Balloon Fiesta.

I love the Balloon Fiesta. What a fun time of year! Not only does it seem to usher in the beginning of cold weather every year, it also means the time is drawing near for large family gatherings over hand-prepared feasts, wood gathering for nighttime fires, hot drinks, basketball, sweatshirts and snow-covered (or at least snow-sprinkled) mountains.
This year we were blessed to enjoy the first half of the balloon fiesta with Oma (see last post). We sat cozily in our blankets on our balcony and watched as the balloons ascended all over town. Peter, again, rode in the M88 Chase the Balloons bike ride. We also chased the balloons on foot.

And we watched from my parents' home with a spectacular up-close view, as well as a spectacular breakfast put on by my mom.

Oma's Visit

Peter's mom came for a visit. It was great to see Allister enjoy his Oma, particularly because he had not seen her since May, when he was only 2 months old.

We enjoyed walks around the neighborhood.

We played at the park.

We shared meals together.

We watched the balloons from our balcony

We chased the balloons on foot

And, most importantly, we just enjoyed the blessings that can only be found in an Oma.

I'm just gonna say it...

...I LOVE moccasins. I remember when the family would go on a trip when I was younger and we'd stop at those extra large gas stations that included an entire store of "goodies", I would always find myself drooling over the selection of moccasins. Once I was actually given a pair and man, oh man, I LOVED them. I wore them for everything! I'm thinking the "must wear shoes" policy in school must have been created because "Katy is wearing her moccasin slippers again". I digress.
I still find myself going to the "moccasin department" anytime we are in a store that has such a wonderful section. So you can imagine my delight when my parents bought these...

...for this little man

I mean, just look at the joy that moccasins can bring!

7 months old

Wow!! Really can't believe that he is 7 months old. (I think I say that every month).

• We certainly have a talker. He's not saying any "real" words, yet, but often says "momma (mommamomma)". AND he has started to mimick sounds that we make to him. It is SO cute, and fun!
• He also likes to yell. I've been trying to teach him to use "kind words", but at 7 months old, I'm not sure how much of that he is really getting.
• He loves to take baths (as you can see by the picture below and the bath time post).
• He's eating like a champ, though we are starting to see a preference for fruits.
• He LOVES, loves, loves being outside...I would venture to say that is probably his most favorite thing.
• He has two bottom teeth and at least one top tooth is trying to make its way out.
• 18.4 lbs and 27 1/2 inches long.

Here are some of his 7 month old pics:

They call me "Snaps" (said in a New York accent)

Another one of my crocheted creations (created to look somewhat like a Homburg hat)... I think this one turned out a lot better, and the face just makes it!

George Washington as a Baby

I was trying to crochet a threadbanger (hat) for my niece. I used too small of a crochet hook and yarn that was too stiff...and, wahlah, you have a George Washington wig.

The Awesomeness that is our Bathroom

One thing I didn't mention earlier is that during the crazy months of July and August we also had our master bathroom re-done. Here are some of the before and after pics.

The North Wall:

North East:

The East Wall:

The West Wall:

Nice, eh? (that's Canadian for "Nice, don't you think?")

Shout-outs:

Our primary contractor, from Rolling Stone Tile LLC, did all the tear out, the plumbing, tile work, etc. Our friends recommended Bryan for our cabinet work; he also did the frames on our mirrors. And the shower door and mirror cutting was done by Russ at Mobile Screen & Glass Inc. We were pleased with all three contractors and, if we do any further remodeling, will most likely utilize their services again.