Birthday Crawfish Boil

Last Saturday we were in Baton Rouge for Uncle Steve’s birthday crawfish boil. It was Riley’s very first boil, so I felt I had to dress him for the occasion. Thanks to Aunt Erin and Uncle Jeff for the attire; it may not be the right crustacean, but it worked. And he even had a somewhat matching bib to complete his ensemble.

The crawfish were delicious; I made quite the pig of myself. (Riley even entertained himself in his playard the whole time we were eating. Kenny and I could not believe it.) However, I do believe I am entitled to eat as many crawfish as I like this season since last year I was limited by pregnancy and having to watch my salt intake, yada, yada, yada. All I can say is I started this season off really strong and I ain’t finished yet.

I love me some crawfish.

You northerners out there don’t know what you’re missing.

Aside from the tasty mudbugs, one of my favorite parts of the day was observing Riley’s interaction with his cousin Zac. They actually share the same birthday, only Zac is 4 years older. He had never really “hung out” with Riley before this day, and it was so cute watching them play.

  

And of course we introduced Riley to his very first live crawfish. Grandma sat him on the driveway, Kenny held it up in front of him, and he was almost immediately captivated. Then while I looked away, Kenny ripped the poor thing’s claws off and let Riley take possession.

   

 

As you can see, some of his expressions were priceless.

Thanks to Uncle Steve and Aunt Jaimi for hosting the fun party. We hope Uncle Steve enjoyed his birthday boil as much as we did!

I say let’s do it again next year…..

A Day in the Quarter

Kenny, Riley, and I spent last Friday in the French Quarter. Nola and QP were also there, and UJ even left school for a little while to join us for lunch. We ended up eating outside in the little courtyard at Sylvain, which was a great choice. The food was great, but the weather was even better.

We had such a nice, relaxing meal; I like that place more and more each time I go. Riley seemed to enjoy it too, although that could be because UJ gave him his first taste of crostini:

    

After Sylvain, the three of us said goodbye to UJ (who reluctantly went back to school), as well as Nola and QP (who needed some sister time), and we walked over to the aquarium. I used to work there, and I have been wanting to take Riley to see all of the animals for a while.

 

He was a little sleepy on account of being awake a little too long, but he was a trooper. He was pretty wide-eyed most of the time we were there, staring at the fish swimming around in their different exhibits and the penguins floating on the water in their enclosure.

And had he not been wearing what I put him in that morning I may not have done this, but I couldn’t resist plopping him on top of the frog prince since he matched:

We ended our visit in my favorite part of the aquarium, the Gulf of Mexico exhibit. When I worked there, before the doors opened to the public, I used to go sit on the bleachers for a few minutes and just watch all of the GOM animals swim around. It’s so peaceful in there when there aren’t a bunch of kids running around!

By the time we were finished walking through the aquarium, Riley was way tired and had obviously had enough, although he didn’t get real fussy like I expected. He fell asleep in his stroller before we got to the car and was completely sacked out for most of the ride home.

I’m so glad I could introduce him to the place I was so involved with for over two years, and I’m even happier that he seems to really like anything to do with water. He’s certainly his momma’s boy when it comes to that. However, after watching him study his toys the way he does, it is obvious he has just as much of his father in him.

Maybe he’ll grow up to be a marine engineer.

Now THAT would be cool.

Pulling Up (Plus Bonus Videos!)

Riley has started pulling himself up to a standing position, using whatever he can to get to his feet. I am very impressed by him when he does this (which is more often with each passing day), but he also scares me a little sometimes. My parents have a lot of brick in their den and kitchen areas, and I’m so afraid he’s going to smash his face into the bricks one day! So I’m watching him closely, but I’m also trying to let him progress on his own.

He started off by using his music table (without the legs….we should probably think about adding those and making it an actual table now) for stability, but he has quickly moved on to other ways:

 

I’m so upset the last video is blurry. I hurried to start filming because not only was he standing up but he was also making that new little purring noise (listen closely and you should hear it).

