The quest for candy led the Chopins and Dupuys to dress up and head out trick-or-treating. Here is the cast of characters:
Beedle--Paul McCartney in Sgt. Pepper's
Gracie--Princess
James--Brett Favre (pre-controversy)
Emma--Cheerleader
Maddie--Princess
Dressed and ready, they headed out and called for candy. They captured a tremendous amount of sugary loot, which will hopefully last them until next Halloween. Good times!
The dream of a parent of kids with special needs. The hard work, dedication and fiscal sponsorship of a local Kiwanis club. The willingness of a city to pump money into project that gives children and adults of all capabilities a "level" playing field and a way to experience joys never experienced before. These were all catalysts that led to today's opening of Parc Independence--Lafayette's first handi-capable playing facility. It is designed to allow children to play without limitations of physical or mental challenges. From the wheelchair swing to tactile activities, Kiwanis has stamped their spirit upon this park. 
I have been a Kiwanian for several years and I am very proud of the many projects our club does. This project, Parc Independence, has been in the works for over five years, as a vision of one of our hardest working members, Kemper Bowen. Kemper's passion and drive have helped make this the single largest project the club has ever undertaken. Many of our members worked hard to raise the money needed to purchase the equipment for the park. 
Today marked the grand opening of Parc Independence. It was a huge celebration. Dignitaries came to help with the dedication ceremony. The Chopin clan made it out to play on the playground as well. 
Beedle begged to put together a project. For Christmas last year his Nanny Capri gave him a Struxx erection set. The project was to build a dinosaur out of about a million parts. You know these types of projects, parents. A gazillion pieces. A two-hour inventory. A 385-step instruction booklet. Electric wiring. Normally I cringe at the idea of having to work on projects like these--it's just not my thing. But it's Beedle's thing, so I swallowed my pride, and agreed to spend the afternoon and early evening teaming up with him to tackle this construction project.
With a gulp of patience we dug in and got to work doing inventory. We worked through it, piece by piece, joint by joint. Beedle really has a talent for these things. He sees the picture and just figures it out. I was very impressed. As the hours pressed on, his creation grew and grew, and finally evolved into a fully-functioning dinosaur, which he affectionately named "Dino-mite". The prehistoric project's eyes glow. It growls and snarls. And most importantly, it makes Beedle happy! He beamed with pride. 
I can't wait for the next father-son project. Even if it's over one of our heads.
With Daddy off of work and the women off to ballet and shopping, today officially became "Boy's Day". We started off with a jaunt to the library to work on a few cub scout achievements. Since today's holiday is Columbus Day, we read about how Christopher Columbus sailed west to discover new land. We also worked on other achievements--researching a U.S. state (Gus picked Delaware), and learning about two great Americans (Gus chose books on George Washington & George W. Bush).
The artistic Beedle (Benedicto) painted the sauce on the bread canvases...
Then James (Gipeto) used his newly-found math skills to dole out the perfect amount of pepperonis on each pizza...
When they came out, our Chefs Boy-Ardee had a grand feast. Nothing but smiles and sauce in their moustaches! 
It's great to live in an area where there are so many wonderful family activities to participate in and support. We're looking forward to next year's pancakes already!
