The Chopins spent the 4th of July extended weekend in Houston with their lovable extended family--the Sonniers. And what an extended weekend it was! We had not seen the Sonniers since Christmas and it was a much-needed visit. The six of us and G
iGi left Thursday afternoon and made the 4+ hour journey to Northwest Houston. We had a very safe trip and were very fortunate to avoid a lot of the holiday (and typical Houston) traffic. After hugs and kisses upon arrival we immediately took part in a feast--tacos and taco soup. Wonderful! To work off our meal, we all ventured by foot to the neighborhood park two blocks away for some play time in the park. There were swings, slides, walls and rides. Everything you need to burn some calories! That was about all the excitement we could handle in one evening...or so we thought!
(Warning: the next paragraph is not for the faint of stomach!) Apparently James had a different idea. Have you ever seen in movies where they show someone vomiting and it just violently sprays out everywhere? Well, that what James did all over Mom! We were all in agreement--that was the most amazing thing we had every seen! He had to have lost half of his body weight. And then, the funniest part, is that he just smiled and laughed like nothing was ever wrong. Felt bad for Mom, but at that point all you can do is laugh.
Our 4th of July started with a nice spread for breakfast. It was a "come as you are and whenever you want" kind of breakfast. For those who were up early (or never went to bed-), they had a nice hot assortment of biscuits and bacon. For those who were able to maximize their sleep time (Bryan a
nd Jonna), it came with a price of a colder breakfast. To each, his own! Before we got to the traditional holiday grillin', the whole family decided to go to the neighborhood pool for a mid-morning swim. The pool was huge! It had lanes for swimming, a water slide, a diving board and even a separated kiddie pool--everything the Chopins need. Between Friday and Saturday we spent a lot of time at the pool. The kids were eager to show off all the skills they had learned from swimming lessons 
last month. Gus and 
Gracie were absolutely fearless. They both jumped off the diving board a bunch of times--into 10 feet of water. And they also went down the water slide. Beedle is still getting comfortable in the water and is doing a great job. The pool became their sanctuary. When we got back we had some good old-fashion 4th of July barbecue--hamburgers and hot dogs. Awesome! During rest time for the kids, the adults played a fun game--Beyond Balderdash. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Jonna was the game's big winner, but we all won a little bit later as we had another 4th of July tradition--homemade
ice cream. The kids all got to help in the creation of homemade chocolate ice cream--MMMMMM!!! As nighttime came, we spent time outside watching the fireworks display from the front yard. What a wonderful tribute to our great nation!
nd Jonna), it came with a price of a colder breakfast. To each, his own! Before we got to the traditional holiday grillin', the whole family decided to go to the neighborhood pool for a mid-morning swim. The pool was huge! It had lanes for swimming, a water slide, a diving board and even a separated kiddie pool--everything the Chopins need. Between Friday and Saturday we spent a lot of time at the pool. The kids were eager to show off all the skills they had learned from swimming lessons 
last month. Gus and 
Gracie were absolutely fearless. They both jumped off the diving board a bunch of times--into 10 feet of water. And they also went down the water slide. Beedle is still getting comfortable in the water and is doing a great job. The pool became their sanctuary. When we got back we had some good old-fashion 4th of July barbecue--hamburgers and hot dogs. Awesome! During rest time for the kids, the adults played a fun game--Beyond Balderdash. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Jonna was the game's big winner, but we all won a little bit later as we had another 4th of July tradition--homemade
ice cream. The kids all got to help in the creation of homemade chocolate ice cream--MMMMMM!!! As nighttime came, we spent time outside watching the fireworks display from the front yard. What a wonderful tribute to our great nation!Saturday the love continued. We started with breakfast at your own pace and another trip to the park and pool. We could not tire the kids out as they swam and swam and swam. During re
st time for the kids, it was more game time for the adults--Phase 10. Fun times! On Saturday evening, the majority of us went to mass and returned to find that Bryan and Jonna had cooked for us--chicken alfredo! Incredible! And of course, more dessert--ice cream and pudding! Before the kids went to bed, their cousin decided to give them a special treat. As many of you may know, the kids are Star Wars fanatics right now. Well, Bryan has his very own "functional" light sabor. Check out the videos of the boys discovering the power of the Force. (Turn up the volume and you can hear Beedle impersonating Darth Vader)
st time for the kids, it was more game time for the adults--Phase 10. Fun times! On Saturday evening, the majority of us went to mass and returned to find that Bryan and Jonna had cooked for us--chicken alfredo! Incredible! And of course, more dessert--ice cream and pudding! Before the kids went to bed, their cousin decided to give them a special treat. As many of you may know, the kids are Star Wars fanatics right now. Well, Bryan has his very own "functional" light sabor. Check out the videos of the boys discovering the power of the Force. (Turn up the volume and you can hear Beedle impersonating Darth Vader)Gus Skywalker...
As difficult as it was to put the kids to bed after they fulfilled their fantasies as Jedi knights, they actually crashed pretty hard. The adults were not far behind them.
Sunday was departure day. After our hardy breakfast and casual Sunday morning (with the exception of a tour given by Aunt Michele of North Houston), we went out to eat for lunch at Fajita Willie's. Great Mexican food! We said our heartfelt good-byes and headed home. But, we had one more stop to make--in Beaumont to see MiMi! We visited for over an hour and had some cookies from Rao's Bakery. MiMi was glad to see us and was hospitable as always. After a great visit we headed home and talked about how much fun we had the whole way home! A very special thanks goes out to Uncle Garland, Aunt Michele, Bryan and Jonna for opening our home to us and treating us better than royalty. Like family!
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