May Days

We are already half way through the month of May and it feels like I have not had a moment to catch my breath.  I have had to travel a bit for work this month and that, coupled with the end of the year activities for the kiddos, has made it slightly more chaotic than what is customary around here.  May has been filled with wonderful things - softball is in full swing, which means many nights and days each week at the ballpark (when we are not rained out - which has happened quite a bit), Lu made her First Communion, and we celebrated Mother's Day!

Lu and James with GG and mom-mom:

And w/ Nana and Papa who came to NOLA to celebrate Lucy's First Communion:

So, yeah, things have been crazy, but we have managed some quite moments and some of the usual stuff of life that barely bears reporting.  There have been afternoons on the porch enjoying the cooler than usual May weather.  James had two cavities filled.  Lucy learned how to write in script and has the most incredible penmanship ever when she writes in cursive (and this is the kid who did not even figure out she was left handed until she was 5).  Christian and I are finally going to be the same age again tomorrow (39, for those of you keeping track).  And we are all eagerly awaiting summer break and all of the magic in store so stay tuned!  

All Weekend Long

NOLA's 2013 Jazz Fest kicked off Friday and what was going to be a peaceful, kid free visit to the Fest on Saturday afternoon for Christian turned into a family affair. Luz had been begging to go all day - dreaming about mango freezes and strawberry lemonade, but James was initially content to spend a quiet afternoon at home with me.  At the last minute he worried that he would be missing out and changed his mind, so we all headed out there for a beautiful afternoon.  There are many NOLA favorites in my life, but sunset at Jazz Fest is very close to the top of that list and I got to experience a beautiful one on Saturday evening.  After spending the entire day outside - starting with a 7:30 a.m. run/bike/dog walk outing, followed by a few hours at the park for James' t-ball practice, and ending with JF - the kids crashed the second their heads hit their pillows.

Today was another long and fun-filled day.  We headed to the Northshore to pick strawberries with some friends.  The strawberry fields were covered in mud thanks to a  torrential downpour, but the kids were not deterred.  We ate our weight in strawberries as we picked and came home with 12 pints. I am curious to see how long it will last us.  The kids loved picking strawberries and playing on all of the toys in one of the most bizarre playgrounds I have ever seen. There were castaway swing sets and merry-go-rounds that have been outlawed for years - the land of the misfit play sets.  There were see-saws and a zip line and a gigantic dome-like, in-ground trampoline that is a total liability.  Of course the kids loved every minute of it...and I have to say, I enjoyed it too.

Luz, enjoying her ice cream snowball:

Staring at the clouds, listening to Andrew Bird:

Picking strawberries:

My girl, so grown up:

In the fields:

Strawberry mouth:

James, zip-lining:

Having fun, despite the potential liability:

I'm Still Here, Really

I apologize for the relaxed approach to blogging I have been exhibiting lately.  Facebook and Instagram are so easy and, well, instant, that I end up sharing everything over the course of the day instead of an in an end-of-the-day post.  I am going to try to keep up with the blogging, at least for a little while longer, so that I can maintain a journal of the adventures of Luz and James.  That said, if you are in need of more consistent updates, follow me on Instagram and Facebook and occasionally on Twitter.

The last few weeks have been filled with school and work and fabulous weddings and soccer and softball and school fairs and bike riding and long afternoon walks with Noah.  Work has been busy for me and even busier for Christian as the end of the year approaches.  It is hard to believe, but we are already mapping out the summer, filling empty days with camps and classes and trips to Atlanta to visit Nana and Papa.  When I was a kid, at least when I was a little kid, I went to camp but I know that I had more than a handful of unstructured summer vacation days.  It just isn't the same these days.

These days Luz is obsessed with an old Razor scooter I bought on a lark for $5 at a garage sale.  Christian refurbished it as much as possible and she rides it all the time - to and from school, all around the neighborhood - I wish her approach to the two-wheeler was as enthusiastic.  She finished out the soccer season with 2 victories and 2 goals - which meant lots of smiles and a BIG feeling of accomplishment.  It was a great season for her, mentally and physically.

