NOLA

So where have we been? Well, Gram had to go back into the hospital for the ??? time and it worked out to be a good time for us to take a trip, so we decided to drive in to LA for a visit. Thank God for our DVD player because all three boys have a hard time with the 500 mile drive. Even with movies, Ian usually spends the last hour of the trip crying to get out of his car seat!

Gram eventually got out of ICU then made it home to Ormond. We normally try to spend time visiting with friends we haven't seen; but we pretty much focused on family this time. As usual, we managed to take in some of our favorite food and drink, while adding on the usual 5 pounds that goes with it. Some of our favorites this time were:

*Roast beef and fried shrimp po-boys from Short Stop on Airline Hwy.
*Crabmeat au gratin, shrimp romelaude, stuffed artichoke, and bread pudding from Thraut's in Kenner
*Dauberge cake from Gambino's on Vets
*Chocolate and nectar snowballs with condensed milk from Casey's in Metairie
*White Russian daiquiris from New Orleans Original Daiquiris


But, we always stop at Steamboat Bill's in Lake Charles at least once (sometimes twice) when we visit. They have really great fried shrimp and are conveniently located on I-10.



The boys had lots of fun visiting with relatives, being creative, and smelling like sweaty little puppies! The only drawback was that Max and I left covered in insect bites (mosquito and other kinds). I think we should bring some of the Austin bat population to NO to help get rid of those mosquitos!

Papa El and Ian sharing their favorite snack, popcorn.

Ian and cousin Jack figure out a way to share the coveted tricycle.

Bryce and Max have a dramatic battle with their cardboard robot costumes!