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Riding Practice

Riding Practice

Riley had riding practice yesterday, I hadn't been out to watch him ride in a while, so I thought I'd go and take some pictures. My little man is getting so good!! It's hard to get pictures cause he goes so fast, I need a good action camera. So here's some of him at practice, and Regan bugging her brother by wearing his gear.

Asian Market Study Trip

Asian Market

Regan's class is studying different cultures this session. They've so far covered Latin/Hispanic cultures, and the Australian culture, and this week was the Asian cultures. They try to have a guest speaker in each week to talk about the different dress, foods, language, etc of each culture, and take a study trip to reinforce what they've learned. This week was the Asian Market and Buddhist Temple. They walked around, looked at different foods, compared them to foods we would find at HEB, and bought some snacks so they could sample different tasting foods. The kids were taught if they don't like the way something tastes, the polite thing to say is, "That doesn't please my palate" it's SO cute!!

Day Five - New Orleans

New Orleans

So, we woke up at 6, packed up, said good bye, and headed to NOLA. Wow! There are still some buildings in downtown that have visible Hurricane Katrina damage. Tall skyscrapers that are shut down, roped off, with missing windows and all boarded up and just empty. Very odd to see. We went to the French Quarter to Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. David told the kids they could eat all the beignets they wanted, and Riley could only eat two, Regan one! They are so good, you just can't go to NO without eating some. Then we slowly walked back to the car, in and out of shops along the way. There are some really interesting shops down there, and I was so excited to find one of my favorite online stores there, LUSH, they make the best smelling organic body stuff in the world! It was nice to get to go in and smell everything I usually just buy online with my fingers crossed that I'll like the scent.

Then we drove across the Lake Ponchartrain bridge, the longest lake bridge in the world, on our way to Slidell where I used to live when I was about 5. But, it ended up taking longer than we thought and didn't have time to make it to Slidell, had to get back to the airport. It was an interesting flight, super full, the kids ended up sitting next to each other, alone, which was scary, especially when right before landing Regan decides she HAS to go to the bathroom, so just got up and went. But, great flight, good to be home, and can't wait to go again!

Day Four - GUNS!

Guns

Riley has been bugging us ever since going to Camp Double Creek for a gun. And not just a BB gun, he wants a real live gun to go hunt with his Papa Leo with. Well, he got to actually shoot one, and had a great time, I think we just made him want one more. It was great that Papa Leo spent time with him to show him how to load it, how to cock it, how to hold it, all the ins and outs of the gun. They took turns shooting at some cans in the bayou, I know, not very environmentally friendly, but I swear, if you could smell that place, a can or two is the least of it's problems.

Riley shot a 22 pistol first, then a 22 rifle, then a baby gator swam up to see what was going on, it was cute. It hung around, probably sensing that he was in no danger from Riley's good aim. He hit the can quite a few times. After enduring many taunts about me being a city girl, I took the rifle and took two shots, both of which hit the can dead on, so take that country boys!!

Other than that, we hung around the house, Aunt Madelyn and Aunt Tammy and Maw Maw Ida came out to the house and we had grilled tilapia and red fish and some of Maw Maw's famous potato bread rolls.

Day Three - PAR-TEE

Surprise Party in LA

Well, it was the BIG surprise, the reason for the trip. Leo turned 60!! He was truly shocked and awed!! It was so great, we got to walk him in and see him being surprised, it was awesome. The whole family was there, David's aunts Claudia, Tammy, Kathleen, Kathryn and Madelyn, and his uncle Glen (who is only 7 years older than David) - big family! And all the various assorted cousins and cousin's kids. It was in a big gym type building, so Riley was in heaven on his Heely's, he had all the girl cousins chasing him around. They had a slide show with over 200 pictures of Papa Leo, they had decorated walkers and had walker races, there were beach balls all over for the kids to play with, and a buffet of Jambalaya, shrimp things, and various other Cajun stuff that I just passed right over, a camouflage German Chocolate cake, and a chocolate fountain (the kids hit that one hard!)

He got a lot of great gag gifts, Gas-X, a magnifying glass, Depends, stuff like that. It was fun, we didn't leave until after midnight, the kids were exhausted after all that running around, and Regan wanted to go home with one of her new-found cousins. I wonder if I should worry about that, she wanted to stay and live with Gram too.

Day Three - Fishing

Fishing in LA

Well, we didn't get as early a start as we had planned, David's sister was spending the night with her dad in Baton Rouge and was rushed to the hospital around midnight, so Gram and Papa Leo headed out there, about an hour and half away. They didn't make it home until around 7, so we got ready and left then, poor Papa Leo, he knew how bad the kids wanted to go fish, so he took us, even though he had only had 3 hours of sleep and had driven half the night.

