The Rice Family

Avery Lorette Rice

2011-08-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

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!

During dinner I was reading scriptures. We were reading Because I'm not PERFECT!

The black eye

2011-04-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

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??

2011-03-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

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!!

2011-03-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-02-27T21:30:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-02-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-02-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

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!!

2011-01-27T22:54:00.000-08:00

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 :(

2011-01-16T18:20:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

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!

Sledding at Fox Hill

2010-12-29T18:41:00.000-08:00

The snow melted really fast but the girls really wanted to go sledding so we headed over. Despite the lack of snow on the top of the hill they had some really great runs. Ansley's first pass was incredible. She went all the way down to the street and just giggled the entire way down.

Trying to be like Jesus

2010-12-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

So lately the girls have been less than amicable. Really all they have done is fight. So last night I decided to tailor family home evening to this problem and we had a lesson on being Christlike. We discussed the attributes of Christ and how he went about dealing with people throughout his life, even the ones who treated him poorly. We talked about ways in which we could all be more like Jesus, especially within our family by treating each other with respect and love and patience. The girls seemed to enjoy the lesson and even gave examples of how they could try to be more like Christ. We finished the evening with games and some books.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning. The girls made it downstairs before I did and managed in 15 minutes to destroy the living room I had spent several hours cleaning. So I admit it. I got a little upset. I raised my voice and told them I wasn't a maid and to clean it UP! To which Ansley replied, "Mommy, you are not trying to be like Jesus!" I wanted to cry but all I could do was laugh.

Another Oral

2010-11-24T22:15:00.000-08:00

So after spending the week trying to unwind from the comprehensive exam we found out today that Jerry has another oral defense. He is totally bummed. I can tell it has devastated him and I have to say I am a little disappointed at their timing. The day before Thanksgiving really stinks. But it is what it is and I know he will do fine. He always does.

A great Sacrament Service

2010-11-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those great Sacrament Services when I just felt totally uplifted and spritually fed. Our talks were by the Smiths, who are fairly new to our ward and I enjoyed them both immensely.

Bringing rest to our souls by T. Smith

1. Repent, follow the commandments and be obiedent.
2. Be still and know that He is God. Take part in personal scripture study and personal prayer everyday.
3. Accept the blessings we get. Trust that they are what we need.

We can have peace when we are obedient.

Spiritual Darkness Brother Smith

Personal conversion is the key to fully understanding the gospel and it's blessings. We cannot ride soley on the testimony of others. We must keep the light of the gospel alive in our lives.

We can do this through daily scripture study, daily prayer and refraining from getting caught up in trivial distractions.
We will feel pain in this life but we can find light in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Comps are done!!

2010-11-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

Today as of 4:30 pm Comps are officially over, baring he passed of course. He feels pretty good about his answers and I am sure he did fine. So were are in the home stretch!! To celebrate we went out for pizza and wings at Wooster street Pizza with some other students. Not before I told Jerry our news though. I wrapped up the pregnancy test and gave it to him like a gift. I don't know if it was that he his brain was fried after an all day exam or what, but I don't think it completely sank in at first. He just kind of starred at it for a moment and then it hit him. He was super excited and it was great to finally have that news off my chest. Yeah!! Now we have two things to celebrate!

We're Pregnant!

2010-11-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

So I couldn't take it anymore and decided not to wait and take another pregnancy test. It was positive. I was thrilled and nervous all at the same time. I can't believe it happened so quickly and we will officially be a family of five next year. Unfortunately Jerry is in the last few days before his comprehensive exam and I cannot possible distract him with this news right now so I am going to have to hold it in until next week! I think I can, I think I can!!

So they do listen

2010-11-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight during scripture study we were talking about Satan and how he wants us to make bad choices and be unhappy like he is. At which point Ansley blurts out, "Oh, the devil was a Laminite!" Not quite, but glad to see she is really listening.

More candy bar wrappers

2010-11-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

Today while changing the sheets on the bunk beds I found a stash of granola bar wrappers behind the bed. Ansley swears they are old from before the last talk and they may very well be. I haven't move the bed in a while. Either way it makes me nuts. There were crumbs everywhere and I'm left wondering why we don't have a rodent problem. Makes me wonder where else I may find random wrappers.

Daddy can fix it!

