Painting the Buckets & Hanging out with Baby Beth

Here is the first day of our trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. First order of business? Getting our buckets ready for the parade. Daddy supervised while Will, Katie (in white) and Ella painted.

Such concentration.
Ella telling me that she's painting her shoe, "...just a lil' bit."

Katie (in the Princess tiara -- which she wore, by the way, pretty much the ENTIRE week!) and Ella playing with Baby Beth.
Not sure what is more interesting... Beth or her toys?

Sat Parades

We started Saturday morning with bugles... ALL the kids had bugles. Oh, over the next few days did we regret the decision to buy bugles... squeaky, screeching, LOUD, obnoxious bugles. Ahhhh, the sounds of Mardi Gras...

Ella (blue) Katie, Martin, and Andrew making music.

Daddy stole Ella's bugle and joined in - what you can't see in the photo is her reaching for her bugle, "MINE, DADDY!"
Katie taking a pacheeto (what she calls Cheetos) break. And, you'll also notice the ghost of Christmas Past (or Future?) -- Pop and Daddy making the same face and pretty much in the same pose.
Ella prefers plain ol' Lay's.
Ella relaxing a little...
Oh, there must have been something pass us... Ella raises her arms in hopes of a good catch...

Will taking a p&j break. Dad and Katie make a go of catching something...
This was Katie for most of the parade... "It's so LOUD, Mommy!"
Tuckered out.

This is what was happening right in front of us as the girls were napping... Flamingos.

Brass band.
Crazy lady from the crowd dancin' with the Flamingos.
Dragons conversing with Flamingos.
A whole passel of dragons.
The girls are up for the important stuff tho...

LSU Day

Sunday was LSU day and we all dressed in purple and gold. Katie & Ella, as you can see, have on their (too small - I know!) LSU cheerleader outfits. Before the parade started, we thought we'd have a little bead catching practice. Here is Katie (left), Ella, and Will in the bucket with Aunt Beth behind to help... Okay Kids... hold up your hands and say, "Throw me somethin', Mister!"

Nice wave, Ella! Lookin' cool with your binky, Will!
Oops! Missed the beads, Ella, but good try.
Oops! Missed again. Okay, let's try this again... hands up...
Oh, darn... almost...
YEAH! Good catch, Ella!

Holden decides to join the gang...
Yes, we let some stranger dressed like a clown give our kids lollipops! Hey, it's Mardi Gras... they'll be fine.
Aunt Bonnie and Will... Hey, Mister! Throw me somethin'!!
Uh, oh... the girls seem to be fading a little...
Nice view of all the little boogies in a row.

Ella taking a sandwich break.
Katie and Daddy and Ella and Pop... get ready for the next float.
Ella (or is it Katie??) caught a spear. So, not only are we letting our kids eat candy given to them by strangers, we allow them to play with spears. K&E are so lucky to have such good parents...
Ella and Mimi
Ella and Mimi and Katie and Pop... here it comes, girls... are you ready?

Wave... put your hands in the air...
Hey, Mister... Throw me something!
oooohhh! BEADS!!!!
And pretty flowers!
Ella playing with her cousin Starr

Lundi Gras

On Lundi Gras - the day before Mardi Gras - there aren't any day parades, so the girls decided to make a parade of their own with GiGi. Katie & Ella's version is a little different from the traditional parade. In their version, they run around the coffee table throwing toys (SOFT toys, Girls!) at GiGi. Turns out, it's a GREAT way to wear out a couple of wound-up 3-yr-olds!

Now it's time to make a parade in the backyard with Will...

Will is pulling, Katie is riding, and Ella is pushing.



That's Ella saying, "Throw me somethin', Mister!"
Some of the great-grandkids (and one grand) playing chase in the backyard of GiGi's house.
Katie climbing a tree - and what a perfect tree-climbing tree it was!
Ella's turn.
Katie (left) and Ella in the bucket (and Daddy on catching duty) at Orpheus.

Mardi Gras Day

On Mardi Gras Day the plan was for everyone to dress up as the Blues Brothers.... Katie had different ideas... She was DETERMINED to be a princess and, as you can see below, she did NOT cave in to peer pressure. Hence, we have Blues Brother Ella and Princess Katie in the bucket waiting for the parades to begin. You'll see how foggy the photo is below... it is NOT because of actual fog, but because it was so muggy out, our camera fogged up. Oh, what a hot and muggy day it was, especially for us folks from up 'north' -- ha, ha!

We brought out the little port-a-potty and here is a shot of Ella testing it out, with Daddy supervising. We didn't want her getting stepped on in the crowd. What a sight, huh?

Here is Ella and Will taking a little cookie break... Where is Katie you ask?

Asleep in the stroller, of course!

How she could sleep with all those people and all that racket... She must have been TIRED!

Pop and Ella anxiously awaiting the arrival of....

The Golden Band from Tiger Land!

And, the Golden Girls!