I was tagged...

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...

Kylie

Lindsey

Jennie

Brooke

Heidi

Jessica

Tyler Begins his tour in Korea

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!

My Amazing Husband and my Smart Daughter

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!

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!

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.

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.