3 months...are you kidding me!

3 months has past sense I was laying in the hospital bed in tears thinking who in the heck would ever want to do this all natural without an epidural! I seriously can't believe it! Taya is such a blessing in our lives. She already brings such a calm and happy spirit into our home. She has been the sweetest baby after she got over her little bouts of being sick in her first month, she started sleeping through the night! I put her down at 11 she sleeps til 6am then I feed her and she goes back down til at least 9! awesome I know its heaven! Really I remember wondering how I'd ever love another child as much as I love Rylee...and well I sure do! I could seriously
kiss on her sweet chubby cheeks all day! I absolutely love this little girly!

I went and got her ears pierced the 25th so the day before she was actually 3 months. She gave a good hard mad cry and then the girl that pierced them looked at her and said oh sweetie you look so pretty and then all teary eyed Taya smilled all big at her it was so cute!

She still looks like a mini Derek...but a lot prettier version :)

Sisters in their matchin outfits. I never thought I'd do this but its so fun dressing them alike :)!

I had to throw in a pic of her awesome fat rolls. and her and Ry in their matching pjs. cuddling my girls after bathtime is one of my favorite things to do! I love the smell of freshly bathed babies!

the QUIRKS of my 2 year old

HAVING A 2 YEAR OLD IS MORE WORK AND MORE FUN THEN I COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED! MY SISTER DID A POST ON SOME OF HER LITTLE BOY LUKES LITTLE QUIRKS. I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA SO I DECIDED TO DO ONE ON RYLEES. THE THE ABOVE PICTURES CAPTURE HER CUTE LITTLE PERSONALITY SO WELL! MAKING FACES AT THE CAMERA IS ONE OF HER FUNNY LITTLE QUIRKS FOR SURE!

THIS KID LOVES LOVES LOVES CHEESE...BUT THE BAD SIDE OF THIS IS...

IT MAKES HER HAVE STRESS POOPIN! THIS IS ONE OF RYLEES WORST QUIRKS! HOLDING HER POOP! SHE'LL GO OFF BY HERSELF AND CROSS HER LEGS TO HOLD IT. IF YOU GO BY HER SHE'LL POINT AT YOU AND SAY "GO!" LOVELY QUIRK RY!

I FIND RYLEE IN FUNNY THINGS LIKE THIS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY.

OH HOW THIS CAN...T DANCE! I'M AFRAID SHE GOT THIS LITTLE QUIRK FROM ME. IT DOESN'T STOP HER FROM BREAKING OUT THE MOVES THOUGH...WHENEVER AND WHEREVER SHE HERES A GOOD BEAT SHE LIKES!

SHE LOVES BOOGER HUNTING! IF I TELL HER GET YOUR FINGER OUT YOUR NOSE...SHE'LL SAY "WAIT MOM, OH OK I GOT IT" AND THEN SHE'LL PROCEED TO SHOW ME WHATEVER SHE GOT OUT OF HER NOSE! NICE RY!

I WISH I COULD CATCH ON VIDEO ALL THE FUNNY THINGS SHE SAYS...THATS DEFINATLY ONE OF HER BEST QUIRKS, HER VOCABULARY AND THE WAY SHE USES IT! HER NEW THING RIGHT NOW IS CALLING EVERYONE HUN. WELL THERE YA HAVE IT SOME OF MY 2 YEAR OLDS RANDOM LITTLE QUIRKS THAT MAKE HER MY FAVORITE 2 YEAR OLD IN THIS WHOLE WIDE WORLD!

happy fathers day!

