Betsy and Sadie

Um, hello...

2011-12-07T08:56:00.004-06:00

So I obviously have totally dropped the ball with my blog, and I am super sad about it. It started going downhill when my sweet, precious SLR camera died in July during the cousin beach trip. I lost my inspiration. I now have a delightful new SLR, and I intend to use it. I have also become very lazy about just taking pics with my iPhone. I intend to play catch up during the next couple of weeks so hopefully I will get July and August up soon. I feel so guilty about neglecting my blog that I no longer read any of my friends' blogs. It's a problem. So anyway....

The girls are so sweet and getting so big. I need to document all of the adorable things they are doing.

Last Day of Camp

2011-07-15T20:00:00.001-05:00

Betsy wasn't too thrilled about having her photo taken on the last day of Camp. Sadie was looking adorable in her outfit for her Tea Party. As Camp ended the hodge podge of the rest of the summer soon began.

Haircuts

2011-07-14T21:30:00.002-05:00

The girls went to see Charlotte and went from this:

To this:

Pretty darn cute, huh??? I didn't think they would want to go that short, but they told Charlotte that they wanted hair like Lucy and the Nolan girls. Charlotte was like, "Uh, I need a little help here." So the girls have the Lucy/Nolan 'do!

End of Camp Talent Show

2011-07-14T20:30:00.002-05:00

Betsy and her pals performed a truly amazing dance to "Mardi Gras Mambo" at the End of Camp Talent Show. Their moves were incredible and my girl was quite proud of herself!

Welcome to the World, Oliver!

2011-07-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

Oliver Sanford Nichols was born on July 5. He is absolutely adorable!

Happy Birthday, Tim!

2011-07-03T21:59:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Tim's birthday with a lovely dinner at Marme's house. The girls ran around like maniacs and feasted on a yummy Chantilly cake. Happy Birthday, Tim!

Happy Birthday, Pa!

2011-07-02T21:00:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Pa's 90th birthday at the Camp. We had a fabulous time and feasted on spaghetti, eggplant, and tons of dips courtesy of our wonderful family. It was such a great day. Love you, Pa!

Welcome Back and Happy Bday, Bobby!

2011-07-01T21:51:00.001-05:00

We had a great visit with Bobby this summer. We celebrated his and Katie's birthdays at Tuesday night dinner. Bobby taught us the coolest party trick--the raising the chair with 2 fingers trick--we thought there was no way it would work, but it did! We always enjoy our time with Bobby; we just wish we got to see him more!

Happy Belated Bday, Katie!

2011-07-01T20:49:00.001-05:00

Katie celebrated turning thirty on June 24! Happy Birthday, sister! To celebrate while she was out of town the Carvilles, Marme, the girls, and I descended upon Casa Ascan and had breakfast. Marme was actually house sitting so it wasn't as strange as it sounds. The girls had to look precious and pose.

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Children's Museum

2011-07-01T20:30:00.002-05:00

We let our membership to the Children's Museum lapse after I went back to work, because we weren't going very often. Betsy went to the Museum with Camp and she was hooked. We rejoined and the spent the day there recently. The girls were in heaven. The Carvilles met us there and joined too so I'm sure we'll have lots of family double dates there!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-07-01T20:15:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day (very late I know)to Peter, Gumbo, Grandpa, and all of the other papas out there!

Baking with My Girls

2011-07-01T20:00:00.001-05:00

The girls love to bake and decorate baked goods.

Here are our cookies that were made with lots of frozen Easter candy:

We made cupcakes and used the super awesome Kuhn Rikon decorating kit I scored at TJ's. It was all fun and games until I let my sweet Say pour on sprinkles herself and asked her to do it slowly. She dumped the whole bottle and they were these tiny, white balls that bounced...everywhere. They went under the sofa, behind the entertainment center, and into the little spaces in our wooden floors. I had to laugh, because it was just so crazy and I knew it would take forever to clean them up---and it did.

Quiz Masters

2011-06-30T08:00:00.007-05:00

The girls love to ask questions--all of the time. It's pretty cute. Betsy is also a "corrector beptor," which is what my sisters and I call someone who corrects people all of the time. Don't ask where beptor came from. They also say super cute stuff all of the time.

Here are some gems:

Sadie was asking me a bunch of questions so I asked, "Why are you asking me so many questions?" She said, "Because I'm just a yittle kid."

The girls made a craft after camp and sadie said she wanted to bring it to dinner at Jama's because she made it for Jama. Betsy looked concerned then looked at me and I looked at them not knowing quite what to say and Betsy put her hand on Sadie's arm and said, "Jama is in heaven." Sadie said, "But this is for Jama and I want to bring it." So she brought it and asked me to keep in my purse. Even though Sadie was only 15 months when Jama passed away she still remembers her! :)

Betsy--"Which is further away--heaven or Mars?" I had never thought about that as a child. I told her I thought heaven was further away. B got upset and said, "But I'm not ready to go to heaven!!!" I told her that it wouldn't be for a long, long time. B said, "But, Mommy, you keep saying I am growing up so fast!" The other day I said, "Oh, my back is stiff. I am getting old." Betsy said, "What, Mommy? Getting old??? You know what that means!" My little girl is so afraid of death.

Betsy said, "When I grow up I want to be a mommy and a teacher." Sadie said, "I want to be a mommy and I want to drive." Literally every time we get in the car Sadie asks me if she can drive then laughs hysterically then asks if when she is a mommy she can drive. I always her that she can. Betsy told Sadie that when she becomes a mommy she has to move out and live in her house with her own family. Sadie looked terrified and said she never wanted us to not live together. She said, "Mommy, Daddy, Betsy, and Sadie in the house together all the time."

B asked me how old Jesus was. I had to think, because I know He died, then rose again so I can't tell her that He died. I changed the subject.

Betsy cried the other day while she was drawing because she couldn't get the color of the sunset in her drawing quite right. She is very critical of herself and her artwork. She wants everything to be perfect. Wonder where she gets that from--my motto is, after all, everything must be perfect. It's sort of a joke, but sort of not. I told her that things don't always have to be perfect, but she told me it's just so much better when they are. She is me. It.is.scary. She loves to sing and ham it up and make up rhymes.

My girls do and say wonderful things every day. I just have to remember them all!!!

Summer

2011-06-22T21:45:00.002-05:00

Our summer is going well so far. Summer is such a hodge podge of camps and sitters and favors from family. After school ended the girls had a horrible virus that caused them to have a bunch of sores in their mouth. It was awful--they couldn't eat or talk and just cried. On top of that I was sick with a throat/cough thing. It was beyond rough.

