she's almost 6!

crazy, huh? we had a crazy fun party this past weekend. pictures coming soon!!!

La La La Lagniappe

I'm featured in a treasury!

Sooooo exciting!!!

too much help!?

It's obviously possible. Hazel was content feeding herself fish until these 2 decided to "help." She was less than enthused.

happy mardi gras y'all!

Better late than never, right!? This week last year we were in Monroe for Hazel's baby blessing, but this year we stayed around for all of the festivities! Mardi Gras has officially made it to my top 3 holidays. It more than just BEADS...I mean we definitely got our fare share of them. Just look at the boys and their beads from the Tuesday parades. The parades actually start like a month before, but most are the week of. Orum thought he was so cool because he got a giant necklace and a fleur de lis necklace!

It's beautiful FLOATS...that are adorned with real gold! I love the beads dripping from the trees and all the people with their hands up yelling, "throw me something mister!"
LADDER SEATS--which Hazel decided made a good bed. She actually slept sitting up in it through the loudest parade ever the night before! I painted ours metallic gold with a black fleur de lis on the back. I'm thinking about covering it all in beads for next year.

That's our church in the left corner--so convenient for parking and for setting up camp! We had such a great "little" spot! Little--as in the size of 2 tarps. We had a table with the food, a little picnic table for the children, camping chairs surrounding the perimeter and our ladders along the street. I will take the credit for claiming the spot, but Orum and a couple of his friends camped out after Monday night's parades to keep it for Tuesday's. Personally, I think it would have been just fine unmanned, but they insisted.

It's GOLD STRETCHY PANTS! Lora's costume was very low key. I didn't take any pictures of the ones I saw, but I should have! People walk along the streets between the parades, but I wasn't fast enough to

It's KING CAKE BABIES! Only Elijah would And SHOES! My favorite krewe, MUSES, is all women. Their coveted throw is a shoe! I caught the saints one last year, and a lady threw the LSU one to Renée this year! It needs another coat or two of glitter, but she was SO excited! She was holding up a little shoe while yelling for one. A lady saw her and reached down to get this little one just for her! They all decorate and throw their own. I'm sure she was saving it for the cutest little girl she saw :)oh, and then there's HATS! Yes, that's right...Reggie Bush threw me a signed super bowl hat! Elijah was NOT happy that I wouldn't let him have it. I know, mean mom. I'm putting it with the beads that Drew threw me the week before :) I guess the players were just drawn to our saints ladder seat!And to get all that...we had to get all this too...ahhhh...the junk. Now to make it all disappear.If only it were as easy as cleaning the streets...unfortunately there are 3 little pairs of hands that keep claiming stuff as theirs. Stuff that they must have because it's their favorite. and they can't live without it.

The streets are insane...they are littered with beads and trash and who knows what else, but in a matter of a couple of hours they are clean again!

I LOVE MARDI GRAS! :)

our valentines...

I may have gone a little overboard this year. Orum says that I spent WAY too much time on something for kids who just want the candy, but my kids were VERY excited about them. Hopefully their friends were too.

Both of their classes had Chineese New Year celebrations, so I thought take-out boxes and felt fortune cookies were a must! I made Elijah's first...his teachers wanted them 4 days before the party. can we say ocd?! After taking his 18 boxes apart, sewing the heart, and reassembling them, Renée's 12 boxes just got a label. It was pink. She loved it. Hopefully, making them for 3 classes won't lead me to the vday aisle at walgreens!