We headed off to Cocodrie, David was just adament that I come along...I'm not exactly a great fisher-person. The kids did have a blast though, but it was DANG HOT. We got out there, David first caught a sting ray, that was cool. Then Regan caught one. Then Riley had a crab. We all caught several things that were too small to keep. Then David caught a nice 17.5 inch red fish, and of course, bragged about that thing like it was big enough to mount on our fireplace mantel. So of course, I caught one that was over 18 inches, just to put him in his place!! We caught some catfish and sea-cats (?) and David set one in the boat and it flopped around and stung Regan in the leg. And Papa Leo to the rescue, he sucked the poisoned blood out, poured Coke on her leg, she was good as new after a while.

Then Papa Leo threw out a trolling net and we loaded up an ice chest with shrimp and croakers (that really do croak!) and sting rays, all kinds of various fish items. We tossed stuff overboard as the kids got to look and touch and play with what they wanted. Then, to our surprise, dolphins came right up to the boat and were eating the fish that we were tossing out. It was so cool to hear them coming up, snorting water out of their blow hole, and eating right next to us. There were probably 8-10 at a time, surrounding us, it was an amazing site, one I know I won't forget any time soon, and I know the kids loved it too. It's hard getting good pictures of them though, they don't all come out at once, and by the time I would see where they were, they were half under water again. So, it looks like I have 20 pictures of shark fins.

Day Two - Tabasco

Tabasco

Today we went to the Tabasco company on Avery Island. Regan decided to spend the day with Gram and Baby Alli, so it was just David, Riley and I. We stopped for lunch at a place called Charlie's in Franklin (the city where David was born) and Riley actually ate Fried Alligator. He really enjoyed it. David got some shrimp, so he was a happy camper. We then went on to Avery Island, we had been there once before when Riley was a baby, I'll have to dig out some of those old pictures.

Avery Island is a salt island, thought to be as deep as Mt Everest is high. They grow their peppers there, pick them when they are the perfect red color, add some salt, grind them up and put them in oak barrels, cover the barrels with salt and let them ferment for 3 years, then take the mash, mix it with vinegar and stir it for 28 days, then bottle it. All of Tabasco sauce is bottled there on Avery Island, even though most of the peppers are actually grown in South and Central America. That was our lesson for the day since Riley missed school. David really wanted to go back there because they sell their mash in a giant bag for 5 bucks, and he LOVES Tabasco, he can't wait to get home and start using it. I don't mind it, but I don't have it running in my veins like he does.

Then we drove to Delcambre (pronounced Del-come) to see where David used to live, and I guess that town was hit hard with some flooding recently. David's uncle lives there, their house is up on a hill and they said the water came up to their door, but not inside, so that's good. It's weird to see all the houses on stilts though. Just odd to have to worry about that all the time.

Back home for some sausage and chicken gumbo and some shrimp etoufee. Went to bed early cause we had a fishing trip planned for 5 am.

Day One - Travel

Louisiana Pictures

What can I say, traveling sucks. We were a tad late picking up the kids from school, but still managed to make it to the airport on time, the kids thought the whole security check-point was a laugh, since we all had to nearly strip down to go through the thing. We made it to Houston, no problem, a bit bumpy so no drinks, and Regan was mad at me, she was so looking forward to her in flight service. We get to Houston, supposed to have about an hour layover, and thanks to some Hurricane, every flight was delayed. They were switching people from gate to gate, moving flights around, it was a madhouse. The kids hated just waiting around, they wanted to be ON the plane. So we went through various eateries and sat and had dinner in the airport, the kids watched some movies on David's laptop, and we made it out of Houston around 10.

I have to give credit to the Southwest Flight Attendants, they never seem to lose their sense of humor. Since everyone was cranky and it was so late, when the plane took off, they just laid the peanuts on the aisle and told everyone to grab what they wanted as the peanuts slid towards the back of the plane. After everyone had a good laugh and grabbed what they wanted, the attendant said, "Okay, here come the drinks!"

