The Gator Farm

Kansas farmers raise cattle and swine and sell the animals to packing plants for a profit. Some farmers make a living solely from raising these animals. Delicious bacon and the best porterhouse steaks come from those animals. Actually, most of the meat we eat in Kansas comes from a cow, chicken or pig, right?

Louisiana is a bit different. Big surprise! I have only seen two grazing cattle in Louisiana. I saw them on the way to Baton Rouge through the swamp trees in a VERY small meadow munching on some grass. I wondered how in the world the cows survived the huge gators that live around here!?

Louisiana doesn't need to raise cattle and pigs, I guess. The "farmers" here raise what is native to the area, alligators and turtles!

We made our first gator farm visit while Travis's family was here. What an interesting experience that was! The Kliebert family of Ponchatoula owns and runs the gator farm, and they offer tours and a gift shop full of alligator and turtle skulls, teeth and bones and anything else alligator or turtle.

We knew we were in for a treat the minute our tour guide started talking. She had "the" accent. We had to get in closely to see her and tune our ears to hear and understand.

The turtles are what we saw first. Thousands of turtles were all living together in two separate ponds. The turtles are plucked out of the pond live and air shipped (live and in a crate) over to China and other Eastern countries for fool. Turtle farmers can't sell turtles for food here in the U.S. because they contain too much e. coli bacteria for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to deem safe to eat. She did say there was a stray alligator in one of the ponds. We asked why the turtles didn't get eaten by that alligator. She said they did, and that the turtle pond gator was too fast for them to catch, so they just let it be!

Alligators were next on the agenda. The first pond had smallish alligators, probably only up to about 5 feet long. They looked harmless enough. Oh, keep in mind, we were on the other side of the fence.

Our tour guide gave us specific instructions on the next leg of the tour. She explained that the females lay their eggs near the fence and are very protective of their nests. She said one would (for certain) come up and bang against the fence, because a raccoon had just destroyed some of her eggs. She also instructed us to walk on the far left side of the trail and NOT to put our fingers in or over the fence.

We saw our first big gator and knew exactly why we needed to stay back. They are BIG and SCARY! We saw one alligator that was 16 ft. long! I can't describe how intimidating they look. I wouldn't want to meet one out in the wild, and my kids won't be playing near the river anytime soon. The largest alligator on record was 19'2" long, and was found in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. That alligator, stretched out, was as tall as a giraffe!

The farmers take the young alligators out of the pen with their mothers and other big gators soon after they are born so the big gators won't eat or harm the babies. I'm not really sure which ones they sell for food, but I know some are. Alligator is on the menu several places here in Louisiana.

Alligators hiss to warn predators to stay back. Their babies make this grunting sound to alert mom when they're in danger. The tour guide told us that if we ever heard that sound we should run. Oh, but I don't think anyone could outrun one anyway, because they are fast, too. People have been eaten by alligators by swimming in alligator infested waters and by standing too close to the side of the river/lake. How comforting.

We all had a greater respect for alligators after the tour, I think. Scott purchased an alligator skull as a souvenir. We went home eager to take a closer look at our own river nearby next time we drove by!

Look who blew in from Kansas!

Travis's parents, Scott and Cheryl, and his sister, Holly, were officially the first Kansans to visit us at our home in Louisiana. Scott and Cheryl flew in on July 18, and then Holly flew in on the 20th.

I hope Travis's parents and sister enjoyed their visit as much as we enjoyed having them visit. Visiting with Kansas natives (and family, no less) was a breath of fresh air. We got a little break from having to break through the Kansas/Louisiana "language" barrier for eleven days!

They all got to celebrate both Justis's and Jillian's birthdays with us. We had a three-day party for Justis (see previous blog). We celebrated Jillian's birthday one day early so Scott and Cheryl could witness The Eating of the Cake before they had to fly back to Wichita the 25th (see other previous blog). Holly didn't go home until yesterday (Sunday) evening, so she got to see Jillian open her presents on her actual birthday Thursday.

Travis and I were a little unsure how hosting visitors was going to work, considering we haven't done most of the tourist things around here. Everyone gave input to what they thought sounded interesting and we just made a plan, consulted the phone book or MapQuest, and away we went.

We visited several new places during their visit. We all went to Kliebert's Alligator Farm right here in Ponchatoula, we went to the Riverwalk one evening just so we could all enjoy the view of the Mississippi River. Holly went with us to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans after her parents left.

We also showed them what a good time anyone can have at a state park! We picnicked at Tickfaw State Park, went on a swamp walk and played at the water park. Scott was talked (or tricked) into going camping with Travis, Dawson and Justis at Percy Quinn State Park in Mississippi. The funniest observation both Travis and Scott made about that overnight trip was that they actually got cold during the night! "Cold" or "cool" are rarely words that are used to describe the weather here.

