Today

This has been such an incredible day! It began for us before sunrise, with Darren and I slipping quietly out of bed and getting ready before waking the children to tell them of our surprise. Our community's 15th annual balloon rally is being held this weekend, at a wide open field lying just beyond my mom's backyard wall. She had promised good food and drinks to anyone wishing to view the fun from her house, so that's exactly where we headed with three very excited children at 7:00 this morning! We were greeted by a small gathering of a few of her close friends, including our associate pastor. With plates full of bagels, muffins, fresh fruit, and deviled eggs (my favorite!) we made ourselves comfortable at her patio table just in time to witness the mass ascension.

Our favorite was this big brightly colored balloon, which ended up flying directly over the house......before landing in the street just outside her front door!After a while, Darren and I decided to walk down to the field with the kids, who were eagerly anticipating a tethered ride on one of these two balloons:
The line was long, but they were more than willing to patiently wait their turn. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't as cooperative and they ended up bringing them down before we had a chance to ride. We were all a little disappointed, but the "nature walk" we enjoyed through the field made the effort well worth our while! With just a hint of a breeze, the rich scent of damp earth hung wonderfully in the air, and, much to our delight, we even came upon several coveys of quail! Dylan was also thrilled to find an enormous branch, which he called a "tree" and insisted on toting with him the entire way back to my mom's house.
The day was still young by the time we returned home, and since we're enjoying such gorgeous weather, we spent some time out in the backyard while Darren got started digging out a plot of yard in which we hope to grow our own vegetables this summer. And I was finally able to assemble a patio fire pit we were given for Christmas! This was quite an accomplishment for me, too, since--as anyone who knows me will gladly attest to--I am quite, shall we say..."instructionally challenged". But I am very pleased with the finished product! (And it only took me three tries to get it right!)

We lit an inaugural fire after dinner tonight and, as a special treat, roasted marshmallows to make a few s'mores. We all agreed it was a perfect ending to a perfect day!