i daved photos in my messages to my photos and can

It's hard for us to tell, for sure, but they might be there-- just not where you expect. Are you sure they were saved? I use the little check box beside the picture in Messages.

Since the pictures came from Messages, you can't be sure exactly when they were created, and they might not even have the correct date in their metadata. The Photos Library is usually sorted by date created, so a picture with an unknown date might be hard to find.

But you can also sort Library but date added

with the sort button at the bottom. So you should try hunting both ways.

You may also find the pictures by using Search with date or location or even obvious things in the picture like balloon or horse, etc.