Riley’s 100th Day of Kindergarten

Remember Riley’s 50th day of school back in October? Well, they celebrated their 100th day as well. The whole school marked the occasion, but the kindergarteners went all out. They came to school on Tuesday morning dressed as 100-year-olds. It was so freaking cute.

 

Riley and I met up with Dana and Claire before drop-off so we could spray the kids’ hair silver and put baby powder in it. (Riley had requested that his hair look like Pops’, Nopsi’s dad. So sweet.) Claire had an awesome walker made from painted PVC pipe tipped with tennis balls, while Riley carried a custom Nopsi creation: a cane made from an old broomstick. Suspenders and a plaid shirt for Riley, pearls and a sweater for Claire, and glasses for both. They were both so adorable, but the pictures they took together were even more so.

I mean, aren’t they just the cutest 100-year-old couple ever???

Dana and I were both able to help out with the fun centers the kindergarten teachers planned, along with lots of other parent volunteers. It was such a fun and entertaining morning; the kids all enjoyed themselves.

The kids rotated through a writing activity, a counting activity (using many fun snack items!), a crown-making station, a weighing activity, and a fitness activity. I assisted the kids in making their crowns and also snapped a picture of each of them holding a special sign that Mrs. Allison had.

Check out Riley’s writing activity: he wants 100 legos, 100 gold, and 100 jewels, but he does not want 100 drugs. He told Mrs. Allison that he remembered them talking about how if you took too many drugs you would die and that’s why he wrote that. She clarified that was during Red Ribbon Week sometime last semester and was impressed that he thought that far back. Well done, son of mine.

Everything wrapped up around 10am, when the centenarians headed off to have their snacks. But not before we made sure to get a class picture!

Such a fun day for them; the teachers put together a really awesome morning. Plus they got to try to stack 100 pennies (no one was successful) and have tootsie roll pops in the afternoon. They had to lick the suckers 100 times before they bit into them. Counting to 100 is a kindergarten skill, so the teachers really reinforced that all day long.

One hundred sure looks good on them.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

2016 Janus Ball

It’s Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, y’all! Parades have started, and ball season is in full swing. People are getting fancy around here.

Kenny and I are invited to the Krewe of Janus Ball every year; we have lot of friends very involved in it. They do not parade; they just host a ball. However, we had never gone before until this year.

Our friends Tony and Amee had a special tie to Janus this year: their daughter Angela was queen! It was the perfect excuse for Kenny and I to finally attend, and I’m so glad we did.

The ball was held at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street. Once we got into the ballroom, we found our table, got settled, and sat back to watch the tableau. The court was presented (Anglea looked beautiful!), the krewe members performed a few skits, and then it was time for the call-out dances.

I received this card in the mail earlier in the week: Tony put me on his call-out list! We chatted about the queenly preprations Angela had to go through while we danced, and then he gave me a very nice gift (which is customary) for sharing a dance with him: two stemless wine glasses with the Janus logo etched on them. So very nice. And useful! Thanks, Tony!

After the call-outs, everyone adjourned to a nearby room for the king’s champagne reception. We got to see Angela and tell her how pretty she looked. The staff also turned over the ballroom and the band got set up while we were sipping bubbly.

Crescent City Soul took the stage next, and they cranked out some great music for three solid hours. Everyone had a fantastic time. Josh hid cookies inside his box of wine, we helped Jerry kill an entire bottle of Goldschlagger, Ryan and Chad did a repeat performance to “Uptown Funk,” and I took a questionable picture with Ashley and Jerry. Good times.

We were served breakfast in the ballroom at midnight and got home just before 2am. I hadn’t stayed up that late in a very long time; it was a lot of fun.

Grandma and Grandpa kept the boys overnight for us, so Kenny and I slept in and then went out for a late brunch on Sunday. We ended up at Willa Jean, John Besh’s newest restaurant in the CBD. It was really good; the biscuits and mixed berry jam were amazing. Also, only in New Orleans will you see a racy float pass by while you’re having brunch.

Glad we finally got to see what all the Janus fuss is about. Thanks for continuing to invite us, Tony and Amee. We’re so glad we got to go this year!

Ten Things

1. The boys are still loving reading books together before they go to bed. Makes things easier on Mama and Daddy!

2. It was mighty cold here when I was at Disney, but Kenny still took the boys outside to play. They love rolling trucks down the path up to the levee!

3. Riley showing off his new Star Wars cars I brought him from Disney and picking out something to wear for crazy hat day at school. Think we should have gone with the luchador mask??

4. Claire, Colin, and Alcee came over after school a couple of weeks ago, and Riley impatiently waited for them by the front door. He was so excited when they finally got here.

5. Connor’s magic show birthday party!

6. Dana won a Color Bar party from the beautiful Kendra Scott jewelry shop on Magazine Street, and I was lucky enough to be invited. She scheduled it for January 17; nine of us got to create custom pieces of jewelry using an interactive touchscreen wall, design books, and advice from our party hostess. Marie Claire took great care of us and assembled all of the pieces we created while we looked around and sipped champagne. I was so glad I got to be a part of this experience; thanks, Dana!

7. Sunday dinners at Nola and Nopsi’s are still going strong. I love getting some snuggles in with Luke, Nola balances lightsaber fighting and holding a baby like a pro, and Nopsi gets a kick out of having all of his grandkids together.

Nola and Nopsi even made a special congratulations cake for Uncle Jeff’s marathon accomplishment. So impressive; Nopsi is super talented.

8. Rory helping Nola make cookies!

9. Erin and I went to another play at the Saenger last Thursday. We saw Motown, and it was probably our favorite play of the season. It was SO good. And I wore my new Kendra Scott earrings and necklace!

10. Nola, Dana, and I went to a special “Mommies’ Night Out” Jazzercise class last Friday afternoon, and Nola invited us back to her house afterwards for a homemade pizza dinner. These two had such a great time playing together!

But just wait until y’all see the pics of them from yesterday, the 100th day of school, when they had to dress up as 100 year-olds. Freaking adorable.