Stefan Turns TWO!!

And he loved the choo choo train that his mommy made for him!!!

Almost as good...

as being there-- but not quite!! We miss the French-ites!!!

Christmas in Iowa!!!

We are all here except Tim and Ruth and the 3 kids :-) and having a great time. If you are interested, here are some more pictures.

Christmas in France

So we didn't have quite the same calibre "excitement" that all the rest of you Bixbys are experiencing in an Iowa blizzard, but we nevertheless had a WONDERFUL, quiet, simple Christmas together as a family of five! Here is a peak into some of the stay-at-home family activities we enjoyed: gingerbread house decorating, making origami, reading the family Christmas memory book together, gazing at our little baby boy, and, of course, opening stockings and eating Christmas dinner. Hope you all are having a wonderful time making your own memories together. Looking forward to hearing all about it!

Peaceful

Concert in Rockford!!

We made it to Rockford for a very special concert with a very, very special redhead violinist! Uncle Brian and Aunt Jo were with us and we all had a treat at McDonalds afterwards! Please note that this violinist is SO important that she has a special violin carrier!

With Old Friends and Family

Just a few shots from some of the fun times that we had in December. It had been years since we had been with Uncle Lynn and Aunt Margo, so that was a treat. Aunt Theresa had a special meal for the "boys" and their wives and Grandma, of course. And then Donna Ruth got an early Christmas present!

Getting dressed

Happy Anniversary, Brian and Johanna!

Congratulations on year 3!
Looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for you this year.
Praying for a move into a house, a job, and a baby to happen quickly and smoothly!
Enjoy your day!

Happy Anniversary, Dan and Brenda!!

16 years!! Wow! So sorry you aren't in the same state, but you will be soon--right? Love you both.

Bath Time

Ruth was given very specific, step-by-step instructions about how to give "le toilette du matin."

1. make sure you you test the heat of the water with a thermometer (must be at 37 degrees)

2. soap him up while still on the towel, beginning with his hair and working down.

3. rinse him off gently.

4. based on temperature (taken just before bath) determine how many layers to put on. (The little sweater is very important part of a baby's wardrobe. It normally goes on over the "bodie" and under the vest.)

5. clean out his eyes, nose and face with special products provided.

6. give him his daily dose of vitamins via a syringe.

7. comb his hair.

Voila! A beautiful little baby is ready for the day.

Zacharie back with Mommy

Saying Goodbye to Zacharie

Here is mommy saying goodbye to her 18-hour-old son. Amazing how you can bond so quickly. Though we knew it was nothing threatening, it was still quite impressive to see the special neo-natal SAMU team with all their gear.

He is doing very well and should be able to come home today.

24hrs and 30 minutes later....

...and an ocean away...
Adeline Elisabeth Cole is born!
8.9oz 20 in. long
7:41pm Wednesday, December 16.
Due to the time change, both babies will share a birthday!
God is good, how marvelous are His ways....
How blessed am I?!

Zacharie Christian Bixby

7.11 oz
1:09 Wednesday am.
height to be determined!!
He made is presence known within 20 minutes of arrival at hospital before arriving in the maternity ward and before the midwife even got her gloves on.
We are praising the Lord for such a speedy birth.
God is good!
Welcome to the world Zacharie!

Christmas Soirée

We are so grateful for all the students (37 students in all + our family) that God brought out for Friday night's soirée. It was a great time.

We have a tree!

Today we put up a tiny little tree in "our" basement! This was the tree I had bought for our honeymoon and we haven't gotten it out since. Brian was a wonderful husband and went to our storage unit and found the box for his wife! It feels like Christmas now--yay!