Where the Heck Have We Been?

For those of you who have loyally followed our blog for years, we apologize for not posting for the last nine months. It hasn't been out of a desire to not share our blessings or keep our family's

activities a secret (we haven't joined a cult). I think a couple of things have kept blogging out of sight and out of mind. One, we got iPhones, which means we rarely use the family computer anymore. We are on these devices even when we get home. They are portable and relatively convenient.....except for blogging. The other reason, is the obvious--we've been too busy living
life (and recovering from it) to blog about it.

A LOT has gone on in the last nine months! I don't think we could ever catch up with posts in the short amount of time we have to post them. So what you are going to get is the cliff notes--the abbreviated version--of the last nine months in the Chopin Family Experience. With pictures, of course.

Here we go...

One of the highlights of the spring was the Christian Youth Theater (CYT) experience. Beedle has been a part of CYT for over a year now. He brought Gus aboard in the spring to be a part of the acting and performance classes. Beedle took it a step further with his desire to audition for the spring musical--Beauty and the Beast. To audition, you had to be eight years old. Beedle was eight-years old and one week on the day of the audition. We had very little expectations for Beedle being in the play, mostly because he was young and inexperienced. And sometimes you just don't know how he will respond in certain situations. But we both agreed that it was best that he got out there and give his best effort, getting the experience of auditioning in front of people. Well he did. And through the grace of God, he was cast in one of the lead roles--Chip, the teacup. Praise God! We were shocked, surprised, humbled, elated, excited, afraid and proud all at the same time! Over the next ten weeks we watched our little birdie, who we never wanted to leave the nest, soar in his abilities to perform. Never was he nervous. Never was he afraid. Was he perfect? In these parents' eyes, just about!

He enjoyed all of the fruits of being a "star": signing autographs, posing for pictures, and getting praise and attention for his talents. We were swollen with pride. Even now, we can't help but look at him as our little Chip. This propelled Beedle to learn more in his craft. Since B&B, he has taken a voice class, performed in the most recent CYT musical "The Sound of Music" as a neighbor of the Von Trapps, recently auditioned for and cast in CYT's upcoming musical "Willy Wonka" as James, Charlie Buckett's best friend, and is currently taking a dance performance class. Beedle has certainly found himself in the arts. He's still doodling, still creating, still finding ways to make the world a more beautiful place.

Beedle also had another exciting event in the spring--he made his First Communion! He had been preparing for the past two years and was finally ready to celebrate his most important sacrament. He looked absolutely handsome, and even chose to honor me by wearing the exact same jacket I wore for my first communion. Here he is with his godfather...

It was a wonderful experience for him. It was followed by a crawfish boil at our house with his godparents and other family members. We was one happy Catholic boy!

Gracie has spent the year investing more time into her passion--dancing. She, along with her ballet studio, took our family into an enchanted world under the sea in their latest ballet performance "Into the Sea". She, and her fellow ballet classmates, were beautiful lionfish...

As an overly-critical parent, I was honestly amazed to see how much she has progressed since her first ballet two years ago. She has worked very hard and seems to have much more control when dancing. Plus she looks so happy on stage. The performances went very well and Gracie was treated to a date with Mom and Dad after the last evening.

We had a lovely dinner at The French Press and after went out for ice cream at Borden's. Dancing seems to be her passion. But something else she has a knack for is soccer. She participated in homeschool soccer in the spring and did a great job.

She shuffles around like a little bee and handles the ball pretty decently. We have found that busy time works best for Gracie--she's much better behaved and is usually much happier. Which means we're happier!

James is our most naturally joyous child. He is happiest when he is playing with his siblings, most especially with Beedle. James has been called to duty in the line of superhero service. Super Beedle has dubbed James as Amazing Boy, his faithful sidekick.

Together they have been ridding the world of evil and crime. I think Beedle and James play best together because Beedle is creative and knows no limits. James shares in creativity and is enthusiastic to do anything with his big brother.

Besides looking a whole lot alike, they have the same interests--Star Wars, Veggie Tales, Mario and Luigi (see picture), Indiana Jones, and Legos. Other than that, James is still our "snugglebug". Every morning, he's the first one up and comes to snuggle with Mom and Dad. He seems happiest when playing through his imagination and when he's cozied up next to his Mom or Dad, and often both.

Gus finally got to do something he has been begging us for years--play tackle football. He always wanted the opportunity to go out there and play the game he so closely follows on TV.

