New Orleans Vacation

We took our first 'Mark, Jennifer, Jonathan' family vacation over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. We went to Vicksburg Thursday night and spent the night with Mark's parents. Jonathan loved seeing the "puppy," also known as Mimi. Friday, one of Mark's best friends, Alex, graduated from medical school. We were so happy for him. After the graduation, we headed out to New Orleans.

Mark did such a great job planning our trip. He found a fantastic hotel that was really close to everything. He got a really great rate on the room. It was a huge room with a seperate living space, which was great for Jonathan. He could go to bed and we could stay up later and watch tv. The room also had a kitchenette area so we could keep his milk refrigerated.

Saturday, we went to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. Jonathan loved looking at all the fish. Most of the tanks were at a perfect level for him to be able to see everything. He especially liked the penguins that swam right up next to the glass and the huge tunnel of fish. We ate dinner at Jacque-Imo's, which was delicious, loud, crowded, and definitely New Orleans.

Sunday, we went to the Audubon Zoo. We got there right when they opened, which was neat because we got to see the elephants eating their breakfast. Jonathan was amazed at how big they were. They have a great petting zoo area. He just loved the goats. He kept calling them "pup-pees!" and running around. He was just squealing and giggling. It was absolutely delightful to see him so very happy. He also loved the jaguar "kitty". It was very active and moving around the enclosure. I think he thought Jonathan would be a good lunch for him; thank goodness for lots of bars! There was also a great Carousel at the Zoo, which was also a lot of fun. Jonathan rode the white alligator, which is what the Zoo is famous for. Unfortunately, it was just too, too humid to stay at the zoo for long. We were all completely worn out by 12:30 or so. Jonathan passed out in the car on the way back to the hotel and slept half the afternoon.

After Jonathan got up from his nap, we went to the swimming pool. It was his first time to go swimming. He enjoyed it but definitely did not want us to let go of him. He was a little worn out, so we only stayed in the pool for 15-20 minutes, but it was still a lot of fun. We went to Morton's Steakhouse for dinner. Sunday was also our 7th Wedding Anniversary, so it was nice to go somewhere nice for dinner. They were not quite sure what to make of us having Jonathan at their fancy restaurant, but he did terrific. He is such a happy baby. After dinner, we rode the trolley car down to Jackson Square. He just loves trains and could not believe that he was actually riding in what he considered to be one. We walked around the square and then decided to take a horse carriage ride/tour around the Quarter and back to the hotel. The horse was actually a mule. His name was Clay and Jonathan was very impressed. He would not touch him though! The ride was very nice, but expensive. However, it was our anniversary, so it was well worth it.


Monday morning, we slept in. We had a late breakfast at Cafe du Monde. Jonathan had his very first beignet. He was not quite sure of what to make of it or the mess that it made. It was fun. The drive home was not so much fun, but we survived.


We all had such a wonderful time spending time together, getting out of town, and doing fun and different stuff. We are so very blessed and so happy to be a family.