Satchmo Summerfest Day 1

We went to Satchmo Summerfest today. This is a a festival held in the French Quarter at this same time every year. We have gone every year we have lived here. Today was the festival kickoff in Armstrong Park. This is a great big park on the edge of the French Quarter, we haven't had many opportunities to explore this park because it has been closed for a long time after Katrina and actually the park has only been open consistently for about a month now. So, today in the park there was a presentation and a band playing as well as cake served to celebrate Louis Armstrong's birthday.

We had a lot of fun at the park we walked all around then we discovered that there was a wadding pool and even though it was early in the morning the sun was heating us up quickly so we took off our shoes and socks and went in. It is amazing how it will cool your body down just by putting your feet in cool water.

From the water we could just hear the band int he background, it was great. After walking and wading in the water Chance and Scott took a walk while I talked to Andrea, one of the Moms from our playgroup who was also there, during that walk Chance (with a little help) climbed a tree. In the video below Scott is pretending the chase Chance around and Chance runs right into my lap. We plan to go out and explore the festival more tomorrow and Sunday so there will be more updates on the festival soon.

Mr. Okra

There is a moving farmers market that goes by our house almost every day. It is a pickup truck driven by a man called Mr. Okra. He drives around the neighbourhood calling out his wares from a small PA system he has hooked up to his truck then if you want something he has just step outside your front door and purchase any fruits or vegetables you may need that he has that day. The prices are reasonable and he comes right to your door so that only thing you have to make sure you have is cash cause that's all he takes. Every day we hear " I have apples and oranges, okra and watermelon, I have cantaloupe and green peppers..." So after a while Chance started figuring it out and now that he is talking he is telling us all about it. In this video you can hear him talking about Mr. Okra (just okra) and him going by the house and making noise. Also, when he puts his hands up to his mouth that is him mocking the sound that Mr. Okra's voice makes when coming over the PA system.

He'll be 6 feet 3 inches

I was looking back and I can't believe I didn't post this but it looks like I didn't. Also, I could swear I took pictures of it but again I have checked my phone and camera and even had my Mom check her phone and camera but there aren't any pictures. So, this one is from the other day, see him putting those markers to good use (legs).
There is an old wives tale that if you measure a child when they are 2 1/2 years old then double it that is how tall your child will grow up to become. That being said my Mom did it with me and I was supposed to be 6'4'' and I am a solid 5'8'' so this might all be for fun but fun it is.
Well, when Chance was exactly 2 1/2 years old on June 21st we were at my Mom's house so we stood Chance against the wall to measure him. He was good standing still till we marked his height on the wall then helped hold the measuring tape up to get the right number. on June 21st 2009 Chance was 37 1/2 inches double that and you get approximately 6 feet and 3 inches. If he keeps growing the way he is I totally believe he will be that tall as an adult, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Scotts post

Today I am writing the post. Chance and Rayna are getting ready for nap time so i thougt I'd write a quick note. Today we went to city park and looked at the sculpture garden it was pretty cool, there were all kinds of cool art to look at. These two photos are of chance and rayna enjoying the art.

Mystery Box from Nana and Grandpa Von

We have been out sick for the last few days, actually we are still taking a sick day inside resting today but we are all feeling better and will probably be out and about tomorrow. Anyway, a few days ago we received a mystery package from Nana addressed to Chance. We had been told there was a box on it's way but none of us knew what was inside. As soon as we got the box in the house Chance asked us to open it. So, of course we did and what we found was very exciting. Inside was a new Batmobile, a lunch box and lots of cool art supplies. The first thing that caught Chance's eye was the Batmobile and he kept taking it to each of us asking us to open it while we inspected the rest of the contents of the box. Scott stepped in, freeing the Batmobile from its cardboard and plastic binding. Chance played with that Batmobile all day and even wanted to sleep with it at night but since it lights up and makes noise at the touch of a button he had to leave it on the shelf. After we let him know he could play with it in the morning he was ok with that though. There is no doubt that Chance really enjoys the Batmobile. yesterday we made some artwork with his new colored pencils and today we put the rest of the art supplies to good use making a thank you card for Nana and Grandpa Von and a Birthday card for Aunt Kristy (her birthday is 7/27). I am looking for an easy art project to use our new glue sticks, the first thing Chance did when he opened the first one was lick it. Which was funny but not really what they are meant for. Now we are enjoying the rest of our day resting and getting better. I can't wait till we all feel better, Since we have all been sick the last few days we have watched so much TV I can feel it rotting my brain. Can't wait to get back outdoors or to a store or anywhere really, hopefully tomorrow.