The girls are loving camp. Betsy has gone on bunches of field trips and there are so many fabulous activities. Sadie is happy swimming in the baby pools and doing art projects.

Sadie isn't potty trained. Yes, she is 3. My girls are tough to potty train. We are working so hard. We almost have #1 down, but #2 on the other hand... Sadie also doesn't like to potty at school and she has been holding it all day, but she did pee pee at Jama's last night and at school yesterday (while I was there) so we are making progress. She has to be potty trained to start Nursery in two months. I am so anxious about it. Sadie gets very upset when she has an accident. I hope we get through this soon.

Toledo Bend

2011-06-22T20:45:00.008-05:00

Earlier this month we spent the weekend in Toledo Bend with Momma Lady, Grandpa, the Nichols family, Maggie, and Phil. We stayed in a cabin with an awesome porch full of rocking chairs. The cabin overlooked a pond where everyone fished--B even caught two fish! We swam, roasted marshmallows, ate homemade ice cream, and had an absolute blast. The kids had so much fun playing together and making up songs and dances. It was a very memorable weekend.

Photo Book--Disney World 2011

2011-06-22T10:45:00.002-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Memorial Day

2011-06-20T12:15:00.005-05:00

On Memorial Day we had a family get together with Gumbo, Marme, Tim, Bee, the Carvilles, and the Ascanis. My husband prepared fancy burgers and everyone brought delicious things. The little girls swam in our baby pool and played on the see-saw. It was a super great day!

In the first photo B is holding a book that Katie made for her. It is so sweet and full of precious pics of B with even more precious captions. She made it because recently Betsy told Peter and I that she is not pretty and that she knows it because she looks in the mirror and looks at pictures of herself. I was floored. Why on earth would she think that? I told her that she is very pretty and smart and sweet. She mentioned it again a couple more times so Katie made her the book. She honestly hasn't mentioned not being pretty since then. I didn't think that this type of stuff would start this early. Ugh.

Friday Night

2011-06-17T20:51:00.003-05:00

Watching 'The Sound of Music' with my girls after dinner at Rum House and dessert at Sucre. Perfect Friday night.

Swim Club

2011-06-17T17:30:00.002-05:00

Last year the girls took swimming lessons. It was pretty much a disaster. This summer Gumbo treated the girls to lessons at Love Swimming. Everyone says that Love is the best place to learn to swim. My girls hate even being splashed in the tub, so we need the best. We decided not to call it swimming lessons, because Betsy still talks about how much she hated swimming lessons at the JCC last summer. So I decided to call it Swim Club. Lawson is taking lessons with them, which they love. The first class went surprisingly well. At first the girls were a bit whiny and apprehensive, but they eventually loved it. At the end of class Betsy said, "Do they teach swimming lessons here?" I said, "Uh, I don't know..." They have talked about swim club nonstop and today was Class #2. Sadie was upset at first, but she ended up having fun. Here's to Swim Club!!!

Slumber Party

2011-06-17T08:15:00.001-05:00

Lawson spent the night for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Calli watched all 4 girls while Attie, Katie, and I went to dinner and to see 'Bridesmaids' (HILARIOUS)with two of the Stoulig sisters and the boys ate steaks. They slept very well and in the morning I brought the little girls to Uncle Tommy's for checkups. Then we met up with Attie and Penny and did various errands and ate lunch. And Sadie pee peed on the potty at the restaurant. It was the first time!!! Things are going better and she is telling us when she has to go, but my poor girl suffers from stage fright and afraid to potty at camp. Oy.

Slumber party girls:

Party Time

2011-06-17T08:00:00.009-05:00

We recently had a big time party weekend. We had 4 parties in one weekend. Fun times!

Our first party was at the Cool Zoo, which is super awesome. The girls were timid at first, but they ended up loving it.

After the party we went to Bayou Bogaloo with B's pal Stella and her momma, Jaime.

The Carvilles had us over for supper and the girls had a princess party and super fun bath!

The Sound of Music

2011-06-06T08:15:00.003-05:00

Gumbo gave the girls two CDs--one of them was "The Sound of Music" CD. I LOVE "The Sound of Music"--everything about it. I popped in the CD on Saturday when I was in the car with the girls. As soon as the CD started playing I started crying. I was sobbing and couldn't stop. We were on the interstate near the exit for my grandparents' house. "The Sound of Music" reminds me so much of my Jama. We would watch the movie together when I was a little girl. Attie and I loved it and Jama (and Pa) were so sweet and patient and would let us watch it on the Betamax every time we came over and Jama would sing with us. These memories are so special to me. Attie and I would have sleepovers at Jama and Pa's house and Saturday night dinner was pizza AND hamburgers--yes, both. It was a dream. Then we would have orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream (K&B vanilla ice cream--the best ever) mixed together. We loved watching "The Mandrell Sisters," "The Love Boat," and "Fantasy Island." Sometimes "Fantasy Island" was super scary. As we got older we would watch "SNL" too. On Sundays we would have ham grits for breakfast (always making sure to eat from the outside first so as not to burn our tongues) then go to mass at St. Pius then to City Park for Storyland and a picnic (tuna fish sandwiches usually). We loved riding over the "tickle bridges" in City Park. Jama and Pa always read us Dr. Seuss books before bed. Taddy sweetly let us sleep in her bed when we spent the night. The weekend was always full of board games and stories and songs and they were perfect weekends. I am so happy to have these memories.

I miss you, my Jama. I love you so much and I think about you daily. I use Jama-isms often ("let Betsy worry about Betsy and Sadie worry about Sadie" and "no one gets seconds until everyone gets firsts!"). My girls talk about their Jama to me all of the time and we love to remember you.

Sadie's Party #4 at the Carousel

2011-05-31T21:44:00.002-05:00

Sadie's 4th and final birthday party took place at the City Park Carousel. Although B's third birthday at the Carousel was a bummer since she couldn't be there, we tried a party there again. Luckily Sadie was healthy, the weather was beautiful, and we had a great turn out. The cake was amazing as usual and the carousel horse cookies were perfect (thank you, Momma Lady and Grandpa!). Sadie was all about Peter A and wanted him to hold her the whole time. When I picked her up and brought her to the cake table she may have said to me, "I don't want you." But I know I am not nearly as much fun as Uncle Peter! :) She blew out the candles and loved her cake and she loved seeing her family and friends. It was a great party!

Sadie's Party #3 at Jama's

2011-05-31T20:00:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Sadie and Calli's birthdays at Jama's. Sadie specially requested gumbo and instead of a cake she wanted a chocolate mouse. Thanks to everyone for her fabulous presents!