As I put together the collages for this post, I found myself getting all sorts of choked up and teary eyed. When I think back 3 years when I was pregnant with Rylee I still to this day feel overwhelmed with so many emotions. I know Derek didn't feel ready for fatherhood, heck I didn't feel ready to be a mom either! But now as 3 years has past and we've added another little girl to our family, I look at the man Derek has worked to become and feel so blessed. I always knew he was a good man and I'm so thankful he chose to be in our lives because I honestly don't know what we'd do without him. I know that fatherhood has changed his life for the better in so many ways. To see him with our girls melts my heart. I love listening to him and Rylee wrestle and play he acts just like a little kid with her. Rylee has been a complete mommys girl and is like a magnent stuck to me, and her and Derek already butt heads when one of them is in a bad mood. No matter what though any time Derek goes to work or class, Rylee double checks with me that "daddy always comes back." I know the security he brings into her life is so important and always will be. He's so cute with Taya too. I love when he comes in and says "Hi minny me" which she really is a minny him. He'll coo and make cute little noises with her and gets her giggling so hard! Watching him be so soft and loving is so precious to me. Basically He is a wonderful husband to me and daddy to our little girls! He probably won't ever read this but if you do Derek I love you so much and thank God everyday that our Daughters have you for their daddy. Every little girl needs a Daddy I'm so thankful you stepped up to be such an amazing one! I love you babe Happy Fathers Day!

Derek today (Fathers Day) wearing the awesome #1 dad crown Ry made for him in nursery!

I of course can't go without honoring our own daddys! I know I speak for both Derek and myself when I say we were blessed with great fathers growing up! I know I've said it a million times but I really couldn't have asked for a better Dad! He's taught me SO many things here are a few random bits of knowledge and lessons he installed in me as I grew up:

*Pansies are eatible! I always thought he was so cool when he'd pop off a flower and just eat it!

*Datsuns will run forever if ya take good care of them! Treating our things with respect was always big with my Dad. He'd buy the best he could afford and then make it last!
*You'll end up with a nice hand print on your face if ya tell your mother to shut up! I can only remember my dad taking a hand to me 2 times in my life! and one of them was for telling my mom to shut up. My mom will always be my dads sweetheart, and he never took disrespecting her lightly!

*You'll also end up with a nice hand print on your butt if ya lie! Ha the other time he spanked me for lying about peeing on the deck, why I peed on the deck I have no idea now, I was probably only 4 but I'll always remember it. He said I didn't spank you for peeing on the deck I spanked you for lying about it! Lying was never taken lightly by him either. He's one of the most trustworthy men I've ever known and I try hard to emulate that quality of his!

*Work hard! Dad was a work horse, wether it was working in the garden, as an EMT, for the forest service or as a College Professor, he took pride in his work.

*Grilled Cheese sandwiches are best when dipped in chocolate milk! Dad could fix any bad day by making ya a grilled cheese and chocolate milk! (dont knock it til ya try it! :) )

*Patience is a virtue!...and one that for me doesn't come easy! Dad however has always been incredibly patient! now that I'm raising 2 girls I wonder how he didn't run out of patience after helping raise 7 of us!

*Put the Lord first and everything else will fall into place. My dad has always lived his life in a way that showed me he truely loves our Savior and the Gospel. A while ago I asked him how he wasn't mad at God for letting this disease attack him. His response showed me He truely does love and trust the Lord. he just simply sad "I know this is just my trial in this life."

dad growing up

I love my Dad so much I hope I can always remember the many lessons he's taught me both by word and example! Happy Fathers Day Dad!

Rylees a bob marley fan...and Dereks losing his mind :)!

I've loved bob marley ever sense high school and this has always been one of my favorite songs! I have a reggae cd of mostly bob marley and jack johnson and we listen to it all the time. Well sure enough miss ry decided this is her favorite song and every time we drive she asks for "don't worry." it was fun driving home with the windows down jammin out to bobby all of us singing! good times...good memories...sweet little bob marley fan :)!


I had to throw in these pictures of Derek...I guess things like this just happen when ya have 2 kids, work, and go to school! he didn't even notice until he got to class!

we love ya derek! thanks for working so hard for us even if it's making ya lose your mind a little! at least both shoes are black if ya start wearin a flip flop with a tennis shoe I'm gunna start to worry!

Bonkas, Papas, Grandmas or Grandpas, whatever they may be called we're so happy to have them!

