THE PAYNE POST

Conner Is a Sunbeam

2011-02-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

On January 2 my baby became a Sunbeam! I was excited for him to take this next step in Primary, but also sad because it means he's growing up. I can't believe I'll never have another child in nursery! Conner was the most adorable Sunbeam despite the big bruise on his forehead.
All of the kids in his class are so cute. They are on the best Sunbeam classes I've ever seen. They can sit through all of Sharing Time and their lesson this early in the year. The girls are absolutely precious and I can't believe they are all so smart. They truly must be a righteous generation!
I got to teach the Sunbeam class for the first few weeks of the year since they hadn't called a teacher yet. Then I got called as the Primary Secretary. I love getting to see the Sunbeams every week!

Our Christmas

2010-12-31T14:34:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve we had the missionaries and Jayne over for a turkey dinner. We had them join us at the block party and Jayne helped the neighbors put out the luminaries. After dinner we watched "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" and read the Christmas story from the Bible. We loved having them in our home!

Here are the kids on Christmas morning wondering, "What did Santa bring me?"

Courtney got a leather jacket, Katelyn got Just Dance 2, and Kylie got Toy Story 3 and fun slides. An unexpected gift was finding a Wii remote that had been lost for a couple weeks. We found it in the back of our closet.

Santa brought Cameron and Conner legos and a lego table.

A tradition from when I was a little girl is to always have sweet cereal on Christmas morning. This is a real treat because the rest of the year we try to eat less sweet cereal.

The kids always buy gifts for each other at the dollar store. This year the boys got these knight accessories from the girls.

We spent the Christmas evening at Grandma's house. We had a nice dinner with Bryce, Chareen, and Ray. We also got to open more presents!

Kylie loved this Littlest Pet Shop shirt from Grandma and Grandpa.

Cameron's favorite gift was this Star Wars Lego Wii game.

The girls were thrilled to get dozens of headbands and hair accessories from Grandma. She had been collecting them for weeks and the girls loved the huge variety.

What cute boys wearing the stocking caps and gloves from Grandma. Cameron got Star Wars and Conner got Toy Story.

Kylie got an art set. It will be perfect for writing all her stories!

Lloyd surprised me with an electric blanket to keep me warm in the winter. Lloyd was thrilled with his Belgian waffle maker from Mom and Jay. It was a great Christmas. We love being together and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T22:00:00.001-08:00

I love all holidays. I enjoy decorating, creating traditions, and celebrating in fun ways. I especially love Thanksgiving because of what it represents. I love focusing on all my blessings and expressing gratitude for them. I believe that true happiness comes from gratitude. This year I heard a Relief Society lesson given by Sister Mack on gratitude. I loved that lesson and tried to carry it in my heart throughout the entire holiday season. The lesson was based on President Monson's talk, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude." This year we were able to watch Cameron perform in a kindergarten Thanksgiving program. Al the kids looked so cute dressed up as pilgrims and Indians.

After the program all the students enjoyed a "feast."

Conner and I enjoyed seeing Cameron's Thanksgiving celebration. Cameron loves kindergarten and we are so grateful for his amazing teacher.

We had a quiet Thanksgiving at my mom's this year. We were so grateful that Bryce and Chareen were expecting their first baby in April.

Of course, my mom and Jay prepared a wonderfully delicious meal. They are both such talented cooks!

I consider my marriage to Lloyd one of my greatest blessings. He is such a loving, righteous, hard working, and sensitive husband. I am truly blessed!

Young Women In Excellence

2010-11-24T21:56:00.001-08:00

On November 3 we had Young Women in Excellence. This was my third one since being called to serve in Young Womens with Sister Regina Reavill. I made a very simple invitation that focused on this year's mutual theme. Actually, we tried to make the entire evening simple, yet spiritual. We held it in the chapel again this year. I love having it in the chapel because it really invites the spirit and you don't have to worry about decorating. Each of the girls either gave a short talk about a value experience or project they had worked on this past year, or they shared their projects with a table display. Courtney and Katelyn both chose to give a short talk. Courtney talked about a value experience for Good Works. She explained how she served our family by making dinner for us for a week. Katelyn spoke about the importance of Virtue and learning what it means to be virtuous. I was so proud of my girls and all of the Young Women. My favorite part was when they sang "I Am His Daughter" for the closing song. The young women are so beautiful, unique, and righteous. What a privilege it is to work with them.
The Young Women of Modesto 8th Ward

The Young Women leaders. I am so blessed to be able to serve with these amazing women.

My two "favorite" young women.

After the program we went to the cultural hall to enjoy mini fruit pizzas, the table displays, and the video slide show. I was so grateful to Lloyd who helped me make the video slide show that showed pictures from all our activities this past year. We made copies for each of the girls too. What a great memento of their young women years!

Halloween

2010-11-24T21:55:00.001-08:00

We were so excited when Brad and his family surprised us with a visit on October 16. We took their family to Del Osso Pumpkin Patch in Lathrop. We had a lot of fun at the petting zoo and on the hay ride.
Cameron and Cayden are only a couple months apart. They loved laughing and playing together.

Conner and Dylan are six months apart and they also loved being together. Dylan is such a cute chatterbox. It's too bad the boys only get to see their cousins a couple times a year because they really do love playing together.

For Halloween our theme this year was to try not to spend any money. The only costume I had to buy was Conner's Buzz Lightyear and I got it pretty cheap off of ebay. Courtney and Katelyn used my cheerleading uniforms from high school. Kylie wore a pixie fairy costume we already had. Cameron was Woody last year, but he didn't mind being Woody again. Halloween was on a Sunday this year so we celebrated by going to the ward party and handing out candy. We also had our traditional dinner of beef stew.

I think my Woody and Buzz were pretty cute!

I joined in with the girls and wore one of my old uniforms.

Lloyd and I got to go to a party at our friends' house. It's always fun to see how the couples dress up. We used the costumes we had from our Peter Pan year.

Time Out for Women

2010-10-10T22:38:00.001-07:00

This was my fifth time to go to Deseret Book's Time Out for Women. What a special treat it is to attend these events. They give me such a spiritual boost. They also help me to reprioritize my life and set new goals. This year it was held in Sacramento on September 10-11 and the theme was "Infinite Hope." I was only able to attend the Friday session because of my race on Saturday. I was able to hear two of my favorite speakers, Ardeth Kapp and John Bytheway. Sister Kapp spoke about hope and how we should never lose it. She also quoted one of my very favorite scriptures, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting upon the word of Christ and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20) She explained that the verb "ask" appears in the scriptures more than anything else. We need to always be asking Heavenly Father to give us the faith, hope, and charity we need to get through life. John Bytheway said we should pray daily for the Holy Ghost to be with us. We should Appreciate all our spouse does and not Expect or Demand our spouse to do things. When we hear speakers speak we should remember not only what the speaker says, but the spirit we feel and the commitments we make. I was grateful I was able to be spiritually fed by another Time Out for Women. I was also thrilled that twenty sisters from our ward were able to attend this year's Time Out for Women. I hope each one of them had a wonderful experience. After the Friday night session, Regina and I were able to go out to the Spaghetti Factory with our husbands. I was excited to go to one of my favorite restaurants to carb up for my big day. It was so fun to go on a double date with the Reavills.

Kylie's Luau Party

2010-10-10T22:37:00.001-07:00

Aloha! Kylie decided to have a luau party for her ninth birthday. Our friends, Jeff and Sherry Vail, made this amazing cake for her. They have become real experts in cake decorating and offered to share their talent. Kylie was so impressed with the cake and wrote them the most sincere thank you letter. The detail work is what is so amazing about the cake. Each flower is decorated with tiny detailing and the chocolate sea creatures were so adorable. The cake was both white and chocolate and tasted absolutely delicious!

All the girls looked adorable in their leis. What cute girls they are!

They had tons of fun playing in the pool.

Eating pizza was fun too!

We did a little hula dancing.

The party would not be complete without a pinata!

"Happy Ninth Birthday, Kylie!"

It's hard to believe my little girl is nine years old. She is growing up way too fast! Kylie is such a sweet and responsible girl. She does great in school and is such a gifted writer. I let her walk home from school every day and she loves being independent. She also loves to push herself to do her best and has already memorized all the Articles of Faith. She loves to help around the house and is so eager to please. Thank goodness she is still a little girl in some ways. She loves making clubhouses, playing with her Littlest Pet shop stuff, and imagining with stuffed animals. Kylie always says "I don't want to grow up. I want to stay your little girl forever." I wish she could stay my little girl forever!

Kids Triathlon

2010-08-31T22:46:00.003-07:00

In an earlier post I mentioned how I am always trying to convince others to do a triathlon. Well, I was able to convince all three of my girls to train for and race in the Rancho Seco Kids Triathlon on August 28. Unfortunately, Courtney got sick and was unable to do the race. Katelyn and Kylie did complete the race with mixed reviews. Kylie thought it was terrific. Katelyn did not have a good experience. We had to rush her to the start and she ended up not being able to breathe after the swim. She wanted to quit after the swim, but I encouraged her to do the bike. Once she completed the bike, she almost refused to do the one mile run. I told her I would walk with her. I basically forced her through it, but she crossed the finish line and got her finishers medal. Katelyn said she would not be opposed to doing another triathlon and hope for a better experience. Kylie can't wait to do another one. Kylie before her 50 meter swim.

Katelyn after her 150 meter swim.

Kylie running to the transition area after the swim.

Kylie loving it one the four mile bike ride.

Kylie stopping for water before heading out for the one mile run.

Kylie showing off her finishers medal.

Katelyn reluctantly crossing the finish line. We are so proud of you girls for completing your first triathlon!

Star Wars Party

2010-08-31T22:46:00.001-07:00

My kids always look forward to their birthday parties. Sometimes they even start talking about them six months in advance. We've done lots of different themes - swim party, luau, train, slumber party, High School Musical, girly girl, etc. I usually feel pretty comfortable with the theme. I try to decorate and plan activities to go with the theme. Well, when Cameron insisted that he have a Star Wars party I felt stumped. I don't really know that much about Star Wars - that's Lloyd's thing. I haven't watched the movies and don't know the lingo. Sure, I know who the main character are - Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and Princess Leia, but that's about it. There was no changing Cameron's mind about the Star Wars theme so I knew I would have to do some research for this party. Thank goodness for the internet! There were tons of ideas for Star Wars birthday parties. I also went to wikipedia to make sure I had all the correct terms like light saber (I thought it was lifesaver!), Jedi, Padawan, Jedi Knight, the Force, etc. Looking back on it, I had a lot of fun planning this party for Cameron, and Cameron absolutely loved it!

Here's all the supplies we used for a successful party: Star Wars party goods from Party City including a Darth Vader pinata, Jedi training badges for all the boys, Star Wars coloring sheets, a Star Wars Trouble game and matching game, lots of Star Wars toys, Star Wars Bingo game purchased online (the photos were great), light sabers made from foam pipe insulation and different tape (bought at Home Depot), Pop Rocks for game winners, and cupcakes with Star Wars pencil sharpeners on top.

As the boys arrived they had fun playing with all the Star Wars toys. A friend was kind enough to let me borrow some.

We also played a game called "Help Restore Order to the Galaxy." Each boy was either on the Empire team or the Rebellion team. They earned points for their team by placing their sticking on asteroids with different point values.

Princess Leia (Katelyn) came to help out at the party. We had asteroid pizza, light saber bread sticks, and Yoda soda for lunch.
Then the boys did their Jedi training and prepared for any attacks.
Sure enough, Darth Vader (Lloyd) showed up and kidnapped Princess Leia. Each of the boys individually fought Darth Vader, using the skills they had learned from the Jedi training.
In the end, all the boys attacked Darth Vader and the Jedis prevailed!

It was a great party for our six-year old Star Wars enthusiast and all his friends.

My Utah Get Away

2010-08-23T22:40:00.001-07:00

On August 18 I was able to take a trip to Utah all by myself. Lloyd went to Utah last November so now it was my turn. I was thrilled to be able to catch up with old friends and spend a day at BYU education week. Since I was only there for three and a half days I didn't want to spread myself too thin so I just focused on being able to see my two close friends, Laura and Kim. I was totally surprised and excited when I learned I was on the same flight to Utah as our good friend, Scott Wyckoff. We visited the whole flight and then I was able to visit with Rebekah Wyckoff when she picked us up from the airport. I was thrilled to see the Wyckoff family and there new home in Holladay. Here's a picture of me and Rebekah. A visit with her was a treat I had not expected!

On Thursday I spent the day with my very dear friend, Laura Reese. We have known each other since we were teenagers and were roommates in college. Laura and I both love to talk and I wasn't surprised that when I spent the night we stayed up until 4 am talking. Laura has so many talents and I love hearing about all her new endeavors. She is a great mom to four children, including two identical twin girls. She regularly volunteers at the hospital helping mothers with high-risk pregnancies. She is also very talented at blogging, decorating, fashion, computer/technology. She is always teaching me something new. She was the one who encouraged me to start this blog over three years ago! Laura loves to dress her children in the latest styles and she makes sure to always get a bargain. Then she turns around and resells the clothes on ebay; sometimes she sells them for buy than she paid. She also loves to read and is always the one I ask when I need a good book club pick. I will forever be grateful to Laura for the love and support she showed me during the Fall of 1994. I was a newlywed and Lloyd was gone in the Navy. Laura was taking a semester off from school. We were both lonely and really needed a friend. We went almost every day together talking, shopping, watching movies, and being friends. Laura was there for me during a very challenging time and I will never forget her kindness.While I was visiting Laura I was able to go on a six mile run around her home in Sandy. I thought it would be great training for my Half Ironman. I had the challenge of running the hills and running at a higher altitude. It was a great run! Laura was kind enough to take me to two Utah-only stores, Lime Ricki swimwear and Down East Outfitters. I've ordered online before, but it was great to go to the actual store! Then Laura and I met her two sisters and mother for dinner. Laura's sister, Holly was also my roommate at BYU. In fact, Holly and I were roommates my entire time at BYU. I also love Laura's mom and her sweet nature. It was wonderful to see the Alldredge girls.
The next day I spent with my close friend Kim Matz. Kim and I have known each other since we were six and have been best friends since we were 13. She is always there for me no matter what. She listens, encourages, offers advice, and truly loves me. I am so grateful for her friendship; it truly means the world to me. The last time Kim and I saw each other was November 2006 so we were so glad to be reunited. Kim has lots of talents too. She loves to read and watch movies; she was the first one to tell me about the Twilight series. Kim also loves to bake and decorate cakes. She made a cake for me to enjoy while I was there! I am so proud of Kim because she recently lost over 60 pounds and she is meticulous about keeping it off. We spent Friday at BYU education week. We were able to hear some hear some good speakers like John Byetheway, Merrilee Boyack, and Marvin Goldstein. The talks were fun and inspirational, but the best part was being with Kim. The other best part was the BYU mint brownies. They were amazing! It's a good thing they didn't have those when I was at BYU.

