We have recently returned to France after spending a month at our home in
Alaska. We are so grateful for the time to see family and friends, practice medicine and pack up items we will take to Madagascar. Oliver loved reuniting with his little friends and Alex was a star through his many introductions and outings. Jonathan rocked the 16 mile Lost Lake race he had been training for and Mandy packed in play date after play date during our one month stay. All in all, a soul satisfying and exhausting time was had by all.
Here are some photos from the month and an album with much more.

There is no doubt that Alex and Oliver are two loved boys. We have been so happy to have our moms and Ron travel across the ocean to give Alex a warm welcome into the world and love on Oliver and us too. Their visit was timed perfectly to catch Alex’ first smile. This was reminiscent of not so long ago when they came to Anchorage to welcome Oliver and catch his first smiles (Grandmas Galore...part 1).
We are enjoying a summer break from school, spending time catching up on life and finding ways to take French out of the classroom. Check out our Summer 2010 album for more pics.

Here are some pics from Alex’ premier two weeks of life. He has had lots of love from his adoring (and exhausted) parents, super big brother Oliver, a visit from uncle Ben and aunt Donna and other good friends from near and far. We look forward to visits from grandmas coming to France soon.

Spring time in France has brought welcomed change inside and out. Outside the sun is shining, the winter chill has fled and gardens are in full bloom. Inside the fog is lifting from our french-saturated brains and the seeds of language learning are beginning to bud. Spring break has given us a chance to catch our breath, play outside, enjoy time with visiting friends and scurry around making last-minute baby preparations.

At last we have discovered a beautiful slice of nature not far from where we live.

Family picture while visiting the Val de Loire

It is official, Oliver can out run his mama. Thankfully his daddy still has him beat.

Since you asked...here is a preggo pic from 35 weeks. Hard to believe we are only 3.5 weeks from d-day.

Je suis enceinte (I am pregnant)...32 weeks and counting. Before this baby boy sees the light of day he will have traveled from Alaska, across the United States and over the ocean to France. It has been a busy 7+ months, thats for sure. Since arriving in France 3 months ago we have established prenatal care, had a beaucoup of ultrasounds and discovered where to find affordable baby gear. Navigating the way of pregnancy in France has been easier than expected since there are 3 other pregnant students with whom to collaborate. With our minds and belly’s working together we are finding the answers to the most important questions like what hospital to deliver at, what to expect at an appointment, what to bring to the hospital, etc.
Pleasant surprises along the way have been:
1. The extremely affordable costs of very thorough and professional doctor visits.
2. The French custom in grocery stores, museums and other public places to allow pregnant women to cut in line. There are signs that display a wheelchair and a pregnant woman side by side, showing where to go for VIP service .
3. Bourse aux vetements (clothing exhange) for children. These are fabulous community consignment sales where all ages of children’s clothes, toys and baby gear are sold for very, very cheap. It has been a life-saver to find this since typical prices for clothes and gear at stores are far from bon marche (cheap).

A car full of 5 mama’s, 3 babies (in the oven) and a boat load of kids stuff. We are just returning from a very successful trip to a bourse aux vetements.

Oliver getting ready to fill some Big brother shoes. He seems to understand that someone new is joining our family and has suggested we name him “spider”.

I am savoring these final days where I can give Oliver undivided attention (at times) and we all sleep through the night.

Last week was a rough week and Oliver took the brunt of it. It started turning south when someone leaving the nursery accidentally closed the door on Oliver's strategically placed thumb.  It took a few moments before he was noticed. Needless to say, he eventually got their attention and they were able to help him retrieve his thumb from the door.  Unfortunately, it was his sucking thumb so he has been experimenting with different digits.
 
The second whammy was Oliver getting sick with a fever and a minor virus.  He pulled through the fever after a day or so but the virus lingered inhibiting his sleeping and eating and making him quite cranky.  We took turns staying home with him and attending class.

This week we are faring much better and continue to wade through the daily adventures of learning French.

We have immensely enjoyed a mid-term break this week. A quick trip out of Massy and to West France’s, Normandy has been incredibly refreshing. Our brains and bodies have caught a breather and are better able to synthesize the loads of new information we have been taking in. Moving to France nearly 2 months ago and diving into school head first has been both a huge blessing and completely exhausting. We were giddy about getting out of the classroom and into France.
We were reminded that the learning never stops while touring magnificent Mont Saint Michel.
1. Apparently Archangel Michael coined the phrase, “If you build it, they will come”, when he was instructing the bishop of Avranches to build the island abbey in A.D. 708. The sight is packed with stories of faith, war and pilgrimage. It is truly an awe-inspiring pile of stones. I guess the 80’s baseball flick Field of Dreams was inspired by the same idea.


2. Taking a stroller to this historic site is a horrible idea. As we passed people upon entering the village below the abbey I wondered why others kept giving us a little chuckle as they passed by. Normally this might be because of Oliver’s chubby cheeks, relaxed stroller pose and who knows why else. But in retrospect I am pretty sure it was because they knew something we did not....there were many, many, many STAIRS in our very near future. After about 10 flights of beep-bopping Oliver up the ancient stone steps we approached the entrance to the abbey. It was glaringly evident that this was one job that the baby jogger was not cut out for. Plan B...divide and conquer. Thanks to a borrowed car, nearby lodging and nap time we were able take turns coming and going, taking in the sites fullness sans enfant (without child).

Joyeux Anniversaire

We have much reason to celebrate lately...Jonathan and Oliver being the biggest (click on the pic to view album)! An overnight stay in Paris and a wild, toddler bash marked the turn of the year for these two studs. We are grateful for another year of growing in family life together and for the opportunity to study French this year. It continues to be a lot of hard work, but we remain hopeful that the seeds of learning now will reap a harvest in our ministry that lies ahead. We are also encouraged by glowing moments in present life when we can effectively buy bread, get a haircut, talk with soccer buddies, greet people at church or around town and wade through our prenatal appointments. Everyday is full of learning.