Strawberry Season!

Go get those strawberries, kiddos! It was a cool but sunny day today at the U-Pick farm. We ended up getting about 20 lbs of berries for making pie, canning and freezing!

Elena liked the taller, hanging plants. She said the berries would taste better if they didn't grow near the dirt.

Noah was racing to fill my baskets, so I had to tell him to slow down! We still ended up with too many!

Annalee was very careful to pick only the biggest and reddest berries... she was still trying to find perfect berries for her friend when I told her we were leaving.

Gabe was so excited about picking berries that he was picking every one he came across! I had to show him which ones were ripe and which ones he should leave :)

Mardi Gras 2010

Andy rode in the Endymion parade for the 3rd year this Mardi Gras! He rides on Float #1, just behind the King of Endymion's float. "Papa Joe's", as the float is called, was the first two-story superfloat ever made! It was first used in 1976. Endymion is one of the biggest and best parades in New Orleans. This picture was taken at City Park, the beginning of Endymion's parade route.

If you have never been to Mardi Gras, here is a view of the wild crowd that attends the parades. Andy took over the camera this year and was able to take short videos from his float as they rode by. The noise on the video is nothing compared to what we experienced first-hand!

I decided to take the kids to the parade this year, and with the help of Andy's mom and brother we were able to get two full bags of beads, balls, stuffed animals and toys! We only stayed for about 1/4 of the parade (1.5 hours!) because I had to get back to the hotel to change for the ball in the Superdome. This year, Lynnard Skynnard played at the ball and Tom Benson was the Grand Marshall.

This was taken inside the Superdome. The parade ends at the ball, with the floats actually circling through the infield of the Superdome. If you can see the woman holding the white posterboard, I was standing over to the right of her :) Since Andy is on float #1, he is able to watch the majority of the parade with me after his float parks.

Here's Andy (sitting in the middle) with his fellow float #1 riders.

Andy and I at the Endymion ball. I think the man who took our picture was swaying a little :)