Four Generations of Fun

Daddy got invited by Uncle Shannon to go to the LSU/Miss St. football game. Daddy loves LSU, and likes to go watch them any chance he can get. Thank you Uncle Shannon for giving Daddy such a memorable time.

With Daddy going to the game, Didi invited us to go with them to see MeMe. We were very excited to go. We woke up early Saturday morning, and went for a short walk before DiDi and Nanny Wanda came to pick us up. Thankfully Nanny Wanda and Didi are patient because the girls cried most of the way to Beaumont.
Once in Beaumont, we went straight to Meme's. We got Meme and took her to lunch at Ryan's. Lunch was very delicious and filling. To work off some of lunch we walked next door to a little shop. We got a few little goodies here and there. After shopping, we dropped Meme off to let her rest a little..and so we could find a hotel. We "toured" a little of Beaumont, and finally made our landing at the Days Inn.
Once we unpacked, we went straight to pick up Meme. We brought Meme back to the Days Inn for a sleepover :)!

Didi went and got Popeyes for supper..yum yum! We all ate a little, and by now it was time for bed. Once again thankfully everyone was patient. The girls did not want to sleep AT ALL. In hopes that we could give Nanny Wanda & Meme some rest, Didi and I put the girls in the car and this time "toured" the parking lot. This by far was one of the best parking lot tours I have ever been on. It was so nice circling the parking lot with Didi. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Though we got a few stares by all of the hurricane recovery workers, it didn't keep the ride from being entertaining.

Upon awakening from a not-so-restful night, we got up and had breakfast. After breakfast, we went to mass at St Anne's, it was such a beautiful church. We then had lunch at Luby's ...yum, yum, yum. Our waitress was so nice and thoughtful, she gave both Emma and Madeline a balloon. Lunch was wonderful, and we all had a good time.

After a nice weekend, we reluctantly brought Meme back home. It was very nice to spend time with her, and we are looking forward to doing it again soon.

The five of us headed home, but not without stopping for ice cream. We stopped at Sonic to top off the delicious lunch. Didi and Nanny Wanda dropped us off where we were greeted with hugs from Daddy!

A Clean Bill Of Health

Today Madeline went for her 9mth, yes 9mths, check-up. She is officially 17lbs 5oz & 27" long. She is very healthy, (thank You, God). Except for her "little" temper she has acquired, she is doing AWESOME!!

Emma's ears are also doing well too. Though not her scheduled appt., Emma, as curious as she is decided to stick one of mom's bobby pins in her ear this morning. Thankfully, there was no damage.

After our appt. we went to Hub City, and had lunch with Didi, ice cream at Borden's (yum, yum), and even had supper later with Nanny Wanda too! Thank you all for such a wonderful day.

** Please keep Bryan and Sandra in your prayers. We ask for a speedy recovery for Bryan, and a renewed spirit for both of them.

Making Masterpieces

With this weather we are doing our best to spend as much time outside as possible. Today we decided to make sidewalk art:

Later that night we went to visit Maw Maw and PawPaw. Emma was excited to see her cousins Andre and Hunter, as well as her Nanny Chelle, Uncle Shannon, and Maw Maw and Paw Paw. Later that night they had some Paw Paw time.

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

Today is the feast day of St. Pio of Pietrelcina. He passed away 40 yrs today. Padre Pio as he was affectionately called, has been very special to mommy's family. Mommy's grandmother MeMaw loved him. Also the day before Poppie passed away his Dr. gave Didi one of his prayer cards. Mommy has always found a special place for him in her heart. He was an amazing Christ-like example. His stories are very profound. He suffered greatly, and was an apostolate for souls.

Our family was very blessed to be able to go to a Mass dedicated to him as well as view/touch some of his relics.

We were so blessed to be at Mass with Didi, Nanny Cindy, Caleb, Ben, Gracie, and Elijah. Emma, unfortunately thought it was more a social than the Holy Mass. After Mass we heard a brief testimony from someone who knew him personally. Wow! After the testimony the congregation was able to view/touch the relics.

This lasted for a good while. Once we were in line Emma & Madeline were amazing. The lady in front of us held Emma's hand, and the lady in back Ms. Lolli(affectionately called by her grandkids and her husband is Pop, Lollipop, I thought it was adorable sorry), held Madeline. The first relic was an actual piece of the Cross Jesus died on. Talk about WOW!!!!! The second was a glove St. Pio wore, and you could see the marks of blood from the gift of Stigmata. Wow again! The third was a few snippings from his beard, a picture of him, and a few feathers from his pillow. The fourth and final relic was a piece of his Capuchin. For all those who don't know what that is: The Capuchin monks(A Francisican Order in the catholic Church, actually the first to make cappucinos, hince the name), wear a long brown hooded robe and it is called a Capuchin.

