3 Brothers...

Victor - first 2 weeks

2-week visit with Peggy

Here we are at Peggy's birthing center for Victor's 2-week appointment. Peggy's daughter-in-law took some pictures during our visit and graciously gave them to us... 

 

 

While I am waiting for you...

My sweet baby boy,

You are still in my belly and I am longing to meet you... It has certainly been a journey, from the day you surprised us on January 1st, finding out I was expecting... That was not exactly what our plans were but your Papa and I were already thrilled at the idea to have another child join our family... 

You have been playing tricks on me for a long time... at 14 weeks, you decided to hide, you scared me because we could not hear your heartbeat... After my first ultrasound we found out that you were a boy. Another surprise... 

I have definitively had ups and downs during this pregnancy with a lot of pains and fatigue (it probably did not help that I had a whole summer with your two brothers at home, full of energy and mischief...) but I have always reminded myself in the hardest moments how blessed I am to be able to carry you without much complication. I would also envision the day when I would hold you for the first time and it always made me feel stronger.


Recently as I was driving to see my midwife late, I was overwhelmed with Love thinking about you and how special you are, not having met you yet but feeling your spirit and your strength already...


Everyone is waiting for your arrival, sweet baby, from your brothers to your Papa, your Babou and Papili who are also here to welcome you. But the one who is even more anxious to meet you is your Maman who loves you so much already.

First camp-out...!

Back at the beginning of the year, Mark and I invested in camping equipment (a 7-people tent found on Craigslist and deluxe air mattresses) in anticipation for the annual Fathers and Sons camp-out that our ward organizes each year in May.

We learned a couple of months later that the event was going to fall right in the middle of our "Baby-moon" in St Thomas (see previous post). Mark was quite disappointed because he was looking forward to taking the boys camping for the first time; so, we found an alternative to satisfy Mark and the boys: camp in our backyard!

It was a great way to try out our tent and see how the boys would react to camping. It ended up storming that evening, and the thunder with the lightening did not make Adam feel safe; but, after a lot of reassurance from Mark he eventually calmed down and fell asleep. Antoine was fine the whole time as he was cuddling with his Dad.

Here is a pick of our adventurers!

Coming out of my shell again...

I can't believe I did it again... not blogging for months... and now I feel like there is so much to catch up with... In the past, I would just skip the past and focus on the present but I have to go back in time to share our month of May which was full of fun, travels and family memories as my parents were here for 4 weeks...

So here is a preview of our adventures!

On our first weekend with my parents here, we took them to National Harbor (Mark had never been there either) and had a great time strolling around, watching the boats and enjoying a beautiful weather. We finished our outing by taking them out to Baja Fresh for our favorite "Dos Manos" (It is probably not real Mexican food but we sure like it, and so did they!!)

 

After a couple of days of reviewing the boys' schedule and their calendar for the following week, Mark and I took off to the beautiful islands of St Thomas and St John (US Virgin Islands) for a week of rest and romance before our third boy enters our family...

We had, as you can imagine, an amazing time out there, discovering the best beaches of the two islands and snorkeling each time the weather allowed us to do so (it was an unusually rainy month of May but we got some sun every day and took advantage of it as much as we could).

We were able to see hundreds of different kinds of fish and corals and even had the privilege of swimming a few times with our turtle and ray friends... it was magical!!

The first set of pictures shows our resort and views from where we stayed, our sunburned body after our first snorkeling session (we HAD put a generous layer of sunscreen on but I guess 2 hours of exposure right at the surface of the clear water was a little too long to ask for the sunscreen to protect our backs in the end...), some of our friends, one of the many iguanas we met (I find them so unattractive but also fascinating warming up in the sun and staring at us...), and a little crab who decided to stay by us for quite a while! 

We don't have a picture of it unfortunately but one day we were walking on Koki beach and noticed an iguana who was body surfing... it was so cool to watch!

And below, more pictures of the beautiful beaches and scenes we were able to witness... this place is like Paradise!

After a week of bliss, sun and ideal water, it was time to go back to our beautiful Virginia and relieve my parents from their temporary parental roles... The boys had a great time with Babou and Papili and everything went well (it is well known that children keep their worst behavior for their Mom and Dad so my parents did not have to deal with any tantrums or crisis that we often experience!!)

We barely had time to unpack and do laundry that it was time to pack again, but this time to go to Williamsburg as a family.

We spent 4 days there and had a wonderful time showing this historic area to my parents and the boys. The highlight of the trip for Adam and Antoine was our day spent in Jamestown, the first English settlement in the US, where you can visit a Native American village and learn the way they lived their daily lives as well as hopping onto English ships and picturing ourselves sailing to the American continent... I wish I had taken more than 2 pictures of Jamestown but I was actually filming and Mark was absorbed by the wonderful tour that we took... Oh well...

Finally, in Williamsburg, the boys really liked the printing shop, the British flags and the horses pulling carriages.

Saturday with Papa & Elodie's Birthday Presents!

(Mark's post...)

Saturday Dad was in charge while Elodie attended a church event.  I had a full agenda for the day.

First, give the boys a bath.  But bath time with Dad is FUN!  After flattening all the bubble bath, Antoine wanted to "paint."  We've done this a couple of times now.  It involves shaving cream with finger paints mixed in for color, with small sponge paint brushes for painting on the bathtub's tile walls.    After multiple strokes, they announced their work with outstretched arms: Adam's was "the biggest building in the whole world" and Antoine's was "the biggest temple in all the world."  Then the "firemen" arrived to do clean up with their fire hoses.  Finally, after drying off they hid in their "caves."  But Antoine frequently peeked out of his!

After the extended bath and a battle to get them dressed, I gave them each a one dollar coin, and we went to the dollar store.  I told the boys to go in and pick out a present for their mother, one that each thought she would like.  Adam announced immediately that Elodie would like red roses.  And as if by luck, there were several silk flower rose bouquets to choose from.  He also spent another dollar of his own money to buy her a Tinkerbell balloon.

Antoine didn't take long to find his gift either.  Less than two minutes into the store and he walked up with a Disney coloring book with a pink cover.  That was his gift, he was sure she would like it. 

The point was to begin to teach the boys the joy of giving, and it was a success!  Each choose the wrapping (from pre-selected choices, of course) for his gift, and was so excited to give it to Elodie as soon as she came home. 

I gave her a pearl bracelet, a Williams Sonoma Muffin recipe book, a book about the women in Christ's life, and a black wrap that can serve as a shawl or a scarf. 

Preview of 2011 News

Could it be any fainter...and still be positive?!

Apparently, with cheap dollar store pregnancy tests, this is about as good as it gets.  This test was taken January 1st, and since then we have ample circumstantial evidence we are indeed expecting #3! 

Train Exhibit

We are so fond of the Botanical Garden Christmas Exhibit... It is quite amazing! 

Take a look!

We want to go every year as they have a different exhibit each year... 

Christmas has come and gone... too fast to my taste...

I had wanted to post some pictures I took during the month of December as we were savoring the joy of the season with our decorations, the Family traditions we have started the last few years, Christmas music and Christmas cookies... but I guess I must have quite busy doing all this because Christmas is over and I have not shared them!

So here they are as well as a summary of our Christmas morning opening presents!

The boys were anxiously waiting each day
to open their Christmas Advent Calendar
and learn more about the meaning
of the symbols of Christmas...

Enjoying the new Christmas train...

A quick pick at their presents and their reactions...

Aren't you scared of them yet?

Stinking cute!...

School Gingerbread House Fun!

Adam and I had a great time at school today making this piece of art!!

But the fun is over... We brought the gingerbread house home and of course Antoine wants to eat it... but Adam has made up his mind that it is too pretty to eat it, therefore, no one is allowed to touch it... Imagine the crying and screaming going on in the house right now!!!

From Antoine today...

