The Banta Family

New Blog

2011-08-31T12:49:00.001-07:00

I will no longer be using this blog, as the title, "The 3 Bantas" is not very fitting. Who came up with that name in the first place! Honestly! Anyway, you can visit us now at www.bantajoys.blogspot.com Enjoy!

Cheyenne Frontier Days!

2011-08-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last week, we enjoyed the Events at Cheyenne Frontier Days! Taysen and Milly loved all of the cowboys, cowgirls, horses, cows, and western stuff. Grandpa and Grandma Banta joined us for part of the week, and we had a great time.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July. We surprised my family and went to Star Valley for the 4 day weekend. My Dad turned 50 years old on the 2nd, so it was a great weekend to spend time with everyone and celebrate his birthday and the 4th of July. Taysen and Amilya were so excited of course when they found out the day we were leaving that we were going to Nana and Papa's for the weekend! They love visiting Nana and Papa, Jacob, Emily, Jaden, and Abby!
Taysen is obsessed with the farm! He follows Uncle Jaden around and helps him milk the cows, feed the cows, and this time, Taysen got to ride on the tractor! Amilya loves to play with Aunt Abby and play in the playhouse, and jump on the trampoline. They both love to ride the four-wheeler and ride horses!

2011-03-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been a long time since I have posted. Yes, I take pictures of my kids, Yes we always have something exciting going on, Yes, my kids say the cutest things, and Yes, I would love to post every week, but man does life get busy and the weeks fly by. We are all doing great, though. Tyler has one year of his Air Force enlistment left, thanks to the Lord for placing an awesome home business in our life, we are planning on getting out of the Air Force next spring. We are very excited about our life and our future. Enough about us, though. I am actually posting today for my brother! He is part of an amazing band in Utah, and they are trying to get voted in the top selection of music groups to play in the Stadium of Fire at BYU for the 4th of July, so I am asking you all to visit the website below and vote for Kindle Creek! Thank you! http://www.freedomfestival.org/events/stadium-of-fire-talent-search/

It's been a while!

2010-11-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

I'm not very good at blogging, but when I do post a blog, it is always long overdue and I feel like a just accomplished something huge, so I am about to accomplish something huge.

Where do I begin? Summer was great, but then I topped it off by getting reconstructive surgery on my ankle and was off my feet for 4 weeks and in a walking boot for 3 weeks. Amidst all of this, Milly started preschool, and Taysen gets smarter and busier everyday. I recovered pretty quickly for the nature of the surgery, and now life is back to normal and we are enjoying beautiful Fall in Cheyenne, and looking forward to Christmas. I have so much to be grateful for in my life. I am amazed at the grace and mercy from my Heavenly Father as each experience in this life only makes me better and stronger. I am grateful for a wonderful Husband who works hard, is kind and loving, righteous, and patient. I am grateful for two beautiful children that make me smile each day and bring me so much joy. I am grateful for a beautiful home, health and strength, and the abundance of knowledge and blessings I am given.

Summer Fun So Far

2010-07-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast this summer is going. This summer has been busy for us, seeing family and traveling. We went to Mount Rushmore with my family, spent the 4th of July weekend in Preston, Idaho with Tyler's family, lots of other things, and to top it off, the kids and I leave tomorrow to spend 3 weeks in Star Valley with my family. We are so excited, especially Amilya!

Happy Birthday Taysen!!

2010-05-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Taysen turned one year old this last week! It's amazing how fast time has gone by this year has gone by. Taysen has been walking since for 2 months now and is constantly on the go. He is so fun, though. His favorite things are going outside, taking everything out of drawers and cupboards, unraveling toilet paper, pulling hair, and playing with balls of all colors and sizes. He now says "Uh-Oh." It is so cute.

Spring is Finally Here!

2010-04-17T15:21:00.001-07:00

We are all doing great and enjoying the warm Spring days that we get and look forward to summer. Milly and Taysen love being outside, and never want to come back inside. Milly will be four in August, but already acts like she is five years old. She is enjoying her Tumbling class and is looking forward to going to Preschool next year. She is so smart and says some of the funniest things. Taysen will be 11 months old next week and is already walking all over the place. He is so fun and goes around saying, "Da da da." Tyler is busy with work, reading the Percy Jackson books and working on our yard so that it will look great for the summer. I am busy taking care of rug rats, teaching tumbling, and keeping the house clean. But life is great and we are loving it.

Our New Approach

2010-03-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share our success with family scripture study. Tyler and I have tried to read 5-10 verses every night out of the Book of Mormon as a family, but have not had a lot of success keeping Milly's attention, including our own at times. I was contemplating on what to do and the Lord led me to a friend who gave me an idea that turned into the answer I was looking for. I typed up all the scripture references that I had highlighted throughout my Book of Mormon. I then cut them apart and put them in a jar. So our new approach is this: We try to read a story out the Book of Mormon Stories book most nights, but most importantly we try to read one verse out of the Book of Mormon every night. Milly picks a scripture from the jar; we then read that verse slowly and talk about the verse. Then I let Milly color that verse with a scripture marker. I just wanted to share this because it is working a lot better for us. We all pay attention, and we are actually discussing gospel principles and the Savior everyday.