A full day

To start the day off we got up and out early to go to Gymrompers. We worked out a deal where we put their logo on our meetup group's homepage and they gave us a free class, its a win-win. Gymrompers is a room full of padding and things to climb on and jump off, there are slides and all kinds of cool little things to play on. The class was a lot of songs with puppets and bubbles and other things. The first half of the class Chance didn't really care at all about it, he was busy playing with all the new things then there was a 15 minute break of free play where everyone was playing, then we got back in a circle and played with a big parachute which was tons of fun and Chance really liked it, at first the kids sat on top and the parents pulled them around and then we all got underneath and sang a couple songs, Chance was a little more into it after that but the parachute was definitely his favorite part other than just playing. It was great to be able to take this class for free but it is a bit on the expensive side for what it is, especially if Chance isn't really into half of it. This picture is blurry but it is the only one of him I got since I forgot my camera at home. After Gymrompers we went shopping at Target, with a little faraway help from Nana and Grandpa Von we picked up some new socks for Chance and a kiddie pool (also mostly for Chance), then we came home for a nap. The first thing Chance asked about when he woke up was the pool so after an embarrassing amount of work to get the thing blown up* we headed outside for a swim. The Pool is pretty good size 5'3''x5'3'' square with a removable sun shade which works wonderfully. While the pool was filling up I gave Deedle a bath (not in the pool) and then I got in the pool with Chance. We were in the pool for over an hour just playing and having a good time. I forgot to bring out any tub toys so they are on my list for next time which will probably be in the next couple days. We dumped all the water out today because I want to lay some old towels down to make it a little softer underneath and so we don't put a hole in the bottom with anything sharp that might be on the ground so it will be even better next time.
Tomorrow we are cleaning then after nap Scott comes home!!
For those of you who check out my flickr photos I made a small change. You will still see all the photos on the first page starting with the newest at the top but now you will also see my sets at the right also listed most recent at the top. This way you can easily see the most recent additions grouped together. That should make it easier for finding the new stuff and knowing what was going on when the photos were taken. You can check that our here.

*so I opened the box and realized there was no way I was going to blow the whole pool up by hand or mouth as it were. So I pulled the air compressor that we carry in the car for flat tires out of the trunk and tried it but we have misplaced the adaptor kit so I couldn't get it to work. Then I pulled out my hair dryer set it to cool and using an adaptor (not the right one) proceeded to attempt blowing up the pool. It was working very very slowly. I continued to do this for about 10 minutes then whole time staring at a much bigger hole right next to the little one, this hole was intended to let the air out and so it took all that time to register that I could in fact put the air in that hole as well. Once I figured this out things went much faster and we were swimming in no time. this is just one of those things that make you feel slow to learn I always say that I am "slow not stupid" and this just proves it.

Chance Drive the Mini Car Too

So this one day we pulled up in front of the house and I was busy doing something probably talking on the phone so I couldn't hop out of the car right at that moment so after I fully stopped the car and we were parked I turned and let Chance out of his carseat. He immediately came up, sat in my lap and started driving the car. Now that he has so many words as soon as we pull up in front of the house he always says "Chance Drive the Mini Car Too" it has to be the cutest thing he says. He says it with such a little voice. Today I finally got him on camera saying it so here is that video. Again I am sorry that the video is turned the wrong way. I am sure there is a way to change that but I still don't know what that is (and don't anybody say hold the camera the other way when you take it, thank you) so turn your monitor or head to the side and enjoy.

Library Card

Guess who got his very own library card today?



You're right, it's Chance! Here he is showing it off in front of the library. On his first trip to the library with his own card he picked out Curious George and the Dump Truck, No More Dogs written by "Maria" from Sesame Street and the Disney movie Peter Pan. A very successful library trip, I think.

Forgot to add this

This photo is from the day we saw Thomas. Both Chance and Octavian were out cold within a few minutes after we left the show.

Thomas Live.

Do you know who this is?

This guy does

How about these trains, do you know them?

Again this little guy can help you with that.