To give him the opportunity to play with some friends of his, we signed him up for the Vermilion Football League. Unfortunately, even though his friends were the same age as he, their birthdays were just after the cutoff date, so Caleb was forced to play as the youngest (and smallest) in an older division. As disappointed as he was to not get to play with his friends, it didn't stop him from wanting to play anyway. After the first few practices, however, Gus quickly realized that the game in real life wasn't as glamorous and easy-going as the game he watched on TV. The game is played in sweltering heat and there is a lot of running and hustling. But the most glaring difference for Gus was the hitting. He quickly found out that sometimes it hurts to play the game because it is violent in nature. Gus really struggled with the idea of getting hit so much. I think it was really a challenge for him because he really didn't expect to struggle with that part of the game. He really came to a crossroads on whether or not he would quit. Mom and I were proud of him for working through it and honoring his commitment to his team. It was a long season--practices every Tuesdays and Thursdays (sometimes on Wednesdays too), games on Saturdays in Abbeville, coaching changes, position changes. The team needed Gus to play safety, which he started at most of the season. In the last couple of games, he got his wish and was moved to wide receiver, which brought him more excitement.

He saw the end of the season in early November with mixed emotions. Part of

him was glad it was over--the hitting, the hard work, etc. But part of him was sad to see it end. I think that up to this point in Gus's life, the experience of football has been the greatest challenge he's faced. It taught him a lot of life lessons--teamwork, doing your job, self-sacrifice, discipline, and how to deal with victory and defeat. But above all else, Gus had to learn perseverance through difficult times. We are certainly proud he did not give up. What Gus does next, nobody knows. But whatever he chooses to do, we already know his character has been forged. We are most proud of him! What a great example to his siblings!

Over the past nine months we've been afforded a couple of opportunities to get out of dodge. In early June, Mom, Gus, Beedle and I, went up to Washington DC for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. My Kiwanis club sponsored a local bee and the national bee were inviting sponsors to be a part of the national bee experience. The club graciously asked me to represent them so we turned it into a mini-vacation/history lesson for the older boys. Gracie and James stayed behind and spent time at the Ardoin's house. We flew to DC--the first time flying for Gus and Beedle--and stayed at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, MD. In the sweltering heat of June, we tried to get in as much sight-seeing as we could--the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Capitol, the Smithsonian museums.

I was even able to take Gus to see his first major league baseball game--Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies.

The boys also got to learn first-hand about public transportation. In fact, in one day, we traveled by rental car, shuttle bus, airplane, metro train, metro bus, and taxi. I guess we all take transportation for granted. The trip was at times arduous and tiring, but it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. And I think they felt pretty fortunate to have some "two-on-two" time. It's amazing the perspective of eight and nine year old boys! Here I am thinking that they would be in awe of the Lincoln Monument, or the White House, or all this rich American history. If you ask them what the best part of the trip was, they'd say the "poop" exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Perspective!

In October, in the midst of chaos (Beedle--CYT, scouts; Gracie--ballet; Gus--football, scouts; Mom--prego; Dad--band) we managed to take a much needed family vacation. We joined the Mader and Bayard families for a week in Pensacola Beach.

We stayed in a condo right on the beach and were treated to a week of wonderful weather and abundant joy. Jellyfish couldn't even keep the kids out of the water. In fact, hunting them became a past time for them. Our families received much-needed rest as our batteries became recharged. We were very fortunate to be invited and we look forward to the next family jaunt.

Also, I've been staying busy with my hobby--playing music. My little band Get Back has been playing several performances in the area. It's been a tremendous amount of fun and has given the kids an opportunity to see a different side of their dad--the performer.

Now for the surprise.....We're expecting baby Chopin #5! What a gift! We are due in late March of 2012 and Mom is doing just fine. We just found out a couple of weeks ago the baby is going to be a boy. Gracie, although disappointed at first, came to realize that God was protecting her well with so many brothers. The others are glad to keep the scales tipped in favor of male in the Chopin household. We don't have a name picked out yet, but we do have some contenders. We'll let you know when we've got it picked out. In the meantime, please keep the baby and Mommy in your prayers.

Of course, a lot more has gone on. Little miracles every day. Tough times. Happy times. But these are some highlights just to prove we're alive. We hope to do a better job posting from here on out. But if we don't, it won't be because we don't love you. We may just be too busy living!