Saturday, June 29, 2013

2 Blissful, Wonderful, Busy Years!!!!

Alivia is officially 2 years old.  She's a toddler.  She's getting so big and talking up a storm and really - honestly - she is a sweet and good little girl. 

I would detail her vocabulary here, but it has become too expansive.  She makes cute little errors though, like calling her Aunt Margot, "Marno," or calling the swing at the park "a wee."  She still says "Peas" and "D" for Please and Thank You.  But I've been working on Thank You with her and she'll say "Dink You" only when I slow her down and force her to say the whole phrase. 

Alivia is very affectionate and polite.  We taught her that to wake up someone, you should kiss them.  So if any of her Aunts or Uncles or grandparents are sleeping and she wants to interact with them, she'll simply give them a good 'ol kiss on the mouth and gosh darn it, it works like a charm every time.  After getting in trouble, she is good to say sorry quickly and give hugs and kisses.  She went through a phase of kissing us on both cheeks like a European, but that phase seems to be dying off.  She still seems to get "jealous" when I kiss Cody or he kisses me.  She will jump in between us and kiss both of us after saying "ME!".   And a personal victory for Mom is that she says, "excuse me, (mama, or dada)" when she wants our attention.  It was a lesson for when I'm on the phone or in conversation.  Unfortunately, although the words are polite and appropriate, she'll say "excuse me, mama" over and over until I acknowledge her.  Patience is a hard thing for a 2 year old, especially when she needs your attention :)

Our Livy girl loves the park, loves to read books, loves the beach, loves her family, loves sugar "num, nums," loves trains and planes and dogs, loves to swim, loves to watch movies of herself, loves to listen to the radio, loves her "blankie and bunny," loves to watch Bubble Guppies while having a morning "baba" (yikes - I know), loves to play in the car, loves to be independent (except she wants to be held a lot), and loves to get out her stool and watch Cody or I make something in the kitchen. 

Alivia is our curly haired, freckled, fair-skinned kid and we love her like crazy!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Mesa in April...

In April, Alivia and I took a flight to Arizona to visit family.  It was so wonderful for Alivia to see Grandma Orvin and her Arizona Orvin cousins.  Unfortunately, Cody had to stay behind to go on a Scout Camp out, and we missed him very much!

Our time was mainly spent lounging around, playing with cousin Kennedy and her fun toys, going out to eat, and enjoying the desert heat (before the real summer desert heat kicks in).

Saying Bye to Dada...
A plane!
 Playing with cousin Kennedy...
My desert rose...
Playing with cousins in the backyard.  Should I be concerned she pushed that swing for quite some time with no one in it?
 
She also loved this slide...I really should invest in one of these for our backyard, but I'm afraid it would be an excuse for me to avoid the park.  And Liv loves the park, as do I.
Playing at the park with Grandma Orvin...

 
Winning the physical beauty award in AZ by putting baby powder in my hair.  It was supposed to act as dry shampoo and do the trick.  Instead, it acted like an agent to accelerate my grey hair production.  Truth is I dyed my hair a week before this shot, and it didn't look grey at all before the powder.  Oops!
Dinner at Red Robin...
 Welcome home flowers!  Cody really is the sweetest!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Why California?

Why live in California?

-you live on top of your neighbors.
-you breath and see smog.
-you pay waaaaayyyyyy too much for a house.
-the state is near bankrupt.
-and if you land anywhere on the conservative side of the political scale, you might as well consider your vote on propositions and elected officials a waste.

Well boys and girls, the answer to this question can be found in the below photos...all taken in California during the winter months of Jan., Feb., and March!

Disneyland...
Sunset stroll on the Newport Beach boardwalk...
Local park trip:
Disneyland again...
Good boy...good horsey...
Obsessed with this view of the tea cups: colorful and beautiful.
Beach again...this time visiting a special friend!
 And with Instagram filters...
At the Park...
Beach again...
Park Again...
 
Bubbles in our front yard...
Another Park Day... 
And just one last Saturday walk photo to cement my proof:

We sure do love the beaches, parks, sun, family, and attractions California offers us!