Avery Lorette Rice

Today we welcomed Avery Lorette Rice to our family.  She was born at 1:01 pm and weighed in at 8 lbs, 4 oz.  Her length was 19 3/4 inches long.  She has the cutest chubby cheeks we've ever seen on a baby and she loves her thumb!  The girls are ecstatic! 

Crazy New England Weather

So from 2 weeks of straight rain, to a week of high humidity and almost 90 degrees, to deadly tornado's just a short distance away and now back into the 60's my body is completely confused.  Jerry has even said he is cold.  Really 69 degrees, it's not cold.  I have loved the retreat of temps back into the 60's because it has lead to a return of what I once knew as my ANKLES!  For the last 3 weeks they have been swollen beyond recognition.  It's been so bad that it hurts to walk on them.  Sunday was so bad that I couldn't get my feet into anything but a pair of 2 dollar Old Navy flip flops.  I thought it was something I was just going to have to endure but it seems like it is related to the heat.  Because as of right now (almost 10 pm) I could still pick them out as my own in a lineup.  Something I usually cannot do by 10 am!!  So as far as I'm concerned, it can stay sunny and 60 FOREVER!  Or at least for the remainder of this pregnancy.

Ansley

So today while I was at work Jerry calls me to tell me that Mrs. Oliphant, Ansley's pre-school teacher, made him blush today.  Ansley has a little friend at school who is smitten with her and follows her around.  She is not phased by his undivided attention one bit.  Jerry had no knowledge of this until today.  Apparently it has gotten so bad that his mother told Jerry he only wants to wear one shirt to school everyday because it is Ansley's favorite.  Well today, while out on the playground, he put a flower behind her ear and told her she was as beautiful as an angel.  When the teacher told Jerry this he apparently turned multiple shades of red.  I fear he may be in for some trouble as these girls get older.  They have both had admirers as early as preschool.  Thankfully for now Ansley is still set on marrying her daddy!

Great Day!

Today was storybook character day at school.  Ally went to school dressed as the witch from Snow White.  Ugly nose wart and all.  After school we had Allyson's second parent/teacher conference.  She is improving in almost every area of school, especially reading.  She is now reading at a k level, which at the beginning of the year, looked like it would never happen.  On another fun note, I was able to score 4 packages of diapers, 2 boxes of envelopes, 4 candy bars, and a package of feminine hygiene products for under 10 bucks at Walgreens today!!  I think I have enough diapers to last until the 6 month mark!!

Ansley, oh Ansley

Ansley is obsessed with playing with Jerry's karate sword, (it's a wood practice sword for anyone wondering what the heck is going on at the Rice's).  She is almost as obsessed as he is.  Today she was holding it and says, "Daddy I want to see you fight with your sword for real."
Me, "Ansley, someone could get hurt."
Ansley, "I know, he needs to fight a bad guy."
Me, "But Ansley, daddy could get hurt."
Ansley, "Mommy, Daddy has a sword, a knife and a gun.  He's like a special agent or something.  He could do it."
Jerry, "Well that is true."
Way to encourage her daddy!

The black eye

So, my karate instructor approached me last night to inform me that he needed to speak with Jerry. A few days back, Ansley and Ally were taking a shower when a fight ensued about the shower massager.  Ansley, who has taken to arguing with Ally, rather than giving into her every demand got angry when Ally asked for the shower massager back after mere seconds.  She gave into to Ally's demand but more or less threw it at her, hitting her in the left eye. The result was an instantly black eye. Ally screamed and cried for at least 10 minutes.  Some out of pain, but mostly because she was upset about having to go to school with a black eye. 