Another highlight of Education Week was reuniting with my favorite speaker from my teen years, Brad Wilcox. I loved this guy as a teenager - I mean really loved him. Most teenagers love rock stars or movie stars, but my idol was Brad Wilcox. I love his enthusiasm for life, his honesty, his teaching techniques, and his love. In over 20 years, Brad is still just as amazing. He is so popular I had to wait a long time to get this photo, but it was worth it!

On Saturday Kim and I had a Girls Day Out. We went and got facials at the Beauty College. I love facials; it's the ultimate form of relaxation. Then I got to go to another Utah favorite, Cafe Rio! This was my first time at a Cafe Rio restaurant. I've eaten the food before when my friend Ashleigh has made it. This food is the best - my mouth is watering just looking at this picture. Everything tasted just as good as when Ashleigh has made it, but the Cafe Rio tortillas were so much better. I can't wait to go to Utah again and go to Cafe Rio. After lunch Kim and I went to see "Knight and Day" at the movies. Then we had a barbecue with Kim's family. They have a great backyard. That evening Kim and I had a mint Oreo milkshake for dessert - so yummy!

The next day I got to go to church with Kim and her family. I was curious to visit her Young Womens since I am also serving in Young Womens in my ward. I love these pictures of me and Kim. I put the photo below in a frame on my dresser and I love seeing it every day. I loved doing tons of fun things with Kim, but the best part was just talking and being with her. We can talk for hours and hours. I love her so much. Being with her for just a couple days was such a gift. I am so glad I was able to take this trip.

Back to School

2010-08-18T13:05:00.002-07:00

Back to School time is always a bittersweet time for me. I am sad because it means the fun and lazy days of summer are over. It is also exciting because their are lots of new things for the kids to experience - a new class, new teachers, new friends, and new opportunities for growth. This year all five of the kids are in school since Conner is starting preschool for the first time. It's a bit crazy with five kids at four different schools! Thank goodness for car pools, responsible kids, and understanding teachers. So here are all five of my cuties on the first days of school. I can't believe Courtney is a sophomore - only two more years in high school! I hate that my kids are growing up so fast. I am trying to savor these years! CONNER

St. Paul's Preschool

Ms. Kim

Three Year Old Class

KYLIE

Orchard Elementary

Ms. Byars

Fourth Grade

and

CAMERON

Orchard Elementary
Ms. Nelson

Kindergarten

KATELYN

Savage Middle School

Seventh Grade

COURTNEY

Enochs High School

Tenth Grade

Rancho Seco Triathlon

2010-08-18T13:05:00.001-07:00

Since I have gained a new love for triathlons, I am always trying to convince others how fun they are. I can't understand why others don't think doing a triathlon is one of the best things in the world. I try to remind myself that we all have different interests and people don't want to hear me talk about triathlons for hours (because I could talk about them for hours if you give me the chance). Anyway, I was able to convince five of my friends to do a triathlon with me on August 7. It was a sprint triathlon at Rancho Seco. I am proud of each of my friends for taking on the challenge and successfully completing the triathlon. Cindy even got third place in her age category and she had to walk the entire run portion because of a sore hamstring. Cindy is totally amazing on the bike.

Here's me with Tami, Cindy, and Ann before the race.

We're showing our stuff!

Lloyd got these pictures of me on the bike and run. I don't think I'll ever be able to convince Lloyd to do a triathlon, mostly because of the swim. I think he prefers being my cheerleader and photographer. I really pushed myself on the bike this time. I was able to get my fastest time at the Rancho Seco sprint distance. My goal was under 1:45 and I came in at 1:44:32. I was thrilled to have reached my goal! I love the high I feel after doing a race; it's the best feeling in the world. I think I keep doing triathlons because I am addicted to that feeling!
I am so lucky to have the most supportive husband. He supports me and cheers me on not only on race day, but also during all the training that leads up to the race!

Courtney's Birthday Celebration

2010-08-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

This year for Courtney's birthday we went to the water slides instead of doing a traditional birthday party. She chose her best friend, Kelly, to come along. Since Kylie and I both have birthdays coming up we decided to go too. It was perfect because a lot of the slides are for two or four people so we always had a partner. This was my second time going to Golfland Sunsplash. It's a great water park with lots of different slides. We love the "toilet bowl" slides and our favorite is The Vortex. The Vortex is a four-story drop into a eight-foot pool; it's such adrenaline rush! Going on water slides is actually one of my most favorite things in the world. I love them more than any ride at an amusement park. I love them so much I even have dreams about them! These water slides are right next to In-N-Out Burger so we had the perfect spot for lunch. All four of us really had a blast!
Here's Courtney and Kelly on the "Bermuda Triangle" river

Kylie and me at the wave pool. She was a great partner on the slides!

Youth Temple Baptisms

2010-07-20T21:19:00.001-07:00

On July 30 Lloyd and I got to take the youth to the Oakland Temple for temple baptisms. Since it was summer a lot of the youth were out of town and all the young men were at scout camp. We got this sweet picture of the young women who were able to attend. Katelyn turned twelve in May so this was her first time doing temple baptisms. Lloyd even got to baptize her. I feel so privileged to be able to serve in the Young Women program. I felt so much love and peace as we worshipped together in the temple. These girls are such precious daughters of our Heavenly Father. Here is a picture of our Young Women presidency. I also feel blessed to serve with such righteous and inspirational women. There is such joy in serving the Lord. I am so grateful for this special opportunity.

Meeting Chris McCormack

2010-07-20T14:21:00.002-07:00

I received an email inviting me to hear Chris McCormack, 2007 Ironman World Champion, speak in San Jose. With my new addiction to triathlons and my dream of some day doing an Ironman, I jumped at the chance to meet Chris. The event was free. They only asked for a donation to Macca Now. Macca Now is a charity foundation that Chris established in honor of his mother who died of breast cancer. So Courtney and I went to meet Chris on July 15. I braved the long drive (for me) to San Jose to meet an Ironman Champ. Courtney got this picture of me with Chris before he started speaking. The first thing we both noticed was his Australian accent - we loved it! I mentioned to Chris that we were the same age - both born in 1973.

As Chris spoke he shared about his life and his childhood dream of some day winning the Kona Ironman Championship. He explained that his mother was the one person who never gave up on him. He talked about how he went to college and became an accountant and that he really hated having a desk job. He quit his job and decided to pursue being a professional triathlete. He was scared to tell his dad he quit so he would dress in his work clothes every day and then go out and train all day instead of working. He finally confessed to his dad and left to Europe to pursue his triathlon career. He had no place to live in Europe and really no plan, but he just went for it. He won the first triathlon he did there and began training with other triathletes. Chris then shared the ups and downs of his triathlon career. He had many successes and failures. He won a lot of races, but also had to deal with the disappointment of not being asked to be on the Australian Olympic team. The first Ironman Chris did in Kona was a disaster. Despite his pre-race bragging, he didn't even finish. Finally, in 2007 he reached his childhood dream of winning in Kona. Chris was very candid and sincere as he spoke. At first I observed him to be very humble, but I also saw his cocky and prideful side come out too. Chris is a fighter and he will openly defend himself. He spoke of a disagreement with Norman Stadler and how he wouldn't tolerate Stadler bad mouthing him. I felt touched when he spoke about his best friend dying when he was partying and fell out the window of a hotel room. Chris has been labeled as a "party boy" too, but he has settled down and is married and has two adorable daughters. I loved hearing Macca's life story and was so glad I got to meet him. I thought he would speak a bit more about inspiring others to be successful at doing triathlons. I would have liked to have heard more training advice and recommendations. After the event, Courtney and I went to my favorite restaurant in San Jose, The Sonoma Chicken Coop. The food was so delicious. I still think about this ranch calzone I had there; it was one of the best things I've ever eaten!

P.S. Chris went on the win the 2010 Ironman World Championship in Kona. I loved watching the race on the internet and then again on the NBC coverage months later. Chris was neck and neck with Andreas Ralert from Germany with less than three miles left of the 140.6 mile race. It was the closest race in the history of the Ironman Championship - even closer than the Ironwar between Mark Allen and Dave Scott in 1989. I loved watching Chris win and since I've met him and heard him speak I knew how much it meant to him. Awesome job, Macca!

Our 16th Anniversary

2010-07-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 16th Anniversary with a trip to Yosemite for two nights (July 8-10). It was just the two of us so it was such a treat. Lloyd and I both love being outdoors and with Yosemite practically being in our backyard we couldn't have picked a better place.
We got around the valley on our mountain bikes. It was a lot more fun than taking the shuttle. The first night we got there we had a beautiful ride at dusk, unfortunately that was the time when all the mosquitoes came out too!
We had a little canvas tent cabin in Curry Village. It wasn't real fancy, but you can't beat the location - right on the valley floor!

Our wedding day was 7-09-94. We thought it was very ironic that our cabin was #7-09. It was meant to be for our anniversary!

My best souvenir was this little towel from the pool. The attendant said I could keep it. I just love it because it's the perfect size for spin class!

The highlight of our trip was floating down the Merced River. It was so peaceful! I loved letting the river pull me along as I enjoyed the gorgeous views of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and all the beauty of Yosemite. Our only complaint was that our river trip was too short - less than an hour of floating and then the river is blocked off. I could have been on that river for hours!
You can see upper Yosemite Falls in the background!

We are so glad we brought our own boat. We didn't want to rent one for such a short trip!

Relaxing by the pool (without any kids) was heavenly!

On our final day of the trip (and Lloyd's birthday) we hiked to the top of upper Yosemite Falls. Here we are at Columbia Rock. The view was breathtaking! Here's Lloyd next to the falls on the way up the trail.
Here's the view of the valley floor once we reached the top of the falls...

...and here's the top of the falls!

Glad to have reached the top - hold on! The foot bridge over the falls was a cute little bridge.

We hiked a bit more to Yosemite Point. A nice man took this photo of us with Half Dome in the background. It was a strenuous hike. First it was all uphill and then, on the way back, it was all downhill. The downhill is actually a lot harder for me. We've done Half Dome the past two years so it was fun to do something different!

After the hike we celebrated Lloyd's birthday at Claim Jumpers, our favorite!

The kids sang "Happy Birthday" to their Dad and enjoyed his favorite birthday cake - an apple pie. We were so grateful to Bryce and Chareen for watching the kids. It was a perfect anniversary and birthday celebration for me and Lloyd.

Conner's Swim Lessons

2010-07-08T02:26:00.001-07:00

This was Conner's first year of swimming lessons (June 21-30). It was quite an experience! On the first day he HATED it! He wanted me to hold him and didn't want anything to do with the water. I literally had to sit by the edge of the pool and force him to stay there. I really felt like he was the "problem child" and I got several sympathetic looks from parents! The next day was a little better, but not by much. When the teacher asked all the kids to put their face in the water and blow bubbles, Conner emphatically said, "I NOT blow bubbles!" The swimming lessons were for two weeks and every day he improved a little more and cried a little less. I took all of these photos on his last day. I was so proud of the progress he made. We'll see how next year goes!

He finally agreed to blow bubbles. He was so proud of himself!

His teacher was very patient!

I adore his smile!

He loved grabbing his fish ring!

This took a lot of courage for him!

I love my little swimmer. I think he's a real cutie!

Eclipse

2010-07-08T02:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did it again! I went to the Midnight Showing on another Twilight movie. The third movie, Eclipse, came out at midnight on June 30. So we headed to the theater late on June 29. It was really crowded with lots of Twilight fans! Katelyn got to come along this year with her friends Brianna and Caslynn. I had fun hanging out with their moms! I think we all agreed this was the best Twilight movie so far (and I didn't hear many complaints about Taylor Lautner having his shirt off for most of the movie). The Twilight midnight showings has become a tradition for me. I guess I'll have to continue it with the fourth and fifth installments!

Serpentarium

2010-07-08T02:22:00.001-07:00

On June 26 we took a little field trip to the Serpentarium in Stockton which is a living reptile museum. We got to see tons of reptiles - snakes, turtles, lizards, iguanas, etc. We also saw several insects, frogs, and snake eggs about to hatch. The highlight of our trip was seeing a live feeding - it was truly amazing to see how quickly the live mouse was snatched up by the reptile!

All of us, except for Conner thought the animals were pretty interesting. It is amazing how many different creatures there are here on earth!Cameron

Kylie

Kristi Lloyd

and Conner not looking too thrilled!

We were glad we could shared this fun trip with the Haslem, Lees, Boyds, and Counters!

Camping with Grandpa

2010-06-30T12:01:00.001-07:00

Lloyd's dad came out for his annual trip from Utah. We are always so excited to see him and appreciate his visits. We decided to go camping and take him to
Yosemite this year. Our trip was June 27-29.
We had fun at the Visitors Center and exploring the park by riding the shuttle.

We also enjoyed a picnic lunch while we soaked in the beauty of Yosemite.
The camping at Yosemite Pines was really fun too! Grandpa even brought us a new tent. We were shocked when the sprinklers came on in the middle in the night! We enjoyed being together, cooking out, playing on the playground, and swimming in the pool. It was a great trip with Grandpa!

Half Dome Midnight Hike

2010-06-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Lloyd hiked Half Dome for the fifth time on June 21. He went with three other guys from our ward- Ben, Roy, and Jonathan.They started at 10 pm and reached the top at sunrise.
Here's a photo of the long climb up the cables to reach the top of Half Dome. It's an exciting and daring trip!
He made it! Now it's time to relax and enjoy the sunrise.

It's a long and scary drop down from the diving board. Nothing can really compare to the exhilarating feeling at the top of Half Dome. Lloyd loves it, but would like to try something different now. He'll be climbing Mount Whitney at the end of August. Keep it up, Lloyd!

Rancho Seco Camping and Triathlon

2010-06-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

On June 4-5 we went camping at Rancho Seco and I did my first triathlon of the season. I loved having my whole family there to cheer me on.
It was a sprint distance - a half mile swim, 16 miles on the bike. and a 3 mile run. It was still a challenge. I am gearing up to do a half ironman triathlon at the of the summer. This was good training in preparation for my big race!
The kids and Lloyd enjoyed playing on the beach and swimming in the lake. The water was actually really warm! It was so fun to camp out and be together as a family. In fact, we loved it so much we are going camping at Rancho Seco four different times this year!

