A Mom & Dad Proud of Their Girls

We are so proud of both of you. Madeline, tonight you sat up from being on your back all by yourself! Emma, you have been learning all kinds of new words, animals, letters, numbers & shapes! Mom and Dad are so proud of you and lucky we are your parents. Thank you Daddy for working so hard so Mom can stay home to help & watch you two grow.

Poppie's Memory

Today, is Poppie's Heavenly Birthday. Boy, does time fly by. The Chopuycorm family:) spent time remembering how Poppie has touched our lives. Even though some of our family has not "met" Poppie, I feel we have all been touched by his life. We had a great time as a family, laughing, tearing, and playing at his grave. I'm sure he is looking on us from Heaven laughing and smiling at his little ones. On the way back to our cars, Didi played a game of Grandmother May I, a spin-off of a game we so treasured to play with Dad as kids. So Poppie, does that make you 9 in Heaven years? You are missed and loved daily!

Refreshed

Tonight was wonderful for each of us. We each went our separate ways (except for Madeline and mommy of course), and had a blast. Aunt/ Nanny Cindy had invited mommy to go to a prayer group called Women of Joy. It was such a blessing beyond words...Thank you Cindy. Not only did I feel renewed, but Emma got to spend special time with Didi and daddy with Uncle Stephen. We all seemed to have felt refreshed, and excited. Didi, thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Emma has not wanted to put her fowder( that's flower for all those who do not know Emmaonics) balloon down. She could not have had a better time. I thank you Stephen for spending good quality time with Eric, allowing him to have a break from me:)! I thank you Emma & Eric for allowing me time for myself. Madeline, thank you for being so cheerful and good. Once again I thank you Cindy, it was very thoughtful of you to invite me into such a great group of women. Most of all I thank God for always being our Rock and our Hope!

Chopuy Family Night

Tonight we had a lovely family night at Bj's Pizza. This was a special treat because Emma loves pizzie and Bj's is mom's favorite pizza. It was nice to spend time with the all the Chopins, we had missed them very much. Emma & Madeline had missed their cousins and Didi. It was also a nice chance for the adults to chat too. Gracie, Gus, and Emma had fun playing hide-n-go-seek in the booth. James, Beedle, and Madeline even got caught up with cousin chat. Afterwards, we even went to spend some more time with Didi at her house. Thank you DiDi for providing us with awesome Family Nights, and to all the Chopins for good company and fun!

The Wonders of Imagination

“As great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.”
Ursula K. LeGuin quotes (American Writer best known for tales of science fiction, b.1929)


Emma & Madeline, there are so many things I love about you! You girls and your Daddy are two (actually three) of the most beautiful gifts in my life. My life is so full with you three in it, and every day is a new adventure. I'm in awe of the three of you. You make life fun, exciting, and full of laughter.

Today, Madeline "imagined" she was G.I. Jane with her new-found army crawl. Emma, on the other hand, imagined she was driving Paw Paw's boat. Daddy helped Emma imagine she was camping in her new tent (woohhhhoooooo she finally slept in her big bed again!). It is truly so much fun seeing what you guys will come up with next.

Yummy Yummy Goodness

Tonight Maw Maw and Paw Paw had us over for fish sauce piquant. Yummy yummy. It was so delicious! We even had entertainment after supper. The guys left to go pick up Hunter from football practice. Maw Maw, Aunt Nicole, Brylie, Emma, Madeline & I all got to play. The girls had a fun time, and played very well together. Emma and Brylie even played the drums on Maw Maw's floor. The guys came back and Emma got to spend time with her other cousins Andre and Hunter. It was a very nice night, and I think we all enjoyed it. Thank you Maw Maw & Paw Paw for having us all over.

What a Waterful World it Could Be!!!

This weekend was FUN, FUN, FUN! Friday started off a little frustrating, but showed us God's blessings. Eric went to pick us up some burgers at a local drive-in restaurant named Franks, I'm sure most of you are familiar with it. Eric had been taking quite a while, and I got a little worried. After about 30 mins later he drove up, a little frustrated, but okay. It turns out someone ran him off the side of the road and on to the curb, except at that particular part of the curb there was a drain. Well needless to say, there was a tire blowout. That's not the frustrating part...the individual drove off not even looking back to make sure Eric was ok. Our first blessing came from the fact that Eric was not hurt in any manner. This means we would have to purchase a new tire uuugggghhhhh, hence our second blessing.... We recently purchased 4 new tires, Eric had explained what happened and the lady gave us a $30 discount, yay! Eric mentioned how blessed we were, and how this was just a bump(literally) in the road.

