We made the obligatory stop at McDonald's on our way to the field. We get plain biscuits, hash browns, and o.j. (Lucas opted for milk). He also shocked me by announcing that he prefers the hash browns to the biscuits. What the? I thought my little starchatarian favored bread above all else!
I found it interesting that the balloons look so massive when they are spread out on the ground and filling up, and then when they are fully inflated, they suddenly don't look nearly as big anymore.
Jill was violently opposed to my picture-taking.
Eva was cold, so Max obliged her with some snuggling inside his cozy blanket. For the record, it was not cold at all, even though most years it is chilly before the sun comes up.
We were positioned right next to the Smokey the Bear balloon and got a close-up view of its inflation. It's really quite a process! It takes a whole lot of people to lift and shift the balloon around, and it looks even harder to deflate it and pack it up.
I'm not sure what Whitney was saying here, but I love that I caught her in this dramatic moment.
While it was fun to watch the balloons inflate, it was a bit of a disappointment when they announced that, due to rain in the forecast, they would not actually be taking off. That's my favorite part. And if I were a balloonist, I don't think I'd be too keen on getting it all set up and filled, only to deflate it and pack it all away...
Eva was so tired from the 5:45 wake-up that she spent most of the time crying. She didn't like the smell of the gas (I couldn't smell anything), she didn't like the sound of the balloons filling, she was cold, she wanted to go home and go back to bed. Such a delight. (She did, however, take a 3-hour nap today, woohoo!!)
Jill & Randy's relaxed feet. I'm not sure how they were able to relax with all the crying, but I have to assume it's because it was not their child doing all the crying. Still.
Landon & Lucas. These guys have been great friends for as long as I can remember. I love that.(Incidentally, I felt like I needed to make a disclaimer on Lucas's long, out of control hair. Jill said the same thing about Landon. I didn't even notice Landon's hair because I was so focused on how much I want Lucas to get a haircut! Too funny.)
Who knew there was a balloonist prayer??
Early morning sp: complete with bedhead, yesterday's makeup, and cold sores. And a completely uncooperative Eva. But it had to be done!to sum up: It wasn't our best-ever balloon launch experience, but it was still fun, and I'm glad we kept with our tradition. Check!
