Happy Thanksgiving!!

We hope everyone is having a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Playdate at the Park

We had a playdate at Audubon park today to celebrate Thanksgiving. We did a turkey craft which Chance liked helping put together. He did not want to wear it after we got it altogether though so I could not get a picture of him wearing it. One of the other Moms rode her bike with her little girl in the wagon. Ok I know that is not what it is called but I am not sure of the actual name of the extra carriage that attaches to the back of the bike. Anyway, Chance loved it he laughed and laughed while we rode around and When we stopped he did not want to get out so he stayed in and played with toys for a while. It was much easier to ride than I thought it would be. Maybe we will look into getting one in the spring.

Rockstar Baby

yesterday was Chance's Rockstar day. He ran around and around the ottoman with his Batman sunglasses. Then while Scott and Gaynelle were watching Chance and I was off having a coffee with Nancy from the meetup group Chance added his big blue lips to his repitoir and then ran around and around the ottoman with his lips and his glasses. Since I was gone Scott caught these pictures to show many what a crazy rockstar baby Chance was while I was gone.

At the Park with Grandma

Scott's Mom flew in last Thursday and we have been having a wonderful time ever since. It had been a while since we had seen her and I was afraid that Chance wouldn't remember her but when he started driving his cars on her and letting her hold them I knew there was no reason for worry. He brings his cars into her every morning and this morning he went into where she was sleeping before he came to find me and Scott which was fine with us, we got a few more minutes sleep. Yesterday, we went to Audubon park. It was a little cold for me but Chance did not seem to notice even when his little nose was turning pink. We fed the one duck and one squirrel that where brave enough to venture into the cold. The weather is changing so rapidly that today it is so warm you could wear short sleeves with no jacket and be very comfortable. Hopefully this weather holds out because we have a playdate in the same park on Tuesday. While at the park today we also found a cool new piece of art that was not there before. It was nice and sturdy sculpture so Chance could get up close and personal with it without us having to worry.

Watching the Fan

Today I came in and saw Chance leaning back on the Ottoman watching the fan spin around. He thought this was much fun and when I asked him if he would do it again so I could get a picture he laughed and just leaned back and watched the fan some more.

Down the slide

I taught Chance to go down slides backwards on his tummy so he did not fall back and bump his head. I knew that he would figure out how to go down the usual way all on his own and that is exactly what happened. The last two times we were at the park he saw other little kids go down on their butt and he sat right down and did it that way too. He did not ask for help or anything he just slid down all on his own. He did a good job sitting up straight and had a huge smile on his face the whole time. The first time I was just trying to make sure he didn't fall but this time I knew he could do it so I got a few pictures.

Scott gone to the ATL

Scott left this morning, he is driving to Atlanta. He will be back on Saturday so it is just for the week. Then we will be home for the whole week of Thanksgiving. Scott's Mom is flying in on Wednesday so we will only be by ourselves for a couple days. A cold from went through last night and it is chilly here today. Of course by that I mean in the temperature is 53 degrees so for those of you reading this from up North I know 53 isn't all that bad. It is supposed to warm up this week again too so maybe full on winter isn't here yet. This is a picture taken yesterday when our electricity was out all morning. With the heavy winds form the cold front there was some power line damage our power went out in the morning and did not come back on until noon but we had a good time with no TV or computers to get in the way of having fun and since we have gas hot water and stove we could still take warm showers and fix breakfast. Two thumbs up for gas!

More Prospect 1

We have still been traveling around town visiting all the art exibits that are part of Prospect 1. We happen to have two veues within walking distance, they are actually just one block away so we went to one a few days ago and one today. The first is a middle school that has been converted to artist studios where they will also have art classes. Inside the auditorium they have huge spiny firework balls (that's what I call them). They are big and metal and light travels down each spine making them look like fireworks. Chance really liked them (first picture). At the stage they have massage chairs where we sat watching the fireworks. After that we went to the cotton room where they have cotton all over and pictures of cotton picking and processing on the walls. Chance liked wondering through the fluffy cotton (second picture). Next we went upstairs where there was a lot of little LED counters arranged in volcano shapes as part of a project called "pile up life." Each counter represents one person who perished in Hurricane Katrina. I am sure you can tell from the picture but Chance really liked this one too. The lights seemed to mesmerize him (third picture). Then it was back downstairs to the piano room. There is a man who restores old pianos, his shop is in the school. he had put together an exhibit with one of the other artists. In one of the rooms there were a bunch of old pianos which you could play. Chance really liked this part too (fourth picture). At first like most children he just started banging on them but we told him he could only use one finger at a time. He quickly caught on and went around to each piano playing just one note at a time. After the school we walked down another block to the St. CLaude artists co-op. There were lots of cool things to look at but it was getting close to nap time so we could not wander around very long. There was one huge bunny that I just have to include a picture of here, Chance did not seem to know what to think of this one. This arist has another piece of bunny art on display in midcity. I am going to go try to find it this week. After we walked home Chance was pooped he decided to just lay down on the stairs and let us carry him inside.

New Chuck E Cheese

We have two Chuck E. Cheese's in the New Orleans area. We usually go to the one in Metarie but there is one closer to our house so this time we went to that one on the Westbank. We had a good time but I think we will go back to the one in Metarie next time since the Westbank Chuck E. Cheese does not have Chance's favorite game, the train tracks. He did drive the little car with Chuck E. eight times so I guess he made up for it.

