Frigid Times in Lafayette

There have been no complaints from the kids, but us adults are certainly learning to adjust to the obstructions of nature this winter.  Friday gave us our first ice and snow storm in quite some time.  It was mostly a sleet storm that gave way to some snow.  Sleetmen (aka Cajun snowmen) were everywhere.  And of course, the obligatory sleet..er..snowball fight was had between the Chopin children and neighbors.  I was welcomed home Friday afternoon by a frosty fastball from Gus, to the joy of his brother and sister.  Some of the kids really enjoyed being in the weather (Gus, Beedle and Gracie).  Some desperately wanted to be out there but couldn't (JoJo).  And others just enjoyed watching the discomfort from the window (James).  It wasn't until Monday morning that the last traces of Friday's wintry mix disappeared.  But an onslaught of new wintry weather forced practically all of Lafayette to shut down Tuesday and it looks like most of the day today.  With roads and bridges closed, stores ransacked for supplies, and frozen stuff falling in frigid temperatures, Lafayette has gotten a bitter taste of what life is like for the rest of the country further up from the equator.  We are learning to love this stuff though!

Easy Rider

Way to go, James!  Welcome to the awesome world of riding your bike without training wheels!

Jam-Packed Hiatus! The 2013 Edition

Settling into our house and slowing down our lives a bit was the theme of 2013.  For me, slowing down was somewhat forced due to a pretty significant injury to my ankle.  This picture is not for the faint of heart, so view with caution.

Call it "hanging on to your youth" or "meeting age head on".  Whatever you call it, I was reminded within the first month of 2013 that I needed to slow down.  It happened while scrimmaging against Gus' soccer team.  A ball went passed me and as I turned the opposite direction, my ankle rolled over as I planted it in the ground.  You know that sound of jello being squished through your teeth?  That's kind of what I remember hearing.  I could feel my shoe getting tighter and tighter.  And after two days of rest and ice, the picture above was the result.  I had to stay isolated in a boot for one month.  The only time I could take it off was to take a shower...on one foot.  And after another month of physical therapy and slowly testing it, I was able to feel more comfortable running on it.  God gets our attention in the strangest ways sometimes.  I think what God was telling me through this was that I need to take it easy.  So that was what I tried to do--take it easy!

We had our usual first quarter of the year of birthdays--Gracie, Beedle, Gus, James and JoJo--all within 58 days of each other.  They all celebrated with cakes and family!

Beedle was in CYT's winter production of Honk.  He played Bewick, Penny's younger brother.  Beedle's claim to fame was the most adorable line of the play:  "For what do we have if we don't have hope?!?!"  Coming from his soft voice, it was adorable.  

Spring continued on with two other Chopin boys playing spring sports.  Gus played spring soccer, a somewhat shortened season from the longer fall season.  It helped keep his skills sharp and fed his appetite for competition.  James stepped onto the competitive field for the first time in the spring and became the first Chopin to play organized t-ball.  It was absolutely adorable to see him in an over-sized uniform, wearing a helmet that weighs more than he does, jogging joyfully around the bases.  Most first-timers to t-ball lack game awareness and struggle with focus.  James was not different.  He truly embodied the spirit of t-ball--have fun and make friends.  That was exactly what he did as he became quite the socialite both out in the field, around the bases and in the dugout.  And his skills seemed to get better as the year went on.  We are very proud of how he played and the joyful spirit he brought to every game and practice.

 

It was also a special spring for Gracie, as she made her First Communion.  Another Chopin with a deeper relationship with Jesus!  After a beautiful ceremony, we hosted a crawfish boil to celebrate her special occasion.

As spring winded down, Gus, Beedle and I prepared for a guys trip.  We took a canoe trip on the Buffalo River in Arkansas.  Along with some other families, we made the four-day trek along the river, getting off only one day for inclement weather.  It was a tremendous experience for us to be out in nature, to be out "roughing it" with friends, and make some memories that will never be forgotten.  Here are some pics from the trip:

Another highlight of the spring was JoJo learning to walk.  Here is a video from the night he took his first few steps:

Over the summer we joined the Riverside pool.  This was a great opportunity to spend the summer swimming.  Almost every day the Chopins were at the pool getting some sun, diving, soaking and playing with friends.  It was a very active summer and we definitely felt like we got our money's worth.  

