Monday, May 18, 2009

Duval Family Update May 2009

Hello wonderful family and friends,

I hope this e-mail finds you doing well and enjoying beautiful spring weather!  It is gorgeous over here and since they have FINALLY turned on our air conditioning, life is pretty grand! 

First and foremost, I am so excited to tell you about our new nephew, Gabriel Patrick Bentley.  Patrick and Kristi welcomed their tiny guy on Mother's Day and he is beautiful!  I spoke to them on skype the other day and they are doing very well!  It is crazy to think that in the 13 months that little Paul has been alive, he has gone from being the youngest grandchild on my side (Caroline and Alex being older), to now being the middle grandchild (Andrew and Gabriel are younger), and when Catherine arrives he will be in the older group!  My parents have gone from having three grandchildren to 6 in a mere 15 months!  CRAZY! 

Speaking of babies being born, baby Cate's debut is fast approaching.  I am now 32 weeks pregnant with only eight weeks to go (God willing).  At my last appointment on Thursday, my doctor broke the news that she is already a big baby and will probably weigh as much as Paul did (8lbs 3oz), if not more.   Besides that, everything is looking perfect and we are both doing well.  After having such a tough time with my last pregnancy, I am so thankful for the simplicity of this one! 

Besides the pregnancy, I am super excited to walk at graduation on June 5th.  I finished up my degree in Marketing back in November but every summer most bases host a graduation ceremony.  Although, I will be walking 9 months pregnant and probably wearing tennis shoes, I will be walking!  I've ordered my cap and gown and I'm ready to go!  I finally feel like I can completely move on to the next stage in life as a wife and mother.  (I just do things a little out of order...but dad, I promised you I'd finish AND WALK!)  We'll make sure to take tons of pictures and video the whole thing. 

After graduation, the boys have their much anticipated trip back to the states from June 21-29th.  Paul is the best man in his best friends wedding out in CA so he is dropping little man off in NH to see Nana and Pepe for the week while he goes for some much deserved 'guy time' and best man duties. Nana has not seen little man since he was 6 weeks old so it should be a fun trip! 

Little man is still growing like a weed.  His walking skills have improved GREATLY in the last couple of weeks and therefore becoming his primary mode of transportation.  His dancing skills are also improving by the day, now advancing beyond the simple bounce of the knees to the swaying of hips and shaking of arms...he's very funny!  I am confident that his little sister might think that he is a little crazy!

And last but certainly not least, my wonderful husband is doing excellent!  He has been a great help to me with little man and around the house as I get bigger (and more tired).  He has finally gotten word that he should be moving to a day schedule upon his return from NH...thankfully, just in time for baby Cate's arrival.  He has also been hard at work assembling/building his new racing mountain bike.  I believe it is finally complete and he took it for its first ride the other day stating that it is "awesome". 

Well, I think that about wraps it all up!  We did get word that we will be here until October 2010 so you are still more than welcome to come visit.  I'll keep you all updated if there are any changes with the arrival of our little girl but as of now, we are right on schedule.  Keep in touch!

Love,
Jeanne

P.S. I have attached a picture of me at 32 weeks...I'm getting big!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Duval family Update April 2009

Hi Family and Friends,

Well, this time 365 days ago, I was about to leave the house to head to the hospital.  I had just noticed the crack in my ceiling while breathing through a contraction, Paul was quickly writing down the timing, and mom was making some tuna salad sandwiches for Paul.  As of right now, 1:05PM, I still had 4 hours and 16 minutes to go before we would meet our precious boy.  I remember it like it was yesterday!  I can't believe that my sweet boy is already a year old!  I can officially say that this has been one of the most fun years of my life. 

Oddly enough, little man's first birthday also marks the '99 days until my due date' point.  No more triple digits!  This pregnancy has gone by SO much faster than my last (not to mention MUCH easier).  As I think back over the last year and then look ahead at whats to come I can't help but feel a mix of emotions.  I'm so excited to meet my little girl but am sad to give up the days of mommy/guido time.  I am frantically trying to soak up all of the one on one (or family of three) time I can get before my/our time is divided.  I'm sure most mother's experience the same thoughts and emotions, but for some reason I didn't think to expect them.  It's all apart of the process, I'm sure.

