I'm thankful for an unforgettable experience doing a hot air balloon ride on Tuesday night!
When Kael turned 13 my parents took him to Omaha for a Sweet Sixteen game and now are planning to take each of the grandkids to do something special when they turn 13. Kylee picked to do a hot air balloon ride! Since it was a four person minimum for a ride, Kent and I got to tag along with Kylee and Grandpa! Grandma stayed back and helped out with the boys.
We met our guide so he could take us to the location we would be taking off from. We were all surprised at the size of the basket- we thought it would be bigger!
Relaxing while waiting for the balloon to get all set up!
Because of COVID and trying to reduce number of people involved, there was only one other crew member besides the guide. That meant Kent and my dad got to help set up the balloon!
It was a cool process to watch!
Up, up and away!
We had the best time! The weather was perfect and the views were incredible. Kylee had so much fun spotting deer! We saw over 50! Another highlight was when we saw a sweet couple sitting out on their porch and they waved, took pictures of us and talked with us from down below. We felt pretty special!
The flight was so smooth- I was really impressed! The landing was great too! I wasn't sure what to expect but we only dragged/tipped a tiny bit which is totally normal and by all accounts a safe and easy landing.
Kent and Kylee took the walkie talkie and helped navigate the crew member to us to load the balloon back up.
We all loved the ride!
Kent got to help pull the balloon down.
And he also got this beautiful twilight shot of Kylee!! What a special girl. Love making these memories with her.
The view from up above- we were about a half mile up.
Back at our meeting location we had a "champagne (sparkling grape juice)" ceremony. Our guide gave a brief (sort of, he was pretty chatty- ha!) history of ballooning, cracked a few jokes and gave us our official first flight certificates!
Kylee was starving by the time we finally headed home so grabbed McDonald's. She was so happy and said it was the best strawberry shake she has ever had.
She stayed over at my parents' that night to continue her special birthday fun.
I'm thankful for this kid. He's just so easy to please and is always making plans with friends. They meet up, ride bikes around, take funny pictures. I love seeing him happy. He also picked out this new pair of sunglasses and he loves them!
I'm still thankful for our little Sandlot team of buddies that play together every day. Tuesday, one mom took the gang up to Miracle League park and Kase smoked a home run over the scoreboard! He was so, so happy and proud.
I'm thankful for a bumper crop of tomatoes this year!
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I'm so thankful for this group of boys who wanted to go play ball at Miracle League. They were having the best time and it was made even better when the Ankeny Police Department had a couple officers stop by and join the game! Major props to them for making the boys feel so awesome. Kase said it was the best day of his whole life, getting to play baseball with police officers!
Came back to our house for bomb pops. Love these boys.
Meanwhile, Kylee was continuing her special day with Grandma and Grandpa! They ate lunch at Latin King and went mini golfing. Kylee just had the best time having Grandma and Grandpa all to herself!
Kael was at his friend's house jumping off the deck to the trampoline (I know!!!) and having a blast, but didn't want to miss out on the (early) birthday fun so we picked him up and headed to my parents' to celebrate Kylee!
Such a teenager!
We had Leaning Tower for dinner.
And brownies for dessert! Her favorites! She even helped bake the brownies today.
It's getting harder and harder to get the whole cousin gang together for every birthday but it was great having half of them join!
Target and Starbucks gift cards and cute décor for her room. She was SO excited.
And how cute is this vase with pictures of little Kylee and filled with candy and spending money?!
We also played a fun game- I (barely) won but was glad because I feel like as her mom, I should totally know her best! It was close but I came out on top. Cute questions and lots of fun. So thankful for my parents who take the time to make each birthday so special for all the grandkids!
It's been a great couple days. We've enjoyed time with family and friends and have been thankful for the beautiful weather. It feels like fall out! Looking forward to a great weekend ahead.
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