For those of you who don't know the blue engine is Thomas and the green engine is Percy. Percy is Chance's favorite. Today we went to see Thomas the Tank Engine Live. I had received free tickets a while back in exchange for blogging about the show and we have been waiting for the show for months. Since Scott is in New York we took our playgroup friends Nancy and her son Octavian. We had great seats, the first row in the lower balcony just above the floor. Our four seats were separated from the other seats so we could pin the little guys in and they had seats/wall/railing and us blocking them in, it turns out though we didn't need all that protection, they were both angels. Since this is the first thing like this that we had taken either of the boys too we weren't sure how they would act but they were the best little boys we could have hoped for. Sitting in their seats and on our laps then occasionally standing at the rail they laughed and clapped and pointed whenever a new engine would come onto the stage. Chance was interested and totally engaged the whole time. As we left the building he asked to come back again. What he actually said was "in dark again Mommy?" During intermission (in a show for kids they should skip this part but oh well) I kept telling him we had to wait for it to get dark again (house lights down) then Thomas would come back which is why he kept asking for dark again. I told him he acted so nice that I would look to see what other kid shows were coming to town and maybe we could go, and I actually meant it, crazy.

The Firehouse

I was looking at the blog an noticed that I have forgotten to add something pretty cool that we did recently. We visited a fire house! The Playgroup in Metairie set up a trip to a local fire station so we tagged along. Chance immediately pointed at the fire trucks and wanted to touch them but first we went inside the building itself. We were able to see where they eat and cook (there was something cooking that smelled good) and where they lounge with big fluffy couches and a big screen TV. We saw their lockers and bedrooms and where they workout. One of the firemen dressed up in his gear and walked around. Chance was very interested, sitting on my lap and listening the whole time. When the fireman asked what you do if your clothes catch on fire Chance turned around and said "roll" to me but he wouldn't do it for the fireman. That's ok though as long as he knows what to do. Finally it was time to go out and look at the fire trucks. They opened all the doors and drawers and cubbies, revealing all the goodies inside. Chance liked looking at all of the different thing that the firetrucks carry with them, hoses and oxygen tanks and lots of tools. He really really liked when it was his turn to climb inside the firetruck as you can see from the first picture he did a little dance and jumped up and down. I never got a really good shot of him in front of the firetrucks because he kept following me whenever I would take a few steps back to get a wider shot. He definitely had a good time I think I will try to set up something like this for our group then maybe we can go again. At the end they gave everyone junior firemen hats (just like in his Corduroy book) and a coloring book. While we were at the fire station Chance did not want to try on his hat but once we got home he put it on and made lots of smiley faces for the camera.

Playdates, Playdates

This evening we went to a Kids Night Out playdate at a little place called the Milk Bar. It is a cute little place with snacks, shakes and sandwiches. We have been there before so I might have mentioned it, I'm just not sure. We had a good time and after a small time out for running down the hallway after I told him not too (he is getting up from his time out in this picture) Chance was very well behaved and had a good time drinking chocolate shake and eating muffin.
This second picture is of a little girl named Lilly, she has been a member of the group for a long time and the reason I am including it here is because Chance took this picture all by himself. He isn't the best with the camera but he sure likes to try and after all practice makes perfect.
A few days ago we went to another playdate at the library. There was a puppet show going on so we stayed to watch. Chance really liked the puppet show and really interacted with the characters one that he really picked up on was the ghost from and Argentinian folktale. He remembered that there is a ghost in one of his curious george books at home. After the show the puppeteer asked it he wanted to pet the tlacuache or opossum he said no but he was having a good time watching. Later we picked out some books and a curious george DVD and headed for home.

Jumping on Aunt Kristy Videos

These videos were taken in Florida. Chance likes to jump on the bed and on you if you are laying on it. Aunt Kristy was exposed to this a few weeks ago. From someone who has been jumped on these are hilarious. I love the last one where Kristy unwisely decided to take a phone call and because he wasn't getting all of her attention she really got jumped on. Enjoy.

At chuck e cheese

We are at Chuck E Cheese and Chance still loves the train. This time he puts in the token then runs around to the other side to watch it go around.