We did take time to just relax and do everyday things at home, too. Grandpa Scott played "Tickle Chase" with the kids and Grandma Cheryl read bedtime books, including one of the kids' favorites, Peter Pan. Travis, Scott, Holly and I played the card game Phase 10 one evening, and we all shared a few home-cooked meals.


Thanks for coming Scott, Cheryl and Holly. We had a fantastic time and hope you did, too. The rest of you reading this are welcome to our home as well. We enjoy hosting family and friends. We are all looking forward to a visit from my parents, Tony and Marsha, early this fall!

Celebrating our 6th Anniversary

Travis and I are celebrating six wonderful years of marriage today. Our marriage has been through much together with five "official" moves, four children, jail time for Travis :), gallbladder surgery, etc. I think those growing experiences have only made our marriage stronger.

Holly, Travis's sister, is still here visiting and graciously babysat our children so we could go for an overnight stay in New Orleans. This was our first anniversary celebration that included more than two hours devoted to just us. Last year we celebrated our anniversary in the hospital after having Jillian!

Travis planned the whole thing, which was a gift in itself. I met him at his Destrehan elevator at 5:00 p.m. Friday. He was prepared with a dozen roses and card and a hotel reservation at the Astor Crowne Plaza in the French Quarter! I was thrilled. It's like we were on one of our first dates, but it was better. Now we know each other on a deeper level and that makes it all the more enjoyable.

We ate at a fantastic creole restauarant called the Red Fish. Travis had sesame grilled tuna and I had the shrimp carbonara. Wonderful. Travis had the banana cream pie and I had the triple berry sorbet for dessert. Yum!

We walked down Burboun Street next. How interesting. I guess I had never been down that particular street before, but there was a lot of celebrating going on! The French Quarter is like another world. We enjoyed people watching and made our way down to the square.

We got to see the French Quarter in a romantic carriage ride. Travis planned that, too! We didn't have to stroll down Burboun St. in the carriage (thank goodness), but we got to see all of the interesting balconies and points of historical interest. I would do a carriage ride again anytime!

When we were too pooped to "party" anymore (it was about 8:30 p.m.), we took a leisurely walk back through the French Quarter to our hotel and just enjoyed chatting and having uninterrupted time together.

This morning we woke up when we felt like it (also a gift in itself), went to pick up the van and ate at IHOP before returning home.

My favorite thing about our anniversary every year is that I get to reflect on all the things we've done together from dating to having our fourth child. I like to thank God for all of the growing experiences He's helped us through and that He's helped us love one another through those times. I love you, Travis!

Miss Jillian, the Birthday Girl

Jillian is celebrating her first birthday today. Yippee!

Jillian has come a long way in a year. She went from crying for about five solid months and being an upset baby in general to being so happy people have actually commented on how good of a baby she is!

Don't let the sweet smile and soft, curly locks fool you too much. She still has lots of fire in her. She seems to be reserving that fire for extreme situations, such as when one of her older siblings tries to coddle her when she doesn't want to be coddled or when Dawson comes within a two-foot radius of her play space. Jillian is bound and determined to defend her toys from Dawson as best she can because he has taken what she is playing with before (so he could play with it) and given her another toy in its place. That signals the war offensive to Jillian, who must defend her toy!

Jillian is extremely ticklish and is getting around quite well by army crawling. She still has no teeth and has dimples in her cheeks and one right in the middle of her chin when she smiles. She's still the smallest Davis child for her age, but her thighs are pleasantly plump and dimply, just like baby legs should be.

The one year birthday cake festival was actually held Tuesday night since Scott and Cheryl were still here and wanted to see her have at it before they left Wednesday morning. I won't give a play-by-play of the "eating of the cake," because the pictures say it all. The fact that she ate VERY little of the cake but threw most of it on the floor is worth mentioning.

I can't believe my baby is one! I kind of feel like we're moving into a new phase with the children since Madalynn and Justis are school-aged now and we don't plan on having any more children. I don't want the baby phase to ever end, but it has to and I know by watching Madalynn, Justis and Dawson grow that each "season" of their little lives is so much fun.

Birthday Boy Justis

Justis is a blessed young man. He has had two days of birthday celebrations and he's still partying! We have had a bang-up time celebrating, despite the fact we know no one outside the family to celebrate with. Cheryl, Scott and Holly round out a fun family party.

Justis's party started yesterday (Sunday) after church. Justis requested his birthday meal to be McDonald's, so we went to McDonald's in Ponchatoula after church. We ate and the kids played on the huge play center there. They didn't eat much of their Happy Meals, but who cares. They had fun playing.