On a lighter note, we have spent the last 10 days touring Pauls dad and sister, Julie, around Italy.  In my opinion, the highlight of their trip was our four day trip to Rome this last weekend.  We did it all!  We did old Rome, the Vatican, Mass with the Pope, Assisi, and much more.  I think we have all reached a new level of exhaustion but it was definitely worth it.  Little man was such a trooper and besides getting dirtier than ever before, he hung in there like a champ.  I'll post the pictures up on phanfare as soon as I get a chance.  Mr. Duval and Julie are currently on their way home and I think they have enough stories to tell to last them for a while! 

Well, I think that about catches us up.  We don't have too much going on between now and Catherine's arrival.  I have 10 weeks until I am not allowed to leave base so I suppose I need to get in all of my errands, shopping, eating out, and traveling that I can before I'm on lock down.  Paul is still working away and just keeping up his normal schedule (hoping to get put on a normal day schedule before Catherine gets here...)  And Guido, well, he's just guido.  He's funnier than ever.  Starting to take a few steps on his own.  He's working on mastering what a cow and chicken say.  He's also really enjoying his outdoor play area that we made for him for his birthday.  All in all, everything is going great over here in Italy.  No complaints! 

I hope you give yourself the oppurtunity to live your Holy Week well and have a WONDERFUL Easter!  Look forward to hearing from you all!

Love,
Jeanne

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Duval Family Update February 2009

Hi Family and Friends,

Well, our vacation is over and we're back into the swing of life...unfortunately.  I hope you all got a chance to look at our pictures from Germany as we had a wonderful time!  It was so nice to get away from Italy, explore a bit of Germany, and experience a bit of home (particularly the food; french fries, onion rings, pizza, hamburgers, you know the good stuff!).  Okay, well, I think I am speaking for myself on the food but it was so good! 

As of today, we are officially at the half way point to meeting baby Cate.  It sure is amazing how much faster this pregnancy has gone compared to Paul.  This time last pregnancy, we had just driven from California to New Hampshire where we were celebrating Thanksgiving followed by lovely kidney stones.  Let's hope and pray we don't see a repeat of that!  So far everything is going very well.  I'm feeling MUCH better these days and starting to try and prepare for the arrival of our little girl.  Catherine sure does move a lot but, at least for the time, does not kick half as hard as Paul did. 

Speaking of my little man...HE IS TURNING 1 YEAR OLD IN 6 WEEKS!!!  Can you believe that!?!?!?!  I feel like I just sent out my birth announcement e-mail a few weeks ago!  He also had a good time in Germany playing with grandmama and grandaddy.  He has FINALLY said 'Mama' so I suppose he does actually love me.  For a while there you would ask him to say it and he'd shake his head 'no'...haha.  This little boy has quite the sense of humor.  His latest cause for laughter was this afternoon when I went to get him from his crib, he was standing there WITH NO PANTS ON but the biggest smile on his face!  He cracks me up!  And whats even funnier is that he KNOWS that he's funny...what a nut! 

And last but certainly not least, my wonderful husband is still hard at work.  We have gotten no word on the officer program so we are assuming that it is a 'no go'.  That being the case, he will finish up school while working (hopefully by the beginning of next year) and then we will figure out where God wants us next.  We are tossing around quite a few options so we are certainly excited to see where we end up (and with how many kids...hahaha).  Especially in this time of uncertainty in our country, we are very thankful for all of the oppurtunities that Paul's military career is giving us.

Well, I think that about covers it all.  I hope this e-mail finds you doing well and kicking your Lent off on a strong note.  I know I will be spending a lot less time on facebook over the next 40 days!  Have a good Ash Wednesday and I look forward to hearing from you!

Love,
Jeanne   

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Duval Family Update January 2009

Hi Family and Friends,

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      

Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween 2008

Happy Halloween!  We hope that you are laughing as much as we did when we took this picture!

Love,

Paul, Jeanne, and little Paul

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Duval Family Update October 2008

Greetings from Italy!

I just wanted to send a brief update with all of the news that has come our way since my last update.  First of all, I hope you all can tell how much smarter I am as I have FINALLY GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!!!  After getting married, moving to California, a deployment, moving to Italy, and having a baby, I kept my word and I have finally completed my Bachelors degree in marketing.  I can't even tell you how relieved I was to wake up on Monday morning and to have NO SCHOOLWORK!  It's great!
I have also become a certified COMPASS mentor for the Navy.  COMPASS is a program for military spouses to learn about the Navy and for spouses to assist other spouses in their transitions and deployments.  It was a great experience and I am looking forward to mentoring other Navy Spouses!

