Baby Boy is 6 months

aren't his eyes gorgeous??

Clayton turned six months old yesterday!!! What the heck??!!

I honestly can't believe how fast time has gone by. It is seriously nuts!! Clayton is already six months old!! Can you believe it?? Sheesh. People always used to say that it would go by fast but this is just ridiculous. It amazes me the new things that he learns every single day. He is almost crawling... almost. He will get on his hands and knees and bounce backwards and forwards then fall down, scoot forward a bit, and do it again. He can get places scooting around and he is actually a pro at pivoting and moving to get toys or whatever else is on the floor that he wants to touch. Clayton is also quite the social bug. He loves people and  being the center of attention. He doesn't sit up by himself yet (he supports himself with his arms...he would much rather stand with support than sit). He has figured out a "stink" face and he does it all of the time. It is hilarious!!

Clayton is quite the talker. He makes the funniest noises and Kyle and I are always cracking up. Pretty much our kid is the coolest.

Yesterday I decided to take some pictures of him (not that I don't do that every single day anyway). This time I tried using a sheet as a background and be my own kind of semi professional. Needless to say it didn't work very well. Clayton is so darn squirmy and he just wanted to pull on the sheet haha Oh well. He is such a cutie and Kyle and I honestly don't know what we would do without him. We are so blessed.

Happy six months itty bitty!!

Marine Corps Ball

On Friday was the Marine Corps Ball for MALS 11. This year it was in downtown San Diego at the Hyatt.  This year we had to get a baby sitter (you know since we have a kid) which actually wasn't hard at all. The bishop's wife and family were a ton of help with letting Clayton be with them so that Kyle and I could have a night out. I pretty much spent most of the day  getting ready for the ball. My hair doesn't stay curled very well regardless of how much hairspray I put in it. Oh well. I wasn't wanting it to be crazy curly anyways.

Even though I knew what time we were leaving, I was still in a rush to get out the door. My dress was a corsette and so I needed help putting it on (thank you Kyle). We had some issues with it. I needed it super tight so that it wouldn't fall down. It was lower than I thought it was going to be (I am pretty sure we could have tightened it more but we were in such a hurry). On the way to drop off the baby and to head to the hotel I was cutting fabric and trying to pin all over. I'm sure all of the cars driving by us thought I was a nut. Oh well. By the time we got to the hotel I didn't feel very confident. Maybe I was just in a weird mood. Whatever.

Kyle was told to be at the hotel at 4:00 (that's when cocktail hour started... not that we drink). Well... when we got there the bar was getting set up and there really weren't many people there. I guess cocktail hour didn't start until five. Some of Kyle's sergeants invited us upstairs to a hotel room where I met a couple wives and visited. They had all started drinking at about 1:00 haha. Some more guys from Kyle's shop came upstairs and eventually we all filed back downstairs. We still had to wait for about an hour after we were downstairs until the doors opened and we were seated. So, Kyle introduced me to more people from his shop and we all just visited.

isn't my hubby so handsome :)

 I borrowed the dress from my friend Libby (she also did my makeup) , and Elizabeth helped me make the jacket.

Oh funny story... while we were waiting for the doors to open I went to the restroom. I definitely had forgotten to take off my basketball shorts when I put my dress on! HA! Good thing the dress was huge and it covered it. When I mentioned it to Kyle he just said, "I noticed that when we were putting your dress on." He thought that I had done it on purpose.

Remember how I said that I was in a weird mood for the start of the night?? Well all of these girls were staring at me like crazy and looking me up and down and I definitely felt awkward and self conscious about it. I was being the crazy Mary Catherine (it happens sometimes). Kyle told me that is was because I was hotter than them and they were just jealous. That made me feel better and got me in a better mood. :)

The ceremony is all very traditional. There is a "fashion show" of the background of the Marine Corps and all of their uniforms since the beginning. There is also a ceremonial birthday cake. It is cut and the oldest Marine in the room and the youngest Marine in the room get a piece. There are a few speakers and a video and then dinner and dancing. My camera and my phone didn't get good pictures of the ceremony sorry. :/

We had some really fun people at our table this year. They were all hilarious!! They were all drunk but soooooooo funny!! 

