the one where they have big muscles

nate has been doing a lot of soul searching lately to figure out what he wants to do with his life. he's almost done with school and he has a lot of really cool career options available to him.

i think destiny came knocking this evening and showed us a clear path for not only him, but our boys as well. We could build a legacy and pass it on to generations of Boden's.

my kids are still littles and they helped their friend and his mom move out of their apartment. they weren't just sitting around playing either. see all that stuff by the truck? They hauled all the stuff up a flight of stairs. no joke here. they were born to move. born to be heavy lifters.

i can see it now.

"BODEN & SONS MOVING COMPANY"

future.

him

i don't spend a lot of time on here talking about how much i love my husband. maybe i think no one really wants to hear it. or maybe it's because public displays of affection make me uncomfortable.


i'm sure it's both of those things.


but if you ever laid awake at night wondering what it is that i love about this man here it is.


here is one of the little things that makes him so great.


when he buys clothes he doesn't have the patience to try them on. he sees what he likes, buys it, and comes right home.


when he tries on said newly purchased clothes to see how they look he realizes they are too small.


but instead of getting mad or annoyed he dances around, makes funny faces, flexes his muscles, and lets me take pictures while i laugh so hard that i start "lizzing" (laughing+whizzing).


then he packs the clothes up and tries to get me to take them back to the mall because he'll be embarrassed about going back 45 minutes after he left.


but i don't do it.


that's love.

trickster

i used to have a dog. i had wanted one for ever and ever and ever. when nate was gone i kept asking him if i could get a dog. he kept saying no. so naturally i went out and bought a dog anyway. i took a picture of him with the boys and sent an email to nate that just said "sorry :)". being the nice person that he is, he didn't get too mad at me. i spent 9 wonderful months with that dog before i got caught and forced by the landlord to get rid of him. 

i've had a few months to recover from the loss of my dog and have now focused my attention on bunnies. i really want a house bunny. nate keeps telling me to wait until we live somewhere that allows pets. he's super paranoid that i'm just going to go out and get a pet anyway. so i preyed on that fear and played a little joke on him :)

payton and i spent the afternoon at a friends house playing with their bunnies and ducklings. i took a picture of the bunny and sent a text to nate.

he was asleep at the time. so it was a perfect time to send the message. he'd wake up groggy and a little grumpy, then as he's heading off to class he checks his messages and sees this! he was so mad at first! but after about 15 seconds i couldn't contain my laughter anymore and when he realized i was playing a trick on him he got a good laugh out of it too. 

you gotta mess with each other from time to time. it keeps the relationship lively.

vogue

my husband knows how to get a laugh out of me.

i don't know if i'm just easily entertained or he's incredibly funny. maybe it's both.

either way, this dude strikes the funniest poses for my benefit. he'll want to die if he ever finds out that i posted one of his pictures, but i'm pretty sure he isn't one the two regulars who read my blog so i'm gonna cross my fingers and hope he never sees it.

this photo is one of many photos that i took up in idaho. he was rolling around in the grass and posing against the tree and the garage. each one funnier than the next. i'll keep the funniest ones for myself, but i'm gonna share this little gem with ya'll.

hope you think it's as funny as i did

:)

the guys

I tried so hard to get those boys to smile and look handsome for a picture, but this is the best that I could get. Crappy picture or not, they're a handsome bunch.

guy stuff

going to the park with dad isn't just about fun play time. he enforces his strict physical fitness requirements making sure the boys use good form on the monkey bars, push him on the swings to strengthen their core, push-ups for arm strength and a few laps across the field to build up their endurance. 

he even had them call him "drill sergeant"..................

just kidding!!!! he doesn't have strict physical guidelines for the boys :) they just really like doing man stuff now that dad is home. today at the store jackson actually told me that i need to figure out how to have a little girl so that i can hang out with her so they can do more guy stuff.

Wasatch

the boys stayed a few nights at my parents house so nate and I got a few well deserved nights to ourselves. nate didn't realize how much he missed the wasatch front until he was back in front of it. we took a relaxing drive up the canyon and enjoyed the beautiful scenery without being distracted by the boys.

for real

now that dad is home we're having fun again!!

the return

OH MY GOODNESS

there is no way i could possibly describe how happy we are to have nate home. 

it seemed like this day would never come. but come it did and it was glorious!

{finally}

first grade is over.

summer is finally here.

nate is almost home.

i can breathe again.....

stick a fork in me......i'm done

i literally feel like i'm married to my phone. my lover-on-the-side is the computer. that's the only contact i have with my husband. have i mentioned that i don't like to talk on the phone? so can you imagine how hard it is to despise one of the only forms of contact you have with your lover?

i am so done with this thing.

the weird thing is that the closer he gets to coming home the more depressed i get and the more i lose my mind. not because i'm nervous about him coming home. just because i want him home now!

don't worry about me though. fleetwood mac is getting me through. and on the subject of fleetwood mac...super huge shout-out to glee for introducing a whole new generation to one of my most favorite albums ever. if you don't have "rumours" go to itunes and download it now.

on a side note, if anyone is wanting a dog that resembles a large rat, let me know. i love milo. he's adorable and sweet and cute, but if i'm being honest i kinda want to punt him like a football. i'm just a little too overwhelmed at the moment to give him the love that he needs.

Daddy.......

{superhero poster courtesy of The Paper Tray}

before he left

Anniversary

I failed to mention that on December 26th Nate and I were officially married for 4 years.

First day of School (last week)

My little baby Jackson started kindergarten last week.

He missed the first two days of school because we were in the process of moving, but he jumped right in as soon as we got here and didn't miss a beat.

The only draw back to him starting Kindergarten is that I feel old, and Payton feels abandoned when Jackson leaves him for school.

All in all though, it's been a smooth transition and we're all doing great.

gloomy nights (& days)

I sent my soldier back to Monterey yesterday.

I miss him a lot.

We're crossing our fingers and hoping that we'll get to see you for Thanksgiving.

Visitors

Last weekend we were lucky enough to get a visit from my brother John and sister-in-law Tracy. They just spent a year in Iraq so to say I was excited to see them would be an under-statement!

We had so much fun with them going to the Aquarium and to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It was beautiful up there despite the raging forest fire. The boys scored some sweet shades and went on pleny of rides (pictures to come soon).

I also took advantage of my brothers skills with Garlic and he made some of the best garlic cheese bread I've ever had in my life.

We are so happy you guys are home and extra happy that we got a visit from you!!!

Graduation Pictures

Nate's class & teaching team

Diploma

Certificate for exceeding the Army's expectations

Graduation

He Passed

2+ 2+ 2

For those who don't know, that's a really good score.