Mr. Mardi Gras Himself!

We spent the morning at Mardi Gras World learning about "Mr. Mardi Gras" who established a lot of the float building and created much of the art work that surrounds the parades and the holiday itself (as well as owning Mardi Gras World). While we were waiting for the ferry to go back over the Mississippi River to the Quarter, we met Mr. Mardi Gras himself! And his name... Blaine! It was too neat not to get a picture of Blayne and Mr. Mardi Gras.

Uh Oh!

Daddy is getting attacked by aliens!!! Or...he's just gone crazy!

Momma and I went to the bathroom for three minutes and never knew this took place until we downloaded the pictures- ha! We had a good laugh and perhaps daddy will learn that- when you have digital proof- what happens in New Orleans doesn't necessarily stay in New Orleans!

Mardi Gras World

Apparently, there is a place where all the Mardi Gras float characters go to die...or more accurately, be recreated into new Mardi Gras characters- it is called Mardi Gras World in Algiers, LA. It is a pretty surreal place to tour. Mom and I took a quick photo here with the King of Rex- one of the crews...

and we got to see some of my friends too! Honestly, I don't actually know any of these guys just yet, but mommy and daddy say in a year or two I will look back at this picture and be amazed by all the famous characters I met in New Orleans!

Before we left I had to jump in as Queen of Rex to mandate a few things to all the other characters. Just because I don't know them yet doesn't mean I'm not in charge!

Too much fun

Oh...we had just too much fun on Bourbon Street! Mommy keeps muttering something about this picture coming back to haunt her in about 17 years (or less, God help us all) when I re-enact this scene...without parent supervision...not good...

P.S. I know mommy has dropped the ball lately on the blog posting and we're going on about a month behind schedule but I promise you she is keeping us very busy and as soon as we get a free moment, we'll get you all caught up on the ins and outs of our adventures!

Shoes or no shoes?

Not really much of a question in my opinion- the answer is: NO SHOES! Since I am starting to walk (I am up to about 15-20 steps on occasion without falling plus I can get up on my own with no props and often reach short destinations) momma thought we should start working on shoes. Not to mention, as great of a city as New Orleans is, it is simply no place for a child without shoes. So, about a week or so before our trip we started working seriously on shoes. It was a rough start. The first time they were on my feet I basically melted- I had no idea what to do with these lead weights strapped to my feet- I couldn't stand, crawl, walk or even function. So, as you can imagine the weekend was a bit of a constant struggle of shoes or no shoes. Ironically however, after a long weekend of shoe pushing, the insides seem to be a good bit dirtier than the soles.

We would also like to point out that somehow, miraculously, we returned to Houston with -brace yourselves- both shoes!

Fun in the Sun

The park was so very much fun! We just hung out there for an hour or two a day and just played and played!

Eh hem...there is a bit of evidence above that could get me in trouble with the law- but hey- don't put a baby in front of a bunch of fragile little flowers if you expect them to remain intact...I mean come on!

The place to be

That would be, of course, none other than Jackson Square.

Right in Jackson Square is a beautiful cathedral and a fantastic park. Here I am trying to get in the fountain, which despite all efforts, my parents would simply not allow.

The Big Easy

We decided to plan a trip to the Big Easy with Uncle Bill and crew. He and his niece (who you all know as Aunt Marlena) and her husband (Uncle Andy) and another family (The Hervies/Walkers- who you don't know) head to New Orleans several times a year and we thought it would be fun to tag along! Uncle Bill treated us all to a carriage ride around town and dinner when we arrived.

We stayed in the French Quarter right outside of Jackson Square which was a bang-up location and we had so much fun just hangin' out and wandering the streets. Mommy and Daddy also decided it was time to bite the bullet and buy a real stroller for the trip (I have been surviving in a $3 yard sale jogging stroller and a $5 umbrella stroller thus far and knew if I was going to be anyone in the quarter, I had to do better than that). I really enjoyed my new ride- complete with foot rest!

Got Milk?

We tried sippy cups, we did. Honest. We tried with the ones with the spill proof valves, without the spill proof valves, with handles, without handles, pink, yellow...it just wasn't happening. So, we went straight for the straw. I love straws anyway and mommy always lets me suck on hers 'for fun' or so she thought. It wasn't until mommy got a cup of water at a restaurant (with a clear straw) that she realized I could actually sip it up! The rest, as they say, is history. I love my new cups and I know how to get the good stuff out of them- even my milk!

A step in the right direction

As I mentioned on my ten-month post, I have been seen to take as many as 5 steps consecutively on my own, but I would say that 2 or 3 is more my current average. If you check out my feet, you can see I got 4 in here before the inevitable ending. I have been making progress daily, started standing up on my own and balancing for minutes at a time. I often just get too darn excited when I realize what I am doing and, well, you can see what happens next...


P.S. Please mind the mocos hanging out of my nose...these were just too classic to not post because of a little snot.