Once the tire was fixed we decided to take the girls to the movies. This was our first time as a family. We went to see Space Chimps. Maw-Maw you were right Emma did love it. Emma's favorite word, Taadddaaa, was said throughout the movie. Madeline's legs were kicking with excitement for most of the movie. The girls did fairly well, and we all enjoyed the movie. We were going to go to the water fountain once again, but when we passed it was quite full. We decided to go visit Didi instead.

Saturday, we decided to barbecue. It was so delicious. Daddy watched the bbq, and the girls and I made potato salad & rice dressing. We ate until we almost popped. Wouldn't you know it, the day ended in the pool. Emma, Madeline , and I decided to play in the baby pool. Madeline had so much fun kicking her legs in the water, Emma sliding into the water, and I getting sprayed by Daddy.

Sunday started with morning Mass. After mass we went home for lunch. The bbq was so good we had it again for lunch. After naps we decided to head out to what else.....the water fountain! We had lots of fun, and were able to test out our new water sponge balls we made.

Super Pooper

Ok, I know this is not the best topic to talk about.....but Emma pooped on the potty for the first time today!!!! Yeeeehhhhhaaaaaaa! Emma, mommy is sooo proud of you. I guess this is the only time in your life you will rejoice about this topic! Way to go, keep up the good work.

Madeline, you are sooo close to sitting up from being on your back. I know it won't be long keep trying you are doing so well, mommy is proud of you too!

You two amaze me everyday.

Ordinary day

Today was just an ordinary day. Don't get me wrong we still had fun. We were supposed to spend the day with Didi, but I was afraid to do so with us having been sick. I didn't want mom to have this visitor! I think we already got MawMaw sick, I'm really sorry, and hope you feel better for your birthday tomorrow!

Today we laughed & played, and snuggled real close during the bad weather. I just thought I would share one highlight of the day. I went to peek in on Emma during her nap time. I don't think she was ready to go to sleep because I could hear the pitter-patter of her feet. After a while I heard a period of silence, and went to check on her. I peeked in, and could not find her. I started to get a little worried because there really was no where else she could go. I checked in her little tent(for all who know what I am talking about), under the crib, but still no Emma. I was wondering where could she be and this is what I found............

funny hunh???

Madeline is growing too. She rolls all OVER THE PLACE. It won't be too long before she starts crawling. Eric is great too! I truly feel the best part of our day is when he comes home. We are truly so BLESSED!!!

Beauty in Simplicity

In the midst of dancing with this stomach virus we were able to have a beautiful weekend. Saturday was our big day. We started the day looking for a swing for Madeline, and ended up with so much more. We started looking at our Walmart and went on an adventure. They didn't have any so we took our search to Lafayette. Mom had suggested
earlier in the week that we go to Parc San Souci and play in the water fountain. For all who haven't been there...It's a beautiful little area that includes a gazebo, park benches, and a largewater fountain/spout in which you can play. It's perfect for festivals and community gatherings. Well we went and the fountain was on, YAY! We all had a blast. We then went to visit Poppie's grave. We watered his flowers, and went on with our adventure. We went to three other stores before finding Madeline's swing. We hurried home to put up her swing, but before we left Lafayette we had to do a Didi driveby. We just peeked in to say 'hello'. Once home, we set up the swing (which Madeline loves), and let Emma swim in her pool. We truly enjoyed our simple blessed day.

It's amazing how we live in a world that wants us to believe the more we have, the more we get, and having the best of everything defines who we are. Having the newest, most expensive toys does not guarantee happiness, it's the simple things that mean the most.

Cake-making, Gashes, & Dermabond Oh My!!!!!!

Yesterday we started the day off quite sluggish. We had family night at DiDi's on Monday night, and after our busy weekend we decided to just take it easy. After nap time we decided it would be fun to bake Daddy a cake for working so hard during the day. We had fun mixing the cake, some in Emma's mouth, some on the counter, some on the floor, and the majority in the bowl. Madeline, all the while, was supervising to make sure we did it correctly.(F.Y.I. if you are missing 1/4 a stick of butter the cake still tastes great and Emma poking/digging into the cake actually provided decoration.) Once we put the cake in the pan, I continued one of our traditions with Emma......licking the spoons. Yumm Yumm!!!! We put the cakes in the oven for baking. After baking and cooling, we iced the cake with chocolate icing ummmm!


