Farewell 2008, Welcome 2009!!

Wow, I can't believe today is New Year's Eve! 2008 seemed to just fly by! It was a BUSY year, and we have NO regrets! It wasn't the most exciting year....no fun travelling or big changes, but we are all happy and healthy, so that is success to us!!

Here are some highlights from our year:

1. Nate FINALLY picked a major! I'll admit I was getting nervous when we started on "major #5", but ever since Nate settled on becoming a high school teacher, he has been SO happy and has really excelled in his classes. He just got his grades for this past semester.....4 A's and a B! How great is he! And they were tough classes....economics, political science, history and socialogy. This upcoming semester he is taking only history and geography classes, so he's VERY excited about that. I'm so proud of Nate and how hard he has been working in school the past 4 years!! Hang in there Sweetie!!!

2. Nate and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. Our 4th anniversary is just a few weeks away!

3. Thanks to some wonderful babysitting jobs, I was able to stay home all year with Cameron, bring in plenty of income, and we remained DEBT FREE! And thanks to some Pell grants and our dedication to saving money, I was able to quit my babysitting job a few weeks ago with no stress or worrying about our situation. We don't have many luxuries or get to travel much right now, but we high-five each other every day for the choices we are making. Our goals after Nate graduates are to pay cash for a mini-van, go to Korea and hopefully get into a home.

4. Cameron turned TWO!! And what a grown-up boy he has become!

Cameron in January 2008:Cameron in December 2008:This year he learned how to talk, sign, run, jump, climb, sing, his alphabet, his numbers, how to eat, to love nursery, how to share, and how to throw a textbook tantrum!!
His favorite friends: Cambrie, Ariana, Cole & any of his cousins (and apparently Allie!!)

His favorite foods: Cereal, bananas, pancakes, spaghetti, Junior Mints, popcorn

His favorite shows: Super Why, Signing Time, Curious George, CARS, Finding Nemo

His favorite activities: The Zoo, looking at books (especially alphabet books), playing with cars, playing with animals and dinosaurs, Sign Language, getting into the fridge, taking naps (seriously! He loves to sleep!), talking to Daddy on the phone, playing trains with Daddy and having movie/popcorn afternoons with mommy!

5. We have lived at University Village for a year now. We have made more friends than we could have imagined. I LOVE everyone I have met here. We knew selling our house and moving here was the right choice for us, but we had no idea how much JOY it would bring us!

6. I spent most of the year serving as Primary President in our ward. There were moments of tears, frustration and feeling completely overwhelmed, but most of all, I grew to love the sweet children with all of my heart. I have learned SO Much about serving in the Primary, and I am grateful for the opportunity I've had to be with the kids each week.

7. We're Pregnant!! This is obviously the highlight of our year!! Nate and I both felt very strongly that it was time to add to our family. I was blessed with a textbook pregnancy, and our baby girl is due in just about two weeks! We are all ready for her!!

Tonight Nate & I will sit down to make our Yearly Goals like we always do. I already have lots of ways I want to better myself and my relationships. I want to get back in shape and run a 5K in August. I want to be a better mother and give Allie & Cam have the best childhood I can. I want to be a better friend and be more kind to people.

Here's to 2009!! (and to hoping our baby girl doesn't look like THIS!!!!)

We have had a relaxing Holiday vacation. Nate only works 24 hours a week, so we've enjoyed having him around. He's been getting lots of video game time in, and he's also been letting me get some good rest! Thanks Honey! We've been doing some cleaning/organizing to get ready for our baby. Nate has been spending lots of time with Cameron so I can run errands and do some final baby shopping without my hyper 2 yr old in tow!

Cameron loves to lounge!

Cam likes to snuggle with Daddy while he plays games.Yesterday Nate let me have a relaxing afternoon while he took Cameron to the Zoo. The weather was perfect for it! Cam was obviously ecstatic!!Cam's favorite part of the Zoo is throwing food pellets to the ducks! The train was closed, so hopefully this made up for it!

Cameron's little pal, Ariana, is finally home from vacation! We have really missed spending time outside with our friends.

Happy New Year to you, and we hope 2009 brings you much joy!