Louisiana Summer

We spent two weeks in Louisiana recently seeing family. I love our trips home and ever since we got a 'real' job we've missed our summer visits.  It was really nice to have a couple of weeks that were totally laid-back and easy going. In fact, there were some days when we didn't even leave the house. We did plan some fun things- as you'll soon see- but we also spent a lot of time just talking with our family, sharing stories, cooking together, watching the Olympics, cycling, playing games, and just enjoying each others company. It was so nice to be home again.
Of course, the highlight of the trip was meeting Baby Sawyer. What a beautiful boy--Nick and Julie have some good genes! (For those of you who don't know: Nick is Andrew's brother, Julie is my sister; so it shouldn't be surprising that Sawyer bears a strong resemblance to Eden's baby pics).
Grandma and Grandpa Burton rented a giant waterslide for their backyard. And as you can see from the pictures, it wasn't just for the kids.
We also had fun cameoing and fishing in their backyard. Eden and Fox caught 11 bream in less than an hour. But Fox got the most interesting catches--his first was a bass, his last was a baby alligator snapping turtle.
Grandma Pam and Papa David had a fish fry with the catfish Papa and Seth had caught the day before. It was a great time to catch up with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. G&G Burton also came. And Papa's fish were the delicious, as always!
My parents also took us and my siblings' families to Grey Wolf Lodge in Dallas. We spent two days of constant water slides; I thought Fox would never stop, until he fell asleep with Aunt Shelley in the lazy river. Unfortunately, we didn't get in pictures in the waterpark because I didn't want to bring in my camera. But here are some great pictures of Fox and Eden with their cousins.
The kids also had fun in downtown Shreveport, playing at the spray park, the SciPort Center, and at an indoor put put course.
And we went to Gator & Friends, where the kids got to hold a 3-year-old alligator. As you can see from the pictures, it was a blistering Louisiana summer day. A lot of the animals were hiding in the shade, like two kangaroos making out. But Sawyer managed to beat the heat.