My smartphone

So I am loving my new technology.  This morning the kiddos had a 2 hour delay and I was able to lay in bed and read my scriptures and ensign on my phone.  I can even highlight!!  I love that scripture references are just a finger tap away too!!  Technology is amazing.  I am hoping it will help me to keep my resolution to do a better job at daily scripture study.  So far so good!

9 months

Avery is 9 months old today.  She is still a super baby and has even been amazing through this trip and multiple time changes.  She sleeps like a champ and is finally eating like one.  Well real food that is.  She is not a fan of baby food and despite never having taught her the first baby sign, she signs all done whenever I try to give it to her.  She loved Easter and all of the amazing food it brought, especially mom's steamed artichokes.  She ate her weight in them.  I love how big she opens her mouth when we are feeding her something she likes.  And how she yells when we don't shovel it in fast enough.  Pizza, eggs, green beans, potatoes and cheerios have all been added to the list just this week.  She is pulling up on everything and even cruising a little if she wants something out of reach badly enough.  She has thankfully learned to sit as well because, well, that game in the crib at night was getting a bit old.  She loves to be outside and is fascinated with her sisters.  She is not a big fan of the formula now that I am home full time and will rarely take it.  She is quickly turning into a mommy's girl as well, much to daddy's hurt and heartache.  She still has no teeth but the top two look awfully close.  She is super smart and making a ton of new sounds.  Still not saying mama.  Just dadda and nanna and what sort of sounds like huuh?  She is just a beautiful addition to our family both inside and out.  She is our HAPPY BABY!

Easter Sunday

Today I am grateful.  I am grateful for many things.  For my amazing husband and beautiful children, for my family who I love tremendously and was able to spend Easter with, for the opportunities that lie ahead, for amazing friendships, for a few days of work to help pay the bills, and for those few days to be over ;).  But most of all I am grateful for the atoning sacrifice of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for the knowledge that because of His amazing sacrifice I will never in my life endure anything that he cannot comprehend and that because of that I will never be alone. 

Grateful

So yesterday was a trying day.  We met with the loan officer and found out that because we have to push our closing back again we will definitely lose our 3.85 interest rate.  A definite bummer as it will add almost 60 dollars a month to our monthly mortgage.  And with no definite end in site, we can in no way even lock in at today's rate.  So I guess it will mean another month in an outrageously expensive corporate housing and no paycheck.  I am trying to have faith in all that is happening.  But as of yesterday all I could see was debt piling up and no way to combat it.  I have always been the only one with the ability to fend off financial problems because I have a job that allows for it.  I would just pick up a shift.  In this instance I feel like I am hog tied and smothering and I am just trying to be patient without losing my mind.  So today as I sat in the ridiculously expensive corporate housing waiting to go and see my new home, angry that the Realtor has pushed the time back an hour cutting into my already tight scheduled trip to Atlanta, I found  myself trying to breathe and to remember that I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be.  I made one last trip to the mailbox to see if the package I desperately needed by today had arrived, it had not..... and I got into the car.  It was on the way out that I got one of many slap in the face confirmations I have had to receive in my life from the Lord.  (He knows me and this is the kind of revelation I do best with.)  As I was pulling out of the complex I noticed a UPS truck in front of another building.  I passed it not giving it a second thought and than it occurred to me that my package was being shipped UPS.  I quickly turned around and parked beside the truck waiting for the driver.  When he came out I asked him if he might possibly have a package for apt 1217.  He did and that is when my attitude changed.  Not because of the package per say but because once again the Lord had reminded me that he knows me personally and that he has a hand in EVERYTHING, including me receiving my package before my week long trip to Atlanta.  If my Realtor hadn't been running late I would have never had the opportunity to see the truck and receive my shipment.  So if things aren't happening exactly as we had hoped or expected I am OK with that.  Because I know that someone much greater than I knows exactly what is best for me.  He loves me and as long as I am in tune to his whisperings (that is if I can keep my grumbling down) he will bless me.  And I am so very grateful for that gift.

What is that SMELL??

