A Look Back: 2013

2013 has been anything but uneventful:

Within the first week of 2013 I found out I was expecting our first baby.  It was a rough start with two months of non-stop nausea, but the rest of pregnancy treated me well.

Despite getting bigger and bigger, our travel adventures continued.  In Germany we visited Hamburg, Garmisch, and Flossenburg.  We took a day cruise down the Rhine River and went camping an hour south of our house.

We also went to Paris, Prague (again), Switzerland and Turkey (with family). The grand finale before the baby came was visiting Israel in June, which was my favorite trip so far. Not being able to breath well and having my body overheat were minor inconveniences of pregnancy, but seeing Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was definitely worth it!

I spent the next few months making sure I had everything ready for a baby.  I basically ordered everything online: carseat, stroller, clothes, pacifiers, bottles, sheets, pack and play....  Even with all the preparations, I had a hard time anticipating the birth TOO much because it meant Hyrum would be gone already.

Hyrum deployed to Afghanistan just a few weeks before my due date.  It was a sad goodbye, but we're now halfway through the deployment and going strong. [Army strong!]

Santiago was born on September 13th.  He was cute and lovable the day he was born, and has gotten even cuter each day.  He Skyped with his dad for the first time from the hospital.  My mom spent most of September with me in Germany cooking, cleaning, and helping with the baby.  Fortunately the nights weren't too sleepless, and after a month or so the motherhood fog started to clear.

Despite a government shutdown which closed our passport office, I finally got Santiago's passport 2 months after he was born.  We got tickets to come to Utah and arrived by Thanksgiving.  Meanwhile, Hyrum was putting in loooong hours in Afghanistan doing many of the same human resources tasks he was doing back in Germany.  He planned holiday parties, coordinated the visits of Generals and celebrities, and helped mentor his counterparts in the ANA.

Tiago spent all of December getting spoiled by relatives, and now expects to be carried around whenever he feels like it.  No sitting allowed.  There was plenty of holiday food, a little exercising, and non-stop family partying.

We're in Utah ringing in the new year, listening to fireworks as I type this.  In 2014 we are most excited for Hyrum to return home from Afghanistan and meet his little boy.  Hyrum is also looking forward to the World Cup in Brazil.  (And would like to watch in person, not just on TV.)  We're planning many European travels in our heads, trying to see how much we can cram into our few years overseas.  We can't wait to see how Santiago grows-- when he talks, walks, and of course, learns to play soccer.

Happy 2014!