Balloon Fiesta 2014

 

 

 

 

When we moved to New Mexico, we instantly added the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta on our Bucket list!  We had heard wonderful things about it, so this year - we decided to go and see for ourselves the amazing display and events of the fiesta.  Clay got 4 days off and  we went to Albuquerque.  We got there Thursday evening - and decided to introduce the kids to Tucanos restaurant (A favorite of Clays from our BYU days).  Oh boy did we hear whining and complaining the whole way because the kids didn't want to go to THAT restaurant, they wanted McDonalds...oh goodness kids.  Well, we FORCED the kids to go with us!  Meaning - there was no way mom and dad were going to eat at the golden arches when we can have us some Tucanos!  After we got seated and the meat started coming around on the "swords" the kids loved it!  They were raving about the experience for days, saying that was one of the best restaurants EVER! 

 

Thursday night we tried to have an early bed time because we woke up dark and early Friday morning at 4 AM!  We left the hotel at 5 and got to the park shortly after 5:30.  As we arrived we saw about 8-10 hot air balloons lift off and glow in the dark of the morning.  It was so neat to see them fly off as we walked into the park.  However, when we got down into the field - there was nothing.  Hmmm.?  Surely there are more balloons that will be taking off??   Clay and Laura looked at each other and talked in quiet whispers to each other....did we just wake ourselves and our kids up at 4 am to see 8 hot air balloons take off?  You have got to be kidding me.....  rather than share our concern with the children, we decided to make the most of the situation and go and talk to one of the balloonists who had his basket in the back of his pickup truck.  As we saw a close up of the basket and asked questions about how it worked, etc.  The guys said, "Give us about 30 min. and this place will get loud, really loud, and there will be balloons everywhere."  Really???  OK!  We can do that, and sure enough...within a few minutes, a balloon started filling up and right in sequence...not just one, but two, three, four, five...hundreds of balloons started popping up off the ground getting blown up.  It was amazing how close you could be to these huge things.  We literally stood next to the torch and felt it's blast of heat as it filled up the balloon.  There were so many balloons they were literally touching each other as they filled up and side by side and lifted off the ground.   It is hard to capture the feeling of being there and the awe inspiring feeling of the moment, but all I can say is,   The whole experience was Pretty amazing and Definitely worth the 4 am wake up call! 

 

October=pumpkins=monsters

 

 

 October is here!!! That means we can officially decorate!!!  (Laura already put the "fall" décor up mid September, she just couldn't help it!)  But, she held off on the Halloween - monster décor until it was officially October!  The family had a great time making our door festive this year.  We have Monte the Monster to greet you at the door when you come to our house this month! 

 

 

Aparri and Detric also felt the wave of festivities as they had the need to dress up and get in the trick or treat mode...only a few weeks to go, but who's counting?

 

 

 

We are also pleased to announce - we harvested 3 pumpkins from our garden this year!  Thanks to Clay's resurrecting abilities, the garden did well this year!  We are still getting peas and green beans!  Hip Hip Horray!

 

 

Famous Tree Swing

The tree swing in our front yard is a favorite of ALL kids that swing on it.  They all squeal with delight as they soar through the air, especially if Clay is the one that pushes them.....they can really catch air then!  Well, Aparri was out swinging, enjoying an afternoon swing with Daddy, when the local newspaper people show up!  They take her picture and next thing we know - Aparri and the tree swing are on the front page of the paper!  We have a celebrity on our hands! 

 

 

One day the tree swing got a makeover!  The carseat had been taken out of the car and put on the porch for cleaning.  All of a sudden - Laura and Clay look out the front windows and see the carseat now attached to the swing -and Preston is putting Detric in the carseat for a go on it!  Laura freaks out, runs outside yelling "NO NO NO NO!!"  After Clay inspects Prestons's installation job he found that it wasn't too shabby and the seat was very secure the way he had it.  After much reassurance from Clayboy that the carseat was indeed secure on the swing, Laura allowed the fun in the carseat to proceed.  All the kids thought the carseat swing was a hit!  Clay and Laura still have a good laugh about it.  That Preston is so ingenious. He takes what is handed to him, or what he finds laying around and uses them!  He is such a creative little bug.

 

Field Trip Time...

 

If you can't tell from the picture of Aparri skipping and jumping all the way to the bus...let me tell you...she was over the moon excited to go on her first school field trip!  Off to the zoo we go!  She honestly didn't care where we went - she got to ride the bus and go with her friends somewhere...FUN!  Detric and Laura met up with Aparri and her class as we roamed the local zoo.

 

 

 

 

The very next week - Detric and Laura got to go to the zoo AGAIN - with CJ's 4th grade class!  They went to the recycle center, the dump, food bank, and the zoo.