Mardi Gras Madness...and other fun times

We have been doing a lot of celebrating lately. Our good friend, Carter, turned three in January. Aubrey and Carter are good buddies and love the same things....firemen/firetrucks, pirates, sports, and tools. Carter's fireman themed birthday party was oh so cute and Aubrey had a great time climbing on the firetruck and playing with the tools.

Some of the decorations used at the party were my Dad's old gear. Everything was so cute! See those cupcakes with flames?! 

Seth and Aubrey had their first father-son bike ride! 

 Aubrey is really enjoying his bike and is beginning to pick up some speed!

 I think this was the first time Seth had been on a bike in a long time. When he returned, he said something about missing riding. Good thing he has a riding buddy now! ;)

When I went on my girls weekend, Seth loaded up the kids and went to Lake Charles. That weekend, the rodeo was in town so Aubrey got to be around real cowboys and horses.

 He practiced his moves on the ole bouncy horse. I think Seth and his siblings rode this guy when they were little....he's been through a lot and still trotting along!

We did not go snow skiing with the Thomas family this year so we were able to attend some of the Mardi Gras festivities. We went to our neighborhood parade called the Highland parade. It is always family friendly and really fun.

 Aubrey was excited about the parade starting but not the loud noises.

 It was Kate's nap time so she chilled in the wagon for a little while...until a truck blew it's horn and woke her up. See that sweet little foot propped up?? 

 One of Aubrey's favorite parts of a parade...the firetruck! 

 We did lots of dancing with the cousins! He also loved the bands that marched by.

 Lots of interesting floats...big and small.

 A few floats had bubble machines on the back and Aubrey LOVED it!

 Aubrey got lots of stuffed animals, beads, and candy at the parade. His favorite thing was this teddy bear. He immediately squeezed it and said I love him! He brought him home and put him down for a nap and even slept with it next to him in bed that night. He is so funny. Love that silly kid!