Happy Halloween!

One of the most exciting holidays for kids--Halloween! The kids got to dress up for a night of concentrated candy consumption. Gracie went as a princess. Nate came with us and decided to wow us with his Ninja skills. And as you can imagine, Gus and Beedle went as jedis. Gus was Obi Wan Kenobi and Beedle was Anikan Skywalker. They were excited as they saw other characters from Star Wars such as Princess Leia, Darth Vader and Yoda. But these were by far the coolest Star Wars costumes they saw... Dog Vader & Princess Leia! How neat is that! The kids' quest for candy was quite successful as they collected enough candy to cure any sweet tooth. Oh, and we almost forgot the cutest of all characters. In his Halloween debut, we give you Eli the Elephant...

Fall Festivities

We have been having a lot of fun around here lately. The kids picked their pumpkin at Fresh Market with Gigi while Mom was on her trip. Today was the day to carve it for Halloween. The kids were excited to get started. Gus came running out with a dull knife used for dinner service to carve the pumpkin. After he got out of time out ("We never get a knife without asking and we absolutely do not run with a knife in our hand") we proceeded with our project. It is always a lot of fun to take the insides of the pumpkin out. There were only two brave volunteers Nate and Gus. They were very happy too take the "slime" out. All of the kids had definite ideas of what they wanted to do with the pumpkin. Mom is very afraid of knifes and the pumpkin was quite thick so this was our end result. The kids wanted more teeth but they were pleased with the slanted eyes. After we felt the project had been completed we went inside to make some pumpkin bread. This time Beedle was not willing to pass up the fun. Gus read the recipe and all of the kids were able to take turns adding the ingredients. Mixing the ingredients was definitely the highlight of the event. The boys got the giggles and had a lot of fun. It definitely makes one young again to witness such an event. May your holidays be as joy filled as ours.

Today the Chopin crew is praying for you. We are asking all the angels and Saints to sing along with us. Today we are asking God to heal you and protect each one of you. YES YOU! May your lives be filled with peace for all the decisions you have made. May you find it easier to go to work today. May you be blessed with good time management. May you find quality time with your children and rest in Gods arms tonight. May you cry and feel held by our Lord. May you be blessed with beautiful weather and know that all will be okay. May there be no doubt today that you are not alone! God bless you today and every day.

Guardian angel

my guardian dear

to whom God's love

commits me here.

Ever this day

be at my side

to light and guard

to rule and guide.

Amen.

Bedtime Routine

Tonight during our normal bedtime routine I snapped some pictures that I thought I would share.

Here are the older kids in their sock monkey p.j.'s doing their imitation of "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil." We are practicing!!!

Here is Dado sharing his late night snack with James. James was very much into the popcorn. That is until Mom took off her dirty shoes. Those are his favorite these days.

On the Go!

The Chopins were on the go on Saturday! The first one on the go today...was James! James was so eager to get his day started that he couldn't sleep all night last night. Dad was the first one out the house, though. He went for a morning run and then went to paint his great-grandparents grave for upcoming All Saints & All Souls Days. He got back just in time to make the kids' Saturday breakfast favorite--pancakes. We got dressed and headed out to the annual Fall Festival at The Cottage Shoppe in Lafayette.It's an arts and crafts fair filled with culture and ambiance. When we arrived, who were the first people we saw...GiGi, Nanny Wanda, Khaki and the girls. How nice! We got to see wonderful pieces of art. The attendance was great, and why not, it was an absolutely beautiful day. Since the kids were so well behaved, we agreed to take them to one of their favorite restaurants for lunch--Chick-Fil-A! Where else can you get great fast food, excellent service, and a terrific play room? It was a special trip to Chick-Fil-A for James as it was the first time he ate Chick-Fil-A.He liked the waffle fries, but we think his favorite was the chicken nuggets.

After Chick-Fil-A, we went to a couple of places to look for Halloween costumes for the kids. We didn't pull the trigger on anything yet, but we think we may have a theme. (Of course, we're not going to tell you yet). Next on our list was to get Beedle a haircut. As some of you may know this used to be a huge struggle for Beedle. He was scared to death of the clippers and not at all fond of the scissors. But one day not too long ago, a break-thru was made and he now loves to get his hair cut. We went see Mr. Greg for his cut. He was happy to see Beedle as was Beedle happy to see Mr Greg and his "beach" (sand in a bottle). Both did a great job!