Prospect 1

There is something going on in New Orleans right now that I had never heard of before, it is called a Biennial. It is a type of art exhibit where the art is spread out in different galleries all over town as well as other converted buildings and also just sitting around on the street corners and on empty lots, on billboards and other places. It is all free and will be going on until January. It is called Prospect 1 and is the largest International Biennial that has ever been held in the United States. Yesterday, we went to the Prospect 1 headquarters and to the Contemporary Arts Center where they gave Chance a backpack with all kinds of art supplies inside. I think the thing we all enjoyed the most was a room with a bunch of TVs stacked on top of each other each with a person on the screen. It looked as though each person had been given an I-pod with “Jammin” by Bob Marley on it and left in the room to dance or sing or whatever they felt. Then they were all mixed together and played simultaneously for us. So what we saw was a bunch of people each alone but listening to the same song. It was really interesting to watch and you found yourself singing along too. It is fun seeing the city and all the really cool art too. At the headquarters there was a shotgun house (our house is a shotgun) made out of painted canvas that was hanging from the roof of the warehouse we could walk through it. (see first picture) From the outside you knew it wasn’t a real house but once you were inside it began to feel just like a room. It was really cool.

This morning we went to City Park to an area that is usually closed off but now they have huge photographs on display as part of Prospect 1. (second picture) We were able to walk all around this old fountain built around 1934, We played ball (third picture) and had a good time looking around. There was also this kind of creepy old tent that looks like it should have been used for weddings or something but that it was grown over like it has been unattended for a long time. After Chance’s nap we went to MidCity where they have converted paddle boats as part of Prospect 1. The aluminum pontoon boats, built by Argentine artists are rigged with big wooden resonating boxes. The paddles are attached to metal tines that plunk out a jaunty rhythm as you pedal. The boats sound like a simple instrument called a kalimba. We put Chance between us and paddled around, (fourth picture) we could change the music by how fast we peddled. It was fun, Chance was in a lifejacket which he did not like (fifth picture) but he really seemed to like the boat experience a lot. I have wanted to get him in a canoe for a long time so this was a great precursor. After we got off the boat Chance was not ready to get back in the car so we walked around the block, we had never spent much time in this area before so it was fun for all.

We are planning to visit many more Prospect 1 locations before it is all over in January. So there will be more art fun to come.

Music Festival

Last night we went to a music festival in the Bywater which is the little neighbourhood or fouburg next to our little faughburg (Marigny). We went originally to see Chance's favorite band, Morning 40 Federation. Ever since he was very very small anytime we would play a Morning 40 Federation song on one of our I-pods Chance would calm down and listen and sometimes just go right to sleep. They usually play in bars where Chance can not go but this was an outdoor festival where there were lots of families. Even though we went at the time they were supposed to be playing the line up had changed and so we did not get to see them but we did see two other bands that were good and we had a lot of fun anyway so it did not really matter.

First Trip to the Dentist

Today Chance went on his first trip to the Dentist. He has lots of teeth 8 on top and 8 on the bottom. He brushes his teeth at least twice per day in the morning and at night just before bed and just the other day he wanted to brush his teeth in the middle of the day and I was not going to say no to that so we brushed again then too. I was afraid he was not going to let the Dentist look in his mouth but he was really good. He did not fight or cry or anything. He was a very good little boy, when he left he was given a tooth brush and toy for being so good. His teeth are fine too and he does not need to go back to the Dentist for another year or year and a half. After we got home I asked him to show me his teeth and I go these great pictures of him and his wonderful (and sharp) little teeth.

Kid Friendly Concert

Today we went to a "kid friendly" concert by one of our favorite used-to-be local band, Truckstop Honeymoon. It was held in an art gallery just a few blocks from the house. Chance did not sit still for very long but I think we all had a good time anyway. The gallery also had a resident cat who Chance spent a bit of time petting and generally following him around. It was fun being able to see the band right up close. Since it was a gallery we were sitting on couches and chairs right there with the band. Went Chance would want to wonder around we took him out on the sidewalk and he went around and around in a circle until he gets himself all dizzy. It is one of his fun new things to do.

New Furniture

Scott has been working on a new piece of furniture for our bedroom. It is an Armour. Right now it is still missing doors but those are going on in the next few days and then we will start filling it with the ever present"stuff" that always accumulates. The back is made of Cedar to keep our clothes smelling good (oh yeah and moth free). It matches our bedroom perfectly.

Just Do It!!

It's Charley Brown

We watched the Peanuts Halloween Special this year and it was good. Actually better than I remember it, Oh yeah, Chance liked it too. Grandma G. sent this shirt to him and it is cute and funny.

CARpet

Just a picture of Chance having a good time playing on his new carpet.

Trick-or-Treating on Halloween

Last night we went out Trick-or-Treating. First we went to Washington Square Park to meet up with some other parents and kids in the area where Chance had a good time playing around before we got started walking. He was a Little Monster, we all painted his face too, first I gave him a couple scars and then he took the red and blue and drew on his face himself which he seemed to like very much. We got started walking and went around a few blocks trick-or-treating. It was fun, Chance walked almost the whole way by himself even though we took the stroller just in case. He did not know what was going on at first but by the end he was picking candy out of the dishes the homeowners offered and putting it in his bucket. We ended our trick-or-treating on the parade route. This year there is a brand new parade that goes through the Quarter and has big floats and everything. It is called the Krewe of Boo. We came in the middle and saw about half of the parade. Chance got some pretty cool beads and a little orange and black football to go with all his candy. We did all that and still got home for bedtime.