This monthly feature looks at the daily lives of Central Oregon families and explores what makes each unique. To suggest a family, contact Alandra Johnson at ajohnson@bendbulletin .com or 617-7860.

THE FAMILY: The Wilson family of Bend includes salesman Troy, 39, stay-at-home mom Jeanvieve, 35, and their 10-month-old daughter, Kayla.

ARRIVAL IN CENTRAL OREGON: Troy was born and raised in Bend and attended Mountain View High School. After graduating, he moved to the Bay Area, where he met Jeanvieve. She grew up in a relatively small town in California called San Luis Obispo. The couple married in 2002 and decided to return to Troy’s hometown in September 2003. They wanted to be closer to Troy’s relatives, and the Bay Area had grown very expensive.

WHAT THEY LIKE ABOUT LIVING HERE: The Wilsons enjoy living close to Troy’s family, and they also appreciate the plentiful outdoor activities and the city’s character.

FAVORITE SPOTS IN CENTRAL OREGON: Favorite spots include Sawyer Park in North Bend, Drake Park and the Old Mill District. Troy loves going wakeboarding on Lake Billy Chinook and Cultus Lake. They don’t shy away from bringing along little Kayla so that she gets used to being out in public and in outdoor settings.

HOBBIES: Troy is an avid mountain biker and likes camping. Jeanvieve says her ”biggest hobby ever” is cooking. And when she’s not in the kitchen, she’s often watching cooking shows on TV.

Two of her signature dishes are fried chicken and seafood gumbo. ”I do the cooking. He does the eating,” jokes Jeanvieve. She also loves taking pictures, scrapbooking andsinging to her daughter.

Two of her signature dishes are fried chicken and seafood gumbo. ”I do the cooking. He does the eating,” jokes Jeanvieve. She also loves taking pictures, scrapbooking and singing to her daughter.

WATER BABIES: Troy loves to swim with Kayla in their large backyard kiddie pool. Troy actually bought the pool and enjoyed soaking in it last summer before his daughter was born. Jeanvieve, however, is not as fond of the water. Still, she started taking Kayla to swimming lessons when the little girl was just 6 months old. Jeanvieve says she doesn’t want Kayla to have the same issues that she has with swimming.

KAYLA’S PERSONALITY: Jeanvieve and Troy say that, although Kayla is just 10 months old, she has already developed a strong personality. ”She’s not really shy,” jokes Troy. They say that Kayla is very outgoing, inquisitive and animated. She loves to be in the middle of activity and to be with other children. Kayla was so excited to play with one little boy, her parents say, that when he tried to scoot away from her, she crawled after him and grabbed onto him, practically pinning him down so he couldn’t go anywhere.

VALUES: As Kayla grows, Jeanvieve and Troy hope to teach her to be a good person and be respectful of other people. ”I want her to be happy in life and to follow her dreams,” said Jeanvieve.

DADDY-DAUGHTER TIME: Troy plays an active role in parenting Kayla. Every morning before work, Troy gets up with Kayla around 6:30 a.m. to spend some special time with his little girl while Jeanvieve tries to sleep in a bit.

BEING ETHNICALLY DIVERSE IN BEND: Before Jeanvieve, who is African-American, visited Bend, she was ”very concerned” about the city’s lack of diversity. She didn’t know how welcoming the community would be toward her or if people would stare or judge her because of the color of her skin. After a few visits, however, her anxiety lessened. And now, after living here for three years, she feels incredibly comfortable. ”It really isn’t an issue,” said Jeanvieve. Troy also worried about the reaction that some old-timers would have to their ethnically diverse family. Growing up in Bend, he knew that some residents were very used to the community being pretty much all white. But as Bend changes, Troy believes, so have many people’s views and their comfort level with other races.

CHANGING PERSPECTIVE: Not long ago, Troy’s best friend died, which made him realize how short life is. Troy and Jeanvieve had always enjoyed life, but the death brought greater perspective to their lives and they try very hard now to remember to appreciate life as much as possible. ”We laugh a lot,” said Jeanvieve. Having a daughter has also changed them. ”For me, it’s neat to see Troy with his daughter,” said Jeanvieve. ”I always knew Troy would be a good father, but (seeing it) is indescribable. It’s a very special thing.” Troy was never sure he wanted children, saying he ”could have gone either way.” But now that Kayla is in his life, he can’t imagine living without her. ”You can’t explain it, your love for a child,” said Troy.