The Beach/ Sadie's Party #2/Mother's Day

2011-05-28T21:15:00.001-05:00

On the night before Sadie's birthday the girls and I headed for the beach with Marme, Attie, Katie, Lawson, and Penny. We grabbed PJ's for the road and got there without stopping once! The condo was very nice and we unpacked the car and crashed. The next morning we went to the beach and stayed there all day. Peter and Beau came in town in the afternoon with lots of groceries. Thanks, boys! We ordered pizza from Lillian's (yum) and celebrated Sadie's birthday with Bee Sweet Cupcakes. Saturday was a full beach day and the boys cooked a fabulous taco dinner on Saturday night. The next day was Mother's Day and the ladies hopped in one car and the boys took the little ones home. We shopped till we dropped. The boys were home by 2 and we didn't get home till 8. It was a great trip and we hope to do it every year!

We asked Betsy what she was doing and she said, "Relaxing."

The Grump:

Sadie's Bday Party #1 at Bee's

2011-05-09T21:00:00.004-05:00

After the Zephyrs game we went to Bee's house to celebrate Sadie's birthday. We ate a delicious dinner and Sadie just loved her chocolate (her favorite) and hot pink cake! Thanks, Bee and Gumbo!

Baseball Game

2011-05-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

On May 1, the ASH Nursery class sang the National Anthem at the Zephyrs baseball game. The girls practiced at the field and they were ready on game day. They did a fantastic job despite the sweltering heat! Go, girls! We were so proud of our Betsy. Thanks to all of the family who came out to support her!

Happy Birthday, Sadie!

2011-05-06T20:00:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday, little Sadie. You are getting so big. You love your big sister so much and if she leaves your site you quickly run up to us and ask, "Where Betsy?" And every week day after school you ask, "Where Daddy?" dozens of times until your Daddy gets home. You are such a good momma to your baby dolls and your panda bear. When you tell me "you are my best friend" it makes me want to cry. You love to tell Mommy and Daddy "I love you sooo much." You say "pee-cawz" for "because" and it's the cutest thing ever. You say "yittle" (little) and "jank you" (thank you). You love to eat plain spaghetti, plain rice, broccoli, feta cheese, bread, blueberry muffins, and you are starting to like salad "cuz it's like a leaf" and cucumbers. Whenever you mention Lawson's name she says, "Lawson my cousin." Your hair is super blonde and it's getting long. You love to help me cook and help me unload the dishwasher. You love playing with the magnets on the fridge. You like your bed stuffed with books and dolls and "sleepy animals" every night. You love to be held even though you are a big three year old. I'll never forget three year old you, Sadie Boo. We love you so so much.

Post-Twirl Pics

2011-04-29T21:00:00.006-05:00

Every time I go to the Quarter I am awed by how amazing it is. It was a gorgeous day and the girls had so much fun running around Jackson Square. We walked around then had lunch at our fave Maspero's. We definitely need to go down there more often.

A curtsey--why not?

Twirl

2011-04-28T22:30:00.006-05:00

Our family was photographed by Jennifer Zdon of Twirl Photography. She is a fabulous photographer and her shots are fresh and creative. I am so pleased with how the photos came out!

Easter

2011-04-28T22:15:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter. Betsy was very excited about the Easter Bunny so she drew a beautiful picture for him and left it with his carrots and water. The girls were thrilled with their baskets. Marme and Tim hosted a delicious Easter breakfast and the little girls had so much fun together. After breakfast we went to Vacherie for the day. The girls were spoiled rotten and they loved every minute of it! :)

Babin Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-28T22:00:00.002-05:00

Uncle Tommy hosted the annual Babin Easter Saturday Crawfish Boil. We had fabulous food and fabulous family time. The girls are now expert Easter egg hunters. Thanks for hosting, Tommy!

Playgroup Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-28T21:00:00.004-05:00

We gathered with playgroup for an Easter Egg Hunt at Wisner Park. The kiddos are getting so big--we surprisingly snapped a few pics of all of them together. There was lots of cupcake and cookie eating, running around, and hunting for melted chocolate Easter eggs (it was super hot and sunny even at 9:00 a.m.!). It was a great morning and it was so much fun to catch up with our pals!

Mary Beth's Birthday

2011-04-28T20:45:00.002-05:00

Momma Lady and Grandpa hosted a fabulous birthday party for Mary Beth on Palm Sunday. The kids dyed Easter eggs and had an Easter egg hunt. It was a beautiful and super fun day!

Salvo's

2011-04-26T20:00:00.003-05:00

We headed down to Salvo's for a seafood fest on a Friday during lent. Sadie decided to pose for me outside while we were waiting. Everyone left full and happy.

Happy 1st Birthday, Penny!

2011-04-25T22:40:00.000-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday, Penny Pie! We love you soooooo much!!!

Happy Birthday, Lawson!

2011-04-25T22:31:00.000-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday, Lawson!!! We had so much fun at your parties!!!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T20:23:00.002-05:00

Enjoy this Easter song by the one and only Betsy Bourgeois!

FQF and Double Family Date

2011-04-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

I have caught up--finally! Yesssss! Last weekend we went to French Quarter Fest. It was very, very hot and very, very crowded. After B had her face painted and the girls ate snowballs we met up with Momma Lady and Grandpa. My girls wanted to get out of the heat and go to the Aquarium where they played like crazy. Later that night we went on a family double date with the Hopkins family. Betsy and Stella are classmates/super buds. We had pizza at New York Pizza then Italian Ice at Repicci's. The girls all crammed into the Hopkins' wagon for pics. Fun day/night!

Marme's Party

2011-04-13T12:25:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from Marme's birthday dinner at Katie's house. Check out the Martha-ness. The food was delicious--fried hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, and fresh water mozzarella with a tomato and mozzarella salad and meatballs and spaghetti. Yummers!

Backyard Picnic

2011-04-13T12:20:00.001-05:00

Peter recently made a delightful dinner and we ate it in our backyard. The weather was perfect and the food was delicious. Our little Sadie rode her bike all around and they both sidewalk chalked the fence. We have planted grass in our poor little yard twice and for some reason it ends up looking like this. We obviously need to figure something else out to do with it. The light was awesome so I took 10000 pics...as usual.

My dinner--barley with carrots, mushrooms, and onions, brussels sprouts, and a portabello mushroom. They had the same, but with steak instead. Yummmm!

Brownie Cupcakes

2011-04-13T12:15:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago the girls and I made brownie cupcakes. I had never made them before so I wasn't sure how they would turn out. The girls wanted lots and lots of sprinkles in them as you can see. They turned out to be pretty good even though we used the low-fat recipe.

