A Few Things...

The past few months have been pretty normal around here. We've just been going about our regular routines of school, work, lessons, and play. In February, Em & Iza had their annual piano recital. Emma played Fur Elise and The Crystal Cave. Isabelle played Once Upon a December and The Drum Song. They played great and I was a proud momma.

Earlier this month my brother Jared came for a visit from Portland with his kids. We had a great time hanging out together and the kids loved spending time together. We celebrated Jacqueline's 10th birthday at Classic skating. Good times, good times.

Henry turned 10 months old on the 10th. I'm not ready for him to be a big boy. I just love that he can take a bath in the sink still. He gets so messy after he eats that I just pop him in the sink while I clean up. He thinks it's funny and laughs.

Last month He got a really bad cold. He had a hard time breathing so we had to give him breathing treatments to open up his little lungs. Poor little guy. Last week he had an ear infection and his ear drum burst. Not a happy little monkey. He is feeling so much better this week.

Spring break ended today. I would have loved a few extra days to finish up some projects around the house and more play time with my kids. We had a fantastic week going to movies, playing outside, and a few small day trips. We took the kids to This is The Place on Friday. I thought it would be a fun place for the girls to go since they are obsessed with all things pioneer. They play "pioneer" outside every chance they get.

Lucy insists on dressing herself these days. This is her favorite outfit for doing gymnastics. Don't you just love her tights? She makes me laugh.

I really can't tell you how much I'm ready for the weather to change. I'm usually pretty content with what is, but I'm tired of freezing. My yard needs me and I'm too big of a wuss to brave the cold and go outside. With Easter days away I'll be praying for warmth.

80's flashback dance

we celebrated mr. lloyd's 40th birthday with a big 80's flashback dance. it was so much fun. we all dressed in our 80's best and danced the night away with our dear friends and family. mr. has been planning this night for years now. it was the best way to usher in this next phase of adulthood.

mr. was a very convincing michael jackson. i had no idea that he could dance so well. this is the first time in our marriage that we've danced together. crazy i know. {i guess we don't get out much.} but needless to say the man has moves on the dance floor. i was impressed. and although he played the michael part well, he managed to avoid grabbing his crotch while dancing. phew.

i have to say that 80's hair is very stressful. I was concerned all night that my bangs weren't big enough and that my hair was getting flat. i'm happy to report, thanks to aqua net, it made it through the night standing tall.

This is mr. lloyds 2nd michael jackson look.

We had a photo booth available for everyone to capture memories of the night. i love how our pictures tell a story...

Some of the guys...

me and erin. she helped me out so much preparing for the party. everyone needs a friend like her!

the girls at the party...

the shepherd family

craig, emily, & tyler

{that's what friends are for}

i thought melanie looked like she belonged on a roller derby team

cami & danny

ashley & sam

troy & daph

the antidote {an 80's tribute band} they played great!

the sweeting family

as is typical with me when hosting a party, i never seem to get in all the pictures i should. so, i would like to ask that if you have pictures of the night {& i know you do} send them to me.

it was a great night and mr. & i have the greatest friends and family. thanks for celebrating with us.

happy 40th birthday mr. lloyd

he's finally reached the top of the hill. knowing him, instead of going over it & down the other side, he'll find another hill to climb.

40 reasons I love mr. lloyd (in no particular order)

1. he always does more than his fair share

2. feeding him always makes him feel better when he is cranky

3. he knows that compassion and love are better than being right

4. he truly doesn't care what other people think. he just does what is right for him

5. he is teachable

6. he is a better teacher than most

7. he makes a mean taco

8. he puts the kids to bed at night with quality stories and songs

9. he scratches my back... i never have to scratch his

10. he is much more handsome at 40 than he was at 30

11. his shoe collection puts any woman's to shame

12. age is not a number to him

13. he makes up the most ridiculous songs and sings them in his best Cark W.. Griswald voice

14. he always lets me choose what movie we see

15. he is always up before the alarm clock sounds

16. he does whatever he sets his mind to

17. he makes no excuses for his shortcomings (the few he has)

18. he loves the lord

19. he provides

20. he lets me be right (even when i'm probably not)

21. it's never too cold to wear shorts

22. he looks pretty hot in a pair of bike shorts

23. after 10 years of marriage he still can't load the dishwasher

24. he gets obsessed over lost things. he can't function until they are found

25. lately, he wakes up more with baby henry than i do. he knows i need my sleep

26. it's so normal for him to be happy all the time

27. when it comes down to $$$ vs. happiness, he'll choose happiness

28. he loves and adores his kids. he's the dad every kid deserves and wants

29. he refuses to quit

30. he ALWAYS laughs at his own jokes {he's the funniest person he knows}

31. he's the only one i've ever seen get my grandma to laugh out loud

32. he gave me the most beautiful wonderful babies

33. he's not to manly to put on an apron and make us dinner

34. he never complains

35. he's not too hard to figure out

36. i don't have to vacuum before he comes home

37. he hides and becomes invisible when i'm cranky

38. he kisses me every morning before he leaves for work

39. i don't have to worry when he leaves his wedding ring at home on the bathroom sink.

