This past week Justin and I decided we were finally ready to announce the name of our sweet boy, and man did we get TONS of responses. My mother's family, my father's family, my husband's family, and a good amount of our friends - everyone had some type of feedback to give (most of which was extremely positive). Just to answer everyone's questions in one place, I wanted to give a little background on the name we chose. Liam was decided before we had even discovered that Olivia would be a girl. We chose this name a couple of years ago and for some reason, Liam was always the top contender for a boy name. We don't personally know anyone named Liam (though I do have a couple friends who have named their little ones Liam), the meaning of the name is absolutely beautiful, and it also has a bit of Justin's heritage to top it off. 

Now for the middle name. The middle name situation was just weeks of changes. We wanted our son to have the name of someone we loved, admired, and someone we would be proud to honor. Initially, the middle name was going to be Arthur - BUT because this might be our last baby, I also wanted to make sure we made the right choice. This is our first time naming a little boy and it was much harder than naming the girls. With both girls, it was a no brainer, I knew I'd choose my maternal and paternal grandmothers. With Liam, I was conflicted between a name from my family and of course suggesting Justin choose a name from his.

Justin is very easy going with middle names and has always allowed me to take the front seat by choosing. This time around, I really wanted to extend him the same courtesy. One night I was going through pictures of Justin as a baby and a plethora of photos of his grandfather, Papoo fell into my lap. That's when I knew our first choice was the right choice. I only have a handful of memories from Pop, but they are all good. Justin was privileged enough to have had his grandfather for over 24 years of his life - a rarity for a lot of us. He knew his grandfather was proud and I'll never forget the first time I saw Justin taking a seat at the "big guy" table. Exchanging stories of deployment, military memories, and cracking open a cold one alongside the men that had been able to watch Justin become a man. 

I'm so proud of the name we chose for our son and I'm even more proud that we are able to honor a great man. 

2015, you are looking great!

I am seriously tickled with excitement for my husband right now. I won't share all the details just yet, but Justin got some mega great news at work. As you probably already assumed, it is work related. I am filled with so much happiness you guys, it's not even funny. Watching my husband's hard work, diligence, and focus pay off is one of the most heart warming feelings I have ever felt. I know I'm bias, but Justin is such a great leader. He takes care of his soldiers and he genuinely cares about them. Those are attributes I can only hope that will be instilled in our daughter. I know that his work ethic has definitely left me feeling completely motivated for when I take that leap back into the workplace.

In other news, I have taken on a new photography challenge from the wonderful Victoria Simmons, of Victoria Simmons Photography. I wanted to find a deeper focus with photography, and it looks like I've found it. I want to push myself even further and acquire even more skills this year. I still don't see myself taking photography into a career goal, but I genuinely enjoy taking pictures and learning how to edit them effectively. Up until about a week ago, I thought I really only enjoyed taking pictures of my family and our everyday happenings... I've noticed that this notion has changed. I took photos for some friends of mine this past week and I absolutely loved it.

I enjoyed being able to watch their love in the moments I was snapping away. I enjoyed being able to capture the essence of those outside of my everyday life. I seriously got chills down my spine at one point when I captured a kiss between the two love birds. I'm always a sucker for genuine love on camera. I'm not sure if this feeling I have is going to last, or how it came about, but I plan on exploring it completely. I can't remember the last time I left the house without my camera, and I hope this lasts the rest of my days for sure.

In even happier news, Ava bug is almost 20 months old. **Yes, I am still counting the months until my sweet girl is two years old** and I have so much to share on her 20 month update. She started saying a few more words, so naturally Justin and I are gushing! We've also been asking her if she'd like a sibling, and each time.. she nods her head yes. It is the SWEETEST thing I have ever seen and we are thrilled at her little toddler response. Let's just hope when the time actually arrives that she feels the same way.

Our move is approaching very quickly as well! We literally only have nine more days left until the big moving day! Everything is set to switch over to the new house, and of course Justin made sure direct t.v. was set to come before the playoffs this weekend. We also have a set date that we will be arriving in New York for Justin's grandfather's military memorial services. It looks like we will for sure be there in April to attend the memorial and spend time with his family. I'm still extremely saddened for the reason we are traveling, but I'm glad that we will finally be able to give tangible support to all of those who loved Papoo so very much.

Well, that's all for now guys. I have a new vlog coming out (hopefully) in the next week, so be sure to check that out! I hope the new year is treating you well and that you are still sticking to some of those resolutions!

Happy Tuesday all!

♥- Leilani

Better

It's been 48 hours since we got the first phone call about Justin's grandfather and things are slightly better than they were just the other day. Justin is embracing all the good that can come from heartbreaking situations of loss, and for that I am eternally grateful. I hate seeing my husband hurt, I hate seeing our families hurt, but I am becoming a stronger person through this experience. I'm making sure to call everyone in New York at least once a day just to offer up some support and to check on them. In an effort to keep Justin's spirits up, we are taking a few trips while he is on block leave. They start this weekend with a trip to Leavenworth, Washington. We are attending the Christmas tree light ceremony and we are going to explore all that this little German town has to offer. I've heard really good things about it, so I'm hoping that my babies have a good time while we are there, and we will be with some of my family, and family is always good company for us.

We got an update on the ceremony arrangements for Papoo, and it looks they will be in the Spring. Sometime in April is what we are being told, so our New York trip that would have been in February with just Ava bug and myself, will now be in April with daddy. I'm content with this for more than one reason. Justin will actually be apart of the full military service that his grandfather is receiving, it's not going to be freezing weather, and we are going to try and cram in a birthday bash, since Ava bug's second birthday and Justin's 25th would just be a couple weeks away. I'm hopeful that even though our reasons for going aren't joyous, that we will still make the trip a memorable one nonetheless.

I also wrote this blog to inform ALL of you how grateful we are for all the support we have received. Since posting my last blog, I have received over 50 emails from people giving us prayers and letting us know that we are in their thoughts. That means more to me than any of you will ever know. Most of those emails are from readers of mine, people I have never met. The kindness you show is truly inspiring and it is entirely moving. I also want to thank all of my family and friends for praying over us, checking up on us, and offering your support where ever it is needed. We are blessed to live a life where so many care for us so deeply. Our gratitude is in full swing and again, I couldn't ask for a better support system.

I know the healing process is still bare and new, but I'm praying that this loss only continues to bring our family closer together. Here is a link to Papoo's obituary (as requested). If you decide to leave words for our family, please keep in mind that this is still a fresh cut, and people are healing in their own ways.

 ♥- Leilani