We left McDonald's and came home to open the first round of presents. He was thrilled to get lots of stuff having to do with dinosaurs (clothes, play sets, toy dinosaurs, etc.), and he got a train and a big truck as well. Nap time followed gift-opening.

Justis blew out his birthday cake candles after supper Sunday night and then the kids went back to playing trains and dinosaurs before bed. We all got a good night's sleep before Justis's REAL birthday.

A new "big boy" bike (with no training wheels) was waiting in Justis's room when he woke up this morning. I think Dawson found it first, but I'm not sure. I heard a crash and knew the bike had fallen over, meaning someone had found it! I alerted Travis and he got out of bed to share in the surprise with him. He immediately went out to practice riding the bike with Travis, of course.

Justis opened the remainder of his presents this morning and we followed up with a pinata. The only pinata we could find was the Hillbilliest pinata I'd ever seen. You were supposed to pull a string to get the candy out. We all know a pinata is no fun if you can't whack it with a stick to make the candy come out. So, we did a Hillbilly rig-up and used the dog's leash to make the pull cord for the pinata so the kids could take turns whacking it until the candy came out. I got a kick out of pulling the cord to make the pinata go up and down so they would swing at the air. I really love my children. That was just hilarious.

Justis met his first Louisiana alligator today when we went to the local alligator and turtle farm/hatchery this afternoon. This is a blog in itself, so I'll just say the alligators made quite an impression on the kids (and the big kids)! Then almost everybody took another LONG nap.

Justis is now with Travis, Scott and Dawson for a boys overnight camp-out at Percy Quinn State Park in Mississippi. We girls went shopping, but I did get a call from Travis at the mall. He said they made it there safely and were the only campers at the tent sights. They got to pitch their tent on the best site, right by Lake Tangipahoa. I bet they're fast asleep right now, and that's where I'm headed.

Happy birthday, Justis!

Justis and the Mime

Travis's mom and dad and sister Holly are visiting us here in Louisiana right now, and last night we went to the Mississippi Riverwalk that also borders the French Quarter.

The French Quarter is not what you would call a family-friendly place on Friday night. We chose to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe near the Riverwalk and avoid the heart of the French Quarter. We enjoyed a walk along the Mississippi and we and the kids got to see a jazz cruise riverboat leave the dock, which was fun.

We decided to walk around Jackson Square, which is "in" the French Quarter, but is a clean place. Jackson Square is fun, because people with special talents are always there performing with their money bucket in front of them. Most of these performers are amazing!

We were about to round our first corner on the square when I noticed a mime standing statuesqely facing the street. I said, "Oh, look Maddie! You will like this, come here." Travis saw the mime and said, "Justis, look at that man. Do you think it is a statue, or is he alive?"

Justis immediately stopped. His senses were heightened. He looked. The mime wasn't moving. I tried to start explaining to him what it was, but he was already finished. Done. He was backing away and planning his escape route while Travis and Scott tried to convince him it was okay to pass by. Travis immediately told me not to say any more about it and to go on by.

Justis was statuesque himself. He wasn't about to move by that strange man with white makeup all over his face and a funny hat. The fear in his eyes told me Justis was ready to run for his life and he was convinced that mime was their for one reason. He was sure he was going to turn and chase him at any moment.

Travis picked Justis up and I told Madalynn we would come back sometime and watch the mime so Justis wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

The mime was a wise man. I could tell he was thinking about starting his "act" as Madalynn and I approached and he heard me explaining to Maddie what he was. He was staring straight ahead in a frozen position. His eyes ever so slowly moved to look over at Justis, however, when he started crying. Madalynn and I were the only ones that saw this, because the rest of his body stayed perfectly still. He knew Justis was afraid and kindly chose not to move until Justis couldn't see him anymore.

I am very grateful to that mime for saving me from a child having nightmares about a mime in his sleep! Justis and I chatted about that mime today at lunch. I told him that maybe he and I can find a mime to watch on the Internet or something so he could see what they do and maybe we could go back to the Square and watch another time. He seemed perceptive. I'm going to give it some time, though!

Jillian, Dawson and the Dump Truck

I deflected a WHOPPER of a mess last night.

Our family was getting ready for Bible study and it was about 6:30 p.m. Everyone was doing his or her own thing. I happened to be in the bedroom folding clothes when I heard Jillian, who was in the living room, gagging on something. I ran in right away to make sure she wasn't choking on something. Her siblings sometimes leave small toys on the ground that Jillian shouldn't have.

I walked in to find Jillian amidst a scattered mass of Whoppers chocolate candy. She has no teeth but she was gumming/gagging on three of them and holding another two, one in each hand. She was fine when I found her. She had managed to roll that Whopper that was gagging her back into the front of her mouth. She was pleased, and her chocolate-covered face said it all.

