All because two people fell in love...

Christmas photos

2009-12-01T23:17:00.000-08:00

Sneak peek of our photos....more to come later!

9 month pics

2009-11-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

Our new favorite pic! ;-)

At the pumpkin patch....if you can call it that. It was a field with a bunch of dried out picked pumpkins surrounded by palm trees. LOL! They had a petting zoo, hay rides, carnival rides, corn maze, etc. It was fun, but the pumpkins were pitiful! LOL!

It was unusually cold and windy (60's or so) when we stopped at a local road side stand with lots of pumpkins...just to take photos. She was shivering and soooo cold. We laughed and told her she didn't know what cold was just yet!

Hey All- Sorry we have been SOOOOO bad about posting photos. She is growing up so fast and time just seems to slip away! We are enjoying Arizona and starting to feel comfortable here. Javin is enjoying the challenges his new job brings and I am thankful for the time I have to spend with Leila while I continue to look for that perfect RN job. We will be here in AZ for Thanksgiving and home to Vancouver, WA for Christmas! We can't wait to see those of you living in the Northwest! Thanks for all your love, support, and prayer over the past few months as we have transitioned and made this big move!

Also, we are having Leila's 1st Birthday party here in AZ on January 30th if any of you think you could make it! You're all welcome!

These photos are from the past month. Some were taken in Washington and some in Arizona. And in case you can't tell what her costume is......she was a fish for Halloween and didn't seem to mind her costume a bit!

Things she does these days:
-stand up and walks along furniture

-dances to music everywhere, including the mall and grocery store! So funny!

-says "ma ma"

-eats just about everything we eat (even though she only has one little tooth)
-sleeps from 9pm-8am!!!!!!
-LOVES the swimming pool and water
-laughs when we laugh, a totally fake laugh!

-clip-clops with her tongue like a horse

-claps

-gives high five's
-waves hi and bye

4th oh July

2009-09-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

This one cracks me up! LOL! We both look a little strange....like mother like daughter.

Great Grandma Griff

Cute famly photo!

Visit with Madison!

2009-09-22T15:01:00.001-07:00

Our 3 year old niece came to stay with me in late June...these are some photos from her visit. We miss her sooooo sooooo much and it was so fun having her with us in Portland. LOVE you Madi! Leila was 5 months here.

6 months old

2009-08-08T16:54:00.001-07:00

13 pounds 14 ounces, 26 1/2 inches long

The things she's doing these days:
-Eating bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas (with great dissatisfaction), and pears
-Army crawling all over the place....she's quick too!
-Waving "hi" and "bye", usually with her wave turned in towards her own face! So funny!
-Jumping and playing in her exersaucer toy
-Sleeping through the night most nights, with an occasional 4am snack
-Giggling lots, especially when you play "peek-a-boo" with her
-She loves the cell phone, especially when talking to her daddy in AZ and when watching videos he sends
-Sitting up with someone nearby to catch her when she starts leaning like the Tower of Pisa
-Giving lots of wet and slobbery kisses! She puts her hands on either side of your face and then comes at you, mouth open wide, for a "kiss!" It's pretty hysterical!

Leila is really becoming her own little person. She has a very strong willed personality already! She's opinionated and not afraid to tell you about it.....hmmmm....who does this remind us of?! She's sweet and cuddly and will fall asleep in your arms. She's determined and patient all at the same time. We just feel so blessed to be her parents; to teach her and learn from her at the same time!

The past month and a half have been pretty crazy for us as a family. Javin has moved into a new apartment in Arizona. We rented our home in Portland. Leila and I are living between family members and flying back and forth to see Javin and for me to work here in Portland. It's crazy! We have an amazing family who has helped us sooooooo much. Without them, we would never have been able to make this move. Thank you!!!!

We love you Leila! You're so darn cute! ;-)

Madison and Leila

2009-07-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

We recently had our God-daughter, Madison here for the week. I LOVED having her here and I am already missing her terribly! We had these photos taken of the girls.
Madi is 3 and Leila is 5 1/2 months.

Bedtime hair-do!

2009-07-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Look at her stylish mohawk and how she loves to eat her feet before bed! Crazy kid!

Rice Cereal

2009-07-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

These are some funny photos of her eating rice cereal. You can tell she's not sure if she wants to like it or hate it! She is 5 months old here.

Javin's Birthday

2009-07-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

Javin turned 27 on June 29! We threw together a quick pizza dinner just a day before he left for Arizona! Man, we're getting old! ;-)

Grandma Adrian

Cousins Karissa and Kyler and Grandma Debbie

The cutest nieces ever!
Yummy cupcakes. Thanks Kim!

