four years

Leith and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary in August. We both can't believe how fast the past 4 years have gone by. This last year has been the most eventful of all I must say. We had originally planned on going on a Mexican cruise but with the recent house purchase and Leith's new job we decided to do something a little more low key. So after doing some research we chose to spend a weekend in Temecula at the Churon Winery. It took us a little over an hour to get there and since our room wasn't ready for check in we decided to start the wine tasting. The receptionist at our hotel suggested we try a small family owned winery at the far end of the road so we took her advice and headed over there. The name of the winery was Doffo...named after the Doffo family that owns it. The owner was born and raised in Argentina. He moved from orange county to temecula with plans to retire and started a small vineyard as a hobby. Before he knew it word spread of his delicious wine and now they have a large vineyard with tasting room  in the back of their home. We had such a great time talking with the owners son that we decided to join their wine club! After Doffo we headed to the famous South Coast winery and did another tasting. By that time we were both hungry and tired so we got some lunch and headed to our room to rest before dinner. Dinner was in Old Town Temecula. We were served a delicious five course meal...my last course was a creme brule that was AMAZING! We had planned on staying to do some dancing but were so stuffed from dinner we went back to the hotel and went to bed. After 4 years we like to live it up! haha...not really. The next day we enjoyed some breakfast and headed back home. It was such a great weekend to be alone together and we were so blessed that my parents stayed with Isaiah. Here's to the next 50 years!!!!

tasting at South Coast

south coast

view from our room

out to dinner

our hotel

Leith enjoyed a root bear float at the original rootbeer company before heading home

summer 2011

so...since our blog is finally in functioning order again I can update you all on the States family activities this past summer. I won't bore you all with a million different posts filled with details so ill just list the summer highlights breifly and share some photos. This summer has gone by faster than any other yet. I still feel like we are in july! Before I know it I will have to start christmas shopping! Sit back, relax, and enjoy....

here we are at leith's internship graduation. two days before moving to orange county

Leith's cousin Linda came to visit from the east coast. we had a family bbq

Isaiah loves his new back yard although it doesnt have grass yet. He's learning how to go up the steps and down the slide...so far he's got it backwards :)

Leith gave Isaiah his first haircut

went to the orange county fair...and ate way too much!

we explored the lake down the street from our new house

grilled at the beach for dinner with our dear friend Sara and her family

went to work with daddy day! it was fun climbing on everything

spent a day at the beach club down the street from our house

but mostly Isaiah spent a whole lot of time in his diaper cuz it was way too hot outside! check out that tan!

its been a while

hello friends and family that have remained faithful to the States' blog. I apologize for not keeping you all updated in a while. It has been quite a busy past couple of months for us but now that we are somewhat settled I think I will have more time to get back into the world of blogging. Just so you all have a little update to quench your appetites (Im sure you all have better things to do than wait for me to blog :))...this is what we've been up to. We moved to our new house at the end of June once Leith finished internship. We were very sad to leave all the great friends we made in san diego but we felt that God was calling us to be closer to family. So far the house is great and we are very happy with the neighborhood and the neighbors. Leith loves his new job! He has better hours during the week now...no more 90 hr work weeks; and he gets weekends off! Its been very nice having him home more. I am a stay at home mom full time now and I must say its more exhausting than 12 hr shifts as a nurse. I miss working but its also such a blessing to be home with isaiah all the time instead of someone else watching him. Isaiah is doing great! He is almost 15 months now and he's super active. He loves playing in his backyard on his little bike and slide. He's also taken up dancing quite a bit which is always entertaining.

For some of you who may or may not know...Leith is away on a short deployment to India. His marines were sent there for some training so he is there to make sure they all come back without scrapes and bruises. Isaiah and I miss him terribly but we are grateful that he has this opportunity and we pray for his safe and quick return. Please pray for him while he is gone and pray for me while im here at home. We love you all. Stay tuned for more updates on what we have been up to this summer!

Happy Birthday!

