Well.....we made it! We are here in Huntington Beach and so far it has been so great! We love it. Let's back up. We rented a U-haul on Monday and filled it with everything we owned. It was such a weird feeling. Sad but exciting! We slept at Josh's parent's house on Monday, then took off 4:00 am on Tuesday morning. The drive wasn't too bad. Brynlee was an angel. She didn't fuss at all. Just hung out between Josh and I in the front seat of the truck. We rolled into untington Beach around 3:30 pm. About ten guys from the elder's quorum in our new ward helped us unload the truck. It was soo great having their help. I felt so grateful for the instant network of help that the church offers. So nice! Since then, we've just been unpacking our boxes and getting the apartment in order. We're not totally unpacked, but we're getting there. My uncle Mark lives less than a half mile from us and he has been so helpful. We've seen him everyday and he has been so generous. One of the highlights of the week was going on a nice walk with Mark and Brynlee in her first stroller ride. Our apartment is exactly a mile from the main pier on the beach. I can't wait to go on walks to the beach everyday with Brynlee. There's a great beach trail that will be awesome! We are just loving being here in Huntington Beach. Our apartment is great (pictures to come), and in such a perfect location. I won't have a car during the day, so luckily we are within walking distance to the beach, the library, grocery stores, the bank, the post office, the city pool and gym, and several parks. Basically, it couldn't be better. I feel really blessed for how things worked out.
Bryn and Josh hanging out in the U-haul during one of our breaks in the trip.
Lately Brynlee has loved being propped up on this pillow, so she can watch us unpack boxes. And we love snuggling her up with her little doll... keeping her company, of course.
We also love to snuggle her up with her doll and her little animal friends at night. Actually this only happened one night. Bryn seemed to like the company because she fell right asleep. It's so nice having Brynlee in her full-size crib. It was too big for our apartment in Provo, so we hadn't used it until now.
Bryn has been cuter than ever these last few days. She is getting more and more fun. She smiles so much more nad makes the cutest little "coo-ing" noises and squeals. It kills me. I love her so much. My favorite thing is to make her smile and make those little noises. It melts my heart. I am so grateful to be a mom. What a joy!!!
I can't get over how cute and feminine Brynlee looks on Sundays. I love dressing her up. I totally have mom pride. All during church I look at Bryn and think "I have the cutest baby girl in the ward! Actually, I have the cutest baby girl in the entire world!" (Repeated fifty times). But I'm sure that's how every mom feels, right?
The weather has been so nice this past week, so I've been able to go on some long walks with Brynlee. I LOVE it and so does Bryn! My Uncle Mark has been soo nice to show me different parks and beach trails in the area. One of my favorite walks so far has been the beach trail that goes from Newport Beach down to Balboa Island. Soo pretty.
Another place we've been is Central Park in Huntington Beach. It is a nice, large park with a great trail. One funny thing at Central Park is this little "Fitness Challenge" thing. At various parts along the trail, there are bars and instructions on how to do the particular challenge. Beginner and advanced options are available. It was so funny to me. Some challenges look manageable, but others look impossible! Brynlee and I didn't attempt any of them, but I really want to take Josh to this park and see if we can do them! I'm sure it would be pretty comical!
Brynlee was born on December 30th and February only had 28 days, so I didn't know when to celebrate Brynlee's two month mark. We decided to do it today, March 1st. Brynlee is at such a fun stage! She's growing up and getting so much bigger. Look at her full belly! She's getting so chubby. Her chunky thighs are the best! She's so smiley, but when we get out the camera she just stares at it and gets really serious. Oh well. She's still the cutest thing ever!
Brynlee went to church for the first time today. She was great. She was awake for a little bit, but she mostly just slept through it. It was soo great going to church as a family. I really missed that the last few weeks. Josh and I would each go to half the block and then switch and watch Brynlee for the other half. It was great to attend the whole block and be there as our little family.
Last Sunday was one of the best days of my life....Brynlee's blessing day. Josh gave her such a beautiful blessing. It was such a neat moment. She's not quite old enough to go to church yet, but we wanted to bless her before we leave for California. We ended up blessing her in the evening with many of our Utah relatives.
Four Generations. I hope I can be as awesome of a mother as my mom and grandma are!
Brynlee's Hawkins grandparents and Clarke grandparents
My Clarke grandparents and Tueller grandparents with their newest great-granddaughter.
This is our living room right now. (You can see poor Brynlee in her swing, surrounded by boxes. She's been so good and content as I have been busy packing). As you can see, we've gotten quite a bit of our belongings packed up and ready for the move. It has taken so much longer than I had expected to get things all packed. But I'm nearly done. The apartment is looking pretty empty! It's making me a little sad, but also really excited. We move out on Monday, then take off early early in the morning on Tuesday. I can't believe it's so close!!!
Bryn has been a little angel as I have packed. I just move her around from room to room with me and either make her a little spot on lay on...
Yesterday I went to Paradise Cafe with my Mother-in-Law and five of my sister-in-laws. (Of course, I forgot to pull out my camera, so I had to resort to a google image of the restaurant). Anyway, it was so fun! I am so lucky to have married into such a great family! My mother-in-law is amazing and I will really miss her when we move to California. And I will also miss my awesome sister-in-laws! I have loved living so close to most of them, and getting to see them so often. It was so great to get together on Thursday, and hopefully Josh and I can squeeze in more time with family before we leave in a week and a half!
