Mardi Gras 2010 Part 1

I considered asking for Xanax before flying to New Orleans. It boils down to a control issue for me. I know that it is safer to fly than to drive but the whole dang process. The parking, the bags, the security. Taking off my children's shoes for security. Trusting someone else I've never met to fly us in a metal tube hundreds of miles per hour 30,000 feet in the air.

Then I took two toddlers. I needed for the Xanax for other reasons. In all reality, A wasn't too bad. Give her a few choice presents wrapped up every twenty minutes or so as a reward for good behavior, including a new video to watch on the compact DVD player and it was all good. Z on the other hand. Was proof that an almost one year old can not be reasoned with. Especially when you woke them up at 4 am, loaded them up, took them through the above steps. She of course fell asleep when we were 35 minutes from landing.

It was sleeting in New Orleans. The car seats needed to be changed twice before we had two working ones. A full 9 hours after we started, we had the girls in Stacey's house and down for naps. I do believe I may have had a glass of wine at that point, who cared it was only 1 or 2 in the afternoon? It felt like midnight and that counts for something, right?

The parades were cancelled for that night which was a sigh of relief. Friday we wandered into the French Quarter and purchased a muffaletta sandwich from Central Grocery. It was quiet and COLD.

Of course stopped for a bloody mary from Molly's. The rest of the day was showing the girls beads and of course, in the girl's minds the whole reason for the trip, Aunt Stacey's cat Liza.

Mommom went out that evening and saw three, maybe four parades but the best was saved for last....Muses. And their theme was A Muses Guide to Love and Romance. Satirical of course....one float discussed leaving the lid DOWN boys. A coveted throw is a glitter covered shoe decorated by the float riders and I have to rub in that I achieved one!!! It must have been my beautiful gold eyelashes.

Saturday brought another 3-4 day parades and a few night parades. We ducked out on the night parade but initiated the girls into the day parades. Our sign had to be taken down as it was too successful and I learned the hard way that a cute toddler on a ladder is a stuffed toy, bead and anything else goes magnet.





A did not like the ladder until the first stuffed animal was thrown and then she was all in.

Z was excited....then unimpressed.

Aunt Stacey babysat that night so Mommom and Daddy could go see Leroy Jones and his quintent....including the adorable Katja.

Sunday...sweet Mattie went out and saved a spot at 6:45 AM and was there until midnight or so with one break where he went and took a nap.



He set up the tent and chairs and a couple of ladders and is our hero.

A made quite the impression on an eight or nine year old boy who was riding in the parade. He saw her as they went by, pointed and beckoned to us....and when we went up to the float she received a Sponge Bob Square Pants stuffed doll, nearly as big as her.

Mommom went home early and rescued the rental car from the paid parking lot and managed to squeeze out of the tiniest room possible to take the girls home for a well deserved night of rest while daddy stayed out for the night parade with Aunt Stacey and several friends to watch the Bacchus parade. It took them over an hour to get home....winding through several side streets and stopping to get some pretty decent burritos.

Halfway through the trip and I am just as tired writing about it as I was living it.....more to follow!