What's Gonna Work? Teamwork!

How do you tackle a yard full of leaves? Teamwork! Dad, Gus and Gracie made mince meat out of the leaves in the yard. After bagging a staggering 36 bags of leaves, the Chopin workforce decided to take a picture of their hard work. Way to go, Team Chopin!

February Boys

In a span of thirteen days, all three of our boys went from being young and immature, to a year older and wiser. On the 11th, Beedle turned eight years old. He celebrated the day by getting in as much Wii time as possible and even had some friends over--Aaron & Caleb. They worked on Lego projects--building star ships and cars. They even had a birthday treat of Star Wars cookies and root beer floats. For the next three days Gus and Beedle were the same age. That changed on Valentine's day as our oldest reached the age of nine. Gus decided to have his friend Sam come over and spend the night. They built an outdoor fire and roasted marshmallows. They played Wii till their eyes crossed and of course fell asleep watching a movie. Friends, sweets and video--what better way for a nine year old to celebrate his birthday!

Finally, James' birthday came on the 24th. He first opened gifts in the morning. Then later in the afternoon, James got a surprise--his godparents and their family showed up to celebrate his turning three.We had a Dr. Seuss party, filled with silly decorations tied into the wonderful books. Of course, for supper, we had green eggs (deviled) and ham (sandwiches). A great dinner was prepared by Mom and the families played into the late evening. February is always a busy month in the Chopin household. And it's always a month for us to reflect on how blessed we are to have such wonderful, healthy and happy young lads. God Bless our Boys!

Super & Cheesy!

It has been an amazing football season! As many of you know, I am a ginormous Green Bay Packers fan. I bleed cheese. My children, from a young age, have been practically brainwashed to like (at least tolerate, for love of their father) the Packers. Last year, it was pretty amazing to see the Saints win the Super Bowl. But this year to have the Lombardi trophy come back to Green Bay--I'm telling you, I really don't think I deserve this. Here is how Super Duper Sunday went down...

And before you read on, I hope the respect you lose for me will be minimal...

It started on Super Saturday Night as my adoring wife proved to me how much she loved me--she made me a cheesehead cake. The cake itself was dyed green (go figure). And then she carefully crafted the cheese-colored icing. She scooped out several cheese holes and voila--the greatest sign of love Cindy has shown me.......for a sporting event, that is.

Super Sunday morning came with feelings of euphoria. I felt anxious, but at the same time, a nice calm fell over me. I guess the two weeks of build up by watching NFL Network incessantly while browsing ESPN's website while watching any video I could find, left me feeling very prepared for this game (like I'm playing or something). We made it to mass and during the homily Gracie makes a startling revelation...."Dad, Fr. Chester is pulling for the Packers because he's wearing green and gold!" She was on to something! Yes, it was ordinary time and the green vestments with the gold cross were customary at this time of year. But, could it have been a coincidence? Or maybe a God-incidence? I've heard worse logic.

We came back home and got in our game day attire. There was no Packer gear left unworn. All jerseys, shirts, hats, cheeseheads and jewelry were adorned. My family really showed their support for me and my team by dressing up to support the Pack. Nothing says unconditional love for your father like dressing up in team gear for a team that you have no idea what state they play in. (Wisconsin, in case you were wondering) Brainwashed you say? No, I think they just really like to see their Dad happy. And was I happy!

Grandma Dee mercifully had us over for the game. I say "mercifully" because I forewarned her that I was going to be a basket case all day and night. I promised her that I would be irrational, rude, unhelpful and down-right annoying. I thought she should know ahead of time what she was getting her and her family into. But, like any loving mother-in-law, she her daughter's husband for his flaws and his passions. And I think she, being a huge Steelers fan, was excited about the idea of talking trash with me all evening. Bring it on!

My brother-in-law, AJ, cooked an amazing gumbo. That and the several beers I had did a great job of calming me down. My family respectfully let me watch all of the pre-game features that I could get my eyes on. I was treated to stories of Packer legends and learned more about the current players (and trust me, there wasn't much I didn't already know). I told everyone, "Guys, they make five-hour long pre-game shows for people specifically like me." As I said this, I saw my in-laws look at Cindy with more pity than I think I've ever seen. Before you judge, people, the Packers just aren't in the Super Bowl every year! I've got to savor this moment.

