Easter Eggs and Candy and Crawfish, Oh My!: A Photojournal

A few weeks ago, we traveled to Louisiana in back-to-back weekend trips to see our families. And, anyone who has ever traveled with children since the beginning of time knows: IT WAS BRUTAL at times. Dragging around five people, and a dog, and a double stroller, and a Boppy pillow, and a travel toilet is no joke, y'all. No joke. But, my best friend and I have developed a "traveling-with-small-children" mantra: The memories will make it worth it. Our memories will far outweigh the sleep we'll lose, the bickering we will do with our spouses, the clothes we'll dirty and the vehicle interiors we'll demolish along the way. 

And, as we've wrapped up our most recent the trips 'round the Gulf Coast- I can tell you that IT IS TRUE. We weren't always fully rested, Matt and I did squabble a time or two, we created a small mountain range of dirty laundry (Thanks in large part to traveling with a two year old that can't hold it longer than 3.7 seconds at a stretch.), and our poor van has seen more tears and crumbs and half eaten boiled eggs than it ever has before. 

I've compiled way too many pictures than necessary to help document our recent weekends out of town. I have to give credit where credit is due- I wasn't able to take all these images myself so thanks for helping me save these memories. So a big thanks to everyone who shared their images with me: Dad, Lani, Amanda, Clarence, and Mrs. Gayle- thank you!  Y'all are the BEST. And, for everyone else: A photographic overload awaits you. Be prepared. There are a bunch of them. Here goes!

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We celebrate Easter with my parents every year, so our first weekend was at their house: 

(I seriously love my Mom's porch. It's basically my favorite room ever.)

(Someone {read:Katie} forgot Nathan's sun hat. And, since his tender, pigment-less skin would fry under the sun like bacon in a hot skillet, we improvised. I present to you: Nathan's first doo-rag. You're welcome.)

(First activity: Egg Dyeing. We christened Mom's bran-spankin'-new granite countertop with a nice puddle of vinegar and food color before the whole process was over. Sorry 'bout that, Ma.)

(Because who wouldn't want to use an Easter egg to proclaim her love for her husband in true Jr. High School fashion?)

(If you look closely, you'll see two cracked eggs Josie dropped on the floor after they dried. I'm not telling which were which. I'm taking that secret to the grave.)

(The eggs were dyed and the kids immediately ran outside like a pack of wild hyenas to play.)

(Nathan happily amused himself on a blanket for the day. He is, honestly, the most laid back baby I know. What a champ!)

(One evening, we moseyed on down to Dad and Mom's pond. They dug it a year or so ago and stocked it with some hybrid blue gill. The fish are finally getting big enough to jump out the water when they eat and the kids are BIG FANS.)

(PawPaw gave this boy a turn with the dip net and basically made his weekend.)

(Josie was not interested in getting into the pond. AT ALL.)

(Luke's first "catch". It was dropped released shortly after this picture was taken.)

(Even Jo got brave enough to pet a fish. Big girl.)

(Still trying our best not to fry Nathan's delicate skin. Still regretting not bringing his sun hat.)

(Nathan didn't sleep well at all one night, so around 5:30, I waved the white flag and took him on a sunrise drive down the backroads of my childhood. He was asleep in 5 minutes flat. Hallelujah.)

(Heavenly Hash is my traditional Easter morning breakfast. The custom continued again this year. It was awesome. And I have zero regrets.)

(Our family Easter picture. All three of my kids are scowling. 'Cause that's how we roll after sitting through two church services.)

("Just one more time, guys. Just smile nice for one more picture then we can go inside. C'mon, y'all, it's only gonna take a second. If y'all just smile nice really fast we can hurry up and be finished. I promise.")  

**Also, can we take a minute to appreciate the kid's adorable sailor outfits?! My dream of completely coordinated children came true this year. Thanks, Grandmaw Gayle!

(Josie's first duck face selfie. Thanks, Aunt Lani. We are so proud...) 

(After lunch, we went back to Shiloh Church of Christ for the almost 90th annual community Egg Hunt. Josie still needs a few years to hone her 'hunting and gathering' skills.)

(Luke, however did not.)

(Thanks to some overt pointing gentle nudging by his Uncle Tim, Luke found the prize egg. He was pumped. Josie, however, was not.)

(We left straight from the egg hunt to head home. All three of the kids were knocked out approximately 17 minutes after we pulled out of the church parking lot. Easter weekend: SUCCESS.)

