Last Weekend - Tumbleweed Festival

Last weekend was the Tumbleweed Festival here in Garden City. The last two years I have taken the niece and nephews. It has always been fun, but really exhausting. This year Dan got the day off and was able to come with us for the first year. Unfortunately, Macy didn't get to go with us this year, she went with mom to Wichita for a bridal shower. Here she is at 6:30 a.m. when Bobbie Jo dropped off the boys at the house.

Here are two of the three excited, but exhausted, boys.

The day starts out with the Annual Balloon Festival. It's small, but fun. This year there were 13 balloons. It is hit or miss whether or not they get to fly because of wind out here in southwest Kansas, but it is always fun to go regardless. We showed up at about 6:45 and they were already getting started.

For those KU fans out there...

Here is my wonderful husband with three 1/2 awake boys - Brendan, Trevor, and Grant.

And for you K State fans.

One cool thing is that you can go right up there next to the balloons and watch the action. You don't have to stay behind ropes or anything, you get right up there and can talk to those setting up the balloons.

The wind started picking up and these last two balloons didn't get the chance to get off the ground. They are just huge!!

Dan even got to get in on the action. The people running this balloon needed some help holding the basket down and steady, so Dan got to help out. I think he had a good time and would now love to do this as a new 'hobby'. I told him some day when we are old and independently wealthy we could consider it.

After the balloons we took the kids and headed to IHOP for some yummy breakfast. It's one of the only places here in town to get breakfast. Then it was onto the tumbleweed festival. It is down at the grassy area to the side of the zoo. It if a fun time for all. There are two stages going with live music all day, there is a huge tent with free crafts for the kids to do, and a kids stage with magic shows, story tellers, and all sorts of other fun shows for the kids. Face painting, and plenty of yummy carnival foods. When we got to the zoo, in the parking lot, the kids were so excited to see this...a leaf bug. The had never seen one except for on Horton Hears a Who. Do you see it there on the tree...

Here is a closer view.

Before things started, we stopped to play at the little playground at the zoo. They have some great toys there - the kids had a great time.

Dan had as much fun as the boys playing on the equipment. Here they all are on the big spiderweb.

Dan helping Trevor bead a bracelet.

Brendan loved the shows, I mean loved them!!! Here he is waiting for the next show to start in the morning.

Grant really wanted to make a bracelet, so here we are working on it. He did it all the beading himself, I just held the end so they didn't all fall off the other end.

Grant didn't get his full nap before it was time for lunch. This is shortly after he woke up and we had eaten lunch - you can tell he isn't fully awake.

Here is Brendan loving the shows.

Here is Trevor getting his face painted. We tried to get Grant to get something on his cheek, but he refused.

All in all it was a fun day! We stayed all day and didn't take the boys home until 6 p.m. It was a full day, but we all had fun!

ON THE ADOPTION FRONT: There have been a huge group of people traveling this past week and another big one getting ready to go next weekend, which, in other words, means more babies going home, which makes room for more babies to come to Hannah's Hope and be referred out to families waiting their children (like us!)