Thanks, Aunt George & Uncle Rick

Thanks for the fun Hanukkah t-shirts, the funky clock...and that hilarious card! I took this video while Dahlia was napping. Maybe someday I will capture them wearing their shirts at the same time. I hope you guys enjoy the inauguration madness and, speaking of madness, come visit us soon! We are getting ready for Mardi Gras--people say it's fun with kids if we go to the right spot for the parades. Some of the parades are passing about five or six blocks from our house. I think it's the perfect distance away, so we can walk to see it but people won't park near our house.

Flashback to Halloween

I have slacked on the blog for the past six months while our lives have been turned upside-down by the move into our new house. Fortunately, we moved in just a week or two before Halloween. (No comment for now about the months while we were looking for a house, negotiating over the price, waiting to hear from the seller, commuting from Slidell...) We had a blast trick-or-treating down Octavia from our house towards St. Charles. We met a lot of our neighbors, including a dad dressed as Elvis, and had an excuse to get a little closer to some of the homes we usually just admire from the sidewalk. Our neighborhood served as somewhat as a trick-or-treating destination from kids from who knows where. I didn't want to miss posting pics of Shalom and Dahlia dressed as kitty-cats. Too bad we can't go back in time and throw out all of the candy before the post-Halloween drama ensued.

our back yard

Our yard is not too big, but I have big hopes... Maybe I should keep them modest and focus on not killing the grass. However, I dream of growing flowers on all three sides of the yard, on the side of the driveway and in front of the house. The previous owner planted a lot so things are popping up all over the place. There was a border of bricks protecting her flower bed under the tree. I removed the bricks, moved some plants, and let the grass overtake that area. Weeks later, there are all kinds of plants popping up there. Fortunately, we had beautiful weather--into the 70's--all last week so we spent a lot of time outside. Inspired by last week's visit to the Insectarium, I started to weed my jungle/butterfly garden in the far right corner (mostly jungle). It has cooled off, so I may have to put the outdoor work on hold for the time being. Lord knows we have plenty of things to do in our house, too.

Thanks, Ma-Ma

Thanks for the fun Christmas gift! Shalom & Dahlia love the kitchen. Come back soon so they can make you a snack!