Harrisonburg Part II

I've always loved the very old moss covered trees in the front yard of the Boothe place. I am very passionate about photography and being around nature in a very pure form really brings it out of me. I have edited some of these pictures slightly and let me tell you it was so much fun.

I think this is one of my favorites here below.

Harrisonburg Part I

Louisiana is probably one of our most common vacation spots. This summer we decided to spend about a week at my grandparents old home place in Harrisonburg Louisiana. Population 746. A perfect get away into the country, where everyone takes time to talk to their neighbors and the nearest Walmart is 20 miles away. There were so many pictures to show and so little space that I broke it up into two posts, one for family photos and the other for nature pictures that have been slightly edited for your viewing pleasure.

Both kids were so good during the 5 1/2 hour drive. Logan preferred that I sit in the back and entertain. This was our first major road trip in the Jimmy. He's a wonderful addition to our family, lots of cozy space.


We arrived at the old Boothe place after midnight. We settled into our camper and quickly fell asleep. Next day we set up Ayden's toy tent. His very own personal space to keep all of his toys in check. Uncle James and mommy helped him set it up.
Yes, this is a bat below. He visited the utility room in the old house. Thankfully he was alone.

Love these picture moments!
A family picture was a must have
Daddy duty
My drooling little love eating bananas for the first time,
I knew he was a monkey for sure
He loved them!
Molly came along with us,
she took advantage of the swimming pool we set up.
We didn't really want to join her
Playing Macgyver, all he needs is the mullet
Another picture moment
Daddy and his boys on daddy's tractor.

This is Ayden's distant cousin Emily
They had so much fun together
Not only did Molly use the swimming pool

she also took a dip in the creek on the property

Daddy and Logan
We had to sleep eventually!

In case you were wanting to read just a little more. I am ending with a bit of information on this bit of my heritage. A few Miles from the Boothe home place is Fort Beauregard. It was a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War. It successfully defended Harrisonburg from the attack of four Union gunboats on the Ouachita River. Harrisonburg was once a trade capital because of its location on the Ouachita River, with easy access to the Mississippi River and New Orleans. The Harrisonburg Road or the Natchez Trace ran through the area as it crossed Louisiana into Texas to connect with the El Camino Real. Harrisonburg was considered for the new site of the Louisiana state when the legislature decided to leave New Orleans.

Our Day Trip

Michael had some work to do in San Antonio and I thought it would be neat to tag along and explore the area. Only a short 10 minutes away from his work was the SA zoo. With our Houston zoo pass we got in for half price. We dropped Michael off and headed off to our adventure (thanks GPS!).
Logan had to ride in the front pack the whole time because the stroller was left behind to make room for computer equipment. I do not think he minded one bit though. He always enjoys being held. Ayden did not mind walking, we were able to take our time and see most of the animals. One of the first things we came upon was the grizzly bear. She was finishing up her breakfast by the time we arrived. My favorite part was in the next exhibit. It was air conditioned, but that wasn't the only reason it was my favorite.
The pictures don't do the hippo enough justice, he was massive!
The heat finally caught up with us and so we had our picnic in the car. When we regained our energy we set off for the park. We went to several only to come back to the zoo area where we found the best park yet. Ayden was sweet enough to pose with his brother.Logan was a pleasure to be with all day. His smile is never-ending.
You have to be quick with this one, he only takes a second out of playtime to pose for a picture.Poor babies were both so tired after this day trip. But it was worth it.

And now for Ayden's interpretation of what we did:
We saw a lot of animals and we want to tell you about it. We want you to know we saw one zebra, one elephant. We saw the elephant do a trick. Elephant check. zebra check, bears check, more bears check. Hmmm... What else? Oh! We saw a hippo, rhino, and tigers.
When I asked what his favorite part about it all was, he replied, "The lions, not the ones at this zoo, the ones at the other zoo" (That might be because we did not see the lions here)

The Boy and His Horse

(Well... Let me clarify, the horse is not just his. But it makes a good title)

Ayden has recently been having a lot of fun dressing up as different characters. Some days he will be Spiderman or Indiana Jones, other days he will be a Jedi Knight. I think his creativity has endless possibilities. One of my favorites has to be the cute little cowboy. He has the whole attire, everything from the hat right down to the boots. He says he loves being a cowboy. Recently he had an opportunity to try out his cowboy skills with Sweetie. Her name fits her perfectly.

Ayden: "She doesn't recognize me with my cowboy hat on."
Ayden: "See, now she knows who I am."

Five Months Already?

I cannot believe my baby is five months old already. I swear someone slipped him some miracle grow or something. I cannot believe my baby is growing so fast. We celebrated his five month birthday by making a pizza pie after church. Not really for Logan, but he did enjoy watching. Well... I have to admit Michael made the pizza while we watched. Ayden and I helped a little, but we owe all the credit to daddy for making us a wonderful lunch.
Ingredients for a homemade pizza pie piled high:
Jiffy Pizza Dough mix
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese
and last but not least, turkey pepperoni
Logan did do one new thing today. He gave me a big kiss on the check. Honestly I think he was just trying to eat my face, but oh well. I'm claiming it a kiss, after all, he gets kissed all the time!