Me

2010-02-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

Me...

-I've decided that I am meant to have short hair.
-One of my goals this year is to become a more content mother, and I am already starting to see this goal come to pass. Most days, I really enjoy being home with my children.
-I find it very fun and fulfilling to find cute activities for Milly and cute Family Home Evenings.
-After almost six years of marriage, I still find my husband absolutely adorable and get excited to see him and be with him.
-I finally admitted to myself that my right leg is never going to look that normal again, so I just look forward to the Savior's coming when I will have a perfect body again.
-I am looking forward to being a tumbling instructor for 3-5 year olds. I start in March and feel very blessed for this opportunity.
-One of my favorite moments is when my house is clean and vacuumed, it's evening, the lamps are on, gospel music is playing in the back ground, and the kids are contently laughing and playing. It's one of those moments when life feels so good.
-I realized that I actually love to vacuum. I vacuum almost everyday. I think it's the sound; it drowns everything else out and I'm in my own little world. Plus, my kids think the vacuum is fun.
-I hate doing dishes. My whole house can be clean, and there the dishes sit in the sink, waiting... and waiting to be done. The other thing I hate to do is clean toilets! Tyler always gets stuck with cleaning the toilets and unloading the dishwasher. Toilets should be cleaned by guys, though. Hello!
-I will always and forever love dancing, singing, and playing the piano
-The more I learn, the more I realize that I don't know very much and that I have a long, long way to perfection.
-I love the gospel with all my heart and love all the resources that the Lord has given us to stay close to him.

2010-02-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to throw a little update out there for everybody who was wondering. We are doing great and loving Cheyenne. We live on the Air Force Base and have met so many great people. The base is beautiful and quiet, but with the city just outside the gate, there is plenty to do for us. I am loving the fact that there has been hardly no snow here all season, except for a few snow storns that dumped snow and then melted, so we've been able to continue playing outside at the park occasionally, going on walks, and riding bikes. I enjoy staying home with Taysen and Milly. The sure keep me busy! Taysen is almost nine months old and is trying to do everything that Milly does. He stands up to everything, crawls, and climbs stairs. He also thinks he is too big for baby food. Milly is a good sister and makes Taysen laugh with her silliness. She is very creative and lately loves to "help" wash the dishes, and she loves playing dress up. I am excited to be starting a tumbling class for 3-5 year olds next month here on base. This is a huge blessing and will be fun for me as well as Milly. Sorry that there is no pictures with this post. Life is busy, but great!

Sharing ideas

2010-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun ideas to help your toddlers learn their colors

-Use colored foam letters in the bathtub or create a "water table" with a deep tupperware lid or deep pan. Have your child pick different colors and different numbers of that color out of the water, or have your child put certain colors into the water.

-Fill a ziplock baggie with shaving cream and put a few drops of color in it; let your child squish it around to mix it, then they can use it as finger paint. Freezer paper makes a good art paper for this kind of stuff.

-Use a twister game mat and a small bean bag to toss. Let your child throw the bean bag and then name the color that it lands on.

-Put a different color sticker on each hand of your child. Sing the Hokey Pokey song. "You put your green hand in; you put your green hand out..." You can also add, "You put your green hand up; you put your green hand down..."

-Make different colored streamers or scarves and put them in a container or a pile. Turn on some music and dance; stop the music and call out a color. When the children have picked that color of scarf, start the music again so they can dance.

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas is always such a busy time of year. I always try to do and make more than I should, and just when I'm about burnt out, Christmas finally comes, and all the work to make it wonderful is worth it. I love Christmas. I love it for the special feeling of joy and love; I lovnte it for the excitement of buying and making presents; I love it for the music that feels my home with the Christmas spirit; I love it for Santa Clause; I love it for Christmas goodies; I love it for family, but most important, I love it for the Savior and his birth, his life, and his atonement.

We had a wonderful Christmas this year; it was so great to be a family again this year. We were very blessed this season with much abundance. I have much to be grateful for. This year brought for me some special thoughts of the Savior that I had never really thought a lot of. I thought about for the first time how exciting that night of his birth really was for all the world and even us in heaven, how it was like a huge celebration throughout all the earth and all the heavens, because the biggest event finally took place; the Savior came, the one who would show us how to live and love and teach us the gospel plan, and most importantly, create the bridge for us back to our Heavenly Father and create for us the way to repent and create for us mercy, love, and true understanding from him, Jesus Christ. What a wonderful thing Christmas is! I have also thought about his 2nd coming. He came once, and he will come again, and more than ever, I think about that day, when peace will finally be upon this earth.

I hope every everyone had a Merry Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year! May every one's year bring us all a little closer to Christ!

Grateful

2009-11-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

It is so nice to be a family again. We have so many things to be grateful for and feel richly blessed this holiday season. We are really enjoying our house, the base, our church ward, the people we are meeting, and living by Wal-mart. Thanksgiving was great. Tyler's Mom and Dad spent four days with us here. It was great! We didn't have to travel anywhere for Thanksgiving for the first time, and the weather was beautiful here. I am so grateful for so many things.