2010-11-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

It seems like no matter what the girls break they take it over to their dad and he fixes it (at least temporarily). So today Ally's new remote control car was sitting on the edge of the counter when Brenna bumped into it and sent it crashing to the ground. Being that it's plastic it smashed into several pieces. This was not it's first accident but definitely a bit more fatal. So Ansley looks up at Brenna and says, "Don't worry, my daddy can fix it!" I love how kids think their dads are super hero's capable of anything and everything. Sorry Ansley, this one is even beyond daddy.

WWF at the Rice's

2010-10-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

Lately the girls have been fighting like crazy. Ally has been especially nasty to Ansley. She dictates all play. Manipulates her and yells at her daily. For the most part she puts up with it. Not today though. While I was at work, Ally did something to Ansley that upset her and was laughing at her. That was apparently enough for Ansley. She took off from the other side of the room, jumped on top of Ally and started slapping her in the face over and over. Jerry thought it was hilarious. I obviously don't condone this but in a small way felt good that Ansley finally stood up for herself. Ally wasn't hurt but she was definitely stunned. I foresee them getting along a little better, at least for a little while. I guess we just needed a little WWF action to get there.

Pictures!

2010-10-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

No one was able to come to Ally's family birthday party. She was a little bummed but we had a good day anyway. A new and great friend Megan called me and asked if she could take pictures of us. We went over to Valley Falls and got some great shots. She is an amazing photographer. After wards we went back to our place for dinner and birthday cake.

I think I broke my butt!

2010-10-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

Today our adult karate class was intense. Thankfully Brenna was at the house with the girls because class went long and was extremely tough. It was one of the first classes where I really broke into a good sweat. We spent most of the class running at one anther full force and then doing moves on each other. I think I hit my head at least 10 times. It was crazy. At the end of class Sensi was showing us how to take people down very little force. He used me to demonstrate and I went down straight on my tailbone. I didn't slap out, although to be fair I haven't had too much experience doing it. So down I went. The pain was intense. It hit hard with my butt and then with my head. Class was over quickly after that but it wasn't until we got to the van and I tried to sit down that I realized that I had probably broken my tailbone. I have no idea how I am going to get through work tomorrow. Ouch!!

Lutz field trip

2010-10-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

Ansley's preschool has been having some issues with enrollment over the past couple of years so they cancelled the fall field trip and chose to have the Lutz museum come to the school with several animals instead. The 3's and 4's all gathered in the cultural hall and Sarah from the Lutz did her scales, fur and feathers presentation. The kids seemed to enjoy it. Ansley loved being able to touch the animals, even the snake. She also brought a rooster and a bunny. When I asked Ansley which one was her favorite she said, "all of them!"

Ansley, Ansley, Ansley

2010-10-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I have my children tricked into thinking that granola bars are candy bars. They both actually call them such. Lately, Ansley, my little junk monster has been refusing lunch. She prefers to just snack most of the day. I don't allow her do this and most days wonder if she is surviving on merely air. Today Jerry informed me of what has really been happening. It started early this morning when she asked if she could have a candy bar. Jerry told her no. He was taking Ally to the bus stop and then they would have breakfast. When he got back from the bus stop he found Ansley hiding in her room finishing up a candy bar. He explained to her that she was disobedient and that she wouldn't be able to have another candy bar for a week because of her bad choice. Fast forward to the end of the day when I get home. Jerry tells me what happened. Ansley is clearly sorry and tells me she can't have any candy bars for a week. I put the girls to bed and then begin my nightly ritual of cleaning up the days mess when I find not one but two tops to candy bars. She cuts them off with scissors and let the tops on the kitchen floor. I might have mistaken them for a top and bottom except for the fact that she ate two different flavors. Oh my Ansley, now we know its not air you have been surviving on, but candy bars!

So much to do, so little time to do it all!

2010-10-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

I have been in a purging kind of mood lately. I don't know if its the winter coming or what but I have just wanted to get my house organized and simplified. The problem is there just isn't enough time in the day to get it all done. The regular daily stuff keeps me busy enough and just when I get into a good groove I get called away. It has resulted in a lot of late nights after the girls go to bed but we are making amazing progress. Last night as I finally finished what I had planned for the day and sat down I told Jerry I needed about 4 more hours in my day. His response surprised me, "No you don't! You need less hours, you do too much already!" It totally made my day. Thanks babe! I love you!

Happy 7th Birthday Allyson!

