Blog to Book

Following through with my original objective and intentions, I had all of my blog posts from 2012 printed and bound into a book. It was actually really easy, there is a company that you can create an account with and set the date parameters and they access your blog and convert it to a book.

I am so happy with how it turned out.

I love my parents dearly and they have many strengths, but documenting my and Anthony's childhood was not one of them. Now there seem to be pictures in all of our homes and as the years have gone by memories of how and when things went on have faded for all of us. Granted, we did not have the technology then to document like this and my children will probably have something much better than what I have.

Anyways 2012 is documented and I hope that I am able to continue to keep this blog going for years to come.

Spectacular Snow

We finally got a real snow. I have very fond memories of snow days and playing in the snow with my brother and my dad. (Mom was not much of a fan of snow and just preferred to look at it through the window, hence the reason she no longer lives in the Midwest and just looks at pictures.)

I have one very vivid memory from when lived in the, "Felix Homplace," while building mom's and dad's dream house, we had a snow day from school. We probably more snow than we had here a couple days ago. Dad had a snow day from work too. I remember him helping us pack the snow up into the stairs on the deck and banking it around in a curve. There are not really any hills around that house so we had to create one. Then once all the snow was packed, he helped Anthony and I pour cold water down over the snow pack. All we had to do was wait long enough for it to freeze, it was very cold so it didn't take more than a lunch break. Then we had a hill to sled and slide down for the rest of the afternoon. Dad always helped make the greatest snowmen too.

 I do fear that because of climate change, my boys will have very few experiences with those fun snow days that I remember. However, the other day we received around ten inches here at home. We went outside to play before the snow ever stopped falling.

It was great packing snow too!

 

 

Bradley learned how to roll a snowball big enough for a snowman.

 

Then we made his first snowman, think I was too busy working before so he had not had this opportunity before. We have also had a lack of major snowfalls over the past few years.

We went out the next day after to make another snowman and play in the snow some more. Dan rolled a ball for a thrid snowman before he left for work, then Bradley tried to sit on it... oops.

 



 

Jax was much more interested in eating the snow. It was a struggle to keep gloves on him, he kept taking them off so that he could pick up the snow better. I would put his gloves back on and I would turn around and he would take them back off. Then the second day I put two pairs of glove on him, it work for a while.



Making Room for Cattle and Keeping the House Warm

As a girl, one of my passions was showing and taking care of my 4-H cattle and it has always been a dream that one day my own children will share this passion.

Dan's Dad was a big cattle showman so I know that he has it in his blood as well. So one of our long term projects right now is clearing some of the woods for a future barn and cattle pasture.
We have been doing this as we have needed firewood for our outdoor wood burner, but I am sure that soon we will be hiring some sort of a company to come in and finish taking out the cherry trees and all unnecessary stumps. Then my dreams will really start coming true.
Dan and the boys have been using the truck to pull trees out. For some reason, it is very exciting when Daddy pulls logs or as Jaxson keeps telling us, Daddy pulls flowers. I am not sure why he keeps saying Daddy pulls flowers, but he is pretty stuck on it and talks about  it daily.
Anyways, just a few pictures from "pulling flowers" last weekend.

 

Guess you could call this an action shot...

 

Jaxson and Dick (the dog) are supervising.

 

Dozer the glove thief gets motion sickness very easily so he sits and waits for some poor innocent child to walk by with gloves on so he can steal them and run like the wind.

 

Is it spring yet?

Gwama's Hauwse... Excursions (Part 3 of 3)

While at Grama's Hauwse we visited the New Orleans Audubon Zoo. We have been to this zoo one other time. It is probably the nicest zoo that I have ever been to and it is very large and beautifully landscaped.

 

 

 

Jax was kind of in love with the elephants. Yes, he is kissing it!

Why do the kids never want to sit in the wagon? But the parents always take it. If I wasn't over the weight limit, I would ride in it!

 



 

I think he might have had a headache...

 

 

 

Dan took a majority of the pictures at the zoo, sometimes I think he might have a future as an animal photographer.

 

I think we wore Grama out!

 

This was one well fed gator.

 

Don't worry it isn't real!

 

 

There was the endangered species carousel. Wow was I shocked when I got a little nauseated on the carousel and had to pass my chaperoning job off to Dan. I used to be crazy skydiving roller coaster riding lady, really have I lost that attribute? I can't even ride a merry-go-round anymore.

 

 

 

On one of the nights while we were in NOLA, Dan and I left the kids with Mom and Clayton and went downtown to the French Quarter.

We stayed at the Hotel Montelone, which was wonderful. It was about a block from Bourbon Street. We had dinner at Emeril's NOLA Restaurant, which was not that fabulous. We are thinking we will try Mr. B's Bistro next time. We walked around, sat in a few bars, had some drinks, listened to some music, and ran into a guy that Dan used to work with. It was pouring rain so we went back to our hotel and sat at the coolest bar I have ever sat at, The Carousel Bar. This one did not nauseate me. Watching it from away, it barely looked like it was moving. Then sitting on it, you can definitely feel it moving. Dan determined it took seventeen and half minutes to make a full rotation, I cannot remember how many times we went around, but it was definitely a neat experience and a great night.

 

After our night away, we went back to Mom's and picked up the boys to take them on a Swamp Tour to see if we could spot a few alligators. (We spotted snake too, ewww!)

 

 

 

Jax was busy looking for gators most of the time, but he did get a little antsy towards the end of the two hour tour.

The tour guide also had a three year old gator that he let everyone have an opportunity to hold. Bradley had confirm a few times that is mouth was taped shut.

 

 

Jax really wanted to touch his eyes...

 

We also tried to visit a local park that was on the shore of Lake Ponchatrain, but it was a little cool outside and the park was still very damaged from Hurricane Isaac.

 

 

 

 

 

I think that is all of the major events from this trip to Gwama's Hauwse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gwama's Hauwse... Gwama's Hauwse... (Part 2)

These posts were given the above title, because Jaxson said it constantly while we were down in Louisiana and mom was all smiles each time he chanted the phrase.

 

The city of New Orleans happened to be hosting the Super Bowl while we were down there. So we went downtown to travel down Super Bowl Boulevard. We did something different and parked on the West Bank at Algier's Point and took the Ferry across the river into the city. This was also a great way to avoid the outrageous parking fees downtown. The boys were thrilled to ride on the Ferry and the best part was it was free!

 

 

The view of New Orleans from the Ferry.

 

 

Pepsi had a football throwing game to win prizes.

 

 

There were painted football statues all over the city as we walked around and we managed to take pictures with a few of them.

 

 

 

While downtown, we were looking for a kid-friendly restaurant to eat lunch. We walked into the Hard Rock Cafe, and quickly realized that it had moved from the last time we ate there and it was in a new location on Bourbon Street and everything was brand new inside. They had the coolest seats to wait in! We got a table right away, ordered our food, and then Bradley and I went back up to the waiting area to swing in the basket swings. I would really love to have some of these on my porch, they were just too cool!

 

 

 

On another day, we went to New Orleans City Park. They have a really neat Train Garden there that I was really wanting to take the boys too, but apparently it is closed in January and February, urg! So we went to the Storyland themed playground there instead. The boys didn't care, they had fun and my family was together so that made it perfect.

 

 

Bradley and his Uncle A

 

 

 

 

 

This slide was pretty neat and pretty fast!

 

To be continued... saving our animal excursions for part 3...