Spring Break 2013: Headed to Cajun Country

So I may be a little out of order, but that is what happens when you get behind on your blogging for say ummm many many months!!  Well this had to be the BEST SPRING BREAK EVER!  On Tuesday morning of Spring Break I loaded the boys up in the car to go "spend the day" at Nana and Papa Doc's house!  However, once we arrived, I told the boys that I thought it would be more fun to go visit Duck Dynasty and to go on a swamp tour while visiting Mar Mar and Jim!  They were stunned.... Nate was speechless... but once they got the gist of what I was saying, they were EXCITED!

So the boys and I, along with Nana and Papa Doc, hopped back in the van for our adventure south... first major stop DUCK COMMANDER headquarters in West Monroe, LA.  I'm not really sure what we were expecting but I think Nate was most surprised by the amount of people that were there!  It was crowded!  We looked around and then went into the gift store to shop around.  While we were waiting in line to checkout with hats for the boys, we heard that Jace was outside signing autographs.  As soon as we had our hats in hand, we took them to get them signed and to try to get a photo!  We were successful on both accounts!  Papa Doc bought the boys a Duck Commander video, so that is what we watched for the next 3.5 hours till we got to Mar Mar and Jim's house!

As soon as we got there, the boys played basketball and right after dinner the boys were outside playing ball when the neighbor's sons showed up with an alligator they had just caught on a fishing pole in the neighborhood pond!!  How cool is that!  The boys were thrilled, its not everyday you hold a gator!

The next day was full of adventure!  We started out with a swamp tour to go see gators!  Well, we saw one but it was so windy, rainy, & cold that most of those gators were still in hiding!  Still it was so cool to get to see a real swamp by boat!

Next we went to the Stennis Space Center and checked out all of the cool exhibits and the boys were most excited about riding in a space shuttle simulator and standing in the tornado box!

Then since we were so close to the coast we decided to go to the beach!  It was just us and the seagulls and we had a blast!  It was still a little chilly so we only got our feet wet!  Just made us ready for this summer!  We then ate a yummy dinner and headed to Mar Mar and Jim's house!  My boys were worn out!

The next day we went fishing in the neighborhood pond, spent some time down along Lake Ponchatrain!

That afternoon we made a trip to an outdoor wildlife preserve!  The boys loved this!  They loaded us up in open-air cars, pulled by tractors and we got to feed all kinds of exotic wildlife!  One of them even munched on Nana's finger!

After a yummy dinner at Minndendorfs, we ended a day with a trip to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets! The picture of Ben crying is when I accidentally blew powder sugar in his eyes.... bad mommy!

 

The following day it was time to load up and head back to Arkansas! 

Of course, we had to make another stop at Duck Commander Headquarters and it is a good thing we did, because the entire family was there!  Zac actually talked "at" Si, we saw a glimpse of Willie, and we saw Missy and Jace again!  This was enough excitement to see us all they way home to Glenwood! 

As Nate would say, "It was the best Spring Break ever!"  Thanks Mar Mar and Jim and Nana and; Papa Doc!  I couldn't have done it without you!  P.S.  Heads up... the boys have voted and decided this needs to be an annual trip!!  LOL!