, even when I was pregnant.

• 8- Lloyd is a fantastic father. Honestly, I didn't really see Lloyd with kids too much before we got married so I didn't really know how he would be. He is truly an amazing father. He was wonderful when he stayed home for five years while I worked. Courtney is still a Daddy's girl because Lloyd was her primary caretaker from the time she was six weeks old. Lloyd loves to play with the kids, encourage them, support them in their activities, and teach them about the gospel. I couldn't have wished for a better father to my children.

• 9- Lloyd helps a lot around the house. I kinda sensed that he would be this way before we got married. He willingly helped my family with odd jobs (a newspaper route, cleaning a dentist office) before we were married. Now he helps me so much when he can. He hates when our white tile floor gets really dirty. Instead of complaining to me about it, he will just clean it. He daily helps with dishes and meal preparation. He does enjoy cooking. One time he arranged for someone to come clean our bathrooms while we were out on a date. It was the most amazing surprise; I cried when I found out.

• 10- Lloyd is sensitive. I'll admit to having fragile feelings and being moody. Of course, this is always more true when I was pregnant. Lloyd is always sensitive and understanding to my moods. He does everything he can to make me happy. He will let me take a nap, get a break from the kids, or cheer me up with a kind word. I am so grateful for Lloyd's caring and sensitive nature.

• 11- Lloyd is supportive. He supports me in all me endeavors. He supported me when I was getting my Masters degrees, when I trained for marathons, when I was the Relief Society President, when I have a Girl Scout activity, when I want to go on a Girls Night Out, or when I want to go scrapbooking. I love that Lloyd knows these things were important to me and he cheered me on when I needed it.

• 12- Lloyd is fun. We love to watch comedies together and laugh together. We loved when we went on a cruise 10 years ago- we were in a dance contest and on a newlywed game show. We love to laugh at the funny things our kids do. I love going on dates with Lloyd and having fun with him.

• 13- Lloyd is talented. He knows how to figure things out on the computer that I don't have a clue about. He likes to play basketball (but he won't admit to be any good at it). Lloyd is great at taking and making family videos. He is a good driver and always drives because I don't like to. He is diligent about reading the newspaper and knows what's going on. He is great at taking care of our pool. If he had more time, he would like to do more gardening and home improvement. He would also like to do more backpacking.

• 14- Lloyd loves me unconditionally. Believe or not, I am not always the most lovable person. Lloyd knows all my shortcomings, but still loves me. I still remember the first day Lloyd said he loved me. It was October 2, 1992. I was so overjoyed and on cloud nine. I love Lloyd because he loves me for the person I am.

• 15- Lloyd is mine. As a girl growing up, I always wondered who my husband would be. I never dreamed I would marry someone as wonderful as Lloyd. He told me before we got married that he would treat me like a queen and he does! He really is a perfect match for me. I love and have always love married life. I really can't imagine spending my life and eternity with anyone else.

Finding the Time

Well, I finally had the time to update our family blog. I love three day weekends and the chance it gives me to catch up on things. Life constantly seems like a roller coaster. It's especially been challenging this year with me back to working almost every day (mostly half days, but it's still a challenge). I honestly feel so blessed to have the job opportunity I have to work part time in a kindergarten class. With the slow economy, I feel so grateful to have this opportunity to add to our family income. I still wonder how life got so busy. I am always hoping for an empty square on the calendar. Lloyd always reminds me that we have five kids and that means a busy life. Here are just a few things that keep me busy: laundry, serving in Young Womens, carpooling, Family Home Evenings, school activities and class parties, grocery shopping, Girl Scouts, visiting teaching, picking up toys, paying bills and trying to stay in a budget, meal preparation, organizing schedules, and did I mention laundry? Along with these things I have some things that keep me busy that I choose and want to do: going to the gym, playing on Facebook, reading books for book club, watching The Bachelor and American Idol, taking naps on the weekend, training for a half marathon, taking baths, scrapbooking on an occasional Friday night, taking friends out for their birthdays, and going on dates with Lloyd. Then, of course, there's the list of things I need to do better on: scripture study, temple attendance, being more patient and kind, and deep cleaning the bathrooms. I honestly believe our greatest challenge in these last days is deciding how we will spend our time. I am reminded of the talk by Dallin H. Oaks titled "Good, Better, Best." He talks about the good, the better, and the best ways to spend our time. I know I don't always spend my time on the best things. I think it's a good idea to take the time to reflect on life and recommit to what really are the most important things. This is and will always be a challenge for all of us - how to spend the precious commodity of time. Well, today I'm glad I had the time to update our blog with six new posts. I love it when our blog is up to date. I still enjoy going on Facebook more than I do blogging, but I treasure this blog for the memories it has captured. Hope you all have the time to create your best life!