Before I loose my momentum completely (I have not posted anything in almost two months...), I wanted to share what Antoine said to his Dad this morning as Mark was about to leave for work -- He said the following in French, which was even cuter, but I will translate it for you... :

"Dad, you be good at work, OK? and don't hit others on the train..."

"Papa, tu sois sage au travail, d'accord? Et tu tapes pas les autres dans le train..."

Burke Lake - Family pictures

My friend Kara recently a great digital camera and I asked her if she could take our family pictures this fall. The weather was beautiful and the location gorgeous...

Here are a few of our favorites shots...

 

and now the ones that have a little story to go with...

Antoine was not thrilled to have our pictures taken and was  pouting... I bribed him to smile with a lollipop... We were taking pictures of all of us and Mark was holding Antoine as you can see below... After a few shots, Antoine asked what had happened to his lollipop... We looked around on the ground and could not find it. Then I put my hand through my hair to put it back in place and felt something... sticky... 

Somehow, the lollipop ended up in my hair!! 

Look at Adam and Antoine cracking up as Mark is removing it from my hair!! =)

Let them be BOYS!

Mark has often told me that I needed to loosen up and let the boys play the way little boys like to play and not worry if they get dirty...

Well, I think I did pretty well this week when I let Adam and Antoine splash in the puddles and slide in the mud! They had a blast and ended up being so filthy... Once they were done (or more exactly, when I told them it was time to go home...) I undressed them on the porch before going inside the house and carried them straight to the tub! =)

Cox Farm

We started this tradition a few years ago:
Going to Cox Farm as a family to celebrate the beginning of Fall
- my very favorite season -

Cox Farm is a huge pumpkin patch with a ton of activities to enjoy,
as much for the little people as for the grown ups.

We had a great time again this year going on the various hay slides, pretending we were in jail, approaching the goats and the pigs... and finally pretending we were farmers and worked on our farm chores. There is also an spooky hay ride and a great corn maze but I thought Antoine would not enjoy them very much this year so we skipped them and... it is OK because we will be there next year
for a fun day at Cox Farm!

Practicing...

Off to school...

We just sent off Adam to his first day of Kindergarten this morning and I have to admit that I have mixed emotions about this.

On one hand, I will be glad that the boys are not spending as much time together because they drive each other crazy after a while and Adam knows how to provoke and aggravate Antoine and make him scream  but on the other hand, I won't spend a lot of time with Adam anymore and the idea to not have him around me much and hear his joyful personality as much makes me sad...

Adam is soooo excited and has been saying for the last few days:
"I cannot wait for school to start!!".
When I went to wake him up this morning he was already awake and welcomed me with a huge grin and a big hug when I told him:
"Today is the BIG day!"

He followed his new morning routine perfectly without getting distracted, which is quite unusual for him... He had a mission: getting ready to go to school!!

Here are a few shots that we took on the way to take the bus... I love my cute boy!

I am sure Antoine is going to miss his big brother...

Adam Makes His Life Plan (or, the first 25 years at least)

(Written by Mark)

Adam is often pensive and reflective in the evening after he has said goodnight to his little brother and it is time to go to bed.  When I go in to say goodnight to him, often I lie down on his bed with him and we have our serious conversations.  

Tonight we had a long conversation.  It is worth writing about, if only for our own records...but you might get a kick out of it.

It started out talking about school--which he is SO excited to begin on Tuesday.  I explained to him that it is an important new chapter in his life, that he will be going to school for many years to come once it starts.  He asked how many grades there are -- he already knew up to 6th grade, but then I explained that it goes clear up to 12th.  He asked how old he would be then, and I told him 12th grade would start when he is 17.  

He wanted to know what happens after that.  I explained that smart people like him usually go to a university after that...that he would attend "university" for one year, then he would go on his mission.  He asked how he would know where to go on his mission and I explained that God would tell the prophet, and the prophet would call him to serve where God said he should go.  