Last week we celebrated Isaiah's first birthday! Leith had to work so Isaiah and I made plans to hang out with our dear friend Sara. The day started out gloomy and though we saw some glimmer of hope that sunshine would come our way we were sadly left with mostly clouds. This didnt stop us from heading to the beach for a little picnic. We went to whole foods and picked up some sandwiches, fruit, and cookies and headed to La Jolla Shores. We were there for a couple hours enjoying ur lunch and watching Isaiah have a great time. He chased a beach ball around for a while and then enjoyed some time on the swings at the park. Although he won't remember this day I am still convinced he had a blast...I know I did! Here are some pics from the day...

one year

Isaiah has made it through his first year of life and I think about it with tears of joy and a little sadness. I will explain the sadness first so you all dont think i am crazy. I feel like the year has gone so fast and although growing up comes with new stages and accomplishments, I will greatly miss the baby things. I miss when he would fall asleep on my chest for hours and when I could wear him around in my moby carrier. So many things I will miss about his baby stage but i look upon the future with joy and excitement.
Now for the exciting part...Isaiah is at the point of taking his first steps any day now! He has been cruising since he was 10 months old and each day he seems to get more and more comfortable with the idea of taking a step without holding mommy or daddy's hand. He stand independently quite well and is very proud of himself which he always makes sure to demonstrate with cheering and clapping. He has begun to climb on anything and everything and he also discovered where mom keeps the pots and pans. One of his favorite pass times recently is playing hide and seek with daddy. When Leith finds him he screams and crawls away as fast as his little arms and legs will allow. It's seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen. He made sure to top off the year by saying "mama" to me yesterday as he stood at my feet pulling on my pant leg. It was so amazing!!!! I love that little guy!
I have experienced more changes in the past year than ever in my life. It has not all been easy but man it's been interesting and fun! My life completely changed when Isaiah entered it. He has brought me more joy that I could have ever imagined. He has taught me to appreciate the little things in life. His smile melts my heart and his laugh is contagious! We can't wait to see what God has in store for our little man. Our hope and prayer is that He will grow up to be a man after God's heart and that we can raise him in the manner that God wants us to. Isaiah we love you more than you will ever know!

the first time we looked into each other's eyes

Happy Birthday!

rock n roll half marathon

After almost six months of training I am proud to say that I finally completed the half marathon that was looming over my head for a long time it seems. Throughout my training I remember being so hard on myself when it came to reaching my goals and decreasing my walking time and people would tell me that on race day the adrenaline would change everything...its so true! Sara and I ran almost the entire 13.1 miles! I the last two miles were the hardest part for me because by right calf stiffened up and my foot went numb. Surprisingly it was harder to walk than run! During the run I saw so many people running with pictures of friends or family members on their shirts to whom they were dedicating their race since it was to support the leukemia and lymphoma society. The pictures and cheering brought chills all over my body and tears to my eyes. I had been training all this time with a personal goal and didn't even think that people were running in honor of someone they loved who had battled such a horrible illness. It was a huge eye opener and such an encouragement that I could accomplish what was ahead of me. I am so proud of Sara, her dad, and myself for taking on this challenge and seeing it through till the end. Thanks to all of those who have been supporting me through my training and who cheered me on during the race. Rock on!

my training and race buddy...couldn't have done it without u!

our cheerleaders!

our new house!

Leith and I have become homeowners! and yes...since most have asked us this question...we feel old! We thought having a baby made us feel older but having an almost 1 year old and owning a house definitely has added some gray hairs. We will be moving to Orange County...specifically Rancho Santa Margarita at the end of June. Leith finishes his internship year in June and then will be stationed to work as the primary doctor for a group of marines at Camp Pendleton. We are so sad to leave San Diego because of the memories we have here and the great friends we have made here. We feel so blessed to have formed such great relationships and met such great people that have made this transition to parenthood so much more fun and memorable. We know that they will be lifetime friends. Our new house is approximately an hour from where we live now in La Jolla which is not too far for day trips (hint hint)...come visit us friends!!!! When we first were showed this home Leith and I looked at eachother and knew that this is what we wanted. Now that it's official we can share the pictures with all of you! But you still must see it in person so this is no excuse...come visit us! haha...can you tell I want you all to come visit us? I am especially talking to a select group...you know who you are! So without further delay...here she is!

back yard

my new kitchen!

living room as seen from entryway

living room

guest bedroom (you can stay here if you visit!)

master bath

We are so excited to get settled in and have all of you over!