All aboard for The Big Easy!

Talk about a grand finale!  To return the boys to me, mom and dad took them to New Orleans on the AmTrak where I met them.  We spent 2 fun filled days exploring the city before heading back.  It is kind of the "halfway" point for me, mom and dad and Tracie.  They loved the train ride!  Any ride on a train is cool when you are 7&4.  

I picked them up nearby at the train station!  I was sure glad to see those two after 2 weeks away!  I think they were kinda glad to see me too!

 And here you have the REAL reason we decided to meet at the "halfway point"!  I knew if we had a little "vacation", that Tracie wouldn't miss it and with her comes Allie Gray! I hadn't seen this baby since mother's day which is unacceptable and I needed my fix!  She was totally worth it!  This look means " I love my Aunt Jamie"  (or more likely, "you look almost exactly like my mom but something's different")  If you could have only seen the look on her face as she looked at us from one to the other trying to figure it out.  Guess we do look a little alike afterall.

 We stayed at a GREAT VRBO for far far less than we could have stayed at any hotel room!( http://www.vrbo.com/448750 ) We had 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms!  It came in handy for getting up and at em in the morning.  It was on Algiers point about 4 blocks from the ferry so we rode it into Jackson square the first day.  It was a super quick and easy ride.  And free!

 There was even a super cute park next door to the house!  It was the perfect (and safe!) place for us!  We could walk to breakfast and dinner!

I wasn't going to set foot in the city of NOLA without trying the famous Cafe Du Monde.  It didn't dissappoint.  Now it was far too hot for the cafe au lait but we indulged in the beignets and they were divine!  Who doesn't like a heavy dose of fried dough covered, no slathered in powdered sugar!

 I " mustashe" the question: Who's that guy?  Never a dull moment around this family.  Dad found it humorous to use the palm tree bark for a makeshift mustache!

 Jackson square was both beautiful and historic...and HOT.  Remember we were in New Orleans in AUGUST.  It topped 100 each day and the humidity was even worse than Houston.

We stopped for a snack of cheese and crackers and Lincoln went to chasing the pigeons.  He heard if you put salt on their tail, you could catch them.  He was out to prove it!

 The one cool thing we found to do was take a trolley ride down canal street!  It was great until it got a little crowded.  I'm thinking Dad wasn't a fan of the close quarters of public transportation!  Why didn't we learn our lesson in NYC?

 Yep, right here's the reason I planned this whole trip!  Just look at that cutie!

Although we were tired and HOT, we pushed on through the Insectarium and we were glad we did!  It was cool inside and the bugs delighted two boys I know!  

 They had a butterfly atrium where we spent lots of time!  It was cool to have them choose you to land on!

 They had a 3D underground bug exhibit where the bugs were life size.  Wouldn't you know, I was the first to turn the corner and have one of the life size robotic creatures jump out at me. I squealed and Tracie laughed.  She's always thought my fear of spiders was funny.  I see no humor in it at all!

The following day we spent touring the garden district and the cemetery.  The history in the graves and the homes was fascinating.  While we listened to the tour, the boys went off to chase lizards.  My dad included!   

Can you see the light rays and the purple orbs in the bottom right photo?  They do say some of the graves are haunted! 

 The homes were so beautiful, but it was still excruciatingly hot!!  

After the tour, on high recommendations, we headed down to the 9th ward for "the best fried chicken of your life!"  Willie Mae's scotch house wasn't much to see from the outside.  It was in an area that had suffered devastation from Katrina and needed lots of renovation.  I had my doubts but we pushed on and to our surprise, we were served "the best fried chicken of our life" for lunch.  There wasn't a single scrap to take home with us but we certainly filled the fried chicken void and I know at least for me, the bar has been set and it's HIGH!  

 Next we headed to City Park.  I knew it was going to be hot but I think even we underestimated spending the day outside and how it can drag you down.  The park was beautiful and the sculpture garden was so intriguing.  We all said how enjoyable it would be to come here...in DECEMBER!  We did find a reprieve in a place of the park called Storyland.  It's a playground themed like children's storybooks and it was so neat!  They boys had a blast inside and we enjoyed the shade provided by the giant live oaks!

 My NOLA native neighbors said it wasn't a trip to the big easy without a snowball and who am I to disagree?!  In my neck of the woods we just call these shaved ice but whatever you call them they are GOOD!!