Katelyn's 12th Birthday

2010-05-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Katelyn turned 12 this year which means lots of exciting things. She is now in Young Womens and she got her ears pierced. She had a swim birthday party.

Katelyn has lots of friends who love her.

Even at 12, pinatas are still fun!
On her actual birthday, May 31, she got your ears pierced at the mall. Grandma insisted on paying for this special gift. Here she is BEFORE.
DURING - she opted for both ears to be pierced at once.

AFTER - a beautiful and new look!The Beehives heart attacked Katelyn to welcome her to Young Women. I can't believe she's growing up so fast! She is such a helpful, kind, smart, and friendly girl. We think we'll keep her!

Father/Son Camp Out

2010-05-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

This was the first year Lloyd took both of the boys on the Father/Son Camp Out on May 14-15. I was more than thrilled for them to go for the night, but honestly after a couple hours I started missing them and the house felt too quiet.

These brothers really are inseparable - they are best friends and buddies!

My cute "baby" is 3 years old - not a baby any more!

Cameron at age 5 is still full of energy and curiosity.

They love sleeping in a tent!

Yummy breakfast in the morning! We are so grateful for these little boys. They keep us busy and create lots of excitement. Lloyd is a fabulous daddy to them. I am sure they will be going on camp outs for years to come!

Mother's Day

2010-05-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this is my 14th Mother's Day as a mother. Time has really flown since I celebrated my first Mother's Day in 1996 when Courtney was only nine months old. Growing up I dreamed of becoming a mother. I truly thought there was no better job in the world. I couldn't wait to be a Mommy to my own little ones. Well, now I can honestly say motherhood is much more challenging than I ever dreamed it would be. I am always feeling inadequate and unsure of where I should devote my time and energy. I have truly been humbled as a mother and I openly admit to my children that I am less than perfect. Thank goodness children are so loving and easy to forgive! I would like to share a quote from Sister Hinckley that reminds me to cherish my years of motherhood.

"These are golden years for you. These are years when you will probably do the most important work of your lives. Don’t wish away your years of caring for small children. Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans. This is a time of great opportunity for you to build the kingdom. When you teach children to love their Heavenly Father, you have done one of the greatest things you will ever do."

I thought I would begin this post with this precious photo that was taken this Mother's Day - May 9, 2010. I like this photo because I am surrounded by my five little sweethearts. This picture makes me feel so loved and full of joy.

Lloyd made sure my Mother's Day had a perfect start by getting me my favorite treat - a huge cinnamon roll from Fuddruckers! I loved every bite of it!

Then we went to church for a beautiful sacrament meeting and my children gave me cards with these adorable photos! This picture wasn't taken on Mother's Day - it was taken a few weeks before. I love it because it reminds me that we need to enjoy each other and play together. I am glad my kids can have fun together!

In just a few, short years these little children will be grown and gone. I am trying to hold fast to these golden years and cherish everything - the fun, the chaos, the craziness, the challenges, and the memories.

I'd like to end this post with an inspirational quote from Jeffrey R. Holland. I am so grateful the Lord is there for me as I embrace this journey called motherhood.

"Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever. And “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.” You are doing God’s work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even—no, especially—when your days and your nights may be the most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master’s garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and sometimes weep over their responsibility as mothers, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” And it will make your children whole as well. "

Scrapbooking Cabin (Mormom Moms Gone Wild)

2010-04-27T23:41:00.001-07:00

I was so blessed to be able to go scrapbooking with ten other friends at our annual retreat at the cabin. We've been going since 2006 and we all love it. This year we added another night to the trip so we could be there for three nights (April 28-May 1). We had a blast and got a lot of scrapbooking done too. I love these women and feel so grateful for their examples and the ways in which they touch my life. It was so much fun to laugh and be very silly. Here's our top 10 memories!

Top 10 Scrapbook Cabin 2010 Memories

1- Getting caught in a blizzard. It was pretty scary. Bless Bishop Zwahlen's heart for coming to rescue us.

2- All 11 of us braiding our hair and getting the adorable picture above. Lloyd said it looks like "Mormom Moms Gone Wild"

3- Our "food babies." The fathers were mint brownie, scotcheroo, or oreo.

4- Doing step class, the splits, and gymnastics in the kitchen area.

5- Another year of Cafe Rio. We can never have enough Cafe Rio! I should add, we can never have enough diet Pepsi either.

6- "Frozen diapers" - Ashleigh never fully explained this one so we are still wondering.

7- My crush on Paul, aka Tom Selleck

8- Brittany shoveling snow

9- "Nuggets" and "Sizing Up" (I think you had to be there).

10- Lauri reminding us that this is "the last time" for the scrapbooking cabin. We hope not, but we also understand. Me - for some reason I like to stand when I scrapbook!Starla and LauriKathryn and Cindy Stacey and Natalie

Katie, Diana, and Brittany

Katelyn's Braces

2010-04-27T23:40:00.001-07:00

On April 19 Katelyn got her braces! She was so excited. She has been such a trooper about them. She rarely complains about them hurting and she meticulously brushes her teeth. Katelyn looks adorable with her new tin grin! BEFOREDURING

AFTER

In about two years, Katelyn will be sporting a whole new smile. Can't wait to see it!

Magic Mountain

2010-04-18T22:58:00.001-07:00

I took my girl scout troop to Magic Mountain April 5-7. We had been preparing and looking forward to this trip for about three years. we sold lots of cookies and saved our money so we could go. It was a great time for me, my co-leader and the nine girls (ages 13-15) who came.

Our trip started at the Modesto Amtrak station early on Monday morning.

We took the train to Bakersfield and then we took a bus to Valencia.
In Valencia we took the city bus to our hotel. We were quite the travelers!
On Tuesday we went to Magic Mountain. I have never seen so many roller coasters in my life. Each ride was a little different, but my very favorite was X2. It was so different than any roller coaster i have ever been on. It plays music throughout the ride and it makes for a very unique experience.
It was fun to spend time with Courtney.

We even met the dancing old man from the Six Flags commercials. I think we all enjoyed the trip - the train rides, the Holiday Inn express, going out for pizza, getting a midnight snack at Denny's, and just laughing and being together. Girl scouts can be fun!

Our Easter

2010-04-09T02:55:00.001-07:00

Our ward didn't have an egg hunt planned so I decided to organize one at the park. A lot of kids showed up ready to hunt. They still loved finding all the eggs even though it was raining a bit.
Here's my kiddos - Conner, Cameron and Kylie hunted, and Katelyn and Courtney (along with other youth from our ward) hid the eggs.
At home we dyed eggs and each of the kids got an Easter bucket. Since Easter was on General conference this year it was a very relaxing day to spend with the family.

Jerusalem Dinner

2010-03-31T22:39:00.001-07:00

On March 31 we had a beautiful Young Women activity to celebrate Easter. It was called a Jerusalem Dinner and helped us to think about the Savior and the time in which he lived. We all sat on the floor and ate with "candlelight."

We also made a "names of Christ" garland with different names of the Savior and scripture references. Some names we shared were: the Prince of Peace, the Mediator, Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, Redeemer, Bread of Life, and Counselor.We ate olives, fish, rice, melon, resurrection rolls, and grape juice.The priests in our ward were the most polite ans helpful waiters.

To end the evening we watched the video "To this End was I Born." Bishop Allen then spoke with us about the Savior's final week on the earth. It was a very spiritual evening and really set the tone for a beautiful Easter season.

Easter Run and Carnival

2010-03-29T23:31:00.003-07:00

Last year Katelyn Kylie, and I went to the Easter Run and Fun in Lodi. We had so much fun there we decided to bring the whole family this year.Even the Easter Bunny comes out for the run. Lloyd and I both ran the 5K. I was glad to be running again after taking a break due to my plantar fasciitis. Kylie ran the quarter mile kids run. She was more than thrilled to have come in first out of around 30 kids. She's our competitive girl!

After the run we attended a carnival at a nearby church. We had an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast and played lots of games. We won five cakes at the cake walk.Conner and Cameron got to participate in the egg hunt. Kylie was disappointed because it was only ages 1-5.All the kids rode on the train before we left the carnival. It was another fun time. I think we'll be back again next year!

Being an Auntie in Arizona

2010-03-29T23:31:00.001-07:00

My sister, Karen, and her husband were lucky enough to go on a cruise to the Bahamas. Karen has been such a fun and loving Auntie to my kids for many years. I have always been worried that I will be the old and boring Aunt to my nieces and nephews. With that being said, I couldn't resist the opportunity to help watch Karen's kids while she was away on her cruise. I got to spend four days (March 19-23) with these two cuties - Ethan, age three and a half, and Adelaide (Addie) age 2.

Ethan is such a handsome and bright boy. He began talking at a very young age and still speaks like a much older child. I told Karen I think he must be gifted! He was a great helper and so much fun to talk to.Addie is Karen's sweet little girl. She loves girly things and insists that anything pink is hers. She loved playing with the baby doll I brought her. She doesn't even cry when you put her to sleep in her crib, probably because that's the only time she gets her pacifier that she calls her "wa wa."

I thought it was sweet and cute that Addie kept calling me "Mama." I think I must have reminded her of Karen. Ethan called me "Aunt Kristi." I can only hope that he thought I was a fun and loving Aunt (like Karen was to my kids for so many years). Here I am with "eating up" these two sweetie pies.Katelyn joined me for the trip to Arizona. It was a great time for us to bond as mother and daughter. She also helped out a lot with the kids.

We had a lot of fun while we were there. We made cookies, went out for ice cream, played in the back yard, read books, played games, went to church, and went out to Cici's Pizza (I've seen so many commercials for it, I had to try it).

Karen came back from her cruise on our last day there. She took us out for a delicious lunch.
Then we went to the park. I was glad to see Karen and her cute kids. We wished they lived closer. We love you guys!

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-29T23:30:00.001-07:00

For St. Patrick's Day this year, we had a real feast - corned beef, cabbage, broccoli, green mashed potatoes, lime jello, Irish soda bread, limeade, and mint Oreo pie for dessert. The kids love our traditional March 17th meal. My mom always made the holidays fun and I love to carry on the traditions.

March..Already!

2010-03-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already March. I think it's true the older you get, the more quickly time passes. January and February seemed to just zoom by. Again, I have neglected our blog due to other things that have taken our time and energy. I have been busy working on average of about 2-3 days a week. In February I subbed for someone for six days straight and didn't do any laundry for like ten days; it was pretty sad. We've also been busy with Girl Scout cookie sales. This is my ninth year selling GS cookies and I'm looking forward to hopefully only doing it for a few more years. I was also in charge of a big service project at church on February 26; I am so relieved it's over. Thankfully, we have all been healthy and happy. I sometimes feel sad my kids are growing up so fast. I try to cherish each day I have with them. We are doing our best to keep the commandments, but also realize we are far from perfect. We do feel the Lord's blessings in our life and feel so grateful for all that we have. Thirteen new posts from December, January, and February follow this one. Things seem to be slowing down a bit for now so hopefully we'll be able to stay more current with the blog. Hope all is well for you!

My First 100K Bike Ride

2010-02-28T17:45:00.001-08:00

On February 27 I did my first 100K (67 miles) bike ride in Linden. Of all the races, triathlons, and runs I've ever done, I think this was my very favorite. I absolutely LOVED it! I know I look just a little too happy in this photo.

I was a little nervous before the ride started. I had done 45 miles on my own and was pretty sure I could do 67, but I was also a little unsure of what to expect. I went by myself. It would be nice to have a riding partner, but I really don't mind going on my own. I like being able to go at my own pace - not too fast or too slow. It was a cool and windy day. Many people thought it would rain, but it was clear during the entire ride.

I refuse to wear the unattractive biking jerseys, but I would like to get some more cycling stuff when I can afford it. I would love to get some padded biking shorts, sport sunglasses, bike shoes and clipless pedals. I am really trying to work on my cycling to prepare for the half ironman I am doing in September. That race will be 56 miles on the bike followed by a 13.1 mile run. I thought this ride was a great way to prepare myself for the half ironman.

I started on the ride at 9:00 am. The wind was really strong at the beginning. I rode for about 15 miles and then I arrived at the first rest stop. I had never seen so much food at a fitness event. They has muffins, bagels, PB&J sandwiches, cookies, brownies, fruit, etc. I really stocked up. I ate half a chocolate muffin and some brownies. I had been on a diet leading up to the ride so the food tasted amazing and gave me so much energy. I rode another 20 miles and then we had lunch. Again, tons of food. The second half of the ride we had a tail wind which made it seem like I was flying on my bike. My pedometer said I got up to 36 mph going down a hill. It felt fast! Around mile 50 there was yet another rest stop with even more food. I seriously think I ate at least six brownies during the ride. I had so much energy because of all the food they served. I finally arrived back at the ride starting point, my GPS only said 66 miles so I rode one more mile to make it 67. We were served a catered pasta lunch at the end of the ride. I met so many people and had such a great time. I was a tiny bit sore, but felt such an amazing high. I think I loved it so much for two reason, 1- it wasn't a race and 2-I loved eating all that food. They don't feed you like that when you do marathons and triathlons. I think I'm going to love these bike rides. It took my 4 hours and 18 minutes to complete the 67 miles (not counting the rest stops). I have a lot more confidence in myself and think I will be able to make it through the half ironman in September. It will be a totally different experience though because it will be a race and it won't be serving tons of food.

I just have to mention the scenery of the ride was amazing! I got to ride through almond, apple, cherry, peach, pear, plum and walnut orchards. The February blossoms were so beautiful. I also saw vineyards and serene streams of water. I really was in heaven. I feel so grateful to be able to exercise. I get such a happy and peaceful feeling when I do. Nothing in life compares to how I feel when I doing what I love most. My next ride is on April 10; I'm going to go for 88 miles. I can't wait!

Conner's Three Year Old Photo Shoot

2010-02-28T17:44:00.002-08:00

We took Conner in for his three year old photos shoot. We think he's pretty cute. He didn't mind taking the photos at all; he loved it! His favorite part was sitting in the firetruck!

Our Valentine's Day

2010-02-28T17:44:00.001-08:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I love Valentine's Day. I think i just love what it represents and symbolizes - love, romance, pink and red, and hearts. Every year I make a Valentine to send out to our families. I love using pictures from our snow trips.

The Friday before Valentine's Day Lloyd and I went on a date to the temple. Luckily, Courtney had the day off so she was able to babysit for us. It was wonderful to be in the temple together. It's hard to believe we've been married for over 15 years. This year Valentine's Day was on a Sunday. We had a beautiful sacrament meeting at church. After church we had one of our favorites for dinner - tri tip.The kids also decorated cookies. Each of the kids got a little present. Grandma also gave them shirts and presents.

