Happy Fall 2011!

 It's that time of year again! Time for pumpkin patches, cooler weather (hopefully!), jack-o-lanterns, bonfires, sweaters and FALL! We decided to head out to Hammond to Mrs. Heather's Pumpkin Patch this past Saturday to pick out our pumpkin for the season. Avery was too cute! Here she is before we left.

 Finally enough hair for piggy tails!

 This was our first time going to this particular pumpkin patch, and it was really nice. There were A LOT of spots set up for photo ops. Unfortunately Avery was NOT feeling the Momarrazi :)

 She did enjoy swinging in the big girl swing.

 And playing with the duckies and the water pump with daddy,

 So sweet :)

 There was a little petting zoo set up as well.

 Avery was so excited to see the "horseys" that go NEIGH!

 A real horsey :)

 Very interested in what this little piggy was eating

 Then it was time to pick our pumpkins. There were soooo many to choose from.

 This one looks good!

 Almost got it

 There we go!

 Mom, this is heavy!

 We stopped to rest under a little tent and Avery thought it would be fun to play peek a boo. She was hiding so well behind that big old pole, we couldn't even see her!

 There she is!

We had a great time at the pumpkin patch!

Pretty Days and Beach Vacay!

We have had a few days of respite from the dog days of summer. Of course it occurred after Tropical Storm Lee dumped 12 inches of water on us over labor day weekend! We were outside to enjoy as much of the pretty weather as we could.

 After I picked Drake up from school we went to the park. Drake and Avery are so sweet together. Avery absolutely loves him, and he is so sweet with her. Here they are really enjoying the slide!

 This past weekend the Danford clan trekked out to Pensacola Beach, FL for a long weekend beach vacation and to celebrate mom's birthday. Josh, Avery and I went up when he got off of work Thursday night, we got there are like 1am! But we woke up bright and early ready to enjoy as much of our vacation as we could. We started off with breakfast at a little hole in the wall diner.

 Then Josh and Avery swam a little bit in the pool...it was FREEZING!

 Here is a view of the bay from our condo complex.

 Josh, Jonnilin, Julian, Jake, Angela and Mom got out there at around noon. We made our grocery list for the weekend then Josh L., Avery, Jonnilin and I ran to Wal Mart for the longest shopping trip ever :) We split up all the meals per couple, so that way you only had to be stuck in the kitchen cooking and cleaning for one meal. Josh and Jonnilin made roast beef sandwiches with au jus and french fries on Friday night. After we got the kids bathed and in bed we had family game night! We play "Loaded Questions", drank a few cocktails and died laughing! It was a great night! Jake and Angela made a huge breakfast spread of french toast, hash browns, bacon, sausage, eggs and fruit on Saturday morning.

 After breakfast Saturday we packed up and headed across the street from the condo to the beach. It was absolutely beautiful!

 Our set up.

There was a little pool of water away from the gulf that the kids played in. It was perfect because they could play in the sand and water without having to worry about the waves. JuJu was making grandma a birthday cake here.

 Avery loved the sand and the water :)

 We all had a great time enjoying the sun and the waves.

 The boys went snorkeling but I think all they found were jellyfish!

 Avery wore herself out at the beach, so we came in for nap time and she passed out of Josh within a few minutes. It was so nice, we were really able to relax and rest and get away from all the stressor of work and real life.



Saturday night Josh and I made chicken Parmesan, after dinner we sang happy birthday and gave mom her gifts. We got her a Kindle and the grand kids decorated her card.

 She got to spend some quality time with her grand babies.

Sunday morning mom made biscuits and gravy. And everyone recuperated from another night of cocktails and games :) We packed everything up and hit the road by 2pm to head back to reality. It was an amazing vacation though. We haven't had everyone together for a family trip since 2006. We added another fiance and 2 grand kids since then. Josh's Aunt Sandy's condo was awesome and we have decided to make it a yearly tradition!

HOT August Nights

The guys went out of town this weekend for a Master's Seminar in Tampa. That left Ashley and I with the kiddos and no plans for Friday night. We decided to head out to Hammond, they were celebrating Hot August Nights. It was an event in downtown Hammond with music, food, drinks and special events for the kids. We ate dinner at LaCarretta's. Avery discovered chips and dip, she also wiped out all of her rice and beans with grilled chicken.

 Our first stop after eating was the Fire Department set up. The kids got free hats and goodie bags.

 Drake LOVED the fire truck.

 He was amazed with how big it was!

 Our next stop was the Sip and Paint store. They had paper plate fans set out for the kids to decorate.

 Drake sneaking some love from Avery :)

 Artist hard at work

 Their beautiful masterpieces!

Our next stop was the Colombia Theater. PBS had a dinosaur exhibit with artifacts and one of the characters from Dinosaur Train. Drake had a great time with him!

 Avery, not so much!

 Our last stop was to listen to a band. Avery was pretty worn out by this time.

 We had a great night though. The mommy's picked up a few sale items at a little boutique, and we got to spend a great evening with our kiddos/

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!

Preseason football started last weekend for the Saints! Josh's boss gave us their tickets for the game, it was the Saints v. 49ers. We got Ashley to watch Avery. Here we are before we left.

