What do 6 months, loose teeth, Catalina island, and long road trips have in common? They all happened in November! Another month down, and another one that did not disappoint. November was filled with all kinds of memories, adventures, and the love of family and friends. It couldn't have been any better, except for some bumps in the road.
6 months
I wish time could stand still. At the beginning of November, our sweet Callie turned 6 months! New adventures started for her with trying oatmeal, bananas, apples, and loving every last bite! She's become amazing at rolling over and enjoying tummy time. We constantly ooo and aww over her beautiful thick eyelashes, her contagious smiles, and her sweet little baby babble. Who knew babies could make you so happy?!
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| My Sweet little girl |
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| I love that little tounge |
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| She's growing up too fast! |
Crazy Hair
If you know our sweet little family, it is all easy to recall our crazy haired Dax. He's the absolute cutest, most tiny, 15 month old you will meet! Callie is catching up to him quick, but that doesn't stop this curious little boy from getting into everything. He keeps me on my toes, but it's all worth it for those contagious smiles, gut busting laughs, and the sweet kisses he blows to you. We have been thankful everyday for this crazy kiddo to be part of our family forever!
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| They are pretty much the same size! |
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| The many faces of Daxton |
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| Happy Kid for the 7 hour drive home from Reno |
Loose Teeth
We thought Carter would be singing, all I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth, but instead his adult teeth insisted on making him look older. We love our goofy smiling kid! He's been loving school, excelling at being a great big brother, and a huge help! He's so protective of his little brother and sister. While at great grandma's house, he was so happy to be with kids his own age! We didn't see him all week except for bedtime. He may be a little addicted to video games, and his ipod, but we won't trade him for the world!
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| That Smile :) |
Catalina Island
Well, I had a bucket list item... and I checked it off! I heard about an incredible half marathon race located on an island. Pictures of Hawaii flashed through my head, and I immediately signed up. After getting a place to stay over night in LA, booking ferry tickets, and creating a killer play list, I trained as hard as I had time for... until the big day came. The city of Avalon California is so neat, and my heart raced as I heard the chatter around me. "The first 5 miles are a steep up hill climb." I didn't do any hill training during my preparation, but held my head high as I reached mile 9, where the course finally went down hill. 9 miles steep uphill, and 4 miles down... I'm not sure I could ever do it again. Right as I crossed the finish line, I watched my ferry float away. I had to change my ticket and wait for the next one to come. It was rough, but at least I can say...I ran the Catalina Island Half!!!
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| A selfie at the finish line |
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| We met at the LA LDS Temple visitor center after my race |
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| Hanging out in our little camper |
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| Hanging out at the beach |
Long Road Trips
I honestly thought being away from family would be an adventure. I thought it would be great to be more independent and really experience having friends become part of our family. Well, while it has been wonderful, we have missed everyone so very much! It is hard to think all of the family get togethers in Utah for cousin events and just because. I especially haven't enjoyed being away from my grandparents. Carter used to see them more than his grandma and grandpa. Well, we took advantage of time off and Thanksgiving week! After a quick Nestle shin dig, and some other things we had to take care of, we were on the road. We stopped in Reno, NV on the way to break the trip up a little bit, but secretly I was in a hurry to have Grandma and Grandpa all to ourselves until the title way of family hit their house. We enjoyed an afternoon, evening, and morning with them and Carter even got to feed the cows. I loved seeing him do things that I used to do there while growing up. We had a blast!
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| Feeding the cows with Great Grandpa |
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| Standing by great grandpa's truck |
Family started arriving Tuesday afternoon, and we suddenly found every room in the house full. 5 families inside, my mom, dad, and some newly weds outside in campers, you could say that we were quite the sight. Especially with more family that headed our way on Thanksgiving day. I can't believe I didn't take a picture, but there were at least 50 people for Linner (lunch/dinner) that afternoon! We didn't get a picture, but there were 8 great grandchildren present. What I sight that would be, to see my grandparents with all their great grands. What a great treasure!
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| The newest cousins |
Before our little 2 day jaunt to Nyssa Oregon, I decided to bring back a favorite tradition. I made little crafting kits for all the Ballantyne ladies, and after stuffing our faces, we spent time together on a fun wood and vinyl craft.A couple of husband got out of cleaning up, and helped with all the sanding. Not everyone was able to finish that night, but they all turned out so neat and unique in their own little ways. Another epic fail on getting a picture of all the finished ones.
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| Ballantyne ladies craft |
I come from a family who loves adventure, so we all piled in jeeps and trucks Friday morning, for some off roading fun. My dad loves something called over landing. It is much like off roading, but more intense with insane vehichles and crazy trails and obstacles. We even took little Callie and Dax on a small trial. It was pretty awesome, and if you want to check out some more... look up, "Show Me Adventuring" on youtube. My dad has videos of all their adventuring. I love that my parents still play hard!
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| After our over landing adventure |
Our last day began with an incredible morning in the Meridian temple (where we were sealed to Dax last year) and it ended with many sad goodbyes. The next time we will probably see everyone, will be the Epic Ballantyne reunion of 2020. Don't make the mistake I did... take a zillion pictures everyday, because some of the moments you wanted to remember, will be captured for you to look at later in life. Here's to another goal to set from now until forever, take more pictures!
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| Happy little girl on the road trip home. |
Well, now that we have been home for a while, (are you really surprised it took me this long to finish a post?) our new crazy is settling in again. It's back to crazy days with crazy naps, and the adventure of Daxton getting into something new. I sure love our little family, and although I miss my extending family, I couldn't live with out these three crazies and my incredible best friend. December will bring more memories, more fun, and hopefully more pictures! Happy reading!
P.S. I had to share these! The second day we were home from our vacation, we had a crazy whirlwind of getting our family pictures taken .I could not be more in love. Looking at these pictures, I can't help but feel how incredibly blessed I have been. We all go through hard things in this life, but when we pull through it, remain faithful, and do our best, blessing will be poured upon us! Our little family is proof of that. We've been through some hard times, but they don't even come close to how much we have been given and blessed.
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| All of my children. It's hard to believe those 5 little snow flakes would be part of our family too. We miss our little girls so much, but we always remember that they are with us and we will see them again some day! |
P.S.S. I almost forgot to share Jason's awesome news! He will be starting a new job on December 30th. We will be saying goodbye to ice cream, and hello to something more healthy. Jason will be the Senior HR Manager for Wonderful. He is excited for the adventure of working for a company that grows, and packages Halo Oranges, nut, and Fiji Water. We'll miss our ice cream, but couldn't be more excited for our Jason. He has worked so hard, done incredible things, and deserves this promotion more that he knows. We love our hard working daddy!
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