Jazz Fest 2012

Luz and James are FASCINATED by Cee Lo so when we found out he was going to be at Jazz Fest this year we decided we would check him out.  Christian had already made plans to watch the LSU v. UGA baseball game in Baton Rouge so the kids and I were on our own.  Despite a bit of a rocky start - we had to park about a mile away (on Orleans) and the crowd around Congo Square was unreal - it ended up being a fabulous day at the fest.  Luz even said it was the "best Jazz Fest ever".

The stroller, although absolutely necessary for the walk, was a bit of an albatross but I only rolled up the back of a few ankles and over a handful of toes (sorry drunk dude that stopped in the middle of the road to meditate).

Our first stop was the Strawberry Lemonade line.  It was about a 20 minute wait, but James fell asleep in the middle of the wait.  Although tedious, the wait was worth it.  The strawberry lemonade was much improved this year - or maybe my taste buds changed - who knows.

After getting our drinks we headed to Congo Square for Cee Lo and finally got a decent spot for the last 5 songs, which happened to include the hits, much to Luz and James' joy.  I had Jamesy on my shoulders so he could see and he was so excited he almost knocked me over a few times.   Cee Lo was covered in sweat but seemed to be enjoying it - cracking jokes and riling up the crowd.

After Cee Lo we headed to the Kids Tent and the kids were psyched - crafts, room to roam, toys, shade and popcorn.  I love this area and will be sorry when I don't have kids as an excuse to head over there and camp out for some decompression time.  While we were chilling out in the kids area Catherine caught up with us and we all headed over to the Gentilly stage to check out Feist.  The sun was setting, there was plenty of room to sprawl out, Fest was fabulous and the breeze cooled us off.  It was a perfect ending to great day.

The highlight for Luz and James, however, was the pit-stop at Catherine's house before our walk to the car.  They begged to stay and play and invited themselves over to spend the night next week.  I did not think I would be able to get them out of there.

Here are a few of the pictures from our day:

Pre-game, on the porch gardening and hanging out with Katie and Lily:

Hot and tired is not a good way to start out Jazz Fest:

 Crashed.  They have both done this at one point in their lives at JF:

Surveying the scene in the kids area:

Strawberry Lemonade, the best:

See Sawing:

Catherine!

Showing Catherine one of the many crafts:

Enjoying the cool grass, listening to Feist:

One of many shots that Jamesy took:

Playing his tambourine, helping out the band: