New Orleans!

This will be quick today. My sister, Crystal, and brother-in-law, Jeff, arrived yesterday and will be here for five days! Yesterday morning, we left here about 3:30am and drove to New Orleans to pick them up at the airport there - about a 4-1/2 hour drive. We got to see a bit of New Orleans with them before heading home, mainly the French Quarter. It was really interesting! We saw Preservation Hall, Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, and (Louis) Armstrong Park, among other things. The kids did very well, considering it was muggy and sweltering hot, and they were extremely bored! Levi rode in his Ergo baby carrier (which we've had about a year and love - highly recommended) and gave no complaints the whole time. Drake walked some, and was carried some, and he did super-well too. We were so blessed!

Crystal, Drake, me, Levi, and Jeff at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport just after their arrival!

Levi, me, Drake, Crystal, and Jeff in front of the Andrew Jackson Memorial in Jackson Square

Jeff and Crystal at Preservation Hall! It was cool to visit this famous jazz landmark. We were surprised by its humble presentation. The streets in the French Quarter are narrow, and the businesses and dwellings are very small, full of old-fashioned details and charm.

Adam and Drake outside Armstrong Park, checking out the little bananas growing on the banana trees. The leaves were huge and felt sort of like laminated paper!

Drake collects hat pins, and here he's showing off his latest pin from New Orleans! It's the black one in the center (think Saints logo). We were looking at all of his pins yesterday, and he has eight: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (Wash. D.C.), Niagara Falls, Hershey's Chocolate World, Amish Village, Disneyworld - Magic Kingdom, Disneyworld - Animal Kingdom, Air Force, and now New Orleans. He's pretty proud of his collection!

Aunt Crystal with her nephews.

We're having a great time with Crystal and Jeff. More to come!