can't beat this one

just cute kids

summer haircuts

being sick sucks

and another

Tibo

Nina and I spent last Friday with Tibo. Whole Foods, the mall, a haircut for Nina, and Bogue Falaya made for a busy day. The kids happily ended the day with meatballs and sorbet.

clean cousins :)

more bday pictures

Ah, I erased a bunch. Here they are.

Nina's second birthday party

Nina's first "My Little Tea Party" birthday party. Oh lawd, may she not request this for her own.
So here she is in her party dress, complete with her hip little sneakers and her snoball necklace. But when we got there, she was asked to don her favorite Disney dress (minnie mouse, of course!) and then she proceeded to partake in 2 hours of highly scheduled girlie activities, including makeup application, fashion show, karaoke, and painting fingernails. Oh oh lawd.
I can't say she loved it, she was just coming down with the virus Kai had and she mostly looked shell shocked, as you'll see.
And this all brings me to this conflict in raising a daughter. She sees me applying my mascara and blush in the car..."Why you doin' that, mom?" (The littlest things she says crack me up. She always calls me mom, incessantly..."Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. What you doin'?") I don't know if the way she talks is the result of learning to speak in the south or just her own little eccentricity. But I love it.)
Anyway, why AM I doing that? It makes me feel better. Why? At what point will it be OK that making herself up makes her feel better? And who is she making herself up for? Ah the brain battles. This all crossed my mind the split second I found out I was pregnant with my girl.
Anyway, buzz kill strikes again. But we had fun, and Kai and Nate had fun while we were at the party, piano lesson and Bogue Falaya and swimming at Franco's.

Orchestra

Saw the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra perform Star Wars music yesterday. Gave me the chills, it was just awesome. Kai was too under-the-weather to duel with the other darth vaders and jango fetts, but he enjoyed taking it all in and loved the concert. He was mesmerized. Nina on the other hand...next time I'll leave her with Sara and Tibo!

Grandma Meecie visits

The little ones frolicked at the park post-Hansen's snoball visit with mom and Meecie, Sara and Matt, while Kai stayed home with Nate. A photoshoot with Grandma Meecie, who responded to our SOS and had some sweet time with Kai while Nina was recuperating from her surgery, and some wonderful time with Nina while Kai was home sick with Mom and Dad.
Let this season be over! Enough of these nasty viruses. We sent Meecie home with a nasty one again. Today is day 4 of Kai's fever...poor thing...

and more

Nate really rocked that mullet. I was relieved when he took it off.

more pics - it's a family day

the end of a long parade...

...and Nina's still running...shirtless as usual.

kai shows his moves at Zulu

mardi gras highlights

It really was a perfect day, and the city is all over itself, so happy we all pulled off another one. It was a beauty.
Mardi Gras day the cousins three woke up together, got into their costumes, and we paraded down Magazine, up Napoleon, down St. Charles and up Jackson to see Zulu. On the way we saw Mardi Gras Indians, a huge deal, something I've never seen in person and up close.
Highlights of the day: the looks and compliments the DeSchutters got on their bird family costumes. The number of people who questioned whether Nate's mullet was real or not. Kai walking away from Toth on Sunday saying, "That was AWESOME!" Nina and Tibo in their costumes. Kai's smile when a marching band played Celo Green. The battle of the bands between a Baker, LA marching band and a bunch of (extremely talented) old white guys tooting their horns. The float with the cast of Treme. And on...and on...
But as usual on this day, glad it's over. We're exhausted.