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.