We took a small detour and stopped at Hayley's "horse shed" to pick up some additional grooming tools for Bugs. Aunt Hayley kept me out of harms way while she was rounding everything up by placing me in a wheel barrel. Don't I look silly...
Bugs was really excited to see us and greeted us with a big "neigh." I helped Aunt Hayley clean out Bugs' hooves, and then helped him to look handsome by brushing him.
After bugs was cleaned and brushed, Aunt Hayley and I braided his hair. Check out how good he looks...
Hanging out with Bugs left me dirty and tired, so Mom cleaned me up when I got back to the house and put me in the car for our drive back to Huntington Beach. We arrived back home before the new year began, and spent the last hours together in our home as a family.
Once the new year came we were under a tight timeline. While Mom and Dad were busy moving all of our boxes and furniture into the garage I got to spend time with my favorite people Jeff, Susan, and Wendy.
They are like family to me and I am SO lucky to have them in my life. While I am over there I have my very own box of toys, and it even has my name on it. In my box there are books, a doll house, cooking stuff, blocks; a little bit of everything. Not only do they have a house full of toys for me, but they have their fridge filled will all my favorites. Chicken Nuggets, peanut butter and crackers, tuna fish- they even have olives. I love spending time over there so much that I put up a fight when Mom comes to take me home! (I even pouted for the first time by crossing my arms and saying "no" when Mom told me it was time to leave.) I guess Mom and Dad really appreciated their help because they were able to pack up the entire house in less than 2 days.On the evening of the 2nd our family got to see Grandma Joanie!!! It had been months since I had seen her, and I couldn't wait to tell her how much I missed her. Grandma Joanie was on vacation with my Great Aunt Sharon, my Great Aunt Dorothy, and my second cousin Kelly. We all had a wonderful time catching up with one another over dinner.
The next morning everyone came over to our house to see where we live. Although it was unusually cold we walked down to Main St. and I showed them my stomping grounds. We were able to spend the whole day together and I took advantage of the spotlight by singing my ABC's from start to finish, and by counting to 10 all by myself- boy were they impressed! That night Aunt Hayley and Pa drove up to have a big family dinner and I really enjoyed spending time with everyone.
The next day was a sad day- Grandma Joanie and the girls had left on their cruise, Dad had gone to San Diego to watch the Chargers Playoff game, and Aunt Hayley ad Holly were flying out that night to go back to the Caribbean. We spent Hayley's final day together hanging out around the house and eating the foods she would miss while away at school (guess the food on the island isn't that good.) After Aunt Hayley and Holly left it was just me and my Mom. We took advantage of our girls time and ate junk food, stayed up late, and sang obnoxiously loud to our favorite songs. Early in the week Dad came home with the Ryder truck and we loaded up our furniture and boxes(thanks again to help from Jeff and Susan.) The house was eerily empty, but we were looking forward to moving into the new house and getting settled. Dad left with the Ryder truck and Mom and I spent the last night in the house by ourselves. We made the most of our camp out, and sat in front of the fireplace and read books to each other.
We spent the following day saying our goodbyes to all our friends around town- the hardest goodbyes were said to Jeff and Susan. They have been so incredibly good to our family and we will miss seeing them everyday. Although it was hard to say goodbye, I knew that it wouldn't be forever.
Once in San Diego I took advantage of the great weather and open space and spent my first day in the new house exploring my surroundings. I think I am going to LOVE being here with my family, and 4th and Jax are really enjoying it as well.
The other great thing about being in San Diego is being so close to family. We were even able to celebrate my Uncle Brandon's 21st birthday by having dinner and drinks with him.
Dinner was lots of fun, but I got restless sitting at the table so Grandma Jean took me out for a stroll around the restaurant. Everyone should have a Grandma Jean- they are the best!
The first week in our new home went by fast as we were busy unpacking, cleaning and getting settled. Before we knew it the weekend was here and it was time to head up to Orange County to spend some time with Jeff and Susan, and to pick up Grandma Joanie and the rest of the family from their cruise. We arrived in Huntington Beach early in the morning and stopped at our usual donut shop to pick up some breakfast to eat at Jeff and Susan's. While Dad parked the car, Mom and I walked down the sidewalk and I shrieked with excitement when we made it to their door. We spent the whole morning playing in the house, and boy did I have an awesome time.
Jeff and I bounced up and down on the bouncy ball, and Mom and Dad loved my belly laughs.
All the running around made me hungry so I went straight for the fridge and asked for a nugget. Without hesitation Susan opened the fridge and handed me two nuggets (of course they had some on hand for me!) I was so excited that I ran to my little chair, grabbed my buddy the turtle and plopped down on the chair to eat the nuggets.
Boy are they yummy!
After I finished the nuggets I was parched so I sat on Susan's lap and she helped me drink water from the big girl cup.
Once I my tummy was full and hydrated it was back to playing. I got to play beauty shop and when I was done with my hairdo couldn't stop looking in the mirror and saying "pretty."
I really enjoyed spending time with Jeff and Susan, and I learned that saying goodbye never gets any easier. Although we wont be living right next door we will still stay in touch with them, and Mom promises that we will see them often. I fell asleep once we got in the car as we headed towards LA to pick everyone up. I was glad to see my family and loved hearing all about their Mexican cruise. Because their flight didn't leave until 11pm that evening we took advantage of the extra time and took them on a tour of LA. Kelly really wanted to walk the shops on Rodeo Dr, so Beverly Hills was the first stop on our tour.
We all enjoyed window shopping on Rodeo Drive and, of course, I enjoyed all the attention I received as I strolled down the sidewalk in my tutu.
After we'd had enough shopping we drove through the surrounding neighbor hoods to show everyone some of the amazing houses in the area. I wasn't too impressed by their massive size, and although they were beautiful, wouldn't want to live in LA (way too much traffic.)Once our house tour was over we drove down to Santa Monica to walk the pier and see the sunset. It was the first time I had been to Santa Monica and thought the coastline was beautiful.
We watched the sunset on the pier and loved seeing all the beautiful colors.
After the sunset we went through the carnival on the pier hoping to go on the Ferris Wheel. I was disappointed when I discovered that I was too little to ride, but Dad made me feel better by taking me on the carousel. I loved going up and down on the painted ponies.
After the carousel I ran around outside and managed to turn this statue into a slide. Mom says that she is envious of my ability to find fun everywhere!
Walking to dinner the moon looked beautiful as it rose over the mountains and I took a picture with Grandma Joanie and Dad.
We dropped everyone off at the airport and I was sad to see them go. Hopefully I will see the family in Wisconsin soon (I am already working on Mom and Dad to plan a trip!)Back at our new home the next morning I opened a package from Auntie Stephanie and was surprised to find that she had sent me a bunch of brand new outfits from my favorite store. I spent the whole morning trying everything on, and even put on a fashion show for the family.
I am so grateful to Stephanie and the Beck family for being so thoughtful!
So far this year has been amazing, and I am reminded of all the people in my life who care about me. Mom, Dad, and I hope that everyone who has helped us through this tough transition to San Diego knows how much we appreciate their love and support. A big thank you to my entire family for being supportive, to Pa for providing us with a beautiful home to live in, to Jeff and Susan for making our big move a success, to Auntie Stephanie for making me the best dressed kid on the block, and to God for all the blessings I have in my life. Tune in soon to find out the best blessing of them all...
