First Mardi Gras

Our family got to experience our first Mardi Gras together this past weekend. We really didn't know what to expect other then people telling us to watch out for all the flying beads. I knew there would be lots of people out for the parade, but I guess coming from a small town that has a festival itself, I underestimated the amount of people that would be around.

 

We arrived in New Orleans at about noon even though the parade didn't start until 4. Luckily, we got there when we did because we were able to come and go to the car when needed because it was parked right around the corner from us. During the 4-5 hours of waiting for the parade to start we munched on food and enjoyed time watching the kids run around. We went with some of Courtney's co-workers, so there was many kids running around playing.

 

The parade started at 4, but didn't arrive by us until about 5. It was a long wait, but it was worth it when I saw the kids faces light up when they got beads thrown at them. They didn't always throw beads though. We did get some stuffed animals thrown our way, along with a few light up toys. McKaila had a blast for sure and was so excited to see our stash of beads get bigger and bigger. The start of the parade also had floats with actors on them. The first one, Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead and Ian Somerhalder from The Vampire Diaries.  From what I heard the parade lasts about 5 hours, but after a couple hours we headed out. It had been a long day already and we had a crazy amount of beads already, so the sunset and we headed back home.

 It was very difficult to keep McKenna busy while we waited for the parade to start. All she wanted to do was crawl around, but it was mostly dirt where we were, so that wasn't happening. We resorted to her climbing on chairs, holding her as long as we can, and relaxing in the stroller as much I we could get her too

 

 

 

 To keep the kids busy, many parents started buying toys from the vendors that walked up and down the roads. They sold hats, toys, beads, and some had cotton candy. McKaila never had cotton candy before so she wasn't too sure about it at first, but in the end, she couldn't get enough of it.

 Our set up for the day. All the food on the long tables with everyone surrounding it. The food stayed out all afternoon, so we pretty much snacked all day long

 The parade is about to begin. People started piling in and before you knew it there was people every where. And when we started to see the police come through on their horses, the kids hopped up on shoulders so they could catch some beads

 

 

 Our mountain of beads! It was a great time with family and friends and can't wait to go again next year. Just next year, we will be a little more prepared to hang out for 4 hours leading up to the parade. (we thought the parade was starting shortly after we arrived)