The French-British Alliance

New goals

2011-11-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, so who wants to hear about my new goals? Yeah, I know it's a bit early for goal setting, but I figure it will get me in the right mindset :) So this year I have been doing a lot of running! I finally figured out how to run faster and won 1st place in two 5 Ks. I have an amazing running partner who runs with me three times a week at 6:30 AM and I go to the gym provided by our apartment complex to do interval runs on the treadmill and lift weights on the days I do not run. All in all, I feel really good and it permeates my overall mood, as I am a much happier wife and parent.

So, now that I have run plenty 5Ks and 10Ks, a couple half-marathons, and a few full-length marathons, I feel like I need to crank it up a notch. I mean, it's time to find a challenge to push myself even further. So...I am going to start training for triathlons. My ultimate goal would be to become an Ironman...but I have a ways to go :)

In the meantime, I feel that I am passionate enough about fitness and nutrition that I would like to educate others on how they can improve their lifestyle through better fitness and nutrition...hence, my second goal: to become a certified personal trainer. In order to do that, I first need to be CPR certified, which I can do through the Red Cross or the American Heart Association for $90 on a Saturday (6h course). Then, I need to apply for a legitimate online course for personal trainers (I chose the ACSM or American College of Sport Medicine) which cost approximately $500, including study materials and cost of exam. Once I have my certification, I think I would like to apply for a job at 24 hour fitness (I LOVE their gyms and I've had really positive experiences with their trainers!). Maybe I will eventually build up my own clientele and start my own business, focusing on runners and triathletes.

The year 2012 sounds promising already.

28 years in the making

2011-10-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Birthdays are a great way of reminding us that there's more to life than just living. My birthday is sparking some existential questions, such as: what have I accomplished with the time I have been given? whose lives have I touched? Whose lives have touched mine and influenced who I am today? Where am I going professionally?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to set goals for myself...the loftier the goal, the more determined I am. I gauge my success in life with my reaching goals: running marathons, getting to a certain weight, finishing a project, having read certain books, traveling to certain areas of the world, being debt-free by a goal dated. These are all worthy goals, but they are more than a checklist: each goal we set for ourselves has within itself the potential to form and refine our character. To reach a goal, you need to develop qualities such as discipline, patience, determination, thrift, and knowledge.

As someone who struggles to recognize my self-worth, the danger is to be so consumed with the desire to reach a certain goal, that I lose sight of the bigger picture...I fail to recognize the progress, to enjoy the experience; hence, I have to rely on the help of my Heavenly Father in order to remind me that my life as a divine purpose that is not dependent on "major accomplishments", rather, it is reinforced by the little actions and thoughts that fill my every day life.

I know a handful of people who have lived quiet lives that do not seem significant in the eyes of society, because they have not held positions or received awards for their contribution; however, they are the few who touch lives for good and have a profound influence on the shaping of others' choices and character. One of my heroes was Mother Teresa. Although she did receive quite a bit of news coverage towards the end of her life, she had already spent a lifetime in service, caring for the outcast, the untouchables. She was not serving for the world to see how saintly she was, otherwise she would have given up while still a youth. She truly desired to be Christ's hands and to dedicate her life to serving those that stand in need of service.

If I could have just one wish for my birthday, it would be that I could follow her example and find satisfaction in knowing that I was able to serve in the stead of my Savior, to avoid making hasty judgments and just lose myself in the service of my family and friends, making room for more as strangers cross my path. I do not need to go to India or Africa to relieve the poor and the needy...they are all around us, they could be my next door neighbor. While I serve, I still have to be careful with where my heart is, because human nature is really good at making us believe that it's all about us, even when we are serving others...thank goodness for prayer and for the Spirit!

American Fork Canyon Half-Marathon

2011-06-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today, I woke up at 3:30 AM, got my running gear on, and headed out the door. I drove under the stars on deserted roads to the American Fork High School where all runners were to meet. There, we boarded on school buses that took us up the canyon. There is something depressing about driving on the race course and realizing that 13.1 miles is a long ways.
I was sitting at the front of the very first bus which left at 4:15 AM. I met a really nice mom of 2, whose kids have the same ages as mine and it was great to talk to someone before the race. This is the first time I ran on my own; in the past, I used to run with my sister or her in-laws, and Levi ran a marathon with me once. So, I enjoyed this woman's conversation, so much so that I wish I had taken her phone number and asked her to become running partners.

The starting line finally appeared, with its line of port-a-potties and a DJ to entertain us before the start. It was located at the Tibble Fork Reservoir and even though it was still dark, the snow-covered surrounding mountains were lighting up the place, giving us an idea of the breath-taking views we would see while running.
It was quite cold, being so early in the morning and in the canyon. I was patting myself in the back for wearing my sweat pants and hoodie over my running shorts and t-shirt. I proceeded to warm up and stretch, especially my left leg as I had been experiencing pain in my hamstring for the past few weeks.
While I was doing so, the DJ kept interrupting the music to make announcements and recommendations, especially concerning potty breaks. After the fourth time, I was thinking: "Ok, we got it. You don't want us to go in the bushes or use the camping ground potties. We're not children...just let us focus on the ordeal ahead and put on some good music!" Seriously, he kept on reminding us about it.

It was getting close to the start of the race (6 AM) and I had to take my outer layer off and put it in the bag labeled with my name and race number, in order to give it to the volunteers who would take it to the finish line for me. I then proceeded to find a pacer for my goal time (1:45 or 8 min/mile), who runs the race on pace to help other runners pace themselves to finish by their goal time.
The horn blew right at 6 and I shuffled our way through the starting line until the crowd of runners spread enough for me to run. As it thinned out, I was able to pick up more and more speed. The beauty of this race (aside from the scenic route) is that it's all downhill until mile 9, so I could really let gravity work in my favor. Plus the wind was in our back, pushing us forward.

By mile 2 I was in the groove. I was running under 8 min per mile and feeling comfortable; however, I started feeling a bit sick. Yesterday, I was experiencing some sharp abdominal pains and I was afraid I would have to forgo the race, but when I woke up this morning, I was feeling fine. So, the pain was coming back and I started praying because that's what I do when I find myself in a desperate situation.
I asked Heavenly Father to alleviate the pain and allow me to finish this race that I had worked so hard for. I know, it was a selfish and proud request, but at that point, I couldn't give up and I couldn't go on without His help. I kept thinking of the scripture: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", and slowly but surely, the pain diminish enough for me to focus on my pace again. At times, it would creep back, but I would push through it by repeating my moto: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", over and over again. It was so bad, that I was afraid of ingesting anything offered at the aid stations, along the race.

I just cruised through the first 9 miles, until we got out of the canyon, and then the course flattened. I kept glancing at my wristwatch to keep track of my time and kept my pace on the 8 min mark until mile 11. My thighs were getting really sore and I couldn't make them go faster. I had to stop to get some gatorade and a gu pack to have some extra energy for the finish, and started running off again. We could see the Mount Timpanogos Temple (where Levi and I got sealed), which was an indication that we were getting close to the finish line, the American Fork High School. I swear the miles get longer as we go! The last one seemed to never end, but finally, I could see the balloons and the organizers' tents.

I crossed the finish line after 1:47:51 of running. A personal best. It was two minutes over my goal time, but I had never run that fast for that long before, so I was extremely pleased. They handed out a Finisher's Medal and I proceeded to get in line for my free breakfast (French toast, yogurt, and fruit, with chocolate milk) and a free massage (yay!).

I was looking around for the woman who sat next to me on the bus, and also for my friend Joanna who had signed up for the race. Just as I was leaving, I heard someone call out my name. It was Joanna! Joanna and I used to run together right after I had Eve and it was so good to see her today.
I got in the car and called Levi to tell him the news and drove home barefoot as my feet were aching (I might lose a couple of toenails). The funny thing is that as soon as I got home, the abdominal pain started again and I have been lying in the fetal position ever since! The Lord really answers prayers...I should have asked for permanent healing :)

The race was in support of those fighting cancer and I had the honor of wearing the name of a neighbor and friend battling prostate cancer. It made this race so much more meaningful and I wish him a full recovery!

Next goal: Run the Layton Marathon in under 3:40 in order to qualify for Boston!

OK, here's what you missed...

2011-05-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Levi tried out for a football (soccer) team in Ogden, BYU-level, and didn't get in because they were looking for younger players (18-23): ouch! But I was so proud of him for giving it his all: the try-outs took 2 days and the pitch (or field) was atrocious (muddy holes everywhere).

We went out to see Mia (Levi's sister) perform at BYU in Jane Austen's Persuasion. She was brilliant and so witty. We double dated with Levi's brother and his wife: good times. It's great to see Mia act for the first time and do something she is good at and passionate about.

We had the joy of babysitting our niece and nephew for a few days. There's a field by our apartment complex where a few horses graze; sometimes we pay them a visit, bringing carrots and feeding them hay. The kids loved it!

We also went to the Dinosaur Museum, conveniently located 1/2 mile from our home at Thansksgiving Point and loved discovering more about those giants. Another bonus point for Auntie and Uncle :)

All good things must come to an end and their parents having returned from Hawaii, we celebrated Cyan's B-day at a local Hawaiian restaurant.

2011-04-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that it is April already? We had a couple warm days and today I woke up to snow...again! This weekend, it's General Conference and I am getting a spiritual overdose: I am so glad I have six months to familiarize myself with the talks given in such a short period of time. How wonderful that we have three new temples built! It's like building lighthouses throughout the world that will bless people everywhere, whether they be members of our church or not.

We've been very busy these past couple of weeks and I will post on that later on...right now, I'm busy: talk to you after Conference :) Would you like to join me? Here's the link: www.lds.org. I promise you that you will feel edified and strengthened by words of truth and wisdom.

Levi's Birthday and an amazing date!

2011-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Levi's present (don't you love the Eiffel Tower I found?)

We had a good time celebrating Levi's 29th birthday. It truly was the first time that I made an effort since we are not so much struggling financially as when when we were students. We went to a Thai restaurant with Joel's family and came home for cake and presents. I gave him a blown up picture of the London Temple that we took when we were there and framed it. Levi's been catching up on his artistic skills and since he's expressed the desire to write and illustrate children's books, I got some blank books from the BYU bookstore for his birthday as well.

The girls making faces while waiting for Daddy to come home.

Eve's drawing of our family (with an addition?

Thai food is our favorite!

Last night, we went on our first date in 8 months! Mia, Levi's sister, was organizing a charity event on BYU campus to bring awareness on abuse and inspire us to stand up and act if we were witnessing signs of possible abuse, like what you would see on the show "What would you do?". It was the BEST date ever! She arranged for Alex Boye, one of the Mormon Tab. singers to come and perform. Alex is actually a friend of Paul's (Levi's older brother) and knew Levi and Mia growing up. He's from England and moved a few years back to join the choir. His performance was mind blowing and included splits and impersonations of Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Richie, etc. The event ended with a dance on jazz music. It was a ball so I got spoiled with a formal dress. Here is a link to the Daily Universe article on it: http://universe.byu.edu/node/14769

Mia's speech was inspiring!

Alex Boye: what an entertainer!

London, Baby!

2011-02-25T14:14:00.000-08:00

A week before we left for the States, I had the chance to spend a day in London where I met with one of my best friends who was on her way to Paris coming back from Vietnam. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I found out the night before that she was stopping in London and didn't really plan this trip: I love doing something in the spur of the moment!

It was so liberating to go on this adventure on my own, no kids on tow. As much as I love being a mom, traveling and exploring a city like London with young children is more a nightmare than a dream come true! So I left early morning, without a diaper bag or PB&J sandwiches or sippy cups, feeling like I had forgotten or lost something.

Since I had some extra time before meeting up with my friend, I took the Underground and went to the British Museum (which is free, by the way) and took some random touristy pictures:

A traditional double-decker

St Pancreas

The British Museum

Statue of Gandhi

Once we were reunited, we opted to go to China Town, which consists of one street in the middle of town, where we ate at a sushi restaurant. The menus were written in mandarin, so I was not quite sure what I was ordering, but my friend, being a regular, helped me out so I would avoid ordering something too exotic ;)

My dear friend and her brother

After a great lunch and even better conversation, we strolled in the main avenues and ended our promenade in Harrod's.

FYI: this phone booth had a terrible stench of pee, so I had to hold my breath for the picture

Fountain in Harrods with a display of raw fish (?)

Harrod's is the chicest store in London and it has a strict dress code. You are not allowed to wear your backpack, you have to carry it in your hand. This is what I found on Trip Advisor: It prohibits: "...ripped jeans, high cut Bermuda or beach shorts, swim wear, athletic singlets, cycling shorts, flip flops or thong sandals, dirty or unkempt clothing." Furthermore "Any extremes of personal presentation are prohibited as are bare feet and exposed midriffs." Ironic that Harrods may SELL some of these same fashions.

A dreamy princess cake: look at the price tag, close to 3,200 dollars!

Chocolate shoes and purses: to die for!

Fruit made out of marzipan (this one is for my sister who loves marzipan)

Finally, we bought some Harrods cheesecake and since it was close to closing, it was buy one get one free!

I saved a piece for Levi who stayed home with the kids while I was having fun! Thanks, love!

There is so much more to see in London, but that was all I was able to do in one day. I would love to go back and spend 3-4 days discovering London, but it's even better if you go with someone who is familiar with the city.

Have you ever eaten a coconut?

2011-02-24T20:34:00.000-08:00

Last night we went grocery shopping as a family. We were on our way to the cash register when I spotted a case of coconuts and that sight took me back to when I was 7 and my father brought a coconut home. I was fascinated as I watched my dad break it open, pour the milk into a glass and chipped the inside a piece at a time. Since then, I have loved coconut in all of its forms and shapes: pina-colada, coconut curry, coconut macaroons, etc. So, in the spur of the moment, I grabbed a coconut in the hope to create the same experience with Eve.

I think that's what I love most about being a mother: I can rediscover the world with my children and find a renewed interest and fascination for little things that have lost their value over time. I get excited when I think of all the things that I can introduce my children to.

So, I am curious to know, what is it that you love doing with your children? what activities remind you of your childhood? What is the latest thing that you watched them discover?

Back in the USA

2011-02-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know. I am the worst blogger EVER. I will be truly amazed if anyone even acknowledges this new post as I am sure you have all given up checking on my sad little page.

Most of you know by now that we have moved back to the States. After spending Christmas in Paris with my family, Levi and I did some soul-searching and some intense praying. Removed from our situation in England, with me overworked and Levi undermotivated to study, we took a hard look at the past 6 months and realized that our family was paying too great of a price, especially once Levi came to the conclusion that he could not see himself working as a doctor. He would come home from school and instead of being excited or passionate about what he had learned that day, he would say: "I saw the most disgusting thing today" or "I cannot picture myself touching people on a regular basis". Finally, we knew that we would eventually move back to the States, so if Levi decided that he was not going to finish Med School, then there was no point for us to remain in England (except for the amazing Warwick branch).

Miraculously, Levi found a job in Utah and was invited to interview. It was at that point that we rushed to get some tickets to SLC and started packing. The day before we left, I got terribly sick with the flu and I almost passed out when we were checking in at the Gatwick airport. The flight was a blurr and it took me a week to recover. Thankfully, Levi's brother put us up until we found a place of our own so I was able to rest. I had never been so sick to the extent that I lost my appetite and lost 4 pounds that first week (don't worry I gained it all back :( ).

Levi got that job and we moved to Lehi. I am still getting used to the area: I get lost almost every time I go to the grocery store! Not a week had gone by when I got hit while driving on the freeway. Our car was totaled, sandwiched between two cars, as the car behind me projected us into the car in front of us. Miraculously, the girls and I walked out of it safe and sound, except for a whiplash that receded in the days that followed.

So for the past couple of weeks, we've been hunting for another car while driving in a brand new rental car paid for by the party-at-fault's insurance. It was incredibly hard not to justify buying a new car and making payments and even harder to go from this new 2010 Nissan to the 98 Honda that we finally found on KSL.

When I tell our story to people, such as our new neighbors, I always end up saying: "Our family does not know how to simplify". I feel like we've had adventures and trials to last a lifetime, but our struggles pale in comparison to some, such as the family in our new ward whose new baby boy had to undergo a heart transplant at 3 months and whose life hangs by a thread every time he is exposed to germs, who had to go to the hospital because he had a cold. The baby has to take steroids that basically disables his immune system so that his body does not reject the new heart he has been given.

After all is said and done, I feel extremely blessed and I realize how much I have learned from our experience in England, and how much I have yet to learn. We are very happy to be back in Utah, although we miss our little branch. It was the hardest thing to leave the great friends we have made and realize that our church participation will not quite be the same. In our neighborhood alone, I counted more that 5 chapels within a mile radius and I remember how we had to take 2 buses to get to church in Warwick. Our prayers are with the members of this branch who sacrifice a lot to make it to church on Sunday.

I apologize for our prolonged silence and for not announcing our return, but we felt it would be best to come back by the back door as we were not very proud of ourselves to give up on our plan A without even having a plan B.

Early to rise, late to bed

2010-11-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

Abbey Fields on a rainy day

Today I got up exceptionally early for me. 5:45 AM. Eve woke up first, then she woke Sophie up. Granted they both have colds and their airways being plugged do not allow them to sleep soundly, but still...since I started working in the evening, Levi has been on night shifts at home. I thought that the kids would have gone over their jet lag by now, but Eve, being Eve, she is still adjusting to the move (so am I) and to her new surroundings (or maybe I am just in denial that she still needs the reassurance of her mom's presence, especially since I am not home at dinner and bedtime). Sophie has always been an exceptionally great sleeper, until she's been in the same room as her sister whose nightlife wakes her up. Ok, just saying that I have been known to sleep in until 9-10 while Levi gets ready for school, feeds the kids breakfast and makes sure that they have some movie playing for the next hour after he leaves for school. By the time I make it out of bed, the house is a mess and I spend the rest of the day cleaning it up until I leave for work to get home around midnight. You get the picture.

So I am very PROUD of myself for getting up early, making breakfast, doing the dishes, and making the grocery list before 8 AM.

It's never a good sign when I neglect posting on my blog. It either means that I am overwhelmingly busy or worse. These past couple months, I have been worse. I know that I can be overly dramatic at times, but it seems we are living through the hardest times of our lives. Things have not been going as planned in so many ways. We have doubted our decision to live in England and even to go to medical school several times, but I also got extremely homesick for Utah. Moving to another country where you've never lived before is hard. It reminded me of when I first moved to the States to live with my sister. The first few weeks, I was excited to meet new people, to try new foods, ride in big cars, and catch up with my sister and her family. But after I settled, it was back to normal life and responsibilities: applying for a SS#, looking for a job, having some socially awkward moments while trying to make friends, and having to ask for rides to go anywhere.

However, we have had some good moments here and there. It helps having a family: Levi and the girls always manage to cheer me up. I also thank our branch for keeping me sane. Having a calling has kept me thinking of others when I felt most sorry for myself.

Here's some proof that we are actually making the most of our new home:

Shakespeare's childhood home in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Levi and Hamlet: constant indecisiveness

It's looking a lot like Christmas

Add caption

The signature double-decker

Walking her bike up the hill

Celebrating my B-day with great friends

No words can describe the joy of motherhood

2010-10-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

2010-10-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

Whenever I move, I put on weight...when I moved to the States after graduating from high school, I indulged in All-American foods that came in super-sizes. Now that we've moved to England, I have been "discovering" the very peculiar British cuisine. They have amazing chocolates and such a huge variety of it, but also they are good at pastries. It seems that the British love savory and fatty food most of all, such as fries, sausages, chips, and fried fish. They eat as many sausage rolls as the Western Americans eat burritos and tacos. In fact, it usually serves as a substitute for sandwiches for lunch. I haven't tried these myself, but I have noticed that I eat fatter foods than ever before.

Working in the hotel restaurant doesn't help. Although we are not allowed to eat while working, the smells work my appetite so bad that as soon as I get home, I feel like eating a proper meal...after midnight. I work from 5 to 11 PM 5-6 days a week. During those hours, I am on my feet pretty much all the time, running from the door to the tables to sit the customers and give them the menus, then I am off to the bar to get their drinks, then to the kitchen to get their orders. In between all of this, we have to keep the place clean, relay the tables as soon as the customers have left, walk around to ask if everything is alright, and sometimes do the room service. It is very physical work...it seems harder than when I worked at McDonalds for a year and a half, although we have much more time to deliver our services.

The first week, my feet were killing me. I tried to wear heels, since I have to dress smart, but I soon gave up on that idea: I got severe blisters and had to keep working through the pain. My legs got really sore and it would hurt getting up the next day...I was literally crawling out of bed. Now, I have gotten used to it, but I am exhausted most of the day and feel ravenous after getting up in the morning and I sometimes eat 2 big bowls of cereal for breakfast and still feel hungry.

It took me awhile to get used to grocery shopping here as I didn't know what most of the products were. For example, I was looking for whole wheat bread and found out that here, they call it "wholemeal"...which doesn't make sense. Nutrition facts are displayed differently and I discovered that things that appear healthy usually are not...like the box of "quarter pounder" paddies that turned out to be mostly made of a mix of chicken fat (48%!)and onion...no wonder it was on sale!

I haven't dared buy a scale for fear of knowing how much I have actually gained. I feel that weight loss and weight control are the cause of much of my being so self-centered...If I think so much about what I can or cannot eat, when I should exercise and what type of exercise I should do, without mentioning the guilt felt when I indulge, then that leaves very little room for others. I hope that someday I can make peace with my body and fully enjoy food.

Honestly, Yours

2010-10-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

Since I had Eve and Sophie, I have been terrible at keeping up with my journal. It's only when I am going through a really hard time and need to express my feelings or when I am thinking about a decision that needs to be made that I open my journal. When I moved to England, I promised to a few friends that I would blog often, so I have decided to combine those two activities and try to be as honest in my writing as possible. You see, one of my biggest fears in life is to offend people...which is why I did not pursue my passion for politics: I just could not argue about issues and I didn't want to compromise, so I folded. Some of you may have noticed that I apologize constantly...I could go as far as apologizing for breathing if I felt that the person next to me couldn't stand me. So in the past, I have tried to remain as PC as possible when writing in my blog. From now on, I would like to write things as they come, as I am experiencing them instead of showcasing the content of my apartment, or trying to give the impression that I live a perfect little life and have the perfect family.

I have been reading lately...yes, I know...shocking. I have not picked up a book for pleasure since 2008, I think. I read quite a lot for my thesis and needed a break. I used to love reading while growing up, but I realized that as good as my conversational English may be, I still struggle to enjoy reading in that language. I can lose myself in a French book, but there's no passion for me when reading in English, in any genre. One day, when we were at the Kenilworth Library to get some kids' books, I spotted a book on display entitled "Confessions of a bad mother" and could not resist it. As I get more into it, my confidence as a mom has tremendously increased...you see, I have good spells and bad spells of motherhood. I can be what I consider a great mom for a period of time, but then I become a bad mom and cycle every so often.

I have always been in awe of my talented friends who enrich their family's life with gourmet dinners, handmade home decorations, scrapbooking and party planning. Yes, you know who you are. I have made some poor imitations of their remarkable work and recipes and I am always extremely nervous when I have people over, I never feel adequate. The same is true about my parenting style: there are days I am actually surprised to be a mom and even want to bail out of it...I think it started before Eve turned 2 and began throwing tantrums. No matter what we do, she still melts down at least twice a day about silly little things, like the cup I gave her for dinner, or not being able to wear the same pink shirt every single day, or when we turn the dvd player off (even though I had warned her that it was her last show).

I think that the other thing that keeps me from being a great mom all the time is the fact that I am very SELF-ABSORBED. I think of myself way too much and it seems I am going through my teens over again where I think I am the center of the world, that my feelings and circumstances matter more than anyone else's. In theory, I know better, but in my thoughts and attitude I can be quite selfish. Wow...I cannot believe I actually wrote it down. Maybe this is going to be a turning point for me. Writing it down may actually help me change.

Well, it's past midnight already. I worked at the hotel until 10:30 PM...I will tell you more about it tomorrow. Good night everyone.

Did you know...?

2010-09-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

Did you know that in England, you are allowed to put your baby's car seat on the front passenger seat? When I first saw that, I thought I should report the owner of the car for recklessly endangering the life of his/her child...then I realized that most car seats were installed on the front seat...It must be more convenient, since most cars are 3-door cars, but still, after the car-seat boot camp I attended in Provo, Utah, it is still hard for me to let go.

Did you know that most two-way streets only have one accessible lane: since most people park on the side of the road,they end up shutting half of the lane off, on both sides of the street, leaving a middle pathway for two-way traffic. That means, that if you are driving in such a street, you have to gauge the time it will take for the car coming from the opposite direction to cross your path and eventually either one of you have to yield the right of way by parking behind parked cars until the car has passed...it's quite tricky and scary and is one of the main reasons why you won't see me behind the wheel anytime soon!

Did you know that in England, Kindergarten is called "Reception" and starts at the age of 4? Which means Eve will be starting school next September...luckily, her birthday is in October so she'll be turning 5 soon thereafter. As much as I love education (teaching is my passion!), I personally think that 4 is quite early for full-time school and I am not ready to let go of my little princess from 9 to 3:30 PM. Eve already LOVES going to preschool, which starts at 12:30 and goes until 3:30...she cries when I come pick her up and never wants to go home. She begs me to let her stay for lunch as well and quite likes the idea of boarding school (say what?!).

Did you know that it takes at least 3-4 weeks to get a landline in the country? Oh. My. Goodness. And then our phone didn't work, so we had to go at some friends to call the company to repair the line because the calling number is only free IF you call from a landline but is outrageously expensive on a cell phone. The agent then proceeded to tell us that IF the repairman cannot fix the line from the outside of the house and has to come into our flat (apartment in British English), then they would have to charge us an extra 125 pounds (about $200)!!! Totally insane...it is things like that that really makes me miss the States so much!

Did you know that EVERYONE recycles here? Every other week, the garbage truck takes your recyclable items, AS LONG AS they are properly stored in the RED tubs and bags...but IF they happen to show or if the lid is not TIGHTLY closed, then the men in the neon yellow jackets won't touch it! Oh bother...

If you have any questions about England or the English, feel free to post them in your comments and I'll attempt to find the answer for you.

Church matters

2010-09-08T03:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who live in Provo, you know that we used to live right across the street from the chapel and that it took us a mere couple minutes to get to church every Sunday. Here, our meetinghouse is located in Warwick a few miles away and it's not bad at all if you have a car, but since we have to rely on the bus, we literally have to leave an hour in advance. We meet at 10 AM, but we have to take 2 buses in order to arrive to our destination and because of the buses schedules, we have to wait 30 min for our connecting bus...

I told Levi that we really have to have a strong testimony to maintain our church attendance despite the difficulty of going to our meetings with 2 young children! I'm thinking of booking a taxi next Sunday, at least to get there...because I cannot stand being late and so far we've never been to church on time and we usually miss Sacrament. I guess we'll be buying a car sooner that we thought...which might not be so bad ;)

Have you noticed that Eve and Sophie are already wearing coats? Yes, it is that cold on the first week of September! We thought we could pass the time but doing a little photoshoot at the bus stop...believe me, we were not smiling by the time we reached the chapel...but not to worry, the smiles came back once we were visiting with our friends of the branch.

We have felt so welcomed and accepted by the members of our branch that we look forward to going to church every Sunday (until we have to wait for the bus). Every member is so different and unique and their situation and circumstances vary so dramatically: there are quite a few young families and some older people, but not many in between. Despite the generation gap, I think they all get along well. There are members from Hawaii, Romania, Montana, Mauritia, and of course me.

At first, I really didn't know how to introduce myself: Polish, French, or American? Ironically all three of these countries are somewhat at odds with England; as you know the English and the French have been eternal rivals, the Americans somehow manage to offend everyone, but especially their "country of origin" who never forgave them for rebelling against the king, and the Poles are accused of stealing the jobs of the English, just as the Mexicans have been accused of taking the jobs of the Americans...so I can't win! No...it's all good fun (as Levi would say), I have not personally met anyone who has been offended by my presence on British soil, and believe me, I'll let you know when I do.

There are approximately 60 members in the branch. There is one investigator who attends church regularly: P. and she has a son who is Eve's age. After the missionaries and the branch president told me about her and her situation, I felt that I wanted to get to know her and be her friend...I remember attending church before my baptism and being confused and lost at times, and I wish I had someone I could have just ask questions point blank, without fear of offending them or making them feel uneasy. I enjoy this missionary opportunity, but more than that, I can see how crucial it is for members to befriend visitors and investigators to relay the missionaries. P. has set a date for her baptism, but we are not confident that she has a testimony of the restoration, she seems to like church for the comfort of religious activity...it reminds her of when she used to go to church as a child (Roman Catholic Church) and it's more the habit of going to church and the feeling of belonging that seems to attract her. Maybe I'm wrong...I told her about the Visiting Teaching program and she was interested of having VT so I told the RS President...a week later, I found out I am her Visiting Teacher...yay!

Being here and feeling spiritually needed makes me want to be more diligent in my scripture study and prayer and I look forward to having a calling in order to serve the branch and grow closer to my Heavenly Father.

Living the DREAM

2010-09-07T09:48:00.001-07:00

Presenting Levi Selway, Doctor in Training

Levi started Med School yesterday and is loving being back at school...As you can see, he is taking it very seriously ;)

Presenting...your dinner host

2010-09-04T01:20:00.000-07:00

Last week, I started working for the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth. It's a 4-star hotel located about 2 miles from where we live. I have been hired as the dinner host which means that I greet the customers, check or book reservations, and show them to their table. If it is a slow night, then I get to help the staff get and serve the food. Honestly, it has been really fun to work in the evening as it gives me a chance to get to know people and interact with customers from all over England (and Europe). I am still getting used to standing on my feet all night, but when we're busy, I don't have the time to think about it. Also they have a great system for the night staff: if you finish work around 11-11:30 PM, they have a mini-bus who drops you off at your doorstep (for those of us who don't have a car). Here are a few more pictures of the hotel:

So if you're looking for a nice place to stay in the vicinity of Birmingham, Coventry, and Stratford-upon-Avon, I highly recommend our hotel. Plus it would give me a chance to personally see you and serve you!

Seriously now, this job is a blessing for us because it allows me to work in the evening and be home before midnight. Levi starts Med School on Monday (Hallelujah!) and he won't have to work at the pub anymore (he did for 2 weekends!) and I'll get a free stay in the company's hotels (21 in total) after a year's work (yay for perks!)...

I'll post some pictures of me wearing the uniform as soon as it arrives!

DetDet comes to town...all the way from Australia!

2010-08-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

Levi's sister came to see us on her way to Miami for a Zumba conference/training! In the few days we got to see her, she managed to spoil the kids rotten with matching wardrobes and noise-making toys (the kind that could drive the parents nuts!). Eve absolutely adored her Tata DetDet (no idea where she got her nickname, considering that her name is Celestia) as they took turns modeling for each other and taking pictures. I loved visiting with my sis-in-law as it's only been the second time we got to see each other since I met Levi.

Goodbye's the saddest word I ever hear...

2010-08-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

As promised, this post is dedicated to our dear uncle Juju, Tata Som, and cousins Cyan and Cyrus. When they moved from Michigan to Provo, we realized the joys of having family living nearby, since our families are quite spread out around the globe: Colorado, Canada, England, France, and Australia. Although we had made some great friends in the area, we loved being able to drop by, stay overnight, and play with family members. And in the past year and a half, we've gotten so much closer than I could have ever imagined. So, to them, I say, thank you from the bottom of my heart, to have opened your home and hearts. We love you and we'll never forget you nor your kindness!

Welcome to Kenilworth!

2010-08-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

After being apart for 5 weeks, our family is finally back together in England. The girls and I flew on the 10th, and amazingly, they were really good and slept most of the time. I almost lost Sophie's last pacifier, but miraculously, found it before boarding on the Chicago plane to London Heathrow. Levi picked us (and our 6 suitcases + double stroller) up in a rental car and we immediately drove to our new home, signed the contract and...went shopping for food and home essentials. We were absolutely exhausted, especially me, since I hadn't slept on the plane for fear that the girls would roll off their seats in their sleep, or worse, wonder off during mine. As soon as beds were made, we crashed and slept in until noon the next day.

The minute we drove into Kenilworth, I fell in love with it! It is a small historic village (not too small, it has a few grocery store, a couple post offices, and quite a few yummy restaurants) in the middle of Shakespeare country (20 min from Stratford-Upon-Avon, where the playwright was born) and the landscape looks like scenes taking out of Jane Austen movies...breathtaking.

Thankfully, we already knew a family who lived in town and gave us a few tips on settling down and getting started. They have been so helpful and kind, offering us rides to Ikea and the new Cosco. That definitely helped us break the ice and get to know other people in the area. It turns out that the husband was recently called as the President of our Branch of 60 members, so we also felt quite welcomed at church.

I am amazed at how quickly I felt at home here. I go running once in awhile and that helps me familiarize myself with the streets and admire the scenery. Here are a few shots of our little town:

Levi starts Med School in 2 weeks! It seems unreal that we are finally reaching our goals and moving forward. I am officially a Master of French Studies ;) but I am still waiting for my diploma to arrive in the mail, along with the bound copy of my thesis. Until then, I am still expecting to receive an email from BYU telling me that I failed to turn in some paperwork and therefore will have to wait until December to graduate! Hopefully, there won't be any cruel setbacks...

So, I know it is almost September, but nothing excuses the low temperatures and Fall-like weather we've been having over here...that's the only drawback so far...I miss the beautiful cloudless skies of Utah and the (Heaven forbid) oven-like heat of Provo.

Well, cheers for keeping up with us. See you lads (and lasses)!

2010-07-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know, I know...It's been FOREVER since I posted anything on my blog...the truth is that we have been insanely busy and that I am currently internet-less, computer-less, car-less, and TV-less...sigh* But worst of all, I am Levi-less and have been for 2 weeks. As you know, we're moving across the Atlantic, so Levi left at the beginning of the month to set things up before me and the girls join him. Ironically, he left on the 4th of July...oh that British pride!

In the meantime, I have been busy finishing things up for my masters...yes, I defended my thesis...and yes, I had tons of corrections to make on it, but it's over! I am now enjoying being a 100 % mom, going to the swimming pool and the park and wherever the kids feel like going.

Last week, I had to go to San Fransisco in order to pick up Sophie's French passport (waiving the need for a visa) at the Consulate, and although I enjoyed visiting a new place, it was very hard to adapt being on my own for the first time (kidless and husbandless) even for a day. I got to see the ocean, but as I stood there, I thought: "what's the point if I cannot share this experience with Levi or the girls?" Marriage and family give meaning to my life...I realize every day we are apart how much I need my husband, not because I am weak or incapable, but simply to enjoy the full flavor of every moment. The highlight of my trip was that I got to visit with my dear friend, Jen...We talked and talked as if we had never been apart.

So basically we have two more weeks to say goodbye to our lovely neighborhood and dear friends in Utah.

My conversion story

2010-06-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I had the opportunity of giving a talk at Church and I shared my conversion story. Since I typed it up...just in case I forget any detail, I thought I might share it with you too.

It’s been almost 7 years since I joined the Church, but my relationship with God and Jesus Christ started long before that. I was born in the Polish town of Krakow during the Cold War; when I was still a toddler our family moved to Paris, France with the intent of immigrating to the States. For financial reasons, we never made it out of Paris and I grew up in what is considered the most romantic town in the World, although I personally cannot testify of the truthfulness of that statement. My parents were non-practicing Catholics; however, when I was 5, my mother was searching for a greater purpose in life and she found God in the Assembly of God. From that point on, we went to every church services which were held on Tuesday and Friday nights and twice on Sunday. Every time we went to church, I felt at home, safe and at peace. Mine became a love story between Christ and me: I found joy in listening and singing hymns, participating in the church choir and participating in the yearly “March for Jesus”, where we would gather with other congregations and walk through the streets of Paris singing hymns and handing out pamphlets and Gospels of John. Although I was being teased and shun at school for my love of the Gospel, I knew that He mattered most and that I could always find refuge at church.

Years later, my faith in the Lord was unshaken but I was thirsty for more…I had known about the Church for years since my sister had joined when I was 7, but I did not even think of giving it a chance as I had been told it was fraud and obscure sect. When I ended up moving with my sister and her family, I gave myself the mission of showing them that they had been blinded by the “teachings of men” and I thought that it would be best for me to know what they believed in order to prove them, Bible in hand, that theirs could not be God’s church.

For 2 years, I had many a Gospel discussions with my sister and agreed to meet with the missionaries. At times, I could feel the burning of the Spirit within me, testifying of the truth, but every time, I would repress it, out of pride. Each time the missionaries invited me to read the Book of Mormon, I refused to open it, convinced that, if it had led so many astray, it must have some satanic compelling power. At last, I decided I should read it with the Bible open, side by side…with the intention of finding some contradiction to the teachings of the Bible.
I realized, after a while, that it was a fruitless endeavor: not only could I not find any contradiction, but my heart was also closed to the promptings of the Spirit. So I knew I had to humble myself and turn to God, and actually trust in Him to guide me towards the truth.

It was at that turning point that I started attending BYU: that first semester, I attended a BYU ward, even accepted a calling and gave a talk in sacrament meeting, despite not being a member of the Church! By the end of the semester, I had planted the seed of faith, but I did not yet have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Church, of the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith, or of the Book of Mormon as scripture. I was driving back to my sister’s for the summer and I was compelled to earnestly pray for guidance.

I said something like this: “Heavenly Father, I am so confused. I feel so happy and peaceful when I talk with the missionaries as if they were telling me something that I already knew deep down inside, but I am scared to get baptized, because I do not want to commit unless I am absolutely sure that this is the true Church. I need your help, please tell me if it is true.” At that very moment, I heard a voice inside of me and the unmistakable burning in my bosom. And the voice clearly said: “You already know the answer to that question.” I cannot describe the overwhelming feeling of joy that filled my entire being as I started to cry.

As soon as I arrived at my sister’s, I picked up the phone and called the missionaries. When they came the next day, I immediately told them of my desire to be baptized, and a couple of weeks later, I entered the water of baptism.

2010-05-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

So we don't have internet at home anymore...which is why we have not been posting anything for awhile. You probably guessed we're staying busy with getting ready to move to England and working on the thesis, which I plan to defend by the end of June.

On a serious note, Saturday night, I went to the grocery store to get some last minute items for Sunday and to my surprise, all of the parking entrances to our Smith's grocery store were blocked by police cars...nobody could go in or out. I knew it was quite serious because reporters were standing at the main entrance with cameras. Turns out there had been a shooting in the customer service section...a 35 year old man was caught shoplifting a 12-pack beer as he was reaching the exit. He got upset as two employees tried to take him to the back office...and they decided to call the police when he started being aggressive and physical. When the police got to the store, they noticed he had a gun on him which he took out. After attempting to use a spun gun to no avail, they warned him to drop his gun or else. 8-10 gun shots were heard, as all the customers and employees dropped to the floor. The shoplifter died on the scene...what a waste of a life...all that for shoplifting 12 cans of beer.

The Daily Universe wrote an article on the story: Man killed at local grocery store | Universe.byu.edu

Celebrate good times...come on!

2010-04-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hip Hip Hooray! Levi finally got his email of acceptance to the University of Warwick, England for Medical School. Needless to say, that news was welcomed with shouts of praise and chicken dancing around the kitchen. I should have known that our eternal marriage would be an eternal adventure, given Levi's decision making skills! I'm really excited for him and a tad nervous about the ordeal of moving to a foreign country (again!) with 2 kids, and settling down (making new friends, etc.). Thanks for holding your breath for us.

House Fighting

2010-04-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

We are going CRAZY over here. Our lives seem to have been on hold ever since Levi went to interview at Warwick, in the middle of March. We're checking his email constantly while reading a forum for prospective students waiting to hear back whether they got in or not. This week, there were quite a few who had received an email from the school, so we waited for ours....and we're still waiting.

Last night, Levi sent an email to the admissions office since they specifically told him that they would not give him an answer over the phone, and when we woke up this morning, we got an email saying that we should call (!?) but the school has a funny thing about working only until 2 PM on Fridays and...you guessed it, it was 2:30 PM English time by the time we read that email. Which means another 3 days of hand-wringing, nail-biting, hair-pulling for us.

I literally went BALLISTIC and all of the anxiety and expectation of the past month surfaced and I let it out: I wished we had a boxing ring and gloves so I could go to town and get it out of my system, but Levi had to do. We had quite a (playful) fight session like we sometimes do when we need to get stress out of our system...but I'm thinking of acquiring a punch bag for when I'm totally enraged or out-of-control, for Levi's sake.

Sorry, I had to vent some more. Now for fun, here's a picture of a female cage fighter who "must hold back a bit sometimes"...since I can relate:

And the scary part: she also is a mother of 3 teenagers! If you want to read more, here's the link.

Levi's latest trip to England in pictures

2010-04-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

GOOD FRIDAY

2010-04-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today, we remember Christ's Last Supper and His Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross of Calvary.

In honor of this day, Eve and I dyed some Easter eggs and I will make some Hot Cross Buns (pictured above).

This picture collage customized with Smilebox

IF you would like to try this recipe, I found mine on simplyrecipes.com. Here it is:

"Hot cross buns are spiced, slightly sweet yeast rolls studded with currants and sometimes candied citron. Their signature characteristic is the cross on the top of the bun made with frosting, white pastry dough, or cuts in the dough. The dessert acts as a reminder of the crucifixion and is a traditional treat on Good Friday on the Christian calendar. Its origins date back to the Saxons who marked buns with a cross to honor the goddess Eostre, the goddess of light, whose name eventually morphed to Easter. Hot cross buns are easy to make only requiring time and patience for the dough to rise twice in order to create a special Easter treat."

Ingredients

1 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm milk
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons ground spices (for example, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)
1 teaspoon salt
4 Tbsp butter, softened
2 eggs, room temperature (if taking right out of the fridge, let sit in warm water for a few minutes to take the chill off before using)
3/4 cup currants (can sub half of currants with chopped candied citrus peel)
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Glaze

1 egg
1 Tbsp milk

Frosting

1 teaspoon milk
3 to 4 Tbsp powdered sugar

Method

1 In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the warmed milk and one teaspoon of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

2 In a large bowl or the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, vigorously whisk together 3 cups of the flour (reserving additional flour for later step), the salt, spices, and 1/4 cup of sugar.

3 Create a well in the flour and add the foamy yeast, softened butter, and eggs, and the remaining milk. Using a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer, mix the ingredients until well incorporated. The mixture should be shaggy and quite sticky. Add in the currants, candied peel, and orange zest.

4 If you are using a stand-up mixer, switch to the dough hook attachment and start to knead on low speed. (If not using a mixer, use your hands to knead.) Slowly sprinkle in additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, kneading to incorporate after each addition, until the flour is still slightly tacky, but is no longer completely sticking to your fingers when you work with it.

5 Form a ball of dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit, covered, at room temperature (or in a warm spot) for 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.

6 Press down on the dough to gently compress it. Roll the ball of dough into a log shape and cut it into two halves. Place one half back in the bowl while you work with the other half. Take the dough half you are working with and cut it into 8 equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is to roll it into a log, cut it in half, then roll those pieces into logs, cut them in half, and then do it again, roll those pieces into logs, and cut them in half.

Take the individual pieces and form them into mounds, placing them 1 1/2 inches apart from each other on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and then work the remaining dough into 8 equal pieces and place them in mounds on a baking sheet, again cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough mounds sit at room temperature (or warm place) to rise again, until the mounds have doubled in volume, about 30-40 minutes.

7 Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare egg wash by whisking together one egg and a tablespoon of milk. If you want, you can score the top of the buns with a knife in a cross pattern. You will want to make fairly deep cuts, for the pattern to be noticeable after they're done. Using a pasty brush, brush on the egg wash over the dough mounds. The egg wash will give them a shiny appearance when cooked.

8 Place in the middle rack of the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the buns are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool.

9 To paint a cross on the top of the buns, wait until the buns have cooled (or the frosting will run). Whisk together the milk and the powdered sugar. Keep adding powdered sugar until you get a thick consistency. Place in a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off a small piece from the corner of the bag and use the bag to pipe two lines of frosting across each bun to make a cross.

Makes 16 buns.

Are we forgetting about Easter?

2010-03-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was sitting at church and suddenly I realized that there had been no mention of the upcoming celebration of Easter, and next week being General Conference (meaning we would not have our regular church meetings), it was sad to me that we seemed to have forgotten one of the most important Christian holidays. After our meetings were over, instead of saying "have a good week" to the people I was passing by in the hallway, I started greeting them with a "Happy Easter" instead.

To me, Easter is as significant, if not more, as Christmas, because it celebrates the resurrection of Christ and gives us hope in eternal life. I am indebted to my Savior for his sacrifice and sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross on Calvary: it is the greatest expression of love ever given to mankind, and I testify that through Christ we have access to forgiveness and to happiness. I testify that He lives

HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!

P.S. Easter falls on Sunday, April 4th, 2010!

2010-03-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Levi is back from his second trip to England. This time, he interviewed for a Medical School in Warwick. For your sake (and mine), I am including a map of England: Warwick is the red dot at the center of the map. Levi has a good friend attending this school who obligingly took him on a tour of the campus and of the nearby town where he lives. I will soon upload a few pictures he took during his stay to give you a better idea.

The interview seems to have gone well, although he doesn't want to raise his hopes up too much before hearing back from the school, which should be around April 12th at the soonest.

Meanwhile, the girls and I had a princess party with ice-cream and the likes. I love my girls, and I enjoy being the mom of girls to enjoy all the girly things that I did not really enjoy while growing up, being a tomboy myself ;) Levi is having a hard time accepting this interest for princesses and fairies, but what man really understands chick flicks and emotional eating?

Sophie's 9 month doctor's appointment showed that she had lost some weight...a few ounces...but for her defense, she is more active than ever: crawling, pulling herself to stand, going into the cupboards, etc. And she eats more than ever, so I am not worried, unlike her doctor. Eve has always been in the low percentiles, so in a way, I am relieved that her younger sister will not over-tower her (just kidding).

As always when he has a chance to go home, Levi brought back lots of goodies from his motherland: and as true to myself as ever, I managed to snurff down an entire bar of Cadbury chocolate this morning; now that I have eaten my entire caloric allowance, I have to make sure I restrain from eating for the rest of the day!

Rex Lee Run10 K, Baby!

2010-03-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you Summer for being such a great running partner...always consistent and ready to literally go the extra mile!

We ran 6.2 miles in 52:40 min for an average of 8:30 min per mile!

Next step: Provo City Half Marathon on May 1st!

I have had these shoes for 5 years now...and they allowed me to train and run the Logan Marathon in 2007 and endured the abuse of winter, the road and the mud, the rain and the snow. I think I should consider giving them a well earned retirement!

We are now in our training for the half-marathon and ran 8 miles today...every time I go running I feel incredibly blessed to enjoy this scenery- it is a runner's paradise:

Happy 28th birthday, Levi!

2010-03-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

For once, I planned ahead of time, and had plenty of surprises for my dear husband. Last night, I was conveniently going to study on my thesis so I picked up some ice-cream on my way home so we could do some pre-celebrations, just the two of us, while watching "Only Fools and Horses", a British TV show that happens to be running on Youtube.

This morning, I brought Levi breakfast in bed and one of his presents: 2 books on how to prepare for Med School and what to expect for the next 8 years!

His co-workers had made a note of his B-day too, they had 15 balloons staking his desk and they took him out to Gloria's Little Italy, a nice Italian restaurant in downtown Provo...AND bought a huge Costco chocolate cake.

Meanwhile, I baked his favorite cookies (pecan crescent cookies) after begging my sister for the recipe. And when he got home, he forwent the alfredo chicken & pasta to dig into those.

Finally Eve and I gave him his last present: I had contacted Levi's parents to ask them to send me some of his early childhood pictures, which I put in a nice memory book...and was he surprised! He had never seen these pictures before and he enjoyed seeing his mother (who passed away when he was only 7) on some of them. Shouldn't we also celebrate the mother who brought him into this world?

Finally, I would like to propose a toast to my amazing husband, who brought happiness into my life 5 years ago and made me see the world in colors...Here's to a loving father who drops everything to play with his 3 and a half old daughter and who gently wraps his arms around his 9 month old to cover her with kisses...the world's a better place because of him.

9 months later

2010-03-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Customize your own photo slideshow

Strange encounter

2010-03-03T17:02:00.001-08:00

Today I went to the Provo library with Eve and Sophie for Story Time: it's become a weekly event we look forward to. Well, today we arrived right when it was starting so we were not able to make our way to the front (especially with our bulky stroller) so while Sophie and I were happy to stay in the back, Eve made her way through the crowd and found a place to sit close to the story tellers.

I spotted a friend nearby and we started to visit when she brought to my attention a man in front of us carrying a gun at his belt. The gun was out in the open for all to see...meaning kids...now, I know that the law in Utah allows anyone to carry a concealed weapon, but I could not understand why a parent bringing his toddler to Story Time would feel the need to bring his weapon, so I assumed it was a toy to play with his son...even if it was, I thought it would still be inappropriate to wear it ostentatiously...my second thought was that he might be a police officer or a security guard.

After a few minutes went by, I just could not stop thinking about that gun in such an innocent setting so I gathered up my courage and approached the man. [I had noticed that his wife and son were with him, so he Here's how our conversation went:
Me: "Hi. Excuse me to bother you, but I couldn't help noticing...is this a real weapon."
Gunholder: "Yeah."
Me: "Hm...Are you a security guard or police officer?"
Gunholder: "No...Under Utah State Law I am allowed to carry a gun."
Then he gave me a "what-you-going-to-do-about-it" look, and I just walked off...had Eve been with us, we would have left immediately, but I couldn't get to her while carrying Eve and I really did not want to make a scene.

On my way out, I had to stop at the library security desk to ask the guard on duty if that was normal that anyone could walk in a public library with a gun for all to see...and she told me that the man should have checked with her upon entering the building to let her know, AND that he is supposed to keep it covered at all times.

Good to know... next time I go to the library I'll check at the entrance to see if anyone has declared his/her carrying a weapon...and still they would not be able to account for the guns carried by over-protective parents escorting their kids to Story Time.

2010-02-19T11:46:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your support regarding my thesis. I actually went to the library and checked out not one but 5 books on how to write a thesis ;) I have reevaluated my argument and I am happy to report that I have found new motivation to press forward.

On a sad note, Levi was not accepted at the York Medical School, UK; however, he was invited to another one in Aberdeen at the beginning of March, which means he might be flying there and back twice, since he still has an interview at Warwick.

Decisions, decisions...by far, the hardest we have to make. Let's see the Pros and Cons in going to school in the US and the UK:

US Medical School (Des Moines)

PROS

Excellent program & faculty
Moving Level of Difficulty: Fairly Easy
Familiarity of school system
Housing space & comfort

CONS

Tuition & living expenses $150,000
Crazy work load during residency: up to 100 hours per week [there's a reason they call us "the medical school widows"!]

UK Medical Schools

PROS

Tuition is only $5000 a year and if you apply for financial aid, the government usually pays for the last 3 years
Residency hours: there is a EU law stipulating that residency students cannot be assigned more that 50 hours per week...which means that Levi would not have to sacrifice his time with family

CONS

Moving halfway across the world = leaving our furniture and most of our belongings behind (which we have already done last year and it took us 6-8 months to start from scratch after that)
Leaving MY beloved country! I came with the American Dream and have been so happy here...and I'm scared to move to a foreign country where I will not be able to drive for awhile (getting used to driving on the left, going through major 3 lane-roundabouts, etc.)
I have been following the news on the BBC and the British economy is not looking good at all; according to recent reports, a fifth of all UK shops closed down! As a result, some towns are turning into ghost towns which could increase the crime rate. I'm a worrier, so it's not helping.

How to write a masters thesis...

2010-02-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

...and be a homemaker
...and a mother of 2
...and attempt to lose 20 lbs?

Forget the thesis, it looks like I have a best-seller on my hands!
Although, I don't think that demographics studies would find that many women who can fit all those categories at once, but maybe I could make a killing at the BYU Bookstore or at Deseret Books? Food for thoughts.

Anyways, you can tell that my efforts to write a 50+ page paper have not been very successful. It's more a stop and go ordeal; I find myself feeling guilty for being immersed in my books or on my laptop instead of playing with my girls..it has been all too easy to turn on the TV and put in a movie to prevent being distracted by: "Mom, can I have ...?" pleadings.

Last week, I resorted to going to the BYU library for 2-3 hours at night, after putting the girls to bed, but last time I tried that, I got an SOS from Levi saying that Sophie had woken up and needed to be fed, and she would not eat anything he offered, so the guilt crept back.

I figure that this is the last leg of the race, once I have this thesis written, I will graduate with my Masters and be stronger for it...then, I will be able to devote all my attention to my family. I figure that I have come so far and I am so close to the end that it would be foolish to give up now.

So, it's time for me to buckle up and get cracking...a friend once told me that whilst she was working on her thesis, it was always on the back of her mind...in a way, it's kind of like debt, no matter what you are doing or thinking, it's there, like a rain cloud in front of the sun. Yikes. It doesn't sound like I am any more motivated. Need. Help.

Sophie's crawling!

2010-02-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-04T09:52:00.001-08:00

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

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

2010-02-01T09:43:00.001-08:00

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!

2010-01-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-12-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

This is hilarious:

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

Enjoy!

Christmas Letter

2009-12-20T19:33:00.002-08:00

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.

2 weeks to go

2009-12-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, I cannot believe I am almost done with this semester: it is by far the hardest thing I ever had to do, to take 3 masters classes while being a mom of 2. For the next 2 weeks, I have to write 3 papers, so I am buckling down and overcoming my desire to procrastinate and turn in something mediocre. So wish me good luck and please do not be offended if you don't hear from me for the next 2 weeks...but be concerned if you haven't in 3! In the meantime, enjoy the snow, the hot cocoa, the Christmas decorating, and the warmth of your homes.

Guess what?!

2009-11-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Levi has been accepted to Rocky Vista University in Parker, Colorado! I am so proud of him and he is so relieved that he made it into Medical School. He had interviewed at another school in Ontario, California where he was put on the waiting list. We decided that he would not interview in Lake Erie or Des Moines where he has been invited as we feel very happy with living in Colorado. We have family in Colorado Springs and friends in Denver, plus it will be much easier to move there.
We are familiar with the landscape and the weather, and Colorado has the reputation of being the healthiest state of the United States! I used to live in Colorado before transferring to BYU and loved it there.

However, nothing is set in stone: Levi also applied to 4 Medical Schools back in England (yeah, crazy, I know) and he says that if he is invited to interview in one of them, he would go check it out. I am not ready to get rid of all our belongings again, but we'll see. He won't hear back until January and the interview will probably be held in March or April, so I have plenty of time to talk him out of it ;)

Halloween pictures

2009-11-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

Eve found a new passion: make-up. I have to make sure it is safely put away otherwise it might end up on the walls! For Halloween, she was a dancer/starlet...We did not go trick or treating (or begging as Bill Cosby calls it ;) ), but we attended the ward party the night before and got our share of treats!

5 months and cuter by the hour!

2009-11-08T19:56:00.001-08:00

I just cannot give enough kisses and cuddles to Sophie: she is such a joy in our home. One day, she was particularly fussy (quite unusual for her) so I decided it was time to bring out the solids: turns out she LOVES mashed bananas. She is a chubby baby with the rolls and all and we would do anything to make her smile. Being a mother is like rediscovering life and having a chance at doing it better: it seriously rocks!

Sweet November

2009-11-08T19:37:00.001-08:00

Every day I have been SO grateful for the amazing weather we have been having in Provo. The temperature has been quite mild and I decided to make the most of it: can you believe that we are still wearing T-shirts and going to the park every afternoon?

Great News

2009-10-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Today, Levi got approval for his Green Card, which means he can legally reside in the United States! Yay! It took us 10 months, but the wait is over. Levi & I had to go to the USCIS (Immigration) office in Salt Lake at 7:30 AM, and our friend (and Levi's American Mom) graciously invited us to stay the night before in their house, located 15 min away from the office. She also watched Eve and Sophie as no children are allowed during the interview. We were lucky to have our case reviewed by a very kind officer who checked our information and gave us her blessing. Now, Levi is able to apply for US Citizenship 3 years from now.

When my girls start dating seriously, I'll make sure they stay away from foreign students to avoid all the headache of paperwork filing, administrative fees, and nerve-racking waiting periods!

Hot Chocolate Anyone?

2009-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

What I love most about Winter coming is the Hot Chocolate Bonanza! When it rains or snows or gets unhealthily cold, I bring out Stephen's Roasted Hazelnut powder, mix with it with warm/hot MILK, and top it with whip cream and confetti (cake decoration stuff). The result is heavenly and I am ready to sign a peace treaty with the Winter front.

We have had some flurries yesterday, but the snow has not impeded my driving yet, which I am terribly grateful for.

Today, Eve started French Immersion Preschool and LOVED it! According to her teacher, she paid close attention and followed directions well...if only she could duplicate at home. All is well, though. I love my girls to death, they have made me whole and without them, I know I would be missing out on the funnest times of my life.

It's Autumn in the Valley!

2009-10-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Oh the fun of throwing leaves at each other...
Eve loved seeing her mom behaving like a kid for once.

Back to "normalcy"...sort of.

2009-10-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we celebrated more than Eve's Birthday...after a 10-month wait for Levi's work permit, he started working this Monday in the legal department of a local company called Neways. We are finally back to "normalcy" with Levi working from 8 to 5 every day and me at home with the girls. Oh wait! I still have to finish my last 3 classes...yeah, I'm still figuring out how I can be on campus Mondays and Wednesdays: I think we are going to sign Eve up for a French Immersion preschool we found here in Provo, which would allow me to attend my morning class...which means a lot of driving during those days. For my two afternoon classes, my professors have been really understanding and are overlooking my absences; however, it's going to be a greater challenge to stay on top of the reading and homework without the information given in the lectures. I am lucky to have a friend in one of them who gives me updates and shares her notes with me: Chrissie is also doing a masters in French Studies, and she is also the mother of 2, so we totally relate and try to support each other...it's motivating to know that I'm not alone in this. She even gave birth to her second at the beginning of this semester and still signed up for a class! Sometimes, I lose the vision of my pursuing my education...I think that I'm doing too much and I feel guilty for being pulled from my responsibilities at home, and it is hard to keep the goal in mind, it feels like it is taking too long to achieve...so thanks Chrissie for your example!

I confess that I am having a difficult time doing the work for my classes; at the beginning of the semester, I used to be very good at doing all of the reading and even taking notes on what I read, but now, I get easily distracted and once the girls are in bed, reading a 30 page essay is not my idea of relaxing, without mentioning the cleaning I still need to do: laundry, dishes, picking up toys, clothes, etc. I once told Levi that had I known that there was so much cleaning involved in having a family, I might have delayed our wedding and enjoyed the courting a bit longer ;) Anyways, I got to hold on at least until mid-december, after finals...wish me good luck!

Happy Birthday, Eve!

2009-10-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Eve has been talking about her birthday since April...by the time October rolled around, there was no way we could make it a surprise. She counted down the days until the 10th, giving us frequent reminders, just in case we may forget!
We invited 7 of her friends and cousins to celebrate the event and we're so happy they came! The fun thing is that her birthday conveniently fell on a Saturday, so we did not have to duplicate the celebration...Here are a few pictures of that MAGICAL day:

The night before, Levi and I decorated the kitchen and turned it into the Hundred Acre Woods (Guessed the theme yet?), so when Eve woke up she was enraptured by the transformation. We had crepes for a "formal" breakfast...

Afterwards, she played with Sophie and all the balloons while we were making the preparations for the guests:

The party started with a painting activity and puzzle making of Winnie the Pooh characters...

followed by the beating of a pinata (when our batteries unfortunately ran out)

We then had cake (made and decorated by the Macey's bakery) and ice-cream...

and then the "kids" raced their bike/trike or played soccer in the backyard

For the grand finale, we released about 50 balloons that they happily popped in less than 5 min.

More to come on "Mommy's thoughts".

Welcome to Pumpkinland!

2009-10-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Pumpkinland with the Joyschool this Friday. The fun ran out for the parents when we reached the corn maze: we had not thought that our 3-year-old kids could actually get lost in the corn! The chase was on, and believe me, it is no small feat to keep up with 4 toddlers while pushing a stroller!

Jacob, Lucas, and Eve kept fighting for the spots behind the billboards...doesn't Jacob look like a stud?

After the maze, there was a park with some farm animals (goats, ducks, rabbits) in cages: smelly and unsupervised, but the kids loved it!

And Eve's favorite part, the inflatables!

At the end of the visit, we could buy a pumpkin to take home. This attraction is actually located in the back of a garden shop, the Vineyard, I believe, and I would have never guessed it was there. Thanks Ashley for the idea!

Friends for all seasons

2009-10-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

Last night, Jacob and Lucas came to play with Eve. I have this concept that whenever we have friends over, I want them to have a blast and to make sure that they want to come back. So I made pizza and they had popsicles for dessert. Then, we made sugar cookies which they cut out and decorated...they were so excited to make all the Halloween shapes (courtesy of Rachel). When they were done, they ran around the house screaming and chasing each other...finally they watched Wallace & Gromit and played on the couch. Eve's been playing with Jacob quite a bit and they get along great...I wish they could grow up together, go to school together...

Today, we were thrilled to see Jen and her girls, visiting from Idaho...we had hotdogs (thanks to the beautiful weather we had) and cookies. We had planned on going to Pumpkinland with the kids afterwards, but when we got there, we found out that it wasn't open yet, so we opted for a day at the park...which ended quickly for us as Eve wet her pants and I did not pack extra clothes for her.

We got home to a hairless dad: Levi was in the process of buzzing his hair, despite my countless reminders that I really do not "fancy" that...I told him that it was a good thing that he had a month to grow it back before his permanent residency interview and his first medical school interview! At least I caught him before it got too short, whew!

A Season for Smiles

2009-09-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sophie is almost 4 months old, and we are thoroughly enjoying seeing her awaken to the world: the best part is that she smiles back at us and giggles when we tickle her. She has so many new face expressions every day that I keep my camera handy at all times.

And let us not forget her crazy sister:

Food for Thoughts

2009-09-22T12:55:00.001-07:00

"What we ponder and what we think about sets the course of our life.
Any day we wish, we can discipline ourselves to change it all.
Any day we wish, we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge.
Any day we wish, we can start a new activity.
Any day we wish, we can start the process of life change.
We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

"We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are.
We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves."
We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today."

Not Another Post About Running!

2009-09-19T14:40:00.003-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I started running with my friend Rachel, and it made the experience so much more enjoyable. Every time I don't feel like running, I am motivated by the thought that I don't want to let her down.

We have been running 2 miles every other day and we just increased our distance to 3 miles. As painful as it is, it feels SO good afterwards...and after a good shower.

We are going to sign up for a 5K soon, so I'll keep you posted...and FYI this is NOT a picture of me, that is, not yet!

It is so empowering to start the day with a good run (as lousy as it feels DURING the run), especially after having a baby. So if you're thinking about running, the key is to find a partner!

Gymnastics and Track

2009-09-17T12:21:00.001-07:00

This week, we taught the kids about the body and all the amazing things it can do, so we decided to illustrate our lesson by doing a Physical Activity Day.

This morning, Eve and Jacob went to their first gymnastics class and they had a TON of fun:

Soon after we went to the BYU Outdoor Track with Eve, Jacob, Jared, and Leyla:

The kids just ran and ran on the track and loved the open space, it went better than at the park and they jumped in the sandpit, climbed in the bleachers and on the winners podium...in short, it was a SUCCESS. Here's a little video to give you an idea of their newly found skills:

Who said school can't be fun?

2009-09-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

Thank You Cards - Random Thoughts

2009-09-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

I SUCK at writing Thank-You cards! I have meant to write a dozen of them to people who had been helpful during our times of trial and I keep stalling. I am VERY grateful to all of them, but for some reason, it's been hard to write a personal note. I'd rather do a service for them or bring some goodies. That's what I did after my baby shower, and I felt that they benefited more from candy than from a card that would eventually make its way to the rubbish (pardon my British).

After giving it some thought, I realize that it is a question of etiquette: a code of social behavior or conventional norms within a society. Writing Thank-You cards is an important rule of behavior in the United States, but it's not so prevalent in France: the French write Thank-You cards for gifts given at a wedding or for an exceptional occasion, or when the gift was sent by mail. Frankly, I have no recollection of ever seeing my parents write Thank-You notes throughout my childhood. I remember, however, writing a letter of gratitude to my sister who had sent us Christmas and Birthday presents from the States.

Therefore, the concept of writing Thank-You cards for services rendered is new and not customary to me. However, as I intend to spend the rest of my life in the Land of the Free, I need to embrace its Etiquette and stop postponing my duty...especially if I want to keep the good friends I have made thus far in my new Homeland!

Oh Happy Day!

2009-09-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

Oh joy! Guess what we received through the mail today? That's right! Levi's work permit! He is legally able to apply for jobs and work as many hours as he wants or needs to ;) I will no longer have to anxiously check the mailbox twice a day and we'll now return to a sense of normalcy after going through a period of cabin fever. It's been nice having my mom for a couple of months to keep our minds off our stressful situation.

The Sunday she left, we drove her to the SLC airport and were almost home when our van broke down. Thankfully we had gotten off the freeway a few minutes earlier and were less than a mile from home. We didn't have cellphones so we could not call for help, therefore, I walked home with our two girls, one in a stroller, the other in the kangaroo pouch and called a friend to help Levi tow the car. I did not write about this incident earlier because I was too discouraged; however, a friend in our ward is a good mecanic and he managed to repair our car. I am seriously impressed by those who can fix cars or even know what they are looking at under the hood.

So this is good...we're looking up and the sky is blue, the sun is shining!

Joyschool

2009-09-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

I have been debating over putting Eve in a preschool...she's turning 3, so she is still quite young but every day she asks to be with her friends and is showing signs that she is reading to learn in a more structured environment. Don't get me wrong: I am not looking to delegate my responsibilities as a mom, but since we speak French at home, I think she needs more exposure to English before she starts school. I toyed with the idea of homeschooling her, but I think that school would agree more with her personality and I don't want to confuse her with role changes, mother/teacher. I plan on being very involved with her learning progress, and I keep the fun stuff like taking her to the museum, the library, going on field trips, to the zoo, etc. I cannot leave out teaching by example and experience.

My friend and I have been talking of starting a JOYSCHOOL this year. It's like preschool except that it is the mothers who take turns teaching at their home. There is a theme for each month and the point is to introduce concepts and structure. I found a great website with tons of ideas...it's actually an LDS website, so if you are interested here's the link: http://www.valuesparenting.com/

Here's an extract:

Do-it-yourself Joy Schools involve from 3 to 6 mothers who rotate as teacher, holding Joy School in their homes twice a week using the detailed lesson plans from this site which include all the music, stories, games, and activities to learn and teach one kind of Joy each month.

The Joy School curriculum is built around joy -- with the philosophy that happy children become strong students and well adjusted adults. For three and four year olds, "J.Q." (Joy Quotient) is more important than I.Q. (Time after time we are told by kindergarten and first grade teachers that Joy School graduates do better in school than kids coming out of pushy, early-academics preschools.)

I am getting really excited about it...we are thinking of meeting 2 a week for lessons, but I'll let you know when our plans materialize ;)

Here's an outline for the 1st year:

Year 1 Joy School Lesson Plans
We recommend every child should begin with the Year 1 lesson plans, this is where the Joys are introduced. Make sure everyone in your Joy School group is on the same lesson plan (Year 1 or Year 2). Order of lessons (each lesson contains 4-8 modules):

The Joy of the Body
The Joy of the Earth
The Joy of Honesty and Candor
The Joy of Communication and Relationships
The Joy of Sharing and Service
The Joy of Goal Striving
The Joy of Obedience and Decisions
The Joy of Interest and Curiosity
The Joy of Spontaneous Delight
The Joy of Trust and Confidence
The Joy of Individual Confidence and Uniqueness
The Joy of Imagination and Creativity
The Joy of Family Security, Identity, and Pride

If you cringe at the idea of paying registration and tuition fees, you can create your own lessons based on the outline...but it will definitely take more time.

I like your style

2009-09-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

I have made a point not to introduce Eve to princesses and barbies, and it looks like she has figured out the lady thing anyway: she loves heels, dresses, clip-on earrings, and make-up (I put my make-up on a high shelf to avoid disasters, but she got a hold of my lipstick and after putting it on her face, she enjoyed coloring her walls with it)...as you can see on this picture. To my questions, her only reply was "no comment": she is living the life!

Somehow, she heard about "magic wands", so I promised her she could have one for her birthday...which means that every day she asks me for it. Today, when I dropped her off at nursery, she found a purple stick used for banging on a drum, but to her it became a magic want and she was quite unhappy when I told her she had to leave it. Ah, to be a child again!

She loves to dance and sings to herself in front of a mirror: she's a little diva...with the attitude!

Ogden Marathon 2010 here I come!

2009-08-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

The madness is back...I went on www.hulu.com where you can watch movies on the internet and found a jewel: Spirit of the Marathon. It got me all wired on running again, as crazy as it sounds and I plan on running the Ogden Marathon on May 15th...if I survive the training, that is.

If there are any of you out there who wish to join me (come on, I know you want to do it, deep down inside), go to the following website http://www.getoutandlive.org/
Registrations open on October 1st, 2009, so you still have a few weeks to motivate yourself!

The Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House

2009-08-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

This was the first temple open house we had gone to and we were very impressed with how well organized it was: there were tents set up alongside the temple (with AC and electricity!) and there was a little video presentation for all visitors to prepare them to enter temple grounds, reminding us of the purpose of temples and that we were on sacred grounds. Then we had to follow a certain direction and path in order to start from the baptistery and finish in the sealing rooms where a couple missionary explained the significance of the 2 mirrors facing each other and representing how our family could be together forever. It was amazing to see not only Levi and I, but also our 2 daughters and my mom reflection. At the exit, there was another tent with volunteers handing out cookies and bottled water, yum!

Lucky...

2009-08-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend...
Levi came home yesterday from a hard day's work (construction work) holding a beautiful bouquet of roses with a vase to hold them. Those are rare occasions, but it's even better when it's unexpected, just because. It's another way to say "I love you"! Merci, cheri!

PS Thanks for all of you who expressed your support and replied to my cry for help. It's a work in progress...Raising a toddler is no piece of cake.

Create!

2009-08-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Help! I need somebody's help!

2009-08-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

To all of you mothers out there who have struggled with a defiant toddler, I am crying out for help. Eve is just not the same since Sophie was born and she's been defiantly doing naughty things. Now, you're going to tell me that she just wants more attention: believe me, we make sure that she gets plenty of POSITIVE attention, and yet she spitefully smacks Sophie when she's peacefully asleep or refuses to go to bed and melts down every five minutes, or so it seems. My mom has been staying with us and she has made remarks that maybe it's time to introduce the spanking (which I utterly refuse to do), but I do need an alternative. I mean, the corner is no use (she loves it there and lounges on the floor). I confess that in times of frustration we have resorted to giving her (gulp) cold showers (after trying to reason with her)...so if you have suggestions, puh-lease, drop in a word. Oh, and if you need to know, Eve is turning 3 in October.

PS Does that mean I am a bad mom?

The Women in our Lives

2009-08-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Sophie is turning 2 months!

2009-08-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

The biggest loser

2009-08-01T17:15:00.001-07:00

Sophie is now 7 weeks old...and I am still so many pounds heavier than before my pregnancy, so I am back in the groove of running and swimming. Since two weeks ago, I go swimming every other day at the BYU swimming pool where I swim laps for 1 miles (64 laps). I started running this week: I bike to the BYU indoor track where I run 5 laps (1 mile) as fast as I can...at the moment, I run a 7 and a half minute/mile...on top of breastfeeding, I think I'm on the right track. I haven't seen much of a difference yet, but I'll keep you posted: regardless, it feels SO good to run again.

Now, on a less self-centered note, Levi finally sent his application to Medical School. He took the MCAT on the 17th of July and was intensely working on his letter of motivation. He's applied to 17 DO Schools, which are slightly different than MD Schools in that they include some courses and experience with alternative medicines and have a more wholistic approach to the human body; and he applied to 11 MD Schools. In about a month, Levi should hear back from the school interested in his candidacy: they will send him a 2nd application for additional information. Then once, they have considered the new information, they will invite him to interview (in October)...finally, we'll decide where we'll be next year and we'll know how much debt we'll be in!

Primary

2009-07-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Since May, I have been serving as the Primary Secretary of our ward and I cannot say how much I LOVE my calling. It consists on filling in the gaps and keeping things running during Primary: it's a behind the stage calling that makes me feel so useful and needed.

Since I did not grow up in the Church, it's all new to me: I enjoy conducting, but I do need to ask the Presidency about procedures and timing...the older kids seem to know the program better than I do! Nevertheless, they are so lovely to watch during sharing time and singing time, and it gives me warm fuzzy feelings when they come up to offer a prayer, share a scripture, or give a talk.

When I was set apart, I was blessed that I could see the primary children the way our Lord Jesus Christ does...I wonder how much time the Lord spent with nursery kids! All jokes set aside, I do see how wonderful and unique each child is: "Blessed are the little children, for the kindgom is theirs."

6 weeks later

2009-07-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

I apologize to our devoted fans and readers for the lack of news: the moms will understand that our lives have dramatically changed now that we have Sophie. We are still transitioning from having 1 child to having 2: Eve is very loving towards Sophie, but she is having a hard time with the fact that we are giving her less attention than before, so she manages to get it anyways by getting negative attention: today, for example, she somehow transferred water from the toilet to our bathroom floor. When we asked her why she did it, she simply replied: "I did something naughty." We are acquiring a fair share of patience and learning discipline skills.

Sophie is such a lovely and calm baby: every time I hold her or feed her, I can't help but smile and thank God for sending her our way. She is now smiling back at us and recognizes me when I lean over her.

We are blessed to have my Mum visiting from France for the Summer. She arrived 3 weeks after Sophie's birth and is staying until the end of August: needless to say, it has been really nice to have her extra hands to help with housework and taking care of the children. In order for her to enjoy her stay, we've taken her bowling, dancing, swimming, etc. I'll post more pictures once I find our camera cable to upload those.

2009-06-07T20:43:00.001-07:00

Sophie Chantal Selway

Born: 6th June 2009 @ 12:15pm
Weight: 7.5 lbs (3.3 kg)
Length: 18.5 in (45cm)
Cheeks: Very chubby
Cuteness: Extremely high

Due date...and no baby yet!

2009-06-01T22:05:00.002-07:00

Yep. If you are wondering why I have not posted anything for awhile, it's not because I had a baby. Sophie is taking her sweet time, just like her sister did. I'll keep you posted when she arrives.Meanwhile, this is what we've been up to: Staying cool!

One Spoiled Little Baby Girl

2009-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, my "ward family" organized a baby shower in honor of Sophie. I told my friends that I'd rather they would not bring presents, but that we turned it into a girls' get together: of course no one listened ( Laura called it "selective hearing") and Sophie now has her entire summer wardrobe provided for: Thank you so much ladies!
I brought my camera and meant to take pictures of everyone there, but I completely forgot to pull it out and I am still kicking myself for it! This is the first day I could consecrate myself to celebrate my being pregnant and the soon-to-be Sophie. Sad, huh?

I planned on having those party favors ready for the party, but as hard as I tried I could not get all of the supply in time. So they turned out as a token of gratitude. Seriously, if you had to choose between a "thank-you" card and a sachet of chocolates and mints, which would you pick? I thought so.

When Mom is having class...Eve & Dad go to the Bean Museum

2009-05-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

The miracle of life

2009-05-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Fooled you, didn't I? You thought this post would be about my giving birth to Sophie. Patience...she'll soon be here. No, this one is all about the results of my hard labor in the garden. I was highly doubtful that it would avail to much, to be honest, as my previous attempts to grow plants have miserably failed; however, here's the proof that patience, hard work, and plenty of water and sunlight can bring about great things.

Let's not forget the flowers our kind neighbors planted a couple of years ago:

And our growing rock collection

To induce or not to induce...

2009-05-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

...That is the question.

Whether tis nobler in the womb to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous kicks.

I have be going back and forth between "helping" the birth of our baby by doing some extreme physical activity (climbing a huge flight of stairs, climbing to the Y, or doing some sprint runs on the track) or by taking some primrose oil (as suggested by my friend, Angie) and just patiently waiting for mother nature to do her work.

Aside from the fact that it would probably be safer and healthier for my baby to stay in the womb until she "feels like" coming, there are two factors that have helped me decide to wait:

1) I am taking a Spring class for my Masters which officially ends the first week of June, so the extra time will allow me to write the final paper and attend class - when I have my baby, I want to live life uninterrupted for at least 2 weeks so I can get to know her, feel the Spirit of Heaven she is bringing to our home, and get used to having a newborn again;

2) I am still working part-time and I plan on working until May 30th...1 day before my due date, we'll see if Sophie allows me to bring home some extra bacon!

As a side note, I just want to say how EXCITED I am to be a Mom at home, again: I miss it so much...I guess the past 3 months were a good reminder of WHAT MATTERS MOST to me.

Another pregnancy update

2009-05-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do care, I had my 37-week-appointment today, which means that if Sophie was born today, she would be full term, right? It also means that I have 3 weeks to go to my due date; however, according to the doctor, she is already in position for launching: head down, already dropped, and I am dillated to 2 cms! That does not mean anything to me, though, since Eve showed early signs as well and was born 8 days after her due date by inducement. I am expecting Sophie to follow in the footsteps of her sister, but would be thrilled if she chose to surprise us with an early arrival. Thought you might want to know.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised by this video that a friend of mine forwarded to me: thanks Joanna, you made my day!

http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=t9JBBItsW4mOT_Rd1pOKDzEyNTc2Njg0&id=-16131690-AnhO6Lx

I tried to forward it to all of you, moms, and I'm sorry if you did not get it...I just could not get a hold of your email address.

Who ever thought...

2009-05-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

...that a toddler needed strict supervision for drawing?

These last couple weeks we have been victim of graffitis on our living room, bedroom, and kids' room walls. We had our suspicions when the crime scene lab confirmed that the weapon used were crayons, but when we caught Eve in the act, she was immediately charged as guilty and condemned to public service, aka (symbolically) wiping off the walls, while Levi and I stacked on Magic Erasers to scrub crayon markings off our walls. Eve is now on parole for good behavior but is not allowed to draw indoors: she has to go in the yard if she wishes to express her feelings through art.

Jen & Rach, this one's for you!

2009-05-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we only came back to our old ward to bid farewell to some great friends we made there: the irony of life, right? Our kids being close in age, we bonded as we became parents. Jen and Rachel have always been there through thick and thin (mostly thin, I should say) as we were all struggling through our husbands' never-ending schooling endeavors; however, Kevin has now graduated (congratulations!) and their family is off to Sunny Cali, while Tanner is still going to grad school at BYU, but their family will be away in Rocky Colorado for an internship...and who knows where they'll be after their return. We'll never forget our girls' nights (chatting til 2 am) while our husbands got together to play the Wii. We love you guys!

Some of our latest projects

2009-05-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

Those creative projects have been great mother-daughter activities since I have been working: they are so fun and make great memories...while distracting Eve from watching movies!

ROCK PAINTING
(we accumulated so many rocks in our attempt to grow fruits and vegetables in our backyard that we had to find something creative to do with them!)

A SEED STARTER HOME-GARDEN
(I wanted to get started with planting but I was afraid of another snow storm/frost that I thought we could start growing tomatoes, herbs, salads at home, while fitting the activity to Eve's size)

Boubou's language

2009-04-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, we speak French at home, and we have been from the day Levi and I met, back in 2005. Needless to say that Eve's first language is French; however, she constantly amazes us with English phrases she picks up from other children. It did not even cross my mind that she would pay attention to our conversations with grown-ups. Well, this morning, we were eating breakfast when out of the blue, Eve said (in English): "It's 5 dollars." I turned to her, after calling Levi who was in the other room, and asked her in French: "what is 5 dollars, cherie?" But, just as an oracle, she kept her peace and kept munching on a piece of toast.

You'll find me in the garden

2009-04-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

I know I have not been good at blogging lately. The culprit: our backyard. I enjoy being outdoors, in our own little green (or rather brown) patch so much, that I spend all of my mornings there.

So far, we have successfully planted (not grown, mind you) oinions, carrots, sunflowers, parsley, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and lavander. I'm planning on getting started with potatoes, melons, and strawberries. We are lucky to have inherited some blackberry bushes, but we did not feel so lucky to have to trim them.

We have found some pretty eclectic objects in our laboring : a hanger, a screwdriver, a little girl's blue hair tie, a penny farthing dating back to 1884 with Queen Victoria's effigy on it, but we have mostly managed to accumulate an impressive rock collection.

Well, toodeloo, you'll find me in the garden!

Our new home

2009-04-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

Our bedroom (aka Anabelle's favorite room): the bed takes most of the room, but we really don't mind ;)The girls' bedroom (repainted and somewhat furnished): we're still hunting for a toddler mattress under $40, which explains why we still have the tent up.

The kitchen: I am looking forward to replacing the flooring; and as soon as we find a good set of chairs for our dining table, we'd love to have you for dinner, if you're in town!

The living room: quite eclectic in colors and styles, but welcoming nonetheless.

I found this at DI (a thrift store here in Utah) and found it very appropriate. I had to wait until midnight when Eve was in bed and Levi out with the guys to take those pics, otherwise, I would never have dared to post them in there "normal" state!

We also have a guest room and a laundry room, without forgetting the bathroom of course, but they need some additional prep. I'll keep you posted! ;)

Belly Shots - 32 weeks and counting

2009-04-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

When I was last pregnant with Eve, I really didn't care about being taken in pictures, because at the time we only had our bathroom cabinet mirror, and I was completely oblivious to the drastic changes the pregnancy weight had on my body...when I finally got a chance to look at those pictures, I was utterly horrified to see that I looked like I had babies growing in my arms, legs, butt, and face!

Keep in mind that most of my first pregnancy was during the Summer in Utah and we did not have A/C in our apartment! I survived the Summer of 2006 on popsicles and ice-cubes.

So, you must understand that I was pretty reluctant to immortalize this pregnancy; however, after consideration, I thought that "Sophie" would probably like to have a picture of her mommy's tummy. Those pictures were taken when I was 32 weeks pregnant, so just past the 7 month mark.

Good Friday - time to celebrate Easter

2009-04-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

Do you know what images come up when you search "Easter" in google images?

You guessed it: colorful rabbits and eggs. Well, for me Easter starts today, with Good Friday: today we celebrate the Sacrament and the Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate the sacrifice of the only one who could atone for our sins by giving his life and submitting himself completely to the will of our Father in Heaven.

Such love! For all of us! When I think of Christ, it makes me want to love everyone around me and try harder to be more like Him.

Now my question is: how come it is so easy for us, for me really, to forget the significance of His sacrifice and of His amazing love? Maybe we tend to downplay the true meaning of Easter because it is so hard to comprehend: deep down inside it is hard for me to understand that there was such a man who was perfect, in spite of temptation, who was strong enough to overcome His humanity to realize His divine purpose. I tend to forget that I too have such a divine purpose, not as grand of course since it does not entail the salvation of humankind; however I know that my Heavenly Father sent me here on this earth to fulfill a role and responsibilities which make me unique.

I hope that my tiny brain, whose functions are already compromised by my fluctuating hormones, will keep that in mind this Easter season. Happy Easter everyone!

Nothing Cuter than a Child's Prayer

2009-04-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Seriously, there is NOTHING cuter than a child's prayer. Eve always prays for our family prayer before bedtime and it goes like this:

Levi (helping): "Dear Heavenly Father..."

Eve: "Dear Heavenly Father..."

Levi: "Thank you for..."

Eve: "Thank you for Xion and Ariah (her little friends)..."

Levi: "and..."

Eve: "and for Jacob (my friend Rachel's son)..."

Levi: "and for Daddy and Mommy..."

Eve: "and for Daddy and Mommy, and Sophie (her future sister) and Mia (her aunt) and Lili (her favorite cousin)..."

Levi: "please bless..."

Eve: "please bless us and our family...

Levi: "in the name..."

Eve (excitedly): "of Jesus-Christ, Amen!"

Keep in mind that she says her prayer in French, which sounds even cuter (no bias whatsoever!).

What's wrong with expecting women?

2009-04-08T14:21:00.001-07:00

Top ten reasons why being pregnant is not so cute:

"Nombrilisme" or navel-gazing: the world revolves around me and my needs...if I'm hungry, we have to stop EVERYTHING in order for me to eat.
The emotional breakdowns: everything makes me teary-eyed whether it's a remark, a picture, a song, a hug from my little girl, a satisfied craving.
Flip-flop queen...except after a pedicure (that I could not even do myself, since I can't reach my toes anymore) ;)

Stretch marks and dark circles: no comment.

The whining: "I'm so fat!", "I'm hungry", "I'm so tired!"

The rage: when I'm pregnant, I get road rage, customer service rage, hidden fees rage. Working in the Sales Support for Nuskin has been a test of patience, and at times, I am SO ready to hang up at the customer's nose, but instead I suck it up and say: "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, let me see what we can do for you."

The laziness: I cannot bend over, so that means I can't pick up toys or dirty laundry (as some tend to leave it on the floor...they know who they are).
Swelling fingers and feet: Again, no comment.
The worst is that I cannot even carry Eve when she wants me to...she's getting too heavy for me now. Is there a sadder sight than a melting toddler whose mom seem not to even care enough to pick her up in her arms? I think it's absolutely revolting, don't you? Shame on me.
Additional weight: need I say more?

Actual Notes From Hospital Charts

2009-04-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

1. The patient refused autopsy.

2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.

3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.

4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.

5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

6. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.

7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.

8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.

9. Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.

10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.

11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.

12. She is numb from her toes down.

13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.

14. The skin was moist and dry.

15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.

16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.

17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.

18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.

19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.

20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.

21. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.

23. Skin: somewhat pale but present.

24. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

A tribute to my dear Father

2009-04-02T19:13:00.001-07:00

Jan Leszek Sobkowicz
27 Dec. 1942 - 1 Apr. 2006

Short Economics Lesson

2009-04-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

An economics professor at Texas Tech said he had never failed asingle student before but had, once, failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and noone would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. But, as the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little.. The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great; but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that…

“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” – Margaret Thatcher

"A government which robs Republicans to pay Democrats can always depend on the support of Democrats." -- Maynard

The cousins from Calgary

2009-04-01T08:04:00.001-07:00

Levi's brother Paul drove down from Calgary, Canada with two of his 6 kids, Isaac and Lili...and Eve is having a ball.

Farewell to the Daveys...we'll miss you!

2009-04-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

Quality Mother/DaughterTime

2009-03-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

One of my new resolutions is to do at least one fun/creative activity with Eve everyday before going to work. Eve has such a fun personality to start with that everything new sparks her interest.

Today, we opted to decorate some Easter eggs. So before she woke up, I hard boiled a few eggs to make sure they would be ready (I actually planned on doing that project yesterday, but never got the time to prepare the eggs).

After breakfast, I told her about our activity and she was so excited to get started that I did not have the heart to delay the process by getting her dressed and ready for the day. So I took care of dying the eggs and handed them to her to draw on or to glue stickers on them.

After that, she got a kick out of collecting them in her blue basket. I guess she didn't have enough to eat for breakfast since she started peeling one of the eggs and found more interest in eating it.
It didn't take long for her to smash open the rest of them, and I regret to say that none of them survived the rough treatment my toddler gave them as she was swinging her basket back and forth and transferring them into different containers. But at least, she had a great time, right?

Afterwards, I relunctantly proceeded to do the dishes (my least favorite chore), when I thought that Eve might actually enjoy helping me. Although it made the chore twice as long to get it over with, we both had a blast, as you can tell by the following clip:

In retrospect, this was one of the most memorable days I spent with Eve and I plan on sticking to my resolution, especially before baby #2 arrives. I realize that I need to make the most of the (little) time we both have together.

Introducing Eve to the American Diet

2009-03-26T22:00:00.001-07:00

Surprise!

2009-03-25T20:54:00.001-07:00

Today started out as a regular day: I was the first one up --I love the first hour, when everyone else is asleep and I can read the Scriptures while eating my own bowl of cereal, without having to share my breakfast with anyone. The house is quiet until 9 am, when Eve's voice calls out for me to unzip her tent so she can burst out with all of the energy of a 2-year-old.

Eve rules our world (meaning our schedule) all morning: today we went for a walk that took us park-hopping, that is, we went to three different parks (they are really close to each other) because the previous one was always "too wet" --it had rained all night and the slides were still covered with rain drops; but we had to go to all three of them, to conclude that they were all wet. So we went home to change Eve's wet pants and watch Little Einstein while I was getting ready for work.

Meanwhile Levi was at the dentist :( He had 3 cavities to take care of today. We are reserving the failed root canal for later, when money will grow on trees (as some of you know, I am an ambitious gardener). Levi ran home so that I could be at work on time, and I went off to take the bus to work. Nothing exciting so far...

After work, I had made an appointment for a hair cut, and although I had warned Levi of my intention of getting my hair cut, he did not know when I would have it done. An hour and $30 later, I took the bus home, feeling sassy (as I always do when I get my hair cut much shorter) and smiling at the thought of Levi's face when I would walk through the door.

He looked quite surprised alright. He said: "I was not expecting it to be that short." What I did not know is that I was in for a surprise myself: since we had moved, we still needed to clean our former living quarters, and Levi was trying to convince me to go over there this evening; however, the prospect of having to walk there and back as we had previously done several times did not appeal to me. Levi insisted, saying that a walk would do us good, but still I excused myself and told him that I would rather stay home.

He then asked me: "What if we went in our new car?"
I looked up: "what? you're kidding, right? are you serious?"
Smilingly, he turned to Eve: "Boubou, where's the car?"
So we went to the kitchen window and looked out. Eve pointed toward the street. There were three cars, two of which were vans. We had looked at a 1989 Honda online, last night, but it was nowhere to be seen. Confused, I turned to Levi: "where is it?"
He replied: "It's the green van, right there!"

I was so shocked, tears welled my eyes. Incredulous, I looked at him and kept saying: "are you serious?" I was so overwhelmed: the fact is that we had been riding the bus for the past couple of months...and I enjoy the privilege of having public transportation, except for it was getting really hard for me to leave 30 min early to make sure I would get the bus (when going to work) and I was always running /sprinting after work so as not to miss the 7:05pm bus, as the next one would only come 30 min later. Once I got off the bus, I had to walk several hundred yards to reach my office building, etc. And two days ago, I had a melt down as I was feeling sorry for myself for being physically exhausted and feeling terrible about asking ward friends for rides to the store when our food was running low, dreading the 1 mile walk to Smith's.

So, I am proud to announce that we are now the owners of our first van, a green Plymouth Voyager 1996, and that my husband amazed me by having it all registered before dusk. And if any of you need a ride (to the store or anywhere at all), don't hesitate to ask! It will be our pleasure.

A typical day in the lives of the Selways

2009-03-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

There are some days I feel like I am the worst mom in the World, but then there are those days when I feel like the GREATEST mom in the World and those are worth their weight in gold.

Our day usually starts with Eve waking up around 7 am and pulling us out of bed, asking for cereal. At 7 months pregnant, I literally roll out of bed and serve breakfast. Then, while we're reading the Scriptures, we put on a cartoon in French (Eve's favorite is Little Einstein's Huge Adventure) to keep Eve entertained. She usually interrupts us to go potty or to ask for a drink. We try to get ourselves washed and dressed while her movie is still playing.

Our greatest battle is yet to be fought: Getting Eve ready. It starts with getting her dressed: I have first to decide whether it's worth putting her in underwear or in pull-ups...it all depends on our schedule (how long our errands will take, etc.) For example, today we took the bus 3 times! Obviously, I did not want to take the risk of Eve wetting the bus seat on the way. Then, I have to chase her around to brush her teeth and get her hair combed (unfortunately she doesn't leave the hairbands and clips long, which makes me want to pull my own hair out). 45 min later, we're ready to go.

After we get our errands done, we take Eve to the duck pond where she likes to run after the ducks until they're all forced back into the pond. Lately, however, our favorite walk takes us to our new home where we will officially move on April 1st. We are so excited about having a backyard...the previous tenants (our friends, the Sandersons) left a sandbox full of toys that she even giggles when we mention our going there. There's also a basketball hoop and I got Levi a basketball for his birthday so he could shoot some hoops.

Since the weather has been so nice lately, we have been spending most of our time there: while Eve plays in the sandbox, we do some yard work, raking leaves and sweeping the patio. I look forward to planting a little garden so much that I went to the library to check out a few books on gardening.

Of course, I have to go to work right after lunch until dinnertime, but when I get home, I am even more excited to keep working on our home and garden. It makes such a difference to have some creative project to work on and to clear our thoughts.

We also painted the kids' room: it used to be yellow with cute patterns; however, I thought that painting it with a lighter color (very light pink shade) would make the room look bigger. Here's the before picture...we'll post the after picture once we're done painting!

I dare say that since I went back to work, I enjoy every moment I have with my family and I look forward to being a mom at home again...the sooner, the better.

Happy Birthday, my husband dear!

2009-03-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

March 10th, we celebrated Levi's 27th birthday...Eve was quite excited to sing the Happy Birthday and requested to have the honor to blow the candles. For the occasion, I made a French cake made of meringue, ice-cream, and chocolate cream frosting. Yes, it's as rich and sinful as it sounds. Unfortunately the picture does not do it justice. Here's a little video of our family celebration (in French).