We got into New Orleans a little before midnight, they upgraded our rental car since there weren't really any left like we reserved, so that was nice, and the kids were out cold before we left the city limits. For some reason, I had some major ear issues on landing, my ears would not adjust to the pressure coming down, I was in tears it hurt so bad. So we stopped and got some water and fried pies (yum). Made it into Morgan City around 1 I guess. David's sister and her friend Denise had driven in from Austin and made it just about 30 minutes before we did because it took them over 6 hours to drive through Houston because of the flooding. So even though our flight was delayed, we definitely had it much easier. So everyone was up when we got here, the kids got to play with their cousin Baby Alli. And we got to sleep in a bit the next day, which we were all SO happy to do!!

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Don't know when we'll be back again...actually, Monday. I don't know why I'm so excited about this trip, maybe cause we don't have to actually DRIVE for 10 hours!! My kids can't make it 10 minutes in the car right now without one of them trying to rip the other one's head off. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 5:15, David comes home early from work, we load up, get the kids as they are getting out of school at 3:30 (and it's picture day) and book it to the airport. And of course, my daughter decides last night was a good night for a little projectile vomiting! I spent forever cleaning all the walls in my bathroom, poor thing, the bathroom door was shut, that was the first obstacle, then someone left the lid down. By the time she got over the bowl, there just wasn't anything left. But, it must have just been a 24 hour thing cause she's been fine today.

Also, my BFF Tammy has been traveling the country. They went to MinnesOta to see family and called me today to tell them how to get to Mt Rushmore (too far, they skipped it) but I've had NO ONE to sit and chat with, so it will be good to be gone for a while the same time as them.

It will be great to get down there, see everyone and spend some time with David's side of the family. It's been over 4 years since we've made this trip down there, we're WAY pass due! You know I will be taking some major pictures, can't wait to post them.

New Orleans here we come!!

Bad Hair Day

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Well, Riley's hair was getting WAY out of control, so I decided to take him to SportsClips, since they "specialize" in boys and men, right? Well, he REALLY didn't want his hair cut at all, and I told the lady to TRIM it up, maybe make it a little more layered on top, so it's not quite so shaggy, and she BUTCHERED my boy's hair!! He doesn't like it either, but at this point, aside from cutting it ALL off, I don't know what to do. He doesn't want it cut anymore, so I guess we'll try to grow it out some. Just not sure what to do, my poor kid. The shaggy look is in, you would think people would know how to TRIM!!!

Mexican American Culture Center

Mexican American Culture Center

Today was Regan's first field trip, to the Mexican American Culture Center and lunch catered by Las Manitas. I can't say it was one of the more exciting field trips we've been on, but she enjoyed it. Probably for the most part because she got to ride the bus for the first time, and she got to eat beans and rice.

There was a lady that told them stories that were passed down from generations of native Americans, showed them artwork and handcrafts from local artisans, the kids got to make their very own rain stick, we had a catered lunch of beans, rice, chicken or beef tacos, taquitos, fruit and salad. Overall, they had a great time. Next trip will be about Asian cultures, the Buddhist temple and an Asian market.

Playing Around

Playing Around

Here are a bunch of goofy pictures of the kids, Ricky and Bailey. Just playing around. Not a whole lot going on right now, trying to get back in the swing of things since school started. Regan is enjoying school, she was Queen of the Day yesterday!

Riley on the other hand, got in trouble for the usual, not paying attention, walking around, and disturbing others. It's started already! We were working with a child psychologist at the end of last year and he was helping a lot, but we are going 3 months without insurance right now since David just switched jobs, so I was hoping we could keep Riley's behavior under control until we can get back in to see Dr. Hackworth. He is officially "ADHD" but I am trying to see that as an opportunity and not a hindrance. He is so smart, off the charts smart, at the end of second grade he was doing 5th grade work, in math and reading. I am constantly trying to find new ideas to help him learn to control his distractions, and get his work done. I am thankful that at his school they are open to new ideas and not just push us to medicate him, they let him listen to his iPod and tune out the other kids, that helps some. And we've been working very hard on a reward system, and not a punishment system. I just sometimes think, wow, 9 more years of school dealing with this, it is stressful. I want him to get a good education, and not hate school.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent there, but I just wanted to post some of our goofy pictures. We're gearing up for our big trip to New Orleans, two weeks, we can't wait!!

Nature

Nature 2

Famous movie quote..."Nature, it's all over me!" Of course, probably only famous if you have seen Madagascar a million times like I have. Great movie. Anyway, here's my attempt at documenting my Magnolia tree in bloom. Also, I just can't believe how huge my Marigolds are, and Zinnias, they look awesome. My Salvia look horrible, all scrawny and twiggy, so I didn't take any of them. But, some of these turned out decent. I'll probably never have a career in nature photography, but I'm not laying awake worried about it.

Wordless Wednesday