The plague has left...finally!

Well, after more than a month of sickness, today I feel is truly a TRIUMPHANT day, I feel great, and so do the kids, I think we may be over the hurdles that have come our way this last long while! HOORAY!!!! (Knock on wood.) :)

We just got home from having a picnic at the park with some friends and it felt so great to be out and about. The only great thing about being sick is that we get to be reminded about what a blessing our health really is!

Blessings and Hard Work

I just want to publicly say how proud I am of Rob's work ethic and humble reliance on the Lord here at law school. At a school where everyone is very capable and intelligent, Rob decided from the beginning that he wanted/needed to have the Lord involved in his studies. He really felt that if he just did his best and then asked in faith, Heavenly Father would take care of him and magnify his efforts. Rob definitely put in a lot of hours working dilligently, but as the semester progressed he really felt Heavenly Father's hand helping him to understand and process everything he needed to learn.

Yesterday Rob's first semester grades came out and we both feel like Heavenly Father answered our prayers to let all of Rob's hard work be visible in his test grades. We feel like Heavenly Father is confirming our decision to come here and is showing us how pleased He is with Rob's integrity and humility. Way to go, Rob and Thank You Heavenly Father! I just keep hearing the voice of my favorite mother-in-law saying, "F-A-I-T-H, FAITH!! FAITH!!"

She's arrived safe and sound!

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Anne-Lorenne is healthy and happy! Hopefully she and Laura will be able to come home tomorrow.

Follow the link to see some photos from the hospital today. More to follow...
http://picasaweb.google.com/frere.jacques/AnneLorenne

Victory by accident

Yesterday we finally succeeded in getting Nolan to use a sippy cup. Although it really was a victory by accident. We've been putting the cup in his mouth for the past month or two, and all he would ever do is bite down on it--like it was a teething toy. Yesterday as I fed him lunch I put it in his mouth and he accidently inhaled . . . eureka! His eyes got big as saucers as he tasted the water coming out, and then he started sucking in earnest. I couldn't help thinking that so many of our triumphs, victories, discoveries, etc. happen while we're doing something else--Christopher Colombus, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein . . . So keep on doing good things, because you never know what you might stumble across :)

Emerging from...the pit of despair, cliffs of insanity, inconceivable...

...or the library
As of this last friday, I am no longer an unexamined first year law student!! I FINISHED THE SEMESTER!! (without going insane!) Thank you everyone who has been praying for me during this crazy time. I'm especially grateful for Christa's enabling love and patience--it is so wonderful to have her by my side, adding a much needed eternal perspective to my tendency to over-focus on the matter at hand.
We got back from Brazil on the 27th of December and have lived the life of medieval monk ever since. My first final was on Saturday (Criminal Law), then Monday (Civil Procedure), Wednesday (Contracts), and Friday (Torts). Christa had to be gone for a week on a business conference, and the Lord blessed us with a tender mercy so that it overlapped on finals week where I was on campus until very late anyways.
I'm not sure how the grades will turn out in the end (I've realized certain things are more/less effective for next semester), but I love the feeling that comes from working as hard as you can and then leaving the rest to the Lord. I know that God lives and that with His help we can triumph over all things.

We're leaving on a jet plane....with a semi-potty-trained 2 yr old

This was originally going to be a triumphant entry for the progress Ryn is making with potty training--going really great for the most part (which is a huge step from what I was feeling last Tuesday (Day 1) when I was wondering why any parent in his/her right mind would put themselves through this just to be done with diapers). She is able to make it through all her waking hours (except for 3-4 accidents for the whole week!) getting to her pink bear potty chair--see photo on our blog-- in time to keep her pants dry. She's even been brave enough to move on to pooping on the chair, too (BIG step). So we're pretty happy for Ryn and the 'big girl' she is becoming. "Good job, Ryn!" (sorry Rae)

Our other happy news is that we are leaving France and our days of playing basketball and heading home to the states even sooner than planned. Actually, we'll probably be on a plane in 2 weeks! We have loved being over here and all we've been blessed to experience, but we are 200% ready to move on to the next chapter of our life. We will be in Utah for a few months in Kev's parents' basement (newly finished off to be a separate apartment) and Kev will get his personal trainer certification, work, and start taking some classes towards a degree :). Then we plan on moving down to Houston sometime this summer where he'll keep up the schooling and start building up his clientele of rich retirees to train (like he did that one summer a few years ago--starting with some of the same people, but this time to stay). We are so excited to be closer to all of you, as well as Kevin's family--to be home for Conference, to get to be in Utah with Rae for the rest of her last pre-mission semester, to be planning on MOVING TO TEXAS (which is something I never dared dream) where we will be in the same city as John and Laura, and only a few hours from Joy, D, Matt and Nat!

I have Returned!!

Hey everybody! If going to Habitat for Humanity, helping dig, shovel, hoe, and lay bricks with getting minimal sun burn damage, and returning in one piece counts as a triumph, than I did it! I got home from the airport a little before 5 am and I've been catching up on everything! Don't worry, I'm just about to start writing about the trip on my blog, but note - my blog needs to get included in the family website somehow. Hint hint. anyways, its great to look on this wonderful website and blogs and read everybody's info! Brilliant everybody!