Spring Break in Sulphur

For this year's spring break Allison and I loaded up the kids and headed back home to Sulphur, Louisiana. Here are some pics from our adventure...


One of the very first things we did was to go out to Pop Pop's office and drive his excavators! Pop Pop really let's the kids turn on these machines and work the gears--every little boy's dream come true.


Ladies first...while Katie had her turn the boys waited in the sun.



Adam and Pop Pop

Patrick's turn

Sulphur is a slow, small town, but it has the very very very very best snow cones! This snowcone stand has been there ever since Mom can remember. I have many memories of riding in the back of Pop Pop's truck and driving thru the snow cone stand. I also have many more memories of friends, ten speeds, and snow cones! Every day in Sulphur deserves a snowcone!

Here we are waiting in line...

The big debate of what flavor to get. Adam loves everything green, so of course he went with Mom's favorite--Popeye.

Patrick and Matthew went with bubble gum. One of the best ways to get your snowcone is half popeye and half bubble gum--trust me!

The only bad thing about the snowcone stand is that you always leave with funky colored teeth!

The snow cone building has always been painted this bright green, so you can't miss it when you go to Sulphur!



It was also Pop Pop's birthday when we were there, so the kids all helped to make Pop Pop a dirt cake. Here the kids are busy breaking up the Oreo's.

Aunt Allison figured out the best way to crush the cookies, with a steam roller!

We had big plans for this cake: lots of milk duds, whoopers, and gummy worms!

And then it had to be topped off with construction trucks--something Pop Pop knows all about.

While we were busy grilling hamburgers and sausage. The kids were busy creating a "paradise." My boys love the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and since they were going to eat a cheeseburger for dinner they needed a paradise. I guess planting American flags in the ground in their idea of a paradise!

Oh well, it kept them very busy.

Happy 63rd Birthday, Pop Pop!

And just before we loaded up to head back to Texas, Patrick had to have one last ride on Grammy's John Deere.

Adam's Collection

This is Adam's collected stuff! We're a little afraid that Adam might be somewhat of a pack rat! He always has an odd assortment of items. And the items are always carried in either a bag or a box of some sort. Currently, Adam is favoring this back pack. Pictured are some of his favorite things: a belt, a necklace, a chain, a wallet, business card, a flashlight key chain, and money.

Most of these items have special meaning to him.

The belt, is really suppose to be his Indiana Jones Whip. Funny because, he's never even seen a Indiana Jones movie, The necklace, which is hidden under the belt, has a round pendant-- Adam calls this his Very Sleepy. He pretends that it's a pendulum used to hypnotize people. The business card is his Credit Card. The money is hot, since we've finally realized that he's been swiping from Chris' change dish. And the chain, is always hooked to something for towing. The flashlight key chain has long since broke, but Adam still loves it and hopes that one day it will work again. And of course he has to have a wallet for keeping all of his paper and stolen money. The the harmonica is a new favorite item.

That's our Adam. He loves collecting stuff! That's okay, because mom was once considered to be a pack rat too. As a little girl, she loved collecting stuff and probably still does!

Momma got a new pair of chairs

Some women love shoes, some women love handbags, I love furniture! So we have this little sitting area off of our kitchen. And we use to have this really uncomfortable pair of chairs there. So I've really been wanting a pair of cozy, comfortable chairs. Well, they have arrived! They are a little modern and maybe a little boring, but they are oh so comfy! I describe them as being butterscotch colored, and will look much more interesting after I have some throw pillows made. And they look just like a pair that my mom bought about 20 years ago! And as you can see, my boys have already claimed them!

The Cat

Several years ago when Patrick was still a baby, Dad and I went went to Universal studios (we love our theme parks). Of course we had to bring home a souvenir to baby Patrick, so I found this rather large Cat in the Hat. And being a former teacher and a lover of literature, I had to have this!

Fortunately, our boys love Dr. Seus and The Cat in the Hat. But in the meantime that Cat has sat as a "dust collector" up on a shelf in our playroom. But last week at preschool, the boys were learning all about Dr. Seus and his famous cat.

So we brought down the Cat in the Hat. Each day we took him to school, and he ran errands with us. As you can see we were very safe with the Cat in the Hat--Patrick insisted! The boys got a good kick out of taking him along.

I knew I had to have that Cat!

Deal on!

So about two weeks ago Patrick started asking for a new lego kit. He had his sights on the Lego Sports Car. His friend Owen has one, so of course he wanted one too.

We've really been trying hard to teach our boys about a good work ethic, along with other good values too. So Dad and I struck a deal with Patrick. The deal: for two weeks Patrick had to make his bed every morning before leaving his room or before being reminded to do so. Well, deal on!

Never once did we have to remind him. Patrick was the one reminding us. Each day, he would tell us how many more days until he received his new red Lego car.

Congratulations Patrick on your hard work!

Button Boy

This is our nephew, Matthew, aka Button Boy. Pop Pop gave him that nick name, and it is well deserved!

Anytime you call the Richoux house and Matthew answers the phone, you are privileged with listening to phone buttons being mashed before anyone answers, "Hello."

One mash or even a couple of mashes isn't all that big of a deal, but with Button Boy the mashing goes on for at least a solid minute! And then finally on the other end of the phone you hear a very tiny and quiet, "Hello."

I just had to write about this, because one day I will call their house, and Button Boy will have finally learned to press just the talk button. And then Button Boy will long be forgotten. They grow up too fast!

Marriage

So this morning while the boys were eating their breakfast, they began to argue. As Adam began to lose the argument, he became very angry and shouted, "That's it! I am not going to marry you Patrick!"