UNDER THE SEA

We talked about taking Elle to New Orleans before we move to Starkville and then decided against it.  But Saturday morning Kenny was headed out to Starbucks and mentioned it again.  I told him to go get coffee and Elle and I would be ready when he got back.  So when he got back we hopped in the car and headed to the Crescent City!

We thought taking Elle to the aquarium would be fun since she obsessed with all things "sea" because of The Little Mermaid.  We had a great time and Elle loved all the fish.  The aquarium was the perfect outing because it really only took us an hour and forty five minutes to walk through not including stopping to eat lunch in their food court. 

Despite the somewhat dreary weather we then decided to take the half mile walk down to Cafe Du Monde for Elle to have her first (of many) beignets.  They were delicious.  It was a great memory even if Elle happened to fall smack out of her chair waving good bye. to some med student girls she had befriended while we there. We felt horrible but she got over it quickly.

And now picture overload. Ha!

In total awe of the tunnel aquarium. There were fish everywhere!

There were these scuba guys cleaning the tank and they 

started feeding the sting rays and it was really neat.

Daddy and Elle watching the penguins.

More fish!

Watching the ferry boat go by.  Soon after it tooted its horn and I have never 

seen Elle look so terrified. She sprinted for me and cried so hard.

This picture is so rough.  It was totally muggy and drizzly but I have decided I have 

to start including more pictures of us.  So here we are at Cafe Du Monde!

Getting her first taste of beignets.  She loved them.  She was a little worried about the 

mess they made on her and everyone else but otherwise it was a complete success. 

We were so glad we decided to take her.

Licking her lips! Now I want a beignet!

FAMILY ZOO DATE!

So apparently I needed a little break from blogging. We had a low key last weekend and week so I just did not have too much material to tell you.  But towards the end of the week we got out to do some fun things as a family and we had a great weekend.  So here are some recaps!

On Friday we took Elle to the zoo. You might remember I took her once already but this time Kenny tagged along.  We had a a lot of fun. The highlights at the tiny zoo are the train. the carousel and feeding the ducks.  There actually weren't a whole lot of animals out that day which we thought was kind of funny but Elle is at the age where everything is an adventure so it was still a great day together.

Elle watching the conductor toot the horn and getting ready to pull out of the station. And she insisted on bringing her baby with her sans clothes.  So funny.

Riding the train with Daddy.

Riding the carousel with Daddy.

Getting up close and personal with the leopard.  He was so pretty and was just as interested in Elle.

Our second train ride.  This time she sat with me!

Second carousel ride with Mommy.  

FRIDAY BRAIN DUMP

I have a lot of little things to share.  So here is Friday morning brain dump.

This is a church across the street from the church I was raised in, married in, and Elle was baptised in.  Our church will now be letting them hold their services in our fellowship hall.

- Yesterday was the first day that I was able to drive through the parts of Hattiesburg that were hit by the tornado the hardest and I was really shocked.  I have never seen tornado ravaged places in person. The most shocking part to me is driving down Hardy street and coming up on the University and there are just no trees.  Most of the campus buildings survived but after a hard Katrina hit and now this tornado the campus has lost all their huge oak trees and looks so bare.  It is so sad.  I could only imagine how the students and alumni feel.  I would be devastated if something like that happened to Mississippi State.

- Speaking of Mississippi State, we have two more weeks before we move to Starkville and I can't wait.  Plus I am super proud of my school this week because they have been sending relief buses down here to Hattiesburg to help with the cleanup and that makes me so happy.

- Yesterday I got my hair cut from the guy who cut and colored my hair all through junior high, high school and most of college.  It was weird coming back to him after so many years and I was really happy with it so I might start just getting my hair done whenever I come in town.  And there is nothing like a little color and a trim to give you a little self esteem boost!

- I made a soup this week that I have been seeing a lot on Pinterest. You can find the recipe here.  It wasn't mind blowing but very simple to make using the crock pot and was still pretty good.

- I also used pinterest for my complete inspiration for Elle's Valentine's this years and they turned out so cute.  I was really pleased with them and received lots of compliments on them.  Plus they were super simple to make.  The holiday treat ideas are one of my absolute favorite things about Pinterest.  Anyone can look creative and crafty.  And don't worry I gave complete credit to Pinterest ha!

- Speaking of Valentine's Elle received the sweetest Valentine package in the mail from our friends Lindsay and Loftin.  It made me cry.  I miss our sometimes twice weekly play dates!

