SODA SPRINGS — For the first time in her life, Taylie Christiansen had two dads watching her accomplish something Friday night as she received her high school diploma. One was her adoptive father, Matt, and the other was her birth father, Scott Troumbley, from Arizona.

    Taylie had never met Scott until Thursday.

    “I was so overwhelmed and filled with joy,” Taylie said about meeting her birth father. She had known for two weeks he was coming, but the face-to-face contact exceeded Taylie's expectations.

    “We just started talking,” Taylie said. They had a lot of catching up to do.

    “It’s been a pretty cool couple of days,” the Soda Springs’ girl said.

    The 2013 graduate’s parents, Matt and Stephanie Christiansen, adopted Taylie when she was born. Unfortunately, legal problems arose with Taylie’s birth mother, and they lost custody until she was 6 months old. She has been an important member of the Christiansen clan ever since.

    The Christiansens have two other adopted children, Bridger, who will begin his high school career next fall, and a 20-year-old daughter, Mattison. Both have special needs.

    Stephanie said her daughter has been incredible about helping her siblings with any issues they might have.

    “We’ve been blessed,” Taylie’s mother said.

    The Christiansens decided from the beginning to be open with their children about their adoptive roots.

    Taylie said she appreciates her parents for not only telling her the entire story when she was young, but allowing her to have contact with her birth mother over the years. Her birth mother’s parents have become part of the extended Christiansen family.

    “I feel like it’s been better to be open about it,” Taylie said.

    There was one piece of the puzzle missing, however. No one had ever contacted Taylie’s birth dad. As her graduation approached, Taylie’s mother decided to do some research on the Internet. Facebook provided the clues and soon, Stephanie discovered how to contact Scott.

    As a result, the missing father was standing alongside Taylie’s adoptive parents when she crossed the stage to collect her diploma.

    And Taylie already has plans for next fall.

    She enjoyed her four years on the Cardettes dance team at Soda Springs High and the classes that allowed her to graduate with honors, but she knows what her calling is going to be.

    “I’m going to BYU-Idaho and I’m going into special education,” Taylie said.

    “She’ll be amazing at it,” Stephanie said about her daughter’s choice.

    After Friday’s graduation ceremony, the Christiansen family and Scott Troumbley and his wife headed up to Yellowstone National Park — together.

    “It does my heart good to see my daughter so happy,” Stephanie said. “The more people who love our kids, the better off they’ll be.”