{ Happy Halloween! }

{ Fall Fun }

Of course we're doing fun things on the weekends! We can't let Halloween pass us by without some celebration! Here are the kids at the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. This was a members' event called El Dia De Los Meurtos. They had cool skeleton exhibits and a costume contest. Too bad my daughter's costume wasn't ready for this. I think she would have won!

Here's a really cool maze they set up. They had black lights on, and it was 3D when we put on the glasses. Very cool. I'm going to try this at home.

Last weekend we went to the Wild Animal Park to check out what was going on there. They had some neat crafts for the kids and a scavenger hunt. You can imagine how disappointed I was when the prizes were just candy! The kids decorated bags to collect their loot.

The animals were given fall themed enrichments. This lion looked like she was going to tear into this pumpkin. But she just took the top off.

This jack-o-lantern must be going completely unnoticed in there.

{ Red Ribbon Week }

It's red ribbon week at school. The kids wore red on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday, they all stood in the field spelling out "BE HEALTHY" and a police helicoptor went over and took pictures. I'm hoping to see the picture soon. Here they are in the field.

Today we stayed after school and prepared the garden beds for the kids to plant this week. It's all part of the be healthy attitude they are trying to teach the kids.

{ Last Day }

We decided to go up Santa Fe way to see some sights there. I was curious about Chimayo, so that's where we started the day. About 200 years ago, a friar saw a light on the hillside and found a crucifix there. There is a sand pit in the chapel here where the crucifix was said to be found. Now they say it has miraculous healing powers. There were many families there loading up gallon sized baggies with this sand. We took just a little in a cute little tin that's sold at the gift shop. If it's that miraculous, I'm sure a little goes a long way. Here's the chapel. It's circa 1816, very beautiful.

Then we went on to Rancho de los Golondrinas. Our guide was an interesting man whose uncle owned the ranch until he sold it. The guide actually grew up on the ranch and knows the ins and outs quite well.

My son liked the acequia that goes into the mill to power the mill that was used to make wheat and corn flour.

I don't have any idea why he was being picked on at the school. He thought it was fun to wear the "hat" although he has no idea what a dunce cap really was all about.

My daughter got to grind the bugs used to dye the wool a bright red color.

He's just getting into all kinds of trouble today.

She loves the horno ovens used to bake the daily bread.

She also got to grind corn for the tortillas. She said it was hard work, but she did pretty good.

Later, while waiting to have dinner at Maria's, we went to the square in Santa Fe. You just never know who you'll see in Santa Fe.

May the force be with you?

{ After the Balloons }

We had a free afternoon to explore, so to Explora we went! It's the children's museum in Albuquerque, and it's really neat. The kids absolutely loved it.


My daughter put together a car and tried to make it travel a record distance by fan power. She did pretty well.

After that, we went across the street to the Natural History Museum. My son was not amused about having to wait for the woman to check us in. By the way, we got into both of these museums for free on our science museum membership. And we can also get into the Atomic Museum, but we didn't this time.

My son just loves mammoths. And fossils. And anything that's extinct.

On the way out, we met Myrtle the turtle who is 30 years old (the exact life expectancy of a mud turtle, which she is.) She was taking her daily walk in the weeds outside the museum.

The kids were in love.

We then made our way to the Rio Grande Nature Center. They had a really interesting interpretive center which we looked around for a couple of minutes. It was kind of strange, there was no one there. We walked the short trail to the river. It's a wide and slow moving river with trees growing right up to the edge.

Those cottonwoods were starting to change colors for fall.

We finished our day with a delicious dinner at Padilla's Mexican Kitchen, a little hole in the wall mom and pop place. It's not in the best part of town, and it's really small with a long line already at 5:30. But they move people really quickly and the chile was out of this world. It's just like homemade. The sopapillas were to die for. And very inexpensive.

{ Mass Ascension }

The Mass Ascension of the Special Shapes began at 7:00 am. Which is 6:00 am in California, not that we were counting. It was really cold, about 38 degrees. My daughter thought she was going to freeze right there.

This darn space shuttle never did take off. They just inflated it and deflated it in record time.

When the sun came up over the mountain, things started to warm up and the key grab competetion began. Most of the other 400 balloons came up over the Albuquerque Balloon Museum and over to the field where four poles were erected with keys at the ends. The first balloonist to get the key off of the pole won the prize for that key. It was amazing to see all of those balloons in one place.

They were disqualified if they landed in the field there at the Balloon Fiesta Park. I wonder if they were disqualified when they landed in the parking lot 50 feet from the field!

You just can't help but look up!

The referees stood all around the field and started blowing their whistles when it looked like a balloon was going to land. Do not land in the field! They call themselves zebras. One nice lady zebra gave the kids 2009 balloon fiest zebra trading pins. Very nice.

After the balloons all floated off toward the Rio Grande, we went to the balloon museum at the park. It was very interesting and had some fun hands on things for the kids to do.

{ Special Shapes Glowdeo }

We made it in time to see the glowdeo at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. This was the special shaped glowdeo. Obviously, the balloons had to be shaped differently than a standard balloon. There were about 100 special shapes this year.

There were so many people there, it was hard to find a spot to stand and get a clear view.

Every 15 minutes or so, the announcers would count down and then all the balloonists would light up their balloons. At least most of them did.

As the sun was setting, the city lights shone in the background. It was lovely.

After the glowdeo, we stayed for the fireworks show. It did not disappoint.

Then we were off to the hotel to get some sleep for the next day.