A Family Again

2009-10-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

We are finally a family again, and after 1 week of hard work, we are all unpacked! Tyler started work today; he has a great boss and works with great people. We are living on base in a 3 bedroom house and are loving it. We have a fenced in yard and a playground right behind our house. Cheyenne city is just right outside of base with lots of shopping, most importantly... Walmart. Milly is loving all the toys she hasn't seen for two years and her new bedroom. Thanks to my Mom and all her hard work sewing, Taysen and Milly's room is the cutest room in the house.

It feels like Christmas...

2009-10-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

Tyler flies in this evening...
Last night it snowed 4 inches...
This morning, I played Jon Schmidt Christmas songs on the piano...

It feels like Christmas Eve...I'm so excited!

2009-09-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

Tyler returns home tomorrow from his year tour in South Korea. This will complete the 18 months total that we have been apart. As I look back on all that we've been through, all that I've been through, I know the Savior has carried me much of the way. I am truly grateful, though, for all that I've learned in the last 2 years. I am a much different person than I was 2 years. One of my favorite songs is "He moves mountains in me" by Jenny Phillips. It says, "He can move mountains, he can part the sea, but sometimes he changes me..." It is an awesome song that rings true for me in many ways.

Some of the events that have occur ed in the last two years for us:

-Tyler signed on with the Air Force

-We moved from Rexburg to Star Valley in with my parents

-I got a bad virus in my leg that resulted with 3 weeks in the hospital and a skin graft from my knee down on my right leg.

-Tyler went to Basic Training

-Tyler went to Tech. School

-Milly and I flew on an airplane to visit Tyler at Basic Training in Texas

-Milly and I flew on an airplane to visit Tyler at Tech. School in Missouri

-I got pregnant

-Tyler went to South Korea for a year

- I potty trained Milly

-we sold our van

-we sold our Buick

-we bought a Chevy Malibu max on eBay motors

-I flew to Korea to visit Tyler

- I had a baby boy

...and learned a lot!

Taysen is 4 Months Old

2009-09-23T10:10:00.001-07:00

Taysen will be 4 months old tomorrow! It is so amazing how fast they grow. Taysen is such a joy in our family. He is very happy and loves to be talked to and loves to laugh and make lots of noise. Taysen is getting his first tooth already and has started eating rice cereal. I am so grateful for my sweet baby boy!

2009-08-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

Our summer in Star Valley is coming to an end, and Tyler will be home October 1st! We are so excited! It has been a long 18 months. We will be moving to Cheyenne, Wyoming and will finally be a family again. It is amazing what the Lord has both taught us and blessed us with through our challenges in the last year and a half. We are definitely different people, stronger and more full of substance. These latter days require us to be fighters, and the Lord has surely given Tyler and I opportunities to learn a little bit about being fighters and about enduring. I am grateful for the Lord's hand in my life. I would be a much weaker person right now if it were not for him. On a lighter note, we have had a lot of fun this summer. We've visited my brother in Utah 3 times, went camping for 3 days, went boating, went swimming, went hiking, and Milly just had a birthday, and is now 3 years old! Wow! Taysen is 3 months old and is such a sweet baby. He has started to giggle and loves to smile and carry on a conversation with anybody that will look at him. He is going to be very friendly like his sister.

Enjoying summer and our new addition to our family

2009-07-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Tyler went back to Korea when Taysen was almost 4 weeks old. It was so wonderful having Tyler home. We are now on the last few months of his tour in Korea. Taysen is 7 weeks old now and is such a joy in our lives. No matter how much they keep you up at nights, babies are so wonderful and such a breath of Heaven. Milly is a wonderful big sister and thank goodness for my siblings who entertain and take care of Milly so much for me. We are enjoying our summer in Star Valley and looking forward to Tyler's return on October 1st!

Pictures from the last few weeks

Both my boys in one night...

2009-05-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is when Tyler flew into the Jackson Airport...

This is 6 hours later...

Yes, we had a big surprise Saturday night when Tyler arrived at 8:30 p.m, and Taysen was born at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. This is how it went... We arrived in Alpine at 10:30 pm where we were planning on staying the night at a motel. At about 11:30, I started having mild contractions, and tried to go to sleep for about an hour, and then they gradually grew stronger and more frequent, so we headed for the hostpital at 12:50 a.m. I told Tyler on the way to the hostpital (which was 45 minutes away) that I had every intention of getting an epidural. We arrived at the hostpital at about 1:40, and as soon as I walked in the doors, my contractions got much more intense. I kept telling them I wanted an epidural as they were getting me settled in and checking me. Well, my body worked a lot faster than I expected because after they hooked me up to the monitors I had two big contractions, and then on the third one, my water bursted, and right before the 4th or 5th contraction the doctor walked in and told me to push. I pushed twice, and our little guy came out at 1:58 a.m. I didn't plan on having a natural birth, but I am surprised that it wasn't as bad as I thought. I am grateful for the unexpected opportunity to experience one. We named our baby boy Taysen Stanley Banta and he weighed 5 lbs and 11 oz. He is the sweetest most peaceful baby and is doing great. We are very excited to have Tyler home for 3 more weeks and to have our baby boy here at last.