So Tuesday was Jerry's official last day on campus.  After putting the girls on the bus and Avery down for nap (I took a short one too ;) I began cleaning.  I don't mean surface cleaning.  I mean the kind of cleaning that I haven't had the time or energy to do in, well, lets just say, a LONG time.  It was gorgeous so the windows were open and it just felt clean.  I somehow even managed to prepare what I thought was a nice dinner.  It was at the point that I was thinking, hmmm maybe I CAN do this, that Jerry got home from school.  Unfortunately he was not as excited as I was about my productive day, as his first words were, "Man it really stinks in here!"  I have to say I was a little upset and the terror from last week crept back into my brain.  I couldn't smell a thing and I had been cleaning all day, so what could he be smelling?  Jerry suggested we take the girls for a walk and play at the park, which we did and then we came home and had dinner.  After dinner we went out for some free Rita's Italian ice.  After all he has to butter them up with all the goodies before he leaves them with mean ole mommy. ;)  We came home and crashed, never to think of the smell again.

Well, that is until the next morning.  Headed to the laundry room in the basement with the dirty clothes I opened the basement door and was slammed in the face with a HORRIBLE, HORRENDOUS smell!!  I can only guess it was what Jerry smelled yesterday.  It was beyond description and for an ICU nurse, well that's BAD!  My neighbor Dan, the maintenance man Ed, no one had words for it.  It literally smelled like a dead carcass.  So Jerry and I began tearing up the playroom to try and find the smell.  A smell that has the ability to come and go.  After two days of this on and off again odor I finally figured out it was the deep freezer.  I say I because Jerry has since escaped the smell by moving to Alabama.  Not inside the freezer but outside, the backside and it was BAD.  I called Sears and the earliest a repairman could come out was Saturday afternoon.  UGGG.  It got so bad on Friday that you could smell it outside the apartment but then Friday night it was gone again.  I have to say it got so bad that I was tempted to have my neighbor put it outside.  But today we finally have resolution.  Darrell the repairman took one whiff of the not so bad today smell and said it's rotten food.  Unfortunately I wish it were that easy.  The inside of the freezer was odor free and food free.  Sooooo, the problem is that during our 8 days without power, (who could forget all that fun) something with blood thawed just enough to get down the drain and into a catch basin that can neither be replaced or removed for cleaning and the reason the smell was on again, off again was because each time the freezer was cooling and the motor was running it was heating the catch basin of bloody residue.  (This I guess is how any liquid is cleared, it evaporates. It's been quite the educational experience.) I speak of the smell as was not because it is completely gone, but because it is so much better, that I can actually breathe down there.  Because now when the motor on the freezer runs I can smell a faint odor, but mostly I smell the bleach that he had me pour down the spout.  Hears to hoping it works 100% because if not my nearly new freezer will be going to the dumpster.  The smell was that BAD and I'm not moving it with me to Alabama!!

Terrified would be putting it mildly

So as many of you know, Jerry has taken this amazing new job with Belle Foods in Birmingham, Alabama.  He is leaving a week from yesterday and as a result I will no longer be working.  I have cut back a great deal in preparing for this transition and I have to say it's been a little rocky for all of us.  Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of driving Jerry to work so I could have the car for the day (something Jerry has been doing multiple times a week for over 2 years with no complaint). We got up at 6 am, got ready for the day and drove Jerry to UCONN.  When we got there Jerry realized he needed the keys to his office which were on the key ring with the car keys.  He had multiple keys so it made sense to just take the car key off and give him the rest.  We quickly left.  We had little time to get home in time for the bus so that I could get to an 830 am Doctors appointment in Manchester.  After taking a wrong turn we made it home with only 2 minutes to spare.  Perfect!  We would run inside and grab the backpacks and lunches and be right on schedule.  WRONG!  Jerry had the key ring and I was locked out of the condo.  UGGGG!!!  I quickly ran to the office, got the spare key and grabbed the backpacks as my amazing neighbor took the girls to the bus stop.  Somehow the bus was just late enough that I was able to get the backpacks to the bus stop and get them off to school.  Back to the van and now off to Manchester, I was already feeling ready for a nap.  One hour at the office and Avery and I headed to BJs for gas and groceries.  In getting gas I noticed that the wrench was lit in the van and we needed an oil change, so off to Larry's garage for an oil change, where I had to attempt to entertain an infant without putting her on the floor where she likes to be.  We rushed home in just enough time to unload the groceries, nurse Avery, stuff an sandwich in my mouth and then run to the bus stop to get Ansley.  We then jumped back into the van and ran to UCONN to pick up Jerry so we could run back to Manchester for Doctors appointments for Jerry and Ansley. While at the apt I lost track of time and managed to miss Ally's bus.  Again my fantastic neighbor Dan came to my rescue and got Ally for me.  Exhausted, I wonder, could this really be easier than going to work?  At the end of the day I had to admit to Jerry that I am a bit nervous about my new role as a stay at home mom.  After all, sedating the children will not be an option if they become unruly and there are no mandates about 30 minute lunches and breaks.  No regulations on mommy to child ratios and no ancillary homework helpers or dinner preparers.  It will be all on me.  I pathetically asked him to try to remember how hard it has been for him over the last 5 years and to try to be sympathetic when the roles reverse when he admitted to me that he is a little nervous as well.  He has been at home with the girls taking them to school, karate and Daisy's and doing the homework and night time routines all while being my personal chauffeur.  I think it's going to be a learning curve and shock to both of our systems.  People keep asking me if I am going to be OK once Jerry leaves next week.  My answer is, I am going to be fine, the kiddos on the other hand, may not be. 

