Bye Bye Birthday Balloon!

We have a tradition in our family of giving each person a special balloon on their birthday.  It's a silly tradition, but it's a lot of fun... and Charlie is always adamant that everyone needs their own special balloon.

Charlie got his on December 9th this year, and it was still floating when we left for California on the 20th.  In our hurry to leave, we failed to have him set it free before our trip... and assumed that it would be on the ground when we returned home.

So we were shocked when we walked into our kitchen upon our return, on January 5th, and found the balloon floating above the chair to which it was anchored.  Charlie loved his chance to gloat about how he was right for a few minutes, (or days.)

Soon it was time for my birthday, and another balloon, so we decided to set Charlie's balloon free.  I wasn't sure how well it would fly in the brisk air... but it did just fine.  Charlie cheered after it, yelling "To Infinity and Beyond!"  He still talks about how his balloon was so special that it would have lasted forever.