We finally finished the trimester last Friday and start the new one tomorrow. We didn't get much of a break. I guess that's okay. It will keep the momentum going. Benjamin actually finished up a project today that needed to get done...so now we're really done.

Since Mom Giauque and Rod have been here we've gone to the beach a couple of times with them. Since Benjamin and Nicky still had finals we had to dedicate some time to that as well this last week. Mom and Rod have been a real help watching the girls while we studied on Wednesday and Thursday. We went to the Arecibo Observatory on Friday. It is the largest radio telescope in the world and is used 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. It was built in the sixties and NASA has given them a grant which keeps them up and running. I originally thought it was made of concrete but it's actually aluminum panels with holes so it doesn't collect the rain. But they do have to clean it off every so often.

On Saturday we were hoping to go to the island of Vieques off the east coast of PR. We left late Saturday morning but didn't really take into consideration that it was a holiday weekend. The traffic was bad all the way to Fajardo where we were supposed to pick up the ferry. We got to the doc a little after 1pm. But the next ferry didn't leave until 4:30. And the last ferry left Vieques at 6pm. So even if we had gotten on we wouldn't have been able to stay very long or done very much. We'll just have to remember that we need to go much earlier next time. So we just went to a nearby beach and enjoyed the cool water.

On Sunday the four of us sang a quartet, Our Savior's Love, in Spanish. Sylvia also came up with us since she didn't want to be left with anyone else. Vivian happily went with a sister in the ward. We were going to do it with a guitar accompaniment...but that got changed at the last minute by a councilor in the stake presidency who was visiting. We were able to get someone to pinch hit on the piano at the very last minute and it turned out just fine. We got lots of compliments. We've been given a challenge in our stake to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days...or at least for 100 seconds per day. We're all going to do it. Even the girls...at least the 100 seconds part.

The Kays and The Giauques in Puerto Rico

This has been a week of preperation and excitment. Our second and more difficult of our first two trimesters is coming to a close. We have a lot of exams and extra work to do. We have been lucky to have a take home final in both trimesters. Anatomy and Physiology is the take home test that we have and the other exams are in Medical Surgical Nursing and PsychoSocial Nursing. The professors are paying more attention to the course content this time around and they are actually making sure that we know what we are studying.

Sylvia just got her first homework assignment today. She has to read a story and draw a picture about it. The story is all in spanish. My little bilingual genius.

Mom and Rod Giauque flew into San Juan International Airport on Friday night. They took a Lancha from Catano to Viejo San Juan. Alice is amazed at how observant and scientific Vivian is. She and Rod are very excited to see her walking. Rod has either one of them in his arms or within 12 inches of him at any given moment. He is a neice magnet. He may have contracted some traveling sickness. He has been feeling queezie since yesterday. He spent most of the day sleeping today. Mom whipped our house into shape today while I was at my last day of work and while Nicky was studying. She is sure great to have around. We are planning a trip this weekend after our final exams to go to Viequez, a little Island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico.

Today is Valentine's day. Nicky taught me a valuable lesson about being poor on a holday. She took my hand this morning and told me with a gleam in her eye, "Happy Valentine's Day, I didn't get you anything". How sincere and profound. Broke on Valentine's day but with the account of my heart overflowing with deposit's (and no I am not referring to plaque).

We have decided to put the use of the Animalitos to rest. The babysitter came to us the other day and told us that sylvia was biting her fingertips. (she has been doing this for a while now as a nervous reaction. Her papa thought that it would be just as easy to get her to stop biting her nails and her fingertips by explaining that "the animalitos were going to munch on her fingertips if she kept biting them and exposing the dermal layer of skin). Jen explained that she saw her that night really goin at her fingertips and when she asked her what she was doing Sylvia replied, "I have to get rid of the Animilitos or they are going to eat my fingers". I did not think that the reason that she was bighting her finger nails and tips was because of the Animalitos. So that same day we presented her with chewable princess vitamins and told her that when she took them that they got rid of all of the Animalitos and that their were no more Animalitos. I think that Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny is an easier fable than the wrath of the Animalitos.

Weekly update 7 Feb 2011

We've had a busy week of studying. The trimester is almost over for which we are ecstatic. Just a few more tests and papers. We're really starting to find out what it's going to take to be successful on the NCLEX. We've got lots of resources and practice material to work on. We were looking through a study guide to help prepare us on how to begin. I guess it was on my mind all night because I dreamed that I took the exam and failed it! I'm glad it was just a dream.

Sylvia is still a little sick but it slowly getting over things. She's still got a cough and some stuffiness. Vivian walks EVERYWHERE now. She is really getting to be a pro. Benjamin has washed the dishes for three days in a row. What an accomplishment. We held a fast on Sunday for the growth of the Elder's Quorum as well as for our friends upstairs who are also here from Utah. They have been going through some tough personal and family problems. Benjamin's first councilor will be leaving for Afghanistan so it looks like he'll need to get more people called to help him in the Quorum. Mom Giauque and Rod will be here this Friday to spend some time with us and the girls. We really look forward to seeing them.