2010-10-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

I say it every year but I can't believe Ally is already another year older. She is so grown up to me all of a sudden. She is reading so well and is so mature. (Well most of the time :)) And she is so tall. She is finally starting to adjust to her new school schedule too. We celebrated after school by surprising her with a new bike. She was super excited. It's a little big but she rode it well. After wards we went over to golf land to try to play mini golf. The course was closed for the week though so we played in the arcade and then went over to the Vernon lanes to bowl. Ally has been asking for forever and whenever we try to go, there are leagues playing. Today they let us play but only one game because of leagues. We had to play on two lanes so we could finish up quickly. It was rather irritating and much more expensive than playing on one, but she had fun and that was all we cared about. Ally thought the shoes were awful and old. Ansley looked adorable in hers. Jerry and I couldn't bowl to save our lives and ended up being beat by both girls. Ansley was the highest scorer and Ally wasn't too far behind. To be fair they were using bumpers and ramps. After bowling we let her choose where she wanted to eat. She choose McDonald's so we took her out to the Manchester McDonald's for a happy meal and to play on the playground. They had a blast and Jerry I enjoyed just sitting and talking while they played. I am so grateful for my amazing family. Thank you Heavenly Father for a wonderful husband and two great girls. Happy Birthday Ally! We love you and are so happy you are a part of our family.

Friend Birthday Party

2010-10-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Ally's birthday with a friend party today because the kids had the day off from school. She had some school and church friends over and we played pin the nose on the pumpkin, and musical chairs and even bobbed for apples. We also made a Halloween craft. The girls were all great. We had wacky cake and ice cream to celebrate and then Ally opened her gifts. She got lots of great gifts and had a wonderful time. We owe a huge thank you to Brenna who took me to the store to get everything we needed for the party and who also brought her a great gift, one she has wanted for a while now, a remote control car!

Goodbye Elder Farmer

2010-10-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Today after school we loaded up the van and headed down to Waterbury to say good-bye to one of our favorite missionaries, Elda Farma (as Ansley would say it). We took him and his companion out for dinner and spent some time hanging out. He goes home in a couple of weeks and we couldn't let the chance to see him just one more time pass us by. Good Luck with the next phase of your life Farmer! The Rice's will miss you!

Sunday Session

2010-10-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Today was another great day of conference talks. There is nothing better than being uplifted while in your PJ's. Between sessions were enjoyed some of the beautiful New England weather. The sun was shining and it was warm enough to be out in jeans and sweatshirts. During the second Sunday session Ansley accidentally cut her own bangs. I was devastated. She had just gotten a super cute haircut and now a huge chunk of her bangs was missing. She was upset too so I couldn't get too mad.

General Conference

2010-10-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

General conference weekend has started off on a high note. We are getting a temple in..........HARTFORD!! We could barely believe our ears. Jerry and I were just talking about how we would probably never get a temple in Hartford because Boston is so close. We are ecstatic. Ally asked us what we were so excited about so we told her we were getting a temple close to Vernon and how great that was going to be. I don't think they understood how great this information was but we were excited and as a result so were they. The talks today were wonderful. I always enjoy hearing from the apostles. It is such an uplifting experience. The theme for today seems to have been heading the words of the prophet and all General authorities. It's amazing to me that they aren't assigned any topics and that somehow there always seem to be underlying themes. Saturday night while the men went to the tailgate for the Priesthood session, Brenna, Megan and I hung out at our place and watched the Relief Society broadcast that we had missed the weekend before while we were at the Big E. President Monson was great and the guys came back uplifted too! I am so grateful for the church, the restored gospel and for a prophet on the earth today. A truly uplifting day.

Oh Ally

2010-10-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

So today while I was at work Jerry overheard the girls talking downstairs. Ally was irritated because Ansley wasn't doing exactly what she wanted so they were having an exchange.

Ally: "Ansley you better behave, you don't want to stay down here with the devil instead of going to heaven with God."

Ansley: "Ally the devil isn't down here."

Ally: "Yes he is, he was bad in heaven so God sent him down here."

Ansley: silence.........

I guess we could always scare them into submission. Too bad it doesn't work for Allyson.

The Primary Program

2010-09-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

So today is always my favorite Sunday of the year. The Primary Program is just amazing even from the alter. The kids work so hard and they do such an amazing job. Our Primary is busting at the seams these days with over 90 children so we barely fit on the alter. The Spirit was amazingly strong as the children got up one by one and spoke and especially when they sang. I have adored the song I know my Savior Loves Me from the first time I heard it and they sing it so well. Ally is a primary program professional but this was Ansley's debut year. She did great! She got right up and spoke her part with no hesitation. Ally did great too! She had a long part and had to learn all the words so she could read it. She amazed me and did it with very little practice.

Allyson's part was 2 Nephi 27:27 "For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles;....and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith."