As the game started, I felt pretty excited. It was obvious that the offense had a good game plan and knew they could spread out the defensive backfield of the Steelers. They were really putting it to Pittsburgh by scoring both an offensive and defensive touchdown. When Rodgers threw an absolute laser to hit Gregg Jennings for a touchdown, for the first time, I felt a tremendous peace. It was 21-3 at this point and one of my in-laws, I can't remember which one, said, "Aren't you disappointed it's going to be a blowout?" My response: "Absolutely not!" I have no problem when my team wins by crushing the other team. The Super Bowl is not the game to take it easy on anyone. And of course, just when the idea pops into my mind that a blowout win for the Packers is possible, the Steelers creep back in. Woodson goes down; both he and Driver are out for the game. Then Shields gets hurt. Then the Steelers score again. And again. All of a sudden, the Packers are up by only six and the Steelers have the ball with two minutes left. This was eerily reminiscent of the Steelers-Packers game in week 15 of last year. In that game the Steelers drove in the final two minutes and scored on the last play. They kicked the extra point and won the game by one stinking point. Would this be deja vu? I couldn't take it anymore. I went outside, uttered a few choice words, and paced and paced and paced and paced....

I came back in for "the final drive" feeling deflated. It looked horrible for the Pack. Roethlisberger driving and the Packers best defenders were all hurt. But maybe Big Ben's antics finally caught up with him. There was an incompletion. And another. And another. And on fourth and five, Tramon Williams knocks the ball out of Mike Wallace's hands. Incomplete. The Packers are going to win! Wow! Euphoria mixed with a heavy dose of exhaustion! But mostly exhaustion. I survived the season! My team was the last team to win!

I watched the postgame as long as my in-laws would let me. Knowing that I had hours of replay on ESPN to watch, we packed up the brood and headed home. On the way home Cindy says, "Hey do you still have that ticket from Vegas?" And then I remembered...When Cindy and I went to Las Vegas in June we did not gamble on anything....EXCEPT....one ticket I purchased. I wanted to see what sports betting was all about so I bought a ticket picking Green Bay to win the Super Bowl. Ten to one odds. Imagine that! I know it's cheesy to say it, but it was one Super Sunday. And on this day, everything was cheesy! GO PACK GO!!!

Guess Who's Six?

Gracie is!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Thinking Inside the Box

This year was year two of the Cub Scout Boxcar Derby, the all-too-fun kick-off to the Pinewood Derby. Last year the kids had the ideas of how they wanted their cars to look and had me help them. This year they wanted to do them all on their own. The first step was to apply the base coat. Next they cut out their head holes.
Finally they put on the touch-ups: an SB in glitter on Beedle's blue car and a purple racing stripe and license plate on Gus'.



The race was a tremendous success. All of the scouts did a tremendous job on their boxes. They raced by den and Gus and Beedle both won their races. Great job!!!

Christmas

Christmas was an eventful and exciting time in the Chopin household. We fulfilled our annual tradition by going to pick up our tree on December 6th, the feast of St. Nicholas. After scanning the selection of our favorite Christmas tree lot, we came across our humble and beautiful tree. We spent the evening making it look its best. The kids pitched in by helping hang ornaments and ribbon. And as every year, we took in a cup of cheer. It's fun to have these traditions. Hopefully the kids will look back and have fond memories of time spent decorating the tree.

Something Cindy decided to do this year was to personally decorate the gifts we were giving to family and friends. This allowed us to put a personal touch on each gift. The gifts were wrapped in a brown "canvas" wrap and then the creativity and artistic touch of the decorator transformed it into a loving, personalized token of love. Here are some examples...

Also a tradition for the Christmas season is the touring of the lights at the Acadian Village. The kids always enjoy the array of lights and they never get enough of the elf caricatures. And of course, soaking up the holiday sounds of Christmas music always puts our hearts in the right place.

This year we experimented with a gingerbread house. The kids enjoyed it. It was pretty messy but messy is fun, right?

Family time sent us all over the Acadiana area. From GiGi's to Grandma Dee's to even Mamou, our family spent a lot of time on the road. All visits were pleasant and we certainly didn't spare our wastelines. The kids were blessed with an abundance of gifts which brought them so much joy. But playing with cousins was just as joyous.

We went to Christmas Eve mass at the Cathedral and the Chopins were a part of the celebration. Since Beedle is a First Communicant, he was allowed to participate in the processional. He dressed as a wise man (knowing Beedle's affinity for costumes) and strolled in in advance of the Holy Family. Gracie and Gus also pitched in by singing in the children's choir. Their angelic voices brought a sense of peace and innocence to a beautiful mass. Later that evening, we came home and Cindy and I maintained our Christmas tradition--watching It's a Wonderful Life.

It was safe to say that the Christmas season was fully embraced by the Chopins. We felt a little stressed at times, but the peace of the season over-ruled. We hope your Chistmas season was fulfilling as well!

Her Men Love Her

How do you know that the men in Gracie's life love her? Both Dad and Gus took to painting her nails. Dad did the toes, while Gus painted her finger nails. Anything for our princess!

Full Force

We put this off as long as we could. It's been open for over a month now. And they've been begging us to go. So, for a vacation treat, we went to see the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit at the Lafayette Science Museum.