Gracie also participated in her ballet studio's production of Anne in Rhyme Land.  Gracie worked very hard and seemed to be very comfortable performing on stage in the London Bridge scene.  Much like her brother Beedle, she has an affinity for entertaining.

As fall approached, we dove right back into CYT, soccer and ballet.  Beedle was in the production of Wizard of Oz and played one of the munchkin teachers, a perfect role for him.  Caleb kick-started another season of soccer and helped lead his team to a second-place finish in his league.  It was great to see his leadership and leg-strength improve this year.  And he retained the title of hardest worker on the team!  Another one playing soccer this year was James!  He brought his joyous spirit to the soccer field, and much like t-ball, improved greatly as the season went on.  He even scored a couple of goals in his last few games.  Soccer is a good sport for our family--it is fantastic exercise, good competition and a great opportunity for our home-schooled children to learn the values of teamwork and fair play.  We hope that it continues to be a part of our family (and it appears JoJo is following in his brothers' footsteps). 

Halloween, always a fun time of year for the kiddos, was in a monsoon.  Still, they sacrificed dryness for candy and came home with enough loot to cover the living room floor.

As for me, I kept busy with my favorite hobby--playing music!  Get Back welcomed a new drummer in 2013 and we played a bunch of really fun shows, Dancing with the Stars, Summer Carnival, Food Truck Round Up, A Taste of Crowley and Noel Au Village.  We even had a guest-appearance from another Chopin, as Gus joined us on stage for a Christmas performance.  As the responsibilities of being a father, husband and provider can sometimes be heavy, it is nice to have a hobby that allows me to let of some steam in a healthy and creative way.  And I can't say enough how grateful I am to have a wife who allows me to have this hobby.  

And with all of the blessings in our slowed-down 2013, God saw fit to give us one more blessing; one that we certainly did not see coming, but welcome with open arms.  We are expecting Chopin baby #6 in May of 2014!    

Looking back, I don't think we were any less busy in 2013 than in 2012.  But I think we were able to slow down and embrace it.  All of our lives are busy--sometimes we realize it, other times we don't.  I think 2013 was a year that didn't feel like it was jam-packed.  I'm glad that God slowed us down--even if we didn't necessarily volunteer to slow down.  Hopefully there will be a continuation of peace in our hearts in 2013.

Jam-Packed Hiatus! The 2012 Edition

A few posts ago I promised that we would never again go that long without posting again.  Then life happened!

Let's see, it looks like the end of 2011 is where we left off.  It's safe to say the Chopins have had some visceral life experiences since then.

Jo-Jo came into our lives on March 20, 2012.  He was a healthy 6 lbs 4ozs, and other than not really wanting to eat, he was just as healthy as any other Chopin baby.  We were surprised to have a blonde-hair child, especially since Cindy and I have such dark hair.  But, his appearance certainly favors the Chopin/Theriot side of the family and is a nice contrast in a family full of darker-haired children.  He has certainly brought us some joy.  Although his sleeping patterns have been anything but typical Chopin child, we love him all the same.  And so...table for 7 now!

So, a family of six was difficult enough to co-exist in a 3BR, 1,700sq ft house.  It was a huge push into us starting the search again for a new house.  We had been looking since 2008 for a larger house after James was born.  After literally looking at over 100 houses (God bless our wonderful realtor--Donna Christianson) and only putting offers on two of them (both of which did not go through), we were starting to wonder whether we would find anything that would fit our needs of a growing family and a functional house for a home-schooling family.  It was the third day of the new year and our realtor said she had a hunch about a house in Bendel Gardens, which was our first house to view.  I was immediately skeptical.  Bendel was never on my list of potential neighborhoods.  I remember years ago Cindy and I were driving around Lafayette trying to find a neighborhood for us to roost and she suggested, "What about Bendel?"  Deflated, I told her that she could pick the ugliest, smallest house in Bendel and it would be light years out of our price range.  Don't you love it when you try to set parameters on God's blessings?

