The Start of Summer

The beginning of summer in these parts (well, northwestern New Jersey to be exact but we make the drive there every year) is the crawfish festival.

Last year I was hugely pregnant and Leo was a wandering, uncontainable toddler. This year we got wise. I decided to attend not pregnant and with Ellie on the outside (much more enjoyable for us both, I think it's safe to say). And we brought a tent to contain our now two children. The kids seemed to think the tent was great fun. Leo got to drink his own smoothie and he even ate crawfish bread (we called it pizza and that was fine by him) and his current staple, Veggie Booty. Ellie was happy eating Gerber sweet potato puffs (more like spilling them all over the tent, but no matter). We listened to fabulous zydeco and ate delicious crawfish pie and Po' Boys. Pretty much if it had crawfish in it, we ate it. Oh and this year I got to have a beer. That was nice.

But the best part of the crawfish festival has to be the eating of the snowballs. For those who have not had the pleasure, a snowball is a New Orleans treat. It’s sort of a shaved ice concoction (yet it is so not shaved ice) topped with a delicious syrup that comes in a variety of flavors (like pineapple or cherry) poured over the top. I know what you are thinking. Snow cone. But it is so much more than a snow cone. When it’s hot you feel like you can eat five in a row. And sometimes you do. Yesterday I think we had five total between the two of us (to be fair, Leo ate his share and Ellie was eyeing it with serious interest. Next year honey). We left the festival close to dinner time sunburned and sweaty with strollers weighed down with children, bags, chairs, the tent and yet we still found a way to also carry two snowballs. They are that good.

From the photos it looks like all we did was eat. Well there was a lot of eating. But we also walked around and people watched and Leo enjoyed music by the Swingset Mamas at the kid's tent. He danced a good amount and I could tell he enjoyed himself as he tried to hug the lead singer at least twice. While she was singing. And playing guitar. At least she was a good sport about it. Did I mention Leo is big into hugging right now?

Welcome summer 2008!