Family & Other Pics

We recently went to the Missippi coast to check out the damage one year after Katrina. The one on the left was taken on the beach in Waveland. There are lots of signs on many portions with "Beach Closed" because of the debris still under the water.

The water was very clear and shallow in Gulfport, so we were able to swim just a little.

New Orleans is slowly, but surely, recovering as well. Wasn't that Saints home opener at the newly renovated Superdome something else! I don't know about y'all, but Lance and I felt a little emotional seeing it. Amazingly, the Saints pulled off the win, and didn't even wilt in the last quarter. We were impressed with the strategy of the coach and execution of the team.

On to the next topic of the day.... Friends have been asking for more pictures of Nickel (as Heidi calls him). He is currently almost three months old.

"Who does he look like?" we are constantly asked. Well, the hair really got us. He was the first baby in the family with hair. Unfortunately, the poor darlin is starting to lose it (although he still seems to have more than his daddy!).

I look at the pictures now and I see Camille's smile, Matthews nose, Alain's eyes, and Heidi's mischeviousnous (uh oh). But he's a real sweetie. Whoever he resembles, he is certainly loved.

Matthew, our world traveler, is currently gone on a cruise with his grandparents. I told him the other day that he was sure lucky he was a homeschooler and able to take advantage of these opportunities. We talked to Paw Paw last night on the phone, and Matthew had already read his entire leisure (as opposed to dedicated schoolwork) book (300 page eighth grade reading material). We miss him terribly. He's such a good big brother. He really takes care of his younger siblings.

Heidi is having her ninth birthday this weekend. Her latest interests are photography, fashion and puppies. She's the dog whisperer. She just found a stray beagle wandering the grounds. Naturally, she was the only one able to pet it. With all of the animals around, she still wants to keep it. I'm surprised, because recently she told me she didn't want anymore pigeons, because she would have to feed them (one of her chores).

Alain must be right-brained, because he is really excelling in math. He spent two weeks at the start of the school year working with his daddy every day. Now, he actually looks forward to his schoolwork.
Alain can't wait to go back to the beach. He's not satisfied with our upcoming vacation to the east coast, he wants sand. When Al was a baby, he would sit in the sand box and eat fistfuls of sand! I guess some loves never die.

Camille is still our little hurricane. She's excited because she now has her own "practice box" with colors, water paints, scissors, glue, puzzles & preschool workbooks. At least once a day, she tells me she needs to practice and heads off to her table. I'm actually pretty impressed with her fine motor skills! Her favorite pasttimes are playing Barbies with her big sister and swimming.

Lance is keeping busy over at Lakeview. You'll have to talk to him about progress over there. Things are still coming along here too. It's just more infrastructure so ya can't see it.

We recently talked to some of our evacuee/friends. Unfortunately, two of them have passed away due to a long illness and a heat stroke. Our prayers are with these families. Everyone else is doing well. We still remember them in our prayers, and hope you will too.

Just as an aside, I'd like you to meet my mom. She is responsible for a lot of my obnoxious personality! (I had to get this picture in somewhere!)

I haven't been doing many new and exciting things lately. My reading has even slowed to a crawl. I did pick up a nice cross stitch and put in approximately three stitches. I haven't been crocheting much either. I am trying to organize my life and those of the kids, but I haven't truly dedicated myself to it yet. Hopefully, I'll get it together one day. Until then, I hope you were able to understand the ramblings of a sleep-deprived, homeschool mom of five (that doesn't seem possible to me!).

Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Alert

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is advising hikers, hunters, fishermen, golfers and tourist in general to take extra precautions and keep alert for alligators while in the wild.

They advise people to wear noise-producing devices such as little bells on their shoes or clothing to alert but not startle the alligators unexpectedly. They also advise the carrying of pepper spray in case of an encounter with an alligator.

It is also a good idea to watch for fresh signs of alligator activity. People should learn to recognize the difference between small young alligator droppings and large adult alligator droppings.

Young alligator droppings are small and contain fish bones and possibly bird feathers. Adult alligator droppings have little bells in them and smell like pepper spray.

For those of you who think we have gators roaming freely in our backyards, I thought you might enjoy this joke!

Est-ce que t'amenes la pluie?

Well, it's been a while, but I'm back! I've got lots to share, so let me start with some more Louisiana native wild irises....

This beautiful specimen on the left is a Giganticarulea Alba named for Bart and Barbara Henderson of Slidell, Louisiana.

The next iris is a Giganticarulea named for the Benoit family from Creole, Louisiana who lost everything in Hurricane Rita.

Unfortunately, I think we're seeing the last of the irises for the season. We desperately need rain around our area.