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(TRAVEL TIP: A WalMart bag and diaper lined training potty is my BFF when we travel with the kids. It saves me from having to drag them into nasty truck stop bathrooms. Hooray! The diaper catches all of their business, and the bag catches the diaper. When they're done, I just lift the bag up out of the bowl, tie it shut and toss it. Line it with a fresh plastic bag and diaper and I'm ready for our next potty stop. Which, for us, will probably happen again in 2.8 miles.)

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The following weekend we drove to NOLA to celebrate Matt's Grandparent's birthdays and our annual McReynolds' family crawfish boil. 

(Our first order of business after we arrived was lunch. Matt's Dad and Mom- Mr. Stan and Mrs. Gayle, took us to Come Back Inn. {They make an amazing muffaletta.} Seriously, y'all- this thing was divine. I should've stopped when I finished that first quarter, but I powered through and ate an entire half. And I had no regrets.)

(Jo took a nap after lunch while we drove to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in downtown New Orleans. **Psst- Check out her sparkly shoes. Those are courtesy of MawMaw Valerie. And I'm pretty sure she'd wear them in her sleep if I let her.)

(Obligatory aquarium entrance tunnel picture. Thanks for pushing the massive and incredibly heavy stroller, Matt!)

(The Aquarium was crazy packed that day, so the kids spent a good part of the time in  the stroller. There was one semi-quiet section where we let them get out and burn off some steam for a while. The gigantic frog was a hot commodity there.)

(They had a touch pool where you could reeeeach into the water to try and pet stingrays. Surprisingly, the stingrays were not attracted to the violent splashing the kids created. So, better luck next time Luke and Josie.)  

(Car sleep is better than no sleep, amIright?)

(Seriously, y'all: Craaaw-fiiish. Call them crayfish and you immediately sound like a tourist. So c'mon: Immerse yourselves in the culture and call 'em crawfish.)

( So much rinsing. And chunking dead crawfish into the corner of the yard. Luke was all about that job.)

(Jo got one look at the live crawfish and ran away in fear for her life.)

(Thank you for your sacrifice, Crawfish. Go rest high on that mountain: You've earned your reward.)

(Nathan was not impressed with this whole process. And yes, those are Christmas jammies in April. Don't hate.)

(Jo's BFF, Amanda Deedah came over just before they dropped the pots. Luke was still really impressed with the live crawfish. Josie was still really NOT.) 

(She's still unimpressed.)

(Still reeeally unimpressed.)

(Get in mah belleh.)

(Mr. Stan and Mrs. Gayle's carport was made for crawfish boils.)

(Everyone finished eating and the kids escaped to the front yard. Jo got some more BFF time with Deedah.)

(Ashley and Nathan are quite possibly the darkest and lightest skinned cousins that have ever existed. Genetics for the WIN.) 

( Matt's grandparents Ed and Josie Coon. This picture was taken around 1941. It's a framer, for sure.)

(Where there's cake, you can rest assured that there will be children close by. Happy Birthdays, MawMaw and PawPaw!)

(I have pictures just like this one of MawMaw holding both Luke and Josie when they were this age. I'm so glad to have this one, too!)

(To help shake off the cake-and-homemade-ice-cream coma, everyone meandered back to the front yard for an impromptu Olympic event: Shrub Jumping. 

(It's a graceful sport.)

(Sunday morning we worshipped with Matt's family at 7th & Camp Church of Christ.)

(It is located off St. Charles Avenue in downtown New Orleans.  And the building is absolutely beautiful.)

(See? I told ya' so.)

(I love the sidewalk tiles. I'm currently in the market for a double frame to print and hang them in.)

(Luke got a nice shot of the service for us. Thanks, buddy.)

(Nathan obviously didn't want to leave Grandmaw and Paw's because he howled for the entire 4 hour car ride back home. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see the Florida state line. Hallelujah- WE SURVIVED!)

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Traveling wasn't always easy. We weren't always rested. We didn't always use soft words. There may have been a potty accident (or twelve) along the way. But, like I say after every long trip away from home: I'm so glad we did it. Because the memories made it worth it. They made it all absolutely worth it.

What about you? Do y'all have to travel out of town to visit family? Do you have any tips, tricks or suggestions to share? Post them in the comments below because I'd sure love to hear 'em!