Samuel loved watching the balloons with his dad and grandpa!
Guess who had the best view?
He really wanted to touch one!
Sam works for the National Forest Service (a.k.a. Smokey the Bear), so we got some photos with the great statues outside the building.
It was still really early, so we headed up to Santa Fe. Our first stop was at Zia's Diner which has been featured on the Food Network program Diners, Drive-In's and Dives. The food was good, but we all agreed that they may have exaggerated it on television. Samuel enjoyed the sweet potato fries and some of Grandpa's corned beef hash.
Next we visited one of the oldest churches in America, the San Miguel Mission. It was built around 1610 and is still in use today.
Grandpa and Samuel hung out while Allen and I looked around.
Samuel got a couple helping hands down the stairs.
It was time for someone's nap, so we started to head back to Albuquerque. On the way out of town we stopped at a gourmet chocolate shop to sample a few New Mexican treats. Samuel and I shared an Ancho & Chipotle Chili Peanut Butter Bar. It was pretty spicy but he seemed to like it and kept signing for "more."
Once we got back to Albuquerque we went to visit the aquarium. It is right next to the botanical gardens so we were able to do both. Samuel had a great time watching all the fish and marine life. We let him roam free and he toddled from one window to the next squealing with delight. He liked to put his face right up on the glass and would even pat them a little.
Family photo!
"Look at all the fishies, Grandpa!"
The botanical gardens were amazing, but the battery on my camera died so wasn't able to take photos. They had a fantastic Secret Garden area for children and Samuel loved going down the log slide. There was also a butterfly pavilion, garden train and duck pond. We will definitely go again the next time we visit!