 And momma and daddy had a football date night! We went to Allegro's before the game, there was a DJ and bar set up outside.

 Darus and Jamie and Mario and Kara met us out there before the game. We had a great time hanging out with them before kick off.

 Chip and Tanya's seats are club level, we had an amazing view of the field.

 It was a great night out for Josh and I!

 The rest of the weekend was very nice family time as well. Saturday we got up and spent the morning together hanging out. After Avery's nap we went to Olive Garden for lunch. Miss Thing was sooo well behaved. She colored and sat quietly and of course she ate her weight in pasta, chicken and sauce!

 On Sunday, Josh's parents came up early to join us for church. It was a great service and Avery was and Angel! I was worried because I had left her diaper bag at home with her juice cup, nunu, lovey bear, snacks (all the things that keep kids quiet in church). But she kept herself busy drawing on the program sheet, bouncing from mommy to daddy to Mimi to Papa to Summer, and finally settled in to eat some raisins I happened to have in my purse. After church, we all went back to the house and I started cooking. It was Josh's grandma's 76th birthday so we celebrated with Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo, Cesar Salad and Garlic bread. Ms. Aleta made a mandarin pineapple cake for dessert. All in all it was a great family weekend. We are so lucky to be able to spend so much time with our families now that we are back home.

Baking Cookies

This week I started picking Drake up from preschool on my days off. I have been thinking of ideas to keep the kids busy after school, so Wednesday we baked cookies. I found the recipe on my newest obsession Pinterest.com. It is a "healthy" chocolate chip cookie recipe. These were all of the ingredients.

 And here is the final product!

 They were VERY tasty!

 I think we have a little chocoholic on our hands! She has been begging for cookies since then!

Here is the recipe:
Nikki's Healthy Cookie Recipe


3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal (You can make your own almond meal by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand - don't go too far or you'll end up with almond butter.)
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.
In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.
Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.

18 months old!

Avery Yvonne LeBlanc, you are 18 months old!

You weigh 26 pounds 1/2 ounce (74%)

You are 33 3/4 inches tall (92%)

We went to the Dr's office today for you check up

and last vaccination till 2 years old!

You wear size 4 diapers,

and 24month-2T clothes.

Your Day:

You usually wake up around 6:45-7:ooam.

You wake up saying "mommy, daddy and poopoo"

(and yes you have usually pooped in your diaper).

Then we watch an episode of Elmo's World on TV while you eat your O's (cheerios)

Breakfast is at 8:00am.

You LOVE waffles, pancakes, grits with eggs and cheese and oatmeal.

You also LOVE fruit, any kind!

We usually play after breakfast; either coloring, building blocks or reading books.

Sometimes you will have a little snack around 10:30am

Graham crackers, goldfish, string cheese or more fruit.

You are now taking 1 nap a day from around 11-2 (give or take 30mins)

You eat lunch when you wake up

For lunch you usually have leftovers from the night before or Turkey, cheese and Hummus.

You love Hummus on ANYTHING!

We play throughout the afternoon,

you love to have tea parties, play with mardi gras beads, read books,

swim in your little pool outside, and play with Izzy.

Dinner is around 6pm, you will eat whatever mommy makes for dinner.

You are starting to get picky with your veggies so I have been hiding them in your meals.

You love all meat, and anything with a sauce (little Italian)

We take a bath around 6:30, and love it when I take a bath with you :)

Then we settle in for another round of Elmo's World with your Nunu and Bear.

You will try to stay up until Daddy gets home so you can spend some time with him.

Then it is bedtime around 8pm.

You have the best little personality!
Sometimes it takes a little while for you to warm up to someone new,

but then you are funny and smiley and playful.

You love to sing songs;

your favorites right now are "Wheels on the Bus," "Itsy Bitsy Spider,"

and "If You're Happy and you know"

You also like to do "Ring around the Rosy"

You love all puppies, especially Izzy.

You give her treats, feed her dinner and refill her water bowl everyday.

You are also a little Parrot!

You can repeat almost all the words we say and have quite a vocabulary!

You give lots of kisses to everyone and everything you love.

You also are just starting to say "I love you"

it is the sweetest thing!

You Dislike:

All the new milk we have been giving you.

We took you off dairy since it caused congestion and coughs,

but you hate the coconut and rice milk I have tried to replace it with.

The Dr. said that is OK though, since you are growing and eating so well.

You also are not very happy at daycare right now.

They moved you up to a big girl classroom and have not adjusted well.

BUT, we are working on changing my work schedule so we can take you out of daycare completely!

You are such a joy to Daddy and me.
We love watching you grow and learn.

You make us smile and laugh from the moment you wake up,

till we sneak in your room to look at you every night before we go to bed.

You are such an easy, laid back baby.

We thank God everyday for you and pray to be the best parents for you.

We want you to grow up healthy and happy.

We will teach you and guide you and discipline you when you need it.
But always remember, we love you UNCONDITIONALLY,

you will always be safe in our home and in our arms.

There is nothing you can do that can change our love for you.

You are our little nugget/angel/monkey and baby girl.

and you just woke up from your nap :)