So long Louisiana!

Ride 'em Memphis!

I said good-bye to my Crazy Louisiana Family over dinner at The Shed. It was a fun atmosphere and I enjoyed trying my old standby... Pulled pork AND a little banana pudding too.

My Shelby is good to go now that he has a secret remedy tummy tum tum elixir on board.

Mason is diggin' his BBQ!

And Memphis approves of his cuisine as well.

We rode the bull for some good measure (Lovin' the Easter bunny ears).

Mason was the champion and could have stayed on him all night!

And we can't forget Miss Angel Zoie Marie. I had memories of this sweet girl constantly and around every corner. In the eyes of her baby brother, one of Momo Monkey's antics that would have made her roll of her eyes, a song on the radio that she would have sang LOUD and PROUD (think, Alan Jackson) eating some of your favorite foods... the list goes on and on. Hard to believe that Zoie WON her battle against that nasty cancer and danced into heaven over FIVE years ago. If only I could just give her one more squeeze to hear her yell, "CHELINDA" and then run with her gimpy limp and demand all of my attention. Being with her family makes all of the sweet times that much more vivid. And for that, I am so grateful.

See ya next time, Louisiana!

CHELINDA

Memphis James ~ Part Two

After sleeping in (three boys who sleep in? My kind of kids!) we went to a field trip to The Waffle House ~ my request!

Waffles with chocolate chips, please!

Travis' mom, Ms. Marie, made me this beautiful cake. A white cake with white frosting. MY FAVORITE!!!!

Memphis thought the cake was ALL for him! I shared.

Yummy!

ALL DONE!

Shelby James ~ Part Two

Memphis James ~ Part One

Meet Memphis James. His namesake is from Memphis, Tennessee, home of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He is 13 months old and ALL BOY! I had to work quickly to get any pics. But he is a ham, huh?

Love his big brown eyes.

Memphis looks SO MUCH like his big sissy, Angel Zoie.

Playing soft with his baby brother.

And now he's ready for his bottle!

Shelby James ~ Part One

And Shelby James makes the family compete! His name is inspired by Shelby County, Tennessee (which Memphis / St. Jude is located). Shelby is four weeks old and precious!

He still has many of the baby wrinkles that disappear too soon, has the newborn cry (although not often) and is a humongous cuddle bug!

I think that Shelby is a blend of his big sister and brothers.

Momo Monkey and Shelby's parents had to fight me for Mr. Shelby. It's easy to be super helpful and willing to do baby duty when it's only very short-term! I forgot just how little newborns are. It's crazy to think that my baby sister has Baby Elle growing in her tummy!

I'm frustrated that I can't get my photos to look like The Pioneer Woman's. (Or my other friends who are professionals! ) But, I'm trying. I need to learn to how to use Photoshop and keep practicing, practicing, practicing. I hear that Lighting is very important as is the shooting mode. Let me know if you are a willing volunteer!

Brotherly love

Sweet baby boy!

The Big Easy ~ New Orleans, Louisiana

Nawlins!

The Schexnayders and Momo Monkey were kind enough to take me New Orleans. I never made the trip when I lived in Memphis, and since we were so close (in Baton Rouge) we took a day trip to experience the city.

Sonic and all of the pellet ice goodness for breakfast! Why we only have one in Southern California I'll never understand....

The Superdome. It's something to think that it served as shelter to thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims.

So much to do, so little time...

A weekend of snapping pics, and I finally get one of little man crackin' a smile!

This is Miss Hannah with Mason Jude. They are cousins and Hannah is so sweet and patient with Mason.

They had fun running everywhere and showing us their tricks in the performance pavilion. I showed off a few time steps, flap-ball-change, shuffle-step and a wing or two. I didn't realize I still had it in me! All of those tap lessons are still ingrained in my brain!

This is the way to see the sites!

Shopping galore inside the French Market. I found a must have St. Jude medallion and a New Orleans fleur-de-lis charm.

Who needs a double stroller? There's plenty of room in there!

I just had to try beignets! When I told people that I was New Orleans bound everyone told me to head to Cafe du Monde!

"Donuts without the hole..." lavishly covered in powdered sugar and oh so yummy!

These painted trolley cars are all over the city. At first glance I thought that they looked like coffins and found it a bit odd... Does anybody else see the resemblance?

The St. Louis Cathedral was amazing! It was built in 1720 and overlooks Jackson Square. It is the oldest Catholic Cathedral, "in constant use," in the United States.

Momo Monkey lit a candle for Angel Zoie and Mason was very interested in the explanation. I love the way he will grow up knowing what an amazing big sister he has.

A family serenading us with violins ~ with a donation box for Summer Camp.

It may seem like an awkward transition, but from the Cathedral we headed to Bourbon Street. For a Photo opp only! :O)

Bourbon Street reminds me a lot of Memphis' Beale Street. I don't think I'll be making any Mardi Gras reservations anytime soon!

How funny is this granny? She really was jammin' on the keyboard!

A trolley along the Mighty Muddy Mississippi River.

Our last stop before heading back to Lafayette was to The International Shrine of St. Jude at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. This statue of St. Jude is the world's largest. My interest in St. Jude began as I learned of the significance it had to Danny Thomas and his founding St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

We spent time in The Lourdes Grotto. Very serene and spiritual.

The chapel was completed in 1827 and was, "born of hope in the face of desperation." At the time New Orleans was stricken with hundreds of cases of Yellow Fever. It was the place where many veterans of the Confederate Army and survivors of the American Civil war gathered to worship and, "nourish their souls."

Good-bye New Orleans!

We headed back to Lafayette and dodged a massive thunderstorm.

Tomorrow, I head back home. I had such a fun filled extended weekend with my favorite crazy Louisiana family. Many thanks to The Schexnayders and Momo Monkey for all of your hospitality and for making my trip a memorable one! In the words of precious princess Angel Zoie, I LOVE YOU BIG LIKE HEAVEN!!!!