Secondly, Paul has been VERY busy (imagine that).  He was selected as an alternate for his officer commissioning program.  While it is not EXACTLY what we were hoping for it is still quite an accomplishment and I am so proud of him!  Out of 900-1200 applicants, Paul was one of the few who was selected at all.  So, where does this leave us.  Well, God has quite the sense of humor!  I guess he's not finished teaching us patience!  Paul is currently in the process of filling out college applications, doing physical exams, and making degree plans.  Like a normal selectee, he must send all of the paperwork in and then we wait for someone to either drop out or be kicked out (which actually happens all of the time!).  So, we are busy doing all of his paperwork and applications and then we just wait some more.  We will know a definite answer by December.  To be quite honest, we are hoping that we stay in Italy for one more year as we REALLY want to do more traveling.  But, whatever God wants is what we want. 
In addition to that, Paul has become a certified Department of Defense financial counselor!  He has not only learned A TON but he has had a great time!  He will now be the financial counselor for his command (both enlisted and officer).  There are efforts to try and make financial counseling a mandatory appointment upon checking into the command which means that Paul will be one busy guy helping his command get their money/investments in order.  Again, so proud!

And lastly, little guido man's first tooth has popped through!  After he bit me yesterday I knew that something sharp was in there.  We looked and there it was!  His second tooth is sitting right under his gums.  I can't believe he's growing so fast!  I THOUGHT I JUST HAD HIM!!!  We continue to have fun as he learns and grows.

Well, I think thats about it from the home front.  No deployments, No babies, AND NO MOVES!  Wow, it's be a while since we've been this calm.  It's kind of nice! Remember to keep smiling and have a great day!

Love,
Jeanne  

Monday, September 22, 2008

Duval Family Update September 2008

Hi Family and Friends,

Well, we have officially made it through summer and are now into the glorious temperatures of fall!  It's amazing!

The last few months have been quite hectic with Paul's work schedule.  It has definitely made me realize what it means to be his wife.  Given the fact that on most days he is gone for about 14-15 hours, I spend most of my days making sure that everything is squared away when he gets home so he can eat, relax, and get into bed (having a clean uniform, sandwiches, and coffee in the morning) within about 2 hours.  I have realized that my job entails making his days easier!  Its the least that I can do since he works so hard so I can be a stay-at-home mom!  These last few months have really made me learn to be VERY thankful!

Besides the day to day, Paul has recently gotten braces in anticipation of his jaw surgery in about 24 months!  We are so thankful that the Navy is giving us this opputunity.  As the doctor said, 'its basically a $50,000 bonus check'.  His experience of getting braces was quite different than mine as he was eating chicken within 24 hours, while I remember being in absolute pain for a couple of days!  He has also become a lector at Mass and is looking into coaching soccer or baseball in the spring.  We are also anxiously awaiting the results of Paul's officer program due out in mid October.  Life has come to a stand still until we know what we are doing.  The military has definitely provided us an adventureous life!

Compared to Paul, I am not doing too much.  I can proudly say that I am 4 weeks from completing my undergraduate degree in Marketing!  I am so ready to be done but am trying to finish strong!  I am also trying to get involved in some Bible Study's and women's groups at Church but so far I have either been out of town or had a doctors appointment during EVERY MEETING!  Maybe I'm just not SUPPOSED to have friends...haha!  Although, I HAVE registered to organize a progressive dinner for Paul's command in May (if we are here, sneaky, huh?  haha).  I thought it would be fun!

Anyways, little man is doing great!  I am trying to keep up the pictures but it has become a bit challenging.  He kind of does the same things over and over!  We are still having so much fun with is especially since he has gotten older and has more personality.  I am so excited for my brother, Eddie, to see him since he has been gone for the last 3 months...A LOT HAS CHANGED! 

Well, please drop us some e-mails!  We miss hearing from you!  We still use SKYPE on a daily basis and are always looking to show little man off.  Just as we did, we want him to grow up with a strong relationship with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins (and most of our friends are considered aunts and uncles).  I hope this e-mail finds you doing well and be assured of an e-mail once we know where we are turning next! 

Love,
Jeanne  (and little Paul, he's screaming in the background!!!)