Louisiana

The girls and I went to Louisiana for a week to visit my grandma Momo and other family. I hadn't been their since I was in 1st or 2nd grade. My sister and her family met us there. My mom was nice enough to fly here to Kansas and help me drive the 13 long hours to Louisiana. The girls did pretty good in the car thanks to lots of toys, puzzles, movies, color books, and snacks. We made it to Bogalusa, LA on Friday around 12:30am. Saturday we spend recuperating from the drive, visiting family, and doing a little sightseeing. We drove around and got to see all the houses my mom grew up in, her old high school, the house my great-grandparents lived in, and the police station my grandpa used to work at. Sunday we went to church with my grandma and visited the cemetery where my grandpa is buried. We also drove out to Sun, LA to see where my grandma grew up. Payton was a little freaked out at the cemetery -- she couldn't understand why we bury people in the ground. Monday we went to Baton Rouge to see the temple.
Thanks to my brother-in-law Aaron, a lot of our trip was spent eating seafood. I am not a fan of seafood, so I usually ordered chicken or popcorn shrimp. But I tried to be adventurous and sample everyone else's food. We had fried cat fish, fried alligator, fried crab claws (yes, everything down there is fried), and crawfish. On our way home we stopped at McDonald's for lunch and Payton said, "I think we need a break from nuggets." I never thought I'd hear her say that; but I agree. We had a great week and got to do a lot of fun things. I will have to break it up all into a few different posts. We really enjoyed spending time with Momo, Heidi, Donnie, and their families. The girls had a lot of fun with their cousins and chasing Momo's cat Beaux around. And of course it wouldn't be a vacation without one of the kids getting sick. Payton got and eye infection and was up all night one night with an ear infection. Luckily, my aunt Heidi works for a pediatrician and she was able to get us in to see the doctor.

On our way home, we picked up a huge Mississippi watermelon that we have been enjoying with dinner every night. According to my mom, watermelon are better in the south.
Once we got home, my mom was able to spend a few more days with us in Kansas. We had a great time with her. We went to see Eclipse, and she was able to help us celebrate the 4th of July and Piper's birthday. She even made Devin some Gumbo because he missed out on all he fun.

The girls with Grandma Gilbert

Momo and Piper

Baton Rouge, LA Temple

Momo and the girls

Tiffany, cousin Josh, and me

My cousins Kory and Kara

My uncle Donnie and his granddaughter

More cousins Kara and Skyler

Piper giving cousin Gavin love. She tortured him all week!