I am so lucky to have such a loving, patient, hard working, and righteous husband. I love my Prince Charming!

For Family Home Evening, the Monday after Valentine's Day we drew names for each other and made valentines. It was fun to create such cute cards. Family life can be hard, but we love each other so much!

New Bunk Beds

2010-02-28T17:43:00.000-08:00

On January 23 the boys got new bunk beds! We wanted to upgrade Conner from a toddler bed when he turned three. I checked craigslist for weeks trying to find the perfect one. I really wanted something durable for these active boys. I missed getting two other bunk beds I saw on craigslist. I was a little disappointed until we saw this one. It came with a desk and dresser too, and the seller even gave us the bedding. This oak set is very durable - perfect for our little guys.Cameron is suppose to sleep on the top bunk and Conner on the bottom. However, almost every night Conner is up top with Cameron. These two brothers really love and watch out for each other.

Snow Trip - January 18-19

2010-01-20T21:41:00.002-08:00

Last year on Martin Luther King day we went up to Long Barn to play in the snow and get away for a night. We decided to continue the tradition this year. We ended up going to Pinecrest instead of Long Barn this time. It was snowing a lot on the days we were there. One of our chains broke so it was quite an adventure. We're glad we were able to safely travel to and from Pinecrest.
The snow was absolutely gorgeous. We loved playing in it until we got too cold. It was great that we had a room to warm up in. We love to visit the snow, but are glad we don't live in it. This is what our van looked like in the morning. I think our Martin Luther King Day snow trips are becoming a tradition. They are snow much fun!

Girls' Weekend

2010-01-20T21:41:00.001-08:00

In January I was feeling pretty burned out. Lloyd suggested I go stay for a night at a hotel to just relax and have some time to myself. I decided I would feel pretty silly going to a hotel all by myself so I brought Courtney and Katelyn along. We had a great time. We saw the movie "Leap Year," went out to eat at Mimi's Cafe, we read, watched TV, and slept in. It was a special time for all three of us.

Give a Day, Get a Disney Day

2010-01-20T21:40:00.001-08:00

On January 16 Bryce, Lloyd, Courtney, Katelyn, Kylie, and I all volunteered at a Rose Garden in San Jose as part of Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Day." My entire family volunteered at different service opportunities so we can all go to Disneyland in June.

There were hundred of volunteers at the Rose Garden. It was a beautiful day! We pulled a few weeds and covered the rose beds with fertilizer.We all agreed it was fun to serve. We would have done it even if we hadn't gotten the free Disney tickets. We'll have to go back to the Rose Garden in the spring to see the fruits of our labors.

Conner Is Three!

2010-01-08T23:12:00.002-08:00

Sadly, my baby turned three on January 9, 2010. Yes, he's a big boy now and I'm pretty sad about it. He loved his "Happy Birthday." He turned three and had three different parties to celebrate. The first one was at Burger King with all his little friends from church. The kids loved playing and eating their kids meals. It was the easiest party ever!
His second party was a family party at Chuck E. Cheese's. He loves this place. We all had a great time!We took him out for ice cream after Chuck E. Cheese's. It was so adorable when Conner wiped Cameron's messy face with a napkin.

Conner was a lucky boy. He got a new wagon and Diego bike.

His third party was at Grandma's and Grandpa's. Grandpa got him a cake and gave him a construction set.
I know I am his mom, but I have to admit Conner is one of the cutest and sweetest little boys. He talks a lot and he says the funniest things. We all love and adore him so much! Happy Birthday, Bubba!

New Years 2010

2010-01-08T23:12:00.001-08:00

For New Year's Eve, the whole gang came to our house for a fun, family party.On New Year's Day we took the kids to Del Osso's Holiday on the Farm. They had fun jumping on the pillow jumpers, playing in some "snow," going on the train, and racing bikes. It was a fun day to be with our cousins! I loved seeing my sister!

Our Christmas

2009-12-26T14:39:00.003-08:00

The fun and joys of Christmas morning ... "Look what Santa brought us!"Later we spent Christmas at Grandma's. These pictures were taken on Sunday, December 27.Grandma and Grandpa with their nine grandchildren.

Christmas Traditions

2009-12-26T14:39:00.001-08:00

For Christmas 2009, we have continued with many of the holiday traditions we have come to love... *I made 100 Christmas cards and sent our annual newsletter out with them. We tried to keep the cards simple this year!

*For friend gifts we gave out children's books about "The First Christmas" and chocolate covered peppermint sticks. I looked all over town for the peppermint sticks and finally just ordered them online this year!
*A tradition we've had for years is to dress the kids in coordinating Christmas outfits. The girls have outgrown the matching dresses, but I still got to match the boys this year (these adorable vests were hand me downs from a good friend).

*Every year the kids look forward to going to "Journey to Bethlehem" at the Grace Community Church in Ceres. This year Grandpa Jay came along. You really have to bundle up because it's quite chilly in the cold December night. I opted to stay home with Conner this year (actually I was truly being a wimp about the cold).
*Every year we attend the Ward Christmas Party. I especially love going now that I'm no longer in charge of it.
The Young Women sang "The Twelve Days of Christmas" at the ward party. The younger kids sat on Santa's lap - Conner didn't love it!

*We love to drive around and look at all the lights around town. This home was featured in the newspaper so we decided to check it out. All the lights are synchronized with Christmas music played on your car radio; it was pretty amazing!

*We always take the kids Christmas shopping for each other and Mom and Dad at the Dollar Tree. The kids love picking out gifts and giving them to each other. I was able to get this picture in the Dollar Tree this year. The girls thought it was pretty embarrassing, but I think it's cute.

*We always have a block party on Christmas Eve and decorate our street with these luminaries. We call it "Santa's runway."

*We try to make it up to Temple Hill at least once during the holidays. The lights are fun to see, sometimes we watch a concert, and we take the kids to the Visitors' Center.

We are glad we are creating holiday traditions. We really look forward to them every year!

Photos with Santa

2009-12-17T23:32:00.001-08:00

We added another Santa photo to the collection. At age 14, Courtney decided to sit this one out. My mom made me take a photo every year with Santa every year until I was 17. I guess I'm just trying to keep the tradition alive. I love seeing how the kids have grown throughout the years. We've had a few crying photos, but Katleyn by far was the most terrified of Santa. We cherish the memories!

Holiday Performances

2009-12-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is the "most wonderful time of the year." This year we were able to watch three different holiday performances that our children were involved in. Courtney performed three different dances at her high school winter dance presentation. The first dance was a warm up that demonstrated various exercises and stretches the dancers do to warm up each day. The second dance she performed was to a Grease medley. This was Courtney's favorite. All the girls looked cute with their scarfs and their hair in pony tails.
The final dance Courtney performed was to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." The dancers looked very festive in their Santa hats. We loved watching Courtney perform her dances. She is such a sporty girl, I especially enjoyed seeing her do something a little more "girly."
Cameron performed a holiday program at his preschool. He was very animated and very proud of himself. We loved seeing his huge smile.

Cameron LOVED the Polar Express train his class made. His class consists of eight boys and they all loved the train.Katelyn, Kylie, and Cameron all performed with other Primary children from our stake at the Stake Nativity Festival. The children were wonderful. The power went out in the middle of their performance, but they just kept on singing in the dark.

These holiday performances were precious to watch and helped set the mood for a glorious Christmas season.

Family Photos 2009

2009-11-27T08:09:00.001-08:00

It's an annual tradition for us to take a family portrait every year. We have one for every year since Courtney was a baby. It's fun to compare the photos and see how much we've changed throughout the years. Most of them are more formal so it was nice that this year's was more casual. We've been going to a place called Lee Photo since 2004. We always go out to eat at Fresh Choice, which is right next door, while we wait for the proofs to be developed. I thought this year's photos came out pretty good considering there are seven of us. Another year to add to the collection.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T08:08:00.002-08:00

Our Thanksgiving was a little different this year. Lloyd and my mom both had to work on Thanksgiving Day, and Chareen was having knee surgery the day before Thanksgiving. We decided we would celebrate early on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Lloyd was still in Utah so he couldn't be there. The five kids and I enjoyed a tremendous feast. Bryce and Chareen like to cook so they helped my mom and Jay out a lot. I didn't do a thing, but help clean up a little after dinner. It was a real treat! On Thanksgiving Day we celebrated with just the seven of us. It was very relaxed. Lloyd loves to cook too and made the entire dinner except the acini de pepe salad I made the night before. I am so lucky to have a husband that loves to cook. He was especially proud of the very moist, twenty-four pound turkey he made. Yes, we had a twenty-four pound turkey just for our family. We froze a lot of the leftover meat and Lloyd also made turkey soup.
We feel so grateful for the many blessings we share as a family.
The Sunday after church I spoke in sacrament meeting. I asked if it would be okay if I spoke about gratitude. I love Thanksgiving and not just because I love to eat. I love remembering the pilgrims and thinking about how thankful I am for all my blessings. Below I would like to share a little bit of my talk:

When I taught second and third grade, I always enjoyed teaching my students about the Pilgrims and our country’s first Thanksgiving. My students were amazed that the Pilgrims did not have the same religious freedoms we have today. They had to leave England and come to America so they could worship in the way they wanted. My students were so enthralled when I described for them what life was like for the 102 passengers on the Mayflower. During their 66 day voyage they endured overcrowding, seasickness, noise, storms, boredom, lice, and homesickness. Often all they had to eat was salted meat and hard, dry biscuits. When they reached the New World on November 11, 1620, many more challenges still lay ahead for them. During their first winter, half of the pilgrims died because of exposure or sickness. Despite these hardships, not one of the Pilgrims wanted to go back to England when the Mayflower left. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims held a celebration or harvest festival. They wanted to show gratitude for their first harvest and for their new settlement. They had endured and sacrificed much, but they were also grateful. The Native Americans had helped them to survive their first winter. To express their gratitude, the Pilgrims invited the Native Americans to the feast. The first Thanksgiving lasted for several days and was a time of rejoicing and gratitude.

On lds.org there is a gratitude topic page where some questions about gratitude are answered:

*What is gratitude?
Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received. Grateful people are quick to acknowledge the kindness and help they receive from our Heavenly Father and others around them. Where there is gratitude, there is courtesy; there is a concern for the happiness and well-being of others.

*How will developing a deeper level of gratitude affect my life?
A grateful heart is the beginning of greatness. Gratitude builds humility as we recognize an act of kindness, service, or caring from someone else. True gratitude is a foundation for faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being. Being grateful leads us to look outside ourselves and turn to the bestower of the blessings. As we regularly express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father, we cultivate an uplifting attitude. The Savior has promised, “He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious” (D&C 78:19). Bitterness, resentful feelings, or mean-spiritedness cannot exist in a grateful heart. Greater happiness is achieved as deeper gratitude is developed.

*How did Jesus Christ show gratitude?
The Savior, Jesus Christ, lived a life of gratitude. He expressed gratitude to His Heavenly Father in prayer when performing miracles (see John 11:41) and for earthly things such as food (see Matthew 15:36), and He gave credit to Heavenly Father for giving us all things (see Matthew 11:27). The Savior did not seek His own will, but showed gratitude and appreciation to His Heavenly Father through obedience to all He was commanded to do. We too can show this kind of gratitude to our Heavenly Father by living “in thanksgiving daily” (Alma 34:38) and keeping the commandments.

In the Book of Mormon, Amulek taught us the importance of showing gratitude unto the Lord. In Alma 34:38 it reads: “That ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.” It is important that we acknowledge the Lord and all that he has given us. In D&C 59:21 we are warned of the sin of ingratitude: “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things.” President Joseph F. Smith also stated: “One of the greatest sins of which the inhabitants of the earth are guilty to-day, is the sin of ingratitude”

When I think of ingratitude these are some of the things that come to mind: pride, selfishness, a feeling of entitlement, covetous, and greed. I will admit as natural men and women, it is so easy to compare ourselves to other and covet what others have. We may covet their possessions and think, “I wish I had a nice, large house like they do.” We may covet their physical characteristics and think “I wish I had beautiful, thick hair like she does.” Or we may covet their talents and think, “I wish I had a beautiful singing voice like he does.” When we say or think these things we are showing ingratitude. We need to be grateful for the life, the things, the bodies, and the characteristics the Lord has blessed us with.

It is so easy to focus on what is wrong with our life. However, if we cultivate an “Attitude of Gratitude” it can be just as easy to remember what is wonderful about our life. I love the hymn “Count Your Blessings” because it reminds me that when I am feeling discouraged or sorry for myself, I simply need to take a time out and count my many blessings. Let me just share the first verse of this song: “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged thinking all is lost, Count your many blessing; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

We have all heard the phrase, an “Attitude of Gratitude,” but have you thought about how our attitudes can really affect our outlook on life. It goes back to the question is the glass half full or half empty? One evening I was talking on the phone to my mother and explaining to her how discouraged I was because I had so much laundry to do. I wanted her sympathy and understanding, but instead she said in a sweet voice, “I guess you could just be grateful you have so many clothes to wear.” I wanted to roll my eyes at her, but I paused for a moment and realized she was right. I’ve thought about other things in my life and how I have the power to choose what kind of an attitude I will have:
-I can complain that my MID bill is too high or I can be grateful I have electricity.
-I can be discouraged that my home never stays clean or I can be grateful that I have five children that bless my life.
-I can complain that my husband has to commute four hours a day or I can be grateful he has a job to provide for our family.
-I can complain that there are no good parking spots at the mall or I can be grateful that I am healthy enough to walk.
If we choose to have an “Attitude of Gratitude” we will be more content, happy, peaceful, righteous, and faithful.

I then shared a quote from President Monson that reminds us that "thank you" are the two most important words in the English language. I also shared the story of the "Ten Lepers" from the Bible. Then I closed my talk.

Let us all reflect upon our lives and think are we more like the nine lepers who didn’t give thanks or are we like the one who “turned back, and with a loud voice gloried God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks.” Do we cultivate an “Attitude of Gratitude” not only at thanksgiving, but all year long? Do we “Think to Thank?” I know that as we learn to feel and express more gratitude in our lives, we will be blessed with happiness and peace.

No one loves to speak in church, but I was grateful to give this talk because preparing it was such a blessing for me. I hope I can have an "Attitude of Gratitude" all year long.

Lloyd's Trip to Utah

2009-11-27T08:08:00.001-08:00

Lloyd spent the weekend of November 20-23 in Utah. We felt he needed to go out and see his family. After all, I spent a lot of money on all of my triathlons this past year, now it was Lloyd's turn to do something for himself. He got to spend the weekend catching up with his dad and his brother's family. They went out to eat, had a mini Thanksgiving dinner, and even went to a Jazz game.