8 months old

Where to begin.  Avery you are getting so very big.  Everyday you amaze us with something new you have learned.  You are still a chunky little monkey just like we like you.  You have the plumpest thighs and arms and have rolls all over.  You are a beautiful baby inside and out. You are officially into your 9-12 month clothes and fill them out beautifully. You have the face of a perfect little doll and an amazing temperament to go with it.  You are so easy going.  Thank goodness because it is a rare occasion for you to ever get a day where you get all your feedings and naps on time or at all.  I will say though that you have found your voice and are not afraid to use it.  Especially when telling your big sisters you have had enough.  You are finally taking to the baby food although there are still days when you seem like you could just care less and you still spit a great amount of it out.  If you are into eating you grunt and yell if I don't get the next bite to your mouth.  Something your dad thinks is hilarious.  You are definitely not patient about all things but neither am I so I can't find fault in that.  You definitely have a bit of your dads short temper though.  Your cry is like no other.  And while you don't do it often there is no mistaking it when you do.  You have been crawling for a few weeks now and are quite proficient at it.  Just this weekend you tackled the task of climbing the one step up into the kitchen.  I guess I am going to have to do a better job of keeping the kitchen floor clean because today after a day of sweeping it with your belly you were filthy!  You have yet to get the first tooth making you our latest teether ever.   I think my favorite thing about you though is your laugh.  You laugh like your big sister Ansley, from your belly and as soon as you hear someone laugh you erupt in laughter.  It's the cutest thing ever.  You love your sisters and they love you.  I can't imagine life without you in it.  It's hard to believe you have only been with us 8 short months and yet it seems like yesterday I gave birth to you.

I LOVE MY KIDS, I LOVE MY KIDS

So I have fallen off the blogging wagon so to say and have been meaning to get back on for some time so here goes.

Today, despite not feeling well I had the best intentions of getting my children outside.  It was beautiful and sunny.  50's but nice.  So after putting Avery down for a nap we took out the bikes and headed out to Henry Park for some quality outdoor mommy, daughter time. Helmets and all.  Yes, Jerry was at home supervising the babe and grading and I for a moment felt like a good mom.  My bubble was quickly popped when  we weren't even out of sight of the front door and the whining ensued.  Thinking it was just because they hadn't been out on their bikes in a while we continued.  This was the mistake.  If one wasn't crying or whining the other started.  I went back and forth trying to encourage them to keep trying, keep riding, the park is close.  We finally get there, my nerves are shot but I look gleefully on at the play scape that I am sure will grant me just a couple of minutes of peace with my magazine.  NOPE!  First run down that great big yellow slide and Ansley has dislodged a chunk of ice revealing the cold wet water below.  She is soaked and wailing.  I given her 2 options.  We can leave now or she can play wet.  She wants to stay.  Ahhh, I crack my magazine.  I hear crying.  Now Ansley is crying because she is not  swinging as high as Ally is on the swings.  Mind you she is swinging far higher than I could ever push her so I am at a loss for what she would like me to do.  Yet the wailing continues until despite all my effort to contain myself, I lose it and we pack it up for home.  I think we made it a whole 4 minutes, but who is counting.  This has no positive effect on the whining.  We are 2 minutes into the ride home and I decide that the bikes don't need to move with us to Alabama because the girls will never be allowed to ride them again!  Chanting I love my kids, I love my kids, over and over in my head we somehow make it home alive.  Ansley changes clothes and I find that a moment of peace where I decide (really it took some convincing in the moment) that I do LOVE my kids.

So here it goes!

To my girls, I Love You!
I love you when you smile, especially at me.
I love you when you love and help each other.
I love the way you love your baby sister and the way she loves you too!
I love the way you love to help.
I love you when you are so quiet I have to look for you.
I love you when you listen, especially the first time.
I love you when you use your words.
I love to see you grow and learn.
I love you when you laugh.
I love the little love notes and pictures you make for me.
I love you when you wake, even at 6 am.
I love you when you fight.
I love you when you tell me my dinner is "disgusting"
I love you when you call me "mean"
I love you when I yell.
I love you even when you think I don't love you.
And most of all, I love you even when our day doesn't go as planned.
Because these are the real moments.
The moments I am reminded everyday are passing so very quickly.
So I love you.  Even when you aren't perfect.
I love you because you love me and I'm not perfect either.

6 months today

Hard to believe but Avery is already 6 months old.  Time goes so fast.  She is still toothless but teething like crazy.  She is also up on hands and knees.  Rocking like crazy and pretty good at going backwards.  She has found herself stuck under the couch several times already.  Not too good at going forward yet although sometimes she kind of just jousts herself forward.  She is turning and rolling everywhere.  She also loves her jumper.  She hasn't been sleeping the best since our trip home but I am hopeful it will improve.  She is also not a huge fan of baby food, especially the fruits.  I think they are too tart for her.  She is also pretty good at sitting up.  Almost well enough for her 6 month pictures.  She absolutely knows her name and loves to hear it.  She adores her sisters.  Daddy too!  She is still somewhat perplexed by her reflection but likes to look at it.  She loves her thumb!!   Today Jerry took her for her well visit.  The nurses were so impressed that he was there with her by himself.  He is such a great dad.  I told him if this job in Birmingham doesn't work out he has become one heck of a good house wife.  She weighed in at 17 lbs 11 ounces (80% percentile) and was 25.5 inches long (50%)  She has the shortest chubbiest hands and fingers.  It's so cute.  She took her shots like a champ.  As soon as she saw Jerry he said she just laughed.  She gets so excited she just gets both her arms and legs going at the same time.  Her laugh, like Ansley's, is totally contagious.  She is a happy happy kid!

New Year brings New Blessings

So I had the pleasure of working New Years weekend again.  Jerry is such a trooper and had the kiddos for 3 straight days and nights.  During that time I was able to reflect on what was probably one of the hardest but most blessed years for us as a family.  Financially it was a tight one.  In all of our married years we have never made so little, yet somehow neither of us could think of one thing we felt like we did without.  Ally has had the most difficult start of the school year thus far but we are finally making progress in the fact that she is being tested and we should have some answers soon.  My third pregnancy was definitely a hard one physically but I was blessed with the birth I have always wanted, natural and quick.  The best part, a beautiful baby girl who we couldn't imagine living without.  A lot of fighting between the girls lately but also some of those sweet tender moments that make it all worth it.  The blessing of a husband worthy to baptize a child of God, and a daughter faithful enough to desire it.  A husband who after much struggle and defeat finally passed his comps.  An adjunct position at the University of Hartford to help pay for some extra expenses.  A crazy year of weather, 70 plus inches of snow over the winter, an earthquake, a tornado, a hurricane and then a freak winter storm in October.  A total of 12 days without power but a stronger testimony of the blessings of preparedness and heeding the words of the prophet.  It has truly been an amazing year.  And if all of that wasn't enough in what was almost the final hour of the year we received one of the biggest blessing we have EVER received.  A job offer better than any we could ever imagine.  So with that we look forward to our next big adventure in Birmingham Alabama!  We are sad to see this chapter of our lives coming to an end.  We will miss so much about Ct but we are thrilled to see what the future hold for us.  I truly believe that the Lord works in ways we will never fully comprehend.  He loves us and wants to bless us.  I am grateful and humbled by the trials and blessings of this past year and look forward to 2012.  Happy New Year!!!!