Miramar Air Show

The Miramar Air Show was at the beginning of October this year. Gray had never been to an air show, and this is one of the bigger ones (on Earth). I thought it would be a great idea to take him, but his teeth different plans. We didn't get to stay long because he was incredibly fussy and it wasn't worth everyone suffering. We did have a little time to hang out and check out some of the planes/helicopters that were on the flight line. It was too hot out to stay long so the teeth didn't totally ruin our trip. I hope that next year the teeth won't be an issue and Gray will enjoy it more since he will be a little older. 

He thinks he sees his Dada, but it's actually some random guy in a flight suit. 

Checking out a Navy 60 with his Screw Crew tattoo!

Gray loves airplanes!

I finally see the Blue Angles after living in Pensacola for 2 years! Very exciting!

Biggest. Plane. Ever. 

New Mexico.

Gray checking out the emergency exits and oxygen mask situation on the plane.

Gray and I recently went to New Mexico. One of my cousins got married and it was my birth-weekend! We went to the wedding and also enjoyed the sights. We were sadly in Albuquerque the weekend before the balloon festival, so that was less than fabulous but we had more than enough to see and do while we were there! 

On my birthday we went to the Petroglyph National Monument. I have dreamed of going here since elementary school, so it was a super birthday present!  The park is split into several locations. We had to walk a long way (with no stroller) and it was pretty warm outside in one part of the park. In another location the petroglyphs were on the mountain side, so there were lots of steps and some rather steep drop-offs. It was pretty exciting for me and I loved every minute of it! I recommend it to all! 

Petroglyphs!

Gray had a fabulous time too!
I think it was because he could run everywhere.

Gray and I after climbing a small mountain and seeing lots of neat petroglyphs!

The next day we went to the wedding and it's festivities. Gray has only been to one wedding, so he wasn't sure how to act. He did fairly well considering he HATES to sit still unless he is watching Toy Story. The wedding was nice and fun times were had by all. 

The happy couple!

Gray's entertainment? A fish which is also the centerpiece!

The next day, Mom, Aunt Robbie, Gray and I drove up to Santa Fe. Everything was so different up there. The houses were all adobe and the flowers were still in bloom (they are blooming here in SD too but not so much in Louisiana). New Mexico is nothing like any other state, and it's pretty fun to just drive around and enjoy the scenery that is the southwest. I also figured out pretty quickly that EVERYTHING has chilies! Some are decorative, you can find them growing everywhere, and people cook with them for every meal. 

Native Americans selling their wares. 

Gray love art!

Gray and Maam!

After lots of window shopping and sight seeing in Santa Fe, we left and headed further North and West to Bandelier National Monument. This is another one of those parks I have wanted to see forever and Gray is racking up stamps at all of the National Parks he is visiting! 

Bandelier National Monument

Cliff dwellings in Bandelier. 

Gray is also a super intelligent child. He learns new things without humans ever teaching them to him. I think he picked this one up so quickly because he tried to be more like Fletch every day!

Gray is a baby of many talents. 

After an extended weekend of wedding fun, family time, and lots of sight seeing, Gray and I got on a plane back to San Diego. We had a fabulous time in New Mexico but we were (as we always are) ready to see Josh and sleep in our own beds again! 

Leaving Las Vegas. 

September Shenanigans

Occasionally being in the military has it's advantages. I went to Miramar to buy some tickets to a Padre's game (since the season is almost over) and planned to buy some decent seats. The ticket office had two seats left (good thing Gray doesn't require a seat) right behind home plate for about $20 cheaper than ticket price! Naturally I snatched them up! We were about 8-10 rows from the front and the only downside was there was no sun cover. At some point one of the people that worked there asked if we needed some shade, and for Gray's sake, we gladly took some seats in the section behind us (also great seats) for some shade. This was the only game that we have been to that the Padre's didn't win, but it was still a pretty good game. I love baseball games, but I can't wait to go to a Charger's game! 

Watching the game!

Seats this close are pretty fab!

Wondering how long Gray has been able to drink out of a straw...

Family shot in the stadium.

I have to add some random shots of Gray from the last several weeks too! For a Gray update, he is wearing mostly 18-24 month clothes. He has also has gotten 6 teeth in the last 6 weeks! He is growing up right in front of us! I can't believe he is already 1.5 years old! 

Gray's house is showing wear. 

Two tired boys.

Helping Dada play guitar!

My two babies napping together. 

Josh's Promotion!