Last Day

2011-04-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

On our last day we headed to Epcot to the Princess Breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in "Norway." The princesses were all there. Sadie was my little clingy spider monkey and didn't want to have her picture taken with Belle so I had to jump in the pic. Betsy and Lawson loved the Princess Promenade; Sadie and Penny observed from the table. The food was the best we had at Disney--delicious fresh fruit, bagels, cheeses, potatoes, and various meats for the boys and the kids.

Our trip was packed full of fun and it was a trip we will never forget!!!

Monorail:

Day 4

2011-04-13T08:10:00.000-05:00

These girls were wiped out after Day 3. We went to the Magic Kingdom in the morning and caught a really cool show at Cinderella's castle. Next we rode Dumbo, which was a very special ride for Attie and me. We will never forget our first trip to Disney World when I was 6 and she was 4 and we rode Dumbo...and Dumbo didn't fly. We just spun around at ground level and my Dad kept telling my Mom to press the button and she kept saying that she was. We love that story! So we took full advantage of Dumbo's flying ability this time--Betsy and I went up and down bunches of times. Later on we met up with Betsy's buddy Lindsay and her family. Betsy was thrilled to see her because she had been talking about her the entire trip. We rode Peter Pan with her and they held hands and sang and generally acted adorably. Later on we found Betsy's favorite ride (and perhaps the lamest ride at Disney World--that's not mean, it's true), The Peoplemover. To get on the Peoplemover you ride up a flat escalator of sorts then you enter slow moving carts and basically tour Tomorrow Land. Betsy thought it was the coolest and rode it FOUR times! Sadie and I rode it twice with B and P then while Sadie and I watched the night time parade B and P rode it two more times. Wow.

Day 3

2011-04-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

Day 3 started off as a rainy, yucky day. Luckily we had breakfast scheduled at Chef Mickey's, which was in our hotel. Both girls liked the characters there a lot. It took Sadie a minute or two to warm up, but once she did she really had fun. Notice the girls' adorable matching dresses--Attie found them on Etsy--too cute! After breakfast P took B to the arcade in the hotel and S and I went to the gift shop. After some rest time at the hotel we decided to venture out to the Magic Kingdom. It was a little bit cool and cloudy, but at least it wasn't raining. After lunch and a few rides we headed out to Animal Kingdom to meet the Carveys. We caught a parade then rode the Kilamanjaro Safari ride (super cool/ the animals were so close to us) and saw a Lion King show then a Finding Nemo show. Attie and I rode the super scary Expedition Everest roller coaster. We had dinner at Rainforest Cafe, which was super crazy but the kids loved it. It was another fun and full day.

Margaritaville and Hollywood Studios

2011-04-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

Here is something I did not know about the Magic Kingdom--it is dry. There is no alcohol to be found. After Mardi Gras-ing it for a week or so one might think that a bit of alcohol-free fun would be in order. Not so. After Disneying for a drink we needed some drinks in a major way! So we headed to Epcot and made a beeline for Mexico. The margaritas outside of Mexico were OK, but we found the real deal in this scary little place in Mexico. We felt like we were in a real Mexican village and acted as those hanging out in the village may act. We hung out in an alley and had our fill of margaritas.

Next we headed to Hollywood Studios, which was super cool. The girls LOVED Playhouse Disney Live, because their current obsessions Jake and the Neverland Pirates were there. They also saw Mickey and crew. We saw a Little Mermaid play and Attie and I rode the Tower of Terror, which was truly terrifying.

Cinderella's Round Table Lunch

2011-04-07T08:15:00.002-05:00

The main event on Day 2 was lunch at Cinderella's Round Table. Luckily we were able to sit next to the Carveys (we call the Carvilles the Carveys and they call us the Bougies--we and they = just really Attie and me). Betsy, Lawson, and Penny were so excited to see the princesses. Sadie couldn't be bothered--she just wanted to eat bread.

Day 2

2011-04-07T08:10:00.001-05:00

We spent Day 1 at the Magic Kingdom. We spent most of Day 2 at the Magic Kingdom, but we had to make a little trip to Epcot. See the next post.

Happy Mardi Gras--Disney Style!

2011-04-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

On Mardi Gras morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to head to the airport for our magical trip to Disney World. The girls were very excited about their first airplane ride, but we went through my stash of coloring books, books, and toys very quickly. They were ready to get there. We stayed at the Contemporary, which was super convenient because the monorail ran right through it. Our room was comfortable and we had a view of the bay. There was a cool light show in the bay every night at 10--my sleepless Sadie saw it twice. Once we made it to the Magic Kingdom I was frankly a bit overwhelmed. I am a control freak as most people know. At Disney you have to relinquish control and that's not my thing. It took us a few days to figure out the meal plan and the best routes, but by the second to last day we finally figured it out. It was a great trip albeit a hectic one. Having the Carvilles there made it even more fun and it was so cute to see all of the girls falling in love with Disney World together. The girls can't wait to go back.

Waiting for the parade, which may have been in Betsy's top three favorite things at Disney World. She was so excited to see the characters and beamed the entire time the parade passed. I thought they might have been paraded out, but all of the girls were super psyched.

Sweet

Sorta scary

It's a Small World

It's a Small World was Sadie's favorite ride because it was not one bit scary. She cried and clung to me on the Peter Pan ride, the Pirates of the Carribean ride, and the Snow White ride was the scariest--it really was scary--I guess the fact that it was called 'Snow White's Scary Adventures' should have tipped us off.

The Purple Party

2011-04-06T20:00:00.001-05:00

The Carvilles hosted their annual Krewe of Carville party. This year it was a Purple Party. Attie pulled a Martha and the house looked amazing. My sisters are quite the party decorators. The party was meant to be Lawson's 3rd birthday party and Penny's 1st, but little Pen was sick and couldn't be there. We missed our Penny, but we knew she would want us to party so we partied away! The Stones came in town for the day--we were so excited to see them and we hope they come back next year. The day started off chilly, but it warmed up and was a beautiful day. The party was perfection as usual!

Party girls pre-party

The fabulous purple dessert table

Here Lawson is finding out that she is going to Disney World the next day!

Camille and Betsy

Citadel Boys

Here we are on Julie and Christian's porch post-Thoth, pre-Bacchus

Bacchus Time--still having fun 10 hours later!

Happy Birthday, Marme!

2011-04-04T12:00:00.005-05:00

The sisters and I celebrated Marme's birthday last weekend at Beau Rivage. We had so much fun! We played the slots, ate dinner at Jia, and had coffee and breakfast in our room on Sunday then we hit some Gulfport shops on our way out of town. Tonight we are celebrating at Katie's house for dinner.

