New Orleans

We made a trip out to New Orleans with Mom so we could celebrate Elias' birthday. We went to the Aquarium first. The kids had the best time looking at all the fish and animals, but Cole especially. He was so fascinated. This was his first experience at the aquarium where he's old enough to enjoy it (or maybe first time ever?). He loved all the sharks and jellyfish. It makes me ache for a tropical fish tank. One day! After leaving the aquarium, we let the kids cool off in the water fountain a bit. It was too funny. They got soaked. The Louisiana heat is a beast. We even watched the ferry go by before heading to the zoo. It rained a little, which helped us cool off a bit. I'm so glad we brought a wagon for the boys. They were able to get up and run around or look at the animals or sit when their legs hurt. They even tried frozen bananas for the first time. I was surprised they liked the flavor since they don't really eat bananas at home often. Once the zoo started closing and it started drizzling again, we headed out. The kids were able to swim back at the hotel before getting ready for bed. 

This morning, we went out to see about getting beignets, but everything smelled of piss and it was so SO hot. My body was sore from walking all over the aquarium and zoo that I didn't even want to go into the witch shops. Shocking. We took a quick peek at Jackson Square, but the kids were miserable and we were just ready to get food. Zac brought us to Gambino's and I picked out some pralines. Cole had his first petit four and we bought some extras for Leah J and Tommie before heading home. 

Pool Time!

I brought the kids over to Mom's neightborhood pool to go swimming this morning. We were the only ones there for about 20 minutes, but it didn't get too crowded. The kids had a great time. Last time we came, all of us swam and I didn't get pictures, so this time I sat out to watch. I even crocheted a bit.

Elias is SEVEN!

Elias is SEVEN! We celebrated with breakfast waffles, but will do his birthday cake this weekend. Where has the time gone? He still loves monster trucks, Legend of Zelda, pizza, and reading. Lately he's figured out how to navigate YouTube to watch episodes of monster truck tricks. He hopes to have super long hair next year.

Makeup

Cole woke me up this morning to let me know he hurt his head because he was running, even though we tell him not to. So he slipped on the floor and now has a lovely black eye. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it, but we call him Lumpy for a reason. Meanwhile, I was putting eyeshadow on this afternoon and both boys ran into the bathroom and requested I do theirs, too. Gotta say, the green hides Cole's bruise pretty well.

Lughnasadh

Blessed Lughnasadh! To celebrate the beginning of Harvest, Leah baked some pumpkin bread, which turned out delicious.

AJ

Our cat, AJ, hurt his tail this week. He tried to jump onto a TV tray and as he was jumping off, he knocked it over and got his tail caught under it. Blood everywhere... I'm guessing one of the hinges landed just right. We took him to the vet after consoling a very upset daughter, but nothing appeared to be broken. He had a few stitches and was good to go. However, he managed to open his wound and had to go back to get re-stitched. Today, he got his stitches out and thanked us by having a shit in the van. Lovely. I'm hoping the smell doesn't last long, but AJ is healing up nicely, though his tail has a bald spot for now. Leah is glad he didn't need it amputated. Hopefully, he'll learn from this but I highly doubt it.

Cole Vax

My big three got their Covid boosters yesterday. So far, some sore arms, but no fevers. Today, Cole got his first dose. Our appointment was for yesterday, but it was rescheduled for 1pm today. When we got there, everyone was on lunch, so I called the office and was told to come back at 2, so we wandered around Target for a bit. He picked out a Buzz Lightyear toy that glows in the dark and since I forgot to give him some Motrin, I picked up a bottle. Once he's fully vaccinated, I'm going to be able to breathe better. He was brave, but as most kids who are three, was very adamant about NOT getting "shot". I don't blame him. Two more to go. Side note: I'm amused how much hate I got on Twitter after posting about his vaccine... Like, people saying "child abuse" as if vaccinating (against anything, really) does more harm than good. Massive eye roll.