Social {and} Butterflies

The week between Christmas and New Year’s was a busy one for us this year. Kenny’s office shuts down completely for those five days, so he was home with Riley and me all week. (Yay!)

We had lots of things on our to-do list, and I think we knocked out many, if not all, of them. We organized and rearranged Riley’s toy storage areas, Kenny went to the farm to do some work on the trebuchet, Kenny and I both visited the dentist, I got a brake tag, Kenny got a haircut, I caught a little winter cold, Kenny changed the oil in his car, we took a much-needed trip to Sam’s, and (sniff) we helped Nola and Nopsi undecorate the house from Christmas.

In addition to all of that, we also found some time for a few fun outings. On Tuesday afternoon Nola and I met four others at Commander’s Palace for lunch. Kirk, a friend of mine from high school who now lives in Los Angeles, was in town for the holidays and insisted we get together. So that was how Nola and I found ourselves at a lively round table for six in the upstairs Garden Room for a three-and-a-half hour lunch with Kirk, his mom, QP, and our mutual friend Rosemary.

It was so great to catch up with Kirk; he certainly has changed a lot in all of the years I’ve known him. It’s hard to believe we went to our first high school dance together (the first of many) more than 15 years ago. Wow.

On Wednesday night Kenny and I spent a couple of hours at Bridget and Brian’s house visiting with Adam and Erin, who were in town seeing family. Then on Thursday night, Nopsi and I did a little father-daughter bonding throughout the course of a painting class at New Orleans Paint ‘N Party. We had purchased Groupons for a class some time ago, and the deadline was rapidly approaching, so we were lucky to find a painting that we liked and with two seats still available.

Armed with an array of snacks and two bottles of Mazzocco, we painted a colorful Katrina house. Although I was intimidated before we even arrived (on account of Nopsi’s skills as an artist and having to paint next to him) and supremely frustrated once we started drawing our black outlines (they came out much thicker than I had wanted), I have to admit that I really do like my painting now. It took me a couple of days, but I think mine actually turned out fairly decent, even if it is a lot chunkier than Nopsi’s.

 

However, I do think I should probably refrain from participating in any more of those classes. It’s just not worth the headache they always seem to cause me!

Friday was a fun day for just the three of us: Kenny, Riley, and me. Thanks to another purchased deal (from Living Social this time), we visited the Audubon Insectarium downtown. Even though Riley was in a less than stellar mood because of skipping his nap (and thus having to kind of rush through), I think the trip was worth it. And of course I had to dress him in his Very Hungry Caterpillar shirt for the occasion!

He seemed to be interested in a few of the exhibits, but he’s still pretty young to get a lot of out of this particular facility. I think we’ll bring him back in a year or so and he’ll be much better suited for it.

  

We were only about halfway through when we gave up and put Riley back in his stroller, with his paci and giraffe after downing some milk. He was content to ride along while Kenny and I walked around looking at all of the beautiful and cleverly thought out exhibits.

My favorite part of the Insectarium was the very last exhibit, the “Butterflies in Flight” gallery. We had to walk through an air lock to ensure no butterflies escaped their confines, and we soon emerged into a serene, Asian-inspired garden setting. The butterflies were plentiful, in all different sizes and colors, fluttering around, eating, or resting their wings.

 

One butterfly decided he wanted to be friends with Riley-bean, even if it was only for 30 seconds or so. No, we did not disobey the sign on the wall; the little insect took it upon himself to get a closer look at the boy.

It must have been Riley’s shirt that drew him in. He was obviously remembering his past life and simply wanted to reminisce.

After the Insectarium, even though Kenny thought I was crazy to attempt it, we walked over to Felipe’s for a late lunch. We were all really hungry, and I didn’t want to take the time to drive home. Considering how tired he looked, Riley did great, alternating between chattering to the people in line by our table and eating his lunch. And the pork burrito that Kenny got was totally worth the stop. SO good.

Riley promptly passed out once we were in the car driving home, and Kenny and I deemed the day a fun success.

New Year’s Eve recap coming tomorrow!