Baton Rouge, Louisiana trip---November 2012

Now that we live in North East Texas---there are so many states right next to us, just waiting for us to come visit! So, Aaron and I looked at the map and figured out what cool cities were 6-8 hours away and easily accessible via van. Baton Rouge fit the bill! So, Aaron got home from work on a Tuesday, I had our bags packed, and we hopped into the car and grabbed chik-fil-a as we hit the freeway running!  The kids did amazing. Give them dvd after dvd, and they are happy campers!  Benny, still a wee lad, also was a champion.  We drove deep into the night and got a hotel about an hour away from Baton Rouge. We slept blissfully in our smokey hotel room (that wasn't a fight we wanted to fight in the middle of the night), and enjoyed a nice, free breakfast in the morning. Tillie loves a good bowl of fruit loops!

On the road again for a little bit more as we ventured into Baton Rouge.

After a little research, we discovered that Poor Boy Lloyd's was the best place to try local cuisine. And it did NOT disappoint. I loved my shrimp po' boy sandwich! Mayo, lettuce, and tiny breaded shrimp. Hello, that's my jam! We also loved the fried pickles. 

I nursed the baby in the van while Aaron took the big kids to explore the Mighty Mississippi river. Such a sweet crew!

After I finished feeding Benny boy, we loaded him up in the stroller and walked around. We discovered a fun children's museum.  It was in a super cool building, so we took several photos. ;)

I had to take a mini pause to change this dolly baby's stinky diaper. Goodness, he is CUTE!

The museum kicked us out b/c they closed early, so we walked around some more and checked out the cool battleship and other delights that Baton Rouge had to offer.

After we saw all that we wanted to by foot, we hopped into the car in search of beignets. The kids promptly fell asleep as we drove around the beautiful LSU campus. Seriously, talk about a beautiful college campus! The trees! The history! It was all so picturesque. The kids really took it all in. Oh, wait...

We found beignets at Coffee Call based on several awesome reviews and yeah, they were SUPER good. We pulled off some random plantation off the side of the road and parked at a picnic table so we wouldn't get all the powdered sugar all over the car.

Everyone was a HUGE fan of that impromptu decision. Hot chocolate and beignets are ALWAYS a good idea. We quickly cleaned up with our wet wipes (as they were shutting the plantation gates!), and started back on our way. Remember how beautiful the Mississippi River is?! 

Fun to get a shot on this bridge on our way in and out of town.

We drove for a little bit, then decided a real bed time would probably be a good thing for this crew. As evidence by this next few photos of our very own, Louisiana Gator, spending another night in a hotel proved to be a good decision. Look at this smiley three month old! GAH! TOO CUTE!

The rest of the trip was uneventful (the best kind when you are driving all day!) and we pulled into our driveway, safe and sound! Good times, in ol' Louisiana!