Backyard Wildlife and Natchitoches

My dad's parents live on a country road and the houses are pretty spread out. Their backyard backs up to a wooded area that's really thick with trees, so they frequently have "visitors" wandering along the back edge of their yard.

This morning, we drove down to Natchitoches for the day. Our first stop was Main Street, which is lined with antique/souvenir shops and restaurants. After running in and out of a few of the shops, we headed over to Lasyonne's for lunch (it was recommended by the ladies who worked in one of the little shops). The food was fantastic--best meat pies and crawfish pies I've ever had. Connor wasn't too keen on them, so we got a grilled cheese sandwich for him. But, Tyler loved them--he's going to be my little Cajun food lover, I can already tell. :) After lunch, we headed to the Alligator Park, which was actually a pretty cool place. There weren't many people there at all--I'm guessing because it's a weekday and SO HOT--so that made it easier for us to get up close to and feed the animals. It also assured us a front row seat for the alligator feedings, which the boys LOVED.

Lunch at Lasyonne's

We're 54 miles from my home town!

The alligator feedings were the boys' fave part of the whole park.

But, they also enjoyed feeding the goats.

Feeding the emus was kind of a challenge-we found out just how mean they really are!

These pics were taken from our vantage point on the bleachers. This man-made "muddy river" is FULL of alligators--and they obviously know that it's feeding time.

The boys were rooted to the spot the whole time. Tyler couldn't believe that that alligators were "jumping" so high! :)

Dave and the boys on the "broken bridge."

I thought that the restroom doors were cute. :)

We made a quick stop for a cool drink--and cool air!

We'll definitely be back!

Fun at the Zoo

Today, we took the boys to the Alexandria Zoo and had lunch with my grandparents at Piccadilly (one of the best buffets ever!).

The boys are checking out the baby mice (you can see them on the left side of the bottom photo).

We had a fun lunch at Piccadilly!

The boys had a blast on the playland in the mall.

Last stop of the day: the best doughnuts in the universe!

Another Fun-Filled Day!

We did lots of running around today, but enjoyed catching up with more of my relatives. My parents each have six siblings, almost all of which are married with children, and most of them still live in my hometown (or at least within driving distance). It's not always possible for everyone to meet at one time and in one place, so our week-long visits usually consist of lots of driving here, there, and everywhere, trying to fit in at least a brief visit with as many aunts, uncles, and cousins as we can. As chaotic as it is, we love being able to see everyone and always have a blast. :)

We had a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant with my Uncle Bert (mom's brother) and his wife, Amy. Then, we visited my Aunt Joann (mom's sister) at work.

After lunch, we drove out to my Aunt Vivian's house to visit with B.J. and Ann again, along with B.J.'s brother, Jonathan, and his girlfriend, Tiffany.

We had a fun afternoon with my Uncle Jr. (mom's brother), Aunt Linda, cousin Christy, and her boyfriend, Rodney. The highlight for Tyler was riding their horse, Cheyenne. :)

Apparently, Connor's fear of carousel animals does not extend to LIVE animals!

The "boys" enjoyed a sweaty game of b-ball while the girls watched--and sweated profusely while sitting still.

Home Depot and Fireworks

Did you really think we'd miss a Kids Workshop at The Home Depot just because we're out of town? Never! Tyler had a good time building his picnic caddy, though he commented that it would have been more fun with his buddy, Spencer, there. :( After the workshop, we headed over to my other grandparents' house (my mom's parents), where my Mama had lunch waiting: steak and sausage with gravy over rice (one of my faves!). After a very yummy meal, the boys played outside for awhile and went down for a nap. While they were sleeping, my cousin, B.J., and his wife, Ann, came over to visit with their kids, Bailey (who is Tyler's age) and Alivia (who is as cute as a button!). When my boys woke up, all four kids had a ball playing cars and running around outside together. Later this afternoon, we headed over to my cousin, Keith's, house for a dip in his pool, which was super nice on a miserably HOT day. Then it was over to my Aunt Ginny's house for an awesome dinner, followed by a spectacular fireworks display. For as long as I can remember, my dad's side of the family has always gone all out for fireworks--and it's worth every penny!

That's my Mama and Papa in the middle--two of the greatest grandparents around. My aunt Susan (mom's sister) had lots of fun clowning around with the boys.

Don't feel sorry for Dave just 'cause he's at the bottom of the pile--he instigates this almost daily!

The Lunning's and the Tassin's (B.J., Ann, Bailey, & Alivia)

Tyler really enjoyed playing with Bailey and Connor decided to brave the heat and try out the big wheeled trike.

The four of us with Mama and Papa.

One of the things I DON'T miss about living down here!

Pool time! That's my Aunt Ginny (dad's sister) in the upper left photo with Connor.

Scooter ridin' at Aunt Ginny's house

Happy 4th!

Connor loved just sitting and watching the chickens in my aunt's chicken house.

Ready for the fireworks: Uncle Jesse, Dave and cousin Keith; Uncle Jesse & my cousin, Lexie; me with G'ma and G'pa; Aunt Ginny and her husband, Buford.

The boys enjoyed their sparklers!

Ooooooo.........ahhhhhhh!

We made it!

We left our hotel at around 8:00 this morning to finish the 12-hour journey to Louisiana. We stopped for about an hour in Monroe, LA to eat lunch and let the boys run around a little bit. Since there was a mall right off of the highway, we decided to grab a bite in the food court. Afterward, Tyler and I rode the carousel, while Connor (who is 100% scared of carousel animals!) and Daddy watched and waved. Then the boys took turns "driving" trucks and trains in the play area. Once we got back in the car, it only took us a little under 3 hours to get to my grandparents' house in Dry Prong, LA. After unpacking the car and getting settled in, it was time to head to my cousin's daughter's 1st birthday party, which was a lot of fun.

The boys were all smiles right before we left our hotel in Memphis.

Tyler chose to ride the eagle on the carousel, but I had him pose for a pic with the alligator, too. And the deer....well, I don't know that I've ever seen one of those on a carousel, so I had to snap a pic!

The boys had a good time "driving" the ice cream truck and choo-choo train.

My cousin, Tim, and his wife, Wendy, celebrated the first birthday of their daughter, Camri, while we were there. We're so glad that we were there for the party!

I didn't get the chance to see my cousin, Crystal, while we were visiting, but her husband, Damon, brought their daughters, Jordyn and Taylor, to Camri's birthday party. Jordyn and Tyler are the same age and had a lot of fun together.

My grammy and grampy; me and my Aunt Cindy; my Uncle Justin with his girlfriend, Dawn; Aunt Cindy and her husband, Chuck.

My Uncle Ted gave all of kids (there were 20+ of them!) rides on his golf cart, which they all thought was pretty cool!

Group shot

On Our Way to Louisiana!

We started our journey South after work today. Dave and the boys picked me up at my office and were were on our way. We usually leave in the morning and stay overnight in Jackson, MS, but since we left in the late afternoon this time, we decided to make our stop in Memphis. The boys did awesome in the car, as usual. :)

En route to LA!

We found out how much Connor loves Bugles. He kept stacking one on top of another and saying, "Look, Mommy--a tree!"

The boys in front of the Fed Ex Forum in Memphis

Winding down before bedtime at the hotel

At least I THOUGHT they were winding down......the endless energy of boys never ceases to amaze me!