And a Happy New Year!

On Christmas Day, we flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico to visit the Paxtons. This was Oliver's first trip back to Santa Fe since Christmas 2010, but he didn't miss a beat. He loved chasing the cats, snuggling with Momma Joy, going on walks with Pop, and playing dinosaurs with Uncle Ben.

Of course, he didn't mind that we got to open more presents:

And everyone took a turn sporting their new gear:

After opening gifts, we snapped a few pics of Oli with his grandparents... Are these the cutest pictures ever?!?!

During our week there, we spent a lot of time outside. Although Oliver had seen snow before, this was his first time to be old enough to play in it, and he had a blast (and yes, he is wearing mom's hat... it seemed warmer than his and with an extra roll, it fit just fine):

He even went for a little sled ride:

He took lots of exploratory walks with Dad:

And though I know this picture has terrible glare (since I was inside, taking it through the window), I LOVE this shot of the Paxton boys hanging out on the porch:

The other momentous event of this trip was Oli's first haircut. I know he still looks practically bald in most pictures, but the rat tail in the back was getting a little extreme:

So one of Momma Joy's sweet friends offered to give him his first big-boy haircut:

We had to save his one curl, though, of course:

And the result? Voila:

SO grown up!

We went to a park later in the week, and Oliver and Momma Joy tried out the rope ladder:

And drove the "boat":

Could there be any more joy on that little face? I admit that an almost-2-year-old toddler is not always the easiest charge, but this one certainly brings so much fun to our lives. And what a fabulous bonus to have such wonderful family to help enjoy him! Thank you, Steve and Joy, for having us, showing us a great time, and loving our little boy so much. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

15 Weeks in the Life of the Paxtons...

We moved home from our two-year stint in Paris, France. We tried to adjust back to heat, cars, fast food, flip flops, and work-out clothes. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family in Texas. We celebrated a late Christmas and New Years with Chris' family in New Mexico. We remodeled two bathrooms. We joined a new church plant and began helping with sound, music, and children's church. We unpacked from France, rearranged after my brother moved out, cleaned and cleaned and cleaned, and put our house on the market. Four days and three offers later, we sold our home...

In the midst of all this, we got to see our second son's little face. Elliot Kenley Paxton is certainly handsome, isn't he?

We then found a home to buy, discovered that it needed to be rewired completely, almost lost the home in the process of negotiations, had the closing pushed back, and finally (Lord willing!) are set to close this coming Monday. Whew!!!!!

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There are many details, pictures, and updates that I still owe you concerning all those things, but I wanted to share the basics so that those who want to know can know (all two of you, I'm sure). Hopefully, the other blog posts will be forthcoming. We have two weeks (at least) of work to do on the house before we can move in, so we are planning a late-March move date (since we have to be out of our house by March 31). I am 37 weeks today, and Elliot is due March 29. Needless to say, it has been (and will likely continue to be) quite the whirlwind. Most importantly (and not surprisingly), God has been so faithful and gracious through it all; we are just thrilled to see how it all turns out and what He has in store for us around the corner.

And, to whet your appetite for the great stories and adorable pictures to come, I leave you with this:

A bientot!

Boys, Boys, Boys!

After four generations of only boys born to the Paxton line, we were awaiting with bated breath the news of our ultrasound on Friday. I decided to try a new location that was closer to my home (rather than the American hospital where I had done all my previous scans), and was running over the list of French anatomy words that morning to be sure I could understand the doctor. I figured that at worst, "fille" (girl) or "garcon" (boy) were hard to miss. Luckily for me, though, the doctor spoke English, and there was therefore no confusion when she informed me that we were having a...............

BOY!! So no surprises here. But that's ok. After growing up with three brothers, mostly boy cousins, and a ton of guy friends, I almost feel more prepared for a boy than a girl anyway. Plus, Oliver and Mr. Baby (as he will be dubbed until we choose a more suitable name... or maybe permanently if we do not find a more suitable one... what do you all think of it?) can be best of friends. At 22 months apart (my new due date is March 31, by the way), I'm sure they will have their fair share of conflicts, but we are thrilled to meet Oliver's little brother. We can't wait for you all to meet him, too!

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement as we work to survive another pregnancy, parenting a one-year-old, and preparing to move overseas. Are we really ready for two kids?

Probably not... but we're ready to try. :)

Uncle Rhys

Praise God, my brother made it back safely from Afghanistan. We were SO thankful for his safe return! And, as an added bonus, he came to visit us in Paris shortly thereafter. Even better, since my mother flew back with me to help my oh-so-sickie-pregnant self, we had a regular fun house on our hands. So good to enjoy family!

Although we actually had a very cultured and busy visit (include the Orsay, the Pompidou, and lots of yummy crepes, among other things...), I again failed to document very well. Alas, I have only a couple of pictures from around the apartment and then photos of our day at Versailles.

Versailles was a little rough because poor little jet-lagged Oliver didn't sleep well the night before (and, of course, neither did the rest of us as a result), but once we made it out of the crowded madness of the chateau, we were able to fully relish the incredibly gorgeous gardens.

I think they were the most beautiful I have ever seen them (and I think I've been to Versailles 6 times before):

The chateau gleamed in the sunlight:

And the orangerie was immaculately glorious:

Oliver, however, cared only about one thing - the stairs. He was so excited about climbing up and down them that we had a very hard time getting him to go with us into the actual garden:

Eventually, however, we managed successfully:

And even did some exploring:

In the end, I'd call it a successful morning, despite our exhaustion and the hoards of Spanish tourists we were forced to dodge. Back at the apartment, due to our full house, we had a mattress in the living room, which Oliver LOVED:

Lots of tickle fights ensued:

How could life get any better? We miss you, Rhys, and can't wait for the next visit!

Hill Country Holiday

While in Texas, we had the privilege of visiting my grandmother in Wimberley. I LOVE Wimberley: I spent my summers there as a child; I took friends to visit throughout high school and college; I got married there, and I have loved the two chances I've had to take my son to enjoy it.

For some reason, I only got the camera out one day while we were there... But I got a few wonderful photos in the process. Despite the 100+ degree temperatures throughout most of August, there was a slight cool front over Labor Day weekend, allowing for some fun time outside. We visited the playground at my grandmother's church (which, conveniently, is right down the street and a REALLY cool playground!).

This fabulous playground had a ton of shade and lawn chairs and benches for parents (and grandparents!)...

Plus, we were the only ones there, so we got to join Oliver on the equipment: walking back and forth across the bridge...

Sliding down the fireman's pole:

And going down the slide:

Perfect morning. That afternoon, we went down to the river. Oliver fell in love with my parents' dogs during this Texas trip, and he especially enjoyed watching them run by the river and swim. The lab has been swimming here for quite a few years:

The Irish Setter is the real enthusiast, though:

And even the French bulldog got into this time:

Since the river was so low (which means high bacteria count) due to the drought, we refrained from swimming ourselves, but look how much my boys enjoyed being there anyway!

That evening, we went out for Mexican food. You really can't go wrong with Texas hill country atmosphere and good ole greasy Mexican food. The place came complete with saddle out front:

And Mariachi cutout:

Just one of the fabulous days we spent in Wimberley. Thank you, Nana, for having us!

Home Visit: H-town!

In August, we joined the max exodus out of Paris and got to go back to the good ole US of A! After 9 months away, I was SO ready for some Chick-Fil-A and Tex Mex!! Most importantly, we got to spend some wonderful time with family and friends...

Although he only slept for about an hour and a half out of the 11-hour plane right, he kept a GREAT attitude:

And poor, jet-lagged kid that he was, he still had a great time at Nana and Grandpa's house. He loved his little rocking chair:

His rocking horse:

Nana's drum:

And the piano lessons from Grandpa Steve:

As you can see from the previous photo, the Paxtons came to visit for a weekend... And we had a wonderful time. Their last night in town, we went to a Hibachi grill restaurant, hoping that the show would keep him entertained. He didn't know what to do with the flying rice or the flaming onions:

But he really enjoyed the sticky rice:

And we tried a group photo, but it was tough to keep Oliver's attention by that point:

After the Paxtons left, Oliver continued to enjoy his North American stay. He helped Nana in the kitchen:

He took a trip to Kemah:

He visited Firehouse Subs and sported the hat to prove it:

And he modeled his longer hair for the world to see (including the Alfalfa spike after his bath):

I think his favorite person was Uncle Richard, and not just because of the potato chips:

And just before Chris headed back to Paris, we took some very special photos for my sake. My parents are about to tear down their home and rebuild... the home I was born and raised in... the home I lived in my whole life. So, for my sake, we got some pics of my sweet boy in front of the house before it goes:

And that's the short version... But it will have to do. Thank you to all our family and friends who made our visit so special!