last week chris got the opportunity to fly in the Mag-11 photo shoot. basically the MAG CO (commanding office – mr. in charge) wanted a nice picture of all of his squadrons since they are all home right now.
chris flew the jet for MALS-11, the devilfish. (look for the jet with the red octopus on the tail – that’s him!) they are the logistics squadron, the ones who cover aviation supply & higher level maintenance.
do you see him? dash-9, way at the end.
there he is!
not bad for a day at work.
chris’ mom flew in from florida and was able to visit for all of thanksgiving week. we spent thanksgiving up in encinitas with his brother’s family. we got to skype with his sister in CT and just relax together. thanks for hosting and for all of the leftovers, sally. there was so much delicious food!
on gran’s last night, we headed up to fletcher cove to meet chris’ brother and his family for some outdoor play and then dinner.
it was a big evening!
anabelle started with a little sliding,
. . . then a little swinging,
. . . and a little climbing!
a quick break on a rock
and then more wandering.
it was such a pretty evening and anabelle loved being outside with so much space.
it wasn’t long before the rest of our socal family showed up.
seraphina is an expert at ‘cheese’!
tristan and his new sneakers.
he was zooming all around the park showing us how fast he could run in them!
having fun and sharing the beautiful sunset with gran - thanks for coming to california!
here are a few of my favorite out-takes from trying to get the above shot together:
and dads trying to get babies back in position
rich, sally, tristan, and seraphina
and my own little fam 
next we were off to dinner and then found ourselves driving through the holiday lights display at the del mar race tracks on our way home. it was a fun way stretch out the evening and to get us in holiday mode!
last weekend I made a quick solo trip to target while anabelle and chris hung out at the house making some daddy-daughter memories (and I actually tried on a few things while I was at the store!). when I came back home I found them ‘drag racing’ down the hallway in anabelle’s walker wagon. it’s her new favorite thing!
here she is cleaning out her wagon to get ready for another race
after this morning’s nap, wearing her momma-made pj pants
it was a little chilly today. anabelle and I made a trip to the base to pick up a few groceries for thanksgiving and then headed to the park. we hadn’t been in a while so she was able to climb and run around more than she had before – all while hearing lots of jets flying! it was overcast today so she was a little confused when she could hear them roar but couldn’t see them in the sky.
once we got back home she still had a little silly energy in her, but only for a bit. she was down for nap pretty quick.
peek-a-boo!
on monday my girlfriend invited me over for a sewing date. she offered to teach me me how to use my sewing machine (i got it for christmas at least 3 years ago) and i was super excited! i went over to her house after all the babies were in bed and we got to work on some cutie flannel pj pants for our little girls.
it was so fun to spend the evening together, to learn something new, to chat in complete and undistracted sentences, and just play. thanks sarah!
and look, i did it!
i was trying to get some pics while she was watching a show
after a few minutes anabelle decided to watch from another angle
then back in her chair, enjoying her show
‘hi momma. are you still taking pictures?’
i have found myself at joann’s fabric a time or two to get more cozy fabrics and am excited to play on my machine some more . . . just need to find some down time. our next project – a simple jumper – perfect for the chilly weather.
her unpacking skills have moved over to the fridge now. thankfully she can’t open the door herself. we were getting a couple things out for dinner and she came over to ‘help’. we decided to just let her go for it. chris is hoping to teach her to get him a beer soon.
the morning we were heading to chris’ promotion, anabelle decided to rest her eyes for just a minute while i got ready.
we made our way to bath & bodyworks the other week to get a few new smells for the house. anabelle wanted to check out our goodies once we got home.
this past wednesday was chris’ last flight in VMFA-232.
When pilots completed their 100th combat mission during the Vietnam War, the ensuing final, or "fini," flight included a bottle of champagne (sprayed on them, not sipped in a glass) to celebrate a safe last landing and the end of their tours. nowadays, it’s just water but still mighty symbolic for them.
I was excited to find out that one of chris’ buddies, call sign ‘blinkey’, snapped some great shots!
- - - - -
taxiing back to the hanger
in this pic there is a VMFA-121 Jet, the green knights, in the back. that’s the squadron chris was in the last time he was stationed at miramar.
hello there, major allain!
here it comes!
they pulled the cord for his life vest too.
he’s excited about what is ahead but I’m pretty sure he misses these guys already.
this past saturday chris escorted me to the ball for the 236th USMC birthday. this was our 10th ball together and we had a great night out (thanks, amy, for the help with anabelle) celebrating with the red devils!
you never quite know what to expect with the dinner so we always go out for a yummy lunch (just in case). this year we went to five guys for a tasty burger. then anabelle and chris went down to the boardwalk in pacific beach while i got my hair and makeup done. everyone had a great time – other than one busted lip. chris says she recovered really quick though. ah, the life of a toddler.
*dinner was surprisingly tasty!
here we are, all dressed up and ready to go!
on our way
loved my fabulous hair and sassy makeup (thanks, christal!)
lucky me!
time to dance
a quick change to some cozy clothes for the drive home – the dd needs to be comfy, right?!
besides going out for lunch, we have two other USMC ball traditions. chris doesn’t see my dress until it’s time to go (a fun surprise) and he always takes my hair down for me once we get home. this year he guessed 35 bobby pins. once he was all done, i think he counted 52!
. . . and then the shock of my hair the next morning, ahh!