Pictures

2009-05-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

If any of you were wondering how I look at 36 weeks pregnant, here I am...

Milly loves to be outside, rain or sun. She loves to jump on the trampoline, play on the swings, play in the sandbox, and go on motorcycle rides with my Dad and Brothers. The other day Milly went out to the Milk Plant with my Mom to help my Dad (my dad processes his own milk), and Milly said, "Nana, this is a farm?" Some of Milly's famous lines lately are "It's okay," "Just a little bit," and "Promise?" It's so amazing the things 2 year olds pick up on. They are so smart. We bought Milly A bike, and she is very proud of it, but she hasn't figured out how to peddle yet. Once I don't have a big belly in front of me, it will be much easier to bend down and help her learn how to peddle.

Counting Down!

2009-05-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Wow! I haven't blogged for a long time, and I'm not half as busy as I'm going to be with a new baby and Tyler home for a month! Well, the snow finally melted in Star Valley and everything is looking green. Of course Milly always wants to be outside, even in the rain. The first place she goes is the huge sandbox in my parent's back yard. I've tried to convince my Mom for two years now to turn that thing into a garden box instead. I'm not a fun hater, I just hate cleaning up sand out of Milly's shoes, off her hands, and off her feet every time she goes outside. Oh well.

We are counting down the days until Tyler's homecoming and the baby's arrival! We are so excited! I am due in 5 weeks and Tyler is coming home in 3 weeks! I am feeling great, except for large and uncomfortable. Our baby Taysen is a very active boy and likes to put his feet up in my ribs at times. I never experienced that with Milly because she was so low, but now I can say I've experienced that part of being pregnant quite often lately.

Milly continues to amaze me in her vocabulary, her humor, her talents, and her intelligence. I think having a 2 1/2 year old is so great! The only hard part is keeping up with her energy and picking up after her with a large belly in front of me.

Our new car!

2009-03-30T10:06:00.001-07:00

This is not the greatest picture, but here is our new car! We are very excited! Since Tyler is in Korea, and I am staying with my parents, I have been able to use my Mom's car a lot and go with her when she goes shopping. I have had a car, but it was given to us and has been dead since November sitting in the snow, so I have been car less. Tyler has spent a lot of his free time searching the Internet for good deals on cars, and his searching payed off, because we found a great car for a great price and had it shipped right to me from Oregon. It is 2005 Chevy Malibu Maxx with only 30,000 miles on it, 2 sunroofs, a dvd player, leather interior, and an automatic start button on the key chain. We are very grateful to be blessed with such a nice car.

P.S. Yes, Star Valley has tons of snow still. I would love to be somewhere warm with no snow right now!

Sponge Curlers!

2009-03-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

This post is about sponge curlers, but before I get into that, let me just tell everyone how proud I am of my daughter for being ready, eager, and excited to be potty trained and start wearing underwear! We started last week for the 3rd round of potty training, and she was very ready and is doing so awesome! I am so grateful, as we will have a baby boy in diapers in 10 weeks from now...or less!

So about the curlers...

When I was a little girl, every Saturday night, my Mom would put sponge curlers in me and my sister's hair, so when Sunday morning came, all she had to do was take the curlers out and put a bow or barrette in our hair and we were done and ready for church.

This last Sunday we had church at 8:00 a.m instead of 9:00 a.m because of the Draper Temple Dedication. After Amilya's bath Saturday night, my Mom suggested we put curlers in her hair for her to sleep in. I was all for it, and my Mom actually put the curlers in Milly's hair, so I had it real easy! We just put her in front of the T.V, and she did great!

The best part was when we woke up Sunday morning bright and early and all the curlers had stayed in perfectly. I took them out, ran my fingers through the curls, put a simple barrette in her hair, and presto! She was all done, and it was so awesome. Usually doing Milly's hair is a fight! She runs around the house screaming while I try to chase her down and hurry and do something simple. Tha explains why her hair never looks that cute.

Yes, we were on time to church and I am a big curler fan now. I highly recommend sponge curlers for little girls on Saturday nights!

My trip to Korea

2009-03-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

I am here in Korea! I have been here since Tuesday the 23rd and fly out tomorrow to make the 22 hour trip home. My arrival on time here was a series of very fortunate events and miracles.

The Series of Very Fortunate Events

I had 3 different flights here. The first one was from Jackson Hole at 7:00 am. I was to then fly to Denver and have a little over an hour layover and then fly on to San Francisco. From San Fransisco, I would have a one and a half hour layover and fly straight to Korea (a 13 hour flight).