- And finally I bought Skyfall for Kenny on iTunes for a Valentine happy.  We have decided to start buying all our movies on iTunes because we can watch them on Apple TV, our phones, and our iPads. It is where we buy all of Elle's shows and movies too.  Anywhoo.  I thought Skyfall was really good.  I am not the biggest fan of Bond movies but this one wasn't so blowy uppy.  (my terms)

TO THE LOVES OF MY LIFE

I have two loves on this Valentine's Day.  And while I am not into giving gifts (okay I did get Elle Valentine's Day presents because I just like buying her things) I do enjoy the sentiment of the sappy holiday.  So I thought I would take the time to write a short love note to the two loves of my life.

First up, my main squeeze!

Dear Kenny,
Thank you for everything you are doing for our family. You work so incredibly hard to provide for our family and still manage to come home and be a fantastic husband to me and an adoring father to Elle. You make me laugh when I need it and make sure I never take myself to seriously. You are the backbone of our family and have really been there for me as we move through this season of life that is full of change.  I love you so much and can't wait to see what life will hold for us this year.  I know one thing for sure and that is it will be an adventure!

Love you!
Mal.

Next up! Ellie Bellie.

Dear Elle,
Happy Valentine's darling.  I hope you enjoyed your Valentine's happies this morning from Mommy and Daddy.  You are loving Llama Llama books these days so you were excited to see your new book and also a new movie, mommy's favorite, The Little Mermaid.  Under The Sea has been our go-to jam for the past couple weeks so I hope you love the entire movie too. Oh and we can't forget your M&M's.  I might have let you have just a few after you finished your breakfast.  Elle, thank you so much for the love and happiness you have brought to our lives and our family's lives.  You are so much fun and bring me so much happiness I want to explode sometimes. Of course there are days that my head wants to explode from frustration too but that is one of the best lessons you have taught me.  Unconditional and patient love.  Having you has made me a better person.  Happy Valentine's sweetie!!

Love you!
Mommy

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Oh parenthood.  It causes you to take a step back and reflect over the simplest (and best) things.  Elle is two.  And she has her own little voice these days.  She is making all kinds of decisions.  Juice or milk?  Cheese or fruit?  Peanut butter or grilled cheese?

The decisions and the way she conveys her choices to me is not always pleasant.  Sometimes it can be downright awful and then a time out is needed.  But right now I am enjoying this time in our life where because of these choices we are starting to see her personality take shape.

Yesterday her PDO program was closed because the church where she goes was in the path of the tornado. And it has been raining nonstop for several days so we are getting stir crazy again.  So I decided to take her to run some errands and then to get frozen yogurt.  We take her to get frozen yogurt all the time but we normally just share ours with her.  This time I got her her own cup and then let her choose the toppings. We looked all over the choices and then I explained to her that she could have whatever she wanted on her ice cream.  The first thing she chose was gummi bears which are very similar to the fruit snacks she loves. Next, peanut butter chips.  She is obsessed with peanut butter these days.  Some mini M&M's which are also a fave and finally some mini chocolate chips.

Yall.  The amount of simple and pure joy I had by just watching her pick out the things she likes and then enjoying them.  I thought about it all day and it would just make me smile.  This little baby is getting big.  She is becoming a little girl that doesn't require me to make every decision for her.

I know ice cream toppings don't tell me whether she will be outgoing or more reserved, will like to read or play sports when she grows up but it is just such an experience watching this little person grow.

Now I will probably look back at this post one day when she has made a DECISION about some awful pair of shoes that are the hot new thing or wants to dye hair a funny color.  But for now I am loving all the decision making going on in our family.

TORNADOS AND PARADES

Before I blog about our great weekend in Fairhope I want to let everyone know that we are all okay in Hattiesburg.  Hattiesburg was hit by a very large tornado yesterday but we are safe and sound and my mom's home came through without a scratch.  I wish I could say the same for the rest of my hometown.   My high school, another high school and the university here were all damaged and many homes and businesses were completely destroyed.   We have been through a lot of bad weather in Memphis but this was really the most scared I have been during a storm.  The tornado came within half a mile of our house so we were very lucky.

This weekend we traveled to Fairhope to visit Kenny's parents and had a great time!  On Friday night we were able to take Elle to one of their Mardi Gras parades.  We grabbed some dinner and then hit the streets for the floats to start strolling by.  This parade only had around 15-20 floats but they circle downtown Fairhope 3 times so it is a lot of fun and you catch a lot of cute things. The floats at this parade were also very ornate and were brightly lit so Elle loved them! I even found a little Mardi Gras inspired outfit for Elle for this parade.  I was going to put a yellow bow in her hair but just couldn't do it.  LSU colors! Blech!!!

