She melts my heart when she smiles and laughs.


She is in the oral fascination stage. All she wants to do is taste every toy and thing in reach.


Playing on the floor is always fun. I want her to be comfortable playing by herself and not me entertaining her. Often I'm baking and she is playing just outside the kitchen. She can see me but she is content to play toys and entertain herself.


Valentine's Day is coming up! 6 years ago Andrew bought this orchid for me. Every year but one it has bloomed for me. I just bloomed a few weeks ago and lights up my kitchen window. It is the gift that keeps giving.


A couple weekends ago Andrew, I and Daraby went back to Pierre to visit. It was a very nice weekend to see everyone. My sister came with her two boys too. While we were there we watched this Teaposy bloom in hot water. The Teaposy was a gift to my mom from my sister. It was very relaxing and neat to watch. The little kids thought it was a bit boring because it didn't bloom fast enough. The Teaposy is a great gift idea if you got a tea drinking friend. Oh this isn't the final picture of the teaposy. It does get a flowery orange bridge above it.

Her first words:

Two nights ago Andrew and I were praying for supper and Dara was swinging away next to the table. As I was praying we heard "Da Da." In our shock we both looked at her but she was just chilling like nothing happened. We weren't sure if she actually said it or just stumbled upon it nor did we know if she would say it again soon. To our relief a couple minutes later she did say it again and that time I got it on video. YAY! Since then she is really working on words and talking. For the longest time she has been excited about screaming/singing. It is a pleasant change to hear her working with more dadadada sounds instead of the shrill AHHHHH! Yes I know the video is on its' side. In my excitement I recorded it sideways and now I can't rotate it. I'm sure most of you can enjoy it anyway!

Daraby's signiture look!


For Christmas she received this Johnny Jump up from Great Grandma Boersma. At first she didn't really understand it. Within minutes she started moving and since then she hasn't stopped moving in the jump up. She loves it. She laughs and wiggles all around.


She found out she can swing and soar. We only have one door in the entire house that has trim to use the Johnny Jump Up.


Mutual Love! It is a huge blessing that Abby loves Daraby. We thought that bringing a baby into the family might have thrown Abby for a loop. It is funny to watch Abby lick Dara like a lollipop. Daraby watchs Abby with such interest and likes to grab a handful of fur which doesn't make Abby mad. You can see how laid back Abby is while Dara gives her a big hug.

Here our my two babes.

I posted a new post below so make sure to check that out. There isn't a lot new in our lives. We've both been working hard at the ranch. Long Days!

Catch Up!

4 Generations! The Boersma side of the family.


The Boersma Christmas Party at Grandpa and Grandma Boersma's home. We shared lots of laughs despite Dara's crankiness.


Andrew's gingerbread country store. I have to hand it to him, he did an incredible job on a very short time limit. I loved his idea. He surprises me sometimes. He is getting more crafty all the time and he actually enjoys it. Who said I'm not a good influence.


Here is my gingerbread home complete with Mr. Snowman- Mom Boersma's idea. I absolutely love making gingerbread homes.


The Van Duinen Christmas Party at Andrew's parent's home.

I need to catch up. I've been working my tail end off with the boys and haven't had time nor energy to post. I love to post stories and such so I'm bummed I haven't been able to take the time to write.
We had an incredible time in MI with family. There were many people to see. Daraby hadn't seen most of her great aunts and uncles. Of course she showed her best side the whole time we were there. HA! Actually she was starting to reject her formula at that point. I couldn't believe she was getting sick again. Once we did get home and received the new hypo formula there was a huge difference in her countenance. A week later I gave her the old formula to see if it truly was the formula or just a huge change in schedule/travel. Not surprisingly, it was the formula- she broke out in a rash, started screaming and rejected the bottle. I can't believe what a different kid she is when the formula agrees with her. I hope, hope, hope that she will be able to stay on this new formula. So far so good!
Yesterday we had an appointment with her doctor. For the first time ever Andrew came to Dara's appointment. It was satisfying for me for him to understand her illnesses better and be able to speak to the Doctor. The Dr. changed Daraby's medicine to one that is more powerful and dissolves in her mouth. I hope these are the final changes and I pray they are the right changes. I can't tell you how down and out I get when she starts to get sick. Sometimes I try to ignore her crankiness as just crankiness but a mother's intuition often leads me to do the right thing.