New Orleans 2010

On February 8 and 9, I (Dave) met a couple friends in New Orleans for a very quick trip. We scheduled the trip before the Saints were in the Superbowl and ended up being in New Orleans for the Superbowl parade on the only night we were there. The trip was less than 48 hours, but we had a good time none the less. The pictures are out of order, but you should get the gist.

This is a swamp we found as we were driving around. I nearly swamped myself trying to get on and off of this derelict boat.

We stopped by a plantation house that was built in the late 1700's. The tour was very interesting, and we learned quite a bit about the slavery system in N.O. during that time period.

Here is one of the "new and improved" homes that was built post Hurricane Katrina. In fact, this is one of the many crazy styles that Brad Pitt decided to build to help the people out. This house can actually float 12' before causing damage.

Here is the Six Flags park that is out of business. All the rides are still intact, just vacant. This area got up to 21' of flood water.

This is what many of the houses looked like. The foundations are completely undermined. Many of the houses had signs indicating when they would be demolished.

This and the next picture go together. The picture below is the location of one of the levee breaks. There are many foundation slabs in this area without houses on them. The rest of the houses are new. Of the 1.6 million people the lived in N.O. before the floods, 600,000 never returned.

This is a typical house that has not yet been demolished (5 years after the floods). The signage spray painted on the side indicates the date and the agency that checked the house for survivors. The zero on the bottom line indicates that no one was found dead here. You can see from the line where the water stayed for about 6 weeks.

These two pictures are near the Mississippi river around the French Quarter. There was very little damage in this area. The picture above is one of the levee gates.

The parade took over 2 hours to reach our location, but there were thousands of people crowding the streets to see.

Kade would enjoy these pictures. We had shrimp gumbo, fried gator, and po boy sandwiches for lunch. We also had some great Jambalaya for dinner.

The video below is a short glimpse into the riot of the parade. When it was over, the streets were absolutely covered in garbage. However, by early the next morning, it was all spick and span again.

No More Fireplace

This is what happens when you turn on a fireplace and your busy boy gets away from you for a second. I don't know if these pictures do it justice. His hand was burned so badly. We won't be turning that on ever again!! Nothing else has happened! Pretty quiet around here!

Christmas and Catch Up

Here is Christmas in Idaho. Brock really wasn't into it this year.






Swine Flu!! Yep, we brought swine flu with us. It was great!! Brock and Ali were so sick. He was absolutely miserable. It was so sad. Luckily the doctor gave us enough medicine for everyone in the house, so others didn't get it.

Ali had a little Christmas dance program. Here she is with some of her friends. This is their third year together!!Tylee is one of her best friends!! She will be moving soon and Ali will be heartbroken!

Scoliosis Update

This was the mood for the first week after getting the brace. The doctor wanted her wearing it for 20 hours a day by the end of the week. I didn't think we would ever get there. She cried all the time and was in so much pain. Against all odds she did it!! Now, I forget she has it on. Last week she was casted for a shoulder cuff. This will be added to the brace with the hopes of correcting the upper curve. I hope it doesn't go as badly as the first time. She really has been a trooper!!

The Joys of Plaster

Aubrey has been casted for her brace. It was an interesting experience for her. She is very private and was so embarrassed to be wearing watermelon underwear. I didn't know what to expect so it is partially my fault. First they put her in this weird fabric and they cut out a neck hole and arm holes. She was being so goofy!
They first casted her back. Both men pushed hard on her back to get it as straight as possible. Then they had to wait for the plaster to dry.
Then she just waited for it to dry completely.
Then they flipped her over to do the front. She didn't appreciate me taking pictures!
All done! After it dried we went upstairs to take an X-Ray with the cast on. I couldn't believe how much straighter her back was just laying in it. They are custom making her brace here in town. The doctor wanted control over the whole thing. They will place special padding in the brace to best help all the curves. Who knows... maybe this will help after all!

Halloween

Last week was so busy with all the Halloween parties. First I went to Ali's class party. She is Little Red Riding Hood. This is one of her good friends.Here is the whole class. All 35 of them!
I had a little time in between the parties to run to my in-laws house and see my baby. Thank heavens they could keep him that day. I couldn't have done it without them. This is Aubrey's class. The boy in front with the magnet is a "Chick Magnet." I thought that was so clever.

Aubrey and Ali during the Halloween parade!
Then, first thing Friday morning we headed to Idaho. The kids had a four day weekend so we decided to go for a little visit. The 8 hour drive stinks, but I love to be home. The girls were going to a party at Grandma Janet's. Technically, Grandma Janet belongs to Macey and Marley, but Ali thinks she is part of the gang.
Here is Brock, AKA Yoda!! He left those ears on the whole night. He looked so cute!
Here is Brooklyn as a Ladybug! She is so cute!
Here they are before we left to go Trick or Treating!
We ended up over at my Grandparent's home. Brock is officially part of the family! We all have had to lay across my Grandpa's lap and get the famous "Winkie." He has done this since I was small. He just draws a face around your belly button with big ears and such. It is not something I would have done at my age, but I loved it when I was little!!

Aubrey's Award

Aubrey got straight A's this quarter!! The school had a little awards assembly. It was freezing that day, so this was the only good shot! Good job Aubs!