Balloon Glow-2012

Two weekends ago, Grammy and Pop came to visit us for the Balloon Races. Ever since I married Josh eleven years ago, the Ballon Races have always been one of my favorite events to attend. Mom and Dad have been coming to them for several years now, but it's so much more fun now that Eli understands what is going on. Mom and Dad arrived Friday just in time for us to go to the Balloon Glow down by the river that night. We were all excited to see the balloons lit up against the night sky. 

We passed by the fair on our way to see the balloons and the ferris wheel immediately caught Eli's eye. From that moment on, he didn't care at all about the balloons. He just wanted to ride the ferris wheel!

We managed to talk him into going to see two of the balloons glow and I'm so glad we did! They were beautiful!

When my dad is visiting, everyone else ceases to exist in Eli's world. He ADORES my dad. I LOVE watching the two of them together. They have such a special and sweet relationship. This picture is just one small example of how close they are. Dad said he felt something in his shoe, so of course Eli had to stop and help Pop fix his shoe.

Once Pop's shoe was fixed, it was time for the ferris wheel. Eli was so excited about getting to ride it! The only downside to making Eli wait to ride it was that the line for tickets grew a whole lot! While I stood in line to buy tickets, Eli, Grammy and Pop played a fishing game.

Eli caught three fish so he was able to pick any prize he wanted and he picked a pirate hat.  He must have been thinking about his pirate birthday party in a couple of weeks.

Then it was time for the ferris wheel! This little boy couldn't contain his excitement. He was so ready to ride this huge ride! He wasn't scared at all!

For his first ride, he chose to ride with Grammy and Pop. I made them promise that they'd keep a death grip on Eli before they boarded. I was just a little worried about my 3 year old going up that high without me...

As you can tell, he wasn't worried at all! In fact, when the ride paused at the top Mom said he started making the car rock back and forth! Oh my! What a daredevil!

His second ride was with his Daddy and me. I had to practically beg him to ride it with us because he wanted to go with Pop again, but he finally agreed to ride with us. Haha! I told you he adores his Pop!

The view from the top was pretty. I love this picture of the bridge I was able to take.

Eli LOVED the ferris wheel and I'm so glad I got to experience another "first" with him. We left the fair looking forward to waking up early to watch the balloon races. It was going to be a great day!