I love you, Mom. Thank you for teaching me how to be a mother. My girls love spending time with their Marme so much.

Here is a crazy old photo of Marme and me that I just came across. Love it!

Krewe of Smocks

2011-04-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Betsy, Sadie, and Lawson starred in the Krewe of Smocks at school. Sadie was a little apprehensive, but Betsy was super psyched to hand out to hand out her throws (thanks for the throws, Gumbo!).

Scarster

2011-04-03T21:42:00.004-05:00

My dear, dear friend Scarlet came in town the week before Mardi Gras to visit. We had such an amazing time!!! Scarlet, Julie, and I spent lots of quality time together at Dominique's, Bouligny, Cure, and the parades. Scarlet hadn't been to a parade before so it was so much fun watching her watch the parades. We had an absolute blast and the girls loved spending time with Scarlet. We love you, Scarlet--and we can't wait for you to come back to see us!!!

It's a quarter after one... (That's for you, Scar!)

Carnival Time

2011-04-03T21:30:00.005-05:00

I love living Uptown generally. I love being able to walk everywhere and there are so many yummy restaurants, cool coffee shops, and awesome bars within walking distance. And we love walking to the Zoo, the new playground around the corner, the Park, and my sisters' houses. But I looooove living Uptown during Mardi Gras time. It's so nice to walk to parades and we usually make it to every parade.

Pics from the weekend before the "big" weekend:

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

2011-04-03T21:25:00.000-05:00

Cute Girls

2011-04-03T21:21:00.004-05:00

Here are some shots of my girls posing away. Betsy is very, very inquisitive and asks random questions all of the time. Today she asked me why squirrels store nuts for the winter. The girls like to play kitchen together and dress up and draw. They are obsessed with 'Jake and the Neverland Pirates' on Disney. Obsessed. Now that it's warm they want to be outside 24 hours a day.

Here are the pics...from February...

Here is Sadie making a face like Gumbo makes:

Katie's Super Fantastic Pre-Valentine's Day Cookie Decorating Party

2011-04-03T21:10:00.005-05:00

It looked like something out of the pages of Mawtha. Katie done good--real good. The girls had a blast decorating and snacking on delicious treats. Thanks, Katie!

Carville Day

2011-04-03T21:00:00.008-05:00

Back in February (I know, so much for my resolution to keep the blog current...) we spent a fun-filled day with the Carvilles and we took some precious pics as you can see.

Quick Update

2011-03-15T08:53:00.002-05:00

So much has been going on lately so I have had no time to post! In a nutshell we had an awesome Mardi Gras, a super delightful visit from Scarlet, a magical trip to Disney World, and two cases of strep (Betsy) and two sinus infections (Sadie). Oy! Will update with pics soon!

Stone and Putnam Fun

2011-02-13T21:10:00.001-06:00

After the party we visited the Stones and Hal. We had never met precious baby Ollie--he gave me a major case of baby fever! The girls played with Camille and Andrew. They were so good and we were able to chat for a long time. It was so good to see everyone! After we left and got on the road the girls announced that they were hungry. I didn't realize it was 6:00 so we stopped at DeAngelo's in Prairieville. I was a DA fiend in law school. It was so yummy and the girls loved it. Sadie ate half of my salad (a first!) and half of my calzone while B ate her spaghetti and meatballs. The girls were so good on the road. I am ready to do it again!

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

2011-02-13T21:05:00.002-06:00

The girls and I drove to Baton Rouge last weekend for Patrick's third birthday party at Bouncin' Tigers. Peter was preparing for a jury trial so he couldn't make it. Last year the girls were apprehensive about jumping in the bounce houses at Bouncin' Tigers, but this year they climbed on everything and Betsy said, "It's much more fun when you play on the stuff!" Uh, yeah. The girls munched on goldfish, cheetohs, ice cream, and cake. They played with their cousins and climbed on their Aunt Bridget, Uncle Brian, and grandparents. It was a great party!

Last month we drove to BR for Charlie's birthday, but I forgot my camera. But I want to give a birthday shout out to Charlie!!!

My Girls

2011-02-07T12:00:00.002-06:00

Here's a rundown of what the girls have been saying lately and a couple of pics.

Betsy

--"Mommy, I will never tell you that I don't love you." Um, thanks???
--"I want to eat healthy--no more candy or cookies. Are wheat thins healthy? Then I want wheat thins for dessert." The next morning--"This morning I want a healthy breakfast." She gets a healthy breakfast pretty much every day, but anyway... I told her I was making oatmeal. She asked, "Is that healthy?" I told her it was. Then she said, "I want a healthy lunch. Is a turkey sandwich healthy? yogurt? milk?" Oy!!! This weekend she wanted to eat a cookie and I said, "What about eating healthy?" She said, "I don't have to because my tummy doesn't hurt anymore" OK.
--One day last week after work I put on some black comfy pants. B said, "Are those Pajama Jeans?" I said, "Uh, no." She felt them and said, "They are soft like Pajama Jeans." I said, "Well, they are not." She said, "Then they will leave a mark on your belly!" In the Pajama Jeans commercial the announcer points out that regular pants can leave a mark on your belly, but not Pajama Jeans. Betsy has seen this commercial while watching her current favorite cartoon--G.I. Joe. She LOVES it. P loved it in the 1980s and B loves it now, but there are commercials and they are awful. B is obsessed with every 'As Seen on TV' piece of junk out there now.
--Here's a video of B singing the G.I. Joe theme song:

Sadie
--"Don't do dat, Mama, dat's dangerous." I can't remember what I was doing, but it definitely wasn't dangerous.
--Sadie is still in love with all of her dolls and prefers to be holding one at all times. The other day she was putting toys on top of her baby then told me, "I'm protectin' her."

Welcome Back, Gumbo!

2011-02-06T22:20:00.000-06:00

Gumbo spent a week in Nicaragua with a group administering dental and medical care to those in need. We missed him while he was gone, but we are so proud of him! Bee invited us to a welcome home dinner at Sukho Thai. Sukho Thai is right down Magazine--have I mentioned how much I love walking to restaurants? It's my favorite thing about living uptown. We had picked up from there, but we had never eaten there. The food was great and the company was even better. There was a little jazz band playing in the front and Bee and B boogied down before we left.

Double Date with the Saunders Family

2011-02-06T21:30:00.011-06:00

Last weekend we met the Sanders family (plus a Martina) for a day of fun. First we hit the Zoo then Rum House for lunch then dessert at Sucre. Sadie was very shy in the beginning of the day so she missed out on being in the group shots. By the time we got to Rum House she was chatting away. Betsy spent every Tuesday with Lauren (and later Ryan) for the first two years of her life. Even though they don't see each other very often they still have a special little bond.

