so sooooon

Nathaneil with his friend Jared - Iraq

It's interesting how a whole year can seem to fly by while the next few days seem like an eternity! That's right, Nathaniel is almost home and what a year it has been. I was reading through my journal the other day and I read an entry right after Nathaniel left for Iraq and it said: I was given the advice make this next year a time for you to thrive and not just to survive.

I am very happy for those words because they helped me through the next year and now that I look back on the year Nathaniel was in Iraq it is a great memory...don't get me wrong I missed him so much some nights I would just curl up in bed and cry myself to sleep, but thankfully those moments were far and few inbetween because I had made the commitment to myself to thrive over the year.

Camden and I had a great year, from celebrating his first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Camden also learned how to sit be himself...crawl by himself...walk by himself, and is now running around like a big boy. We had a wonderful time visiting friends and family. We had FHE every monday night with our friends who's husbands/dads were also deployed. Every wednesday we go to play group in our neighborhood. I take much needed time and work out at our gym while Camden goes to the wonderful child care that they have! I have also come to realize over and over again how lucky I am to have such a wonerful husband, who cares so much about his family, who loves the gospel and is worthy to hold the priesthood. I feel so blessed that he is excited for more children to come into our family because he understands the eternal nature of the family :) Some people have said: I don't know how you do it, a year is so long, I just shrug my shoulders and say, you can do anything for those you love.

But I am not going to lie, even though this past year is full of great memories, I know that his next year is going to be EVEN better!

But in the end I am going to savor every second I have with just Camden and I, as we anxiously await (with butterfly's in my stomach) the day I get to run up and hug (and kiss!) my best friend, my wonderful husband.

Big boy bed

My little (or not so little) boy is growing up! A few months ago my friend moved her boy to a toddler boy, he is one year older then Camden and I thought man I am happy that Camden hasn't learned how to climb out of his crib yet and that he will be in a crib for hopefully another year! you see in a crib he is trapped, I don't have to worry about him hurting himself while playing in his room in the middle of the night....it was a comfort...and then three weeks ago, my wonderful and adventerous 17 month old learned how to do what I was dreading, he climbed out of his crib! My first reaction: I laughed with him and hugged him because he was SO proud of himself when I opened his bedroom door...my second reacion: A fear of him breaking bones! So I knew the time had come for him to get a big boy bed! Last week we went shopping and bought him a twin mattress and box spring! As soon as I set it up he loved it, I thought hopefully you love it as much when I take away your crib and make you sleep in it kiddo! First night comes: We do our usual bedtime routine and by 8:30 I tuck him into bed, we read a couple of stories, I kiss him and hug him and tell him goodnight and then I cross me fingers! Next thing I knew it was 8:30 in the morning, he had slept 12 hour straight, WAHOO! The next test came at nap time, I wondered if he would sleep as well in a bed that he could get out of when it is light outside..he slept 3 1/2 hours! He has transitioned to sleeping in a bed wonderfully, he never gets out of his bed until after his nap or in the morning, usually around 8! I can't believe how lucky I am to be a mom to such a wonderful little sleeper!