I took the Whoppers out of Jillian's hands and wiped them off. I allowed her to finish eating the three in her mouth. By the time her hands were washed they had melted down far enough not to be a choking hazard. I told Dawson (the owner of the Whopper box found beside the pile) to come pick them up and put them away. I then took Jillian to sit on the floor of my room while I finished folding clothes.

I finished folding and came back into the living room. I caught Dawson out of the corner of my eye and looked over. He was sitting with the bucket of his toy dump truck just chock full of Whoppers. I had to think about this from his perspective. Those Whoppers look an awful lot like brown boulders that need to be moved by a dump truck, don't they? Well, Dawson thought so, anyway. He wasn't eating them, just playing with them. I grabbed the camera (again) and called Travis in. I then put Jillian back onto the ground so I could snap the picture.

Jillian made a b-line for those Whoppers. Jillian is getting fast, and when it came to those Whoppers, she was on a mission. Dawson just sat there and watched while she came crawling over. Travis picked her up to avoid another gagging child and Whopper mess.

Grab a buggy. Let's go shopping at the Piggly Wiggly or Winn Dixie!

Move over, Dillons, Piggly Wiggly is on the move! Well, maybe not, but Piggly Wiggly sure is fun to say, isn't it?

Piggly Wiggly is the actual name of a grocery store chain here in Louisiana! Isn't the name hilarious? I've heard people talk about going to the Piggly Wiggly to get milk before, but I just thought they were kidding around. I was sure no one would name a grocery store after a farm animal you can buy at that same store packaged as bacon. I'm guessing they didn't have a marketing consultant when they chose that name. We don't have a Piggly Wiggly in Ponchatoula, but there's one about five miles down the road in Springfield.

I shop at Winn Dixie in Ponchatoula for groceries when I choose a supermarket over the Wal Mart Supercenter. That's a fun name, too. Winn Dixie is almost exactly like Dillons, except the name is different and instead of the HUGE Mexican food section you'd find in a Kansas Dillons, Winn Dixie has HUGE Cajun and seafood sections.

I used a shopping cart to push my kids in and to put my groceries in when I lived in Kansas. I use a "buggy" to push my kids and groceries around here in Louisiana. People kept looking at me with blank "I don't know what you're talking about," kind of looks when I would ask if they were using a cart. The word cart doesn't register to these Southerners. A cart is not a cart, it's a buggy! Can you imagine the look on a Kansan's face if a Southerner came up and asked, "Ma'am is this your buggy?" We'd be looking around for a baby carriage or Amish buggy with a horse tied to it.

I am enjoying the new and amusing things I am learning here. I just ask God to help me keep my mouth shut and my ears open so I don't offend anyone with "Yankee" talk!

Belles of the Bayou

Madalynn and Jillian are becoming good friends and they love each other's company.

Madalynn has the typical first born child characteristics. She mothers her siblings, has a very strong opinion about most things and is the ring leader when it comes to what the kids decide to play. Her mothering instinct has been very evident in how she has taken Jillian under her wing as "her own."

Jillian rarely gets a full nap because Madalynn will go into their room, even if the door is shut and she knows Jillian is sleeping, and wake her up so she can bring he out into the living room and play with her. Now, as a mom, this is MADDENING. However, I've tried to stay calm and realize I'm glad she loves her little sister. Madalynn is going to have to come to MY understanding on this. Can you tell I'm a firstborn, too? :) I have told her I'm glad she likes to spend time with her sister. I have reiterated, however, that nap time is essential.

Madalynn has also taken an interest in trying to learn how to change Jillian's diaper. She kept begging me to try, so I put her off by suggesting she watch me a couple of times. Well, before I knew it, Madalynn had not only plucked Jillian out of a peaceful sleep, but she was trying to change her diaper as well. I told her no more changing diapers and that that was my job because it can be a messy job with surprises! She snuck a couple more diapers on before she learned her lesson the other day. I asked Madalynn to bring Jillian into the bathroom (I was already in the tub), so I could give her a quick bath. I specifically told her NOT to try to take her diaper off, but that I would do it. She defied me and pulled the diaper off on my bedroom floor, in true firstborn form, and SURPRISE! That's right, she had a poopy diaper. She had to frantically search for the wipes while Jillian rolled around on my bedroom floor smashing poop into the carpet. Madalynn was flustered, but I "allowed" her to finish her job. Life teaches hard lessons!

Jillian likes to ride in Madalynn's doll stroller. She has no choice in the matter, so I'm glad she likes it! Madalynn straps her in and they putter around the house.

Jillian loves Madalynn and her company just as much as Madalynn loves her and her company. Jillian will willingly sit still and "watch" a 15-minute cartoon in the chair beside Madalynn. Jillian rarely sits still for anything, as most of you know. Jillian also keeps Madalynn company and plays in their room while Madalynn cleans it.

