It took a while, but here are the photos of when Jude's family visited Starkville last month. We got to meet our new(ish) nephew, Henry, and he got to meet his 3 cousins.
Cousin Henry. This accurately depicts their general dispositions for the week.
Grumpy & Smiley
Nanny Chloe actually made these initial shirts for them. So adorable!
Simon's first pool experience
It went swimmingly. Har, har.
spitting image (minus the specs)
Nanny Chloe & Uncle Art with their godchild, Charlotte
All the she-folk
Aunt Sara with all the nieces & nephews
Thank you guys for making the trip over to MS and for bringing the cool weather. Please tell me you're planning to come again next week because it's supposed to be rainy & in the 90s.
1. I sortakinda (butnotreally) feel bad about unloading on you guys a few days ago. Sometimes, this nice clean white blog gets a little dirty. But if it makes you feel better, yesterday and today have been worlds better.
2. Not sure why today is better, though, because it's cold and rainy and officially potty training boot camp day. The run-down?
2:20 - pee in the toilet
2:25 - accident while eating reward candy
2:50 - accident 5 minutes before I planned on making her try
3:15 - sat, but no pee
3:40 - accident 5 minutes before I planned on making her try
4:00 - sat, but no pee
4:15 - sat, but no pee
And every moment in between:
3. I know there are lots of opinions on how to potty train, so my expectations for this weekend of nakedness are pretty low. We didn't have to do this for Joan, but I kind of think Charlotte needs a different approach since the whole I want to please my parents just because isn't really her style...
4. I haven't even mentioned that we took a Spring Break trip to LA last week to see some fam and left the girls with my parents for three days. I still had to babysit little Evelyn, but the biological break was so nice!
brothers.
ice cream truck treats from uncle mark
Big Poppa & Tootsie
Papa John & Madelyn (sorry Gigi, not sure why I don't have a record of you being around - we all know you were there!)
5. Charlotte regularly asks me in the van to, "talk more about Jesus is dead," and wants a list of names of the people who hurt him.
6. I'm currently eating a shrimp pasta bowl that reminds me of that pasta place on Louisiana Tech's campus - inside Tolliver. Remember that place, Jill and Sara? Yum. And remember when we went on that crazy fast and at midnight on the last day, I had a 20 oz chocolate milk and 2 bags of peanut M&Ms? I heart college.
7. Struggling to find a last one, here. So let's just put us both out of our misery and call it quits. But not before you head over to Jen for the others...
I was trying all day yesterday to come up with some eloquent words about the Pope's resignation and his beautiful service to our Church, but I kept falling short and so many others have said so much more (and better) than I could have.
So, simply, I say how truly happy and proud I am to be Catholic. What a gift.
Usually I save Verbatims until I have a few stored up. But this quote takes the cake and is deserving of its own post. You're welcome.
"Joan, sit back so your pee stays in the pot."
"Hahahaha. The pot. Why did you call it that?"
"Oh, that's what some people call it. We should probably just call it the toilet though."
"... Ok, I'm done. Hey look - it looks like gumbo in that pot!"
We moved to Illinois in the fall of 2006. And ever since our first Christmas of that year, we've tried to take a picture of any drive-thru daiquiri shop in Louisiana for our friends up north. They (specificially the Herr's, Gesterling's, and McGraw's) always thought it was crazy to give drivers alcohol (even if in a sealed container...). Jude and I joke about how for over 4 years, we've always forgotten to take that picture, post it on facebook, and tag them all. I was not going to let that happen again. So this post is for Jude and our friends up north. Cheers.
If you knew Jude and I in college and watched our relationship form, then you'd know that Marc Broussard started it all. He's basically why we got married. See, Jude and I were great friends and he introduced me to the music of singer/song writer Marc Broussard from Carencro, Louisiana. It was our first real connection and bond as friends.
I still remember the first time we went to see Marc play in Lafayette. I went, Stacey went, Jude went, and Drea went. Who's Stacey? Oh, she's my friend who eventually married my cousin. Who's Drea? Oh, that was Jude's girlfriend at the time...
And now, tonight, I'm going with Stacey to see Marc play - sans Jude and obviously sans Drea - full circle, kind of...
Music has always been a huge part of my relationship with Jude. And it's interesting to see the evolution of our tastes from then to now (always at the same time). No, Marc Broussard is no longer playing over and over in my car as it once was, but his riffs still give me chills, especially in this tune, French Cafe. I'm sure Jude's somewhere in Italy, loving me from some little cafe, too.
Lyrics, because I like to know them when I listen,
Friendly people
But I can't make out all the words
Melodies so sweet through all the trees
From different birds
All around me
Sights and sounds and songs I've never heard
Swearing I'll be back again
One more week might do me in
And I stop to catch my breath
On the slippery steps of Angouleme
And with my little finger
Across the town I write your name
I can't stop drinking the wine
Can't stop counting the days
A world apart, an ocean away
Just loving you baby
Sittin' here, loving you
From this little French cafe
Oh, yeah
Turn the bed down, baby
Pray that jumbo plane's gonna bring me back
Got roses and bazaracs
Six Bordeauxs all in a sack
We may know some scrapes
But some things we won't ever lack
All the fields of Beaujolais
Couldn't buy you anyway
Couldn't buy you babe
All the oysters in Marennes
Whole French army and Charles de Gaulle
A million Francs wouldn't phase me at all
From loving you baby
Sittin' here loving you
From this little French cafe
Sittin' here loving you
From this little French cafe
*I published this first without adding the video at the end, so now here's it all*
Whoa. Today was intense. My house was loud, crowded, and full of good food - the perfect cajun Mardi Gras party, if you ask me.
I made boudin, and king cake (calm down - it was just braided cinnamon rolls with purple, gold, and green sprinkles), muffalettas and the olive salad to go on top. And my friends brought beverages (including a pitcher full of Bloody Marys!), cookies, a real homemade king cake, banana bread, doughnut wholes and enough cups and plates to hold our crazy amount of food. And our morning wouldn't have been complete without the zydeco music and beads they also brought.
And though we had intentions of doing a second line handkerchief dance, or making homemade masks, or catching beads, we (i.e. me) only had enough enthusiasm to put on Princess in the Frog - hey, it's set in New Orleans... give me a break.
It doesn't matter though, because everyone had a great time and left with their bellies full and their shirts dirty - as a good cajun should.
Happy Mardi Gras!
And I forgot to mention that Charlotte slept through most of it - her 2 hour long nap was right through the commotion. Yeah, I can't really complain about her anymore, she's finally realized that we're pretty awesome so she doesn't give us any trouble these days. But sadly, in the time between everyone leaving and me writing this post, Joan's come down with a pretty pathetic case of something. She's got a low-grade fever and is super needy and pitiful. I hope no one else comes down with anything... sorry...
Da da da daaa! Here are the Christmas time photos and videos that you've all been waiting for! We did so much during the last two weeks, so I'll spare you a lengthly post and just get right to the good stuff - I know that's why you check my blog anyway...
These are from our first week in Sulphur which include visits with our friends from college and their adorable children and a Guilbeaux side Christmas party.
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
These are from our week in New Iberia which include the LaBauve family Christmas party and impromptu dancing competition, and the Children's Discovery Museum in Lafayette.
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
