Crawfish in Texas?

Today was a first for the Chopins....we had boiled crawfish in Texas! We celebrated the Ardoin Family Easter with some extended family at Uncle Raymond and Aunt Brenda's in Spurger, TX. Our trek to Spurger started early--7am. It wasn't easy to get the kids up and going that early, but they were real troopers. We met up with Grandma Dee, Poppa and Nana in Eunice and traveled the back roads through western Louisiana into southeastern Texas. It was a pleasant ride, and Mom and Dad got some good talk time. We made it to the Strong spread and we were very impressed. There were acres of land all around us. There was a pond that became a popular kids' playspot. There was a ping pong table and a baseball game set up. A lot for the younglings to do! But most importantly, we were there to see our family! All of the Ardoins made it--even Aunt Angie! And the Strong family was well represented--Ronnie and Rachael and their families made it as well. They brought their kids, who were about the same ages as ours, so just about everyone had someone to play with. We all visited and laughed and waited for the main course--the crawfish. Uncle AJ and Poppa did a great job with the crawfish--seasoned to perfection!All the kids ate crawfish, each in different ways. Gus had no problem peeling them, making his own dip and eating them. Beedle enjoyed peeling them. He'd work on one for a couple of minutes, hand the meat over to his Aunt Angie and say, "Can you please take the spice (poop) off of it?" He also had three hot dogs so he didn't go hungry. Gracie has a bad habit of coaxing someone, with her pretty eyes and smile, into peeling them for her. It's very cunning, but enduring. And, whether good or bad, she usually gets her way. James had a few crawfish and really like them. Uncle AJ fed them to him and he finished them off. And, of course, Mom and Dad made pigs out of themselves--we're not bashful when it comes to crawfish!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, resting and reminiscing. Here are some other pics from the day...

As our day winded down, we rounded up the kiddos. They were filthy, especially Beedle, who spent a lot of time playing (rolling in the sand) at the pond. We wiped him as clean as we could just to get him in the car. This is what his bed looked like the next morning... We said our goodbyes and made our way south to Beaumont. We went to pick up MiMi (Dad's grandmother) and bring her back to Lafayette for Easter. It was a nice trip home. Dad got to have some good quality conversation with MiMi. The kids didn't make it to Lake Charles before they were out like lights.