My Valentines

I like sending out a Valentine to our family members each year. Just a simple card with a picture of the kids. I used this photo from the snow for this year's Valentine. I think it's a sweet picture of all five of the kids. Lloyd was making them laugh so they have such cute expressions on their faces. I just wanted to mention a couple things I love about each of these five precious valentines of mine.
*Courtney - She is my biggest help and greatest example. She is the peacemaker in the family. She's always willing to sacrifice her needs for her siblings' needs. She rarely complains and is so easy going. She is friendly and sensitive to others. I never doubt that she'll be successful throughout her life. She is confident, yet modest in all that she does.
*Katelyn- Katelyn is also a great helper. She loves to play with and read stories to the boys. She is innocent, yet inquisitive. She loves to stay up late like I do and keeps me company when she doesn't have to go to school the next day. Katelyn is very responsible and has lots of friends. She is a bit of a social butterfly. She's grown so much from that little girl who was scared to death of all animals, Santa, and Chuck E. Cheese.
*Kylie- Kylie has the strongest personality of all of my kids. She's very smart, almost too smart for her own good. She is determined and hard working when she wants to be. She is happy when she pleases others. She is always writing cute notes for us and her teachers. She still likes to give hugs and says, "I love you." She's is very competitive and sets high goals for herself. She can be a good playmate with Cameron and still loves to imagine when she plays.
*Cameron - Cameron is my active boy that is ready to go from the moment he wakes up. Recently I have noticed how much he loves little babies. He has always loved Conner, but also adores other babies. He takes care of Conner and makes sure his needs are met. If I give Cameron a cup of juice, he cries unless Conner gets one too. Cameron loves saying, "I love you, Mommy." Or he says "I love you and like you, Mommy" I can already see that Cameron is a very loving and sensitive boy. He also keeps life interesting; we never know what his next adventure will be.
*Conner- Conner is my sweet little baby. I snuggle him and play with him whenever I get the chance. I love kissing his different body parts and tickling him. I love listening to him repeat different things we say. Every time I come home and the garage door opens, Conner comes running out to greet me. I have to be careful that I don't run him over with the car. I have to admit, I love it when he wants me and no one else. I also adore his sweet blue eyes.

These five precious children are my greatest joy in life. I couldn't be more blessed!

Our Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has always been a favorite holiday of mine. It may have to do with the fact that I love the colors red and pink. I also love hearts. I love things that are romantic and I love chocolate (you can't have Valentine's Day without chocolate). We kind of have a tradition of making the kids' valentines each year. We've done lots of different kinds including some with heart puzzle games and paper doilies. This year we kept is simple. Katelyn ans Kylie made these valentines and attached a candy bracelet/watch to each one. I always give the teachers (and my coworkers this year), a bottle of Martinelli's sparkling cider. Instead of going out this year, we had the missionaries over to celebrate on Valentine's Day. It's actually becoming a tradition for us to have the missionaries over on holidays. Elder Wilson has been in our ward for seven months and has joined us for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and now Valentine's Day. Maybe he'll come for St. Patrick's day if he doesn't get transferred. For dinner we had a mock lasagna, garlic bread, Caesar salad, and sparkling cider.For dessert we had a chocolate and a strawberry cake that Courtney made for a Young Women camp fundraiser. We also had cookies, ice cream, and goodie bags filled with lots of chocolate candy. My favorite are the big Reese's hearts - lots of peanut butter. Dessert is my favorite part of the meal!

We had the Wright children over for dinner too. Courtney was babysitting them while their parents were at the temple. They look so cute here. Kylie is the same age as Jaden and Cameron and Megan are the same age. They love playing together. I told them they look like they are on a double date here. What cuties!Here we are with Elder Wilson and Elder Carter. Kylie did a pretty good job taking this picture of us. It was a Happy Valentine's Day for all of us!