Model Airplane Show

On Saturday, November 21st my parents invited me and the boys to go to a model airplane show with them. We drove out to the desert on the border of Mesa and Apache Junction to a little airfield where they had tons of really cool airplanes flying around. At noon, all the airplanes were lined up and we were allowed to walk around and look at them up close. It was a really fun day. Apparantly they do this every year at the same time. We are planning to attend next year too.The airplanes look real when in the sky, and some of them even sounded like real jets. They cost thousands of dollars! A few of them were for sale, so we got to see just how expensive they were. One airplane crashed and burned right in front of where we were sitting. Unfortunately, Jacob and I were off at the car getting the cooler with our lunches in it...so we missed it. But Aaron said it was really cool.
There were lots of people there. It was hard to see all the airplanes, but we did our best.

These are some of the smaller planes.

This is the one Jared kicked as he was walking around. I was mortified and quickly moved him away from the very expensive airplanes.

This is when they were setting up all the airplanes for us to look at. It gives a better idea of how large they are.

There was a very friendly dog sitting next to where we were. My boys could not leave it alone, of course. But the owners were very patient with letting my boys pet their dog. And the dog didn't seem to mind the attention.

Getting ready to take off.

Jacob, Tyler and Aaron sat at the top of a dirt pile right behind where we were. They piled rocks and watched the airplanes. Great fun for boys!

Jared couldn't get up the hill without help, but he was happy just being out with his brothers.

Veteran's Day Parade

Playing catch up...We attended the City of Mesa Veteran's Day Parade this year. Got great seats right in the middle of 1st Street on Center. The boys love seeing all the military stuff and this is a great parade for that. It was a wonderful turnout this year and we had a great time. Waiting for the parade to start.
I thought this was a great representation of all the flags and military that were honored on Veteran's Day. We so appreciate all they have done for our country.

Twilight

I went last night with @10 women to see the new Twilight movie "New Moon". It was so fun. I read the 4 books about a year ago and have decided that I need to reread them. The movie followed the book pretty well, or at least better than I thought it would. It was fun to be in the theatre with all those screaming teenagers, and mom's! They had security there checking with an infared to make sure no one was filming or copying the movie. They made this big announcement at the beginning to turn your cell phones off, because if they even saw the light from the cell phone checking the time or texting, they were going to escort you out of the theatre. It was this really serious talk! He had a gun and everything! So that was a little distracting having him move around the theatre throughout the entire show, but it's the price you have to pay to see an early release. I felt kinda bad for all those people we passed on our way into the show. There were lines of people around the building waiting for the midnight showing. Thank you to those who helped set this up and included me! It was a night to remember. My first pre-opening movie night. Too much fun!

Shape Bear = Picasso Bear

Today in preschool we made Shape bears. Using various shapes like oval, circle and rectangle we created bears. We discussed each shape and how that shape would work for a body part for the bears. I put the following bear together for them as we discussed the shapes. My son, the Picasso, chose to make his bear a bit differently. Hence the second picture or Picasso Bear as I have named it. He is so proud of his funny bear. He told me, "Look Mom, I put his eyes on top of his ears. What a silly bear!" All the other kids had bears that came out looking close to the example. It's always the teachers' kid that comes up with the weird stuff...right!?!

A Warning to all Cats!!

So today started off as any normal Monday. All my boys were up and going by 7am. Breakfast and getting ready for school went normal. I got all my preschool stuff together for tomorrow's class. I realized I needed to run to the grocery store for milk and strawberries, we are tasting strawberries tomorrow. I got Aaron and Jared ready and headed to the car. So far...totally normal.

Then the trouble began! I turned on the car, and by car I mean my 2002 Ford Expedition. When I put it in gear there was a loud clunking sound and the a screaching/squeaking sound started. I thought I had hit something, maybe backed over a toy or something so I got out to check under the car. All I saw was puffs of what looked like cat hair coming from under the engine. That started to freak me out so I turned the car back on, and more sceaching sounds, to pull it back into the driveway. I immediately called the mechanic and then AAA to come tow my vehicle in to the shop.

I got a call around 1 from my mechanic trying to ease into the conversation. Now you have to understand I wasn't sure there was a cat in my engine, I just saw fur. Well, he confirmed it! Somehow a cat had climbed into the belt and pulley system and what was left of him was not pretty. It was quite a mess according to the mechanic. We had a good laugh about it and I told him to get rid of it.

So a normal Monday completely changed to Wacky with one cat. Or at least pieces of one cat.

Tonight Tyler and I renamed my car...The Cat Killer! And when we got home with it tonight the boys set off with flashlights chasing cats in the neighborhood! Watch out cats, you are not safe in my neighborhood!!

Wedding fun

This is Drew & Chloe Macdonald with both sets of Drew's grandparents. On the left, Grandpa Phil & Grandma Kay Martin and on the right, Grandma Phyllis Macdonald.

On Saturday we were able to go celebrate Joe's nephew Drew getting married. The best part...Grandma Phyllis is here to visit. Here is a picture of Grandma Phyllis with the boys. Aaron and Jared were a little nervous at first but warmed up quickly. Jacob and Tyler couldn't wait to hug her. This is my favorite picture of Joe and his brothers. It really shows their personalities!

Here's the nice picture.

And add in the 2 sisters that came from Utah.

From left to right: Sandy, Dale, Andy, Grandma Phyllis, Bob, Joe & Jeany

Snickerdoodles

Jacob loves snickedoodle cookies. He loves them so much that he begs me to teach him how to make them himself. Today he made snickerdoodles. They turned out great. I still monitor the oven, just because I'm a nervous mom, but otherwise he does most of it himself. Of course he had to "taste test" the first batch. He said they turned out perfect...crispy on the outside and puffy in the middle. That's his description. So they must be good.

My little chef!

Trunk & Trick or Treat

We celebrated Halloween with a Trunk or Treat followed by Trick or Treating with cousins. We failed to take pictures of the boys in the costumes, this year. But Joe took a few pictures when we first got to the Trunk or Treat. The Ward had a carnival down at the church with chili, hot dogs, corn bread and popcorn. Their was a spook alley, cake walk & bounce house. The boys had a great time running around with all their friends.
Afterward we met up with Sean & Christine to trick or treat in their neighborhood. It was the highlight of the evening. I've never seen so many trick or treaters out in one neighborhood. Haleigh, our cousin, spent the evening with us. She was such a big help to keep track of Aaron and Jared all night. I was trying to get all the kids together for a picture...here's what I got. My boys and Haleigh, no Merrill cousins.

We finally got everyone together for a picture. Joe is Clark Kent aka Superman!

Sean and Christine made matching hippie costumes. She got the idea from my hippie costume, but it looks like I need to update mine! We may make it a tradition to go trick or treating with cousins every year. All the kids walked the entire hour we were out, with no complaining. I was the only one with hurt feet. I even got Joe to carry me home the last block!