Wow, what a blessing and honor. For all of you not familiar with St. Pio here is a website of his biography: http://www.padrepio.catholicwebservices.com/ENGLISH/Biogr.htm

Super Sunday

After 11am mass we ate lunch and took a well deserved nap. Once we woke up, we went to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's for supper. Nanny, Uncle Shannon, Andre , and Hunter were there too. Thank you Maw Maw for cooking an aawweeesssommmmee Pork Roast. It was delicious! We even had a wonderful visit. Emma was playing London Bridge with Andre. Madeline was showing us her Pat-a-cake. They even got to play trains with Hunter. The adults were enjoying a good football game on T.V. We had a wonderful time.

Congratulations Bradley & Tina

We want to give our best wishes to Bradley and Tina Thibodeaux. You two are such a beautiful couple. The love you have for each other can be seen by the way you look at each other. May the Lord bless the two of you and your marriage.

Good Job Hunter!

Early Saturday afternoon we went to watch Hunter's football game. They played well, and we were very proud of him. Emma was so excited to watch "Hunter play ball".

Errand Days!

Thursday and Friday were errand days. There were several things we had been putting off that needed to be done. Decluttering, returning library books, bills, and grocery shopping....so much to do so little time.

Another Ladies' Luncheon

We were so lonely for Didi. Today we had lunch at the Piccadilly together. It was so yummy, and the visit was so nice. At lunchtime, there is a wonderful man who plays the piano. It is always so pleasant to hear him play. There was an older couple dancing to his music. It just made my heart melt.

After lunch we went to a shop down mom's street. We found a toy for Madeline and a cute little dress-up outfit for Emma(which might be her Halloween costume).

Later that night we even made a surprise visit to see Parrain Carey, Nanny Cindy, Caleb, Ben, Gracie, & Elijah. We all had a great visit. It was long overdue!

Morning with Maw Maw

Maw Maw and Paw Paw have been without electricity since the storm. We thought she would like some company so we went to visit. We had a lot of fun even without the lights. We played with blocks, Lego's, and with the train set. We all had lunch together which was an added treat!

Happy Birthday Poppie!

Today is Poppie's earthly birthday! We hope you are having a grand party in Heaven.

Today we also celebrate Parrain and Nanny Chopin's anniversary. What a wonderful 7 years you two have had. May God bless you two, your marriage, and your family!

IEEEEEKE!

Just when life gets "somewhat" back to normal then comes Ike. With Gustav fresh on every one's mind, especially mom, it has really been overwhelming.

With many of our family members in the direct path, we are so grateful that none suffered great losses. We pray for all those who lost everything including their lives. For many it was a very vivid reminder of hurricane Rita.

Eric and I want to thank all who opened their homes as a place to go if needed. We decided to rough it out in Crowley at our friends' house. Thank you Rikki and Stacie for opening your home to us. It was a great time to catch up and enjoy each other's company.

That Blows!

Last night we came home from our trip to Dallas. We had such a wonderful time and we were eager to get home after being gone with Gustav too. We drove up to the house. I decided I would go in and turn the air conditioner on so it would be cool when we came back from our errands. Well I walked in to the sound of scraping metal...not good. The blower on the air conditioner went to blower heaven.

Thank you Maw Maw and Paw Paw for letting us have a sleepover, and for being patient with me.

The next day Paw Paw and Eric had to hunt for the parts to fix our a.c. . Later that day after a hard day of work Paw Paw came and helped Eric fix it, and it works amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!

A Special Dupuy Day

Today we celebrate several wonderful things....first, we celebrate the anniversary of uniting with our Ball/Texas/Jennings family. What a blessing it has been! Thank you all for opening your hearts and lives to our family. Secondly, I thank God for the wonderful family he has blessed us with.

On this day three years ago I truly married my best friend. Just like any family member, we get frustrated with each other( and it doesn't help we are two stubborn, strong-willed people), but each day is a fun adventure. The Lord sent us each our match. I can see us 50 years from now chasing each other on the porch with our walkers( not too fast or we will break a hip!). Eric, thank you for being so good to me and the girls. Everyday my love grows more and more for you (&the girls too)! Which brings us to our next wonderful blessing. Thank you Lord for giving us two amazing little girls. We are so blessed!! Thank you Emma and Madeline for overflowing our lives with love and joy. Thank You Lord for sending me my best friend & pouring Your continuous blessings upon our family.

Museum Day

Today we decided to make it Museum day. We first went to Dallas-Fair Park. For all who have not been to Dallas, it is a very unique area. The Cotton Bowl field, State Fair, an Aquarium, Imax theater and many more museums are located on this giant fairgrounds. It was rainy, so it was the perfect day to find things to do indoors.

We first went to the Aquarium at Dallas Fair Park. Emma was so glad to see the fissy. This was included on our lists of museums with our zoo membership so we got in FREE! There were all kinds of unique fish. We were able to see starfish, jellyfish, eels, and of course this ginormous alligator snapping turtle.