The picture above was snapped a couple of days ago. Madalynn was dressing up and insisted that Jillian MUST have something pretty to wear, too. Madalynn has always tried to be the star of the camera lens, but I think sister Jillian was actually trying to pose like the supermodel this time!

You Might Be a Redneck if...

You might be a Redneck if you fight over who gets to take home the alligator that you and your coworkers find at your workplace! On the other hand, you might be a redneck, too, if you take a picture of the alligator found at your workplace. Hmmm...

Travis and the kids and I got a big kick out of this story. Travis told us that "they" found an alligator at ADM yesterday in one of the grain elevator basements. When the word alligator is spoken, my kids are interested, and I'm curious, too, considering I've only seen one from afar and heard stories.

Travis told us that one of his grain elevator assistant supervisors, Luke, heard a big commotion coming from the basement of the facility his hourly employees were working in. Luke immediately ran downstairs to make sure everything was okay.

Luke found several employees who had managed to capture an alligator. One of the guys had managed to "wrestle" it and hold it. The men, 4-foot alligator still in tow, were arguing about who would get to take it home and eat it. No joke. They were having a VERY spirited conversation on whose alligator it was.

Luke is from Indiana, so I'm sure he was just as surprised and curious as Travis about this alligator capture. Luke called Travis up to come take a picture and to make sure his employees handled the alligator "safely." :) Luke, in his wisdom, told the men they would have to return the alligator to the river so the arguing had to stop.

Travis snapped the pictures you see here. Isn't Keith a proud alligator wrestler? Keith is a BRAVE alligator wrestler!

This is another example of how we live in starkly different culture now. These guys aren't Rednecks. They just value alligator meat for some reason we Midwesterners don't understand. :)

A little side note. The kids kept saying, "I want to see the pictures of the alligator," to Travis while he was telling the story at the dinner table. Travis said, okay, I'll go pull them out. Travis was referring to pulling out his laptop and uploading the pictures. Justis started saying, "No, daddy, I'm scared!" and started backing away from Travis's laptop case as Travis started to reach his hand in. He thought, "pull them out," meant pulling the actual alligator out! We assured Justis that Travis didn't have the alligator in his laptop case.

"Ringo's" Hair Cut

Dawson is blessed with thick, wavy locks. We call him Ringo (as in Ringo Starr) when his hair gets long, because he looks like one of the Beatles! He grows a 'fro REALLY fast. You don't have to look far to see where he inherited that kind of hair. Travis, his dad Scott, and my dad Tony all have plenty of thick hair. My dad had the real 'fro going on when he got married and up until at least the time I was born. He sported a powder blue tux (with the ruffled shirt, I believe) and his Afro on his wedding day! :) Love you, Dad!

Dawson's hair was beginning to proceed him. I mean, you'd look at him and notice his mop before anything else, so we decided it was time to trim him up.

We can't just take the clippers to Dawson's hair like I do to Travis's and Justis's. He doesn't have that kind of hair right now. I usually put him on the picnic table outside and take my sheers and comb and cut it myself. He usually screams and fights for thirty minutes while I try not to cut off my finger or his ear. I usually give him a decent trim, but both of us are mad at each other when it's over.

I decided to take him to Wal-Mart to get his hair cut this time. I told him before we went in that we were getting his hair cut, along with Madalynn's, and if he sat like a big boy he could pick out some candy afterward. He said, "NO! I don't want my hair cut." I explained that he had no choice, but knew that if he started screaming and refusing to sit in the chair I would just end up taking him home and having to do it myself.

Madalynn got up in the chair and started getting her hair trimmed while Dawson watched. His turn came and Miss Lisa, his stylist, put the booster seat up in the swivel chair and told him it was time. He started shaking his head "no" and backing away, but I reminded him about the candy. He VERY reluctantly let me put him up in the chair. Miss Lisa then pulled out the dreaded cape. This is where Dawson has drawn the line before. He HATES having that thing put around his neck. He let Miss Lisa, however. I could tell he was a little scared, but he held it together for the candy.

She just talked to him in a soft voice while she cut his hair and he either found her interesting enough to sit still or the promise of candy convinced him to. She used her "magic" talc powder and a big powder brush to brush all of those annoying prickly hairs off of him, which he thought was really neat. He had officially sat through his first "big boy" haircut with a stylist.

He was proud and Madalynn and Justis told him what a good job he did, too. They've seen the productions we've had in the past.

We'll be going back to see Miss Lisa next time Dawson needs his hair cut!

One Love. Chicken Fingers.

Today I want to share about one of my favorite places here in Louisiana, Raising Cane's.