Daddy and I tag-teamed supper. The deer sausage was wonderful. We each had a piece of cake, except Madeline, it wasn't on her menu. At this time we started winding down for bedtime. I gave Emma her bath, got both the girls in their pjs, gave them their vities(vitamins), and went to brush their teeth. This is where all the drama began last night. I was nursing Madeline and asked Eric if he could brush Emma's teeth. It takes an act of congress to check Emma's teef and brush the spots she has missed. Eric had her sitting on his lap on the couch. Our couch is beautiful, but it is older and the corners have beautiful wood details. Well Eric was checking her teef and she went into her normal "convulsions"(ie kicking, screaming, head bunting, flailing arms etc.). She threw her head forward and it made contact with the wood details on our couch. She was okay, I think we were the ones who were falling apart. We went to Maw-maw's to see if it warranted stitches. We took her to Medexcel, an after-hours clinic. We got there minutes before closing, but they chose to see her anyway. We were so thankful to see Dr. Hindelang, and he put Dermabond (ie medical superglue) and quickly sutured her up. She cried a little, but was a real champ! Or maybe it was the trip to Sonic for ice cream that made it all better. We went home, held her for a little while, and off to bed she went. She slept fine and everything has been fine since.

Come to Me and I will give you rest

This weekend the Lord gave each of us a chance to rest in our own way. We each came needing to be recharged from our daily life. Some of us needed sleep, some joy, laughter, togetherness, renewal, nostalgia, peace, and yet we received so much more.

Our family arrived late Friday afternoon, and started to get everything setup and ready for the weekend. We had supper ready for when Didi and Nanny Wanda (Who Emma affectionately calls Wanda) got there. Supper was great. We cleaned and everyone got ready for bed.

We woke up fairly early, and were on a hunt for a good crabbing spot. Most spots get taken before the sun even comes up in the morning. The sun had been up a little while, making spot searching a little harder. We finally found a spot near the Mermentau River as well as another group AND an alligator. After staying a while we only caught a whopping 1 crab. We decided to "cut our loses" and move on to a new location. We made our way to Joseph's Harbor praying all the while that we would have enough for supper. I guess the Lord was giving us a message...what did we have? 2 crabs and now 2 new alligators. With little success Eric took us to the other side of the landing which turned out to be more successful. At this new location we caught 11, totalling a baker's dozen. We decided we would head back to the camp.

There is a ferry to take you across from Cameron to Holly Beach. It is always so much fun and excitement. Emma was just so excited to see and be on a boat. We were excited because the Lord blessed us with the opportunity of catching a glimpse of a school of dolphins. The water was absolutely beautiful, I guess they couldn't resist. Once over the river we drove a little down the road to Holly Beach. We decided to make a stop to Meaux's Seafood, at which point the Lord multiplied our catch from one dozen to four dozen and some LARGE shrimp. We finally gathered up a pot, boiler, utensils, and some very hungry stomachs. Eric started the boil, and we were able to just spend some good quality time together laughing at the girls, remembering the past, and just enjoying each other's company. We all agreed the crabs and shrimp were an awesome treat. After supper, we started cleaning, some inside some outside. After cleaning, we all got ready for bed.

We all woke up refreshed, and full(thanks to DiDi's delicious breakfast). We went to Mass, an awesome way to start the day!! We then headed over to the Hackberry Rec Center and had a yummy lunch. Once back at the camper, we started picking everything up, cleaning, and packing our vehicles to head home.

We didn't want to go home empty-handed so we decided we would try and crab at our favorite spot. At first when we drove up there was a couple crabbing. We were bummed but did not give up. We went to fill our cars with gas, and went back on the hunt for a spot. I loved our little spot, and asked Eric to go back to see if the couple had left. We drove up, and they were leaving. The couple was so friendly, and they even left us their bait and string. We were very eager to get started. It wasn't long before we had another visitor....you guessed it.....Mr. Alligator decided to visit us once again(how thoughtful). He did not damper our fun though. We all switched turns...crabbing, netting, Emmaing, and Madelineing. We spent a good time crabbing over there, and were very successful!