Ansley's part was I can follow Jesus' example by loving others.

We spent the rest of the afternoon outside. The weather has been all over the place this week. Almost 90 degrees on Friday and Sat and rather cool today but the sun was out and that's all that matters in my book. We have great neighbors in the building next door and the girls love to play with their boys. On a sadder note my surrogate grandparents have moved out. I didn't realize it but Ally did. She said, "mommy I think Charlotte and Walter are gone. The shades are closed and the bird feeders are gone." Such attention to detail. She was right. They are officially out of the complex. I am extremely sad but will definitely be visiting them in their new place. They can't get rid of me totally.

We had some friends over for dinner tonight and were discussing the funny things kids say when Ally blurts out, "My middle name is sin!" I think she meant son as in Ally-son but it was hilarious and proved out point that if they really want good wholesome entertainment they just need children!

Ground breaking

2010-09-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today Jerry, Brenna and the girls walked over to the office at our condo complex for the ground breaking party for the pool, clubhouse and gym. They had a great cookout and raffle. The girls love the cornbread and ate their weight in it. They enjoyed being out with all of the neighbors. They were one of the last there so they left with an arm full. A huge pumpkin, a mum and 8 balloons each. Ansley's took flight half way home but Ally was a great big sister and shared hers.

Good Listening Ansley!

2010-09-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

Today while Jerry was in the shower there was a knock at the door. Ally was at school and Ansley was watching TV. She quickly ran upstairs to ask Jerry if she could answer the door. She failed to mention that it was Brenna on the other end, so of course his answer was no. So Ansley sat on the floor while Brenna sat on the stoop talking to each other about life through the front door. It was a priceless Ansley moment. Great listening Ansley!! Sorry Brenna!

The Temple

2010-09-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today Jerry and I were blessed with the ability to spend the day at the Boston Temple. It was the first time we have actually taken our own names to the temple and it made an already very spiritual experience just so much better. The Spirit was so strong especially in the baptistry. I am so grateful for a husband who is worthy to hold the Priesthood and who loves the temple and the blessings it brings as much as I do! Thank you for an amazing day Jerry! I love you!!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

So Hurricane Earl was all hype. I don't even think we got a drop of rain. Jerry had planned on working all day Saturday but last minute we decided we would have a small cookout so we spent the day getting ready for it. Jerry has been wanting a fire pit for forever so we bought one. We had Brenna and TJ and his wife Chrissy and Cony and his wife Megan over. We hadn't met Cony and his wife yet. They too moved to CT for grad school. Jerry had spoken to Cony over the phone several times (as the dept mascot) and found out that they were moving from Georgia. We later found out that they are LDS and that we have mutual friends from the Commerce Ward. They were literally here minutes when I knew that I absolutely love them! They are a great couple and very laid back. We all had a great time hanging out by the fire pit and laughing and talking. It was after 1 am before we packed it up. They don't have any kids yet but they didn't seem bothered by ours so I am hoping they will want to hang out again.

Despite the lack of sleep (I think we got into bed around 3 am) we had a fantastic Sunday! It was an amazing fasting testimony meeting. I know it was because even Jerry left feeling uplifted and it isn't usually one of his favorite meetings. To top it off we found out that they are going to offer baptisms early in the am at the temple tomorrow so we should be able to do the work for 8 people tomorrow. We were just on cloud nine. Lately we have felt so disconnected from most people. Joining the church has changed us and our priorities and changed a lot of our relationships. We are in such a better place though and are so excited for the connections we will make and have with those whose work we will do tomorrow. After church we headed down to Hamden for Stephanie and Jason's housewarming party. The weather was beautiful and the food and company was fantastic! It was nice to hang out with other adults while the girls played. They love hanging out with Kelly's boys and we hardly knew they were there. Ansley absolutely adores Joshua and followed him around all day. It was a great weekend!

Day 2

2010-09-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

So this morning I had to wake Ally for school. She wasn't miserable but she definitely wasn't as excited either. I think the quote was, "I don't want to go. It's too long. I just want to come home." I have to say I agree it is too long to be gone. It's bitter sweet not having my baby home all day but I know she needs to go so I coaxed her out of bed and we got ready for the day. I got a much overdue haircut and then Ansley, Brenna and I went to Easy Picken's in Enfield and picked a ton of blueberries, apples and fresh veggies. The okra was amazing and took us right back to Georgia. After dinner we ate the beautiful birthday cake Brenna decorated in her cake decorating class. Ansley decided since her birthday was the last one we'd celebrated it was her birthday cake and demanded a hat and candles to boot!

