Do They Know its Christmas?

I know that it dates me so...but it is JUST NOT Christmas with out hearing this one at least once.  I remember shoppping at the mall and squishing up against the clothes rack to hear it better!!


I was CRAZY for Duran Duran in high school...my favorite, John, is 10 seconds into the video!!!! He plays the bass guitar so you can see him rocking out with the other bass players at the 2 min mark and beyond.  SQUEAL!!!
(OK I'm back...)  Can you even identify all the bands/singers present??


Anyway, enjoy!! I have much to do. Now that I have decorated the blog, I must decorate my home, help in Tallen's class, make cookies, make chocolates, visit with friends, get ready for new babies in the family (no - not me...) the list goes on and on.


Happy Getting ready for the Holidays!!!


what songs, traditions make it "the Holidays" for you??

3, 2, 1, GLOW!!

My all time favorite part of the Howell Balloonfest is the Glow. 

          

The girls hanging out on the hill waiting.  Tallen wouldn’t hold still for a photo.

You (the public) gather on the grounds and hill surrounding a huge open area near the high school as some of the balloons are taking off. There was a live band to entertain during the wait. Nice. It’s cool to watch the balloons float over and hear the “Whooosh” of the fire heating the air for more lift, but the really cool part is later. Just as the sun has set and it’s getting dark (and the mosquitos are REALLY coming for you) the field by the is filled with hot air balloons still flat and deflated all over on the ground. Then they are blown up, all at the same time it appears, in a rush to be ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the countdown begins…  the crowd yells and counts…

 

3, 2, 1, GLOW!!!!

and the balloons go from big dark blobs to globes full of light as the pilots turn on the flames under the balloons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balloonfest 2010

Balloonfest 2010

The pictures don’t really do it justice, so here are some video clips I caught.

Howell Balloonfest

Each June, Howell hosts the Balloon Fest. Challenge. It’s a hot air balloon race of sorts.  It amounts to lots more traffic through town, lots of area churches making the charging to park people on church grounds,  yummy fair food (so not good for you),  and there are plenty of hot air balloons that go overhead. There is also an arts fair and carnival.  Thursday night was “park for free and go to the carnival for $15 arm band night.”  Everything else opens on Friday.

The girls were dropped off early to hang as a gaggle of girls until 7pm when we got there with Tallen.

Tallen was not sure how to do this all and WOULD NOT get on any rides – and we had just paid $15 for the arm band!!

So needless to say, Mama was getting agitated by the boy crying and not riding. 

THEN, I had an “AH HA!! Moment” and pulled Randa off her rides and she introduced Tallen to the joys of carnival rides. 

             MUCH Better!!

 

 

Then, for the rest of the night it was hard to get him OFF the rides!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Boys are a good thing!!

Steven and I didn’t go for the arm bands, but I wanted to ride one ride with Tallen. So we chose the Huge Ferris Wheel  

Here is the top most car from the ground. WOW!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Steven taking pictures. We were still on the ground.

 

Here he is from my view at the top of the Ferris Wheel. (He’s the tiny yellow dot) Boy was it high up!

 

 

 

The plan with the girls was for them to hang in the gaggle of girls and call or text me every so often to check in.  This is actually Sariah dialing the phone to check in with me. 

 

I crept up and scared them….

hahaha  !! (evil laugh)

 

I know, I’m bad!!

These girls  are  so beautiful!

I forget sometimes how grown up they are becoming.  I am finding that balance between holding them tight and letting them test their wings…but I digress.

Back to the fun…

 

Here are the kids while waiting to go on the bumper cars I think.  Sariah and Tallen drove together and Miranda in her own car.  We had tons of fun and stayed until 10pm!!! They rode and rode and rode!  Good value on that arm band.

 

 

This is video of the the girls on the tiny roller coaster.

And after of the roller coaster…don’t get motion sick. hahaha

This is one of Tallen on HIS roller coaster – his favorite ride of the night.