I am realizing with age that the amount of crabs you catch, though exciting, does not make the trip successful. What made the trip successful was the blessings God shined upon us, the faithfulness, the sharing, the giving, the happiness and joy, the teamwork, and most of all the love we had for each other. In that case, our trip FAR surpassed the amount of crabs we caught. I think I can speak for everyone that we had a very enjoyable, relaxing time.

I am very thankful to my in-laws for their extreme generosity. They provide us with places of retreat, something that can't be bought. I also thank Nanny Wanda and Didi for their generosity and helpfulness. They were very selfless, allowing Eric and I special time of our own as well. I thank my girls for providing us with laughter and entertainment, as well as unbelievable behavior. I also thank Eric for being amazing. He always thinks of little details to make the weekend special. He works very hard to make sure we are happy and taken care of. This weekend made us feel like we were "dating" again. It helped me realize how much I love my best friend. Most of all, I want to thank God. This weekend was AMAZING! He provided us with beautiful weather, beautiful nature, beautiful company, beautiful rest, but most of all beautiful memories! Thank You!!!

**More pics posted at the bottom of page

God's Listening!

This afternoon I had a special prayer intention on my heart. I decided I would pray a rosary and offer it up for my intention. In minutes I located my rosary in one of the pockets in my mess I created in my diaper bag. I started praying the rosary and of course Emma's curiosity brought her my way. We started going through Jeesie on the cross, Mary in the middle and the prayers we say. She pulled on it a little, and I thought maybe she should help me hold the beads, well needless to say, I started looking for my Cd.---Let me say something before I go on.... my daughters are amazing. I love them dearly. They are so much fun. Sometimes it's just hard to get the things you want done when you want them.---okay, on to what I was saying. I couldn't find it. I went on line to download an audio version from Mother Angelica. I spent 10 mins trying to download all this extra stuff for it not to work. I just kept telling God I don't want these little things to steal my joy today. It kinda became my little montra of the day. In the midst of trying to say the rosary, my other daughter could not be consoled. I just felt my blood pressure wanting to rise, but I kept repeating my "montra". I found things that would normally steal my joy were occurring left and right. I kept praying and still stood firm.

A couple of hours later my husband came home. I was so excited to see him. Once he came home we hurried up and loaded the girls into the car to go to GiGi's house for family night. I first had to stop for gas and of course it is raining horizontially!!!! Got gas and booked it to Lafayette to be with our family. I feel we could not have had a better night. We had so much fun, and were able to help celebrate my cousin Donna's birthday. The visit was just wonderful, we ended up staying till almost 10pm. After we left, we went water Poppie's flowers. When we got in the car I couldn't help but realize Jesus had answered all my prayers. Even through the interruptions and failed attempts of the day God WAS listening!

Got Greenbeans?

Now that Madeline has two new teeth, she is ready to try them out. She has already been introduced to carrots and now greenbeans. She just loves them! , or maybe it's the greenbean flavored spoon, it's hard to tell. I can't believe she is already 7mths and growing like a weed!

Emma's world also broadened with her new swingset. Her Maw-Maw, Paw-Paw, Nanny, Uncle Shannon, and cousins Andre & Hunter gave her the swingset for her birthday (yes, we FINALLY put it up!). Now she has a "mini park" in her backyard. Paw-Paw and Daddy worked hard to put it up Saturday, and we have not stopped playing on it. She LOVE LOVE LOVES it, thank you! It has a see-saw, rocking "horse", trapeeze, swings, & a slide. She is going to go crazy when I put her little pool under the slide, I can't wait.

I just love the summer. Last night we went run errands, and on the way home we saw the lights lit at the baseball park. We decided to drive-by and saw a game going on. We pulled over and watched the game. We didn't know any of the players, but it was just nice to sit and be together. It just reminds me of summers when we were kids, and didn't have a care in the world. I loved to get as much sunlight as I could, and still do.

A Good Day

Today was such a great day. Didi is home and seems to be doing a little better. Today, we had so much fun playing. We played outside, and even were grass princesses ( though Emma felt her picture was not necessary.) We then went to have supper at Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw's house. Emma had so much fun playing with her cousin Andre. Once we left, we went to Sonic and had "hice ceam"!