The Utah weather didn't disappoint Lloyd. He even got to experience a snow fall while he was there. It's not a great picture, but you can get the idea.On Monday, Lloyd and his dad got to do a temple session at the Salt Lake Temple. His dad works a couple times a week at the Jordan River temple.
The Conference Center and Temple downtown make Salt Lake City truly a beautiful city. We're happy Lloyd had a good time, but we missed him and are glad to have him back.

New Moon - The Tradition Continues

2009-11-27T08:07:00.001-08:00

On Thursday, November 19 the "Twilight Moms" of Modesto couldn't resist going to the midnight showing of "New Moon." We decided we needed to get together before the big show. Well, since there aren't many restaurants open late on Thursday nights we were so grateful that our friend Ashleigh agreed to host a "Cafe Rio" dinner at her home. Lauri made all the food assignments. It all tasted so delicious. Ashleigh made the special Cafe Rio pork and tamatillo dressing. We also had tortillas, rice, tortilla strips, pico de gallo, guacamole, etc. The chocolate chip cookie sundaes were also the best! Ashleigh had the table decorated with "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" place cards. I sat at a "Team Edward." She had "Twilight" playing on the T.V. Quotes from "New Moon" also decorated the table. Ashleigh is quite the party planner and really made it fun for all of us. After our late dinner we headed to the theater. We had to wait in the theater parking lot for hours. We really didn't even get inside the theater until after 11:30. It was very cold waiting out there for so long. I was glad I had one of my favorite pumpkin steamers from Starbucks to keep my hands warm.

I think we all loved the movie. We all agreed that it was much better than Twilight. Jacob is so much more endearing in this movie. I am a Team Edward all the way because of the books, but Taylor Lautner did a fabulous job making me reconsider. The corniest part of the movie had to be when they show Bella as a vampire in the future and she and Edward are skipping through a meadow. Other than that, I can't complain much. "Eclipse" is suppose to be out in June. The tradition of the midnight showings may just have to continue. At least it won't be so cold waiting outside in June. I am so lucky I have friends who are willing to be as crazy as me.

Young Women in Excellence

2009-11-12T18:48:00.001-08:00

Young Women in Excellence for our ward was held on November 11. We went with a Royalty/Princess theme calling it "Daughters of a King." We kept it really simple this year and held it in the chapel. I like having it in the chapel because it meant less decorating and it seemed more spiritual. Each of the girls had a part in the program some gave prayers or talks, one group did a reader's theater of the book "Parable of the Princesses," and another group of girls sang the song, "Daughter of a King." All the girls learned the Young Women theme is sign language; it was neat to watch them sign the theme. My favorite part of the evening was when all the girls sang, "Hold Our Torches High." They sounded so beautiful as they sang the song. As I looked into each of their faces, I felt so much love towards each of the young women. They truly are precious daughters of our Heavenly Father. After the program, we had castle cookies and cupcakes. We enjoyed looking at all the girls' table displays. We also watched a video slide show that Courtney made for one of her value projects. It was fun to see all the different activities we've done throughout the past year. It was a perfect evening. Here I am with our ward's Young Women leaders. I feel so blessed to be able to work with such amazing women.

I am also blessed to be able to work with Courtney in the Young Women program. She is my daughter, but also my example. She is now taller than me. I am trying to cherish each day I have with her before she is gone. I can't believe she'll be in college in four years. I am so blessed!

Blogging: Doing It All Wrong

2009-11-12T18:47:00.001-08:00

Okay, yes, I finally blogged after taking over a two-month hiatus from it. I had a ton of posts to do from "birthday season" around Labor Day and I just couldn't find the time to get caught up. So what follows is 17 new posts since the end of August. I decided to publish them all at once, which I think is breaking all the rules of blogging. My friend who got me started on blogging told me she only adds one new post a day as to not confuse her followers. Well, anyone who is reading this knows I don't have a ton of followers so I'm not too worried. I do have a few "shy" followers who never leave comments, but will tell me they read our blog. Anyway, I have to admit at kinda cheating on my blog posts. I'll start a new post just to have it show up with a certain date, when I know I won't be able to publish it for a while. Yes, the last post I published before the hiatus was about going Back to School. Summer is my calm, non-busy, and non-stressful time. Since then I have been trying to juggle four kids at four different schools, four kids' soccer schedules, and working part-time. I guess the blog just wasn't a top priority. I have to admit, I still enjoy Facebook more than blogging. Facebook is more quick and simple. I am glad I started my blog before I joined Facebook because I don't think I ever would have started a blog after joining Facebook. I love my blog for different reasons. My blog is like our family journal. It is also so helpful when I do my scrapbooking. Sometimes I take the journaling right off my blog. Well, now that I am caught up, I hope I can keep it that way. For the few of you who are reading this, I hope you enjoy reading the 17 new posts.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-29T08:55:00.001-07:00

We had another Happy Halloween this year. The week before Halloween, we attended the ward Halloween party where the kids got plenty of candy at the trunk-or-treating. The older girls loved the spook alley. We tried not to spend too much on costumes this year. All of the kids' costumes, except for Cameron's were one we've used in years past. So here's our Halloween cuties:

Conner as a Dinosaur

Cameron as Woody

Kylie as a 50's girl

Katelyn as Wonder Woman

Courtney as an Indian Princess

Lloyd and I dressed up the week before Halloween for a couples' party we were invited to. We had a lot of fun going on a scavenger hunt throughout Modesto. We even got yelled at by the Modesto Police Department! I felt like I was a teenager again!

It's our family's tradition to have stew on Halloween night. Bryce and Chareen came down for Halloween and we had our traditional meal. However, the night before Halloween we ordered Papa Murphy's pizza and enjoyed this jack-o-lantern pizza. It was cute!

Bryce and Chareen helped all the kids carve their pumpkins. We had quite the variety, including a Thomas the Train for Cameron (on upper left). The kids got even more candy trick-or-treating. I stayed home and handed out candy. I think I'm getting old because I loved being home all alone while the kids were out. I guess I'm not that old though because I still love Halloween!

Del Osso Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-29T08:54:00.002-07:00

I took my Girl Scout Troop to Del Osso farms in Lathrop on Monday, October 26. It was pretty windy, but we loved it. We had so much fun going through the corn mazes. All the girls also went through the haunted house. One of the girls did pumpkin blasting and some of them jumped on these inflatable "trampolines." At first it was just a farm, but now Del Osso farms is like a mini amusement park. There were so many fun things to do, I couldn't resist going back there as a family. I knew the boys would love the rides and petting zoo. So we headed back as a family on Thursday, October 29. Our whole family enjoyed the free hay ride.

We also loved the petting zoo with lots of different animals.

After the patting zoo, the girls went to the haunted house. Lloyd and I took the boys on some rides. Cameron loved the train! We also went on a tractor train, tram, and scarecrow ride. The scarecrow ride was my favorite. You got to see over 50 different scarecrows that were made by local schools and scout troops. All the scarecrows were so creative and unique. It was a great time for our whole family. Sometimes you just need to have a little fun together!

My Fourth and Fifth Triathlons

2009-10-29T08:54:00.001-07:00

I did my fourth triathlon on September 26. I was excited because it would be my first one with my road bike. I couldn't convince anyone to do it with me so I went on my own. Lloyd was kind enough to take all the kids to their soccer games. This triathlon was held at Woodward Reservoir which is only about 25 minute from my home so it was so convenient. When I started setting up, I realized this triathlon would be a lot less crowded than the previous ones I had done. There were actually only around 130 participants while my other triathlons had 500-900 participants. It was kind of nice having it be so small. It was a sprint distance: 500 yard swim, 16 miles on the bike, and a 3.1 mile run. The swim was a mass start so it was pretty crowded. It also wasn't measured very accurately. I think it was closer to 800 yards instead of 500. The bike had a lot of hills, but I loved the challenge. I was so glad I had my road bike. The bike was also a little long, around 17 miles. Even though running is my strongest leg, it was the hardest for me on this race. It was hot and I was tired. I really had to push myself and I started feeling like,"I hate this. Why did I sign up for this?" I was so glad when I finally reached the finish line. My time was 1:47:56. There was a barbecue after the race. There I found out that I got third place in my age group and I got a medal. I was so excited. So what if there were only 6 people in my age group. I actually came in 9th out of the 30 women in the race. I was thrilled to have a medal. Lloyd took these pictures of me after I got home.

My fifth triathlon and last of the season was on October 17. This one was also held at Woodward Reservoir, but it was a longer distance: .9 mile swim, 25 miles on the bike, and a 6.2 mile run. I was a little nervous about the longer distances, but I knew I could do it. I gave myself permission to just complete the race and not to push myself too hard. I was also nervous about the water being too cold. It can actually be pretty cool in October. I decided I better wear a wetsuit. I bought one online and it came a few days before the race. This time I actually had my friend, Cindy Decker, come with me. It was a very foggy day, but thankfully not too cold or windy. Because of the fog, they delayed the start of the race by about 15 minutes. When I got into the water, I was so glad I had the wetsuit. The water was pretty cold! However,when I started swimming, I ended up hating the wetsuit. We had to go three laps for the swim and I stripped out of my wetsuit after the first lap. I felt like it was restricting me and weighing me down. I felt so much better without it. I think I had the wrong type of wetsuit or the wrong size. It was a little embarrassing taking it off in front of all the spectators, but I didn't care. A nice lady took it to the check in area so I could pick it up after the race. The swim took me around 40 minutes. I think taking off the wetsuit slowed me down. I was one of the last persons out of the water, but at least, I wasn't the very last. The bike was pretty lonely and I hardly passed anyone, but I still really liked it. There was a miscommunication between the race officials and the bike route ended up about 3-4 miles short. I didn't push myself too much on the 6.2 mile run. I just enjoyed it and ended up running a 9:11 average mile, not too bad after the swim and bike. I think the gu I had on the bike really helped me on the run. I loved it all! I finished in 3:01:41. I didn't get a medal this time, but that was okay. I came in 15th out of 24 women. It wasn't great, but I was still pleased I had completed my first Olympic (International) distance triathlon. Cindy and I enjoyed the barbecue after the race. I am now looking forward to next season. I am going to do a Half Ironman on September 11, 2010. I have a lot of training ahead of me, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Camping at Woodward Reservoir

2009-10-29T08:50:00.001-07:00

We had planned to go camping as a family over conference weekend. Originally, we were going to go to Sunset Beach, but we changed our plans and decided to go to Woodward Reservoir instead. It was just easier because it was closer and the girls really didn't want to miss their soccer games. It ended up being perfect. We camped out on Friday night and went to the soccer games on Saturday. We also went out for a yummy breakfast. Saturday evening it started getting a little windy. I had four friends come join me for a little triathlon training - a swim and bike ride. They were considering doing a triathlon at Woodward, but after our experience they decided not to do it. The wind on the water was crazy and there were so many waves; it felt like we were swimming in the ocean! I am really glad no one drowned. Then it started getting dark on our bike ride. We survived though. After my "training session," I went back to our campsite and enjoyed Saturday evening with my family. Even though camping is so much work, I love it for so many reasons. I love getting away from it all -no TV, no phone, no laundry machines, etc. I love just being able to spend time with the family. I love sitting by the fire at night. I love being in nature. We had our tents right next to the water and it was beautiful to see the moonlight and morning sunrise shining on the water. I was in awe of how gorgeous it was. Here's a few pictures from our trip:

The little kids played in the water while the older kids played water baseball with Bryce and Chareen. I did so more swim training for my triathlon.

Conner and Courtney took a little nap in this raft. It was so precious!

Before we knew it, it was time to clean up. We had to take all the tents down and head home with lots of dirty laundry. Yes, it was a lot of work, but it was worth it.

Kylie Runs for Office

2009-10-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Kylie decided to run for Student Council Office this year. As a third grader, the only office she was eligible to run for was Sergeant-at-Arms. As part of her campaign she had to make posters and give a speech in front of the whole school. I got to watch her give her speech. She did an awesome job. Here's a copy of it:

Good Morning, Orchard Owls. My name is Kylie Payne. I am in third grade and I am running for Sergeant-at-Arms. I am the right person for this job for many reasons. I am responsible and hard working. I am a good reader, writer, and speaker. I have good attendance. I respect adults and fellow students. I will support and work with the other Student Council Officers. I will go to all the meetings. You will not be disappointed if you vote for me. So when it’s time to vote, pick the right name! Choose Kylie Payne!

I explained to her that she may not win and she understood that. There were six third graders who ran and only two were elected. Kylie did not win, but she took it really well. She's very competitive, but was very gracious in this situation. We are so proud of her!

The Poop Monster

2009-10-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

This little guy is on my "list." It all started on September 28 when I went to his room to get him up from a nap and there was poop smeared everywhere! And I mean everywhere! It was on the walls, on the window, on his bed, on his toys, and even stuck to the top of the ceiling. It took an hour to clean up. Lloyd was working a double shift so he wasn't here to help. I was also suppose to take dinner to the missionaries. I had to call them and tell them their dinner would be a little late. When I told them why, they thought it was the funniest thing in the world - that's 19 year old guys for you. Anyway, this was not an isolated incident. He has gotten into his poop at least four to five times, but thankfully none of them were as bad as the first time. It is usually during his nap time, but one time he even got a diaper out of the garage trash and started playing with it! Some friends (both of them mothers of twins who had a similar problem) told me to try duct taping his diaper so he couldn't take it off. However,this guy is sneaky and he'll even go up the side of his diaper. I tried having him wear overalls during his nap,but again he just reached up his pant leg. Finally,my friend Katie suggested putting a sleeper on with the zipper in back. So far it is working! I had to cut the feet out of the sleeper, but he can't unzip it or reach up the pant leg. I think he's ready to potty train, but I am dragging my feet with it. I can't believe he'll be my last one to potty train. Hallelujah! Thank you, Katie, for the suggestion. I think he actually prefers his sleepers like this because the other day, I tried to put one on with the zipper in the front and he had a fit! Good thing he's so cute and I love him or I probably would have killed him!

