Christmas was an eventful and exciting time in the Chopin household. We fulfilled our annual tradition by going to pick up our tree on December 6th, the feast of St. Nicholas. After scanning the selection of our favorite Christmas tree lot, we came across our humble and beautiful tree. We spent the evening making it look its best. 
The kids pitched in by helping hang ornaments and ribbon. And as every year, we took in a cup of cheer. 
It's fun to have these traditions. Hopefully the kids will look back and have fond memories of time spent decorating the tree. Something Cindy decided to do this year was to personally decorate the gifts we were giving to family and friends. This allowed us to put a personal touch on each gift. 
The gifts were wrapped in a brown "canvas" wrap and then the creativity and artistic touch of the decorator transformed it into a loving, personalized token of love. Here are some examples...
The gifts were wrapped in a brown "canvas" wrap and then the creativity and artistic touch of the decorator transformed it into a loving, personalized token of love. Here are some examples...Also a tradition for the Christmas season is the touring of the lights at the Acadian Village. 
The kids always enjoy the array of lights and they never get enough of the elf caricatures. 
And of course, soaking up the holiday sounds of Christmas music always puts our hearts in the right place.
The kids always enjoy the array of lights and they never get enough of the elf caricatures. And of course, soaking up the holiday sounds of Christmas music always puts our hearts in the right place. This year we experimented with a gingerbread house. The kids enjoyed it. It was pretty messy but messy is fun, right?
Family time sent us all over the Acadiana area. From GiGi's to Grandma Dee's to even Mamou, our family spent a lot of time on the road. All visits were pleasant and we certainly didn't spare our wastelines. The kids were blessed with an abundance of gifts which brought them so much joy. But playing with cousins was just as joyous.
We went to Christmas Eve mass at the Cathedral and the Chopins were a part of the celebration. Since Beedle is a First Communicant, he was allowed to participate in the processional. He dressed as a wise man (knowing Beedle's affinity for costumes) and strolled in in advance of the Holy Family. Gracie and Gus also pitched in by singing in the children's choir. Their angelic voices brought a sense of peace and innocence to a beautiful mass. Later that evening, we came home and Cindy and I maintained our Christmas tradition--watching It's a Wonderful Life.
It was safe to say that the Christmas season was fully embraced by the Chopins. We felt a little stressed at times, but the peace of the season over-ruled. We hope your Chistmas season was fulfilling as well!
The exhibit featured authentic props and costumes from the Star Wars series. 
The kids were excited to see the "real" R2D2, 
Luke's speeder from Episode IV,
and many other Star Wars relics. They even took a ride in a 
They learned about how magnetic levitation works, how robotic movements are engineered, and how bionic technologies are allowing people without limbs to run and jump. The kids used technologies at work stations to design cities and settlements, like in Star Wars.
They even took a ride in an air chair, simulating a ride on a speeder.
For a family that does not have a fireplace, it is a nice treat to snuggle up to a cozy fire. 
And with a fire, you just have to have S'mores, right? And that's what we did--every night!
They bundled up to make the hike bearable. 
For fun, the kids brought their walkie-talkies. This also allowed the brave and adventurous ones to forge ahead and explore. Gus made an interesting discovery--an armadillo shell and skeleton.
He was pretty proud of finding it. We noticed that it was picked pretty clean, which means someone or something had a very full meal! Further along we found little caves and boulders. 
Mom was quick to point out how warm it was inside the caves as it was sheltered from the winds. The kids found little stopping points here and there to observe nature. 
What a great educational experience! We finally made it to the Bear Cave where the rock walls and tunnels were very beautiful. 
The scenes of the rock tunnels are similar to those seen at Rock City in Tennessee. 
The trail starts with a steep descent down a rocky mountainside. 
The kids, especially James, did very well, considering how shaky it is on the way down. 
After crossing the creek by its bridge, 
the trail winds through the valley to a pool of water trapped by a bed of boulders. 
This water comes from the Cedar Falls. Unfortunately it was only trickling down this time; last time it seemed to be roaring like Niagra.
But the scene is still surreal and the kids had a grand time making echos, "lifting boulders" 
and walking around soaking up the beautiful nature. 
The jaunt back up the mountain was a little strenuous, but we made it. And as we did after Tuesday's hike, we went inside to the lobby of Mather Lodge to enjoy the expansive fireplace and it's cozy heat. 
We worked on the puzzle at various times during the trip--a little with breakfast, in the afternoons, a little while cooking dinner, a little before bed--it became almost a little bit of an obsession to finish it before we left. I'm pleased to say that at 10:30pm Wednesday evening our masterpiece was finished. 
Dare I say, our puzzle "came together"!
