Up Close and Personal

This morning Madelyn and I ended up at a place called Bayou Wildlife...it is an awesome safari-like animal adventure park that we just loved....here are a few more pics I thought were pretty cute or funny that I just had to post...

One of the many highlights...

The Ostriches were definitely not my favorite...These birds are MASSIVE!!!!

Giant camels literally in our laps...

Can you say Animal L-O-V-E-R???

Maddy and Mommy

one of the MANY crazy Emu birds...

Uhhhh Goldie...have you heard of personal space??? This guy was sitting right in front of us on the tram ride...poor thing!

This is Goldie, a golden-haired buffalo...loved him!

Happy Mother's Day!

I had an amazing Mother's Day with Madelyn and Brad. Even though I only got to see Brad for a couple of hours today, he was awesome! We went to Pappadeaux for lunch and had a nice time...check out the pics...we were trying to get one of Maddy without a mouthful of crackers, but we didn't have any luck!
Happy Mother's Day fellow Mamas! Happy Mommying!

Ball Park Babe

She is ALL about the cotton candy!Madelyn went to her first official Major League Baseball game on Saturday night to watch the Astros take on the Mariners. She absoutely loved it! She was incredibly stimulated by all the action, people and large graphic screens.

Whirlwind...

I know it's been a while since I have updated the blog...so here are just a few things going on... We have had a crazier-than-usual week here. Brad has been dealing with a take-home exam from school that is taking much of his free time (It is due Tuesday, so we will definitely be celebrating the end of this semester for him!)and he is also preparing for a turnaround at work that begins tomorrow....ugh, I don't look forward to these at all! Maddy is dealing with her two-year-old molars breaking through, and I am just trying to complete a multitude of tasks before Brad's turnaround begins next weekend(he will be working 12-14 hour nightshifts, bummer) and Maddy's MDO ends in just three SHORT weeks. Life just seems chaotic right now....and to make matters worse I had a little car accident earlier this week that added to the stress...yes, I backed OUR truck into OUR trailblazer in OUR OWN driveway!!! The entire rear door needs to be replaced....we dropped it off to be fixed this morning!! Other than that, we are doing well...every one is in good health, and we are busy, busy , busy with playdates, updating and de-cluttering the house, weddings and traveling.
Last weekend we went to visit and play tourist in New Orleans. We had been planning a short vacation there for months, and it was SOOO worth it! We had not been to New Orleans since May of 2005....almost THREE YEARS...the longest I have ever been away from the "big easy"! With the post Katrina reconstruction and birth of Madelyn, it never seemed like the right time. We really focused our trip on visiting with family, showing Maddy the sites and having date-nights...we were so relaxed and happy...and are looking forward to returning soon...hopefully with more time than we had this go-round. Here are a few picsfrom that weekend...Astrid and Maddy with Aunt Anna's famous "Rice with Chicken" dish. Maddy and daddy at the New Orleans Audubon Aquarium....an amazing place. Maddy trying to feed a cheese puff an enormous turtle at the Audubon Zoo....this zoo is incredible, our favorite so far, no doubt!Maddy had no fear when she presented with a snake...A picture of us at Pat O'Briens Piano Bar with our cousins!Aunt Anna, Uncle G and Madelyn...boy was she spoiled by them!!!We were able to return in time on Sunday to enjoy a crawfish boil at our naighbor's house...the perfect ending to a great weekend!