Celebrating!

Kaya is 3 months old!  I can hardly believe it.  She is growing so fast and time is flying by!  Sometimes it doesn't feel like it's been 3 months and other times it feels like it's been forever.  Isn't time funny that way?

For Kaya's 3 month celebration we decided to join the ward for a campout.  We thought since she's finally sleeping through the night why not go out and sleep in a tent on the hard ground and relive the days of not getting any sleep at night. Haha.  Kaya did great!  She slept straight through the night and was a snug little Kaya bug.  James and I, however, did not sleep well at all.  We kept waking up worried about Kaya - checking to make sure the sleeping bag and blankets hadn't covered her face, feeling her face to make sure she wasn't freezing, putting our hand by her nose or on her tummy to make sure she was still breathing - we were a little bit of a mess.  But we had a great time!  James and the young men were in charge of dessert (dutch oven deliciousness) and breakfast (hardy camping food - pancakes, eggs, and sausage).  The young men in the ward are such hard workers and really great boys.  We're blessed that James is able to work with them so that we get to know them.  We learn a lot from them.  After breakfast we decided to go on a "little" hike.  Kaya and I hadn't gone prepared to go hiking, but I thought, "Oh, if it's just a little hike it won't be a big deal."  4 miles and 3 hours later we were back at the camp with sunburned faces and necks and really hungry tummies.  But we learned really fast what things we need to pack for the next camping adventure - sunscreen, snacks, and hats.  We had a wonderful time and Kaya really was such a happy little camper.  She was the youngest camper in the ward and probably the most easy going.  We are so blessed that she's ours.  She's perfect for us.

snug as a Kaya bug in a tent :)

beautiful view from our camping spot in Provo Canyon

We also celebrated Father's Day.  James' first Father's Day as a father.  He's the best dad.  He loves his little girl so much and works so hard to provide for and protect her.  Watching him with Kaya teaches me more every day about the love that our Heavenly Father has for us.  The way that James goes out of his way to make sure Kaya has everything she needs reminds me that our Father in Heaven wants the best for us and goes out of His way to give it to us.  The way that James sometimes has to do things that he and Kaya might not like in order to give her the very best reminds me that our Heavenly Father sometimes does things that we may not understand but we need to trust that it is for our good.  The way that James' face lights up when Kaya smiles and the way that his heart melts when she is sad or cries reminds me that our Father in Heaven weeps when we weep and rejoices when we are happy.  In the words of one of my favorite Primary songs:

"Fathers are so special, with a very special love.  They watch us and protect us.  They guide us and direct us, back to our home above."

We love the fathers and grandfathers in our lives and all that teach us.  They are so special to us.

Catch up...

So when I said WEEKLY blog, I really did mean it.  I have the best intentions, it just seems the follow through is sloppy.  So here's to catching up and hopefully staying on top of it.

Kaya is now smiling and cooing.  James loves to have "conversations" with her.  He says something, she gurgles and coos, he responds.  It's adorable.  I love to think about all the possible things she could have said to him if she could use words.  Sometimes their conversations, as they occur in my head, are pretty hilarious.  Kaya is growing super fast.  She about out of three month clothes and has been in size 2 diapers for a while now.  Fat and happy, we like to think.  She's such a good baby.  Granted, we don't have anything different to compare it to, but she's perfect for us.  We love her more and more every day.  Every single second of every minute of every day.  It amazes us how much we love her.  It basically overwhelms us, but it's our favorite thing. :)

James went to Scout Camp with the Young Men to Zion National Park.  They got to hike the narrows and Zion subway.  They had a great time.  James spoke in Sacrament meeting today and shared some of what he learned.  He talked about how this little stream had cut deep trenches in the rock.  No one single event could cause such beauty.  Instead, it was this little stream, through persistence and perseverance.  James compared it to the Atonement.  We shouldn't see the Atonement as just a one time event.  Instead, we should use it persistently in our lives.  We need to use the Atonement daily to help us persevere.  He did an awesome job.

I've just been adjusting to life as a mom.  It's different not being in school and so I've been trying to figure out how to feel my time.  Kaya and I have fun playing and wearing matching outfits and cleaning the house and doing the laundry and running errands and doing Primary stuffs and such.  We have a really good life.  We love it.  It's simple, but it's ours.  And it's the BEST!