My first flight was 45 minutes late due to bad weather. I was nervous about making my next flight. When I arrived in Denver, my next flight that was supposed to leave at 10:00 am was delayed do to weather until 11:00 am. I panicked knowing that this would put me in San Francisco right at 1:00 pm, just in time to board my international flight. I said a prayer and went to get a snack. About 15 minutes later, I looked up to find that my flight had been delayed until 11:45 am. I really panicked, because at this point, I would arrive at the airport as my International flight departed. I wanted to cry, but something in me kept persisting with hope. I went and talked to the customer service desk of my flight line. The lady looked at her computer and just kept shaking her head and kept saying, "I'm sorry; I don't know what to do for you." I asked her if there was another flight going to San Fransisco soon, and she told me that there was, but that it had been delayed as well, but it was scheduled to leave 15 minutes sooner than my flight. She asked me if had any checked baggage, which I didn't. I just had my 2 carry ons. That was in my favor; she smiled and looked at her computer. A moment later, she handed me a new ticket for the next flight to San Fransisco. I went to the gate expecting to wait until the delayed time and still aware that I might not make my Korea flight at this rate. To my surprise, They announced that we would be boarding the flight only moments after I had sat down. The flight was on time! As I sat on my new flight, I looked around, and the plane was completely full. It was a miracle that I was able to get a seat on the flight only moments before! The plane was scheduled to land at 1:10 pm and my international flight was to board at 1:00 pm and depart at 1:45 pm. I was still very nervous, but continued to pray and focus on being on that flight. When we got close to San Fransisco, I talked to the stewardess and told her my dilemma. With confidence, she said about 3 times, "You'll never make it. They will automatically schedule you for the next flight out to Korea tomorrow. I was crushed! I asked her if they could at least let me off first and notify the other gate that I was headed that way. She left, and a more positive guy came to help me. He showed me a map of where the gate was that we would be parking at and where I had to run to to catch my other flight. He announced for everyone to let me off first and explained that he would notify the other gate as soon as a stepped off the plane. He told me, "I think you will be fine. Just hurry." I stepped off that plane at 1:15 pm and ran and ran and ran. I am 6 months pregnant, was pulling my suit case and bag strapped to the top of it, was cramping, hurting, sweating, and couldn't breathe, but I was determined to make that flight. I kept thinking, "How much further could it be?" Being an international flight, it was clear at the other end. I must have ran at least a half of a mile. It took me nearly 15 minutes to get to the gate where they were waiting for me to get on. I entered my plane with lots of sweat dripping from my hair line and lots of gratitude! Five minutes later, they closed the doors and prepared for departure. I sat there amazed at the events that led up to me being on that flight. Later in the flight, one of the stewardesses told me that there were 50 individuals that were not on that flight due to weather delays. I was nearly one of those individuals. So, after all that, I arrived in Korea 1 hour earlier than scheduled do to good weather, and Tyler was waiting for me with a rose in his hands. I 'm very grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord!

The long traveling hours have been well worth it, though. Tyler and I have had a wonderful time together. We still can't believe that he's been in Korea for 5 months now! I will be sad to leave, but will be excited to get back home to Amilya. It has been hard to be away from her this week. Tyler and I have mostly stayed between the two Air Force bases (Kunsan and Osan), but we did go into the cities and markets a few times. The shopping here is a lot of fun- to see the different things they make and the great prices for the most part.

Korea is a very interesting place and has been a lot of fun to experience a different country and culture. Here is a list of the top 10 things that I observed and enjoyed Korea.

1. The Korean people are very talented, kind, and take pride in whatever they do, in the way they dress, in the way they run their farms, and run their businesses, etc.

2. The technology and quality of their products are quite impressive.

3. Their cities are very developed and obvious cities, but their towns are random mixtures of industrial buildings and businesses, houses, and farms.

4. For the most part everyone lives in huge 30 story apartment buildings that are very up to date and are all over the place. Others live in houses, but most of the houses are older and a little run down. The most popular color for the roofs on their individual houses is bright blue.

5. Korean food is very interesting. They eat a lot of rice, and a lot of raw foods, but for the most part their food is all on the spicy side. Anything that is red, stay away from, especially if you are pregnant!

6. The Korean money is referred to as "wons." The average exchange rate is $1.00=1,500 wons, but it varies from day to day. So shopping in the open markets is a lot of fun; you can find some great deals! Shopping in their malls and department stores are very comparable to prices we see in America with more high-end products.

7. Duncan Donuts is a popular shop here in Korea. We have purchased from 3 different Duncan Donut stands while I've been here, and their donuts are delicious!

8. Supposedly Koreans have a distinct smell (stinky, as I have had it explained to me). I was a little worried as I am quite sensitive to smells. But to my surprise I have only smelt interesting smells a few times while I have been here. But, my nose has also been stuffy the whole time due to the smog in the air; perhaps that is a good thing.

9. The climate here is similar to Cedar City, Utah. Right now is the end of their winter, beginning of Spring. They occasionally get a little snow through the winter, but it quickly melts. The days are still a little bit chilly, but green grass is beginning to show. They are near the ocean, so the winds from the ocean front make it a little more chilly than it would otherwise be, so I have had to wear my coat most of the time, but it has been nice to be away from snow!

