Did you Hear That...

I think that is the sound of ADULT conversation. Okay, so you already heard about Saturday night. After reading my husband's well-written post, it dawned on me how different we see things. What he shared was all correct, but his perspective was soooo different from mine. First off I must say thank you so much to Carolyn for such an excellent evening. Getting to take a tour of the house was so much fun. The new drapes were so well done and the colors in the rooms were well chosen! I know that she put a lot of time and effort into all her choices and the house is beautiful! I must also say I was proud of James for sitting happily on my lap for our visit. After appetizers I was able to feed him and let him play on a blanket while we dined. I heard only a few happy coos during our salad before he went off to sleep. When I say salad, I mean a delightful arugula salad with goat cheese and pecans sprinkled on top of a pear and topped with a homemade dressing (made with a touch of Steen's syrup) and fresh raspberries. The table was set with beautiful initialed china set in a fun gold charger. The lilies set in the middle of the dinner candles were just aromatic enough to enjoy without overpowering the taste of the food. Our Italian soda's were very refreshing and continually cleansed our pallets so that we were able to enjoy another bite of the perfectly cooked tenderloin. All of this while we had an ADULT conversation. Mrs Melanie and Mr Tim were great dinner companions and it was nice to catch up with them. After pecan pralines were passed we enjoyed coffee and tiramisu for dessert. James did not stir until I was on my second cup of coffee. What a blessing! Thank you both Don and Carolyn for a wonderful evening. We were not worthy, but we were appreciative.

When we returned home after 10pm Nanny Wanna was sleeping on the couch with the Gracie and Beedle. Apparently everyone was happy to have Nanny there and did not want her to leave. They did their best to tangle up with her so as to keep her next to them. I enjoyed an uninterrupted conversation with Nanny as well. What a life we have! I felt totally spoiled.

Like (God) Father, Like (God) Son!

Saturday was a great family day and a time for cutting up! The Thomas family came over for lunch. We had them over to celebrate Kessie's birthday (Sunday). Shrimp and tasso fettucine was served and Mom blessed us with some of her homemade bread. The kiddos played while the adults attempted to visit. One of the highlights of the day was the kids playing with various hats and wigs. Eventually some of the adults paricipated. Even one of the babies did too! (See above pictures)



After the Thomas family left, our kids were pretty wiped out, but we saw an opportunity to make it to afternoon mass which made idea of a fairly lazy Sunday possible. It's not as easy as it seems to make it to afternoon mass with four little ones who all did not get any rest time. But fortunately Gus really set the tone for the younger ones. He was very well behaved in mass, and Beedle and Gracie had above average performances. Mom and I said that we felt very rewarded by God for our children being so well behaved. After mass we decided to reward our kids with movie night! We brought the brood to Blockbuster and let them pick out two movies--Mary Poppins and the Water Horse. The kids enjoyed a picnic and got to watch the movies in the living room in their sleeping bags.






Mom, Dad & James got play a few games, Farkle and Ziggity, while the others enjoyed Mary Poppins. Gus & Beedle stayed up for the encore presentation of the Water Horse. Mom and Dad went to bed just past 10pm and could still hear Gus & Beedle giggling. We're always encouraged when the boys get some good fun time together. What a perfect ending to our day!

Wouldn't You Have Had a Great Day?

Sunday Fun with Friends

On an absolutely gorgeous day filled with brilliant sunshine, the Chopin family migrated south to Abbeville to spend our afternoon with the Thomas family. We always enjoy our time with the Thomas family and were looking forward to a great day of family fun. Mr. Coby had a wonderful surprise for Dad, Gus and Beedle--an afternoon of boat-riding, tubing and wake-boarding! The Thomas family lives right off the Vermilion River so it was just a hop, skip and a jump to get the boat in the water. The kids packed their snacks and their excitement and headed for the water. Grant, the veteran, went first...
Not bad! Grant knocked off the rust real quick and proved that tubing is just like riding a bicycle--you don't forget. Next was Zoe. She was fearless the whole day! Mr. Coby could not drive the boat fast enough.
Next up was Gus. This was a first for Gus and he handled it like a champ!
And last, but certainly not least, it was Beedle's turn. Now Beedle played the safe route and went with Dad the first time. But after going a couple more times with someone else, he built up enough courage to do it on his own........and he loved it!
After everyone had a turn, the kiddos paired up in the tube and also took turns wake-boarding. Talk about some excited kids!





The kiddos also got to perform their feats in front of their mothers and remaining siblings who were waiting by the river. There were cheers galore for these wonderful water sport athletes!

After docking the boat, we went back to the Thomas' house and spent the remainder of the evening doing what we families do best--playing, laughing, and of course, eating! We got to spend some time with our newest favorite friend, Malia! Lots of kisses and hugs. This went on well after twilight as we journeyed home hours past their bedtime! It didn't take long for the kids to fall asleep (all of them). They certainly burned off all the energy they had.

A special thanks goes out to the Thomas family for inviting us for such a wonderful day. We appreciate you choosing to spend a Sunday Fun-day with us!

You Say It's Your Birthday...

The kiddos had big fun at Emma's early birthday party on Saturday. Emma's turning seven (Wow! Where did the time go?) and a big shindig was held at her grandparents' house. The kids (and some childish adults) stayed entertained by a huge waterslide. It's fun to come up with 101 ways to go down the waterslide. There was also a pair of little swimming pools for the young ones who chose to accept less risk. The kids and adults were also treated to ice cream cup cakes--incredible! While the kids played and played and played, the adults got to catch up. All in all it was a day of great fun and laughter and a wonderful way to honor Emma turning seven! We look forward to the Billeauds moving back one day soon!