Before I walked throught the door of the first Raising Cane's restaurant I went to down here I read the notice on the door. "Don't expect to get a hamburger or a salad here. We serve one thing. Chicken fingers."

You're probably thinking, "How can a place survive by selling only one main menu item?" The answer to that is that they do one item and do it REALLY well! The chicken is fresh chicken breast that is marinated, breaded and fried in the restaurant. The side menu items are texas toast, french fries and cole slaw and they have excellent sweet tea and lemonade. They also have a "secret" sauce to dip the chicken in.

The story of Raising Cane's is just as good as their chicken. A local guy decided to start his own business. He had a name picked out for his restaurant and his friends decided the name just didn't fit. His friends suggested he name the restaurant after his belovoed Laborador Retreiver, Raising Cane, hence the name. The chicken is so popular the restuaruant became a chain and there are now restuarants throughout Louisiana.

You'll have to eat at Raising Caines if you get to come visit us. I've included a link to their fun website!

Happy Birthday, Chadd!

We want to give a shout out to our nephew Chadd today, because it's his 3rd birthday!

Chadd Oren is named after the Chadd family name (my maiden name) and his grandpa Lewis Oren Brown. Chadd is a lovable little guy, much like his cousin Dawson. Chadd is about three months older than Dawson.

We sometimes call Chadd "Chadder Box," because he has all kinds of interesting things to talk about, just like his mommy! Laci and Jeff Brown are Chadd's parents and he has a big brother, Cole, who's five. The Browns live in Leon, KS, wich is about 30 minutes east of Wichita. Chadd likes music, which is obvious from the picture. :)

Chadd, we love you and we wish we were there to celebrate with you. Eat lots of cake and party hard, little man!

Where is Ponchatoula?

I thought I'd give everyone a better geographical idea of where we are living.

Ponchatoula is in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. Tangipahoa Parish is like a county. For example, we lived in Hugoton, which is in Stevens County, Kansas. Now we live in Ponchatoula, which is in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.

Ponchatoula is about 40 minutes to the east of Baton Rouge, 40 minutes to the northwest of New Orleans, and about 1 hour west of Biloxi, Mississippi. To get to Ponchatoula from New Orleans, Travis takes Interstate 55, that goes between Lake Maurepas and Lake Ponchatrain. I-55 between here and New Orleans is all "on stilts," because it goes over swamp land and lakes. That's about 30 miles of what we consider a bridge!

Our home is about three miles southwest of Ponchatoula. Our neighborhood literally butts up against wetlands to the south. Ponchatoula Creek (I think that's it's name) is about 1/4 mile from our backyard and feeds into Lake Maurepas. We sometimes see jet-skiers passing under the bridge as we drive over the creek (which is the size of a Kansas "river") and there's a house boat that usually stays parked near a home that borders the creek. We saw an alligator floating on top of the water sunning himself one day, too!

Hunk of Burnin' Love

Dawson is in the spotlight today.

Dawson is such a lovable little guy. He likes to come sit on Travis's and my lap with his blankie and just snuggle. He just reaches his arms up and says, "Hold me," when he feels the need to love or be loved. He enjoys butterfly kisses and Eskimo kisses any time of the day, not just bed time.

Dawson knows how to draw a crowd. He knows he's cute and he works it! He flashes his handsome little grin, waves and says hi and people stop to chat with him. The ladies just think he's "it," and men always say, "Look at that little linebacker." I don't know if football is in Dawson's future or not, but I have a feeling he'll be a stand-out person in whatever he does if he continues to work people over with his charm.

Dawson is learning to speak in sentences. He has a big vocabulary, we just have to really listen to what he's saying to understand the words sometimes. He still asks where the goat is when I tell Maddie not to let Justis "get her goat." He told Justis the other day, "That's not propriate!" (appropriate) Madalynn and Justis are speechless sometimes when Dawson stands up for himself and tells them exactly what he thinks. That's when his words come out the clearest!

Travis is Dawson's hero. He waits for Travis at the back door when his radar ears hear Travis's car pull into the drive. He imitates everything Travis does. Lately, he's been dragging Travis's tools out of the shed and fixing things just like Travis does. Daddy keeps finding them strung out over the yard (oops!).

Dawson is still a chunky monkey. He's starting to lose just a bit of the baby fat, but he still has chubby cheeks to kiss. Travis's family tells me Travis was built like Dawson as a child and his mom had to shop in the husky clothing section for him. You wouldn't ever know that by looking at Travis today.

Dawson has been streaking around the house lately, which indicates that it's time to potty train him. He doesn't like his wet pull up (diapers don't fit his fat hiney), so he'll just take it off and go without.

Dawson is growing so fast like the rest of the kids, and he's almost not my "baby" boy anymore. He's growing into a young man. Now if we could just get him to use the potty like one...