After the aquarium we decided to go to the 6th floor museum downtown a.k.a. the Texas School Book Depository. It was really sobering to be in the place from where Pres. Kennedy was shot. They actually had two areas set up the way it was almost 45 years ago. We actually saw the spot the limousine was when Pres Kennedy was shot. They showed the place setting that was waiting for him at a banquet to be held after the parade. We saw the handcuffs placed on Lee Harvey Oswald when he was shot. The actual cameras used to film the tragedy were on display as well.

We really enjoyed the exhibit, but the girls were having a rough time so we really had to rush through it. To make the the rest of the day a little more light-hearted Eric went on the infamous "grassy knoll".

A Day of Rest

Today we just decided to take it easy in Dallas. We drove around the less beaten paths. It was nice to not be a part of all the hustle and bustle. We even stopped by Melanie and Brady's apartment complex to check it out.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Today we went see the Red Sox "play baeball". Emma has been obsessed with baseball lately, and the Red Sox is dad's favorite baseball team. They just happened to be in town this weekend so we had to go!

Once inside we were overwhelmed with the stadium's large size. I personally could just imagine what it must have been like long before vending machines, gift stores, modern-day concession stands. I could just imagine smelling all the smells of fresh-roasted peanuts & hot-dogs, sounds of crackling bats, roaring crowds, and children in their favorite player's jerseys & wearing their battered gloves hoping to catch a memorable home run ball. I wonder what it was like during the years of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Yogi Berra, and many others. Back when it was baseball in the true sense.

After a brief walk down memory lane, I was brought back to the land of parenthood. We were taking everything in while making our way to our seats. Once at our seats, we got the girls comfortable and situated. Like in movies, everyone was getting acquainted with those in the seats around them.

Two innings into the game Madeline could take it no longer. The sun was shining directly on us and the heat was quite repulsive. Luckily, our tickets also gave us access into the Cuervo Club (kind of like a bar/restaurant, but we didn't mind because it was air conditioned. After a while, I went to check on Eric and Emma( who had just come from the club but we missed each other). We went back to sit down because it was still unbelievably hot. Inside the club there were no tables available anywhere. Now we are all hot, hungry, and frustrated and Emma keeps screeming "I wanna see baeball, I wanna see baeball". After a few minutes, we said a little prayer and not only did one table open up but a bigger one next to it so we could all have a seat. After a bite and a chance to cool off, Madeline was asleep, we were all happy and ready to go back to our seats. Once we got to the seats the usher directed us to some empty seats a section over that were more in the shade.

With 3 innings to go we were now being shined on by the Son. God's blessing were surely upon us. Not only were we in the shade, but we were DIRECTLY behind home plate. Madeline was still asleep, and there was a wonderful breeze blowing on us. The ladies next to us had given Emma their twizzlers, and everyone was happy. And how could I forget.... a Sox game would not be complete without the chant of the chorus of "Sweet Caroline". Though we missed the only Sox home run, nothing could have repaid the gift given to us.

Finding our way out was another humor. Did I forget to mention the stadium is GINORMOUS. On the way back to the car Eric put Emma on his shoulders and she fell asleep resting on his head.

** If you want to check out some photos taken at the game you can go to:
www.texasranger.com/fanfoto game Sunday, Sept 7th @2:05 gallery 24 photos #17 & 18
or
www.reliantpowerzone.com photo code 25702317383

New Monkeys at the Zoo

The Dallas zoo had a few new monkeys to visit...Emma and Madeline. Today we decided to go to the Dallas Zoo. The day was absolutely beautiful. It was also Family Day for a local t.v. station. The zoo is so big we only got to see half. Melanie and Brady came with us which made the zoo even more fun. We got to see a lot of animals, took the "choo choo", rode the carrousel, had a hot dog picnic, ice cream, and just enjoyed the beautiful day together.

**more pics are in the slideshow at the bottom

Dallas Here We Come!!

I find it quite ironic we have spent 2 out of our 3 anniversaries in Texas. I guess subconsciously we are celebrating "our" anniversary near our favorite Texans. This year our destination was Dallas. Friends of our recently moved, and we thought it would be a great way to add to the celebration our anniversary.

Once we finally arrived in Dallas (after the detours, missed toll, and Fri. afternoon traffic jam) we were able to get situated into our new little dwelling. We got in touch with our friends and they came for a visit. I didn't realize just how much we missed them. It was really nice to spend time with them...not to mention they introduced us to Cheesecake chimmichangas ummm ummm. We settled in for the night and got a good night sleep for the next day ahead of us.

Happy Birthday MeMe!

Meme, we are so lucky to have you in our lives. We love spending time with you. Having met you was truly finding a missing piece that has made us complete. Thank you for opening your heart and allowing us in. I hope that in celebrating your life today, you know just how much you are loved. I hope today and always that you feel blessed, warm, & embraced by God's love.