Fast forward to the next day when the black eye is now cool and she loves and wants to protect Ansley.  I take the girls to karate while Jerry is at school.  Sensei Rod has a very strict no fighting policy, unless of course we are defending ourselves, so when he sees Ally's black eye and says, "It looks like you need to work on your blocking.  Where did you get the black eye?"  Ally, trying to protect Ansley from Sensai says, "My dad gave it to me."  I hear nothing of this and we go home.  That is until last night.  Sensai approaches me about how exactly Jerry gave Ally this black eye.  I am mortified and try to assure him that Ansley was in fact the one that gave her the black eye but that I would speak to Ally as soon as I got home.  Jerry was already at home studying for his comprehensive exam. 

So this morning I sit Ally down to ask her about what she told Sensai. She very proudly said, "Well I didn't want Ansley to get in trouble and I knew daddy couldn't get in trouble so I told Sensai daddy did it."  Sounds perfectly reasonable to me except for the fact that daddy can get in trouble.  So I explain to Ally that we can't go around telling people that.  She was clearly confused so I told her that some daddy's do hit their kids and if she tells people that daddy hit her they can arrest daddy and take her and Ansley away from us.  She immediately teared up and told me she didn't want daddy to get in trouble.  She assured me that Sensai was the only one she told that story too.  I guess for now all we can do is wait and see if DCF shows up.   Poor daddy gets thrown under the bus again!!

Well who will I marry??

So today at dinner Ally informs Ansley that one day she will live with her husband and kids and not Jerry and I.  Her reply to this was "I know, but I am going to marry daddy!"  Very cute indeed but I let her in on a small secret.  "Ansley, daddy is sealed to mommy for eternity.  You will have to find your own husband to take to the temple."
Ansley, "But I want to marry daddy."
Ally, "you can't marry daddy Ansley."
Ansley, "Who will I marry then?"  (Her face is covered in the chocolate pudding we had for dessert, extra cute!)
Me, "I don't know, you will find someone when you get a bit older.  Thankfully you have plenty of time to live with mommy and daddy."
Ansley, smiles :)
It's conversations like these that make being a mom just priceless!!

An interesting scripture study indeed!!

So tonight we were reading in 2 Nephi Chapter 28 with the girls.  When we happened upon verse 21 which talks about how Satan lures people away from the truth and down to hell.
Ally, "Ooohhh, that's a bad word."
Ansley, "Yeah, that's a bad word mommy."
Me, "Well it can be when it's used as a curse but here they are talking about a place.  Hell is a bad, dark place because it is far from the presence of our Heavenly Father.  It's where Satan will spend eternity."
Ansley, "Why?"
Me, "Because he cannot go to Heaven."
Ansley, "Where is he right now?
Me, "He is here on the earth, trying to make us stray from what we know is right.  He is miserable and he wants us to be miserable too!"
Ansley, "Well I am going to hold onto the Iron Rod.  I don't want to go to hell with Satan!"
Me, "me too!!"
Ally, "me three!!"
So we continue on in our reading. 
Quickly we come to a verse talking about Satan again.  To which Ansley blurts out, "Satan lives in Shi_!!  I  continue reading like nothing happened.  Thanking God that Ally missed the comment all together and then put the girls to bed.  I can only image that she remembered he lived in a place that was a BAD word and Shi_! came out instead of hell.  Either way I laughed so hard I cried! (once I got downstairs of course)  I'm telling you I love the ages of 3 and 4.  You just never know what might pop out of their mouths. :)

23 weeks

I am 23 weeks pregnant today.  You are about 11 inches long and weight just over 1 pound.  Crazy because I have already gained 20 lbs, YIKES!! I love that you can hear now.  Hopefully you are getting used to the sound of the vacuum cleaner because I LOVE to vacuum.  I am loving all of the movement and the girls love that my belly is getting bigger.  Ansley is very protective of my belly and is always gently rubbing it.  Tonight Ally read the baby the story You are all my Favorites.  They are going to be great BIG sisters. 

I am definitely suffering from baby brain though.  We had the missionaries over for dinner tonight and I was trying so hard to have everything done early so they wouldn't be late for an appointment.  I was so pleased with myself when dessert was even ready.  That was until I went to take it out of the oven and realized I never turned the oven on.  I did set the timer though!! UGGGGG!!

Sunday March 13, 2011

It was a tiring day indeed due to the fact that my flight landed in Boston at 11:50 pm and we had a 90 minute drive home.  On top of that we sprang forward last night making it a 3am bedtime after a 70 hour work week.  Thankfully Claudette came to the house so Jerry didn't have to get the girls out of bed.  What that meant though was that they were raring to go very early. 

During Sacrament service Ansley talked Andy and Claudette's ears off.  She is so talkative lately.  To entertain her Claudette began showing her pictures from the primary 3 book.  Several comments were too funny not to post.
Picture of the last supper, "Oh it's the last dinner!" 
Map of the world, Ansley "Where do I live?"  Claudette points to the northeast portion of North America.  Where do you live?  Again Claudette points to the northeast portion of North America.  "Oh we live close to each other!"
Last was a picture of a little girl licking an envelope.  Claudette asks Ansley what she thinks is in the envelope.  "LOVE"

February 27, 2011

Today we had a special Stake Conference in Bloomfield.  We were hoping to hear the details of the new Hartford temple but were found out there isn't any new information yet.  Either way it was great to be in the presence of an apostle.  Elder D Todd Christofferson was with us from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  After the session was over we were invited to go up and shake hands with him.  Ally could hardly wait.  She was so excited.  I was surprised at how interested she was in meeting him.  For Ansley, the highlight was definitely the bus ride over to the stake center.  Oh well, she is only 4.

Calling in the National Guard

So the town of Vernon has called in the National Guard to remove snow and ice off of all the roofs of the school buildings.  I have to say having grown up in CT I can never remember a winter in which snow needed to be removed off of school buildings and if it did we never had to call in the National Guard for help.  They have even resorted to calling parents for help and for shovels and snow blowers.  With more snow and ice in the forecast for this weekend and next week I have to wonder how much more we can take.  At this rate we may have snow on the ground until June!!

It's an icy mess!

Well they were right.  We woke this morning to sleet and freezing rain galore.  It's a disaster.  Needless to say we are off.  It is now snow day number 5  for Vernon, but I have to say if the temperature doesn't rise any today this mess is going to freeze and we can pretty much count on snow day number 6 for tomorrow.  YUCK!!  I think I'd rather have gotten Chicago's 2 feet of powder than this nasty mess.  I would also like to thank the University of Hartford for literally cancelling classes less than 20 minutes before the start of Jerry's class.  Nothing like a needless drive on the ice covered roads.

As I am blogging this post Vernon has cancelled school for tomorrow.  Snow day #6 it is!!

A new month, a new storm!

Well we are 1 day into the month of February and already another winter storm.  Storm Ella started this morning with some light snow.  We are expecting a messy mix overnight though.  Here hoping our roof can withstand it because they never made it to ours to shovel any off.

The Snowiest January on Record

January 7th - 7 inches
January 9th- 4 inches
January 11th - 27 inches Winter storm Benedict
January 18th - 4 inches
January 21st - 6  inches Winter storm Clare
January 25th - 2 inches
January 27th - 18 inches Winter storm Dennis

For a grand total of about  68 inches in ONE MONTH!!

Leaving everyone wondering???  Could this be next weeks commute???

Preparing for yet another storm

So starting today the DOT is working around the clock trying to clear snow off the roads for the next big storm, slated to hit early next week.  Even our apartment complex has been trying to find ways to rid the lots of snow.

The Santini's have been hard at work trucking the snow out of the parking lots, to other parts of the complex.

Ansley has her own ideas for getting rid of the snow.  She plans to eat us out of this mess.  She will  not touch it with her hands though.  She hates being cold!

Here she is standing out at the bus stop.  Pretty scary site.

The girls in front of the door to our condo.

Here we SNOW AGAIN!!