Justis, My Superman!

Today's blog is about Justis Shane.

Justis has a tough outer shell (physically), but he's a softy on the inside. Kind of like the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. I have seen him stand up to someone (like his big sister) and sound SOOOO mean, but then he'll start feeling bad about it and start to cry and surrender to whatever Madalynn wants to do. I have watched him be bullied several times, so I think we're going to have to talk with him about finding the balance between surrendering and standing up for himself so he doesn't become a door mat. He truly cares about the feelings of others and Madalynn uses this to her advantage to manipulate him into getting her way!

Justis is a gentleman, too. He makes sure Madalynn is always the first to enter the van. He tells Dawson, "Ladies first, Dawson," and then defends the courtesy to allow her in first, even if he has to fight Dawson. He then makes sure he's standing outside of the van first so he can be there to help her down, which Madalynn is FINALLY allowing him to do. Just lately he has been very aware of holding the door for people. We walked out of Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago and I turned around and Justis wasn't there! He was inside holding the door for some people coming in.

Justis is VERY rhythmic. He can sing the words to most songs with the exact beat. Travis plays "The Listening Game" with the kids. They all get a pot from the kitchen and a utensil to bang on the pot with. They all sit quietly while one of them pounds out a rhythm on their "drum," then the others take turns trying to copy the exact rhythm they heard. Justis always gets it right on the money and has the most interesting rhythm combinations. I think we're raising a drummer!?

Justis will be five years old the 23rd, and I can hardly believe it. He's still waiting to catch his alligator. When we were on the swamp walk, however, he was ready to turn around because he didn't want to be caught way out on the boardwalk and meet his alligator! This alligator hunting thing has to be on his terms!

Our Swamp Walk Adventure

We went on an eventful swamp walk at Tickfaw State Park last Saturday. There are so many things that are new to us here, and every time we take a walk anywhere we learn something new.

The trails at this park are on stilts, because it's natural for the park to flood during high spring and winter rains, and because the ground is almost always wet, anyway. There are trail number markers along the way, along with the occasional sign that has a picture and explains a certain vegetation, insect or animal.

The first thing we spotted on our walk was this dragonfly. The dragonfly's wings looked like little square wings at first glance, but when we looked closer parts of it's wings were translucent. It blended in with the surroundings so well, we had a hard time keeping our eye on it, but then it landed on the boardwalk rail so I could snap a picture.

The hollow tree was interesting. You can't see it, but although the tree is completely hollow, it is still growing and has a green canopy that shoots up from one growth coming from the top of the hollowed-out trunk.

The next guys (or guy and gal) we stumbled upon were these walking sticks. I almost missed them, but caught them out of the corner of my eye as I was walking by them. I didn't stop walking, because they scared me! I moved far enough away to where I could turn around and see them safely! :) I had never seen anything like it. They're called walking sticks and they are found in warm temperate climates. Obviously their name comes from what they look like, a stick! Two were mating at first and Travis spoiled their party so we could get a better look and separated them. The kids were fascinated. Justis was also a little creeped out.

Lastly, one of the neighborly lizards came out to spy on us. Lizards are all over the place here. This one is the most common color we see, but there are all kinds.

We had a great walk. We left as the thunder was starting to rumble, signaling the common afternoon rain. We had just enough time to go play in the water park before it began to pour!

Tickfaw State Park, Our New Playground!

Our new favorite place to play on the weekends is Louisiana's Tickfaw State Park, located only about 10 miles from our house! We went for the second time last Saturday after we finished morning yard work.

The park is beautiful, and it only costs $1 for each of us to get in. Louisiana state parks are much different than the ones I've visited in Kansas and Colorado. You can choose to come for just the day and picnic, walk the trails and visit the water park (yes, I said water park!). You can choose to bring a tent and go canoeing (boats provided), if you feel like roughing it. You can bring your RV if you don't feel like sleeping on the ground. You can also rent a cabin if you really feel like splurging (but still pay less than a hotel room). They also have dorm-like facilities that organizations or families can rent for special events. I haven't been in one of the cabins, but they look first-class from the outside!

The kids love Tickfaw. They did not stop asking to go back after our first visit and they made us promise we would be going back when we left this last time.

Last Saturday we took some sausages to grill for a lunch picnic, walked a trail we hadn't walked yet and then the kids and I played in the water. Believe me, the water is very refreshing after picnicking and hiking in the sultry, hot Louisiana swamp!

And the name Tickfaw...does anyone else wonder what that means? It's like it's hick language for "tick fall," which wouldn't be too far from the truth around here! Tomorrow I will write about our exciting trail adventure we had at Tickfaw Saturday. :)

Nickels and Dimes

Here's a funny thing Madalynn said today.