10. The Korean people are very beautiful and for the most part very healthy people. They are on average very active and fit and have very clear beautiful skin. They hold their age very well, always appearing much younger than they really are. They have the cutest kids, and from what I have seen are very well dressed.

2009-02-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

23 weeks along and getting bigger every day...

I all of a sudden feel very large and still have 17 weeks to go, but I do feel good physically, though. I have energy and can still tie my shoe (for now). I really can't believe that I am posting this picture on my blog for the whole world to see, but I told my husband I would, so this is really for him so he can remember what I look like when I'm pregnant, even though I get to see him in two weeks! Yes, I am very excited to fly the extremely long flight to Korea to see my husband at the end of the month!

What would I do without my Milly...

Amilya amazes me every day with how smart she is. Lately she is in to singing "Twinkle Little Star," "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam," and "Strawberry Shortcake." She loves to color and draw and draws faces now with a sloppy circle, two big eyes, and a crooked smile, but to me it's perfect. She also likes to cut paper scraps up into tiny little pieces with scissors, and she actually handles the scissors very well. Milly is especially into princesses, wearing dresses, and dancing. At least once a day, she will bring either a leotard or a dress for me to put on her, then she has to have music so she can dance. It is adorable. My sister Abby pulled out the Cinderella dresses out of the costume box the other day, and Milly was sooo excited!

O Baby, Baby!

2009-01-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

It's A Boy!

Yes, I was very surprised! I am now over 20 weeks along, and was quite sure it was a girl:

1. Similar pregnancy as Milly's
2. Girl Dreams (just like with Milly)
3. Girl Names (Just like with Milly)

I went in for my ultra sound and was so sure it was going to be a girl until she pointed out to me some extra plumbing on the baby... We are very excited for the arrival of our baby boy, though, who is due June 8th!

I am feeling great, though. Many of you have wondered since my first trimester was sooo exhausting! Milly will be a great big sister and Tyler is excited to have a son so he teach him how to wrestle.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

2008-12-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas! We sure did. Christmas was especially fun with Milly being two this year. From the moment the first present was layed under the tree, she was overcome with joy and said, "Open presents!" We would remind her with each present that when it was Christmas, we would open presents. She was so patient and did not try to open any of them. She probably thought Christmas would never come, but it did, and it was a great and abundant Christmas. We are truly blessed. Milly was especially excited when she woke up and Santa Clause had brought her a big bag of nicely wrapped up gifts. The only part that could have made it better would be having Tyler here with us. We miss him very much, but thanks to web cam, we were able to see each other open gifts and be a part of each other's Christmas that way! So now Christmas is over, and today I spent the day cleaning and organizing and putting away all of me and Milly's Christmas stuff. We received over a foot of snow here in Star Valley since Christmas Day, and so we will be playing in the snow lots this year! We are very excited!

Milly's First Haircut

2008-12-22T09:50:00.001-08:00

I know it's horrible that Milly is over 2 years old and just received her first hair cut! I was really not planning on cutting it, either. But here is how this came about. Milly's hair was finally getting long and I knew she needed a trim, but I have just been putting it off. My sister has been bugging me to cut Milly's hair short, and I of course said no. She said, "well at least give her a trim." So I consented to let her trim Milly's hair. Well, my sister later confessed that she put Milly's hair in a pony tail and cut the end of the pony tail, thinking that it would give the hair a nice even trim. Well, the whole middle section ended up being 2 inches smaller than the rest of the hair, so I had to chop the rest off, so now Milly has short hair. She is still adorable as ever, though!

More Top Tens...

2008-12-15T16:26:00.000-08:00

Top 10 reason why I love the Christmas Season:

1. It's the one time of year that music and reminders about the Savior are accepted most everywhere you go.

2. Spending hours making Christmas treats and delivering them to neighbors

3. Having someone knock at your door and delivering a plate of goodies to you

4. The Inspiring music that reminds us of the most important things in life

5. The smell of a fresh, real, Christmas Tree

6. Getting Christmas Cards and pictures from friends and family

7. Shopping sprees where I have an excuse to spend lots of money and buy lots of gifts

8. The Magical feeling in the air

9. Family Gatherings

10. Amilya going around singing "Jingle Bells" and saying "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!"

A time for Gratitude

2008-12-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was great, but would have been better with Tyler. We spent dinner with my Mom's side of the family, and spent the rest of the Holiday being lazy, watching movies, and went and got a Christmas tree On Saturday. We actually had some snow, so we put the little kids in sleds and walked up in the mountain, cut a tree down, and drug it to the truck. Yes, we are real pioneers. Of course Thanksgiving is always a time to reflect on what we are grateful for, so here is a small list of my gratitudes:

1. I am grateful for a wonderful husband who is so thoughtful and so full of strength and courage.
2. I am grateful for wonderful parents who continue to teach me so much, love me, and put up with me even though I am 24 and still living at home with a very busy and curious 2 year old.
3. I am grateful for Amilya and her sweet spirit, her energy, her creativeness, and how loving she is. If she senses I am hurt, she is sure to say, "You OK Mama?"
4. I am grateful for my health and strength and two healthy legs, which are two things I took for granted for not too long ago.
5. I am grateful for all of my siblings, including my in-law siblings; they are all incredible people.
6. I am grateful for beautiful Star Valley, the mountains, and the 4 seasons we get to experience here.
7 I am grateful for friends who love me despite my weaknesses and are such incredible examples to me.
8. I am grateful for time to actually sit here and write this.
9. I am grateful for my talents and my love for music that inspires me everyday.
10. I am grateful to be me, despite my many weaknesses and trials.