So we were slated for 6-8 inches last night.  I have to say when I opened the door all I could think was this is neither 6 or 8 inches.  The official total was an additional 18 inches of pure Utah powder.  I-84 was closed until almost 8 am so I got to work sometime after 9 am.  Oh well, better late than never!

 This is the view out the front door at 5:00 when I got up.  That little glow is the top of one of the lights that typically lights our parking lot!

It's down :(

So I will not be needing any Valentine's Day decorations for the Christmas tree.  I have finally taken it down.  It's one of those things that I dread doing every year.  Not because of the work, but because for some odd reason I enjoy having a tree up in the house.  It's always a sad day for me, but it's done.  Good bye holiday season.  See you next year!

Mr. Snowman

It only took a couple of days and lots of patience (on my part) to build a snowman with this powdery snow.  The girls begged and begged to make one and couldn't grasp that it just wasn't the right kind of snow for the job. So I made a huge pile of snow and sculpted one.  Of course the girls participated for mere minutes before they were off playing.  But it's done and they are happy and that's all that matters, right?

Happy Birthday Jerry

Seeing that Winter storm Benedict brought all that they said it would and more, Jerry's birthday gift this year was shovel!!  Just kidding.  But really, I have never in my life seen this much snow all at once and I am tickled silly about it.  We woke yesterday morning to 8 or more inches on the ground and predictions of snow all day long.  I think it finally stopped somewhere around 8 pm.  Given that I am off work for the next few days, I am perfectly happy to be snowed in!

 The view out the back door at 8am, beautiful!

 The view out the front door at 8am, yikes!!

 The view at noon and still snowing hard!

 We think the van is in there somewhere!

 Ally standing in the snow in front of the house.  It's hip deep and still SNOWING!!

Daddy couldn't help himself.  He face planted in the first fluffy spot he found!

Now it's time to find the van.

Yup, it's in there!

Making good progress Daddy!

The next morning, is that the sun?

I know this must be salt in the wounds of all of our southern family who have been snowed in for a week, but this is our small side street just 12 hours after the snow stopped.  The CT DOT ROCKS!!

We ventured out again today and the snow in the back is up to my knees.  Poor Ansley can barely walk.  She cries whenever snow touches her skin and is forced to crawl wherever she wants to go because she gets stuck!!

The girls on top of a huge snow mound in the backyard.

We ended the day with a steak dinner for daddy and his favorite cake, ICE CREAM CAKE!!!  Happy 32nd Birthday Daddy!!  We love you!!

January 7, 2011

Today they dismissed school early for this snow storm that was supposed to hit. As I sit here at 8 pm with not a flake in sight I wonder if the weathermen have a clue.

Well it finally did snow, 2-3 inches per hour starting around 6 pm.  The official total was about 7 inches.  It is absolutely beautiful.  Now we will start preparing for round 2 on Sunday.  Let it snow, let it snow!

January 6, 2011 OB visit #2

Today was our second OB visit.  We were able to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time.  Ansley was less than impressed and just kept repeating she only wanted a baby brother.  (I'm sure it's another girl)  It's definitely starting to sink in that we will soon be a family of five.  Jerry and I are both feeling slightly overwhelmed lately.  With him failing his comprehensive exam in November there are many more things on our plates for Spring than we had anticipated when we set out to get pregnant.  But it is what it is and I know we will find a way to make it all work.

Happy New Year!

Well at least I think it is.  I spent the eve and holiday at work.  Because New Years Day was a 16 hour shift I was in bed by 9 pm.  So I missed the whole thing.  Jerry and the girls actually went out and got Chinese food and a bunch of goodies and all 3 of them stayed up until well after midnight.  I have to say I was impressed.  I haven't stayed up until midnight in months.  They had fun.  They loved all of the singing but said their favorite part was New Year's Kisses.  (Daddy is a kisses monster and will look for any excuse!)  I typically don't make resolutions but I am going to try to spend this year taking better care of myself physically, emotionally and spiritually.  So Happy New Year everyone!  Here's hoping it's fabulous!