Swimming

We bought Jayla a pool for her birthday and we were excited to try it out since she loves playing in the water. Here she is posing for the camera right before we go down the slide together. We are so excited that she loves the water! We are going to have so much fun this summer!

Chasing the Duckies!

We went to the duck pond to feed all of the ducks. Jayla loved it! She loves the ducks and she loved chasing them even more. We wish we would have brought our camcorder. Sometimes she would start to play with something else, but as soon as they would quack suddenly the most important thing was trying to get the duck. She would have dove into the pond if we didn't keep a tight grip on her hand. She had so much fun and she was so sad to leave.What a cutie!

Partners in Crime

This weekend it seemed as though these two little girls were inseparable. If one little girl was getting into trouble, then the other one was there helping. Jayla loved to follow Sally around and she showed Jayla a whole new world of messes! She was so sad to see her partner Sally go home.

They were always racing up the stairs. If one baby crawled up the stairs, the other one would follow.

Jayla saw that Sally was in the tub, so she couldn't miss out on all of the fun. She wanted to splash in the tub as well.

We forgot to close the door to the bathroom, so the girls took advantage of the situation.

Reading books together on the box. Sally somehow got a hold of Michael's scriptures.

Sally was giving Jayla a kiss good-bye and Jayla wasn't too sure about it.

Jayla's Birthday

Last Saturday my little baby turned one. I can't believe it! This past year has been a dream! It is amazing how much fun and joy this little girl has brought to us. She has made us so happy! We had a HUGE party for her, one that she most likely won't remember, but she did have fun at it. We have such a wonderful family who supports us in all that we do. A mass crowd of family and friends came out to wish Jayla a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Thanks to everyone who helped make this party run smoothly.

Michael with the two girls. They are only a couple of months apart and they love to play with each other.

Sam hanging out with his favorite Brian.

Dane, Miriam, Sally Baby, and Jared enjoying the feast.

Some members of Jayla's Birthfamily: Shannalee, Melody, Chauntel, (Jayla's Birth-Mom) and Karesa.

Tyson, Jessica and Baby Andali with her husband Jared.

Britt brought her brand new miniature American Eskimo puppy to the celebration. Jayla and Sally loved her.

The pinata was also a big hit. All of the little kids loved it. Michael is trying to help Jayla hit it to brake it open.

All of the other kids really enjoyed trying to get all of the candy out of the pinata.

Sally was trying to help uncle Brian with the rope of the pinata.

Chauntel was helping Jayla gather all of the candy that fell to the ground.

Jayla was more excited about the wrapping paper and being the center of attention than the actual gifts. She loves being in the spot light.

After presents we let Jayla blow out her candle and then dig into the cake. We were very disappointed that she was so clean still. Despite her spunky personality she didn't destroy her cake like I had predicted. Her feet were more messy than her face or hands, since she loves to kick things with her feet.

Tutu

I like to occasionally do a small mini photo shoot of Jayla. The trick is trying to get her to sit still long enough to get a few good shots. I figured that taking her outside to her playhouse would enable me to get a few good shots of her. I dressed her up in the tutu her birthmom, who is dancer, gave to her and went to work. These are a few of my favorites.

12 Months Old!

So I am a little bit behind on the pictures. Jayla is now one whole year old! I just can't believe it! She isn't my little baby anymore. She is getting to be so smart. We show her a new sign everyday and she picks right up on it. She can say her name "deyda" and point to herself. She can hold up one finger when we ask how old she is. She can MOO like a cow, BAA like a lamb, GRRRR like a tiger, and Quack like a duck. She loves animals. Her favorite work is "Book" and she brings us book after book to read to her all day long. She loves reading a story! She loves playing with other kids and being outside. She can run through the grass and she loves to dig up our plants in the garden. She is starting to get 3 more teeth. She weights 23 lbs still but she keeps getting longer and longer. She is always talking, although we don't always know what she is trying to say. She is starting to get into the "I want to do it myself" stage and gets mad when I help her with her fork. She is the best mess maker and it is surprising at how dirty things get so fast with her on the move all the time. We have had a wonderful year and we can't believe it is gone. Jayla we love you!!

Mother's Day

I finally had my very first Mother's Day and I am finally writing a post about it. I had a great Mother's Day! Both Michael and Jayla wrote me a sweet little letter. I am so grateful that I am able to be a mother to a sweet little baby girl who I love more than anything! I have had so much fun over this past year being a mommy and I am looking forward to all of the years to come. I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day spending the day with my daughter and my husband.

Happy Birth-Mother's Day Chauntel!!!

Did you know that the Saturday before Mother's Day is Birth-mother's Day? We went to visit Jayla's birthmother for Birth-mother's day. We surprised Chauntel at their dance studio.

(Jayla with Karesa, Melody, and Shannalee)

Kurt and Melody took us out to get frozen yogurt and we had a ball (especially Jayla).


Thank you Chauntel for all that you have done for us and for Jayla. You're amazing! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Happy birth-Mother's Day!!!

Watching Mommy Play Soccer

Kristen has played soccer in Saratoga Springs on the weekends every summer for the last 3 summers. We went to watch her first game this summer last Saturday. The weather was nice when we left Provo but it started to rain in Saratoga Springs right when the game began.

It was pretty cold and we forgot Jayla's jacket... but we had Kristen's sweatshirt and Michael was wearing a blue jacket. Kristen's team colors are blue so she took Michael's jacket for her game and we fit Jayla into Mommy's hoodie.


It started to rain more and more so Jayla and Micahel took cover under the pavilian and eventually went to the car. Michael rolled down the windows because Jayla wanted to watch the game.

(if you look close enough Mommy has the ball!)

Maybe next time it won't rain and we can get some pictures of Kristen playing.

Our Fun Weekend

We spent this past weekend with Michael's family. Dane and Miriam came as well. Jayla had fun playing with all of her little cousins and she had so much fun exploring all of the new territory. The weather was so much warmer so we spent a lot of time outside, which is Jayla's new favorite past time.

Here are all of the cute cousins playing outside and having so much fun.

Jayla had so much fun playing with Duster. She kept pointing at him to make sure that we all saw him.

One of the perks of visiting Grandma and Grandpa is that they let you eat whatever you want. As you can tell Jayla enjoyed all of the cookies they gave her.

Jayla sitting on Brent's shoulders. She loves to ride on people's shoulders.

Jamie and Jason playing on the rocks by the river.

We were lucky enough to see this geyser go off. After it died down a little we decided to get right in the middle of all the action. Jayla didn't know what to think. She wouldn't look at the camera because she was interested in the geyser.

Justin, Tyson, Jason and Jamie were soaked after this picture was taken.