I explained that a mission lasts two years.  He wanted to know how many months that is, and when I told him 24, he was not convinced...I guess I knew the answer a little too fast.  So I named the months while he counted them, and he discovered that one year is indeed 12 months, and when you go through them a second time, it is 24 months.  Having settled that important question, he asked what happens next.  

So I told him that after his mission he would go back to university.  He wanted to know when he would get married.  I told him "that depends.  Getting married is not like going to school or on a mission...there is no set time for it."  We dwelt on this topic at length; I explained that he would get married when he was ready and when he had found the perfect girl for him. 

He wanted to know how to know who is the perfect girl for him.  Actually, what he said is, "what if I pick the girl who is perfect for me, but then she changes and she isn't perfect anymore, and we can't change it [meaning that one can't get a divorce]?"  I said, "that is why it is very important to choose the right girl to marry."  That wasn't enough of an answer, so we continued.  "When you are sixteen" I said, "you start to go out with girls and you learn everything you can about them so that you can understand them and know what kind of girl is perfect for you.  For example, you might think a really pretty girl is perfect but then find out that she isn't.  On the other hand, you might find a girl who is not very pretty but has a lot of faith in Jesus and a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and you might decide she is a better choice."  Well, that was out of the question for Adam.  No, she has to dress up pretty--like when they go out or go to visit other people in their houses.  He wants both -- a girl who has faith in Jesus and a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but one who also dresses pretty too. 

Next, he wanted to know when I would be a grandpa.  I explained again, as I have tried on many such occasions in the past, that I will become a grandpa when he has his first child and becomes a dad.  This is really a hard concept for him to grasp, but tonight I think I may have made some headway.  He insisted, so again I said, "well, that depends on when you get married."  He again asked how old he will be when he gets married, and I explained for at least the third time in the conversation that he will get married when he is ready and has found the perfect girl for him.  

So we started working with numbers.  When he gets off his mission he will be 21.  He has at least another 3 years, minimum, of university and possibly more, depending on what he wants to do for work.  If he wants to be a doctor, he will be in university for a total of 8 (actually, it's more than that, but I didn't want to overwhelm him); if he wants to be a lawyer like me, it would be 7 years.  So sometime while he is in "university" he will get married, so starting at 21,  he could possibly get married then, or at 22, 23, 24, etc. to 29--I stopped at 29.  After he started getting the idea, he announced (perhaps as a hypothetical, although it was not clear) that he will get married at 23.  "So then how old will you be when you become a grandpa?" he inquired again.

"Well," I said, "you will probably wait at least a year or two before you start your family, so I would guess that the earliest you would have your first baby is 25...which would make me 58 when I become a grandpa."  He smiled a big smile; he was happy to finally have a definitive answer to the grandpa question.  

That seemed like as good a place to stop the conversation as any.  Adam had the answers he wanted for the night.  So with two goodnight kisses (the first one being more of a wet zoupert--and I insisted on a better one) I rolled over to roll out of his bed, but his bed is too small and the edge arrived too quickly and I fell off the bed and banged into the nightstand, which Adam thought was just hilarious.  He had a good laugh at my expense and then we said goodnight. 

Thus our cute little smarty pants planned out the first quarter of his life (with some help from me) and gave some thought about what kind of girl he wants to marry, all in an evening's conversation at five years old...two days before starting kindergarten!

Celebration!

We decided to end up the summer with a family pool pizza party and enjoy the pool with Mark one last time!

Here are a few shots of Mark having fun with the boys, playing sharks and alligators as well as each of us savoring our delicious pizzas...

It was actually a lot more fun than it looks on the pictures (see Antoine saying "No...!", whining and giving me an attitude?....) but our boys are into this phase when they do not want us to take pictures of them (have they been overdosed?...). Oh well...

Summer at the pool...

Adam and Antoine had a blast at the pool this summer... and made a lot of progress:

Adam learned how to swim on his own with a few hints from Mark and loves jumping off the diving board and swimming back to the side without his floaties.

Antoine went from being not really sure about the big pool to jumping into the 8-foot area without any help!

We have two little brave boys!

Don't you love these goggles on Adam? =)