Balloons, Fireflies, and Memories

 

Michigan Challenge Balloonfest took place this weekend in Howell. Since that is right down the road from us, the kids and I have gone for the past three years. Besides getting to see lots of brightly colored hot air balloons, there is a midway with carnival rides. Last year and the year before, we have gone for the opening of the festival on Friday night. The balloons launch in the early evening, and then after dusk, there is a fireworks show.

Every year my kids ask to go on the rides and I always say no. Until this year. This year it was not just the three of us. My parents and my brother and his family came into town to join us. They didn't arrive until after dinner on Friday night so we went to Balloonfest on Saturday. And since we were there during the day, I finally said yes to the rides! We bought wrist bands, which was a great choice for my daughter and nephew (the wonder twins!) who raced up and down the gigantic slide several times. My partner also came along for the first time. Below is the ferris wheel, which is the only ride he and I actually got to go on together, and with all three kids. :)

The midway and ferris wheel

Besides having people to go with us to Balloonfest, out-of-town family also means we have house guests! We kept things pretty easy, though, because it is summer and that's how the living should be. Everyone brought food and their own pillows; I pulled a big stack of paper plates and plastic drink cups from the pantry; and bedtimes were not enforced. I got by with some very awesome naps!

The kids wanted to have a camp-out on Saturday night so we set up the pup tent in the backyard, filled it with sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets, and strung an extension cord so the kids could watch a movie inside the tent. The boys made it outdoors until about midnight when they came inside to sleep on the big pull-out couch. My daughter had come in long before that and was already snuggling with me.

Perhaps because of the cornfield, there are usually tons of fireflies. After dark, we grabbed a mason jar and went outside to catch fireflies. Is there anything more quintessentially summer??? As my brother and I helped our kids put them in the jar, I remembered the two of us doing the same thing at our grandma's house years and years ago. I hope that this weekend was full of memories none of us will ever forget. 

I wish I had a great photo of the fireflies. The great photos of Balloonfest come from the Livingston Daily.