Looking for the floats/choo choos six feet higher on Daddy's shoulders!

Even though Elle had a glo stick in her mouth we actually managed 

to get a decent family picture.  Such a rare occurrence!

Mrs. Ann (Gramma) with Mrs. Sarah the owner of the Cat's Meow.  Mrs. Ann works at the Cat's Meow in downtown Fairhope several nights a week for fun so stop by and say hi if you are ever there.  Mrs. Sarah and Elle had the best time dancing to all the marching bands during the parade.

Watching the huge spotlight at the beginning of the parade light up the sky.  

Elle and I watching the parade take its final loop.

Watching all the beads and goodies getting thrown!

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing.  Kenny and I found some time to go see Side Effects which we really enjoyed and had lunch at Thyme overlooking the bay.  Then Saturday night, Kenny's extended family came over for a cookout.  It was a fun weekend and Elle stayed up waaaaaaay past her bedtime both nights.  

Gramma and Elle.  Elle was all about her Gramma this trip. You can also see the cute new pair of Toms that Gramma got Elle this weekend.  She hasn't taken them off since we bought them in the store.  She slept in them on Sunday night.  Silly girl!

 On Sunday we went out for brunch and then headed home to Hattiesburg.  We arrived home just as the bad weather started.  I am glad we weren't on the road for all that tornado junk!

GIVEAWAY WINNER!

The winner of the cheese giveaway is The Beidleman's!

Email me at mallory_cornell@yahoo.com with your address and info and I will have 

the cheese gift pack sent your way!  Thanks to all for playing!

THROW ME SOMETHIN!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!

DON'T FORGET TO GO AND ENTER MY CHEESE! GLORIOUS CHEESE GIVEAWAY!

CLICK HERE!

This weekend Kenny, Elle and I hit the road for the gulf coast to visit our friends Megan and Patrick and their little boy Frances.  We see them a lot during football season but decided a visit while we are so close to them was in order!

Kenny left early Saturday morning to go fishing with Patrick.  Unfortunately they did not catch anything.  Elle and I headed down after lunch.

 Elle doing a little reading on the way down.

The weather this weekend was so gorgeous!  We took the opportunity to play outside when we could.

Elle actually sharing in this picture and letting Frances have a ride in his Cozy Coupe. Kenny and I decided Elle might need one of these.  She was obsessed!

Sunday was a big day.  Bay St. Louis was having their Mardi Gras parade and then the Super Bowl was that night.  Kenny and I were so excited to take Elle to her first parade but weren't entirely sure what she would think about the whole thing.  Despite not having a nap all day, she loooooved it.  She got so into it.  She loved all the Queens of the Krewes and their pretty dresses, loved all the floats which she called choo choos and really loved all the neat things people gave her and the beads.  People on the floats would see Kenny and I holding her and waving at them and they would bend over to specifically give her things.   Towards the end she was a little zombified from all the excitement and no afternoon nap.  But overall it was a total sucess and we all had so much fun!

 A little morning play time before Mardi Gras party time!
 
 A rare picture of Kenny and I together.  We always forget to take pictures of 
ourselves because are too busy taking pictures of Elle.

 Look at all those beads! She really loved that flower she is holding too.

 Daddy and Elle looking at the choo choos (floats)

 She asked to be put down in the stroller for a little bit. She was totally pooped!

 Mommy and a very tired Elle.  I get so many cute pics of Kenny and Elle 
and then I try to get one and this is the result!

Done with the parade and playing with some of the loot.  

She was totally weighed down with all those beads.

After the parade we headed back to Patrick and Megan's to play outside and relax.  We ended up grilling hot dogs and baking brownies for the Super Bowl.  We were all so tired and might of all been asleep on the sofas before the game was even over.  However, I will say that Beyonce totally rocked that half time show!  I loved the Destiny's Child reunion and now I'm listening to old school Destiny's Child cds on Spotify the last couple days.

It was such a fun weekend!  I hope we can take Elle to a Mardi Gras parade every year now that we are back in Mississippi whether it is on the coast or a family oriented parade in New Orleans!

BE SURE CHECK BACK TOMORROW TO SEE WHO WINS THE GIVEAWAY!