Betsy petting a snake!

Sunday Funday

2011-01-25T20:49:00.008-06:00

We had a great Sunday. The girls were lucky enough to eat gigantic petit fours that Jen A. gave us at dinner the night before. Thanks, Jen! We went to dinner at Feast with Jen and Drew. It was super cool and English pub/restaurant-ish. The menu is crazy--Peter had pig's foot and bacon for an appetizer and neck of lamb for his entree. There were hearts and tongues and other delightful items. But, surprisingly, there was an absolutely delicious Vegetarian Cassoulet--yum. We had sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream for dessert--divine--reminded me of desserts served in Australia.

We met Momma Lady, Grandpa, Charlie, and Patrick at the Aquarium. The kids ran around and had a blast.

After the Aquarium we went to Maspero's for lunch. I hadn't been there in ages and the grilled cheese with swiss is still the best around! After lunch we had ice cream then headed home. Sadie and I took a big nap on the sofa downstairs while P and B enjoyed watching episodes of G.I. Joe (B's new fave) and She-Ra. My girl loves 80s cartoons!

Princess Party

2011-01-25T20:36:00.006-06:00

On Saturday Attie and I took the four girls to a Princess Party at Disney Store at Lakeside while the boys played golf. The girls dressed up in their princess costumes and we headed down there. It was a bit chaotic, very crowded, and Sadie was very clingy and wanted nothing to do with the party. There were a couple of crafts and a trivia game. Andrea and Julia Mahfouz went to the party too and the girls were excited to see her. The girls had fun and seemed to be in good moods so we took them to Houston's. That was a mistake. They were loud and wild and fussy and tired, but once their food arrived they calmed down a bit. It was a looong day and at the end of it I was exhausted. Attie and I dropped off the girls and went to Elmwood to shop and decompress a bit. We deserved it!

Playdate-A-Rama

2011-01-25T20:26:00.005-06:00

Betsy was allowed to have two friends come over to play last week. Stella came over on Monday (MLK Day). The girls made valentines and played in the playroom. We met Stella's mom for lunch at Surrey's--love walking to restaurants. The girls were so sweet and had so much fun. Maddie came home from school with the girls on Friday. The three of them played dressup and kitchen and ran around for a few hours until Peter came home. We had dinner at Slice then dessert at Pinkberry. Yum and yum. The girls were very excited and loud at both places.

What's Up

2011-01-23T19:50:00.002-06:00

Here's what my girls are saying/doing:

--Both girls properly use "Womp, womp"--I'm so proud.

--We have been looking at photos of the girls when they were newborns as per Sadie's request. I asked Peter if we needed another baby and Betsy said, "No more babies for you, Lady!" in a crazy voice like her "You need a Diet Coke, boy" voice.

--Betsy made up this glam rock/ cheesy rock song and the only lyrics are "Somethin' I want, somethin' I care about." When Katie and I tried to add lyrics and discuss what the video for the song would be like she accused us of ruining her song.

--I have had a cough/congestion problem lately and I have been clearing my throat alot. The funniest thing has been happening. When I clear my throat around Betsy she says, "Thank you." In mass last week I cleared my throat and B shouted, "Thank you!!!" Katie came over and did it to see if she would do it and she did. I guess I do that when I want her to say thank you. I think it's more of a "hmmmm, hmmmmm," but she thought she was being prompted each time I cleared my throat. She said, "When you clear you throat can you say "and you don't have to say thank you, Betsy?"" She is something else.

--Warning: this one is kind of gross, but Sadie says it constantly. "I want to see a pictures of me as a baby wit cheese all ova da place." She loves to see the photos of her right after she was born---pre-bath. I don't get it.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

2011-01-23T19:45:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Grandpa's birthday at Mike Anderson's in Gonzales. It was great to see everyone and the kids were very well behaved. When the kids got antsy Peter, Bridget, Brian, and I gave them our iPhones and they were A-OK.

Beignets

2011-01-23T19:40:00.003-06:00

We met Betsy's buds Maddie and Evy and Maddie's family for breakfast at New Orleans Coffee & Beignet Company. I had tried the beignets a few weeks ago and they were OK, but this time they were super delicious. Betsy and her friends had a ball!

Cotton Bowl

2011-01-23T19:30:00.004-06:00

The Carvilles and the Ascanis came over to watch LSU win the Cotton Bowl. The girls stayed up waaaaay too late, but they had lots of fun. We ate sandwiches from St. James Cheese Company, a delicious salad courtesy of the Ascanis, and a kingcake from Sucre courtesy of the Carvilles. My girls wore their precious LSU dresses from Momma Lady and Grandpa. What a fun night!

Christmas Part ?

2011-01-23T19:00:00.001-06:00

Catching up again...I lost track of how many Christmas celebrations we have had this year. We had a bonus Christmas celebration with Gumbo, Bee, and the Carvilles at the Ascani house. Thanks for the hospitality, folks!

It may be a cliche, but it's true. The kids loved this box more than anything else.

Gumbo's new hunting bag with Gumbo monogrammed on it, of course:

Toys, toys, toys!

2011-01-09T18:36:00.005-06:00

After the girls returned from Vacherie they were glad to see their Christmas toys. They LOVE the Lincoln Logs Santa brought them. I wasn't sure they'd like this Classic Toy--so glad they do!

Bedtime:

News Flash: Betsy just said that she couldn't finish her dinner because, "I don't want to get fat. If I eat all of my dinner I'll get fat and I want to be skinny." Huh? She's 4. Was she just trying to get out of eating her grape tomatoes? I want to think so.

News Flash 2: Betsy and Sadie have been in the bathroom for a while and B said Sadie was on the potty and she would wipe her. Um, Sadie has NEVER showed the slightest interest in potty training. Maybe Betsy will teach her--go, Bets!

New Bedroom

2011-01-09T18:26:00.004-06:00

The girls' bedroom has been a work in progress for the last few months. Momma Lady and Grandpa bought the girls beautiful white iron beds and repainted Maggie's childhood desk and chests of drawers and Peter's childhood toy chest. Momma Lady and Grandpa also bought the girls new bedding for Christmas. Their room looks like a room for two big girls now! Oops--need to take pics of the desk, and the chests of drawers.

B's reaction when she saw her new bedding--so excited!

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-02T21:16:00.003-06:00

The girls spent nearly a week in Vacherie after Christmas. Thanks soooo much, Momma Lady and Grandpa!!! It was perfect, because I was down with a killer cold and not having to care for two little ones was nice. Peter and I did manage to have one date while the girls were away. We went to dinner at Dominique's last Wednesday. It was delicious and the atmosphere was great--dim lighting, beautiful fireplaces, cool and high ceilings. The staff was funny and nice and not snooty/annoying. Our dinner was so good and our dessert came with a precious big, fluffy plaintain-flavored puff of cotton candy on a bamboo stick. Adorable!