The dinner was super yummy. Steak, chicken, mashed potatoes, asparagus, rolls, and a salad. The dessert was some kind of chocolate mousse. Doesn't it all just sound so delicious?? :)

We didn't stay long after the dinner was over but we were able to visit some more with people and I was able to get to know them better. It was great.!! All in all it was a great night. :)  I am so glad that Kyle and I were able to go on a date together. Heavens to betsie I just love that man. :)

 These are a couple of random pictures from the ball last year. Since I didn't blog for over a year I guess I should post these too.

you can tell how much he likes pictures ;)

The Color Run San Diego

I first heard about The Color Run from YouTube and as soon as I saw what it was I HAD to do it. The Color Run is a 5K and every kilometer a different color of powdered paint is thrown on you. It is a "fun" run and it isn't timed. There are no restrictions for age or running status. You can walk it, bring a stroller, run it, or dance the whole time. There really aren't any rules besides wear a white t shirt and have fun!! 

I went with my friend Elizabeth and Kyle watched Clayton. It was great to have a break from the baby. One of Kyle's buddies, Tomlinson, also signed up to do it, so we all ran together.It was SOOOOO fun. There were 30,000 people at the 1:30 start time (there were two sessions; one at 9 and one at 1:30) that participated! That is like 3 Winslows!!! Crazy right??!!

At the end there was a big after party. There was a DJ and dancing and powder thrown all over. Every 15 minutes they counted down to another powder throw. Gosh it was so much fun!!! I absolutely loved it!!!!

PS I thought the paint would be easier to come off. I have scrubbed and scrubbed and have taken two showers and I am still a bit green ish and blue ish in certain places. But it was still a freakin blast!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :)

Halloween

When I was in kindergarten I was a clown for Halloween. I had a red nose that lit up and made a noise when it was touched, or squished, or whatever. Well we all know how much of a cry baby I am, and that costume didn't help. It wasn't bad until the bus ride home when everyone wanted to "pick on me" and mess with my nose. Needless to say I cried about it. 

My best friend's mom made the onesie and the wig for my baby shower. The lion costume is from the theater stash in Winslow. 

The Saturday before Halloween there was a ward chili cookoff/ trunk or treat. My friend Elizabeth and her two little girls came with us. Right after the opening prayer was said Clayton started to cry... and didn't stop, so I grabbed some chili really quick and we left the party. We tried again on Halloween night to dress up and go trick or treating with Bob, Elizabeth and their two girls. Clayton only lasted about 15 minutes.

I'm pretty sure that Clayton has a lot of me in him because apparently he didn't like being a clown either... even though he was absolutely adorable! At least we got a cute picture in before he freaked out.

Arizona Trip Part 2

So I figured since I have been back from AZ for like a week that I should post about my time in the valley. For two weeks I stayed with my in laws in Queen Creek. They are awesome and I was lucky for them to let me stay at their house. I was able to visit with a lot of people while I was in the valley. I didn't get pictures with everyone but here are some of the people that I was able to see. 

Teanna is the daughter of my Show Low "parents" and we  walked around the temple and caught up while I was in the valley.

One of my oldest friend Chloe :) We have grown up together and I just adore her!

One of my best friends Ann with her adorable baby Emery (she is just a few weeks older than Clayton). I ran with Ann at MCC and we have become really close.

My best friend Sarah (isn't she beautiful? I just love her)
I went to church with her and then we went with her family to Barros  (the best pizza in the world). We were also able spend an evening at her house with her parents and each enchiladas, brownies and ice cream. YUMMY!!!!

watched my cousin Joe's MCC football game (they won) ps don't mind the crying baby in the pic ha

Jolanne and "Chuck"
I ran with these lovely ladies at MCC. They were able to go to the football game with me and we had a ton of fun.

The Balderamma sisters, Lynette, Jolanne, and Annette . I ran with Jolanne at MCC , Annette was in one of my classes at MCC and I met Lynette through them. They are probably the sweetest family you will ever meet. Annette made me enchiladas (my absolute fave) and we just visited for hours!

They adored Clayton and he adored them right back :)

Grandpa Blackburn

Went to Old Chicago with another one of my oldest friend s, Jessie.  It is delicious there in case you have never been.

one of my newest friends Caitlyn  (she married my dear friend Brendan and her and I just clicked right when we met)

lovely Allie
We met when Kyle and I were dating. She and Kyle grew up together and would always go out for ice cream. They are ice cream buddies and that's actually what we did the first time I met her. Fun stuff. :)

Kira and her daughter Zaira
Kira ran with Kyle in high school, but I actually met competing together when I ran for MCC and she ran for GCC.

Temple date with Tessa!
Her husband, Zach, watched Clayton so I could go to the temple. It was awesome!! Tessa and I have some incredible memories of being on the temple grounds together.

Alicia!
We met in one of my old singles wards. We were super close before she went on her mission to Canada. I was able to spend an afternoon with her and her recent husband! I hadn't seen her for years. :) She's fantastic!