James is obsessed with his bike and will probably be tooling around on a two-wheeler long before Luz. He rides it every afternoon and all weekend long.  I love seeing something like that catch his attention as much as Star Wars and playing the Ipad.  He and Luz are both looking forward to Jazz Fest, the start of the Carrolton softball season, and summer vacation.

Happy Easter

I still have trouble adjusting to the idea that Easter is just a weekend these days and that Holy Thursday and Good Friday are special, particularly for Catholics, but business as usual for most of the rest of the country.  I suppose it was the 14 years I spent in Catholic school, enjoying a Spring Break that aligned perfectly with Easter that has set me up for disappointment each year when Holy Week rolls around.  So, while Christian and the kids were lounging around in pjs, watching cartoons and enjoying some incredibly beautiful weather, I was working.  But, I enjoyed a peaceful Saturday and Sunday in the country, visiting with family, eating crawfish, and relaxing.  The only stressful moment came when I realized that the Paas egg dye stained...what, you say...seriously, James' hands are still green hued.

The kiddos, with sweet baby Walker, getting ready to hunt for eggs:

Lucy and James enjoyed a few rides on the newest addition, Buster:

Mardi Gras 2013 Photographs

I did not take many pictures during Mardi Gras this year.  I forgot the camera a couple of times, found the flash particularly problematic ruling out using it at night parades, and just flat out declined to lug it around on some of our multi-hour excursions to the parade route.  So, I have a few pics, but not many, from this year.  Fortunately, my cousin, Laurie, did a much better job of documenting the weekend and sent a few pictures to me today. She sent this one in particular that I love.

I do not have the type of kids that can fall asleep anywhere.   I always wished for it to happen when they were younger.  I'd state slack-jawed as I watched other kids face-plant into pasta bowls, but it just was not in my kids' DNA.  But then on this night there were a series of parades at the end of many long days and late nights and lots of sugar and bribes (because one little boy would rather do just about anything than watch a parade), and he finally decided sleep was a good idea. Lucky for James, his sweet Papa did not even budge and kept the beads away from his head.  Don't worry, after smiling and feeling my heart fill up with love and laughing for a float or two I took him down and brought him home and put him to bed.  I will not ever forget that night though.

Our Weekend

It was 75 degrees and sunny all weekend long.  We spent as much time as possible outside, soaking up the sun.  Hours and hours of cool fresh air and blue skies, filled with sports and long walks and chasing tennis balls (Noah and James) and watching sun sets and swinging and reading and napping in warm sun rays (James and Noah) and playing make-believe.

Dorothy taking Superman on a ride around the world or Oz or Camp Street:

Miss These Guys?

We are still here...busy with the usual stuff of 4 and 7 year olds...but enjoying (almost) every minute of it.  The last few weeks have been particularly crazy as we had two out of town weddings and still had not completely recovered from the Mini Mardi Gras - Super Bowl - Mardi Gras trifecta.  It has all been wonderful, but slightly exhausting and, even though we were in town this weekend, it was filled with (finally) cleaning and organizing and unpacking and grocery shopping and soccer and play dates and Girl Scout Cookie sales and all of that sort of stuff.

Now we are gearing up for Catherine's wedding and Easter and crawfish season and Jazz Fest and I really need to start mapping out the summer, because I know I am going to wake up sometime soon and it is going to be June and it will be too late to scramble for camps at that point.

So, yeah, it has been and I guess it will continue to be the usual 'life just racing on by' over here in NOLA.  But I am trying to remember that a leisurely 30 minute walk to the park with the kiddos to watch Noah chase a tennis ball can slow things down at least a little, and, even if it means pushing bedtime back an extra half-hour, it is totally worth it.

Lu and James, Lawrence Square 6 pm (enjoying that extra hour of sunshine)