I hope this e-mail finds you doing well and living out all of your new years resolutions!
Since the last time I wrote, a lot has happened in our little lives over here in Italy. As most of you know, we are expecting our second baby. I am now 15 weeks along due on July 15th. So far, things have gone well. While morning sickness has not passed me by, it has given me a bit of a break compared to last time. Having a little one to run after definitely puts things into perspective and laying on the couch just doesn't cut it. We are very excited to find out the sex of the baby on February 11th. If it is a boy, he will be named Bentley Thomas Duval and if its a girl she will be named Catherine Riley Duval. I have a feeling that it is a girl but we will see what God has decided! Either way, we are very excited about this new addition, we are just hoping that they will give us a bigger house or the baby might be sleeping in the laundry room...haha.We are also VERY excited to go to Germany to ski the Alps with my parents in February. The military does a wonderful job providing for us and one way that they do this is by having american run resorts around the world reserved only for the military. Ever since we arrived here in Italy, all we have heard about is Edelwiess, Edelwiess, Edelwiess. So, we're going!!! We have our cabin rented, our rental car reserved, plane tickets bought, and now we are just waiting on little man's snowsuit, my parents arrival, and the date to arrive and we are OFF! This will be the first time Paul will be off work in over a year! He has 9 days, HOW AWESOME!!! The resort is located in Garmisch, Germany just 50 miles from Munich and 35 miles from Innsbruck, Austria. I can promise you that we will have MANY pictures to post on Phanfare!
There is still no word on Paul's officer package. At this point, we are just waiting for someone to be kicked out or to quit. If he does not get selected, we will remain in Italy and he will decide whether he wants to re-apply this year or not. While this process has been somewhat discouraging at times, one thing is for sure, we are learning to be flexible! Paul is getting a chance, unlike many others his age, to decide what he really wants to do for the rest of his life, while still providing for his family. He has so many options it is crazy! Only time will tell...
And lastly, the littest man of our home is growing like a weed! He is now 9 months old, did you hear me, 9 MONTHS OLD!?!?!?! Seriously, if pregnancy could go by as fast as these 9 months have, life would be golden! Anyhow, he has mastered the art of the army crawl and is rarely in the same place for too long. With our tile floors, he has discovered that for efficiency's sake, it is much faster to just push himself backwards instead of pulling himself forwards. So, if you come to our home, you will most likely see a baby on the floor going backwards! He's a riot. He is also quite the fan of singing at Church. Besides his random day of craziness, he does pretty well sitting still during Mass. BUT, when it is time to sing, you will most likely hear our little boys voice "singing" with the rest. Quite the source of comic relief!
Well, I think that about sums it up for our family update. We are all doing well. We would love to hear from you so please write us back!
Love,
Jeanne
