Sunshiny Days

Last weekend was unbelievably gorgeous. Bright sunshine, wispy clouds, and a strong breeze. It was heaven around these parts for three straight days.

Dana brought Claire and Colin over after school on Friday to play. We spent the whole afternoon outside and even had a picnic pizza dinner on the driveway. The kids had a blast; Rory’s new bubble leaf and lawn blower was an especially big hit.

Then on Saturday, Kenny and I took the kids out to Hogs for the Cause in City Park. It’s a huge annual multi-category pork-cooking competition. More importantly, it’s a fundraiser to support families with children fighting pediatric brain cancer. The cause is great, the teams are plentiful, and the pork is bountiful. And the weather this year was unbeatable, although we all did come home sunburned. Oops.

I knew it was a big event (we actually have multiple friends that compete on different teams), but I had no idea of the scale of it. It’s massive. This was our first year attending, and it won’t be the last.

We tried Zapp’s pork pies (from Sweet Swine O’ Mine, Jacque’s team), pork tacos with corn salsa (from Piggy Stardust, Scott’s team), pork mac and cheese (from Captain Porkenheimer…SO good), a bacon rum cake (from Puerco Rico…deliciously decadent), and a cochon de lait poboy (from Porquette…the same as at Jazz Fest). We also came home with lots of pulled pork from Porkin’ Gently, which the boys have enjoyed for dinner a couple of nights this week.

However, the kids had just an okay time. There wasn’t really enough for them to do out there. Riley sampled cotton candy, sat in a really big Jeep, rocked out, and watched whole hogs being roasted with his daddy. Rory wasn’t feeling great but did manage to slide down the huge bacon slide. (Don’t tell them, but we may go without them next year.)

 

 

We left somewhat in a hurry because Rory was starting to fall asleep. Both boys took short naps when we got home around 2:30pm (sleepy pics taken!) and then we went back outside for an hour or so before dinner. It was just too darn pretty to stay inside.

  

We had no specific plans on Sunday, but we spent the majority of it outside. Kenny and Riley helped Uncle Jeff transport some old cabinets from our house to his, Rory and I took a long walk around the neighborhood, and we played in the backyard a lot.

 

We also went to get our first snoballs of the season that afternoon. Nectar cream for Kenny, chocolate for me, ice cream for Riley, grape for Rory. And they tasted good.

 

  

More playing out back when we got home and then Kenny grilled a steak for the boys to split for their Sunday dinner. Which they ate outside. See a theme happening here?

Really pleasant weather like that is exceedingly short-lived in Louisiana. We had to soak up as much of it as we could before it gets really hot and we won’t want to be outside nearly as much.

Because that weather will totally be here before we know it.