Couldn't It Still Be the Weekend?

This past weekend was so relaxing and fun.

Friday night, the the Ladybug and I met the Hubby at a local restaurant (OK, basically a bar that serves pretty yummy food) for a pre-party for a fun day of sports the Hubby and his brother host every year. It was fun to hang out with friends that I don't see often, even if just for bit.

Aside from that, Miss Olive just looked adorable. She learned what "say cheese" means, and she's pretty much mastered it.

On Saturday, I work up at 5:45 a.m., followed shortly by the Hubby. By 6:20 a.m., we'd woken up the Ladybug, and within 10 minutes we were on the road.

Let me point out that I'm not a fan of mornings in general, and I am definitely NOT a fan of early mornings on weekends. But, we mid-way through last week, we saw promotions for an annual hot air balloon festival not too far from us.

We've gone to the event before, but not for a few years. It's something fun to do, but also means a little more to our family than it probably does to most.

The Hubby's parents flew a hot air balloon from the time he was little until he was a teenager. They made it a family affair and have more than a few fun stories of their adventures at balloon rallies. To me, this is one of the many fun pieces of family history from both sides of our family that I can't wait for Miss Olive to be old enough to understand and be kind of in awe by.

By 7 a.m., we were driving through rural countryside, scanning the skies for the floating globes. By 7:20 a.m., even the Yo Gabba, Gabba video blaring in the back of our minivan wasn't enough to keep the Little One distracted from the fact that we were still in the car, and she had yet to see a "super huge balloon" like this Mama had promised.

Thankfully, within about 15 more minutes, we saw the first three balloons coming over some trees from the east. We sped over to where the were, pulled to the side of the road and hopped out with the Ladybug, who was thrilled.

First sight of the "super huge balloons." Response, "Oooooooooh."

Total excitement!

We had so much fun. A very nice bit of family time, even if it was way early on a Saturday. Very much worth it to wake up early for the memories. 

The rest of the weekend was filled with swimming with the Hubby's and my families and catching naps at our house when we got the chance. 

It was a busy weekend, but it was the perfect combo of summer activities. 

What are some of your favorite things to do with your family in the summer?