Josh was promoted to Captain this month! He was put on the promotion list several months ago, so he knew he would become a Captain soon. Josh was on a DET (a training exercise in the middle of nowhere) when he was officially promoted, but he decided to wait a few weeks until he got back to San Diego so Gray and I could pin on his new bars. Just like with his wings, Gray punched the Captain's bars into his uniform! 

Gray at Josh's promotion ceremony

The CO giving some words of wisdom.

Ceremony

Josh, Me,  Gray, and CO

Gray and I are so proud! We love you Captain Gates!

Cabrillo National Monument and Balboa Park

Josh randomly got a four day weekend for Labor Day, which never happens. We decided to take advantage of his time off and head to Point Loma, which I have been wanting to see for months. 

I've got big plans for Gray and the National Parks system! Mom and I took him to his first National Monument while Josh was at SERE in February. Mom, Gray, and I went to about 4 national parks that long weekend alone! I got him a passport (which is a way for suckers like me to spend money in the park system) so he can get stamps from every national park he visits. He has already been to close to 10, so I'm pretty excited about it! Now that I think about it, maybe I should have gotten my own passport book... Dang. Think Josh would let us travel back across the US so I could get some stamps? I sort of doubt it too. 

I digress. 

Josh and Gray headed to the tide pools. 

We drove down to Point Loma to the Cabrillo National Monument.  The park has some beautiful scenery along the Pacific coast with some tide pools you can walk out to see. We didn't see anything spectacular, but I wonder if we were there at the wrong time of day... Either way, the cliff-y shores were pretty and Gray enjoyed the small caves carved into the side of the cliff. He did not enjoy the sand sticking to his feet. He may be more like his mother than we first realized.

You can see part of one of the tide pools in this shot.

Checking out the mini-caves.

Gray didn't really care for this photo op.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the USA in September of 1542.  The National Monument was established in 1913 to commemorate his discovery. This statue of Cabrillo looks out over the bay that he first sailed into on September 28, 1542. (mostly taken from nps.gov)

Customary shot of Gray with something he cares nothing about. 

After checking out the visitors center and the statue of Cabrillo, we walked up to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. The lighthouse was in use from 1855 until 1891 before the light was extinguished. The lighthouse was often obscured by dense fog, so another lighthouse was built closer to the tip of Point Loma closer to sea level, therefore easier to spot on foggy nights.  

Inside the lighthouse.
Looking for Elliot the dragon at all times (Pete's Dragon, anyone?)

Voices on the other end of the line were telling him all about the lighthouse.
He just kept saying his version of 'Hello?' 

Then we drove to Ocean Beach to have a Five Guys burger. If you haven't had Five Guys before, shame on you! They are totally delish! Google lied to us about where the Five Guys actually was located, so we settled for another burger place nearby. We were in a hurry to make it to Balboa Park to see an IMAX movie, Ultimate Wave Tahiti. It is shockingly about surfing. 

Naturally, we couldn't get our check in enough time to drive to Balboa Park, get a spot, walk in, get a ticket, and make it to the movie. We decided to let Gray check out the huge fountain for a few minutes before going into the Reuben H Fleet Science Center to get tickets for the next showing. 

The fountain at Balboa Park.

After getting part of a leg into the water. 

Josh and Gray inside the Science Center enjoying some of the  experiments. 

Overall, we all had a pretty fab day. Gray and I discussed it and we think Josh should get 4 day weekends more often! 

Temecula and the Birch Aquarium

Josh has been gone almost a week to complete some training in the dessert. Gray and I try to keep busy while Josh is gone, so we decided to take a trip to Temecula to visit a friend and check out the Old Town. They have a fun children's museum, so we had to check it out. Gray thought it was a pretty neat place. Here are a few pics from the museum!

Captain Gray!

A room full of black lights and a highlighter tattoo! 

This reminds me of Alice in Wonderland...

Hello?

Yesterday we finally went to visit the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.  It was pretty fab, but I almost think the aquariums in NC were better. That's weird. 

The small kelp forest in one of the big tanks at the aquarium was pretty neat. 

Gray and the sea cucumber. It was squishy. 

Gray and I terrified because we are being eaten by a HUGE shark. 

Me thinking Gray wasn't terrified anymore.
(He wasn't actually scared. He was unhappy.) 

Gray checking out the fountain in front of the aquarium. 

Promotion!

Josh has been promoted to Captain (O3)! His official promotion was September 1st, but we will have a small ceremony next week to pin on his new bars! I'm so proud of my Marine!

This is what his new insignia looks like: