Sophie's crawling!

Today Sophie is 8 months old...and what better way to celebrate than by getting mobile? She started dragging herself to get to things or to be able to see me, but she really got on her hands and knees this week and is officially on the move!

She is a chubby baby --Eve nicknamed her "bigger boy" out of names, and I just want to hug and kiss her all day. Her two bottom teeth came out and lighten up her smile: every look at her makes my heart melt.


First word: "Dada"...she LOVES her daddy, although she is a Mama's girl.

Eve is learning how to share her toys with her and they enjoy spending time together:



Eve is a great sister: yesterday, she even changed Sophie's diaper twice, under my supervision; She makes sure that her nose is wiped, she lets me know when she wakes up from her nap, and she covers her with kisses and hugs. I'm so glad those two are getting along so well, and I am loving this time of their lives when they can be home together.

Pictures from York, England

Click on the pictures to read the signs: they are quite funny!



So...this could be our new neighborhood: what's not to love?

Levi is HOME! The last 5 days went by in slow motion while I was home alone with the girls: I mean, we had a blast doing girly things like giving Eve a manicure, doing her hair while watching a princess movie; and I did try to make the time go by faster at night by repainting and redecorating the living room, but life just isn't right without Levi around.

Where was Levi? He went to his motherland to interview at the Medical School in York, and needless to say, he was so happy to see his friends and the lovely landscapes of Northern England. The best part was going to a store and browsing through the candy aisle: he brought back a truck load of Cadbury's chocolate and Kinder surprises...he told me he left the store with a grin on his face...ah, the simple pleasures of life [pictures pending].

Today is February 1st, and I told myself that from now on, I will be writing at least 1 page for my thesis every week day: I can do it, I can do it. Wow, the end is so close, and yet I have the hardest time to motivate and discipline myself to work on this baby. So, here I go!

Today is my brother's birthday, and I could not imagine what growing up would have been like without him: although he's my younger brother, he's been my gardian angel and example more than once. We did everything together, confided in each other (and still do to this day), and went everywhere together. I thank my Heavenly Father for sending him in our family and wish him happiness and everything that is good in this his 26th year. Here's to you, Igor!



Sorry guys...I totally went MIA since Christmas. The thing is that on top of the busyness of the holidays, I have just been enjoying spending quality time with the girls, especially since Sophie now sits up and plays with Eve. I celebrated finishing all of my course work for my Masters and have been trying to find the motivation to start researching and writing my thesis, which is extremely hard considering I spend much of my time on housework, cooking, feeding, running errands, and playing with the kids. Once both girls are in bed, I only want to put my feet up and recharge my batteries for the next day. So, I have to cut my relaxation time and get down to business if I want to graduate before we leave for Med School.



Talking of Med School, Levi received the great news that he has been accepted in the DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) School of DMU (Des Moines University), in Iowa...which happened to have an excellent program and faculty. So, if we stay in the States, we are definitely going to Iowa. Otherwise, it'll be England: Levi is going to the UK shortly to interview in York, and he is still waiting to hear back from two additional Med Schools there. So everything is still up in the air.

I enjoy running again, although it is still quite cold here. I happen to have great running partners who motivate me to get out the door no matter what. I kinda gave up on the Ogden Marathon for financial reasons: I cannot justify spending $75 for running at this point, but I plan on doing shorter races and a couple triathlons this summer.

Perfection?

This is hilarious:

http://www.flashfunpages.com/couple.swf

Enjoy!

Christmas Letter

Make a Smilebox greeting

Dear family and friends,

This year has been quite eventful for our family. After celebrating last Christmas and the New Year in the beautiful city of Paris we tried starting a new life in England. We soon made the difficult decision that it was not good timing and we decided to move back to Provo, Utah, in late January. Levi then applied for US Permanent Residency in February and we had to wait until October for him to receive his Work Permit. In the meantime, I went back to school to continue my Master’s Degree, taking one class in the Spring, another in the Summer, and my last three classes in the Fall. The Lord blessed us to endure these challenging times in miraculous ways.

We were extremely happy to welcome our second daughter into this world, Sophie Chantal Selway, born on June 6th, 2009. Sophie is a very content baby; she wakes up smiling and goes to bed very easily – a strong contrast with Eve who still hates going to bed. Her presence and spirit have brought peace and relief in our stressed lifestyle. Eve and her are already enjoying playing with each other, although Eve takes it a little too far at times, experimenting with her sister’s emotions and pain threshold.

Eve, who just turned 3, has been attending a French immersion pre-school and has loved every moment of her new found independence. Her teacher says she is always very polite and well-mannered and amazingly has never wet herself at school – she saves that all for us.

Levi started a job in the Regulatory Affairs department at Neways – an international company that sells dietary supplements and personal care products. He loves the environment, the salary and the free hot chocolate.

Levi applied for medical school in the US and the UK (again!). He has been accepted at medical schools in Colorado and Pennsylvania and still has an interview in Iowa early January. In addition, he has been invited to interview in York, England and is expecting to hear back from other UK schools in January. So we are still unsure exactly where will be for medical school which is exciting for Levi and not so exciting for me.

2010 looks very exciting for our little family. I will be writing my thesis and I plan to defend before summer so that I can prepare for our departure (however near or far that may be). At this moment in time, I plan to write about the representation of mountaineering in 19th century French literature. Levi will have a break from studying for 9 months so he will be enjoying a lot of pleasure reading: his latest reads include a lot of Sherlock Holmes and now he has caught the Dan Brown fever.

In this Christmas season, we wish to let you all know that you are in our thoughts and in our hearts: this year, we were reminded of how important the people in our lives are and of how they can be an answer to our prayers. We are grateful for your love and positive influence,

… and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010!

Love,
Levi, Anabelle, Eve, and Sophie.