"Mom, is George Washington dead?"

I said, "Yep, honey, he's dead."

"Oh. What about the rest of our nickels and dimes? Are they dead, too?"

I explained to her that the "nickels and dimes" were presidents and that, yes, if they're featured on a coin, they're dead!

Jillie Pearl, Daddy's Girl!

Today's Davis Dish spotlight is on Jillian!

Jillian is growing SO fast. She had a couple of firsts this week. Jillie realized Travis had walked in the door from work last week (I was standing in the living room holding her), and she raised her hand and said, "Hi dada." She said it a couple more times, just to make sure Travis knew she was serious, I guess. Now she loves waving at him and saying, "Hi, dada." She will wave and say hi to the rest of us, but the two word treatment is saved for HER special daddy.

Jillie Pearl, as we call her, also sat herself up from a lying-flat position all by herself. Madalynn had watched her do this in her room a couple times when she woke up from her nap. I put her on the floor to play one evening and had to look over to see what all of the grunting was about. She made it up to a sit. She still doesn't crawl. She simply lays down and rolls if she needs to get somewhere. I think crawling will be coming soon.

Look closely at these pictures and you will notice that Jillian's hair is a curly when it gets wet or when it's humid outside. So cute! She still loves to be right in the middle of the action. She also still cries a lot when she doesn't get her way! She screams if I even walk near the church nursery. I have tried not to spoil her, but my attempts are futile. The minute I put her down so she can have some alone time to play, one of the kids comes right over and provides entertainment and caters to her every need! I don't stop them. I'm so glad she is loved by three older siblings.

On a mission

Travis and I prayed before we even left Hugoton that God would lead us to the church He has chosen for us here in Louisiana. God did his part, and we had to do ours.

Our part was getting out there and looking for that church. You all know Travis and I don't care what denomination of church we go to, but we insist on finding a body of believers who love God, believe Jesus died for our sins to give us the opportunity to accept His gift and be with Him for eternity, and believe what the Bible says. We went to work, asking people which church they would recommend for us and we also used the phone book and the Internet as resources.

Travis had the opportunity to visit two churches before the rest of us came down. He knew the first church he went to wasn't for us, but he wasn't sure about the second church he visited, though.

We went back to the second church as a family again, because Travis wanted me to have input, too. We left that church and I asked the kids if they liked it. Madalynn, who had been at children's church in a different building while we were at church said, "Mom, do you think this is the church God planned for us?" I said, "What do you think about the church, Madalynn?" She said, "I don't think we this one is the one for us." I couldn't have said it better, and we DIDN'T go back!

God works in exciting ways. We drive by this plot of land along the Interstate every time we go to Wal Mart that has a big truck trailer sitting on it. We were talking about churches one day as we passed it, and noticed it said, "Coming soon, the Mission." It had some other information on it, but we didn't read that. I just said, "Huh, I wonder what church that is? It would be nice if we could find a church that close." I didn't think a thing more about it.

Travis visited a church website online and thought we should try it out. I was hesitant to go, because it is right across the street from Southestern Louisiana University in Hammond. I figured the congregation would be mostly college students. We aren't too far away from their age, but being married and having four kids changes how we relate to college kids just a little bit. :) I trust Travis, though, and consented to visiting.

We walked in and were greeted with sincerety. The nursery and kid's volunteers made our children feel welcome and at home. Travis and I didn't really chat with anyone during this visit. We just sat back and observed and kept our eyes and ears open. The church members were normal people, coming from all walks of life. The pastor was versed in his Bible and had all of his preaching credintials, but was just a normal guy, too. He preached an excellent sermon about miracles and we went home feeling refreshed. The whole family just "knew" that was our new church home.

We asked the kids what they thought wen we got back into the car. They all started excitedly telling us about the fun they'd had. Madalynn then said, "I think this is the one we should go to." Really, God's Holy Spirit was guiding us the whole way and that's what we were all "feeling."

The funny thing about it, is "The Mission" on that truck billboard, is the same The Mission Church that is now our church home! Maybe we're a little dense, but we just had no clue of any connection between the two "missions." Our church purchased that lot some time ago and is in the process of building and relocating there. We don't mind the church location right now, but we will have much less of a drive to church when the building at the new location is completed. God just threw in an extra bonus!

We have been back two times since that initial visit and have joined a life group, where we've met a few friends. Two of my specific prayers is that God would provide some friends for me and that He would tell me what to do about school for the children. The first night at life group I met several really neat ladies, two of whom are teachers; two answered prayers, not a coincidence!

We are excited the hunt for a church didn't take too long and that we found a place we can relate to! The Mission Church is non-denominational and probably has an attendance of 200-300. I'm going to try to put a link on this page you can click on if you want to know more about our new church.