Our annual crawfish boil was Saturday, April 27. A few of our regular attendees were unfortunately out of town, but we still had a good turnout of about 55 people. Michelle even came from Alabama with Alden and Jackson! Riley was so excited.
We boiled 209 pounds this year. Kenny worked super hard and got everything done in five batches. The crawfish were all very tasty; we didn't have much leftover at the end at all. And the kids enjoyed watermelon, time in the sprinkler, and water balloons. They also unintentionally (or perhaps not) created a mud pit. Oh, and Grandpa found a turtle in one of the sacks, and he became the unofficial mascot for the day.
Always a crazy day. Always a chaotic day. Always a busy day. But always a fun day. I'm so glad we've kept this tradition going for as long as we have. I hope it continues for many more years to come!
This marked year three for me getting up early the day before Easter to head out to the start of the Crescent City Classic. Jeff and I went together again and arrived at Champions Square just after 7am. The weather was freaking perfect: cool and clear and sunny. Awesome conditions for a race!
Earlier in the week I was regretting signing up for this race again, mostly because I hadn't really been training for it and was worried about how it would go. It's amazing how you can do three half marathons but then get out of the routine of running three times a week and struggle to do 6 miles. But I'm glad I did it. I ran 4:1 intervals and ended up doing way better than I thought I would. I finished with a time of 1:15:47 (12:12 pace), only 1 minute slower than last year!
I found Jeff inside the post-race fest, and we thoroughly enjoyed red beans, chee-weez, and beer. Oh, and he got Top 500 again!
Later that afternoon, the boys and I dyed Easter eggs outside. They used the tie dye method again for a few of them, which yielded very cool eggs. I loved how they all came out!
The Easter Bunny brought the boys goodies the next morning (Riley finally got his Lego Oni pack and Rory got his stuffed Dragon Ice monster truck!), and then we all went to church with Grandma. Instead of doing regular communion, everyone got glass champagne flutes filled with sparkling grape juice for a toast. And we got to take the glasses home with us. Strange.....but okay!
We did a one-sack crawfish boil back at our house that afternoon with Kenny's family and then I sneaked over to Nola and Nopsi's to visit with them for a bit.
Such a fun weekend!
The SCR Gala was held at school on April 6. Melanie and Caroline once again chaired the event, and they actually outdid themselves from last year. They took the circus theme completely over the top (ha!). Everything looked amazing; there were lots of little touches that made it super impressive and so well put together. The gym was completely transformed!
This year our whole crew went in together and bought a table, which also came with access to the patron party. That meant we could get in an hour before the actual event and start partying earlier. Score.
Lots of teachers were there, and they ended up gathering very close to our table. Allison was grateful to be able to snag one of our chairs and rest her feet for a bit; she's getting very close to having her baby!
We all had an awesome time, bidding, drinking, and dancing. The adults got a fun night out, the DJ was on point, and the school made a lot of money. Winning for everyone!
1. Sunday dinner while Nola was in France. Riley insisted we put her face on her chair!
2. After school treats!
3. Riley's class is putting on The Wizard of Oz later this month, and this made me laugh when I saw it.
And since they will be performing a play, many for the first time, Mrs. Mouney encouraged them to go see a performance around town for extra credit in ELA. Kenny took Riley and Finn to see The Wiz at Brother Martin. They had a great night!
4. The weather last month was nuts. One day I was sweating in a tank top on a run and the next I was perfectly comfortable running in long sleeves. But the confederate jasmine smells amazing.
5. Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire on April 15. So devastating.
I loved these two drawings that made their way around the internet.
6. Aunt Debbie came to visit in mid-April; it was so great to see her, even if it wasn't for very long. She actually traveled to Houston the day after she got to NOLA to see Nick compete in a huge robotics tournament. We watched a bit of the competition online and saw familiar faces in the crowd. And of course Riley had to build his own robot out of Legos.
7. Kenny took the boys to the farm on Good Friday. They made new friends with the grandkids of the neighbors!
8. Riley got a new stuffed friend from Nola, just like the one his brother has. Now they don't have to fight over it!
Also, the grocery with these two is always entertaining.
9. Since I knew I couldn't catch him at Jazz Fest, I dragged Kenny and Jeff out to Wednesday at the Square to see Marc Broussard on April 24. It was a gorgeous night, and it was so great to hear him live again!
10. Lots of random pics from Kenny's phone: big brother reading to little brother, piling onto Mama's lap, a Sleepy Sprout, and fun at Sky Zone with the Scouts.
