The One with Hot Air Balloons

We had a really fun weekend-we finally made it the MidFirst Challenge-a hot air balloon show that happens every year in Middletown. I've been wanting to go for a few years but it just didn't fit into our schedule. But this year, I was determined to make it. We decided to go Friday night and it was well worth the trip. It was only about 15 minutes from our house, and the cost to get in was only $8 per carload. We parked at a small airport and took a shuttle over to Smith Park. the boys thought it was pretty cool that the shuttle bus was driving down the air strip.

There were tons of hot air balloons launching throughout the evening-at least 25-30. At one point I looked up and saw the sky just filled with them-it was such a cool sight.

We had a little time to kill before the balloon glow, so we grabbed some dinner and headed over the balloon activity area. There was a hot air balloon laying on it's side and there was a big fan blowing air into so that you could go inside and explore. The kids loved it-Moose kept saying "Whoa. Whoa." Over and over again.

Then we headed over to the carnival rides, where Bryce and Jarron rode the Dizzy Whirl and Jackson rode the slide. Let me just say that there is no way on earth I would ever in a million years ride the Dizzy Whirl but it is apparently a very cool thing to a nine year old boy.

By that time, it was starting to get dark out and the balloons were coming back for the final event of the night-the balloon glow. If you haven't been to a balloon glow-I highly recommend it. The balloons are all anchored to the ground in row and the pilots fire them up so they glow at the same time.

So cool.