January and February 2013

Thank you very much...we are now blogging about things in 2013!  I'm really doing it guys.  I'm catching up!

January was filled with moving back into our condo once the repairs were all completed.  It was nice to be home, but I hated having to re-hang every single picture and find replacement furniture to sit in the place of the damaged furniture.  There were so many boxes to unpack too and everything needed to be put into a spot.  At times, looking at the 72 boxes dropped off from storage or back at bare walls or at the furniture barren living room, I thought, "I just want to go back to the hotel(!) until this place is settled."  But since the insurance won't pay for you to "slowly" move back in (if it's deemed inhabitable, hotel funding stops) I had to suck it up.  And I did.  I just complained my way through it.  First world problems, but it was annoying just the same.

We've also gone to Disneyland quite a bit this year, thanks to our passes.  I'll post these pictures from our trip from back in January.

 Alivia loves Minnie, but only from afar.  She calls her Mina, and wouldn't get any closer than where I stood to take this photo.

We went on this carousel about 6 times in a row.  No joke.  No line either.  She was in heaven! 

 

Connie and Jere came to visit us in February around Valentine's Day.  They are so easy to have in our house and Livy loves the extra adult attention, to say the least.  We played hard while they were here, going to L.A. for a day, going out to eat, making numerous walks to the park, etc.  But Cody had them working hard too.  Cody got a warehouse in mid December that has a reception area, office, 2 bathrooms, and a nice sized warehouse in the back.  He no longer has his jimmy rigged system of 3 separate storage units and a home office that he bounces back and forth from.  It was nice to have Connie and Jere down to help him in his new space.

 

Pictures from our trip to L.A.  First stop the L.A. Temple.

Jere had a black eye from a bar fight a stumble while playing basketball with a grandson in his cowboy boots.  He's hard core.  You'll see his beat up face in these photos - and this look he's sporting is twenty times better than the swollen mess of an eye he had the day her arrived at our place.

 She really loves Jesus. 

The command to be more reverent produced folded arms and closed eyes.  I love this girl!

Next stop in L.A. was Griffith park and the Griffith Observatory.  At sunset, this place is magical.  You can see the Hollywood sign and downtown L.A. and the surrounding areas.

Children can't stand still for a no flash photo...and she. was. over. it!

 Alivia made some friends.  These ladies just ate her up!

 

They were really sweet with her.

I also took pictures of our trip to the Great Park in Irvine.  The carousel is no longer free, so I'm glad we went one last time.

 Playing out in the yard, with a minute to win it type game.  I think Cody won.

We went on a walk to the beach...

 

 Valentine's Day occurred while Connie and Jere were in town.  This was what Livy, Connie, and I got from our men.

Also, while Connie and Jere were down, we took advantage of their generosity and went away for a night in San Diego to celebrate Valentine's Day (I'll post about that next).  It was lovely to have Livy so well taken care of.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love my in-laws.  I also love having Alivia so close to her Grandma and Grandpa, especially since she doesn't have the opportunity to see them as often as I'd like.  I wish they could come down every other month for a week or week and a half.  For serious.  How many people do you think would wish that?!  I'll tell you, not very many.  I just feel so lucky!