Believe in Yourself


Do you know who you are? I am a mom, a wife, a daughter a sister and a friend. I am dedicated, kind, caring, quiet and passionate. By discovering who you are and believing in yourself and your qualities you can succeed! ‪#‎beyou‬ ‪#‎journeytothirty‬ ‪#‎100daysofhealthy‬ ‪#‎day14‬

Carson: Two and a Half


Where oh where do I begin with you Mr Carson! Even with your cute, cheesy grin, you are a two year old through and through! You are Mr. Active and are go, go, go ALL THE TIME! You love being outside and playing with sticks and rocks. You actually have just started taking an interest in your toys which I guess came at a good time because winter is around the corner. We can only get you to sit still for your favorite movies or TV shows. You like watching "Thomas," "doggie" (Scout and Friends, "Nemo," "Birds" (Rio and Adventures in Zambezia) to name a few. We actually don't have kids shows on too often because t's usually football games, soccer games and most recently basketball games. You still sometimes confuse soccer and football but you know the "Broncos" and love wearing your "purple shirt." And we taught you the SEATTLE "Sounders" chant ;) But I promise we will let you pick what teams to cheer for when you get older!

Your speaking is getting better but you were "diagnosed" with a mild speech delay. So we've been working with a speech therapist a couple times a month and you've improved tremendously. Right now you love to repeat whatever we are saying, and usually it begins with "no." Carson do you want to read a book? "No read book." Here's a small list of things we hear a lot: "I see big truck, or I see big red truck," "Hear me airplane" (translated in to I hear airplane), you call snow "snom," you walk around the house singing "winkle winkle wittle star," give Snyder commands, let us know that "Pooper crying," "Pooper bouncing) or "shh Pooper sleeping" (we don't say "C" sounds yet). And speaking of your brother, you weren't very sure of him when he first got here but you are doing wonderful with him now. You bring him all his toys, sometimes show him yours, help him bounce, give him kisses and tell him night night. It is so special to see you too bonding all ready.

Now for the terrible twos. You have a voice and you make sure to use it, very loudly I might add, when something does not go your way. We are working on patience with you and figuring out the best method to reason with you. It has and still is an ongoing battle and if the "threenager" holds true, we are in serious trouble! Maybe Grammy and Pop Pop will take you in for a year :) For the most part you are very independent. Lately you've been wanting mommy or daddy to hold you and you always give hugs and kisses when leaving or going to bed which we will take any day! But I will be honest, you are having a very rough patch right now and it includes not sleeping very well either which makes for an every more "terrible" two year old. Maybe our Christmas present will be the exiting of whatever phase you are going through!

I mentioned some of your likes up above, but some other things you like are pop tarts, cheese, applesauce, milk, "smoovies," cookie bars, reading books, picking out clothes, buckling things, singing your ABCs, using daddy as a jungle gym and "helping" in the kitchen. You are finally getting more proportioned with your height/weight checking in at 31lbs and 34in tall (90% weight and 75% height). You wear 3T pants, 4T shirts and size 8-9 shoe. A husky boy we like to say :)

So Much To Be Thankful For (2015)


I am Thankful for people in this world who still care about others and want to lend a helping hand 🙌🏼 ‪#‎givethanks‬ ‪#‎thanksgiving‬ ‪#‎grateful‬‪#‎journeytothirty‬ ‪#‎day6‬




I'm Thankful for my toddler. Is he a handful and makes me want to pull my hair out at times? YES! But asking mom to sing twinkle twinkle or wanting to "sit down" on my lap while we read books just melts my heart. He isn't a cuddler so I cherish those little moments, even more so now that I spend the majority of my time tending to his little brother. So thank you for opening up my heart, bringing me sunshine on cloudy days and just being YOU!?👩🏻👦🏻💙 ‪#‎givethanks‬ ‪#‎thanksgiving‬ ‪#‎grateful‬ ‪#‎journeytothirty‬


I'm Thankful for the little things. 💐when your toddler brings you a bouquet of flowers 🚿 when you haven't showered in what seems like days but your husband still tells you you're beautiful 🛌 when he takes the baby so you can get a couple more hours of sleep 🏔 being able to drive 30 min from my house and be in one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the county 🐾 living 5 min from a state park where I can watch my dog run free 💵 feeling secure in my job and knowing I'm helping provide for my family  sunny days and so so many more! ‪#‎grateful‬ ‪#‎givethanks‬ ‪#‎thanksgiving‬‪#‎journeytothirty‬


Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours! ‪#‎givethanks‬ ‪#‎thanksgiving‬‪#‎family‬

Rise and Shine...


Morning workouts are my favorite. I start the day on a positive note and have my lunch breaks and evenings to either enjoy a walk outside or spend some extra time playing with the kids. Unfortunately morning workouts are few and far between for me these days (insert tired mama from a baby who won't sleep) so when they do happen I know it will be a great day! ‪#‎fitmom‬‪#‎morningmotivation‬ ‪#‎sunrise‬ ‪#‎coolrunnings‬ ‪#‎journeytothirty‬‪#‎100daysofhealthy‬ ‪#‎day8‬

100 Days of Healthy


For those of you who know me I'm shy, keep in the background and am very much afraid to put myself out there. But I've decided it's time to change. I'm finally feeing comfortable and confident in my own skin and there's no reason to hide in the background anymore. It may sound crazy but what helped me feel better about myself was finding these programs and learning from the meal plans how to properly fuel my body and keep consistent with a workout routine. I had AMAZING results and finally loved myself! If you're feeling stuck and don't know where to start in regards to maintaining a healthy lifestyle I invite you to give it a try. Message me or email me at tararayefit@gmail.com and I'd love to talk more with you. ‪#‎journeytothirty‬ ‪#‎100daysofhealthy‬ ‪#‎day1‬

Cooper Thomas: Four Months








My sweet, still not sleeping, lil Cooper! You had a very busy month and seemed to learn lots of new things. You are a pro at grabbing toys (you love your playmat), you started rolling over both ways, and you love to scoot now with your face smooshed on the ground. We are in trouble when you become mobile because you just want to go go go! You have very strong legs like your brother did and used them to almost push yourself off the changing pad more than once...ok like 5 times! You are now a tummy sleeper, just like your brother too, that is when you decide to sleep. You still wake up 3-4 times at night which makes for one tired momma! You seem to be catching on to naps a little better and you can put yourself to sleep (for bedtime too) and just in the last couple days you have done a couple 2 hour naps! Schedules are out the question for you but that's ok because you are a pretty easy going baby. You smile and giggle ALL THE TIME and you think it's hilarious when we change your clothes. But my favorite thing has been you watching your brother with the biggest grin. You love your brother already and I can only imagine you guys being the best of friends.

Mommy still thinks you aren't gaining enough weight and the doctor said he would like to see more, but he isn't concerned yet. You bumped up to the 75% in height but dropped to the 15% in weight. The doctor gave us a few tips, so we will start there!


Birth: 6lbs 11.1oz and 19.5in
Leaving Hospital: 6lbs 3.9oz
Five Days: 6lbs 10oz
Two Weeks: 7lbs 10.5oz and 20in
One Month: ~9lbs and 21in
Two Months: 11lbs and 23in
Four Months: 13lbs 4oz and 25 1/2in

We love you so much Cooper and you absolutely make our family complete! You already have second child syndrome as mommy doesn't take near as many pictures of you. She will try her hardest to be better next month!