School Pictures

2009-09-20T22:44:00.001-07:00

Most everyone thinks school pictures are the worst, but I have to confess I kind of like them. I like them because they aren't too perfect - they are real. The kids aren't too dressed up; it's their every day look. I love to look at my kids' school pictures and see have they have changed throughout the years. For Kylie's pictures we took the time to curl her hair, but it doesn't hold curl really well. Well, she took her pictures after lunch and all the curls were gone. I guess she told the photographer, "I was suppose to have curls." And the photographer said,"That's okay." Anyway, here's this year's school pictures. Courtney - Ninth Grade

Katelyn -Sixth Grade

Kylie -Third Grade

Cameron - Junior Kindergarten

Book of Mormon Reading Challenge

2009-09-20T22:29:00.001-07:00

On June 21 our ward Relief Society challenged us to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days. They gave us each a reading schedule and a scripture journal. To read the book of Mormon in 90 days, you have to read about 3 chapters a day. I decided I would take on the challenge and try to read the entire Book of Mormon in 90 days. I knew it would be hard to make the time to read each day, but I also knew I would be blessed for doing it. I was motivated to keep up because Sister Gariety from our ward did a weekly drawing for anyone who kept up with the reading. I ended up winning the drawing a couple times. I got some candy, scripture markers, and a gift card to the yogurt store. I have to admit, I didn't keep up with my reading every day. Sometimes on Saturdays I would have to play catch up for the days that I missed, but I was always motivated to be caught up by Sunday. I wanted to be able to add my name to the weekly drawing. Yes, the weekly drawings motivated me to read, but my real motivation came from the blessings I received from reading the Book of Mormon. Because I read it more than a chapter at a time, I really understood it more and came to truly feast upon the word. Yes, I have read the Book of Mormon a few times throughout my life, but I think I got the most out of it this time. I came to really know and love the people in the Book of Mormon. A favorite scripture I now have is 2 Nephi 2:22:

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song, he also has become my salvation."

I ended up completing the Book of Mormon on September 18. Thanks to the encouragement and support of the Relief Society I read the Book of Mormon in 90 days. We had a culminating RS activity with one final drawing for a gift card for a facial. I actually won the final drawing. I felt a little uncomfortable about winning. I wondered if I should give it to someone else since I had just had a facial for my birthday. Well, I decided to graciously accept the gift. I am saving it for a Valentine's Day or Mother's Day gift to myself. I am more than thrilled that I won a facial, but the real blessing came from the reading of the Book of Mormon. My testimony of its truthfulness has grown. I truly believe the quote below:

The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that “the Book of Mormon [is] the most correct book of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion.” He said that “a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (History of the Church, 4:461.) The Book of Mormon was written for our day.

Unfortunately, I haven't kept up with my reading since I completed the 90 day challenge. I need to get back on track. I will always be grateful for this challenge the Relief Society gave us. I know my knowledge and testimony of the gospel will continue to grow throughout my life.

Time Out For Women

2009-09-20T22:28:00.001-07:00

I attended my fourth Time Out for Women on September 18-19. This one was held in Pleasanton. Eight of us from our ward got together and stayed in a hotel on Friday night. I drove up with my good friend Cindy. We had so much fun visiting and then even got the chance to read by the pool for a while. We all went to dinner at Mimi's Cafe on Friday evening. It was the best. I loved getting a break from home and being able to visit with such wonderful women. The speakers on Friday night were Sherri Dew and Wendy Watson Nelson. They both spoke a lot about personal revelation. They inspired us to know who we really are. We also need to know what our Savior did for us. And we should be receiving personal revelation on a consistent basis. Revelation on what our mission here on earth and how we should go about fulfilling that mission. The theme of the conference was "sweet assurance." They asked us what we truly know to be true. They also asked us to think about questions or challenges we had that could be answered at the conference. I had a very spiritual experience as I sat there thinking about those things. I had an overwhelming feeling that I literally KNOW that I am my Heavenly Father's daughter. I felt an all encompassing feeling that my Heavenly Father loves me unconditionally. He is mindful of me on a daily basis. He is aware of me. He knows my challenges, the desires of my heart,and He wants me to be happy. It's hard to put the feeling I had into words,but it was a wonderful spiritual experience.

On Saturday there were four different speakers and music by Hilary Weeks. I really like Hilary Weeks sense of humor and down to earth personality. I even checked out her blog! She is a bit of a Mormon celebrity with being a recording artist and going to TOFWs all around the country, but she is also just a normal, every day wife and mother. The other speakers were Kim Nelson, S. Michale Wilcox, DeAnne Flynn,and Kris Belcher. Here are just a few highlights or quotes from each speaker. S. Michael Wlicox reminded us that "Obedience is not perfection." That's a great quote for me that I will remember for a long time. DeAnne Flynn spoke about not making our lives too busy. She discussed the importance of letting things go so we have more time to connect as a family. We can have "less contention and more connection." Kim Nelson was very funny when he pulled out his doily table cloth. He told a story about a sister he gave a priesthood blessing to who would probably be in chronic pain for the rest of her life. Instead of asking to be healed or for things to change, she simply asked , "Please bless me that I will come to love my new life." I think my favorite speaker of the day was Kris Belcher. She is blind. She was absolutely hilarious and had us laughing do hard. She spoke of how she came to be blind and the challenges it brings into her life. She reminded us that with God all things are possible. We need to laugh and have hope for an even better world. The whole conference was a tremendous experience. After I got home from Time Out for Women, I wrote on Facebook, I feel "uplifted, inspired, loved, joyful, relaxed, blessed, and motivated." I am so glad I got to go!

Labor Day River Rafting Adventure

2009-09-13T22:45:00.001-07:00

I really enjoy river rafting. I am totally a summer girl and I love laying in the warm sun as I slowly float down the river. It's become a bit of a tradition to go river rafting for my birthday,which is usually right around Labor Day. This year my whole family agreed to go river rafting at my request. It was an adventure for all 11 of us!

In Boat 1 we had Bryce, Courtney,and Conner.

In Boat 2 we had Katelyn and Chareen.

In Boat 3 we had Cameron and Lloyd.

In Boat 4 we had me and Kylie.

And in Boat 5 we had my mom and Jay.

We didn't float for too long -less than an hour. We wanted it to be short for the kids. It was great to have all of us out there on the river together. A few of us went off a rope swing at the end of the trip. Here are some pictures of my cuties:

I feel so grateful that I have a family that agreed to come with me on this little adventure.

My Birthday

2009-09-13T22:44:00.002-07:00

The night before my birthday I went out to dinner and scrapbooking with my friends Natalie and Stacey. Stacey treated me to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Strings. Italian food is my favorite and I just love that place! Then we went scrapbooking at the home of Karen Monschein in Oakdale. I love going scrapbooking at Karen's! I always have so much fun there. There are lots of other moms there and we love to share stories and laugh. I love getting caught up with my scrapbooking too. I'll never be caught up, but I do my best to stay on top of it. My actual birthday was on Kylie's baptism day so it was pretty busy. We had to go to Costco and get all ready for the baptism. I was excited that Kylie was getting baptized on my birthday because that was the same day I got baptized. We celebrated my birthday after the baptism. My biggest gift was my road bike. I had done three triathlons on a Target mountain bike and I patiently waited to get a road bike for my birthday. It wasn't really a surprise because I bought it myself on ebay. Lloyd assembled it for me though and I told him I didn't want to see it until my birthday. Here Lloyd is bringing in the bike while I close my eyes. I am so happy and excited! The waiting is over. The bike has taken me a little getting used to, but I love it!

I also got to enjoy two batches of my favorite -mint brownies! The one with the candles was made by my friend Ashleigh (I had already eaten half the pan before the evening of my birthday) and the other batch was made by my friend Tami. I was a lucky girl. I absolutely LOVE these brownies. Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water! Well, I'm 36 now -that much closer to 40. I honestly don't feel that old, but when I see how old my kids are I realize time passes in the blink of an eye. Each day I try to take time to enjoy my beautiful life. I am so very blessed.

Kylie's Baptism

2009-09-13T22:44:00.001-07:00

Kylie's baptism was on my birthday, September 5. It was a perfect day! We were all so excited for Kylie.

Grandma and Grandpa Jay came. Grandpa Jay sang at the baptism.

So did Chareen and Bryce. Chareen gave a beautiful talk. Lloyd baptized Kylie. He felt blessed to baptize his youngest daughter.Kylie's friend, Erinn Messer, was baptized at the same time. They looked so cute together. The most precious part of the baptism was when they sang "I am a Child of God" together. They were holding hands and looked so sweet.

Kylie and Erinn each had their own cake. All the guests enjoyed a fabulous meal of taco salad and nachos after the baptism. It was a perfect day for two beautiful girls.

We are so proud of Kylie and her decision to be baptized. When I asked her if she wanted to be baptized, she said "Of course, I want to become a member of the Church." Her testimony is beginning to grow. We love Kylie's desire to be obedient and to be kind to others. She is a strong spirit with a lot of determination. We feel blessed to have her in our family.

It's Great to Be Eight

2009-09-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Our littlest girl is eight years old. It's been a little sad for me not having any more little, little girls. We've given away almost all our baby dolls, tiny dress up clothes, and ballerina stuff. I try to use a ribbon or bow in Kylie's hair when I can, but I know that soon we won't be needing those either. I have to admit, I have saved just a few little girl dresses that I couldn't part with - I am hoping my granddaughters can use them. Kylie's birthday fell on a Thursday this year,and there was no school on Friday due to an inservice day. It was perfect for her slumber party. All the girls have been allowed a slumber party for their eighth birthday. Kylie got a new bike for her birthday. I feel bad because she was with us when we bought it so it really wasn't a surprise. In fact, for the two weeks before her birthday she saw it every day in the garage. Even though it was in the garage, I told her she couldn't ride it until her birthday. So the morning of her birthday she rode it to school. I rode my bike along with her. Yes, I feel bad I didn't try to wrap Kylie's bike or even put a bow on it, but what was the point in doing that when she'd seen it every day for two weeks. Anyway, I think it's an adorable bike. It's my favorite color -pink and the plaid accents are really cute too. Kylie loves riding it to school almost every day. Kylie's cute friends loved playing in the pool at the party. Such cute, fun, and silly girls.
With all the birthday cake at our house, Kylie decided to get something different. She got an ice cream cake from Coldstone!
The girls had fun wearing their PJs, camping out in the living room, and watching movies until after midnight.

In the morning, the girls had donuts, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Yummy! They also had fun playing Twister. Kylie is so lucky to have such cute friends!

Kylie's Baptism Pictures

2009-08-31T00:56:00.001-07:00

My friend Stacey took these pictures of Kylie in her baptism dress. She also designed the invitation above. Stacey is a great photographer and very talented at doing digital
scrapbooking. I'm not trying to brag, but I think these photos of Kylie are absolutely adorable. She is such a cute girl and looks like a little angel. I felt so blessed to have found her dress at Sears on clearance. The store I bought Courtney's and Katelyn's dresses from no longer carried them. We searched at about five different stores before we found this one. It was perfect and definitely a tender mercy from the Lord.

Cameron Turns Five

2009-08-31T00:50:00.000-07:00

Cameron is five years old! It's really hard to believe. We had a family barbecue and pool party for his birthday. It was a ton of fun for everyone...

Cameron loved playing with all his friends and opening his presents. After the birthday party, Cameron and Courtney opened all their presents together. Cameron's big gift was an 18 inch bike with training wheels. He loves it!

We love our very unique, energetic, morning-loving, boy.

A few days after Cameron's birthday,he took yogurt parfaits to his preschool class. He loves preschool. His junior Kindergarten class has eight boys in it. Bless his teacher's heart.

Courtney's 14th Birthday

2009-08-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Courtney had yet another pool party for her 14th birthday. Having a pool is a lot of work, but it's great for parties. Courtney is so lucky to have so many girls her age. She really has some wonderful friends. They had a blast swimming, eating pizza,and being girls...

Several of the girls went in on Courtney's gift and actually bought her a turtle! She has a thing for loving turtles and now she has a real one! She was more than thrilled with the gift. And Lloyd is more than thrilled to help her keep its tank clean.

We can't believe Courtney is 14 now. She's entering a whole new world of high school, early morning seminary, youth dances, etc. She'll be in college in four years! We're trying to enjoy each moment we have with her. She's a wonderful girl in every way. Courtney and Cameron had another fun birthday together. I call them my "birthday twins."

Bye Bye, Nigh Night

2009-08-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

We told Cameron when he turned 5 he would have to say good-bye to his beloved "nigh night." I kinda bad making him get rid of it on his birthday. I would ask him if he was excited his birthday was coming up,and he would say, "I don't want to be five because then I have to give up my nigh night." It was sad, but the time had come to say good-bye. His "nigh night" actually started out as his crib comforter when he was a baby. He really grew attached to it and needed it before he would fall asleep. His other favorite thing is drinking milk. He insisted on drinking his milk with one hand and holding his night night with the other. Nigh night + milk = complete heaven for Cameron. He used to love to rub the tag on his nigh night until he eventually rubbed it off. Then there was the time we accidentally left it at the child care at the gym and Cameron was so relieved when we got it back. It was almost impossible for me to wash it too. I would have to sneak it away and throw it in the washing machine before he noticed. He would wait by the dryer for it to be dry. Needless to say, after five years of lots of love, Cameron's nigh night is ripped, tattered, and falling apart. How could something that looks like that be loved so much? Here are a few pictures of Cameron saying good-bye to nigh night. He was sad to say good-bye to nigh night, but luckily his Aunt Chareen made him a new blanket with trains on it! He is warming up to his new blanket. He loves the trains and the satin edging he can rub. What a sweet and tender boy Cameron is. We love him!

Back to School

2009-08-29T09:54:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the year again - Back to School. This is such a bittersweet time. I love having my kids home for the summer. I love sleeping in with them and being lazy in the morning. I love having no homework to remind them about and no extra activities in the evening. However, there seems to be a lot more fighting in the summertime. I can never get the house clean. And Cameron, especially, seems to get into more trouble. So it's with mixed feelings, we begin a new school year. This is a year full of changes especially for the older girls. Katelyn is beginning middle school. Courtney is starting high school and early morning seminary. I'll have four kids at four different schools; that's a lot of schedules to keep track of. I am so glad that Lloyd was able to give each of the kids a father's blessing before going back to school. Cameron was old enough to start kindergarten this year, but I decided with his August 29 birthday I'd have him do one more year of preschool. He's in a five day a week program and he eats lunch at school every day. It's just what he needs! CAMERON

St. Paul's Preschool

Junior Kindergarten

Mrs. Linda

August 28, 2009

KYLIE

Orchard Elementary

Third Grade

Ms. Bryan

August 3, 2009

KATELYN

Savage Middle School

Sixth Grade

Mrs. Kim

August 24, 2009

COURTNEY

Enochs High School

Ninth Grade

August 24, 2009

Motherhood: A Challenge and A Joy

2009-08-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

PATIENCE

Give me patience when little hands,

Tug at me with small demands,

Give me gentle words and smiling eyes

And keep my lips from sharp replies,

So in years to come when my house is still

Beautiful memories it's rooms may fill.