40. no matter what... i know he'll be with me forever

what mr. lloyd probably doesn't realize is that without him, i would be lost. he makes me a better person. i love him more than any list could say. happy birthday to a wonderful man. my husband and my best friend.

Valentine Cake Pops

I saw these tasty treats on cakepopsgalore and I had to try making them. My plan was for me and the girls to make them for the neighbors but I ended up doing it all because they were a little to tricky for small hands. You can find the recipe for cake pops just about anywhere online but I like this one.

Happy Valentines Day...

tragic...

Lucy killed Piglet. Poor little pig. He'll be missed.

BodyBugg

The last 3 weeks I have been dedicated and addicted to my new favorite toy. My bodybugg! It tracks how many calories I burn , {right now, post run, I'm burning 6.1 calories per minute}, how many steps I take, and how much physical activity I get in per day. I also have an account where I log my food and track how many calories I've eaten during the day. I have also set up goals where I am trying to lose 2 lbs per week which means I need to have a 1000 calorie deficit each day. I still have 20 post baby pounds that really don't want to leave.

I wish I could say that I have lost 6 lbs in my first 3 weeks. But I have not. If fact I have not lost any. Uggg! The first week I lost 3 lbs but have since replaced it with 3 lbs of muscle. I have stuck to my plan and am working my butt off. Even though the scale isn't my friend right now, I have lost inches and my body fat has gone down 3%. So I guess that is good news.

Today I ran my longest post baby run. 6 miles with no knee or hip pain. I felt great. My family is putting on the pressure to run a 1/2 marathon with them this spring. Now that my knee is feeling better I think I might join them after all.

I hope that I can report some good news on the weight loss matter soon. I go through this struggle every time I have a baby. I always think I can get back to "normal" sooner than I do. With the last 3 babies it took me an entire year. At this rate I'll be surprised if I make my year deadline. But I'm not about to give up. My mantra is ENERGY! I just keep reminding myself I have more than enough...

7 months

Dear Henry,

My adorable baby boy....

Please stop growing.

One little word

This year I was inspired by Ali Edwards to choose "one little word" for my new year resolution. After reading about this idea it didn't take me very long to choose my word for the year. {It almost felt like the word chose me}

Energy pretty much sums up everything I want this year to be. I want to be a positive energy in EVERY part of my life.

My spiritual goals, physical goals, motherly goals, and my goals to serve those around me can all be traced to my energy. I believe that the more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.

The energy of the mind is the essence of life.

-Aristotle

I challenged Mr. Lloyd to find his word for the year as well. He has chosen Endure. Like my word, he said that this was a word that covers it all. If any of you have a word that speaks to you I would love to hear it.

All I really want for Christmas is a nap!

I finally got one on Sunday. 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Ear plugs to drowned out the noise. My favorite yellow blanket. Brand new pillows in fresh cases... It was just the cure for my Christmas Hangover.

Looking back at my over scheduled month, I have to admit I'm glad it's over. There were to many parties {I was in charge of 5 of them in 2 weeks time}. Too many crafts {did I really have to crochet a hat for every kid I know???}. Too much food. Not enough time for games and snuggles from my family. Not enough time for me. I offer a public apology to Mr. Lloyd for my mood swings this month. I'm usually much more pleasant to be around.
Although it was great and always worth it, I am glad to be done with it all. Decorations have been put away, new toys are in the process of finding homes, and the basement gym is calling my name. I finally have back what I lost all through the month of December. FREE TIME!

For the first time in 9 years, my sister Heather and her family came for Christmas. Because of this, I felt compelled to sleep at my mom's house on Christmas Eve. It was CRAZY. 3 families + 11 kids+sugar+excitement= great memories.

I gave the kids a Nativity Script and instructed them to find costumes and put on a show. They looked hilarious. As always, we opened Christmas Eve pj's.
The kids were up at 7:30 Christmas morning. We opened presents from then til about 10:30. It takes that long when there are so many people and you open one at a time.
Henry's first Christmas. He looks sooo tired because he was awake ALLL night.

The girls got the first 8 episodes of Punky Brewster. Santa's awesome...
Lucy got what she wanted. Baby alive, strawberry shortcake, and some pony toys. She was wonderful all day.
Emma didn't really ask for anything. She said she had everything she wants. So Santa gave her this. She was thrilled! Lessons start next month. Iza has been asking for this for 2 years now. She was so happy to get it.
I hope you all had a great Christmas. I did. But mostly I hope you all get a post Christmas nap.

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year!