Labor Day and the end of summer!

As Labor Day came and went, I had mixed emotions. I was glad to see the summer heat coming down; I was glad that Anais would soon have school on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help break up the week; I was glad I could start setting into a more "normal" schedule. I was also saddened to feel Anais' 3rd birthday creeping up; I was sad to see long summer days of swimming and nice clear skies drifting away; I was sad to think Giselle was passing her six month milestone and would soon be on to crawling and then walking - leaving behind the cuddly naps we have been taking in the afternoon. But we all know - time doesn't stop for anyone! So here are a few of our last summer memories and the beginnings of a new school year!

This video is from the first time Giselle noticed herself in the mirror. It just makes me laugh.

Giselle with Grandpa Pinard.

Anaïs with Grandma Pinard.

François' parents came to visit for Labor Day. We had a good time just visiting and playing together. It was a good break.

Anaïs' looked so cute in the wind.

Finally a bath time without Giselle crying. She enjoys baths now - if Anaïs is in them! So cute!

Giselle - sucking on her toes - as usual!

Anaïs at Meet the Teacher day for her new Kids' Day Out school. She is having a really good time in her new class so far.

August flew by!

So I thought I would be doing a better job of updating the blog, but August really get away from me! Our summer has been full of much of the same. Reading for the summer library program, swimming when we get a chance, and mostly staying out of the heat.

The top two pictures are of the last story time of the summer - the MPs gave a lesson about safety and deployment. All the kids really liked it - they even got to sit in the back of the police car. I must say that I actually learned a little - for instance - that the backseat of a police car is all hard plastic. Easier to clean up I guess... The bottom left picture is her playing at the awards celebration with some other readers. Anais read so many books this summer - 107! - and she won for her age group (0-4 years). The picture on the right is her with the library director, and Mrs. and Colonel Ayers. Col. Ayers is the base commander! It was so exciting for her to win. Her prize was a $40 Walmart gift card. She decided to get a play iron and ironing board, cash register and groceries, Barbie dress, and play hairstyling/grooming kit with her prize. She is still very much enjoying her reward!

Anais is getting ready to start school in September, and Giselle just keeps getting bigger every day. At her 6 mo checkup, she was 20lbs 4oz and 29" tall. She is over 100% on all categories! She is starting to sit up pretty well on her own, and she is a pro at rolling over. I have a funny video of her and a mirror I hope to get posted soon! Life is crazy with 2 little girls!

Going Home

Well, this last weekend, we were able to go home for the first time since moving to San Angelo. For François, this was the first time he had been home since he left for basic training in February. We were in Plano for less than 48 hours, but we tried to cram in as much as we possibly could. We got in late Friday night and, despite our best attempts, Anaïs was wide awake when we rolled into town. She was just too excited to sleep! We stayed with François' parents in Parker, and Anaïs was wide awake at 6:40am to play with Grandma! After breakfast, we headed over to François' brother Andre's house to see his and his wife, Gretchen's new baby - Faye. Of course, Anaïs likes to sing to babies, and cousin Faye was no exception.

Anaïs was also very concerned about Faye's belly button. She was obsessed with Giselle's while it was healing. She is very sensitive to other people's pain. She is often most sweet to others when she thinks they are hurting. (She has also said she really wants to be a doctor so she can help people who have ow-ies.)

We then had lunch with good friends of ours, Sarah and Jason Rains and their daughter, Emma. Emma is about a year younger than Anaïs and she really enjoys playing with her! Then it was time for the girls to nap and Mom and Dad to get some errands done. After errands and naps were done, we were able to catch up with our good friends James and Kristin DelMul and their beautiful baby girl Ranae Joelle and our friends Heather and Thomas Hoyt. It was good just spending time with family and friends - laughing and catching up. That night, we had dinner with François' parents at our favorite Chinese restaurant and then went back home to try and get a little sleep (i.e. get to bed at 9pm - an hour later than our usual hit-the-sack time).

Sunday morning, we were honored to be able to attend Ranae DelMul's baby dedication. It was at James and Kristin's home church, Grace EFC in Lucas. They were so cute - and Ranae didn't cry at all! I know mommy was happy with that. =) It was great to see old friends as well. François wore his Class A's and he was very handsome (many women told me so!). After church, we were able to visit with Lindsay and Cody Jackson and our old friend from Chili's, Daryl Hamel. Daryl is in the Army as well, and he is leaving for his first tour in Iraq in a couple days. After lunch was over, we stopped one more place before heading out of town. We visited with Bryan and Tania Bannister and their precious little girl, Ava. It was great to see her - she is such a doll!

All in all, it was a fast - but wonderful - trip! François and I both were exhausted physically, but renewed emotionally from getting to visit with friends and family. We are looking forward to coming again!

In the pictures above (L to R): Cody and Lindsay Jackson and us; François with niece Faye; Thomas Hoyt, me, and Kristin DelMul; Pastor Joel Walters, Kristin, Ranae, and James DelMul at the baby dedication; Daddies Unite! James and Ranae, François and Giselle; Sarah, Anna, and me!

Oh, kid!

This last week we were excited to have Sarah come to visit. While she was here, we did some fun things like paint our nails and go to the pool. We also found Anaïs doing some "baking" while we were trying to get ready one morning. Here she is "baking" some "rice".

We were also able to get a fairly good recording of Anaïs singing a hymn - finally. She does it so well for us without the camera, then, as soon as she sees someone taking her picture, whe loses concentration. This is her singing "Come Thou Fount" - one of our nightime lullabies.

She is also getting really good at calming Giselle down if she gets upset by singing to her. It is one of my favorite things so far about being a mother. I hope you enjoy it too!

Top Five of Our First Five

Yeah for us! July 11th, Friday, was our fifth year wedding anniversary! As many of you know us intimately, you know that these five years have been filled with many joys and many struggles. So even though five years isn't fifty - it is a big deal for us!



A really nice guy from François' class and his wife watched our girls while we went to dinner at Zentner's Daughter - arguably the nicest restaurant in San Angelo - for a quiet dinner. We just enjoyed being together for adult conversation and reminiscing about our last five years as a married couple.

While we were talking, we came up with the top five things that have happened to us or we have done together in the first five years of our marriage. We decided it would be fun to share it with everyone! So, here we go. First, of course, are both times we found out we were having a baby and the arrivals of our beautiful daughters, Anaïs Jolie and Giselle Nicolette. Secondly, we are so blessed to have been able to worship together, both leading at church and through the musical Lisa directed the summer of 2007. Third, we were so proud to move into our first apartment - not just because we finally had a place of our own - but because we had paid off all our debt at the time. Learning to manage our finances together was a huge milestone. Fourth, we really treasured our time at Big Cedar Resort with our best friends, Kristin and James DelMul, in fall of 2006. We needed a getaway for ourselves and our marriage, and we can't think of anyone we would have rather spent that week with. Their friendship has been and still is invaluable. And last, but certainly not least, was our individual graduations from college and the transition that followed, allowing Lisa to stay home with our children and cement François as the breadwinner and leader of our family.

All of things, plus many more memorable events have made our first five years so special to us. We know we would not have made it here without so many people's love, guidance, prayers, and support. To our families, James and Kristin DelMul, Ken and Laura Miller, Blair and Diana Abbott, and Mark Munden - we especially want to say thank you for coming along side us as a couple to help us when we needed your guidance and friendship. We love you! And thanks for celebrating with us!

July 4th

July 4th was fun! François got a four day weekend, so it was really nice for the girls and I to get to spend some extra time with him. I think he mostly enjoyed the extra sleep he got. =)

On Friday, the 4th, my parents and Jessica and Daniel came out to San Angelo to visit us. They arrived around lunch and the girls were ecstatic to see them! After nap, we piled everybody into cars and headed out to Lake Nasworthy to the Rec Camp run by the base. We rented a speed boat and jumped in. I had to drive the boat because I was the only person licensed, and I was so nervous the whole time. Because of the holiday, there were many other boats on the lake. We mostly rode around, wind in our hair, enjoying being on the water. Daniel tried to wakeboard, but the lake was really crowded and because it is always windy here, the lake is also really choppy. It wasn't the best of conditions. =(

Anaïs wasn't feeling well, so my mom stayed home with her while the rest of us went to a BBQ hosted by a guy in François' class. The food was good and at the end of the night we all enjoyed some funny fireworks!

Saturday morning, Jessica wasn't feeling well, so Anaïs decided to sing her lullabies. It was so precious. She sang "Come thou fount", "Amazing Grace", "Jesus" and "Baby Mine" to try and make her feel better. My dad, François and I sat at the dining room table listening, and I think it is safe to say those tender moments were the highlight of our weekend. There is just something so beautiful about a little child singing hymns. Sigh.

We just relaxed the rest of the day and everyone left Sunday morning because Anaïs was still to sick to go to church. We had a great time the next two days just relaxing as our little family. That is the best way to spend time off!

Our girls are such good laughers!

So I am loving this new thing the girls do. Anaïs will laugh at Giselle. Then Giselle laughs at Anaïs. Usually, Anaïs says, "She's laughing!" then laughs again. And so on. Here is a little clip, although I think it is much cuter in person.

And I can't help but include another one of Giselle laughing since a lot of you haven't seen that yet.

The girls are just such a blessing to us! I hope it makes you smile.

San Angelo Living

Hello everyone! We are finally getting settled into our little apartment her in San Angelo. Life moves at a different pace down here. For example, François went to get his licence renewed at the local DPS a couple days ago. I was expecting it to take at least 30 minutes to an hour - similar to Plano. Oh, was I mistaken. When we arrived at the barren parking lot, I thought to myself, "Perhaps they are closed." No. They were open. We walked inside and found an empty waiting room with one person being helped at the counter (there were only 2 employees and 2 windows). François filled out his card and had a new licence within 10 minutes of entering. Crazy.

Anaïs is adjusting well to the new place. She enjoys having all her toys back out of storage and available to play. She is so imaginative. She played "sandbox" this morning with Tyrone (from Backyardigans), Peter Pan, and Gavyn (from her Mother's Day Out class from the Heights in Richardson). What a little doll. She constantly amazes me and cracks me up with her witty adult comments about situations. Oh, my silly girl! Her favorite thing to say right now is "Not quite yet!" It is the answer for most questions. "Are you ready to go?" "Are finished with your dinner?" "Do you want to go play with ____ instead?" She answers succinctly "Not quite yet!" Sigh.

Giselle is also doing well. Honestly, I don't know if she even realizes we've moved. All she cares about is milk and mommy. If those two things are present, she's happy. François is working long hours but we are enjoying being with him in the evenings and weekends. Overall, things are going well. We are happy to be together - and that is what really matters.