And finally, the moment the kids had been waiting for, we went to Kart Ranch to play some putt-putt golf. This was going to be a challenge. Kart Ranch has a plethora of things to do. But, Mom is so good at handling situations like that. And they never really flinched.

This was the first time we played putt-putt as a family. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun. They all used different techniques. Some worked. Some worked less. But, nevertheless, we do have some aspiring golfers in our family. Even Mom!

For the Love of Family

Thank you Nate for staying for tea this week. It made life a little easier for Mom. The kids have had to wait two weeks to have you back for tea. There is not a day that goes by that Beedle does not cry for you not to leave. Monday it was seven at night and he still cried!

We were blessed with the company of our two youngest nieces as well today. Gigi had family night and shared a wonderful dinner with us all. James was very excited to see Madie as he loves babies right now. The kids had fun being at Gigi's place and Mom and Khaki even got to visit. What a great life we live when we get to be so involved with our extended family. Thanks to you all for letting us be a part of your lives.

Triumphs and Trophies

Today was a day filled with triumphs and trophies. Mom has been wanting to teach Gus how to tie his shoes with our crazy left hands. Today was the day. He did so well and we were all so proud of him. During baseball tonight he came over to show Gigi that his shoe was untied and that he could tie it back himself.

The boys also got their trophies for Fall Ball tonight. They have really matured this year. Gus is ready for the next level and will be playing with the older kids next year. It is hard to get a picture of him because he is so fast. We play more by skill set then by age. He was really ready to advance this year but we held him back one more year. Beedle has gotten much better but will continue in this same group next year. He played every day this year. Last year he played one day and then he wanted to run around with his princess and play with the little Madeline. He has gotten really good at form and is throwing and catching the ball. We will probably have to drill a lot on running the bases as he always manages to skip one completely. (There is a second base?)

Their acceptance speech went something like this:

We would like to thank our Dado who comes every week to help coach us. We are better players because of your tireless effort to advance our achievements. Thank you Gracie for running around and cheering us on. You were always there (in our feet) for us. James you are our rock. We knew that if we looked over for encouragement you would still be there for us. Mom thanks for driving the Dinosaur so we could get as dirty as we wanted and still have a ride home. We would like to share our trophies with you, but they have our names on them, so we will share pizza instead!

And they did! We had a little picnic next to the bleachers and spent a little time with our baseball friends. Until next year.

Mom's Little Helpers

Today I was blessed with many little helpers. While I was dusting Gus was following me around letting me know he was more than capable of dusting. Well I am no fool. He quickly went to work and was saying how much he liked dusting. Next week I may have him do my baseboards!

James was also inspired. He decided to tidy up the newspapers. He did a great job and even started a paper mache project with adds. I guess the food looked real enough to eat! Thanks boys for all the help around the house. It makes life easier and a lot more fun to work with such loving helpers.

Nostalgia

Tonight the weather was so nice and cool it really felt like autumn. It was clearly time to break out Aunt Kristin's Pumpkin Bread recipe. While I was making it memories of the first time I made it came flooding back. A time soooo long ago that none of us were married much less had kids. I remember Steph, Kristin, Brian, Carey and I laughing and mixing the recipe. I also remember setting my alarm to take the bread out of the oven. (It was very late at night and I needed it for the morning.) What warm memories I have of that time long ago.


This recipe is like that. Making the bread and memories all at once. It is a time to gather and talk and laugh. Remembering old memories and making new ones. An added bonus is that I was told you have to mix it with your hands. Lots of FUN! Hopefully I am not sharing any family secrets as I share this recipe with all.

PUMPKIN BREAD

1 cup butter flavored Crisco

3 eggs

1 lg can pure pumpkin

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon (The spices

1 tsp nutmeg can be replaced with 4-5 tsp

1 tsp allspice pumpkin pie spice)

1 tsp cloves

Mix shortening, eggs, pumpkin, and sugar in a bowl.

Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl.

Slowly add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture.

Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans

Bake for 1 hour @ 325

Let cool before cutting

ENJOY. We made mini loaves to share with our doctor and Carey enjoyed as a late night snack. Great with a chi latte while the kids napped. We also added chocolate chips for variety but it tastes better just the way it is. The kids are requesting it in mini muffin form for breakfast next week.

A Man of Many Hats

Don't we all wish we wore our many hats as well as this little dude. Thanks for showing us how easy it is to be a man of many hats!

Geaux Cajuns!

How 'bout them Cajuns? On a day of brilliant sunshine and crisp weather, Gus and Beedle started their career as die-hard Ragin Cajun Football fans. I took the boys to the UL game, their first of the year, and boy, was it a thriller! The Cajuns came back from a nine-point deficit late in the 4th quarter to pull off an improbable 28-23 victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

Before the boys headed out to root for their Cajuns, they got some hugs and instructions from Mom. They weren't too thrilled about leaving Mom as she just returned from her trip and they missed her. But they had a duty to their team and would not let the Cajuns down.

The parking lot was packed (over 23,000 in attendance + tailgaters). We meandered through the tailgating tents saying hello to friends and then stopped right outside the stadium at, what else, but the Gulf Coast Bank party spot. The bank was kind enough to provide food and drinks to all partygoers. They also gave us some tickets. The boys got to work on their cheers, but had trouble containing their excitement. Finally, it was game time and we needed to get to the field.
Once inside, we met up with GiGi and Nanny Wanda just in time for kickoff. This was the first live college football game she had ever been to...The Cajuns fought hard and Tyrell Fenroy (the one with the ball) had a great night with over 120 yards rushing and a touchdown...
Seeing how the Cajuns needed Gus and Beedle to be energetic and enthusiastic, it was important that they had their fill of good cheering food...

And after a hot dog and hamburger, they were primed and ready to cheer when their team needed them most. They screamed. They cheered. They played. They climbed the stands. Their youthful enthusiasm truly inspired the Cajuns to play beyond themselves and that's what eventually gave the Cajuns the will to win. Exhausted, but elated, the boys celebrated with their Cajuns in victory. As we were leaving they were already starting to ask when they can come to the next one. After a game like that, and with their performance, the answer was simple: "Soon. Very soon!" Geaux Cajuns!

Things Will Be Great When You're Downtown!

Things were great in Downtown Lafayette today! Not to break the normal routine, the five of us and GiGi made it out to downtown for Bach Lunch. The damping rain reduced the normal attendance. It's a shame because the band was really good. It didn't stop the Chopins from having fun. We even saw a few friends including Mrs. Amy and Alia Fusilier. Here's little Alia dealing with the elements on the dance floor... Gracie was begging to dance with me so we made our way out to the dance floor in the drizzle. We were about 1/12 of the way into the song when she whispered to me the most frightening words a parent could hear when you're at a public place: "I need to go poo-poo!" Not a clean public facility in sight. I had to do some quick calculating when I found out that Beedle, who was miserable in the drizzle, also needed to tee-tee. He was doing the dance and everything (when Beedle says he has to go, you've got about two minutes tops). I had alluded earlier in the day that if it were to rain we might go to the Children's Museum instead. Time to play the museum card. We rushed to the museum, quickly paid, then raced to the restrooms (which were near impeccably clean--Thank you, Children's Museum!) and as you can imagine, the rest was history...literally.

So while we were here, we might as well have a little fun. And that's what we had--fun!

Even James had things to play with... The boys had fun playing in the bubble exhibit. They especially liked the contraption that allows you to pull a cylinder of bubble around you. Beedle found it more interesting to break the bubble before it consumed him... The boys did some shopping at the imaginary grocery store...
Gracie did some fishing... And then had an extraction performed by Beedle Chopin, D.D.S....And when you see Gus as an anchor on the 6pm news, you can say you knew him when we was first starting out (you might want to pause the music at the bottom of our blog and crank up the volume on your computer so you can hear)...

In addition to all of this, they pretended to be doctors (Gus was an orthopedist and Beedle was a pediatrician), George and Martha Washington, and Napoleon and Josephine. Today was a great day for letting their imaginations run wild. As well as my own. I never thought I could be capable of getting through this week, let alone having fun and keeping them excited and entertained. I'm paraphrasing this, but it is said that when we cease to imagine or dream, we cease to live. We've done a whole lot of living this week!