Well, the house we looked at that day was pretty close to what I thought it would be--well out of our price range with still a tremendous amount of work that needed to be done.  A lot of work!  Fortunately for our family, I am married to the world's greatest optimist.  And even though I don't consider myself a prototypical pessimist, I am a realist by trade.  It's very difficult for deals to work exactly how you need them to work--anything can go wrong.  I won't bore you with the long details, but God made it happen!  He used great people in our life to help us along the way--Les Pitre, Clint Baer, Brett Bayard, and many other friends and family who donated their time and talents.  We have a house for our family that works!  And although the stress of buying, remodeling, selling our existing house, paying two mortgages, balancing a sleepless newborn and just general worrying sent me to the cardiologist, I must say....God is so faithful to us!  We don't deserve His goodness to us, but it is nice to know that He never fails us.  So we accepted his gifts of new home-ownership....and in a great location!

So here is what the rest of the kids did in 2012....

Gus tried his hand at a new (or gently renewed) sport this year--soccer.  He had not played organized soccer since he was five years old, but played with the HFHE-organzied soccer practices.  He has speed, endurance, ability and drive.  He just needed confidence.  Suffice it to say that soccer has truly helped develop his confidence.  Gus developed into quite the well-rounded soccer player, playing mostly goalkeeper, midfielder and forward.  He earned the moniker of "Mr. Clutch" because of his uncanny ability to make a goal or stop a goal when the pressure was greatest, usually at the end of a close game.  He quickly became a leader on his team and really helped to foster some self-confidence.  He's got the soccer bug and I don't see him getting rid of it anytime soon.

Another athletic feat Gus accomplished was running his first 5K in late November.  After training only 10 days on the tales of an ending soccer season, Gus ran it in under 25 and a half minutes, beating yours truly by about two minutes.  So bragging rights belong to Gus (and he does remind me from time-to-time).  It is undeniable that Gus is a child who needs physical activity, both for his physical and mental health.  We saw a lot of smiles from Gus in 2012.

Super Beedle soared in 2012 in what he loves most--Christian Youth Theater.  Beedle was in two performances in 2012--the winter performance of Willy Wonka and the fall performance of Peter Pan. Beedle was James, Charlie's friend, and an Oompa Loompa in Willy Wonka.  He enjoyed getting to sing a solo in a bright yellow shirt, and then don a florescent-green wig in the second act to be the smallest Oompa Loompa in the cast.  As for Peter Pan, Beedle was casted as a pirate, which he enjoyed performing with his best friend, Aaron.  The two of them had terrific comedic timing as young zany swashbucklers-in-training.  Beedle also served as the understudy to young Michael.  In preparing to be the understudy, Beedle had to practice the "stunts" that Michael did.  This involved flying on wires--a first for CYT and, more importantly, our safe-ground-loving son.  I'd love to tell you that he couldn't get enough of being hoisted into the air and swung across the stage.  But that didn't happen.  It took a whole lot of baby steps, coercing and comforting, but eventually he became comfortable enough to rehearse a few scenes.  Fortunately, his ability was never tested in a live performance.  But for Beedle, even the mere attempts in rehearsal, was quite an accomplishment for him.  Beedle continued to take three semesters of classes to help blossom his creativity and help him gain more confidence in performing.  Oh and I think he spent the rest of the year reading and playing Lego's.  That's Beedle for you!

Gracie spent the year doing what she does best--dancing!  She has really enjoyed being in ballet and has done quite well.  The year 2012 was a non-performing year but she still put in a lot of time and effort into improving her skills.

James spent 2012 being adorable and perfecting the art of playing well with others.  James has always been our most agreeable and lovable child.  He's unflappable, generous and kind,  He spent the greater part of his year playing with others, learning to how to be a big brother for the first time and being a connoisseur of mix-matched pajamas.  I think he was successful!  We are certainly proud of the good-hearted boy his is becoming!

    As a family we took our bi-annual trip to Petit-Jean Mountain.  Of course, we went when it was very cold, so we could truly enjoy the mountainous setting.  While there we discovered some new trails, went on some old ones and just relaxed in our favorite family vacation spot!  Here are some scenes from the trip:

   We rounded out the year with a wonderful Christmas season.  It was a perfect time to be reminded just how blessed the Chopin family truly is!  There were highs.  There were lows.  There were breaking points.  But never were we without God's providence and faithfulness.