The 10 Top Things Milly has said lately...

2008-11-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

1. "Daddy in Korea."
2. "That's not nice."
3. "I wanna lay down."
4. "How Rude."
5. "I love you sweetie."
6. "This my mommy."
7. " Where'd Abby go?"
8. "I wanna snack."
9. "I needa go potty." (No, she is not potty trained yet... at all, but this is a start!)
10. "I wanna a pickle."

An Update on the Bantas

2008-11-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging very much lately, so I figured it was time for an update.

Tyler:
Tyler has been in Korea for 3 and 1/2 weeks; we're getting close to 1 month down! He is doing as good as he can be on a very small over sea base with mostly single guys who don't know what it's like to leave a wife and a child behind, and who mostly all drink heavily because of the free Beer over there. But there is a small branch on base with about 10 other guys who mostly have families. Tyler and I talk about every day through Skype and web cam. The 15 hour time difference makes it a little challenging at times to coordinate times to talk to each other, though.

Milly:
Milly is doing great and loves to talk to her Daddy, especially on web-cam. I'm so blessed to have her. She keeps me busy, laughing, and smiling. Her latest thing is horses; she loves playing with my little brother's toy horses and my little sister's doll house dolls. She has to bath with them, play with them, and sleep with them at times. She is so funny. She also loves bubble gum. I give my piano students bubble gum, so she begs for a piece when she can, and usually she just swallows it, but lately, she will chew it for about 10-15 minutes, and then I'll ask her if she's done, and she will say "Yes," and spit it out in my hand to throw away. So Smart! Milly was Pebbles from The Flintstones cartoon for Halloween and I was Betty. Milly was so cute, and she loved the idea of holding open her bag and saying "Trick or Treat" for candy.

Me:
Well, I stay busy taking care of Milly, teaching 10 students piano lessons, and sleeping a lot lately, about 2 naps a day to be exact. I was going to wait longer to tell, but what the heck...I'm pregnant, and due about June 11th (according to the Internet)! We're excited, except now I am remembering how tired I was with Milly, and queasy I get when I need food. So, making my bed, cleaning up after Milly daily, and putting on makeup everyday have not been priorities for me lately. But I will get through this and we are excited. I am wondering how you mothers do it with your pregnancies after your first child! Any advice or Empathy would be greatly appreciated.

I was tagged...

2008-10-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Sarah Jackson www.happyjacksons.blogspot.com , so here it goes:

1. I love watching I Love Lucy episodes; my whole family does. We all collect the seasons, and I collect anything that is I Love Lucy. Someday, I will have a guest bedroom completely devoted to I Love Lucy.

2. Breakfast is my all time favorite meal of the day. I love any kind of breakfast food. When I was pregnant with Milly, I craved breakfast all the time, and for like the first 3 months, I ate breakfast food for almost every meal.

3. I have lived on a farm my whole life growing up, and we've had every farm animal in the book. You'd think that I would love cats and dogs and pets, but the truth is... I can't stand any kind of pet, especially indoor pets. Yuck! Animals are meant to go outside, I don't care how short their fur it or how sad they look. I will never have any sort of pet, not even a fish...well maybe a fish someday just for my kids.

4. Some people may not know that in January 2008, I got a flesh eating virus in a sprained ankle and it spread up my leg to my knee. I spent 3 weeks in the University of Utah Hospital and they basically skinned me from the knee down, including all of the tissue. They took skin from my thigh and part of my butt (ouch) and grafted it on my lower leg. Skin Grafts are crazy and take a long time to heal, so I currently have a red interesting looking leg, but at least it's my leg, and someday, nobody will even be able to tell.

5. Tyler and I were neighbors and in the same ward for 4 years before we even spoke or new each other at all, and I was not a shy girl; I dated about every guy in our ward and new all of them, except Tyler. Our paths just never crossed; it was as if we were being kept from each other until 5 months before his mission, we finally met, and it was an instant bond, and the rest is history.

6. I love taking baths; I bath every day. I lay there in hot water and relax at least for just a few minutes. I learned it from my Mother, who takes like a 1/2 hour bath every morning in her jet tub and reads. Life is full of little joys like that.

7. I love life and love learning, and I'm amazed at the hidden treasures of knowledge that there is out there in the world in books and from very gifted people and from the spirit. I truly believe that those who have ears to hear and eyes to see will be led to incredible amounts of knowledge that will help us combat the evil, the negativity, the plagues, and the sicknesses in this world. I believe that this life is a test, yes, but it can be a very successful test if we truly open up our hearts to what the Lord is trying to show us and give us.

I Tag...