Day Four

Today was a great day! I spent the morning with Gus and James as Beedle and Gracie spent their morning with GiGi after spending the night at her apartment. This gave Gus and I a chance to do some more schooling. We worked on Math and Latin. I actually felt very empowered as a dad and teacher with him. He's very intelligent and eager to learn, so it makes it easy. I just really enjoyed myself. While James napped I made carrots. This would include boiling, mashing and storing. I really take for granted the amount of work that Mom does in the simplest things, like preparing meals.
After James had his lunch we headed to join GiGi, Beedle, Gracie, Khaki, Emma Claire and Maddie at Picadilly's for Kid's Day. The kids behaved quite well and ate a nice meal. After lunch we went to GiGi's for some intense Pokeno gaming. After a few hands we headed back home for some rest time. We all needed a little rest. Even though it was somewhat short-lived (quality is always better than quantity), we left for Abbeville to have supper at the Thomases. The kids were excited to play with their friends and Dad was thrilled to visit with Mr. Coby and Mrs. Kessie. We had some Cajun Power Chili (Beedle's favorite!) and the kids played and played and played. It was dark before we knew it and the kids were zonked out on the way home. I'd like to give a couple of "shout outs" if I may. Thanks to Khaki and GiGi for spending the day with us. Thanks also to Coby and Kessie for opening their home and their pots to our family. We truly feel supported by you all.

Day Three...Shaken, Not Stirred

Today was not as easy as the past couple--a little less cooperation from the kiddos. It might just be the humpday blues, but I certainly saw a bit more dissension in the ranks. The remedy--bring them to Jesus! So we took an afternoon trip with GiGi to The Rosary House in New Iberia. Saturate them in the Spirit! They each got an item. Gus and Beedle got a medal to attach to their scapulars. Gus got a St. Augustine medal, for his patron saint. Beedle couldn't find one for his patron saint (St. Bede), so he got the next best thing, a medal of St. Luke (patron saint of artists). Gracie got a rosary egg. We stopped on the way back for ice cream. We concluded our evening with Cajun Power Spaghetti (thank you Thomas Family) at GiGi's. Beedle and Gracie begged to spend the night at GiGi's so I obliged them. This allowed me to spend some good quality time with Gus and James. James nodded off quickly (he had a long day), so Gus and I got a chance to do guy things--we watched sports and played Monopoly. I really enjoyed my one-on-one time with Gus. He's such a great kid and he's so smart. There are not too many kids his age that understand the concept of Monopoly. He's very strategic and calculating. Beyond the game it gave us a chance to get in a few good laughs and just talk. Today was certainly not as easy as the previous two days. But as any economist (or successful Monopoly player) will tell you, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. I was certainly rewarded today.

Happy Birthday Nanna!

Happy Birthday Nanna! May you have a truly blessed day on your birthday!

Day Two--In the Books!

Wow! Another day! This has been great. The kids have really been outstanding. I can feel the prayers!

After lunch we took Gus to Latin class. Let me just brag on my boy for a little bit. He is by far the youngest kid in the class and he is not the least bit intimidated. The teacher told me how smart Gus is. He is such a good kid. He's such a leader and a great helper. He has such a servant's heart. I admire that in him.

After Latin we went home, played a few games of Uno, colored some Star Wars coloring sheets, and then headed off to Literature group. Today, Gus read a story about Christopher Columbus and learned about how he learned to become a sailor. He also got to work on some Christopher Columbus projects. Beedle and Gracie read a story about a man made out of leaves and their project was to make animals and objects out of leaves. They had a splendid time. After their sessions were over, they were allowed to play on the rock-filled playground, which is always a treat for them. Here are a few pics...

When we got home we held a front-steps show-and-tell. This gave the kids an opportunity to put in words what they did in Literature group. Of course, we were a very receptive audience...

We later joined GiGi for a night at Hub City Diner--the kids' favorite restaurant. They were treated to good food and fantastic balloon animals. The boys each had a parrot (awesome!) and Gracie had an owl. Neat-0! We went back to GiGi's after for some ice cream. It was a sweet way to end and super-sweet day! The kids went down to sleep with NO problems! Thank you, Lord!