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)