Balloon Festival

Last night, Maribel and I took Reagan and Joaquin to the Balloon Festival in Readington, NJ (about an hour and a half away). I was really looking forward to it this year, since John and I took Reagan last year and she loved it. Last year, Reagan was 20 months old and she loved watching the balloons. In fact, every time I was on the computer, she requested to watch the balloon videos I took that day. I thought it would be fun to post one of those videos, to take a walk down memory lane ... it's shocking to see Reagan look so little and so young! Enjoy this video:

Balloon Festival 2007

Back to 2008 ... I really wanted to make it a family outing again this year, but John felt strongly that he should stay home with his mother this weekend ... she underwent 5 chemotherapy treatments this week and the doctors told him she would feel weak, tired, and possibly "drunk" over the weekend. John wanted to monitor her, since a fall could cause serious internal bleeding. I admire John's constant consideration for his mother and her needs, but I also missed him and Avery. At least I had the wonderful company of his cousin Maribel. We had a great time chatting on the drive there and back ... thanks for driving, Maribel!!

Amanda and Reagan, waiting for the "mass ascension" of the balloons

The festival takes place in Readington, a very small town with this small airport. The tents for food and other merchants are set up on the runway, then everyone sits on the grass (if you can call it that) to watch the balloons go up. When we first arrived, we checked out all the food, then decided on cheeseburgers ... turned out to be one of the best burgers I've ever had!

Reagan, Maribel and Joaquin

Reagan - just as the balloons were starting to go up

There were so many beautiful balloons ... aside from the traditionally shaped balloons, there were many that were unique. This "Noah's Ark" balloon was pretty extravagant!

Last year, the balloons went up and then floated off into the distance. This year was so much better because they went in the opposite direction ... this meant they went directly over our heads which was so cool! Here's some video of this year ... the noise is from all the balloons above us.

Balloon Festival 2008

Maribel and Joaquin


The American flag was there last year, but the Darth Vader one was new



These bees were there last year too, but this year they were sporting PINK RIBBONS (Breast Cancer Awareness), so they immediately made me think of my mom :)

Isn't she a little beauty? She's learning how to pose for the camera!

Another big hit with Reagan and Joaquin, the Energizer Bunny ... the sunset was absolutely gorgeous! It turned into such a beautiful night.

After all the balloons had taken flight, we walked around and stopped at this area with big blow up slides and bouncy things, etc. The tickets were expensive ($4 each!), so I bought 1 and walked Reagan up to each one. As soon as it was her turn, she chickened out and wouldn't go. She finally went into this little tent where balloons were blowing everywhere. All the kids inside were running around, screaming and having a great time, so it turned out to be perfect. I doubt I'd ever spend $4 on something like that again, but oh well. She enjoyed it.

After this, we made one last stop at the "Best Darn Kettle Corn" tent and bought a big bag for the drive home. Man, that stuff is addictive! Joaquin fell asleep as soon as we hit the road and Reagan chatted with us the whole way home. It really was a wonderful evening and I'm already looking forward to next year's festival!