Oh, well. At least I got both officially on record for all of eternity.

The world just might have ended if I hadn’t.

Snowball

I love snowballs. No, I’m not talking about the ones you throw at people in the winter in places where snow actually falls from the sky. I’m not talking about snow cones, either. I’m talking about the snowball that can only call New Orleans its home. The ones with the fluffy and perfectly shaved ice with rich, sugary syrup soaking into it.

I remember one summer when I would get a snowball practically every night. I’m boring and always get the same kind: chocolate with condensed milk on top. Yum.

That’s another good thing about moving back to New Orleans: a good snowball is never too far away.

Our North Carolina friends Jennifer and Elisabeth were in town for a few days last week, and I was only too happy to indulge Eli’s request for a snowball the first afternoon they were here. I actually couldn’t believe I had been in New Orleans a whole week and still hadn’t gotten one. So while Jennifer and Riley played on their cell phones, Elisabeth, Erin, and I went to get our treats.

When we returned, my mother somehow convinced me to give Riley his first taste of a snowball. I mean, he did have the perfect bib on for the occasion:

I elected not to let him try my usual but instead gave him a little bit of Elisabeth’s watermelon one.

From the way he was eyeing Elisabeth’s white styrofoam cup after I handed it back to her, I’d say he might be hooked on this particular New Orleans tradition.

Much like my hope that he will foster a great love of books, I will have no problem if he becomes a fan of snowballs.

My waistline may rebel at some point, but at least snowballs are cheap!

Corks N Canvas

There has been a new activity gaining popularity in southern Louisiana recently. There are many different places to go to, but they all have the same concept. A group of people gathers and is instructed, step-by-step, on how to paint the same picture. Acrylic paints, brushes, canvases, and aprons are all provided. The only thing you bring is yourself.

Oh, and wine. And snacks.

The theory is to “have a sip and paint a stroke.” You don’t have to have any artistic talent whatsoever to go to one of the classes and have a good time with some friends in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. A professional artist guides you through every step of the way, and you really do end up with a great piece of art to take home at the end of the night that you painted all by yourself. 

I have been wanting to do this for a long time, and I finally got my chance last week. I went with my friends Karen and Bridget, who had both been before. And although it was a little stressful for me since I fell behind a number of times (I’m very much a perfectionist), it was ultimately a lot of fun.

If I go to one of these classes again, though, I’ll be sure to get there early enough to have my wine before we start painting.

That might have helped me loosen up a bit and let go of my type A tendencies.

Oh, well. Thanks for the fun night out, girls! I promise not to curse so much if we ever go again. :)

And before some of you whine about this post not having anything to do with Riley, here you go: a picture of him in his new big boy carseat.

You are welcome.

However, this post really was to prove that I do occasionally leave the child with others and go off to do fun things on my own.

Hard to believe, I know, but it’s true.

And I have a great painting to prove it.

Video Monday: Newfound Fun

We are settling in nicely at Nola and Nopsi’s house, and Riley has discovered a couple of new activities that he is loving.

One is attempting to chase after my parents’ cats, especially Jem, the big orange one. The good news for Jem is that Riley isn’t quite fast enough to actually catch him. And although Jem is somewhat tolerant (much more so than I thought he would be), he usually walks away when he sees Riley crawling towards him.

But not without getting a couple of swipes in every now and then.

Another new activity for Riley is playing around on our bed. I’m not sure why, but we didn’t spend much time with him in our room at our house. However, Riley loved crawling around in the pillow playground on our bed here. Plus, as you will see, the child is fearless. He actually liked crawling OFF the bed more.

Happy Monday!

Video Sunday: Twirling While Eating

As I mentioned yesterday in Riley’s eight month post, his behavior while he is in his highchair for meals has drastically improved. However, he has developed the habit of twirling his hands and his feet while he eats. Constantly. It’s the strangest yet cutest thing.

I really wonder what goes through his mind sometimes.