Life as a Yowler

Yesterday we got the full authentic New Orleans experience. We took a double decker bus ride tour, walked around all day, and also did a guided walking tour of the French Quarter of the city. What was an awesome day could have gone very very differently. Before the tour even started we had an absolutely terrifying moment. When we parked the van, Brandon walked accross the parking lot to pay to park. He took Joah and Brielle with him. They did good for a little bit, but then were getting wiggly so he sent them back to me. I was distracted because I was setting up the strollers and loading the youngest two kids so I didn’t even notice. Joah went and sat right in the stroller seat. All the sudden Brandon walked back to me and I said, “where are the kids?” We noticed Joah sitting in the stroller, but Brielle was nowhere. We both started frantically looking. I was running everywhere and Brandon was yelling her name. There was a couple from accross the parking lot that heard Brandon yelling and yelled back, “are you looking for a little girl?” They saw Brielle wandering by herself and grabbed her and asked her if she was lost. I still get shaky and panicky just thinking about how differently yesterday could have gone. I am so thankful for God’s protection. I keep feeling the weight of responsibility and guilt over the thought of ever losing my child. I can’t even imagine how a parent would ever move on. I’m so so thankful for God’s blessing and protection and I have been holding my kids a lot closer ever since.

The kids loved the double decker bus ride. There was a huge crowd of people getting on the bus with us. We pretty much shoved our way on the bus to make sure to get seats on the top in the shade. I’m not proud of that. You’ve got to love my husband and his boldness

We had great seats. There was a very nice lady who volunteered to let Joah sit beside her and have the window seat. I moved Caed beside me by the window, and Brielle sat beside Brandon by the window. So they all got to see everything.

We ate lunch at an authentic seafood place. It was so good. I got a crawfish po boy. It was amazing.

My sweet little Breezers got about a million hugs and kisses yesterday. I also let the kids order whatever drink they wanted at the restaurant  since I made sure they drank water all morning. She chose Sprite.

After lunch we walked and tried some beignets. They were really good. It was over 90 degrees yesterday, but felt even warmer walking around so much. I sun screened the kids 3 times, and I made sure I shaded Isla by draping a blanket over the stroller.

We then went on a guided walking tour of the French Quarter of the city. It was very interesting. Our guide showed us where they film NCIS New Orleans. They had it all taped off.

We walked through the oldest Cathedral in the United States, The St. Louis Cathedral.

It was a beautiful walk through the city.

They had an Insect Museum there. We’ve never taken our kids to one so we decided to go.

All of us except Brielle(and obviously Isla) tried a cricket cookie. The boys loved it. I was pretty grossed out, but yet couldn’t pass up the opportunity to say I ate a cricket.

There were so many bugs to see.

Isla did so good all day. She was a little trooper. All the kids did really well. It was hot and we were outside a lot. All of our kids, including the baby, love watching their surroundings and other people. There was so much for them to see yesterday. Joah is our very observant child and he noticed several homeless people laying around and sleeping on the ground.That really broke his heart and he was asking so many questions…..tough questions that I don’t know all the answers to. He has a very compassionate heart, and his eyes were really opened to some tough realities yesterday.

Around 6:30 pm we were all totally beat and ready for food and water. We chose an Italian restaraunt that our campground recommended. The kids were able to watch the chefs prepare the food. They were so excited. They saw a lot of dishes, but their favorite was spaghetti with huge meatballs. They were the size of baseballs.  Joah noticed right away when they started making our order. He got so excited and yelled, “it won’t be long until we eat. He’s making our pizza.” I have a feeling there might be some dough throwing at our home now. They’ve been imitating the chefs with play doh today.

Several people told me when I was pregnant with Isla that the 4th kid is easy. Once you have 3, adding 1 more won’t make much difference. I totally believe that will be true, but not until after the baby stage. Even though she has done great, she is still a baby. Diapers and feedings are hard when you’re gone all day. I have changed a lot of diapers on my lap this trip. I have also gotten a lot more bold with breastfeeding. I had to. The baby has to eat, especially on a 95 degree day. She needs hydrated too. Yesterday I literally kept finding shaded spots on the ground, and shielded myself with the strollers while I fed. People walked around us. Not one person was rude or made any nasty comments. It all worked out. This baby stage goes so fast. She’s already almost half way through her first year. We did get several comments and questions yesterday about all our kids. My favorite question though was by a lady. She asked us if they were quadruplets. 🤣 I get asked if they are triplets a lot, but never quadruplets. Clearly the baby is quite a bit younger.