Trip with the cousins - New Orleans Day 2

Sunday morning we had a few hours before we had to board the boat, so we headed downtown to check it out. A made beignets in her class at DECATS this summer and she really wanted to try some at Cafe Du Monde.

We parked the car and checked out the river. See our boat in the distance.



We walked to Cafe Du Monde and encountered this:




Long, long lines. We were ready to walk away when DH and I asked each other, 'Isn't there a to-go window?' DH went to check it out, a minute later he was calling my name, telling me to come quick. There is a small room inside at Cafe Du Monde and there were empty tables and we got one. I'm not sure why all those people are waiting in that long line. Ten minutes later, we were eating beignets.




Doesn't he look happy?

We walked around Jackson Square, checked out the art work, found the little bookstore I love, and petted a horse.




It was a quick trip around downtown but worth it. We headed to the dock to meet the cousins. After a long time in line carrying 2-3 12-packs of diet coke (cost-wise, I decided it was cheaper to bring my own diet coke on board, and BIL#2 helped me out carrying them through the line), we were finally aboard and heading out to sea.

Trip with the cousins - New Orleans

We spent the last week on a vacation with S#2 and family.  We took a week long cruise out of New Orleans.  It was a nice vacation and fun was had by all.

The cruise left on Sunday but we drove in on Friday so we could enjoy a few days in New Orleans. Saturday S#2 & the kids and I met up with friends from Kazakhstan at the New Orleans Zoo. DH and I have been to New Orleans several times but this was my first chance to go to the zoo.



Crazy B!


S#2 thought this was funny so I took a picture. One monkey is eating bugs from the other monkey's armpit. I told her I would blog it and I don't think she believed me.






Kids in a tree


Kids in a net


Enjoying the "Cool Zoo"

After the zoo, we went to the one spot I really wanted to hit while in town, Frankie & Johnny's.  I told S#2 about it and she said her friend had already mentioned it for lunch. I got a shrimp po-boy and shared fried pepper rings with DH.


The food was as good as I remembered. After lunch we had another N.O. tradition that I had never experienece before, snoballs. The line to get one was a testament to how popular the place is.






After my big lunch, I decided to skip the snoballs. S#2 got a limeade and made me regret my decision. Too bad, but I wasn't going to wait in line for another 30 minutes for one of my own. If we ever make it back, I know exactly what I'll order.

At the end of the day we headed out to a Zephyrs game.  We were suppose to go on Friday night but there was a horrendous rainstorm and it was cancelled.  We were treated to a double header instead.


The ballpark was nice and small.  It was bobblehead night.  The bobblehead was the coach of the LSU baseball team and I had no clue who he was, but he used to coach at ND, so we'll keep it. The baseball bingo was fun to play, almost as fun as scoring a game. One of the kids got a baseball tossed to them.  None of the other kids pouted over not getting a ball.  It was a very nice end of a very nice day.

nothing much

We got home from the lake. We haven't done much. I've gotten some work in. Kids have annoyed me and been really, really, really, really bored. I'm making them read and do math every day. Isn't that a fun thing to do when you keep complaining to your mother that you're really, really, really, really bored. Just so you know I'm not all about studying and boredom, we've gone to Rangers games, had friends to play, gone to sleep overs, played yahtzee, blokus, sherlock jr., monopoly jr., and settlers of catan. We've made goo. Lots and lots of fun.

I've been playing on instagram and making lots of stuff with tomatoes.

Lake Trip 2012 - the end

Another good year at the lake and we're looking forward to next year!

2008 2009 2010 2011

Lake Trip 2012 - water skiing

Last year, the kids waited until the last day at the lake to try water skiing.  There was still some learning to do and they didn't get much time for skiing. This year they didn't wait. They had much better success at it, all three popped out of the water like they had been doing it their whole lives.


B




J





A




J decided to get a little cocky on the water skis. He first tried jumping then he went outside the wake.






A was not going to be outdone by her little brother. She took another turn and tried jumping, only to discover that the big skis are heavy and didn't do that without her feet coming out.  She manage not to fall.  She did figure out how to ski out of the wake.  She zigged and zagged behind the boat for a long time.






I think next year she'll be ready to slalom and J will be looking for a ski ramp. I was very proud of B.  He got frustrated last year because he had such a hard time.  He yelled, "I'm going to get you next year, water-skis" as we left the lake.  He wasn't as daring as A & J but he did figure out that he could let go and wave when we went past the dock.  And the people a few docks over were very impressed to see my little guy spinning around the cove on skis.

Lake Trip 2012 - fishing

J spent Tuesday morning fishing with his grandfather. They got up at 5:30 am and headed out for 4 hours of fishing. He is dedicated. He was rewarded with a good catch.  They came back with 4 big bass, and he reeled in a 19.5" bass.









The rest of the fishing was just off the docks. There was lots of perch jerking. J & A both caught fish at the big dock. B had no luck all week long. Saturday morning before leaving he and Papa went down to the little dock to try one more time. He managed to catch 8 fish, which was very good because otherwise we probably would have heard about it the whole drive home. J caught one more and practiced taking out the hook all by himself.



















I'm told that A did catch fish. I just wasn't there to take pictures of it.