Lloyd Family

W e had a great Christmas this year! As the big day approached we didn't feel like we had enough holiday parties to attend, so we arranged a couple little ones with local family. We went to Malta for a get together with the Halls, Lloyds, and a surprise visit from Kaylene. Then the next day we had the Lawrences and Jensens over for dinner and games. Good times. It's a real blessing to have family close, and we really miss those who are too far away to visit often. T he big news this Christmas was kittens ! We thought since we're (hopefully) moving to the country, then a couple of cats would be a nice addition to the family. Kory and I went out Christmas Even and picked up a 7-week old brother and sister from a family in our ward. The kids were pretty excited on Christmas morning and are learning how to love animals. We named them Luke and Leia.

H anna is involved in both Orchestra and Band at her middle school, and loves it! This week was her band concert, and it was really fun to hear some great holiday songs. Here is a vid of her favorite one- the Twelve Instrumental Days of Christmas. Hanna is one of the flutes, or "four calling birds" (she's 4th from the left, but visually looks like 3rd because one girl us usually blocked by another. If you want to know the truth, she was supposed to be right out on the end but that girl stole her spot. Hanna is not one to fight with her peers, so she took the inside spot.) Merry Christmas, everyone!

This is another one I saved as a draft accidentally. Enjoy! R ight before our Oregon trip, we had a very special event in the family: Sara got baptized! It was such a neat day, with so much supportive family in attendance. My sister, Lisa, did Sara's hair- thanks again! We had a luncheon afterward at out house, and enjoyed the delicious food that everyone brought. Sara's two living great-grandmothers. Love them so much! Ella and Joz enjoyed paiting themselves with chalk. Later they helpfully picked all the green tomatoes they could find in the garden. We've picked so many green peas this year that I'm sure Joz thought tomatoes were the same! Ezra, Zeb and Gilbert are great buddies!

S o, I just realized I'd saved this post as a draft back in September, instead of posting it. Better late than never! Z ane turned 12!!! Who can believe that he is a deacon now? It is so fun and exciting to have mutual-aged kids in the house. I especially enjoyed having Zane home during summer vacation. He is so good to play with his little brothers, as well as the baby I babysit.   O ne of Zane's loves is the computer game Minecraft, so he requested a Minecraft cake for his birthday. A mong other items, he got a Buck knife. Funny boy. H e loves spicy/hot foods, so he got a bunch of that! W e love you, Zane, and know we're going to see you doing great things this year. Happy Birthday!!

Z ac and Sara participated in their school's Christmas concert last week. Zac is in the 4th grade and wasn't very excited to be in the chorus of the play (he wanted to be in the audience) but he was a good sport. He wore the santa hat, sang, and even played the kazoo when the time came! S ara was beyond excited for the program! She participated with the 3rd grade in a song and light stick show and did well, but her favorite part was singing with the honor choir SunShine Singers. They meet once a week after school, and Sara loves every minute of it! W arning: I took this video with my old digital camera, while holding Joziah on my lap (who occasionally fought me for the camera), and the quality is terrible. Maybe just close your eyes. . . because the sound is pretty good. Sara is third from the left on the front row. She really sings out! B oth kids did well and I was proud of them. They love going to school, are getting awesome grades, and seem to be having good expe...