Our playgroup

Chance and I attended our first playdate with this group when Chance was just 6 months old. Over the last 5 years some of the faces have changed but there are a few that have been there with us from the beginning. One of those long term Moms is pregnant with her third child. We were able to snap this group shot when we were at her baby shower recently.

Hotel Demolished

The Grand Plaza Hotel on Canal Street was imploded this morning. It was a 17 story building and had been sitting empty and had been falling apart since Katrina so it was time to come down. Chance and I drove up to the other side of the Quarter then walked as close as we could get with a good view of part of the building. It's hard to hear it in the video but the rumbling started a few seconds before we could see any movement in the building. Then in just a few more seconds there was no longer a building at all. We were pretty far away when you look at the video but it was still a really cool thing to see.

Mud Island

One day while in Memphis we decided to make the trek over to Mud Island. We took the pedestrian bridge over from downtown which was just a few blocks from our hotel. It was really hot while we were out but we had a good time. On Mud Island there is a complete replica of the Mississippi River and Chance walked the whole thing. We rolled up his pant legs so he could walk in the "river" it started all the way up with the Ohio, Cumberland and Missouri rivers pouring their waters into the Mississippi. Then it follows the Mississippi River all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. With other tributaries entering the river at appropriate times and signs filling us in on history and other points of interest along the way. The thing was huge, it just kept going and going it took us an hour to get from top to bottom and we didn't even read all the signs. Chance wanted to stay longer but it was super hot and he did get to walk the whole river after all. Mud Island is definitely a cool thing to check out but maybe on a day that isn't so incredibly hot.

Chance's new color.

Chance doesn't like his new color. He was going for jet black and it came out this really neat blue color which everyone thinks is really cool looking except him so we will be putting some more black on top of it in a few days.

4th of July

This year we all went over to the westbank to watch the 4th of July fireworks. Evidently New Orleans' firework display has been voted the 5th best in the nation and it shows. There are two "dueling" barges which basically means there are two full on firework shows going on simultaneously on the river. We usually drive over to the westbank because it is easier to park and there is plenty of space. This year we went early and took some food to eat before the show started. We had a great time and the fireworks were spectacular. This picture is us just messing around before the show started.

Chance playing his little piano

Zoobilation

On Wednesday we went to Zoobilation with the playgroup. Zoobilation is a members only behind the scenes event that the zoo has once a year. It's a lot of fun because you get to see inside all the displays and they have all kinds of animals out to touch and hold and learn about.



Left to right the kids are: Karisa, Emmory and Chance.

After we picked a direction the kids were able to bounce in a bounce house then we went through the reptile house and after that we fed the giraffes. In the swamp area he was able to hold an opossum. It was pretty neat neither one of us had ever seen one up close before. He climbed up his arm and sat on his shoulder.

Chance and Octavian rocking out at Octavian's house.

Chance's drawing has gotten a lot better recently, it's like he just started caring about what he drew. It seems each time he sits down he draws something new. Here on the magna-doodle we have a guy stuck in a rain storm. Taking his cues from real life as it had been raining for days when he drew this.






















Also, we are still hard at work on our workbook pages and this one taught him how to draw an apple. With no help from me he followed the directions pretty well if I do say so myself. What do you think?

Birth Marks

Today Chance and I started talking about freckles, I have lots but he has very few and skin color, he tans and has a beautiful tan but I burn and so am much more pale. Which led us to a conversation about birth marks. I have one on the left side of my neck that is very similar to Chance's which is on the left side of his head by his temple. He didn't know he had one so I took this picture so he could see it and now all of you can too.