Tyler Begins his tour in Korea

2008-10-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with Tyler while he was home for 2 and 1/2 weeks; it was definitely too short, though. We never dreamed that we would be spending the first 18 months of the Air Force apart. We tried to make the best of every day while he was home and now he is in Korea and we are missing him already. I have to look at all the blessings that will come of this, though. Obviously this is what the Lord has in store for us at this time. So I put up my sticker-count-down chart up and we have 2 days down and 363 to go! He is planning on coming home for a few weeks in May and I might get to go and visit him in January, so that will help. So...may the year go fast for the Bantas!

We are a Happy Family!

2008-10-02T09:10:00.001-07:00

My Amazing Husband and my Smart Daughter

2008-09-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

This week is full of excitement! Tyler graduated this morning from his 15 week Tech. School Training. He has studied hard, and received the award for the top graduate, so we are very excited and proud! Way to Go Tyler! He flies in tomorrow and I pick him up at the SLC airport! Yeah! We get to spend 3 weeks with him, and then he's off to Korea. Milly will be very excited to see her Daddy and spend time with him. She has grown so much since he left and is so smart. Milly said her first 6 word sentence yesterday. We were in Rexburg visiting my Sister and she said, "Mommy, I want to go home." Wow! My baby is growing up. The funniest thing lately is that she has started calling me "Lisha" every now and then. We just laugh; it's very understandable since I have 5 siblings at home and parents that obviously all call me either "Alicia" or "Lisha." Kids are so funny, especially at the age of Terrific Two!

Tyler is almost done with Tech. School!

2008-09-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Tyler will be home from Tech. School in 2 weeks and 2 days! I can't wait! Being without him is not fun. But, we've both realized again how incredibly much we love each other! Love is like testimonies; they're constant, but have moments of renewal and times when they become strengthened and we are reminded of the important things in life.

Milly has also missed her Daddy very much! She loves all the men in her life. All of my uncles are Papa and she would rather them hold her than all my aunts. She loves to cuddle up next to my Dad, who is the "real" Papa and have his attention. When we are in restaurants and stores, she sees older men, and says, "Papa," and starts looking at them and inches her way over to them. In nursery, she has really taken to this older man that works in there with his wife. She wouldn't even let my sister Emily take her out of his arms at the end of church! So, Milly will be very glad to spend 3 weeks with her Daddy. We love you Tyler and can't wait to see you!

Milly is 2!

2008-08-23T08:06:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that Amilya is already two years old; time has went by so quickly! She is our pride and joy and fills our days with laughter and gratitude. We are so blessed.

At least she started out the day with her hair fixed!

Oh by the way...Barbie cakes are very complicated if you don't have a real Barbie Cake Pan, I learned that the hard way.

This is just a random picture of what Milly would look like if she had glasses. Isn't she just adorable. I am proud to call this child mine. I am now graduated from being called "Mommy"; I am now "Mom." It's "Mom, come 'ere." "Mom, watch." "Mom, hold me." But there is definitely something special about being called Mommy, Mama, or Mom. What a great calling in life motherhood truly is.

2008-08-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

It's always interesting to me how we always wait until the end of the summer to cram all the events and activities in. So, we have been very busy these last couple of weeks, and Amilya has totally lost every bit of her daily and nightly routine, well what routine she did have, but it's summer right? Fall is kind of like the beginning of a new year for me; I make new goals and I try to re-organize our life. So, in this regards, I'm excited for Fall to come!

This is our day at Bear Lake. Milly loved every minute of playing in the sand and in the water!

This is our day at the fair. Star Valley has a fair and carnival every year and it is usually a huge event, unfortunately this year wasn't as great, but it was still something to do.

Blow-up toys were the extent of our carnival experience this year...

But it was enough for Milly

Milly's birthday isn't until the 20th of this month, but because Grandpa and Grandma Banta live 5 hours away and came to visit this week, we had a little birthday party with them while they were here.

I Love This Guy!

2008-08-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

1. I love how he is so genuine with every one he meets, never trying to be something he's not.

2. I love how he is my best friend and we can tell eachother everything.

3. I love that he is such an amazing father, so loving and gentle.

4. I love that he is so affectionate and thoughtful.

5. I love that Tyler is a kid at heart and knows how to have fun.

6. I love that he is such a great dancer and loves music like I do.

7. I love how handsome and sexy he is, and I love that he loves sports and that being physically fit is important to him.

8. I love how he honors his priesthood and his temple covenants.

9. I love his laugh and his smile.

10. I love that he is so smart, and can figure out how to fix anything.

11. I love how he is so maticulous at times and a perfectionist.

12. I love that he is such a hard worker and a very determined person.

I just plain love this guy!

Our Busy July!

2008-07-31T16:21:00.001-07:00

July was a great month. It started with the big 4th of July weekend where we got to see a lot of family, and Milly's first cousin on my side was blessed on Sunday the 6th. My Brother Joseph and his Wife Arit had a baby girl the end of May and they named her Fanny Elaina Shumway. She is adorable and it's been so fun for our family to have a brand new little one in the family, and now my parents have 2 grand-daughters to spoil!