24 Months

Well the 24th month has been filled with small advances culminating on their birthday with two more firsts. When I went into their room to say good morning, Ethan was trying to sing "the Bible tells me so" from Jesus Loves me. Then just a short while later Andrew learned he could walk backwards.

They have grown in height, Ethan is over 34 inches and Andrew is 33 inches. Andrew is 28 pounds and Ethan is 27 pounds. They still have a ways to go before they can fill Daddy's shoes.

Words continue to increase. Ethan is trying to copy my sentences in particular when he asks for something. For example he attempts to say "May I please have more juice" though I only understand the first and last word.

Andrew can now say two word phrases like "diaper wet" and "cat gone". He is very polite and says "thank you" often. In this picture he is asking where the cat has gone. It is fun to go to the grocery store/Sam's club and quiz them on the food or other items in the store. They know so many words I would guess it's close to 500 words.

After taking an assessment for 24 months old, they are both ahead of the curve in development. They run well, kick and throw balls, stack blocks and megablocks, scribble with a crayon and use utensils with some success.

We read before nap and bedtime and they would love for us to read "again" and "again." It's crowded in our reading chair now. I'm not sure where I'll read when they are too tall that I can't see over their heads.

We are blessed to have two great boys.

New Orleans

We had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans April 15-20 for my sister's wedding on April 17. This post will be more about the city sites.

We stayed in the garden district on St. Charles Avenue about 10 blocks from the French Quarter at the Avenue Plaza Resort. Since we were on the 11th floor we had a great view of the city. You can see the Super Dome in the picture taken from the rooftop of our hotel. Driving is a bit difficult in this city since streets don't run north/south, they follow the curve of the water around the city so it's important to learn some basic streets or areas to understand directions. We borrowed a GPS unit and it did come in handy.

We were able to visit the french quarter and as usual there was a festival of some sort. During our afternoon out, David and I ate beignet's at Cafe du Monde, roamed the shops, watched the street artists, and tried on masks.
One of the best parts of the trip was the tours we took. It allowed us to see an overview of the city though the down side was flying right passed an area that sparked our interest. We sailed the Mississippi on the Natchez, a wooden paddle wheel boat. This tour provided information about commerce and the importance of the New Orleans Port for this country.

The other tour was by bus through the city to show the French Quarter (old city), the street with Cajun houses on one side and American homes on the other with the "neutral zone" or median in the center. That was an interesting reminder about prejudice and that it comes in all forms. We made two stops, one at a cemetery where the people are buried above ground. The next stop was the City Park which was fabulous. The live oaks are evergreens, some have ferns on the branches called "resurrection fern" because they resurrect after a rain and look green for 9 hours and then lay dormant again. They have added a playground near the "walking oaks" and they are a favorite of kids for climbing. I think the trees and some of the interesting house architectural styles were my two favorite things about New Orleans.



The boys had many first experiences. For the first time they rode a bus, sailed on a boat, and traveled in a street car.

Though not pictured, we drove across the longest continues bridge, 23 miles, across Lake Pontchartrain on two days. There is something about the expanse of water and the clicking of the tires on the bridge added to very tired boys that caused them to fall asleep each time we crossed it.

Travel with 7 Poeple

So are you wondering how it's possible to travel with 7 people in one minivan? Here's how!

First you buy some Starbucks coffee for those that are grouchy or tired. Next you pack an ice chest full of snacks, lunch, and drinks. You'll still have to stop at McDonalds or Dariy Queen to use the restroom and have a treat. Then you need a DVD player to keep them from asking "are we there yet?" or "I'm hungry."

As for packing, make sure you pack in small size bags and remember you can buy groceries at your destination. Lastly, buy a rooftop luggage carrier that will fit at least one small adult. Okay, just kidding! It should fit about 5 bags so there is enough room for BOB the stroller, 2 portable beds, supply of diapers, and all other belongings.

Once in New Orleans, Grandma used her walking sticks, the boys rode in BOB the stroller, or enj

oyed walking. When we traveled on the street cars they wore their animal backpacks so we could hold onto them in the crowd.

Enjoy this short video showing our seating arrangement in the van.

Favorite Photos from Trip

Here are some of my favorite photos during our trip to New Orleans.

Wedding

Aunt Lisa McCoy marries Benjamin Matthew Gaude at Matt's dads house near New Orleans.

We were happy to celebrate this happy occasion with family and friends; the Walters, Ken and Janelle McCoy, Ruth McCoy, Janelle's brothers Don and Ron Thompson, some of Lisa's friends from California and New Mexico, along with Matthew's family and friends. The Cajun style cookout was a new experience for us. What a site the table made with bright red craw fish, potatoes, corn on the cob, and then another long table of great Cajun dishes. There was plenty of food for the vegetarians like ratatouille and numerous salads.

Glad you are a part of our family Matthew!

Grandma McCoy Visits

We had the pleasure of having Great-Grandma McCoy visit with us for a week following our New Orleans trip. She stayed with us during the week and even tried some new things like using my MacBook. Though she had to endure a few noisy mornings, overall we had a good time with great weather so we could play in the yard and visit a few of our favorite spots in Chattanooga.

We were able to spend most of our mornings at home or running errands and then had a activity planned for the afternoon. Since it was very windy on Tuesday we visited the Tennessee Aquarium. The boys rode in Bob and Grandma used her walking sticks so we were able to move right along. I think the butterflies are still the boys favorite part.

Wednesday we met nana, papa, and daddy at Coolidge Park. We played in the park and rode the carousel before enjoying dinner at the Mud Pie. Thursday rained a bit but when Aunt Lezlee arrived in the evening, the boys asked to put on their boots and stomp in the puddles that remained on the back patio. What fun! Thanks again Lezlee for the boots.

We've been wanting to take the boys on a train ride so Friday was the perfect opportunity to go to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Thomas the Tank Engine was visiting for two weekends and we could see the train and walk around the special exhibits. Unfortunately, we arrived late and they didn't have enough passengers to run the last local train ride. I'm sure we'll try again soon. It's nice that the boys get in free to most places. That will change before we know it.

We enjoyed visiting over the weekend and had to say goodbye on Sunday night after enjoying haystacks and strawberries. We're happy we had the privilege of Great-Grandma's time and attention.