House of Lloyd

Our baby boy is no longer a baby . He has not been a baby for a long time.  However, when we look at him we still see our baby.   Everyday he is turning more into a young man and less of a child. As parents, it is scary to see the child that used to depend on you for everything becoming more and more independent.

Caleb has always been a good boy, and wise beyond his years and often times too smart for his own good.  He has been a wonderful big brother to Madilyn.  We could not have asked for a better son.  Our prayers for him as he moves further into his teen years is that he will continue to grow not only in physical maturity, but in spiritual maturity. (more…)

Sometimes it is hard to find a balance between work and play.  Lately we have been really busy and finding balance has been harder than normal.  I keep hoping that things will slow down for us, but I really do not see that happening anytime soon.

On Father’s Day we took time to relax and just be together.  It was nice for me not to have my mind distracted with school work.  Lately I have had to do a lot of studying because of my current course load. Three classes in six weeks is starting to look like a mistake.  I am missing the time that I normally have with my kids and husband during the summer.   (more…)

A Letter to my Husband and the Father of my children,

“Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad”- Anne Geddes.

Being a dad and husband means so many things. Others may take you for granted but know that I never will.  You have been and continue to be a source of strength and support not only during the good times but also during rough times. You are an encourager not only to me but also to our children.  You have a generous heart that you show to everyone in so many ways. Your constant displays of love and affection to your children and to me show us we are  loved and special. I am so happy that you are a constant in our lives when so many other fathers and husbands  choose to distance themselves from their families. (more…)

Sometimes as parents we get so wrapped up in our to do list and adult responsibilities we forget how to have fun. Sometimes we get so busy that our kids begin to think that they are not important or that we don’t have time for them.  I never want my children to feel this way.  My schedule with summer school has been so jammed packed with classes and homework I have started feeling like I never see my kids.  One day last week Madilyn helped me to have fun and to remember what it is like to be a little girl full of excitement.  I love that she has the power to do that.  (more…)

I had hoped that the dates on the calendar would just click by and that I would not be emotionally affected by the passing of the days this week.  I had hoped  by now I would be clicking along with life and that the day would go by unnoticed.  However that is not to be.  Today when I  pulled out my planner to mark some dates on the calendar, I saw the whited out information that had been written in the block for June 10.   (more…)

When I planted my garden I never dreamed that working in the garden would be a source of spending quality time with my almost 14 year old son.  However, over the course of the past few weeks we have worked side by side in the garden and have had a lot of conversations that have given me a glimpse into the young man he is becoming.  At first he complained about the work, but over the past few days he has worked without complaint and has even helped a few times without being asked to do so.

So many times as a working mom, wife and college student I find myself spending time with my family that is not quality but quantity.  Sometimes our time is spent with so many distractions that we do not really connect as a family or even as individuals.

David and I make sure to spend quality time with each other usually with planned date nights.  It is easy to spend one on one quality time with Madilyn– reading books, playing with play dough or swinging on the swing.  However, Caleb is a teenage boy and it is hard to get his attention in order to spend time with him. He also does not let us know when he needs us, which makes it even more difficult to spend quality time together.

Working with Caleb in the garden with no technology, work or little sister distractions has been eye opening.  I realize that all too soon he will be a full grown man making his own decisions and life choices.  He is no longer my little boy, but a young man with hopes, thoughts and dreams of his own.  Even though he is a young man he still needs to have some one on one quality time with his mom and dad.

What are you doing to spend quality time with your husband and children?

Photo by Fancy Pants Photography

May is a busy time for us with David’s birthday, our anniversary and Mother’s Day all in one week. We thought what better time to take time to spend with the family so we decided to head to Hilton Head. We left Thursday afternoon and returned on Monday. We decided to stay at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort which turned out to be a good choice. (more…)

So this post is a little late, but I was out of town enjoying my family. However, I still wanted to write out my thoughts on this matter.

As of May 8, 2010 David and I have been married 19 years. It is hard for me to believe that I have now been married 1/2 of my life. When we married in 1991 most people including our family and friends did not think that we would last. I am sure that behind closed doors people were taking bets on how long we would last and grieving over our decision to ruin our lives.

David and I met in August of 1990. I had just turned 18 and was a Freshman at Lee University. David was 20 and a Junior. We had only known each other for about four weeks when my life got turned upside down and I left Lee. We were in a crazy kind of young love relationship. At the time computers were not common place and neither were cell phones. So we had to keep in touch the good old fashion way– Handwritten, mailed letters, I still have all of the letters that we exchanged during this time period.

In January of 1991 I returned to Lee and we were married in May after our final exams. We had only known each other for 9 months and half of that time we were not even together in person. I think we got to know each other so well because we were forced to communicate through our writing.

We have had a great 19 years and I look forward to many more years with him. We have had our share of heartbreak and trials, but all in all we have been happy.

Our Mile Stones

• 1991- Eloped at the county courthouse in Cleveland, TN. Only 2 of our friends believed we were actually getting married and showed up at the appointed time.
• 1993- David graduated from college and landed his first programming job.
• 1995- Donna graduated from college and began working at the college.
• 1996- After trying for 3 years to have a baby and using fertility drugs Caleb is born in June. We moved to GA when I was 7 months pregnant because David was offered a better job.
• Late 1996- I got my first teaching job, but it was in TN. We lived apart for the year, with me traveling home most weekends. On the weekends I could not come home David came to TN to see us. It was a challenge but we made it work. I think our family thought we were having problems, but we were not. David and I just decided that it was alright for me to chase my dream of being a teacher.
• 1997- Got my second teaching job in Kennesaw, GA
• 1999- We bought our first home.
• 2000-2004 Not very eventful.
• 2005- Started the foster to adopt process with the state of GA
• 2007- Sold our home and bought a new home in Canton, GA.
• Late 2007- with no prospects for adoption we stopped foster to adopt and found a private adoption agency.
• Late 2008- Madilyn came home to us.
• 2009- Adoption Finalized, Donna Graduates College again, re-enrolls in college again, miscarriage and David lost his new business venture to a fire.
• 2010- Our struggles continue but we are stronger as a couple and look forward to many more adventures.

What does year 20 hold for us?