Grandma Time in Louisiana

I found a good deal on a flight down to New Orleans, where Russ and Adri's family are living now, so I went the last weekend of February.  We did some fun things together, including taking a swamp tour. Below I'm holding an alligator skull. Grace looks pretty interested in it. 

The swamp boat driver had a baby alligator on board and let people take turns holding it. It wasn't as slimy as I expected it to be.

I thought this was a pretty picture of Adri and a cute one of Grace.

Here's Sophia and Daddy on the boat.

We saw several alligators as we cruised around the swamp.

There was also lots of Spanish moss in the trees, which made it look especially "swampy" to me.

We also went into the city of New Orleans on two different days. One of the days was foggy and gray.

This is the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.

In front of the cathedral were some street musicians playing jazz.

I saw this balcony still decked out for Mardi Gras. It was sunny on this day.

We had to have beignets, a New Orleans donut specialty, from the famous Cafe Du Monde. I should have taken a picture of the line we waited in for half an hour to get our beignets. They were pretty good, sort of like an eggy fried scone, with lots of powdered sugar. At least they weren't too expensive.

Another sight New Orleans is famous for is the above ground cemeteries. They look like little stone homes for the dead.

I just had to put in these pictures of the Lee girls playing with the hundreds of mardi gras beads they picked up when they went to the Mardi Gras parades. 

It was an impressive haul! (Note Sophia's elegant dress-up shoes in the shot below.)

We girls did a bit of shopping at Kohl's.

I have to record the cutest thing Sophia said when I was with her. We were in the kitchen making pancakes for breakfast together when the heat vent in the kitchen ceiling started blowing warm air right on us. Sophia said, "Grandma, do you feel that warm feeling? That's the Holy Ghost!" I know one little Sunbeam who's been paying attention in her Primary class!

Grace was just starting to get the hang of sitting up and crawling while I was there. She took awhile to warm up to me, but by the end of my visit she did.

I saved a dress-up skirt that Adri wore as a princess Halloween costume when she was three. Here's a picture of Sophia and her mommy wearing the skirt. Two adorable girls, that's for sure.

I had a fun time with the Lees in Louisiana!