Catching up....

It has been a super busy time for us since the week before Christmas. We drove down to New Orleans with the boy and the dog. We hardly even knew Jack was there and Gavin was entertained by sleeping or the portable DVD player we borrowed. It was actually not a bad drive. We left super early in the morning to miss Dallas and Baton Rouge traffic. It worked. We got there Wednesday afternoon and rested that day. GiGi and "Unc Dada" pulled out the big guns..the tractor!

The next night we went to Beth and Joey's to eat dinner and exchange gifts. My poor monkey didn't feel good...he kept saying "Bye bye, GiGi home".

Friday was Christmas Eve. We had dinner at my sister's house....ham, sweet potato casserole, spinach casserole, etc. Yum! We opened a couple of presents Christmas Eve for those who weren't going to be there in the morning. We made some cookies earlier in the day that we left for Santa, along with some milk. Santa ate most of the cookies and drank the milk.

Gavin very methodically opening a present

We woke up Christmas Day, early, and opened presents. No one was as excited as Gary, Gavin and I. We opened some presents and ate breakfast. It was a little overwhelming for Gavin because he had a LOT of presents!!! He was a great helper and was bringing presents to people and offering to help open them. Later on that day, we went to Jan's house for dinner. Gavin and Sara got along really well! She entertained him most of the night, which was great. And, we got a great surprise...Michelle got engaged!! We are so happy for her! Gavin opened most of his presents, but was starting to get overwhelmed, so we took a couple for him to open Sunday. Gavin loved his dinosaur that Santa left! "EHHH!"
The Marchand boys

Ellie, Sara and Gavin

On Monday, Gigi, Gavin, Gary and I went to the aquarium. Gavin was soooo excited! He ran around pointing to everything...It was really cool to see him so excited. Monday night, Michelle and Leonard came over to watch the Saints vs. Falcons game and share their news.

Tuesday we were supposed to go to Fulton Street and to the Roosevelt to see lights and snow. Gavin's "cold" finally got the best of him, and we had to take him to the urgent care center. Turns out, he had an ear infection and RSV. Doc put him on cough syrup and antibiotics, and we ate Popeyes for dinner.

We left first thing Wednesday morning. We left early again to miss all the traffic. Oh my goodness was it great to be home!!!

A couple of days later Beth and Joey came in to celebrate New Year's Eve. We made dinner reservations at Sambuca. The meal was pretty good and the service was pretty bad!! Overall, it was a good time, although our friend Jonathan got sick and had to leave early. And Joey was ready to go 30 minutes before midnight. The band was pretty fun and the group of people there was so diverse. The next day I got to cash in my Christmas present and go shopping with Beth all day. It was sooo fun! The best Christmas present EVER!

The weekend after that, Dad and Ellie came in town for the Cotton Bowl. The game was incredible! We sat six rows up in the end zone. At first, it was annoying because we were in the Aggie's section, but they soon stopped making so much flippin' noise! Games are always more fun to be at when your team wins :)

The next day, we went to J and Tina's house for a BBQ and to watch the Saints playoff game. Sadly enough, they lost. Better luck next year, right? Then, we came home, gave Gavin a bath and lit our own fire in the back yard and talked until the boys came home.

Sunday...it snowed! We got a couple of inches of snow that accumulated briefly on the ground. Gary built a snowman (about a foot high) and Gary, Gavin and Jack played in the snow. It was too cold for anyone else! The next day, Dad and Ellie's flight was cancelled, so we went to the mall and to Houston's for dinner. MMmmm! There flight left the next without incident.

Dada, Gavin and "George" the snowman.

We have been busy. And I am whipped! I so enjoyed having company, but I'll enjoy having the house to just us for a few weeks!