Hot Air and Teddy Bears

Well this past Sunday morning our son decided he did not want to sleep past 4:30am. Instead of sitting around the house we decided we should go for a walk. Then I came up with an idea of going to see a company I use to work for back in the early aviation days. Now this is not your normal run of the mill job.. In fact its location varies on a day to day basis depending on the wind. So we started driving in the wee early hours of the morning to a secluded spot where we needed to be for the morning shift. Once we got there we were given a glimpse as to why the mornings in the desert are so great.

Well the morning crew decided to show up with the 12 man basket of the hot air balloons I use to help rig. These baskets look so small in the air don't they!



Then the crew jumps on top of the basket to set up the burners



After they get the basket setup, you tie off the basket to something heavy... lets say a truck. Don't want that balloon floating off on accident



Then they push the basket over to attach the canopy to the basket



Here you can see the balloon attached to the basket with the fan next to it to get things started.



In case your wondering... the only thing that attaches the canopy to the basket is 8 carabiners that you see here.



They use a traditional fan at first to blow in some air and get the balloon to inflate some



Once they get enough of an opening they bring in the big flame... a pyro's dream.



Looking inside the balloon



Just to give you an idea of how BIG the balloon is.. here we are next to it and its not even inflated yet



More fire... you can never have enough



Things are getting a little more... whats the word.... erect



Ready for lift off..



Here they go!!

Offically Dedicated !

Alistair Travis McNeill had his Baby dedication Service at our church on Sunday! Our guests were Grandma McNeill, Nana Messler, Jay , Amie, Mark , Steve , Connie , Great Great Aunt Bettina and Great Great Uncle Peter.

There were about 13 other babies being dedicated that night as well. Sorry we were not able to show the video close up on Alistair he looked so great that night. Here are some pictures of his outfit he wore.

Laughing in Church !

This was Alistair laughing /smiling in Church this past sunday. If you listen really close you can hear Pastor Mark making the congregation laugh at one of his stories, well Alistair may have thought it was funny as well !
No worries we didn't get in trouble for bringing in a video camera, its small enough to look like a cell phone , plus we were sitting pretty in the Parents Room.
Here's the website for our church if you ever wanna visit. www.calvaryphx.com

What is a SAHM ?

A SAHM (Stay at Home Mom) is the Most important Job Position I have ever had in my life. It is the most gratifying , most tested , most enduring and the longest.
My efforts to be the best at my job sometimes fail daily. I am on a constant learning curve that I believe will never stop. I've learned to take things one at a time. Make the best of what I've got to work with.

My top 10 abilities have to be the following:
1. I'm a blanket
2. I'm a Garbage Man (woman)
3. I'm a Nurse
4. I'm a Housekeeper
5. I'm a Dogwalker
6. I'm a Counselor
7. I'm a Director
8. I'm a Soul Mate
9. I'm a Leader
10.I'm a Feeder

Knowing my duties in this position and excepting this job. I have the understanding that it is a 24/7 job with very few breaks and no salary or 401K plan. My bonus's are when I'm told that I am loved and that I am good at my job. My home is my office and my bosses are my son and husband. I love these men more then I thought possible.
So when someone asked me ," what do you do? " My answer is I'm a SAHM and proud of it.

Beautiful Flagstaff

So we took advantage of the long weekend and drove to Flagstaff about 2 1/2 hours from our house. The Snow was breathtaking literally, the temp was about 24 degrees and it felt so fresh in our lungs. It was Alistair and Grace's first time seeing snow and though we were only there about an hour , we had a blast playing in it. Since Alistair is only 7 weeks , we bundled him up in the carseat with lots of blankets and only took him out for pictures...haha. His outfit is a little teddy bear jacket courtesy of Grandma McNeill. We really didn't know what Grace would do when she stepped into the snow for the first time, but we were surprised to see her running in it and loving it.
In the pictures you can see that she had a great time playing ball with Daddy and Me.



On our way up north we stumbled onto this fantastic radio station 105.1 FM , it played the most upbeat favorites of our generation. Unfortunately the station diminished once we hit Anthem area. It has been so long since we've made the trip to Flagstaff, in fact we have some friends that have lived there and gone to college in this city.
We'll be back in March for some R&R at the Fort Tuthill Recreational Park with our friends Amie, Jay, Ryan and Grandma McNeill. We are staying at the cabins there and hoped to do some skiing as well.