Momma Lady and Grandpa bought the girls precious new bedding for Christmas to go with the adorable iron beds they bought them. We set the beds up and their room is now finished and they love it. [When B saw it she said, "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!!" And I completely agree]. By the time they came home on Thursday I was really missing my girls. On Friday morning P took the girls to get beignets while I went to the gym. They went to the new New Orleans Coffee & Beignet Co., which is in the back of the new New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co. that has taken the place of Cannon's on St. Charles. It is waaaay more convenient than going to the Quarter or to Metairie. B is totally thrilled. Betsy and I attended a Noon Year's Eve Party at the Lauschas and she was so glad to see two of her school buddies--they really missed each other!

For our crazy, wild New Year's Eve P picked up Whole Foods for dinner. After dinner we went downstairs and ate Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and watched Toy Story 3 on the comfy, gigantic sofa. It was exactly what I wanted to do.

On New Year's Day we de-Christmased the house and today we went to Mass at Holy Name. One of my top New Year's resolutions is to start going to Mass again. The girls did OK at best. I had brought a couple of books, but Sadie was super chatty and Betsy kept asking when we were going home. I know I had to have been really good at Mass at their ages, right??? Next week I'm bringing crayons. We ate lunch at Houston's then home to watch the Saints game then a fabulous early evening dinner at Katie and Peter's. Lots of yummy food was provided by Katie, Peter, and Bee. And New York Pizza. :) We exchanged presents with Gumbo--we like to spread out our Christmas celebrating, huh? The girls go back to school tomorrow. I am off so I am finishing up the 1000 projects I wanted to get done over the holidays. Pics soon.

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Day

2010-12-31T15:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas was absolutely magical! Santa went overboard as usual, but that's OK. We had a lovely morning at home then breakfast at Marme and Tim's then lunch at Jama's then home for a quick nap then dinner at Marme and Tim's. The day was very full, but very fantastic!

Santa brought each girl their own jar of Nutella:

The Magical Sand Penguin Thing:

Peter A, Bobby, Gumbo, Peter, Tommy, and Beau in their super cool beard hats:

Christmas Eve

2010-12-30T12:15:00.000-06:00

We had a fantastic Christmas Eve in Vacherie. Momma Lady prepared a delicious lunch, the kids decorated ice cream snowmen, and everyone opened gifts. Then we went to Grandma's for her annual Christmas Eve Party.

Santa made a surprise visit while the kids were outside playing. Betsy was very excited:
Here is when she noticed the stockings were filled:

Playgroup Christmas Party

2010-12-30T12:00:00.000-06:00

The entire Playgroup was able to get together at Andrea's house for a Christmas Party. Andrea is truly a saint for having FOURTEEN kids in her house. They were wild and crazy, but they had a great time. Sadie and Henry didn't want to be in the pic, but everyone else is in it.

Teddy Bear Tea at The Roosevelt

2010-12-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

On the Monday before Christmas we went to the Teddy Bear Tea the Roosevelt. The lobby was beautiful as always. We sat with the Carville girls and Betsy's pal Evy and her Mom and grandmother. Betsy was so excited to see Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, the Toy Soldier, and the Winter Princess or Snow Princess or something like that. Sadie was a bit overwhelmed and just wanted to cling to me the whole time. The girls barely ate a thing, but they had fun running all around!

Betsy and Evy with the Snow Princess(?):

After the Tea we went home to rest then hit the Mall, and of course, the train.
This is what they did when I asked them to put their heads together for a photo:

Fulton Street

2010-12-29T12:15:00.001-06:00

On the Sunday before Christmas we gathered with Gumbo, Bee, Bobby, the Carvilles, and the Ascanis (it feels weird to type that; still can't believe my baby sister is married...)for some Christmas fun. First we went to Orient Expressed and the girls were each allowed to pick out two ornaments. They were so excited!

Next we went to the lobby of Harrah's Hotel to see the Gingerbread Dome.

Then we headed outside to enjoy "The Miracle of Fulton Street." On the hour there is a snowfall with soap bubbles. When we brought B two years ago she was amazed, and she loved it again this year. Poor little Say slept through most of it. We tried to wake her up, but she wasn't having it.

Finally, we ate dinner at Ruth's Chris. This was the girls' first visit to Ruth's and they loved the bread and butter, shoestring fries, and steak. All four girls were very well behaved. We hope to make this a yearly tradition!

Red and Green Day

2010-12-29T12:00:00.000-06:00

On the last day before Christmas vacation the girls are allowed to wear red and green. Sadie wore a precious Rudolph hand-me-down from B. I really didn't have anything red or green for B so I bought her a red shirt with a tree on it. I also bought her a red skirt in a slightly different shade. I didn't mean for them to be worn together, but she insisted. My girlfriends with older girls said she would start to have a say in what she wears soon. They were right!

Little Hearts Christmas Concert

2010-12-29T08:10:00.000-06:00

Betsy sang her little heart out at the Little Hearts Christmas Concert. Sadie, on the other hand, kinda stood there looking at the crowd. At one point Sadie lifted up her dress and played with her belly button. That's our Sadie! Afterwards the girls had snacks in their classrooms and had a visit from Santa Claus. Betsy very specifically told Santa what she wanted--she told the Clearview Santa the exact same thing. She said she wanted "a magical penguin sand thing and a unicorn Pillow Pet." Sadie was reluctant about talking to Santa, but she was excited about the candy cane he gave her.

Sadie and her pal Eleanor. Sadie told me recently, "Eleanor and me say 'uh oh, skettios!'" They love to play together.

Welcome Home, Bobby!

2010-12-29T08:00:00.001-06:00

Gumbo and Bee hosted a party at Lakeview Harbor to welcome Uncle Bobby home from Australia. Neemes, Cal, B, and I did some really good dance moves. Sadie tried fried cheese for the first time--she is in love. We took lots of family pics too. We had a blast!

Pajama Day

2010-12-28T19:46:00.003-06:00

The girls wore their matching cowgirl pajamas to Pajama Day at school. They were so excited! My Say still loves her belly button and has to touch her belly button as she falls asleep or if she is nervous or scared or sad. When she starts reaching for it, we know something is up!

Picture Day

2010-12-28T19:27:00.008-06:00

We got together with the Carvilles to take our Christmas pictures at Lakeside. The girls did so well and the pictures were great. Afterwards we ate beignets at Cafe du Monde. The girls were in heaven--next year our little Penny Pie will get to have some! After the beignets the girls rode the train a few times.

