We had the greatest time on our trip to Louisiana for Thanksgiving break! We were able to spend lots of time with most of Jake's family (minus 3 who weren't there- we missed you Paul, Esther, and Meagan!) and enjoyed the holiday by eating as much junk as possible. I think I gained about 20 pounds on this trip. That's only a slight exaggeration. Anyways, Monday we rode the street car which was fun and something I had never done in New Orleans before.
The kids had a good time with it- Cole was a little uncertain about it all and eventually fell asleep. The only scary part was waiting on the street for the car to come. One wrong step and you could be hit by oncoming traffic. Not an ideal place to hang out with your small children.
And to show you how this girl's mind works... she read that sign and said something like, "So that means you can stick your feet out!" That's our Mya- finding the loophole- pushing the limit. Gotta love her!
Tuesday was Jake's #32 birthday (or "barthday" according to Mya), and he spent most the day at work. Stinks getting older and having to be all responsible. When he came home he was treated with a delicious dinner, cake, and presents. This was also the night Eliza and Tyler flew in to surprise Jake's parents.
Having pizzas shipped in from Giordano's is something we've talked about doing but never have. We have such good memories from our time in South Bend and loved Chicago and deep dish pizza. I figured celebrating his b-day with family was a great time to order in some pizzas from way up north. It was almost a surprise for him until his ride home, and we ate until we were stuffed and enjoyed the cheesy goodness!
Jake's mom ordered a doberge cake which was so yummy and one of Jake's favorites. Told you we ate a lot on this trip. And this is only Tuesday.
Wednesday was po-boys...
And Storyland! Cole loved the alligator Santa and didn't want to get down.
These girls sure do love their Uncle Tyler! He brought a magic set that the girls loved and downloaded some fun games on his I-pad. They seriously have the best aunts and uncles and are spoiled with no competition!
The boy loves trucks! And what do you do when you encounter and giant fire-breathing dragon slide? You send your baby down it! Honestly, what kind of parents are we?!
Cooling off! The weather was pretty warm for November- not horrible, but definitely not cold.
Thursday morning was our big race day. Originally we thought it was a 5K which I was really excited about. I've been running a little under 3 miles lots of early mornings with my friend Stacy. I thought 5K- no problem! Turns out it was really a 5 mile race which is a different story. We found out that week so I had some time to mentally prepare myself. I believe I haven't run 5 miles since before I got pregnant with Cole. That was a long time ago!
The kids ran the half-mile race with Pops, Jessica, and her friend Brandon. The two older girls were proud of their times and that they didn't have to walk (I think).
Survived the run and actually came in around 47 minutes (my goal was around 50 minutes) so I was happy, especially because I hadn't trained for this distance. After the race they had Chee-Wees and a beer truck (good old New Orleans!) which also had yummy root beer so we filled up after our long race.
Thursday afternoon- more eating. Thanksgiving style...
We saw two movies while away- Harry Potter and Tangled. Loved both of them! I heart Harry and actually was surprised at how closely the movie follows the book. Really, really loved Tangled, as did my kids. I definitely recommend it! Don't know that it's worth paying the extra for 3D but still an awesome cute movie!
Friday night- more eating. Catfish and other yummy stuff...
We debated over leaving on Saturday or Sunday, but decided to stay one more day and spend some time as a family. Lots of the family headed over to the French Quarter, and we hit the swamp for a nice walk.
I really wanted to see an alligator so that guy made the day a success! The weather was awesome, Elle was terrified, and I mean terrified, of snakes, etc.- all around good times as a family!
That night we made good use of the borrowed fire pit and enjoyed some smores. I love smores. Once again, more eating. Went well with the Canes I had for lunch!
We really had a wonderful trip and enjoyed being away from home and seeing so much family. We also really loved meeting Jessica's friend Brandon and hope to see more of him in the future!
The only downside to being gone is we didn't really do too much Black Friday shopping. Jake hit up Wal-Mart later that morning and Cole found what he needs for Christmas! Or maybe one of these...
That boy loves, loves, loves trucks. We went to the church one day during the week and this big machine was out working. We watched it for a long time. And just to prove my point, I videod him in the car on our trip out. This is the noise he makes when he sees a big truck, bus, etc. A lot of times he will keep making it until you acknowledge him. He makes the noise, you say "big truck", and he either says "yay" or just stops the squealing. I love having a boy!