Next on my list is the gorgeous stained glass window made by our friend Dee Tatum of Seraphim Studios, from Hattiesville, Mississippi. Lance surprised me with this window (six years it took for him to make up his mind!) right before Mardi Gras this year. If you'll notice, it's the Cajun flag vertically. Dee does awesome work! The fleur-de-lis are even beveled. I had to really hide my eyes while it was going into place and Lance was teetering on the extension ladder.

This weekend should be quite exciting with loads of stuff going on like the Cajun joke telling contest in Opelousas, Cycle Zydeco, The 2006 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Festival, and Heidi's first communion. I'm looking forward to Heidi's first communion most of all, but the Heritage week with fiddle, guitar, accordion, language, crafts and nature classes will be exciting too!

Also, an update on the farm status. We have recently acquired a dozen baby chicks of three different laying types and eight mallard ducklings. I'm hoping we'll get the fence up soon before it gets too hot. I'm very much looking forward to a few goats and sheep. I will now leave you with a picture of our family paillasse. May God grant you and your family as much love and laughter as He has ours!

P.S. I just received a meteorological report regarding hurricane season this year. Louisiana and portions of the Gulf Coast will not have to worry about any hurricanes. Let me repeat, there will be no hurricanes to hit Louisiana or portions of the Gulf Coast! Boudreaux and Thibodeaux have just completed a hurricane fence across part of the Gulf of Mexico!

Louisiana Irises in Memory

I would like share something unique, created here at L'Acadie Inn. Our good friend, Tyrone Foreman of Foreman Flats in New Orleans, planted a beautiful bed of Louisiana Native Irises last fall in memory of the evacuees who stayed with us at L'Acadie Inn. These people lost practically everything and still maintained hope and positive attitudes. Each iris was named for a person or family (and in one case a beloved family dog who passed away during the evacuation) whose lives were flipped upside down by an uncontrollable event of nature. These irises are beginning to bloom, and are just gorgeous. I will continue to post more as they bloom. Many of the Giganticaruleas and Brevicaulises have not bloomed yet.
This first picture is a Fulva named Miss Lacy Burns, who was the 16 year old loyal pet of Mike and Rhonda Burns, of St. Bernard Parish. She passed away while the family was evacuated. It is a beautiful shade of light copper.

This next picture is of a Fulva as well, but this one is a Wood's Red. It is named for Mike and Renee Helmers of Slidell. They just finished building their new house when Katrina hit. As she put it they "only" got a foot and a half of water in their house.
Unfortunately, it still had to be gutted. Notice the deep shade of
copper on this iris.

This is a Giganticarulea. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing too strongly to get a really good image of this iris. It is named for Ms. Grace Puccio. She is in her nineties and evacuated during Katrina with her family from St. Bernard Parish.

This iris on the right is a Nelsonii. It is slightly past full bloom, but still beautiful. The Nelsonii closely resembles the Fulva Wood's Red above, but notice the yellow signal (stripe) running down the center of the petal.

I hope you've enjoyed our small example of Louisiana Native Irises. Recovery from the hurricanes continue, slowly but surely. People are beginning to return to semi-normalcy. Be sure to check back for images of the Brevicaulis and Giganticarulea. Also, the Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society, is hosting its annual wildflower tour in Eunice on May 13, 2006.

Hmmm.....what to write?

I had a beautiful page with pictures and everything last night and somehow deleted the whole thing. Oh well.... The weather here is nice mid to low 80's with no rain in sight. I'm beginning to eye the pool with longing. It's still a little chilly, but Lance has plans for solar panels to warm it in the winter and cool it in the summer. The children have already been swimming, and Camille can swim 2-3 feet (she's three years old). I understand that swimming is the best exercise, especially for us fat, pregnant women. Only 10 more weeks....

Big Al went to his first fiddle lesson this morning, only it turned into piano instead. We're really enjoying the music as a family!

Mardi Gras was exceptional this year. We tried out a new run that was more of the true Cajun country Mardi Gras with no beads, but lots of fun.

Here are two pictures of Lance and I preparing.

The first is the "before" and the second is the "after".

Luckily for us, he has now gone back to clean- shaven. The children and I are now pleased to appear in public with a less furry counterpart!

Matthew, Heidi, and Alain are taking a standardized tests this week. There are many debates among homeschoolers and institutionalized schoolers alike regarding the validity of standardized testing. We have decided to follow state guidelines, that way if we ever decide to go back, we'll have a form of proof to show grade level.

We've only been homeschooling three years now, so are by no means professionals. If you have any ideas or books that you enjoyed with your homeschoolers, please feel free to share them. We're finishing up the fourth, second, and kindergarten grades this year.