Fourth of July

I know it is late but here is the story of what we did for the fourth of July. Turns out New Orleans has the 5th biggest/best 4th of July fireworks display in the country so even though Scott was out of town I really wanted to go. We were thinking of going to the French Quarter but Essence Festival was also that weekend and with the prospect of all those people and having to walk back home in the dark alone or pay a lot of money for parking we decided to go to the other side of the river. We were told by people who had been there before to go early so we were there by 7:00pm. That was definitely early enough because there wasn't anyone else there. So got a great parking spot right at the bottom of the levee and played in the car for a while. This first picture is Chance standing in the car with his head out of the sunroof looking around. When people began to show up we walked up the levee where there is a paved walkway there we had plenty of room to set up Chance's little chair and a blanket for me to sit on, by complete luck we ran into one of the other Moms from our playgroup whose little girl, Haley is just two months younger than Chance. They had a good time running around while we waited for the fireworks to start. There were people setting off fireworks along the levee at first Chance was not happy about that but after he watched a few of them he started pointing at them and telling me what color they were. When the big fireworks started Chance sat on my lap and watched them, he wasn't scared at all. They were very pretty but over too soon, all that waiting and the fireworks were over in 15 minutes. We waited around a little while afterward to let the other people thin out and the traffic clear before we packed up and went back home. The second picture is us and Haley who liked to sit on my knee which Chance was nice about but the second she stood up he made sure he sat right where she had been.

Dresses himself

Ok that title leads you to believe something that isn't exacy true. Chance does help take his clothes off and put them on, I think he has the ability to do more if I would let him. But he has really started wanting to make choices about what he wears and unless we have somewhere really special to go we usually let him wear what he chooses. As you can see below he has two different shoes on.


Later in the day we put two of the black shoes on and went to the park. We all really enjoy sitting on the banks of the river watching the ships go by, Chance will sit there for a long time. People are always amazed when I tell them he will sit on the wall with his feet dangling over waiting for and watching the ship for an hour but he does, without running around or getting up at all. Just like this day we were here for over an hour and saw lots of big ships, barges and tugboats.



This morning we dropped Scott off at the airport. He is going to Cinncinatti and then on to New York in a few days. He will be gone for at least ten days, we have already been warned that he may have to stay longer. Just thinking about him being gone that long makes me crazy. We wont be able to go visit anyone this time so we will be staying here in NOLA by ourselves. It really makes me nervous to be here by ourselves for so long but we will probably survive.

Florida Recap

OK so I finally have solid working internet in the house and the a/c is working and I have a minute so I can update this blog properly. We spent a week in Florida week after last and I just wanted to share a few pictures of the things we did while we were there. They don't have fast internet so it is very hard to update while there, updates I did were with pictures taken with my phone which for a phone are really good but these are a few pictures that I took with my good digital camera while we were there too. In the morning Chance gets up first then we go in the living room, some mornings Grandma is already awake and that is the first thing (after Mommy of course) that Chance has to check. After Grandma is fully awake he goes in to wake up Grammy and this first picture is him rolling around on the bed waking Grammy up.
the next picture is Chance wearing Aunt Kristy's shoes. Aunt Kristy loves shoes, she has loved shoes for ever and Chance is just beginning to discover the joys of wearing other people's shoes around the house.
I don't remember where we were going for this third picture but this is Chance and Kristy in the backseat of my Mom's car.

These next few pictures were taken at the Caloosa Nature Center. They have a bunch of trails and animals that we thought Chance would like, turns out we were right he enjoyed looking at all the animals, snakes, fish, alligators, birds and an albino racoon that thought was a mouse, unfortunately I didn't get a good photo of it but being all white with a little pink nose, other than it's size it did look like a mouse.he says "fishies"

There is a video coming soon I just have to upload it that will take a little so check back.

Itsy Bitsy Yoga Star!!

One of the members of our meetup group has become a certified Itsy Bitsy Yoga instructor and as part of her certification she was required to give a session of classes for free. So she invited our group to take the classes while she was still learning. This was a lot of fun and Chance actually did some of the yoga poses. Actually I think i wrote about it here because we took the classes a month or so ago. Today, while we were at the Monkey Room we saw Yelena, the new instructor and she gave me one of the postcards she had made to advertise her Yoga classes. The pictures she used are ones that she took on the day we took the class with her. So if you look in the bottom Right you can see Chance standing up though his head is sort of cut off and me laying on the floor.