We spent most of this past weekend outside and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! We've had such a nasty winter that we were ready to go when the sun and warm temperatures showed up this weekend! We spent Saturday at a kite festival...the kids loved it and loved having all the open space at the park to run around. Then we grilled out Saturday night- bbq chicken and Margaretta pizza on the grill, hmmm!! Sunday we slept in and missed church, felt a little guilty but we decided to hit the Zoo early before the spring break crowd got there. We missed the members-only opening of the Museum of Living Art (MOLA) last weekend so wanted to check it out- and it was very cool!! After a picnic lunch at the Zoo and naps at home we went to the mall so Patrick could take Emma ice skating. Patrick knows how to skate pretty well from his old ice-hockey days in high school and he has been talking to Emma about taking her skating for months now so he finally dug his skates out the attic. She loved it and tells us she wants to take ice-skating lessons now...not sure that we are going to invest in that but Patrick did promise her he would take her more often!!
Helping Daddy assemble the dragon kite- which we couldn't get to fly so we had to buy a kite from the vendors at the festival but Emma picked it out and she was very proud!
Kids watching Daddy try to get the dragon kite in the air
Bryan pointing out to Daddy that the kite is not suppose to fall on the ground!
Bryan trying his hand at the dragon kite after Daddy and Emma abandoned it
I was busy watching Bryan and I looked over to see what Emma was doing and happen to catch this on my camera-
Boompa found a stick and Emma was holding on while
Boompa lifted it in the air!!
Emma helping Daddy fly the kite!
Emma's kite
Chillin with the kite - they make it looks so easy but it took about an hour to get it up in the air!
In front of the new Museum of Living Art- it was very cool!!
Crocodile at the entrance to the
MOLA
The kids loved that all the exhibits in the
MOLA had a ledge that they could stand on to see
Emma and her favorite animal, the giraffe
Checking out the elephants
Mr. Independent now refuses to sit in a high chair when we go out, but have to admit he does a pretty good job in the big chair
Riding the train-
chooo chooo
Carousel at the Zoo
Getting all laced up to go ice skate
Took her a while to figure out that you could walk normally on the rubber floor
Emma and Bissy waiting for the street car!
Emma LOVED the streetcar!
Hanging out on the Loyola campus, waiting for a street car after Uncle's Matthew's baseball game
Breakfast at the condo
Patrick & Elizabeth
Patrick and I got to go out on a date to restaurant August, yummy!!!
Baseball game #2
Tulane baseball team
Before the game they let the kids run out on the field for the national anthem...Emma didn't want to go but Elizabeth was such a sport and ran after Bryan!
Chris & Patrick
Sunday Brunch at Chris' restaurant- such good food!!! 
Emma enjoying a "Hanna Montana" at Chris' restaurant
Outside the restaurant
Chris, Michelle and Elizabeth had found this super fun park for the kids- it was called Storyland and all the play structures were shaped like things from various children's stories- here was Peter Pan and the pirate ship
Pinocchio and the whale
The three little pigs and their houses
Emma and Chris at the top of the castle
Byran and Chris on the firetruck
Dragon slide
Emma and Elizabeth on the magical mushrooms
Cinderella's pumpkin coach
We had dinner one night at Chris, Michelle and Elizabeth's house....we did make your own pizzas on the grill and Emma loved helping roll out the dough!
We didn't get to fly the kite at the park but when the wind picked up at the house Chris climbed to the top of the roof and got the kite going so Emma could fly the kite on the porch
Bryan discovered the stash of mardi gras beads in Elizabeth's room!
Cafe Du Monde!
Swear the whole place is covered in powdered sugar and you are too once you leave!!
Emma and Grandma in the French Quarter
Patrick and I near the river
Bryan and St. Louis Cathedral in the background
Emma checking out her buys from the French Market while she sat in Jackson Square
The theater Elizabeth works at - so cool it is right in the middle of the French Quarter
Emma taking her turn on stage!!