We had our Stake Conference on August 15-16. It was a wonderful conference! It focused a lot on families and marriage. I left the conference feeling so inspired and motivated to be a better wife and mother.

Motherhood is definitely the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life. Yes, it's even more challenging that running a marathon. Ironically though, sometimes motherhood does feel like I'm running an endless marathon. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I had so many expectations. I thought my kids would be so cute and I would be the most fun, understanding, compassionate, and amazing mother. I was always such a fun babysitter. I would take the kids to the park and always had plenty of energy to play along with them. I thought I'd be the same when I became a mother. Well, I have to admit I have fallen short of my expectations.

I have been a mother now for almost fourteen years. In the past fourteen years I have learned that motherhood is hard. It can be painful, messy, stinky, exhausting, and mundane. As a mother, I often feel guilty and inadequate. I find myself thinking I wish I was more fun, creative, sensitive, nurturing, or patient. I wonder if I am devoting my time and energy to the right things. Should I clean less and play more? Should I be more tolerant or more strict? Are my kids doing too many extra activities? Am I teaching them enough about the gospel? I honestly feel so conflicted at times. I do look forward to the day when I can clean my house and it stays clean. Or when little hands aren't getting into my personal things like my makeup, my jewelry, my gum, etc. Maybe some day we won't have a million stains on our carpet, sticky jam on the furniture, or sharpie marker all over the walls. Then I feel guilty for these thoughts. I know my kids will be grown up all too soon. I must enjoy them while they are little.

As I reflect on motherhood, I have a few different thoughts. First, I think, like most things in life, motherhood requires balance. I need to balance my time between play and work. I need to pick my battles. I need to correct inappropriate behavior, while demonstrating unconditional love. Second, I need to rely on the Lord. Heavenly Father has given me stewardship over these five precious spirits. He wants me to be successful in teaching them the gospel and raising them to be happy and loving people. I need to listen daily to the Holy Ghost for inspiration on how to spend my time and energy. Finally, I need to try not to be discouraged. I reminded my friend about a quote I heard on motherhood by Jill Churchill: “There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one.” As a mother, I may have different strengths and weaknesses then my friends do. I just have to remember that I can only do the best I can do with the children I have.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have been blessed with to be a mother. I'm trying to enjoy each moment I have with my precious children. I try to find joy in the little things - Conner yelling "Mommy" and hugging me when I walk in through the door, Cameron saying, "I love you, Mommy," Kylie writing me sweet notes, Katelyn retelling me every detail of her day, and Courtney explaining how much she loves her family when she bears her testimony at church. I recall a church commercial from the 70's that showed a mom teaching her daughter how to ride a bike. Then the announcer said, "Hey Mom, you're probably doing better than you think" Well this is probably true with me. I am probably doing better than I think as a mother. Yes, there are lots of things I could improve on, but I also need to focus on what I am doing well on. I included pictures of my two little boys with this post. These boys ages 2 and 4 are a daily challenge for me. They are always into something! I came into their room to check on them before bed and they had put Conner's toddler bed right next to Cameron's bed. I was actually relieved this is all they had done. Sometimes they take the entire mattress off of their beds. There really is never a dull moment with these two around. And they really love each other. There are many mornings that I find them in the same bed. As I said earlier, I am trying to soak up every moment I have with these precious children. Motherhood is the toughest job I'll ever love. It is my biggest challenge and my greatest joy.

My Third Triathlon

2009-08-22T22:07:00.001-07:00

I did my third triathlon on August 15. I was excited to do it with my friends, Ann Seymour and Cindy Decker. It was their first one. It was Tami Dixon's second one. This triathlon was the Tri for Fun in Plesanton. It was the same one as the first one I did on June 20. My goal was to beat my time by at least 5 minutes. I had improved a lot on the swim and the bike. At least, I had a new derailleur and knew my chain wouldn't come off this time. I knew the run would be a challenge because I was having heel or plantar fasciitis pain. I ran a half marathon the week before this triathlon and was in a lot of pain during and after that race. Some friends and family tried to tell me not to do the triathlon because of my heels, but I really wanted to do it. I figured I could make it through 3.1 miles of running. It was very crowded at the event. They estimated almost 1000 people participated in it. I tried to stay away from the large group during the swim. I swam on the outskirts of the pack, but it was still very crowded and I did get hit a couple times. I made most of my improvements on the bike. My chain didn't come off at all and my shoelace didn't wrap around my pedal. My run was about the same as last time. My heels didn't hurt too much. I ended up bettering my time by just less than five minutes - 4:46 to be exact. Not too bad. I still don't have my road bike, but my birthday is just around the corner. I am looking forward to improving even more. My friends did awesome. Ann finished in 1 hour 9 minutes. Cindy did it in 1 hour 19 minutes. Tami bettered her time by 8 minutes! We really had a blast!

Are We Being Tested or Is it Just Bad Luck?

2009-07-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Summer is just flying by. I am really enjoying having the kids home and getting a break from work. Things have really settled down from how they were going this past spring. Spring 2009 was a very busy and challenging time for our family. I was working almost every day, including the days Lloyd had off. Besides being busy with work and our kids, one challenge after another kept coming our way. As we experienced one setback after another, we had to wonder...Are we Being Tested or Is it Just Bad Luck? If we were being tested, I don't think we were passing because we were being tested over and over again. I think this is how challenges in life come, when it rains it pours. Here's just a few of the challenges we experienced in the last few months. To stay positive and optimistic, I'm going to mention the "Good News" about each of these challenges.

Lloyd's car engine died. We thought about buying a new car because his is a '98 and in poor condition inside and out. It's so bad, both the door handles have fallen off. You have to roll down the window and carefully grip under the broken handle just to get out of the car. The ceiling lining is hanging down from the top of the car. It's never had hub caps and the exterior paint is peeling off. Nonetheless, we determined that we could not afford a new car. We still have two more years to pay off our van. We took a gamble and had the engine rebuilt. It cost almost $3000. We pray it lasts. After all, he drives that car about 200 miles a day to and from work. The Good News: When they rebuilt the engine they gave us a new door handle so we don't have to roll down the window to get out.
Lloyd accidentally left his cell phone and wallet on top of the van and drove away. He was able to track down his cell phone to a teenager living in Concord - she said her dad works in Modesto. After a few conversations, we decided to have the phone shut off and get a new one. As for the wallet, we never found it. Lloyd had to order all new cards and get a new license. The Good News: My sister gave Lloyd one of her old cell phones and no one used our credit cards before we reported them lost.
I had my third car accident in six months on April 30. I was rear ended while waiting to turn right into an intersection. The guy who hit me was really nice and immediately admitted he was at fault. I had two other accidents previous to this one. In January, a guy ran a stop sign and hit us on the side. In October, I was parked with all the kids in the car and we were hit from behind. I can't believe 3 accidents in less than six months and none of them were my fault. We had the hassle of having to have multiple rental cars. We should put AAA on speed dial! The Good News: No one was hurt in any of the accidents and my insurance rates didn't go up a cent (the accidents weren't my fault, but I still wondered).
Our computer was having a lot of problems. Lloyd tried taking it to the shop where we had it custom built, but then we found out they are out of business now. He found someone else to work on it. This guy said our computer had 7 viruses and wasn't put together very well in the first place. Maybe that's why that place is out of business now. We had to pay a couple hundred to get our computer working again. The Good News: We actually got a great deal for all the work he did on it and it doesn't "hum" any more.
Conner had to get three staples put in his head at the ER. I came home from work and Lloyd told me he had fallen on the tile floor and hit his head. Lloyd had bandaged it up, but I knew immediately when I saw it he would need stitches (or staples). He didn't love it, but he survived his ER visit. The Good News: Because we went to Oakdale, we were only in the ER for two hours. We paid $50 for the visit and our insurance company paid $1,665 - for three staples!
We dropped my Canon Rebel camera and broke the lens. We had to buy a new one for a couple hundred dollars. The Good News: The new lens has a stabilizer and the lens cap doesn't fall off.
The battery in our van died and we had to buy a new one. The Good News: The van starts when we want it to.
I lost two of my two Pampered Chef ice cream scoops at a class party at Katelyn's school. The Good News: We've been eating less ice cream (I think).
Our garage door opener is broken and we still have not fixed it. The Good News: We have lots of extra room in our garage for the kids to play in or for Lloyd to store all the food for the YM encampment.
Our Bosch blender is broken and still is. I use it a lot to make protein shakes. The Good News: We have an old blender we using until the other one is fixed.

So there you go. Life is full of challenges, but you can always find something good about them. I am glad things are settling down a bit for now. Either our luck is changing or we are finally learning our lesson.

My Second Triathlon

2009-07-16T20:04:00.001-07:00

I mentioned in my first triathlon post that I think I have been bitten by the triathlon bug. Yes, I am planning to do five triathlons this year and two Half Ironmans next year. I love having a new challenge. Here are the pictures from my second triathlon on July 11. It was three weeks after my first one. This one was a bit different. Both the swim (half a mile) and the bike (16 miles) were longer on this one. The run (3.1 miles) was about the same, but no headphones were allowed. This was an adjustment for me because I love running with my music. This triathlon actually recorded your time; the first one I did was just a Tri for Fun. I was curious to see how I would compare to others in my age group. It was held at Rancho Seco, south of Sacramento to the east of Galt. We actually stayed in a hotel in Lodi the night before. My whole family was able to come, except Courtney who was at EFY. I got to the race early so I would have plenty of time to set up in the transition area. I was excited and nervous. I remember perspiring a lot because I was so anxious. At this triathlon, they gave us matching swim caps to indicate what wave we were to begin with. Here I am with all the 30-39 year old women. Lloyd and the kids arrived right before I began the swim. I was getting worried that something had happened to them so I was glad when they showed up. I am smiling for them here. The swim waves begin every five minutes. While my group was waiting to begin, a girl from the previous wave had to be rescued from the water. We all got a little nervous when we saw her being rescued, but we tried to think positively about our own swims. The swim was half a mile or 800 yards, which is twice as long as the swim on my first tri. I knew I could do it, but I also didn't want to be the last yellow cap out of the water. Thankfully, the water was very warm and clean. As I began the swim, I got a little panicky because they were a lot of weeds in the water and I felt like they might trap me. I felt kind of like Harry Potter when he's underwater with all the weeds in the Goblet of fire. Once I got away from the weeds, I focused on getting to the first buoy. It seemed like it took forever. I kept swimming and swimming and the buoy still seemed so far away. It really is different swimming in open water. I did wear a waterproof watch so I could know how long the swim took. I felt like I had been out there for about 12-15 minutes, but when I looked at my watch it had only been 7 minutes. I had to float on my back a couple times to get my bearings, but I did freestyle during the rest of the swim. Although this swim was longer than my first tri, it was so much better because they were a lot less people in the water. We could spread out and not hit each other the whole time! Here I am getting out of the water. The swim took me 16 minutes.
Lloyd got this picture of me when I was transitioning from the swim to the bike. No one but the participants are suppose to be in the transition area, but he didn't care. I loved sitting on my laundry detergent bucket as I put my shoes on. Lloyd didn't get any pictures of me on the bike because he was too busy watching the kids. The 16-mile bike ride took me just over an hour. Hardly anyone else had a mountain bike; they all had road bikes. I wasn't fast on my mountain bike, but I did okay. Unfortunately, my chain did come off again. I was able to quickly get it back on - only two bikers passed me in the time it took me to put it back on. The bike ride had rolling hills. The hills were a bit challenging, but not bad. This is what my kids did while I was on the bike. My transition to the run was very fast, after all, I couldn't put my headphones on. I did okay on the run. It wasn't my fastest run - maybe because I had no music or maybe because I was a bit tired from the swim and bike. The run was on dirt and had some rolling hills. When you do triathlons, they write your age on the back of your leg. As I was running, I would note the age of the other participants. I made an effort to try to pass up any women in my age group. I know I passed up at least three on the run.

Here I am sprinting to the finish line. My finish time was 1:49:21

(I started the swim 20 minutes after the clock). Here I am after the race. Yes, I loved it. No, I didn't win anything. I actually come in 20th out of the 35 women in my age group. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't in the top half. I was proud though especially since I did it on a mountain bike. I am excited to improve at doing triathlons. And when I get my road bike, watch out!

I was so grateful that my family could be there to cheer me on! I am looking forward to my next one on August 15. Yes, I may be addicted to these.

Returning to the Temple 15 Years Later

2009-07-15T21:09:00.001-07:00

Lloyd and I had the most wonderful 15 year anniversary. We returned to the temple on July 9, 2009 - 15 years to the day that we were married. It was such a sweet and spiritual experience. We did an endowment session and then did some sealings. It was so wonderful to be in the sealing room and kneel across the altar again. I felt the Lord's spirit so strongly. I loved hearing again the blessings the Lord gives to us as we are sealed for all eternity. During these moments, I felt so grateful for Lloyd and our temple marriage.

After 15 years of marriage, we are still so in love. Yes, we have learned that marriage can be challenging. Like life, it has it ups and downs. But we are on this path together forever. Thank goodness we have each other.After our date at the temple, we celebrated by eating out at one of our very favorite restaurants, The Claim Jumper. We love that place and try to never miss a chance to go there because they don't have one in Modesto. We really appreciated my mom and Jay watching the kids for us. July 9, 1994

We may have more wrinkles and not be as skinny as the day that we got married, but our love for each other hasn't changed.

Thank you, Lloyd, for the last 15 years. I can't wait to experience the next 15 and more with you. You truly are the love of my life!

Santa Barbara Vacation

2009-07-15T21:08:00.001-07:00

While Courtney was at EFY in Santa Barbara, we enjoyed a mini vacation there. We were sad that we had to leave Katelyn behind because we didn't have enough room in our van (we had to take Jurnee to EFY). We tried to spoil Katelyn in other ways since she missed the trip. First we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo. We saw lots of animals. Here's Lloyd and the kids with the macaws. We also saw...

elephantspenguins

flamingos

giraffes
anteaters and many more.

Of course, Cameron was thrilled about the train ride.

We all loved the train ride that went all around the zoo.

The kids had fun playing in the children's area.

We also fed the goats.

After the zoo, we rode the Santa Barbara shuttle through downtown. It is a gorgeous town!

Here we are on the Santa Barbara pier. It's the only part of the California coastline that faces south instead of west. We explored the Santa Barbara harbor on this boat called Lil' Toot.

Cameron got to drive the boat.

And so did Kylie. The weather was absolutely perfect. I never remember experiencing a more perfect day. It wasn't too hot or too cold. It felt heavenly!

