Wildlife Adventure

Today the kids and I went looking for something fun to do around Covington. At the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, LA we certainly found it. It is a ride through park where you get a chance to feed and pet lots of the residents. We saw and fed lots of great animals including some longhorn (very upclose) and two baby zebras. Now we are headed down for more swimming. There are no guarantees, but I am hopeful that Andy will get off early enough this evening to see us for a few minutes before we head back home.

Children's Museum Birthday Party

William had a friend's, Jasmine's, 5th birthday party yesterday at the NO Children's Museum. Lots of great hands-on fun--much like the Magic House in STL. Clark had to go along as Andy is still on location north of the lake, but he certainly didn't mind as he loved it too! After the party we headed north to visit Andy again. He got back too late to see the kids before bed, but they did get to go swimming at the hotel. At least they did get to have breakfast with him this morning before he headed out for another day of it.

Another Trip to the Zoo

Ok, you may be tired of the posts related to our zoo trips, but the kids LOVE going there and yes, we went there again this week. Actually between the zoo and the aquarium, we usually get to one or the other about weekly. We went to the aquarium again on Sunday. Our last several trips to the zoo haven't been so wonderful because all of the school kids have been going for their end of year field trips and it has been very crowded. However, when we went on Tuesday, we went late in the afternoon and practically had the entire place to ourselves and the weather was finally a bit cooler too. I finally took a picture of the kids' favorite attraction at the zoo--the swamp monster. Yes, their favorite thing at the LA zoo isn't even alive. The swamp monster is sort of like the a Big Foot of legend and lore in the LA swamp.

Trip to Covington

After picking Wm up from school yesterday afternoon, the kids and I headed to up to see Andy--he is staying in Covington while working in Robert. When we arrived at the hotel the kids immediately wanted to go swimming, which we did for a couple of hours. Andy was supposed to get back around 7pm, but wound up working late so the kids didn't get to see him before bed. At least they did get a little dad-time this morning before he headed out for another day of it. We had our own adventure planned for the day. There is a Rail to Trail bike path that starts in Covington and winds through the area that we went to explore. We started at Covington and went to Abita Springs and Tammany Trace for a total of 16 miles via bike. It isn't a lot, but when pulling 80 pounds in the heat, it made for a great workout for mom. The kids did really great because there were two nice playgrounds along the route. The kids are napping at the hotel now, but when they awake, I am sure we will be headed to the pool before we journey back home.

End of Pre-School Program

Monday was Wm's end of pre-school program. They sang about 15 songs and each introduced themselves to the audience. Wm said he really liked performing and boy did he ever sing his little heart out! I was even able to get a photo of Wm with both of his teachers, Ms. Kim and Ms. Laura. It is hard to believe that his time at pre-school is nearly over (tomorrow is his last day) and then kindergarten is just around the corner!

One of the girls in Wm's class (Annabella, the one eating pizza with him) hosted an end-of-the-year bowling party on Monday afternoon. The kids really had a fun time there! Clark really likes bowling and he completely understands the object of the game, even crying once when he missed the pins. I was there by myself with the kids so photos of the bowling were near impossible--as it was, I had Clark stealing other kid's turns and throwing his ball on the wrong lane. Thankfully the parents were very understanding and helpful!

Unfortunately Andy did not get to attend either of these functions with us. On Sunday afternoon he was told to be in Robert, LA first thing Monday morning. Robert is actually north of Lake Ponchartrain--further from the ocean and oil than we are in NO--I know it makes little sense to me too, but it is where they are heading up part of the response effort.

Swimming Progress Update

Wm has been making HUGE progress in his swimming! He can now swim on his own without any flotation device!! He also jumped off the block and touched the bottom of the pool (with his feet, but we’ll take it!). I am just so amazed at how far he has come and really enjoy seeing his reaction when he learns something new. We have had to drag him out of the pool the last couple of lessons and that is a really good sign. We were lucky to have Andy join us at swim lessons last week and this week, and I am glad so that he could see all of the progress. Clark too is doing wonderfully! He really loves the water and his favorite thing is jumping in off the block. It is hard to believe, but we only have one lesson left, but based on where we’ve come it has definitely been time and money well spent.

Disney on Ice/Aquarium/Insectarium

Andy’s schedule has kept him very busy over the last several weeks (he worked until 2:30 am this morning and is already back there again today--while that is an extreme he has been working many 12-16 hour days), so the kids and I have been finding fun things to do to keep us busy too. The week before we headed north, the kids and I went to the aquarium (yes, again—we simply love it!) and also to the insectarium for the first time. The kids really enjoyed looking at all of the neat bugs, especially the underground exhibit where ants and worms are bigger than you! I also took them to see Disney on Ice. I remember going to several (OK, maybe more than that) of these when I was a kid, and this one did not disappoint. The kids really seemed to like it too and just sat there in awe trying to take it all in. Of course, in grand Disney style, things were highly over-priced—like $10 cotton candy—but, it’s the experience, right?

St. Louis Visit

We just returned home from our first visit to St. Louis since our move. It was great to see everyone and we all had a great time. It was a little bittersweet as Andy was supposed to join us so he could go on a kayak trip, but couldn’t make it due to the oil mess. The kids traveled great making it easier on me to do by myself. We crammed in a lot in a short amount of time…we went to the zoo with Laura, Baron, and Amelia; Laura and I went out to dinner without kids; I went to Kay’s wedding shower; we had dinner with Mary, Corey, and Meagan; we went to the cabin with lots of Brennecke’s (including Krista and Zachary who were in town for a visit of their own); we went to Mastadon State Park with my dad; we went to the science center and saw the Real Pirates exhibit with Bob and Joyce; and we spent an evening with Cami making “z” cookies for Wm’s class at school. So much fun—we just love our family and friends!