Since I’m not normally visiting my family in Louisiana in August, this trip I caught 2 family birthdays while I was there. Lauren and Alex both had birthdays while I was there and they always go out for dinner and cake at home for their birthday celebrations, so that was fun. Lauren’s in-laws joined us for both of the dinners and it’s always nice to see that side of her family too. She married into a really nice family! Those girls have so much love from both sides.
You all love it when I share family events, so I thought I’d share pics of the birthdays and a few other things we did while I was there. The day I got there was Alex’s 3rd birthday (August 23), so we met up at a Japanese hibachi style restaurant for dinner. It was very good and we all enjoyed the evening. Alex was front and center.
She loves edamame and ate that while we were all waiting for dinner to be done.
Cute little 3 year old princess. She loves Elsa, so I bought her an Elsa doll from Frozen that sings “Let It Go” and she loved it. I have a feeling they will be very tired of that song soon. It’s Alex’s favorite song to sing. Lauren plays it for her in the car.
We had birthday cake for Alex’s celebration.
She’s such a cutie with a big personality. Blonde and brown eyed, she’s so different from her sisters.
She’s talking nonstop now and is so fun and cuddly.
They came over on the weekend (they live 45 minutes away from Renee & Bruce) and Bruce grilled chicken and Renee made some sides for us all and we had a great time together. There was a bad thunderstorm that blew through while we were all still in the pool and we went scrambling to get inside. The guys got everything taken down, including umbrellas and it was a nasty storm for a short few minutes. The guys got knocked down trying to put up the umbrellas and they lost a couple of them because they got damaged. It came up fast and furious.
It was fun while it lasted though. These girls are getting so big. Parker is 9, Iris 7 and Alex 3.
Parker and Iris had just taken the paddle board out and had to come right back in. It was a scary few minutes but we all were safe, thank goodness. Bruce was able to grill chicken after it stopped raining.
Iris got her gymnastics bars out to play on, with a little help from Alex. Iris loves gymnastics so much. Parker is very into horses and takes riding lessons.
On my last day there, August 31st, we celebrated Lauren’s birthday at a Mexican restaurant and that was fun too.
At home, she had a Chantilly cake for her birthday and it was delicious. Of course, we sang Happy Birthday and the girls helped blow out her candles. I’m so glad I got to be there to celebrate their birthdays in person this year. I love my family!
On another note, Renee is redoing their bedroom with some new furniture and she’s going to have her current dark wood pieces painted, a dresser and chest of drawers. She found a local place there that paints vintage furniture and it’s in now getting painted. I did a quick mood board for her showing the new bed, nightstands and the rug she already has that will go down soon.
Here are links to what she is getting if you’re interested (affiliate links):
Simply Southern Cottage LeCompte Rug
While I was there, we got the feature wall wallpapered. She had ordered the paper and had it there so we could work on this project when I came down. Thankfully, Bruce helped too and we all 3 worked on the wall and got it done in one afternoon. It’s so gorgeous! It’s Thibaut Daintree in Pearl and the link is above. Their room will be very neutral which she loves. It’s going to be so elegant and pretty! As soon as she gets it all finished, I’ll post those pictures too. She’s been looking for bedding and putting all those pieces together for a layered look in neutrals.
One final thing that she just got completed is a set of these heron paintings for the stairwall. We had seen these at a local shop and when she went back to look at them again to buy, one of them was gone. We went home and looked online and found them for a better price so she ordered them and just got them hung. They are perfect in this spot! I love how soft they are and the colors are great with soft blues and neutrals. Here’s a link on those too, if you’re interested from Burke Decor.
That’s a recap on my visit to Louisiana, so I hope you enjoyed this post too!
Rhonda Tillman says
Oh my goodness, when did these little girls grow up. Time passes so fast, I can remember when you shared with us that y’all were expecting Parker, seems like she should be the one turning three… Beautiful family 🙂
Rhoda says
I know, it’s flown by. Parker is 9 and Iris is 7 already.
Sue Davis says
Oh my goodness…those little girls are growing up so fast. We have 2 grandsons…10 & 3. So…I know the fun their household is…..our 3 year old talks continuously!
Family is truly a blessing…for sure! Thank you for sharing your family with us. Fall is arriving fast….so I am in the process of trying to get it done.
Much love!
Rhoda says
They sure are growing fast. Family is truly a blessing & we realize that more and more.
Danae Stromberg says
What a beautiful memory you have! Your grandchildren are adorable! I have eight grandchildren from 8yo to 16yo from only two daughters! One other daughter just got married last year-we’re waiting for babies! I have 41 yo twins and 39 yo triplets.
Rhoda says
Oh my, you have a lot of grandchildren and unique children with twins and triplets. That’s amazing! These little girls are my sister’s grandchildren and my great nieces.
Karen Pilie says
We are always so happy when we get to spend time with you, Rhoda! So glad that you got to celebrate both birthdays this time! Those little girls are growing too fast!!
Rhoda says
Thank you, Karen, it’s always fun to spend time with you and Glen. You 2 are wonderful grandparents!