Hi -
Yes, the CX awards can be good value, but you are facing several hurdles:
1) No status means you pay a change fee every time you change your ticket. Having MVPG status exempts you from change fees. Not an issue, except ...
2) If you are a family of 4, you are not likely to find 4 F/J seats on one flight until they open up the cabin around 7-14 days before departure.
3) They usually open up 1F / 2J / 4PE at the booking window. And this would be manageable, except ...
4) The AS window for awards opens well after the window opens for BA/QF/AA. That means you get the leftovers.
So, to sum up: if you are using AS miles with no status, plan on 2J + 2PE, unless you are willing to pay a lot in change fees. You might consider expanding your departure dates to include November 15-December 7. Thanksgiving is usually a slow time for TPAC/TATL travel.
Two other options to consider:
1) Buy AA miles. Right now you can get 270,000 for about 4K. Not sure about AA stopover rules, but it might be helpful
2) Explore the Premium Fares thread here on FT. You might find a good one-way fare from Europe-US that you could utilize. For example, something like this: TP : Various flights ex-Europe to USA from 1,100 EUR in J or 600 EUR OW