Beedle proudly donned his jedi tunic to be a part of the museum. The exhibit featured authentic props and costumes from the Star Wars series. The kids were excited to see the "real" R2D2, Luke's speeder from Episode IV,and many other Star Wars relics. They even took a ride in a Millennium Falcon simulator. Far out!

What was most interesting about the exhibit was how the Star Wars technology was compared to the real world technologies. They learned about how magnetic levitation works, how robotic movements are engineered, and how bionic technologies are allowing people without limbs to run and jump. The kids used technologies at work stations to design cities and settlements, like in Star Wars.They even took a ride in an air chair, simulating a ride on a speeder.

The exhibit was well worth the price of admission. It left this clan of Star Wars fans excited and full of the force.

Scenes from a Vacation

We took a trip to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas two years ago and said it was definitely somewhere we could come back. So a few weeks ago when we were brainstorming what to do for our vacation, Cindy brought up the idea of a return trip to Petit Jean. Excellent choice, Mom!

We spent Monday morning driving up to the mountain just outside of Morrilton, AR. The cold and rainy weather did not deter us from making excellent time. The kids were fabulous on the way up there, all with a little help from carbohydrates, Billy Jonas and books!

We settled into our cabin. It's a nice setup with a wonderful view of the mountains and valley from the back porch and deck.

The first night, and every night that followed, was welcomed with a warm fire. For a family that does not have a fireplace, it is a nice treat to snuggle up to a cozy fire. And with a fire, you just have to have S'mores, right? And that's what we did--every night!

We took two major hikes while we were there. On Tuesday, we took the Bear Cave Trail. It's a relatively short trail and is rated "easy to moderate"--perfect for our first hike of the trip. The shortened length was also important because it was extremely cold (less than 40 degrees the entire hike) and the wind was blistering.They bundled up to make the hike bearable. For fun, the kids brought their walkie-talkies. This also allowed the brave and adventurous ones to forge ahead and explore. Gus made an interesting discovery--an armadillo shell and skeleton.He was pretty proud of finding it. We noticed that it was picked pretty clean, which means someone or something had a very full meal! Further along we found little caves and boulders. Mom was quick to point out how warm it was inside the caves as it was sheltered from the winds. The kids found little stopping points here and there to observe nature. What a great educational experience! We finally made it to the Bear Cave where the rock walls and tunnels were very beautiful. The scenes of the rock tunnels are similar to those seen at Rock City in Tennessee.

The Wednesday hike, the Cedar Falls Trail, although a bit more challenging in its rating, was a bit more enjoyable, since the wind had died down substantially. The trail starts with a steep descent down a rocky mountainside. The kids, especially James, did very well, considering how shaky it is on the way down. After crossing the creek by its bridge, the trail winds through the valley to a pool of water trapped by a bed of boulders. This water comes from the Cedar Falls. Unfortunately it was only trickling down this time; last time it seemed to be roaring like Niagra.But the scene is still surreal and the kids had a grand time making echos, "lifting boulders" and walking around soaking up the beautiful nature. The jaunt back up the mountain was a little strenuous, but we made it. And as we did after Tuesday's hike, we went inside to the lobby of Mather Lodge to enjoy the expansive fireplace and it's cozy heat.

The afternoons afforded everyone rest and/or play time. About 80 yards from our cabin was a small playground where the kids pretended to be everything from members of the rebel alliance in The Empire Strikes Back to characters, such as blue meanies, from Yellow Submarine. I guess they could have just swung and slid, but what fun would that have been? Cindy and I were able to get some reading done, sitting by the fire or on the swing on the back porch, and enjoying the tranquility of nature and a little less responsibility.

We did have one family project for the trip--a project of leisure and love. While Cindy and Gus were shopping the other night, they decided to pick up a special puzzle to entertain us while there--Abbey Road. We worked on the puzzle at various times during the trip--a little with breakfast, in the afternoons, a little while cooking dinner, a little before bed--it became almost a little bit of an obsession to finish it before we left. I'm pleased to say that at 10:30pm Wednesday evening our masterpiece was finished. Dare I say, our puzzle "came together"!

Throughout our few days there, here are some other memories we'll cherish...

....caramel apples for an afternoon snack

....watching School of Rock every night after bath time and before bedtime

....quoting School of Rock the entire way home

....the electricity going out and eating BBQ hamburgers in the dark

....dropping the glass pickle jar (Sorry, Morrilton Wal-Mart!)

....Dad smelling like "the zoo"

....shooting the marshmallow bow

....playing Clue

....tossing the football

As our hearts and minds (and sometimes our bodies) rested at Petit Jean, it was nice to feel like a family and have a wonderful appreciation for what God has given us--this beautiful planet and a wonderful family to love while on it. Thank you for the memories, Petit Jean!