Nahalem Bay

2009-07-12T22:13:00.001-07:00

The very following weekend, we went camping again! This time, we went to Nahalem Bay with our monthly dinner group and all the kids! It was also Father's day....hence the shirt she is wearing. Hope we can make this an annual thing. So much fun!

Beaver Creek Camping Trip

2009-07-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

We went camping in mid June with a huge group of friends for Marten's Birthday. It was Leila's first camping trip and we all had an absolute blast. Here are a few photos!

Vegas Baby!

2009-06-09T00:21:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics of our recent trip to Las Vegas! Leila is 4 months old!

Modeling her shades.

It was slightly windy. Can you tell? LOL!

"I want a drink of that!"

Family Photo! Giggles and Grins!

Riding a stuffed tiger at FAO Schwartz Toy Store

Happy Bathing Beauty!

Yum!

Not so sure about those strange things in the tank....she cried a little!

My dad recently bought a vacation/retirement house in Las Vegas and we could hardly wait to take a family trip to check it out! It was so nice to go somewhere hot, just the three of us. We sat by the pool, ate good food, and even took Leila to the strip a few nights! She loved the lights and all the noise. There weren't many people out at midnight with their 4 month old babies...we were wondering if we were terrible parents....lol....but she had fun and so did we, so why not?!

Oh, and if you're in Vegas in the future, be sure to go to Viva Mercado. It's a Mexican food restaurant on Rainbow Blvd. and it's amazing! They have the best food we've had in a long time! It's a must!

Girl's Beach Trip

2009-06-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

Leila and I recently went to Lincoln City with Amy, Kim, and Debbie. Amy was kind enough to share her Mother's Day gift, a beach house for 2 nights, with the four of us! We had a blast and the weather was pretty good....for the Oregon coast at least! ;-) It was sooooo windy, so I'm not sure Leila really enjoyed the beach walk all that much, but there were no cries or tears, so we considered it a success!

Here are a few pics...

Amy, Debbie, Kim

Amy, Leila and Jessica, Kim

Play time

2009-05-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

She loves to play with this toy if I prop her up on the couch. Usually, I have to push the buttons to make it play, but the other day she was able to push the buttons all by herself. She can't sit up on her own, so I have her tied into the corner of the couch with all sorts of blankets and pillows. It's pretty funny and it didn't look that comfortable, but she loved it. I've learned you'll do just about anything to them or for them if it will occupy them for a good 20 minutes or so. LOL!

Shopping Girl

2009-05-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

I took this while Leila and I were out shopping the other day. Isn't she a cutie?! Love her more and more each day! We were out looking for a swimsuit for her at the outlet mall. She helped pick out a cute striped suit and a sun hat. She's planning on wearing them in Vegas next week!
This little girl loves to shop. She NEVER cries when we go to the mall or store. Her daddy is in big trouble....two girls who love to shop. Yikes!

Leila's Dedication

2009-05-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

I am so bad at posting on this blog. Forgive me for the late updates!

Leila was dedicated on April 19th, 2009. She was 11 weeks old! My mom was here from Texas and Andy and Hanna came from Seattle. Amy and Kim, Leila's Aunts, sang a beautiful song to her and it made everyone cry! Several people in the church family selected verses to read and share with us. It was a very special day and the weather couldn't have been better! Leila is wearing a christening gown that my mother wore in 1954. Since then, all the children in the family have worn this gown on the day of their christening. What a special gift to pass on to her!

2009-05-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

These are photos taken way back in April! Sorry for the late post! These are all the grandkids on the Grove side of the family with Grandma and Grandpa! Next year, we'll have one more girl to add to the bunch. Andy and Hanna are due in September!

Easter

2009-04-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter morning with the church family at Todd and Kristy's home. Javin's parents hosted lunch and an Easter egg hunt for all the kids after church. Javin helped Leila hunt for her Easter eggs!

This is a really long clip.....sorry! ;-)

Seattle

2009-04-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

Burr! It's cold up here! (Space needle)

She LOVED the big tub!

Javin and I decided to take a family trip to Seattle recently. We were in need of an adventure and a little romance, so we stayed at a nice hotel, relaxed, enjoyed the view, ate some good food, and alos visited Javin's brother and his wife. We had a great time and Leila was perfect!

Monthly Dinner

2009-04-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

We had our monthly dinner party, and as usual, it was a blast. Thanks Michelle and Dan for hosting! The kids are really growing! This first photo is in birth order: Ava, Paige, Stuart, Leila

Random Cute Photos!

