So, finally, here we have it. Proof that Grandma & Grandpa really did come and visit us a couple weeks ago and proof that we had a great time. As usual, we fit as much in as we could in the week. Let's see....we went to the zoo, the insectarium, Oak Alley Plantation, the boys went fishing and to the air show, we ate good food, lots of sno-balls at Sal's (like a LOT), Tyler & Grandma had a date, me and Garrett had a date, we went on several walks/bike rides around the lake, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something as usual. We had so much fun and have been missing them fiercely! Sam walked around all day long the day they left saying "Bompa?" which is something to be said since he literally only says about three words. So if he's saying 'Grandpa' (or at least his version of it), it's obvious that he enjoyed himself.
So now for the pictures...I didn't pack my camera around all that much, surprisingly enough and a lot of the pictures came from Garrett's dad. I never thought I'd have to rely on someone else to take pictures for me! But I'm glad he did! So, for starters we went on lots and lots of walks around the lake and Grandma & Grandpa loved seeing Tyler ride his bike.
And then we headed to the Insectarium. It was a big hit. Here is Tyler in the butterfly garden. I've decided that the bugs are kind of fascinating, as long as they're in glass cases. If I were to cross many of them in their natural habitats, it'd be the end of me. Really.
Garrett & his dad went fishing one day and it appears (from the pictures--I'll let you be the judge) that it was a huge success...
And apparently when you catch them this big, you just take a big fat picture to prove it and throw it back because they aren't good eatin' when they're so big...poor guys, huh?
And this is what we feasted on after they brought it home...yum!
And next up was the Nawlins Air Show...which Tyler, Garrett, and Grandpa attended. From what I understand, it was AWESOME. They all loved it and Tyler reported that the Blue Angels were his favorite part. Here he is at the controls of a helicopter.
And this is one of many pictures that my in-house air show photographer, Garrett, took. I let him loose with my camera and he, once again, did a great job and got some good shots. I'm thinking I'll have to post a bunch of them separately since there are a lot to go through (something like over 500?)! So here's just a sampling.
And last but not least, we hit Oak Alley Plantation. I know I've posted pictures of this place before, but I could photograph there all day. It is just the prettiest place on the planet. It doesn't possibly get any better than this.
And Sam and Tyler were far more fascinated by the many bugs they found than the fact that they were on a prestine property with an old mansion and 300-year old oak trees all over the place. :)
This walkway is lined with 28 oak trees that are over 300 years old. Awesomeness....
Tyler's favorite thing is to try to use my camera and on occasion, I give in. So here he is on one of his first attempts. Perhaps he needs a lesson in focusing? At those trees are nice and crisp!
And here's a later attempt, a little better. He just likes it because he can push the button down and take about 3 million pictures in one minute flat...
More fascination with bugs (this time a dead one). Sam seriously loves bugs, it's so cute.
And you can't tell me that when you look at this little monkey running around like he owns the place, that you don't want to pick him up and nibble on him just a little bit...
And then we got on to our tour and up to the veranda and looked out the other direction. Breathtaking.
But again...bugs on the veranda were far more fascinating then anything else.
And I think that wraps it up. Thanks for coming, Grandma & Grandpa. We miss you and can't wait to see you again!
So, while we are on the subject of high flying things (this will be the last post about airplanes for a while, I promise!), I have to post about Tyler's new find at our local library.
For starters, I have been trying my hardest to take advantage of the good old local library. I sometimes forget it's even there...and then I feel bad because my kids LOVE to go there. So we have been trying to get there more regularly. They love to go pick out new books, they love to read them over and over again, take them back and repeat. And the greatest thing for me is that it's FREE (as long as I remember to return the books on time, but we'll not get into that at the moment)!
So our visits to the library have generally consisted of picking out books in the "really little kids" section of the kids section, if that makes sense. We would pick up lots of Curious George books, some board books for Sam, one of our favorites called Gator Gumbo and books such as these. Until one day it happened.
We walked through the other side of the kids section, you know--the side for bigger kids, and Tyler spotted an entire rack of books all about airplanes. Yes, airplanes. Can you even believe that the library would carry an entire section of books all dedicated to aeronautical adventures? Well, Tyler sure couldn't believe it!
He was almost speechless as he browsed the aisle and touched each and every book on the rack. And before I knew it, we were checking out of the library with a stack of nothing but airplane books and not even a single Curious George book. How could this be happening? Is my boy growing up and maturing in his tastes that he'd prefer to bring home books with photos instead of illustrations and informative facts instead of a cute little fictitious story? I think I'm going to miss seeing how that curious little monkey figures out how to get himself into and out of some serious trouble!
But we came home and he went to studying and he studied and studied all about those airplanes. He looked at the pictures and would come and ask me names and to read more about "that one" or "this one". So the obsession continues and is only growing. He is a chip off the old block--like father, like son. When it comes to things like this, this is exactly how Garrett is...studying it ALL out. They are identical in this area, which will bode well for Tyler, since he'll be super smart like his dad!
And he especially loved learning about the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. And for one, he has cracked me up on MANY occasions just hearing him pronounce that word (sounds like loofvoffa), and second, he has again cracked me up when he has seen an airplane in the sky and said "oh, I think that's a plane from the Luftwaffe." And then as it gets closer, he indeed realizes that German planes are not flying overhead and he says something like "oh no, that's not from the Luftwaffe, that's just a UPS plane. Probably a DC-10. We shouldn't fly DC-10's because the engines fall off of those planes a lot and they crash."
And then this morning, he talked to his Grandpa Thalgott on the phone and he was on a layover at an airport. So Tyler was asking him all about where he was going and before he hung up he said, "travel safe. And make sure you don't fly on a UPS plane because the engine could fall off." Some sound words of wisdom, that's for sure.
I love this kid! And I love that he loves to learn. I imagine he's going to be making me laugh and teaching me a thing or two for a long time to come. And just so you know, we do still read about George on occasion, so it's a win-win for all of us!
