Hot Air Balloons and BBQ in Albuquerque

Big Trip 2... Day 9... July 7, 2007... Saturday

0730 Wake up. Breakfast and shower.

1000 Load up for the Hot Air Balloon Museum. Why is it so hard some days to get everybody ready and out of the house in a timely manner?

1008 Pull out of the driveway with 7 passengers.

1030 There is a baseball field next to the museum. Melissa is going through baseball withdrawal!

1142 Leaving the museum. Ron is riding his bike home. (We found out later that Lourna thought Ron's bike had been stolen from the garage and she even called the police!)

Our favorite parts of the balloon museum...
Ron - Atlantic crossings part
Grandpa R - the hot air
Melissa - Hindenburg exhibit
Ryan - testing balloon fabric for porosity and tear-resistance
Bella - the activities
Felisa - the video and launching the balloons
Sheila - seeing the different kinds of baskets used

12:07 p.m. See a prairie dog along the roadside.

12:08 p.m. A blue wheelbarrow is in the middle of the intersection.

12:10 p.m. Arrive home. Grandma is missing... wasn't she supposed to be making lunch?

12:15 p.m. Grandma is home from the store.

1:00 p.m. Postcards are done. Just waiting for Grandpa to finish cooking the BBQ so we can eat lunch.

1:30 p.m. Ron is back from his ride.

1:34 p.m. Lunch is over. Grandma R makes the BEST BBQ! Now it's time for Melissa and I to go shopping.

4:15 p.m. Home from shopping. The kids are being rinsed off in the bathtub after their trip to the pool.

4:41 p.m. Time to go to mass. Bella and Felisa stay home to help Grandma prepare dinner.

6:40 p.m. Home again after church and a stop at Best Buy and Sports Authority. Surprise! Elena and the kids are here!

The kids all enjoy some bonus playtime with the cousins (we weren't expecting to see them until we come back next week). We eat more BBQ for dinner as well as Grandma's noodles. After dinner we have Melissa's birthday cake and ice cream. There are exactly enough slices for everyone.

8:30 p.m. The McLaughlins head home to get ready for bed. It was so great getting a little unexpected bonus time with everyone.

Melissa heads upstairs to pack. The strap on her new cami shirt broke so I sew it back on for her. What a nice Mom I am! Ryan and Felisa build a playhouse out of blankets, pillows, and mini couches in the the living room while Bella reads to me from the Little People Easy Reader book. Her reading is coming along very well. I'm impressed!

Ron was watching the weather report on TV and they were showing the rainstorms headed our way. Less than 5 minutes later it is pouring down rain. Grandpa heads outside to bring in the swing cushions, wet towels, etc. and says "I thought it was just a forecast!"

9:45 p.m. Everyone has been sent to bed. I don't know about anyone else but I'm exhausted! It feels like at least 11:00!