2009-04-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Palm Sunday with the cousins in matching dresses!

Big girl on her Boppy!

Haven't posted in a looooong time! Sorry. Here are some pics from the last few weeks.

Texas Trip!

2009-03-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

Leila had her first trip to Texas last week! We had four flights in total, and she did great on three of them. She cried for 20 minutes straight on one, despite everything I did to calm her....I have a whole new respect for the mother's of crying babies on airplanes!

Leila met her great-grandparents, all sorts of cousins, great aunts and uncles, and lots of family friends. It was so awesome to see my grandparents holding her! My grandmother would rock her to sleep at night and sing old songs to her....I was so thankful that God had it in His plan for them to meet! The trip gave Javin and I memories that we will cherish forever; ones that we will share with Leila for many years!

We also went fishing one day, which was something I did every summer growing up. We had to initiate Leila, so I caught the biggest fish I've ever caught, just for her! ;-) It was a huge catfish and by the look on her face, I don't think she knew what to think of the ugly thing!

We had a great trip! Thanks again to everyone who took time to come see us, host us, feed us, etc! We hope to be back soon!

More Photos!

2009-02-27T10:39:00.000-08:00

These are photos that Becki Cole took when Leila was 15 days old! It was quite an experience. She pooped and peed all over the place because we had her diaper off! It was pure chaos. But, the pictures turned out great....Becki is amazing! And we think Leila is beautiful! Don't you?! ;-)

Hiccups!

2009-02-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

She's always getting the hiccups!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-24T17:03:00.000-08:00

Leila and Javin gave me a beautiful bouquet of 2 dozen roses for Valentine's Day!

Visitors

2009-02-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

We had family visitors over Valentine's Day weekend, Chrisann and Madi. Madi loved holding and kissing Leila. It was so great to have them here to meet her and love her. She loves her new Aunt and cousin!

2 Weeks Old Today!

2009-02-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

Wow! Time flies. I cannot believe Leila is already two weeks old. She had her first outing with mom today. We ran errands and then ended the evening with a trip to the mall. She was perfect the whole time....not a single cry. She's going to be a shopper! I'll upload some pics of her later on. Javin is the pro with the camera and he's at work, so we'll update this later!

2 weeks, 1 day

2009-02-10T16:12:00.001-08:00

Leila had her first "play date" with her pals on Saturday night. Javin and I get together with four other couples on a monthly basis for dinner, and three of the other couples have little ones. It will be so fun to watch them grow together! Leila was perfect during the photo shoot...obviously too young to know what was going on...the other ones were crying and screaming and falling over. It was pretty hysterical!

Poor Stuart was trying to find comfort, so he leaned toward Leila....

...and she punches him right in the jaw! Or was she attempting to pat him on the shoulder?! Stuart is out numbered! Poor guy!

Family

2009-02-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

My mom was here for 2 1/2 weeks helping keep me sane before Leila was born, and helping around the house after Leila came home! What a blessing! She left on Sunday and I cried....so sad to see her go. But, she will be back in just two weeks and we can't wait for her return! My dad is also enjoying his first grandchild. He has been sick, so has not had as much time with her. Once he gets well, we won't be able to get him to leave! ;-)

Javin's family has been amazing! His mom and sisters helped "coach" us during the labor and I cannot tell you how helpful that was to both of us! And, they have been bringing us food and gifts almost every day it seems. Thank you!

Leila Lanae

2009-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Leila Lanae was born January 29, 2009 at 3:50 PM, 7lbs 13oz and 21 1/4 inches long! After a failed induction on January 21, labor was long and difficult. Jessica is recovering slowly thanks to the help of family and friends. And, most importantly, Leila is doing great!

Wow! Becoming parents has been the most awesome gift Javin and I have ever received! All the aches and pains of pregnancy and labor have long been forgotten...we are in such awe of what God has created! We knew we would love her, but could never have imagined a love this strong and deep. We have been truly blessed and I cannot tell you how many times a day we thank God for this little miracle! It's been almost as amazing watching my husband become a father! He is so incredibly kind and gentle with her and she absolutely adores him already. I am a very lucky woman to have such a devoted husband!
Leila has been a great baby thus far. She nurses well and then sleeps 4-5 hour stretches at night! We are being spoiled and I hope it continues this way! She loves to coo and talk and we think she might end up being left handed. That left hand is always moving and grabbing! Her skin is darkening and she looks beautifully tan already. We're hoping she won't loose all her dark hair, but it looks like it's starting to thin. We just can't get enough of her!