This monday I took the girls up to see Dereks Grandpa and Grandma Jensen. It was their first time meeting Taya and as I took a million pictures...cause thats just what I do, I really felt so much love! I only met one of my grandpas, so to have my daughters get to meet their great grandparents is just special to me. I can't find a picture of Dereks Grandpa and Grandma Miller both with Rylee only his grandpa and even though they haven't been able to meet Taya yet sense they live in California they'll be able to meet her this summer. Rylee was the first grandchild in Dereks family and they have always just spoiled her with tons of love and attention! We lived in Rangely with and by Dereks parents for Rylees 1st year of life, so she got so much time with them and they were alway so sweet with her. I've been so thankful to be close to my parents as my dads health gets worse because I've always wanted my kids to know my dad. Even though they won't know him the way I really wish they could I at least can have these pictures for them to remember him by. My mom has been so good to be patient with my crazy rylee...in any given 30 minutes at their house Rylee will probably either empty moms rain barrel, turn on a hose and blow the drip system or spill a potted plant...the list could go on for days! For some reason when we moved down here and Ry started talking good she came up with the name of Bonka for grandma! Both my mom and Judy have loved it and even though Ry can say grandma just fine now we all call them bonka instead. Anyway...just feeling greatful our daughters have such wonderful great bonkas and pa pas and bonkas and papas to love them! we're blessed with wonderful families!

Ry with Great grandma and grandpa Jensen

Taya with Great grandma and grandpa Jensen

3 generations

Ry with great pa pa Miller


I love these pictures...Judy's mom makes all the new great grandbabies these hats and I absolutly love them! little traditional gifts like these are my favorite!


Bonka Judy and Rylee


PaPa Miller and Ry

Bonka Judy with Taya

PaPa Miller with Taya

Bonka with Ry bee

PaPa with Rybee

Bonka and Taya

Papa and Taya

Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old. ~Mary H. Waldrip

TAYA'S SPECIAL DAY

My BEAUTIFUL Taya on her special day.

Thanks Mom for helping me make her dress. It turned out absolutley perfect!

Taya also wore the shoes that I was blessed in but I forgot to take a picture of them. She looked so beautiful today!

Taya was blessed by her PaPa Miller. Thanks Robert it was a beautiful blessing.

Taya and her cousin Braxton are only 15 days apart so we decided to combine their blessings to make it easier on my dad. It ended up going so great and it was so fun having so many families all together to honor them!

Derek and I with my brother Robert and his wife Stephanie with the 2 special babies of the day!

Me and my beautiful girls!

Our little family

Below are a bunch of pictures from the luncheon after the blessing. It turned out so good! I owe a huge thank you to everyone for all their help and for bringing various things to help out with the meal which was so yummy!. I owe a huge thank you to Andi and Everett for BBQing all the nummy turkey. Andi has always been such a good friend and has always helped me when I've needed it most for big and little things! All the kids which when I say all I mean the seemingly millions of kids had fun running and being free on the play ground, and the weather was perfect! All of my siblings and their families came which meant so much to me. Our uncle Jon and aunt Cid, and aunt Judy from Dereks side came, along with his parents of course and his brother Devin. Our sister in-law Ashley came with her brother and his cute little boys and of course Makayla, Robert couldn't make it because of work but it was so fun having so many people come to support us! My "sister" Jen who used to be our exchange student came, some of my best friends came and Braxtons Grandpa and Grandma Seager (Stephanies Parents) came bringing with them cousins from Stephs side. Sorry I just had to write down who all came seeing as my blog is my journal. Anyway as you can see from all the pictures we had a great day! I'm so thankful for our sweet Taya! She's such a sweet little girl! I'm so thankful for the awesome family and friends we have who showed us so much Love and support today! THANKS EVERYONE!

these pictures are from the day before her blessing. this was the first time we got to meet miss Makayla! It was fun seeing pa pa and bonka with their 2 new grandaughters for the first time all together!