[Nicolas] Cooker Baby

we took nicolas to oxford (ms) for my 21st high school reunion party this weekend and to visit grandma and grandpa. the reunion was at sardis lake, so nicolas got to play on a really fun playground and then go for a little dip in the water afterward. i know the water doesn't look that inviting, but it felt great and we had a great time:

our little guy is sick again. he caught another cold and has been miserable the past couple days, coughing and all congested. :( At least we had some fun making cookies earlier this past week: first we mix: now they're ready: and finally, we eat: unfortunately we didn't have the camera in his room a few minutes later for bedtime. people have told me the link between sugar and hyperactivity is a myth, but i have witnessed this link first hand, and it is real. he was bouncing off the walls for the next 30 minutes. we couldn't stop laughing long enough to grab the camera. maybe we'll catch it next time.

Nicolas is doing great. continuing to amuse us, really enjoying preschool a few days a week now, and throwing a couple tantrums every now and then. he helped me make some cookies tonight and mary took some pics and video - so we'll try to get some of that up soon. until then, here's what a typical early morning can be like with him - this was taken almost a month ago:

Happy Father's Day! (he's holding the card he got me, with Garfield on it - he doesn't know who Garfield is, but he likes him) ---------------- while he was sick earlier this week mary decided to get nicolas a harmonica to cheer him up a bit. he loved it, and still plays it sometimes when he wakes up from naps or before bedtime. he also likes to sit on our front steps here and play it after dinner. here's his first time with it: and his second time, a few minutes later:

this was taken a few days ago while he was still feeling bad, but nicolas is almost all better now. he went to school on thursday while mary and i worked from home and fought off the same cold he had earlier this week. we're still fighting it, but hope to be better soon so we can all enjoy the weekend. the louisiana seafood festival, creole tomato festival (the 25th annual, actually), and cajun and zydeco festival are all happening today through sunday - all in the french quarter, right next to each other. and the brand new Audubon Insectarium just opened today, also in the french quarter - what kid doesn't love bugs?

my parents came down this weekend to bring us some stuff from our home in nashville and spend some time with nicolas. on friday evening we walked over to city park and nicolas wanted to play on the playground for a bit. as we got closer to it though, we heard trumpets and drums, and saw a 9-piece brass band practicing just on the other side of the bayou that runs through the park. nicolas decided he could play on the playground another day, and walked over to see the band. there was a tuba, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, a saxophone, snare and bass drum, and a cornet player, and they were working through a collection of popular new orleans brass band songs. we all sat on the footbridge and watched the band while nicolas danced back and forth to the music. it was a beautiful way to end the day and one more affirmation that we made the right decision to come back here. where else in the world are you going to see something like that? the next morning, my parents treated nicolas to a reading of...

nicolas took his first streetcar ride this past friday, and he really enjoyed it. we rode the canal streetcar from a vietnamese restaurant on Carrollton to the end of the line at City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art. He wanted to stay on and go back down the line, but it was getting late so we pushed him back home in the stroller.

crawfish boils! nicolas enjoyed his first crawfish boil today at our the home of our good friends jonathan and sedoni. mary and i peeled, while he watched skeptically. after his first bite he couldn't wait to eat more. he even danced with new friends (trish): and spent some time with cuter-than-ever harley:

i just uploaded some new pics from this past weekend. bayou boogaloo was great friday night and saturday: nicolas and mary really enjoyed saturday there: nicolas met some cute girls that wanted to grab him: and then he danced with them on our blanket: and he loved seeing all the boats too: The next day (Sunday), we headed up the bayou to lakeview for the annual Greekfest. There were all kinds of cool "Greek-themed" activities like rock climbing, boat rides, greek dancing and live music, but all nicolas cared about was the cool sandbox (he had never played in one before): and the inflatable clubhouse:

this weekend is a prime example of why we love new orleans so much. yesterday and today, just a few blocks away from our house, is the Bayou Boogaloo on beautiful Bayou St. John. - live music, great food, arts, crafts and tons of friendly new orleanians. we went last night for a bit and nicolas of course loved it: great cajun and zydeco music and some awesome crawfish quesadillas. a couple even got married there on stage: this weekend is also the 35th! annual greek festival in lakeview, just a mile away. it 's a huge celebration of greek food, music, with lots of things for kids and a ton of fun - http://www.greekfestnola.com/ we may try to check that out today or tomorrow.

it's been almost a month, but we still have great memories of jazzfest. here's nicolas playing the water bottle at the fais do do tent: and a full 2 minutes of the little guy dancing to some zydeco music at the kids tent later in the day: we've taken advantage of this beautiful late spring here as much as possible, with regular bike rides through city park and after dinner neighborhood walks before bedtime. despite its flaws, new orleans is one of the most beautiful cities i've ever seen and we couldn't be happier that we're finally back home and able to share this special place with nicolas. hey, remember that clip a couple posts ago with nicolas dancing to the roedean choir of south africa at jazzfest? here's a video i found of them helping rebuild homes while they were here. how cool is that?: Roedean Choir helps rebuild

here's nicolas enjoying his discovery of spanish moss in beautiful nearby City Park:

here's nicolas enjoying music from the roedean choir of south africa in the kids tent on friday at jazzfest:

less than a couple weeks ago we packed up the cats and nicolas and some essentials and headed down to new orleans to live for a while. we're renting my brother's and dad's house near city park so we can be closer to work, friends and the city we love. within a few days of being here we had already run into some long lost friends. city park is literally a stone's throw away, and besides having a really fun playground for nicolas, it's also got the city's awesome museum of art, an amazing sculpture garden, an amusement park just for kids complete with a train and roller coaster, all set among groves of 100-year-old oak trees, bayous and wildlife. here's nicolas enjoying the playground: fortunately we got down here in time to enjoy what's left of the beautiful spring weather. the wednesday before jazzfest we met some good friends in the park for the Louisiana Philharmonic's annual pre-jazzfest concert, and unexpectedly ran into even more friends there. ...

we snapped these from my mac right after his nap on monday ...

during nicolas' recent visit with his grandparents, my dad captured this moment for everyone to enjoy:

a couple weeks ago, nicolas went to the doctor for his 2 year check-up. he was a little nervous about the whole thing, but it went pretty well overall. going in: getting weighed and measured:

nicolas has been with his grandparents for the past week! good thing they're all having a great time. here he is on his new tricycle:

sorry for the delay with this ... a couple more birthday cake clips for you:

today's doctor visit went great. will have some pics and clips from that to share with you later this week, bur for now, here are a couple birthday clips i promised: