7-month update

Many of you have asked similar questions recently so this update is an effort to answer the questions all at once!

When we arrived in France seven months ago we knew our time here would go quickly. Some days in those early months I must admit that I was glad the time would speed by as I realized a move overseas, virtually on my own in many ways, was a bigger adjustment than I expected! Now with just a few months before our “recess” is over we have very mixed feelings about moving back into real life. Yesterday I asked Adele if she was excited to leave France and go back to the United States. She said, “Sort of. I wish we had our own house here…and we had a house there, too, so we could visit our family and friends.” She expressed the same feelings we all share. We really miss having our own home with our own things; everything from toys and beds to kitchen tools and the books on the shelves. We have a perfectly adequate living situation here but it is interesting to feel we are living in someone else’s space. If we had our own things in this very same home it would be a very different experience. We’ve grown to love the simple ways of coastal life, the sea, the sun and the flora and talk about the possibilities of staying. But we’re pulled back “home” by love for family and friends.

Geoff’s health continues to improve. The improvement is incremental, so some days it is hard to discern, but when we step back we can see that his ability to handle everyday situations (walking up the stairs, doing the dishes, wrestling with the girls) has increased dramatically; all of his more severe symptoms are gone. That being said, we still slow down to "Dad and Ceci speed" when we travel or go out since they're the (s)lowest common denominator. He is beginning to think about what to do next. Among his ideas is opening a seaside B&B or a gelato shop! But he isn’t even close to any SERIOUS conclusions, yet. One thing is certain – we’ll spend our lives working to make the world a better place and Heaven knows the options are endless there!!!

Our lease ends here in Menton on May 31st. The plan was to drive through Geoff’s mission in the Bordeaux area; spend time in the Loire Valley; a few days in Paris and make a trek to Denmark where Geoff has extended family; we’d then zoom 16 hours back down to Nice for a flight June 18th. This weekend, as we spent time planning the trip in earnest, we both felt that the trip would be so frantic that we would end our time here worn-out – counter to both the purpose of our time here and the lifestyle we’ve cultivated. So, after quite a bit of discussion, we made the very hard decision not to go to Denmark this time. Instead we’ll go more leisurely through France and fly out on June 18th. Our return ticket is to San Francisco and we’ll spend a few weeks with Geoff’s parents in the foothills of Tahoe, a week or two in Utah visiting family and friends, and another week or two in Colorado visiting my dad and brother. After that the canvas is open. And at any time this whole plan could change! It is interesting to have a blank slate in life. We know that everything will work out fine. It helps that our needs are relatively small at this point.

We’re a little behind in our homeschooling but plan to catch up over the next two months. We purposefully planned our travel during the winter months so that we could be here when the weather warmed up. Spring blooms are everywhere, the pool will be warm enough for swimming next week, and many afternoons are warm enough to spend at the beach. The days are back in rhythm after our travel and guests and we are soaking up the easy pace. That doesn’t mean I’m relaxed. Homeschooling and home-keeping are full-time efforts, but there are no other demands for the moment.

Tennie is growing and changing before our eyes. She is more focused in school (She wants to go to Stanford and knows she has to be able to focus!), is thorough in her responsibilities, has thankfully stopped collecting everything under the sun (she was collecting bags here in France until about a month ago, including grocery sacks), reads and retains everything she can get her hands on, has perfect pronunciation when attempting French, shows restraint with her emotions, shows discipline in reading her scriptures every day to meet her New Year’s goals, is becoming increasingly flexible and adaptable in the face of change or disappointment, and wants to be a part of Geoff’s and my conversations, eager to learn everything from politics and economics to the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. She is an old soul in a little girl’s body. She still likes to move constantly, come up with business ideas, draw, sing, put on plays, help in the kitchen and generally take charge. An interesting fact we learned about her during our study of the body: Tennie is cross-dominant meaning she is right-handed but sees stronger with her left eye (usually people favor one whole side of their body). This explains why she struggles with nice handwriting (she works so hard!) and supposedly such people make great gymnasts so she is excited to give it a try when we settle.

Adele loves to make us all laugh with quick wit and silly expressions and she is really good at it! Every morning she wakes up and does some stretches in bed, says her prayers, feeds her fish, and lately has been making Tennie and Ceci’s beds. If someone needs help with something she’ll pray for them daily without reminders for months on end. She is a disciplined child; a self motivator. Reading and writing don’t come easily for her but she works incredibly hard at improving. Geoff and I marvel at her persistence and determination. She leans towards perfectionism and she has a very high standard for herself. She is frustrated that her clothes don’t feel good on her body. She prays for this every night, and she is getting better. The past few months she flies off the handle from 0 to 10 in .003 seconds flat. One moment she is calm and all is well and the next moment she is completely wigging out about something. Things that don’t work frustrate her easily. This is all part of growing up and she’ll outgrow or learn to live with them all. Her kindness and thoughtfulness inspire us all to be better. Her generosity and compassion are personal strengths. Her quiet ways won’t bring her a lot of attention (which she prefers) but will benefit anyone who is her friend. She is taking advantage of Geoff’s developing energy and challenges him daily to meet her on the “Patch” (the wrestling area on our bed).

Ceci will be lucky if she lives to adulthood. Last night she fell off a stool in the kitchen while washing strawberries and whacked her mouth on the counter piercing her lip with her tooth…all the way through! Thankfully it didn’t create a hole in her lip (just a small cut from the outside) and how she still has her one front tooth left is miraculous! This kid is a tough cookie. She has courage I could only dream of having. She admits to being scared about things but does them anyway. She has a little bit of a temper but I don’t know that that is a personality trait as much as a survival skill with two older sisters! She admitted this morning to being “addicted” to sucking her thumb, wishes she didn’t twirl her hair so it could grow in thick and long (instead of having the current bald spot in the back), wishes she didn’t have curly hair, is adored by just about everyone that sees her, has no regard for authority (Geoff’s dad’s old Catholic school might be a good correction option…), is usually sleep deprived, can do mazes like nobody’s business, and has developed an allergy to nuts since we’ve been here. That is a big bummer because we used almond meal for just about everything under the sun. It was a staple while off so many other foods. Oh well. It is what it is. Our concern is making sure she receives enough nourishment to grow. She will eat just about anything if we sit and feed her. Otherwise she is off and running. At the moment we’re not willing to allow her to suffer the natural consequence of going hungry…there is too much at stake. Underneath her steely exterior, and more akin to her angelic little face, is an affectionate, adoring, helpful, funny, fun, sensitive and smart little person. I count my lucky stars that she still loves to crawl up on my lap, curl in a little ball and suck her thumb.

Well, that about sums us up. We love getting your comments on the blog and knowing that you are out there thinking of us, because we think of you!