 Our last dinner was at Ye Olde College Inn.  Another recommendation by my neighbors and it was delish!  We met our cousin Bev from Baton Rouge there and dinner was yummy!  We were so full after lots of shrimp and grits but we managed to all share their famous fried bread pudding for desert!  It was everything it sounds like and then some!

We covered a lot of ground in those 2 days.  You put me and my mom together and you can expect the trip of a lifetime + a TON of walking.  We don't want to miss a thing!  It was a great "end of summer" trip for all of us and I'm glad to know that we can all be together in a matter of 6 hours.  Living far away is tough on us all but we do what we can to make the best of it!  

Camp Nanapawpaw 2013

My kids just returned from quite possibly THE most exclusive summer camp on the planet.  The stipulations for getting into this summer camp set the bar pretty high.  The selection process is quick and as of now, there is unfortunately  no waiting list.  The price?  Well, I think it's safe to say 2 weeks at this camp is simply priceless!  To be one of the lucky 2 campers, you have to be born into the deFoor/Smith family and as of now, it's a boys only camp.  There is talk of adding a "girls only" camp in the future and opening it up to other families, (particularly those with the last name Mooring should apply) but for now this boys only camp ranks tops in the minds of these two lucky campers.  The camp is so exclusive that the campers are picked up by the counselor in person and then escorted back to the camp site by plane.  They are greeted on arrival with a full agenda of fun for 2 whole weeks.  No bedtimes, no rules, no problems!  

This camp is heavily weighted in the scientific arts.  One of the amazing camp counselors just happens to be a seasoned school teacher in Science and brings all her resources to the camp experience.  Occasionally a day camper is allowed in on the fun but Jackson and Lincoln are still the only overnight campers here.  Lessons are given in biology/dissection, mass, matter and chemical reactions.  There are also ecology lessons almost daily.  It's truly a boys heaven.  Rivers, Creeks and Cabins, OH MY!

There is always plenty of outdoor fun to be had at Camp Nanapawpaw.  Another favorite camp counselor is an avid fisherman/outdoorsman.  He has been specializing in outdoor activities for the last 40 years.  Having 2 daughters of his own, teaching boys the ways of outdoor life has been his lifelong dream.  

No summer camp experience is complete without water fun.  There is no shortage of water fun here!  Be it backyard slip n sliding, swimming pools or jumping off 15ft river piers the water fun never ends.  It's safe to say their swimsuits got a sufficient workout this summer.

Another highlight of Camp Nanapawpaw are the special guest appearances.  You just never know who will show up in your 2 weeks at camp.  These lucky guys got to meet a cute new blonde friend, an adorable puppy friend and their favorite Ms. Marie!  She even traveled from Nashville to spend an entire day with them.  Look at all those smiles.  I'd say it was a day well spent!  They also got to visit with great great aunts and great grandpa's well into their 90's.  It isn't just any camp where you can share a watermelon with your 90 year old grandpa that HE GREW himself!  

Movies and tightrope walking were some of the activity trips that were taken during camp.  There were also many trips to the local waterfall, splash pad, creek and mountain cabin.  The fun simply never ends around this place!

Then there was snack time.  Always a good time!  Sometimes it could include healthy snacks such as watermelon but more often than not, it would be pure whip cream, ice cream, cookies and cake with the occasional Mountain Dew on the side.  Yep, sugar detox is a must after spending 2 weeks at Camp Nanapawpaw.

You might think it's all play and no work here at Camp Nanapawpaw but these campers really earn their keep!  They are expected to help with car washes, pet maintenance and freely offering hugs and kisses to compensate for the exclusive entrance to this camp.  Changing clothes however, is NOT required.  If you want to wear a red superman shirt for 2 weeks straight, you are allowed to do so.  You don't want to swim in a swimsuit, no problem.  This is NOT fashion camp to be sure.

Rest time is always important and this camper really knows how to work it.  He made sure to let the Science Counselor know he liked to be "cozy" and she made sure that he always was.  She was also responsible for keeping the 2 rotating outfits clean and ready to wear.  Without her, his time at camp would have been much less pleasant.  Being the baby has it's perks.  It also helps when you radiate ADORABLE!

 And just when you *THINK* the fun is over, that's when it just moves up a notch to REALLY fun!  No camp is complete without a grande finale and up next, you'll get to read ALL about it!  Here's just a little sneak peek into the rest of the story...