After Lakeside we made our way to Clearview for our Santa pic. We have taken a pic with the same Santa for the past four years--he is the best!

Christmas Activities

2010-12-28T19:22:00.005-06:00

Two of our favorite Christmas activities are watching Christmas specials:

And looking at the huge toy ads in the Sunday papers:

November

2010-12-28T19:15:00.001-06:00

November went by in a flash.

Here are a couple of pics from Thanksgiving--the Saints played so the girls had to represent:

We decorated the tree on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, rather than Friday, because the girls were in Vacherie. The girls get so excited when we pull down the decorations. We also put away the girls' Christmas-related toys and books so they feel like they have a bunch of new toys and books. The tree was packed with ornaments at the bottom so we had to do a little adjusting.

When I told B about what activities we would do at Christmas time she was most excited about eating beignets (we always eat beignets before we take our annual Santa pic) so we went to Morning Call the day after the tree so she could get her fix. Later that day I lit a Winter candle and B said, "Is it Christmas??? It smells like Christmas! Can I open my presents???" B has been saying lots of funny things. She told me recently, "First I will be a teenager then I will be a woman and Iwill live with Drew Brees." She also says, "Aw, shucks!" if someone compliments her. I do the same thing. I guess she gets that from her Momma.

Sadie is saying lots of funny things too. She'll say, "I got idea!" then she'll come up with something that sounds really fun to her. If she says something that isn't very nice she'll quickly follow it up with "I changin' my mind" or "I just jokin'." She has trouble figuring out when to use he or she and when to say she or her. It drives Betsy crazy and she constantly corrects her. Sadie loves baby dolls and holds them so tightly and hugs and kisses them. Her favorite is a $6.98 baby doll from Walgreens. She says, "I a mommy and you a mommy." She also held her baby close to her and said, "Her my yittle angel."

Post-tree decorating pics:

Halloween

2010-12-23T20:25:00.013-06:00

We met the Carville girls the day before Halloween for some PJ's. The girls were hammin' it up. Then we picked out pumpkins at Whole Foods.

On Halloween we went to the Carvilles' house to decorate Halloween cookies. Much more icing went into the girls' mouths than on the cookies.

Halloween night:

Boo at the Zoo

2010-12-23T20:20:00.011-06:00

The girls had so much fun at Boo at the Zoo and we saw Drew Brees and family (including tiny one week old baby...hmmmm...) there--they were adorable.

Halloween Time

2010-12-23T20:20:00.005-06:00

Momma Lady and Grandpa gave us a precious Gingerbread Haunted House. I did my best to put it together, but I'm not the best contractor.

Black and Orange Day at School:

Oak Alley Craft Fair

2010-12-23T18:30:00.005-06:00

We went to Oak Alley Craft Fair way back in October with Momma Lady, Grandpa, Bridget, Charlie, and Patrick. The older kids loved having their faces painted and the little ones loved the snowballs. Sadie didn't throw any of the baby chicks in the Petting Zoo this time, thank goodness.

Blues Festival

2010-11-28T21:20:00.001-06:00

We went to the Second Annual Blues Festival last month. It's very nice to have a festival within walking distance of our house. The weather was perfect and the food was yummy. The girls played with a beach ball, ate snowballs, and ran around the whole time.

Penny looks just like Attie as a baby--especially in this pic:

Day Off

2010-11-28T21:10:00.001-06:00

The girls had a day off at the end of September for Parent-Teacher Conferences. After receiving glowing reports we headed to PJ's to meet the Carville girls. Next we went to their house and Gumbo stopped by for a visit. It was a beautiful day so we went to the Zoo then sat outside at Reginelli's for lunch. The only girl awake for most of the lunch was Sadie--the other three girls were exhausted. It was so much fun hanging out with the Carvey girls; I miss the good ole days of hanging with them every day!

Bubble Day

2010-11-28T19:15:00.000-06:00

In late September the Nursery class at ASH celebrated Bubble Day. The girls sang ocean/sea/beach-related songs and created ocean/sea/beach-related crafts. It was adorable and B had a blast.

The Blog-uation (The Blog Situation)

2010-11-28T18:16:00.005-06:00

I am having some issues with my blog. The longer the amount of time between posts the more anxious I feel. It's kind of like when you haven't talked to a friend in a while and you feel anxious so then you wait even longer to call and when you finally do talk it's been way too long and you wonder why you just didn't call a long time ago. When Betsy was born I was obsessed with the blog. I was also obsessed with taking pictures of her. I took at least one picture of her every single day until she turned six months old. I had to stop because it became too stressful to take her picture every day and sometimes I wasn't in the mood and neither was she. I want to get back to blogging, but I feel like I have no time. I have no idea how my blogging mom friends stay on top of their blogs. In the last month Sadie has been a terror at bedtime. Momma Lady and Grandpa bought the girls beautiful twin beds, but Sadie just doesn't want to stay in her bed. She gets out of her bed countless times from 8 until 930 and sometimes later. Then she is exhausted in the morning. They have also had coughs and colds. By the time 9:00 rolls around I am wiped out. I wake up at 5:30 to go to the gym and that leaves little time to hang with my husband, watch "my shows," or blog. I don't even read my friends' or family members' blogs anymore, because I feel too guilty! Yes, I have a problem. Either I am going to quit bloggin' or try to do it more regularly.

I took a few pictures of the girls in November with my phone. So much has happened--Katie got married being the most exciting thing! She was a beautiful bride and the wedding was perfect. P turned 35 and we celebrated with drinks at Bouligny, dinner at Mila, and coffee at Sucre. We celebrated again with the kids at Rum House and Sucre.

I have been exercising like crazy and dieting because I had gotten chubby. I have lost 18 pounds and I have just a few more to go, but I am going to just try to maintain through the holiday season so I won't be miserable. I have run three 5 ks in the last month. The last race was the Mount Carmel Challenge Cup and I came in first place in the Female 35-39 division. I was very excited to receive my first trophy ever! I am not a sporty chick so this was huge for me.

The girls are obsessed with Kai Lan and Sadie asks to watch it constantly. Sadie says cute things like boo-yette (barette). Betsy asks questions about everything and little sister loves to ask "Why?"

Thanksgiving in Vacherie was wonderful. I fall asleep within minutes of the end of dinner. I am so lucky! The girls stayed in Vacherie for a few days and P and I saw Harry Potter and hung out and enjoyed some much needed down time. Yet, I didn't blog at all. Damn blog anxiety!!!

And now back to the catch up. Here comes October 2010...