We ate pizza at Rusty's right across from the beach. I got to visit one of my close friends from high school, Beth, who lives in Santa Barbara. I think we talked for over three hours. It was so fun to catch up and laugh about old times. We can't believe we graduated from high school over 18 years ago.

We spent some time swimming at the pool at our hotel and playing at the Goleta Beach. I guess I was relaxing so much I didn't get any photos. On our way home we stopped in the Danish town of Solvang. It's such a cute village.
I remember going there as a kid and my mom took my picture in front of this shoe. For fun, I had my kids take a picture with it too.

The kids enjoyed seeing all the windmills. I enjoyed eating the aebleskivers, a round Danish pancake that is deep fried. So yummy! We also had shave ice with ice cream. I don't think that's a Danish treat, but it was really delicious.

We had a great mini vacation and look forward to returning to Santa Barbara. It is such a beautiful place!

Courtney's EFY in Santa Barbara

2009-07-15T21:07:00.002-07:00

We were so excited for Courtney to go to Especially For Youth this year. She actually doesn't turn 14 until August 29, but she was still eligible to go. I went to EFY three times when I was a teenager. I absolutely LOVED it and still consider it one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. EFY is not cheap, it costs $450, but I knew it would be worth it. I told Courtney to consider it her 8th grade graduation gift. We decided to have her go to EFY in Santa Barbara the week of July 6-10. We didn't really want to drive all the way to Utah and we thought we could spend a few days in Santa Barbara. Her roommate for EFY was Jurnee Walker, a cute girl from our neighboring ward. Jurnee was a real trooper traveling in our full minivan with lots of little kids. She was very patient and understanding. Here's a picture of Courtney and Jurnee in front of their dorm room at UC Santa Barbara. Here's the inside of their room.
Cute girls!
Here's Courtney with some of the girls from her group. They got very close and had a lot of fun together.They still keep in touch via facebook.
This is Courtney with her counselor, Ann. Courtney said she was lots of fun and made all the girls feel included.

Here's all the girls before the big dance on Friday night. They all look so pretty.
Here they are with the guys.

Courtney's favorite things about EFY were:

1- dances

2- pizza party

3- spiritual classes with awesome speakers

4- friends

5- variety show

She's already looking forward to next year!

Fourth of July - Karen's 30th Birthday

2009-07-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

Fourth of July is my sister's birthday. We've always tried to make it a special day for her along with the birthday celebration of the USA. Since my sister, Karen, moved to Arizona, we haven't been able to be with her on your birthday every year. One year we did visit her in Mesa, and July in Arizona is very HOT! Well, this year Karen was turning the big 30! Her husband decided to surprise her with a trip to California for her entire family. We were so excited about seeing her, her husband, Matt, her son, Ethan, and her baby girl, Addie. Here's my entire family (minus my brother Brad's family) at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on July 3. It was very crowded and pretty cool, but we still had a fun day. Lloyd had fun making sand castles with the kids.
Ethan and Conner - 2 two-year old boys having fun in the sand Courtney with her buddy, Ethan

Katelyn and Baby Addie - snuggling to keep warm

Conner got very dirty at the beach. Tons of sand to dig in - a boy's paradise.

Me and Addie. I'll never have a baby girl of my own again so at least I can cuddle with my sister's little girl.

On the 4th of July, we went swimming and had a great barbecue in my mom's backyard. My mom always does a fabulous job decorating for holidays. Her backyard looked very festive. Here are 7 of my mom's 9 grandkids.

Here's my family - we reused last year's matching shirts.

Little kid's table

Matt, Bryce, Chareen, Karen, and Katelyn

Lloyd, Me, Mom, Jay, Kylie, and Addie (in the shade)

Kylie and Addie - cousins, but look like they could be sisters.

It was a great celebration for Karen and Lloyd too (6 days early). The homemade ice cream was so yummy. I wish I could eat that stuff every day. We are so glad Karen and her family could come visit. We love them so much and wish they didn't love so far away.

Katelyn's Girl Scout Camp

2009-06-28T00:41:00.002-07:00

Katelyn went to Girl Scout camp at Camp Menzies for six days. This was her second time going to Camp Menzies. She was excited to be attending the "Horse Lovers" program this year. Her friend Angelica also went with her. Here they are before they got on the bus.
Here's Katelyn with some of the girls from her group. They learned how to take care of horses and got to rides the horses too.
They also got to go canoeing.

Katelyn is in the back of the canoe.

They played in the water to keep cool at camp.

Katelyn's favorite camp memories were:

1- making new friends and the fun counselors

2- working with the horses

3- activities (archery, canoeing, crafts)

4- singing songs

5- sleeping in a cabin

Train Museum with the Footes

2009-06-28T00:40:00.001-07:00

On June 26, we met up with Earl Foote and his family at the California Sate Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Earl was Lloyd's best friend who lived across the street from him when they grew up in West Valley, Utah. Earl now lives in Park City, Utah. He came out for a vacation here in northern California. Lloyd was so excited to reunite with him. We decided to meet at the train museum because our kids (especially Cameron) love to see all the trains there. Courtney was at Girls Camp and Katelyn was at Girl Scout Camp so they didn't go with us.
Earl and Lloyd - best friends all grown up.
Our familyCameron has been obsessed with trains since he first visited the train museum in 2006. We couldn't resist buying him this Thomas engineer hat.

Our three littlest ones

Kylie

Earl with his three handsome boys and Lloyd with our kids

Cute kids!

Playing upstairs was fun too!

Me and my "baby"

Cameron and Kylie posing for the camera. Cameron loved watching this Thomas train. It was a great day for both of our families. Thanks to Facebook - it's made reuniting even easier!

My First Triathlon

2009-06-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

I always knew I wanted to do a triathlon some day. I wanted to branch out and do something besides running. Also, Lloyd mentioned to me that Jennifer Lopez had done a triathlon after she had her twins. I thought if she can do it so can I! I was planning to do one in August and another in September. I found out a few friends were going to do a Tri for Fun on June 20 and I couldn't resist getting involved. Of course, I wasn't worried about the running part, but I was worried about the biking and even more about the swimming. I had an old bike in the shed that I got at Target over ten years ago. Both the tires were flat because I hadn't used it in years. As for the swimming, I knew I could swim, but not more than a few laps. I seemed to get tired after a couple laps of freestyle and always felt out of breath. Despite, my doubts about my bike and swimming ability, I decided to go for the Tri for Fun in Pleasanton on June 20. It's actually a great first-time triathlon with short distances - 400 meter swim, 11 mile bike ride, 3.1 mile run. They don't even record the participants time, it's strictly a "fun" competition. My training up to the triathlon went okay. I would swim freestyle laps at my gym. I found if I breathed every stroke I didn't get out of breath. I gave up on counting laps and would time myself for up to 30 minutes of swimming. I was worried about the water being cold at the lake where the triathlon was held. I swam in our cold pool a couple times to make sure I could swim in cold water. One time I hyperventilated while swimming in our pool and it was pretty scary, but I got through it okay. My bike riding started out slow. I did enjoy it because you can go a lot faster on a bike than you can running. However, as far as cycling goes I was pretty slow. I had been doing spin classes at the gym for a while, but riding outside is quite different. I took my bike in to the bike shop and got it a tune up and some more road-friendly tires. That seemed to help a bit. At least, the bike shop workers said I would make it through the 11 mile ride. I stayed at my mom's house in San Jose the night before the triathlon. I was pretty anxious about the whole thing. I practiced my transitions. I bought a tri suit that goes straight from the swim to the bike. I really love the suit; I insisted it be all black so I wouldn't look too fat in it. I arrived at Shadow Cliff Park in Pleasanton about an hour and a half before the race began. I couldn't believe how many people were there - over 700, I think. I could barely find a place to rack my bike.

Here I am before the race begins. I carefully set up all my gear.

Here I am in my tri suit, swim cap, and goggles. I know it's such a fashionable outfit. The water wasn't too cold and I was so glad about that.

Here I am after just completing the 400 meter swim. I was surprised at how fast it went - only about 10 minutes. It was very crowded though with about 150 swimmers in the water at once. One girl started doing the back stroke right next to me and was hitting me in the head. I snagged this photo from the photographer who took pictures at the event.
Here I am on the bike with my friend (just kidding - I don't know who this guy is). I had a couple problems on the bike. I had to stop twice because my shoelace got wrapped around my pedal. Then I switched gears too quickly. I damaged my derailer and my chain came off. I started to panic, but luckily I was able to get my chain back on fairly easily and could finish on the bike. It was actually a very flat ride and a little less than 11 miles. I was a bit discouraged when all the bikers on road bikes passed me up, but I kept plugging away on my mountain bike.

Here I am right after the bike, about to transition to the run. I almost forgot to take off my bike helmet before the run. That would have been a sight!The transition from bike to run is pretty hard on your legs. My legs feel like "jello" for at least a mile after I get off the bike. I was so excited to have my headphones and MP3 player on the run. The music really got me going. The run had a few more hills than I usually run. Here I am a little crazy for the camera. I guess I was having fun.

The run was actually a little longer than 3.1. I was excited to see the finish line. I had made it through my first triathlon! My time on the clock shows 1:37, but I started 15 minutes after the clock in the fourth wave of swimmers. I guess that means it took my 1:22 to complete. Honestly, the whole thing felt like it was only 15 minutes long. After running marathons and half marathons, this seemed so much faster and more exciting. I loved that I wasn't running the entire time. I love how the swimming and biking aren't as hard on your joints. Yes, I'll admit I think I was bitten by the triathlon bug. I couldn't wait to do another one. I knew I couldn't wait until August before doing another one. I went home and found one three weeks after this one on July 11. The swim and bike would be longer, but I was up for the challenge. I actually try to convert everyone I know to try a triathlon. I guess I just assume others will love them as much as I do. Honestly, they aren't that hard. Most people would be surprised that they could do it. If anyone is even considering it, I would say "Go for it!" I'd be happy to help or give advice to anyone interested.
Lloyd couldn't come to watch me at the triathlon because he had to work. After he got off work, I begged him to take me out to my favorite restaurant in San Jose - The Sonoma Chicken Coop. I even enjoyed some chocolate fondue. It was a great celebration!

The Beauties of Yosemite

2009-06-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

Yosemite has been said to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. People come from all around the world to visit. I've been to Yosemite only four times. My first time was in 1995 before I had any kids. I didn't go back until 2007. In 2008, I hiked Half Dome for the first time and knew I had to do it again. We were so lucky to have been able to camp in Yosemite this year from June 8-11. It's funny that Yosemite is basically in our backyard, compared to most people, and we haven't gone there more often. As our children are getting older, we would like to visit more frequently. Here are just some of the beauties we experienced on our trip this year.We got to see four waterfalls. Spring is an awesome time to see the waterfalls because the snow is still melting and the falls are very strong. Here is Lower Yosemite Falls.
Here is a picture of Upper Yosemite and Lower Yosemite Falls together.

Here is Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail. I think this waterfall is my favorite. I love to feel the mist as you hike right next to it.

Here is Nevada Falls which is further up the mist trail. Lloyd and I got this picture on our Half Dome hike.Here is Bridalveil Falls. We took the whole family to see this one.
Lloyd got this picture of Cloud's Rest while we were hiking Half Dome. He said he's like to climb it some day.Here's El Capitan. Our entire family was fascinated by the rock climbers who climb to the top. We looked at them through telescopes. They actually sleep in cots attached to the rock. It can take them anywhere from three days to a week to climb to the top of El Capitan. Here's the view of Half Dome from the valley. It's hard to believe we climbed to the top. No wonder it takes so long!

Here's Mirror Lake. If it wasn't so cold we would have gone swimming. We also got to see a lot of wildlife in Yosemite. We saw this bear on our hike to Yosemite Falls. We saw a couple other bears too. There are lots of bears in Yosemite and you have to be really careful that you keep all food in the bear lockers.
My brother got this picture of some deer. They were pretty tame and he was able to get fairly close to them.We saw this mother duck and her ducklings on our last day in Yosemite. Very sweet!
Finally, we did not see this long horn bull in Yosemite, but on our way back. Some of my friends pointed him out when we went scrapbooking at the cabin. His horns are humongous. The poor guy can't even hold his head up!

We feel so grateful we got to experience the beauty of Yosemite this year. The Lord has truly blessed us with an amazing world to enjoy!

Family Fun in Yosemite

2009-06-28T00:37:00.002-07:00

There were eleven of us that went camping in Yosemite this year. Our family of seven, my mom and Jay, and my brother, Bryce, and his wife, Chareen. We had a lot of fun, laughed quite a bit, and created some priceless memories. Here's all eleven of us with Yosemite Falls in the background.

Our family of seven, why do my kids keep growing up? They looked smaller when I took this same shot in 2007.
Here's all of us in front of Yosemite Falls.Our family

My kids being so silly!Thank goodness the girls were strong enough to hold up this rock as we hiked around it.Aren't these boys adorable?Meal time under the dining fly. It rained a lot so while we were there so we appreciated the shelter. We always had plenty of food though.

The pool at Curry Village was pretty cold. We tried it out anyway. It was good training for my upcoming triathlon.
Adorable smiles!This guy is pretty adorable too!

Our last group shot in the meadow across from El Capitan.
We all loved seeing the rock climbers on El Capitan through the telescope.Riding the free shuttle buses throughout Yosemite valley was very convenient.

Our family on a bridge by Bridalveil Falls.
In front of Mirror Lake

We would have liked to have spent more time river rafting, but it was very cold. Lloyd did manage to take some of us across the river to a small island by Swinging Bridge. Here he is with Cameron.

Katelyn and Conner had their turn too. Conner loved it!Here I am with Lloyd. I'm not very good at rowing. Lloyd was great to take us all out and back from the island.

Overall, it was a fun and memorable family vacation. Here are our top 10 memories from our 2009 Trip to Yosemite:

1- Bryce's funnel cakes (best I ever had)

2- Rain (lots of wet and dirty clothes, we had to wash our sleeping bags at the laundromat after the trip)

3- Watching the rock climbers on El Capitan (so intriguing)

4- Mom's trip to the medical center for a broken blood vessel in her eye (luckily she was okay and it healed quickly)

5- Pizza from Curry Village (Lloyd and I were too tired to cook after hiking Half Dome)

6- Elmer (you had to be there)

7- Bear sightings (we saw five different bears)

8- Lloyd and I safely hiking Half Dome (someone died there four days after we hiked it)

9- Camping in the valley (we had to reserve in January, but the price and location were just right)

10- The hot shower after hiking Half Dome and swimming in the cold pool (we were only suppose to be in there for five minutes, but we took a little longer - the hot water felt heavenly)