Bahama Bucks date with Marinda
Marinda and I were on the MCC Institute Council together. We were in charge of Friday Forum lunches so we spent alot of time shopping at Costco, Smart and Final, and The Restaurant Depot. She recently returned from a mission and we went to Bahama Bucks and ate the most delicious shaved ice.

Miss Meg
Meghan's little sister plays MCC softball, so I went to one of her games and was able to see Meg and her mom. It was an awesome visit. Then we just went back to their townhouse and they loved up on baby Clayton. :)

It was a great trip and I am glad that I was able to visit with so many people. Sorry for those of you that I didn't get pictures of :/ no hating me!

On the way back to California, Clayton and I stopped in Yuma to see Kyle for a couple of hours. Oh and guess what.... I am now the owner of a Smith and Wesson 40 caliber. Can't wait for the hubby to be back so that we can go shooting. 

Five Months

The past couple of days I have been organizing Clayton's clothes: putting away the things that he has grown out of, and bringing out the bigger clothes. He has already grown so much in just this short amount of time.He is five months old!!! Can you believe it??  Everyone used to tell me, "Cherish the moments because he will grow so fast." Now I am realizing just HOW fast.

 

-constantly rolling all over the place (even when I try to change his diaper)
-trying to scoot across the floor (looks like an inch worm)
-SOOO talkative
-in love with our dog Lady: he smiles and laughs whenever she comes around or licks him
-such a flirt
-is a pro with rice cereal
-grabs EVERYTHING and puts it in his mouth
-loves jumping!!





Even though being a parent can be frustrating at times, we are so blessed to have this sweet baby boy in our lives. He is incredible (just like his daddy) and I am so very thankful to my Heavenly Father for trusting Kyle and I to be the caretakers of such a sweet spirit.

Kyle Visit!!!

Soooo Kyle is in Yuma for those of you that don't know, or for those of you that may have forgotten. Yuma is where the pilots do live firing training and Kyle is there in case something breaks. He only is at work five hours a day, Monday through Friday, and every other Saturday. He has four other roommates and he gets along really well with a couple of them. Anyways,I guess there isn't a lot to do on base but he goes to the theater a lot (the movies are $2 and sometimes they are free) and he has been to the bowling alley there too. Recently he purchased a shotgun and went out shooting with a couple of his buddies.

Clayton and I are staying in Queen Creek with my in laws for a couple of weeks and we decided to make a trip to see Kyle this past Saturday. Bryan (Kyle's dad) came with us and it was such a blast!! We got there at about noon or one and picked up Kyle from base. Heavens he is sooo gorgeous. ;) Then Bryan treated us to In N Out which is always a delicious choice. 

Before Kyle left for Yuma, he and Clayton were such buddies. I didn't know how they would respond to each other since they hadn't seen each other for a few weeks. I know that isn't really long but I still wasn't sure if the baby would remember Kyle or something. Well, as soon as Kyle looked at Clayton they both just lit up! It was the cutest thing. :) Kyle just wanted to hold him and play with him. I loved it.

After In N Out we went to Walmart to get some ammo and then went out to go shooting. I am scared of shooting guns. It scares the heck out of me. I don't mind watching people shoot, but the thought of me shooting just freaks me out. Bryan had a few guns that he had brought and Kyle had his shotgun so we had a pretty good mix. We left the car on and the baby just slept in the carseat inside. I sat in there for a few minutes to make sure the guns weren't too loud or anything for him. He was crashed out though. HA!

 


 


Well, guess what..... I actually shot guns!!! Impressed?? You definitely should be. I was so nervous. Even after I shot a few times I was still nervous. Eek!!  I am quite impressed with myself.

   

I shot the 22 first and it wasn't bad at all. Then Bryan gave me the handgun to try. I didn't realize that Kyle was video taping me and I am pretty sure he had fun watching me look like an idiot.

Then Kyle gave me his shotgun and I was terrified but I did it anyways.... and again looked awful. My goodness. He gave me a big hug after I shot that one. 

Make fun of me if you want but I am still impressed that I did it at all.

It was actually a lot of fun and I will definitely do it again... but I will still get nervous I'm sure.

I know Clayton looks funny HA but it is too good of a picture of Kyle not to post

After shooting we went back to base to drop Kyle off and get gas and then head back to Queen Creek. Because I had to feed the baby and stuff we all ended up visiting in the car for a while. Kyle and I went into the store to get some snacks for me (Kyle was holding the baby of course) and someone told us that he was the cutest baby they had ever seen. :) That made us both smile.  

They just adore each other :)

I just love our little family so much :)

Even though it was a quick trip it was still a blast!! I am glad we were able to go and spend time with the hubs. :) I just love him (as if anyone had any doubts ;) ).