ROAD TRIP

Leaving Baton Rouge

Our first family road trip was an incredible success!  We made it all the way to the Lone Star State and back in my Mercury Mariner, which is getting a bit cramped with the two giant car seats in the back.  Cramped might be an understatement considering that my broad, five foot nine inch body was jammed sideways to feed Ken a banana within the first few hours of being on the road.  Our trip was planned to accommodate two very important babies and their baptisms.  We made our way to Baton Rouge for Joseph Calandro's big day, then off to Houston for some wonderful family time and Ava Knape's baptism.  We even got to sneak in some time with friends on the road.  We were able to see the Yeager family in Pensacola on the way out and on the way back.  Reese and Drew are too cute, and the Naval Aviation Museum in PCola is very cool.  Lydia, a friend since birth and Ken's Godmother, made our stay in NOLA awesome.

Ken, Reese, Drew, and Andrew at Casa Yeager

Outside The National Aviation Museum

Jet pilot in training

Eating a fun lunch with friends
(but I DON'T recommend the restaurant at the museum)

My best road trip purchase (aside from several boxes of junior mints and diet cokes):  the Philips dual screen portable DVD player.  Needless to say, Ken could give two toots about the DVD player, especially since he can't face his screen, BUT Andrew loved it.  Andrew watched Toy Story 3 at least 8 times on the road.  Nick and I are planning our stage performance of Toy Story 3 in early fall.  Lines memorized?  Check!  Can you guess why A loves TS3?  Yep, garbage trucks and the landfill have a great deal of screen time.  

I can't say it enough:  spending time with our friends and family was such a blast!

Andrew thought that he was at a resort while staying at the Calandro's house in Baton Rouge.  It was a 2 year old's fantasy land (and a 30 year old's): pool, fish pond, lake, swans, geese, turtles, dogs.  HEAVEN.  I was able to go to Calandro's Supermarket, which was like making a holy pilgrimage for me because I have been hearing about their family business since college.  I ate my way through it, and I enjoyed every bite!  If you go to Baton Rouge, I would suggest the jalapeno cheese spread, apricot almond chicken salad, and the muffaletta, and if you have space (I found space), the cannoli and cheesecake bars are pretty great too.  Our time with Mindy, Blaise, and my sweet godson was fantastic.  We haven't spent time together in far too long, but it is so wonderful to know that our friendship easily picks back up when we see one another or talk on the phone for that matter.  Joseph's baptism and subsequent celebration were perfect.  I am thrilled to be his Godmother and happy to share his faith formation with David, widely known as Bull.  Look below to see our cute holy family!!

If we were a real family, my hubby would be a cardiologist and my
sweet son would be destined for great height!  Cute though, right?!

Wonderful friends

SOOO SWEET

We haven't forgotten Kenneth.  He was already asleep.

Blaise and Joseph in the pool. 

Ken, Andrew, and Joseph

Ahh, Houston.  Nick and I talked about the Mexican food more than we actually ate it, but just knowing that it was nearby was nice.  Some of my favorite moments of the trip were watching Nick with Andrew in "Cici's pool", really the neighborhood pool.  Andrew was elated to return to the Butterfly Museum for both the butterflies and the fabulous bugs that are on exhibit prior to the butterflies.  And, I must admit that a pink katydid that eats cheerios is pretty fabulous.  Plus, we all went to a pool/water park named Noah's Arc later in the week with two cousins, Riley and John David, and we were able to celebrate John David's 5th birthday at the Houston Fire Museum too.  I had a few special evenings on the trip.  My sisters planned a belated birthday dinner for me, and it was perfect: Escalantes, family, friends and margaritas.  I also got a relaxing happy hour with a few of my DASH girls and their families, which inevitably turns into happy several hours!!!

Enjoying Noah's Arc

Andrew & Luke...boys and their trucks!

Fredland Family Fire Chief

Kolbe, Elizabeth, Cici, Ken, & John David

Jack is always so sweet to Andrew!  

Time with my family is becoming less relaxing and more insane these days.  Mary Theresa and Elizabeth are working on grandchildren numbers ten and eleven respectively for my mom.  Nick's sister, Mari, is pregnant with her first now too.  When we are all together, it is literally a mad house.  And, if you have a big family, you understand that it is WONDERFUL and HORRENDOUS at the same time.

Ava Marie's baptism at St. Rose of Lima was beautiful, which is completely appropriate for such a lovely girl.  Nick and I are honored to be her Godparents.  We chose Cristina and Aaron as Andrew's Godparents, so it feels so wonderful to find this new way to intertwine our families and agree to help raise our children in the church.  Unfortunately, I still need to ask Cristina for the picture of Nick and I with Ava, but here are two pics of us enjoying the Knape's back yard.

I love these guys

Best toy backhoe EVER

Showing muscles at the water wall

Crazy me

Aunt Mari is mesmerizing 

Uncle Terry is terrifying

Flying and not driving for once!

Although leaving his Cici made Andrew very sad, New Orleans brought Andrew intense joy.  If you have little eager readers and a soft spot for New Orleans, I would suggest Goodnight NOLA.  Andrew has been loving this book since he received it at Christmas, so when he found out that we would be going there on our trip, he made notes for the itinerary.  Andrew really loved seeing Lydia and staying with her grandmother, Sweetheart.  We also got to visit the aquarium, see the street cars, riverboats, and wave to the Cathedral and Cafe DuMonde.

Audubon Aquarium

Silly fools

Sweetheart, Andrew, Lydia, and Ken

Joseph and Ava were the true highlights of the trip.  They are blessings, and I love them!  God bless those two beauties.      

A happy side note of this trip was that it gave me a boost of confidence for our upcoming road trip to Virginia.  Fredland Family Road trip #2 quickly approaches in less than one month!!!  Let's do this!