Ward Campout

I have been really slacking in the blogging area. Not that I don't I have pictures to blog, I do, but up until very recently I haven't been able to hold my cookies down long enough to sit in front of the computer to organize and edit all the pictures I have. So I hope that in the very near future there will be a plethora of new post, but you'll have to forgive that they are WAY out of order and super old news.

To start off I will go with a more recent event, our ward camp out. Since our stake is the Kirtland Stake, our ward camp out was naturally at the John Johnson Farm. It was really neat! Since it was the weekend of our anniversary Nate had taken the time off and got to go with us. The kids were SOOOO very excited to go camping, and to get out of the house!! This is Luke sporting Nate's hat. (can you tell he is excited to go camping? I didn't see him most of the time, he was running around with the boy pack getting bruised and dirty. It was great!)Lily was excited to "help" set up the tent. Luckily there were some men there to help, I was busy loosing my lunch. Once we got there and got the tent set up Gabby and Lily got their friends to come hang out in our tent. (Lily, Emma, Gabby, Eden and Grace)

The girls then went exploring through the woods. At least until someone discovered the poison ivy and a wasp nest. Then the kids weren't allowed to go off the beaten path. But Gabby sure was proud of this neat spot she found!

It was a fun camp out and we really enjoyed getting to know some of the families a little better. On the way home we stopped at a great little farm and bought some delicious peaches! It was a fun time together as a family, one I hope the kids will remember! On a side note when we got home I noticed this big white ball in the yard. I assumed the kids left one of their balls outside. Turns out it was a MUSHROOM! I'd never seen one grow that big in a yard before! I guess someone needs to be better about the yard work around here.....!

Ten Amazing Years

It's hard to believe that ten years ago I married the man of my dreams, hard to believe that ten years ago I was just starting my life with this amazing man, hard to believe how little I knew back then, hard to believe that I have already had ten amazing years! I remember when I first got engaged, I thought I was so young and wondered if I was really prepared for this journey. I remember when we had been married one whole year and I thought that was SOOOOO long! I remember thinking I would be so old by the time I had been married 10 years. Funny how your perspective changes. I still feel so young at times, but when I think of all that we have been through I realize how much I have changed over these last ten years. I have learned things about myself I never knew, I have learned how strong I am, I have also learned how weak I am, I have learned how to rely on someone else and how to trust that someone else. I have learned to love more deeply than I ever thought I could. I have learned what forgiveness is all about, I have learned how to be a better wife, a better mother and a better person. I have learned what true happiness is, I have learned how to let things go, I have learned how to put others needs before my own and that I am happy to do it. I have learned that I have a lot to learn still! But most importantly I have learned that I love this man with everything I have and that he is absolutely my one and only. We have been through a lot together and he has always been there for me. It hasn't always been easy, I would be lying to say our lives have been perfect from the moment we got married. (Anyone who was at our wedding knows that is a lie, after all we forgot the marriage licence and had to scramble to get a new one so we could get married on time!) But I wouldn't change any of it. It has made us into who we are, it has taught us so much, and it has forged an unbreakable bond between us. I know we have a lot more to learn and a lot more to change, but I am so thankful to be on this journey with my best friend. With the love of my life. With my Nathan.

So Happy Anniversary my love! Thanks for choosing me, for loving me and for being there for me!