I love the flower the okra plant produces

My beautiful gerber daisy

First Day of First Grade!

2010-09-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

We have been putting the girls to bed early all week in preparation for Ally's first day and it worked. I got up at 6:30 am to be up before her and had planned on waking her up around 7 am. Just as I was getting dressed she work up and came running into my room, "Mommy, Mommy today is the day I go to school!" She was super excited and to my surprise got ready with very little prompting. Jerry made us all a great breakfast and we were out the door by 7:55 am. At the bus stop we realized we hadn't reminded Ally which teacher she had or what room number. I also sent her to school with a fruit cup for snack time and no spoon. Day one and already I have messed up severely. She survived though mostly thanks to Miss Tanjua who saw her asking the librarian to help her find her room and then brought her to class. Thanks Tanjua! You are the BEST! When I asked Ansley if she was going to miss Ally today she said, "No way, not at all! I am going to play with all of her toys. I think she did miss her though. There wasn't a whole lot of playing today and there was a whole lot of whining. When she got home I could tell that she was totally exhausted so we had a snack and took a rest before Karate. At Karate Ansley stole the show when Master Fuller asked the class to do their best 8 point blocking with the strikes with their most mean face on. While they are doing it he stops the class and asks Ansley to please do hers in the mirror. It's a one way mirror so she was really doing it for all of the parents but all she could see was herself. She had a great mean face on and gave everyone a great laugh!

Ansley's first day of school

2010-09-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today was Ansley's first day of school. She was somewhat shy in the beginning but Mrs. Oliphant said that she did speak and played with the other kids so already we are off to a pretty good start. Ansley really enjoyed going to school. They spent some of the day getting to know each other. They played peanut butter jam which Ansley loved. Her favorite addition was the alligator. She picked a frog. Mrs. Oliphant added her shoe. They also went outside for some play time and finished the day with an open ended project. Ansley was happy when we picked her up and took offense to the fact that we mentioned she didn't talk much. "I talked today!" It was cute. Jerry and I spent the morning out. We went out for breakfast and then ran some errands. It was weird to be out without the girls. I am starting to get used to Ally being gone all day but to be without Ansley too seemed strange. After we picked her up Jerry went to school and I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to clean up. I am in a purging mode which always means a bigger mess before it gets better. Just as I was making some headway in the kitchen the UPS man showed up with Jerry's new punching bag. Ansley was ecstatic and couldn't wait to punch it. Me, I just wanted it out of the kitchen. We finished the day up with a great workout at karate. We learned a bonus move tonight. Jamie showed us how to fight off an attacker with a knife. I also got a great compliment too. Apparently he drove by Ansley and I while we were waiting for the bus but he didn't beep because he thought I was a babysitter and didn't want to scare me. Ha! I love it!

Making our homes a temple

2010-08-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today we had a great talk by Sister Averil about making our homes like a temple. I really enjoyed it and wrote down a few of the highlights.

1. Welcome people into your home when they arrive.
2. Everyone is equal.
3. Have a house of order, meaning keep it clean and organized.
4. Have scriptures out.
5. Be kind and caring, don't use harsh words.
6. Have an eternal family.
7. Have a home where Heavenly Father's love is present.
8. Invite people to come back soon and as often as possible.
9. Have only beautiful and uplifting entertainment in your home.

I loved the talk and it has given me some great things to try to work on over the next year!! Thanks Staci!!

More Ansley Pics

2010-08-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Where did the Summer go?

2010-08-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to the realization that this is my last weekday off with the girls. WHERE did the summer go? I knew in June when I was looking at the calender that it was going to be a quick one but I swear I blinked and it was over. I am usually somewhat excited for the girls to get back into a routine but with Ally starting school all day this year I am really kind of bummed out. :( She is super excited to go back but I am going to miss having her home with me. I can't believe my baby is starting 1st grade! So here's to the last full day off together girls! I love you!

Birthday Dinner

2010-08-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

After working the worst 3 day stretch of my life we spent Sunday with our family. After church my family came up from the southern half of the state to have dinner and cake with us for Ansley's birthday. The weather was crummy so we were stuck inside but it wasn't as crammed as I thought it would be. We had a great time, especially Ansley who couldn't wait to open her presents. Thank you to all of my family for making the trek up in such bad weather. We love you!

On a side note Jerry and I had to talk to Ally at church today. She has become quite the little prankster at home and thought it would be funny to try it at church. During class she asked to go to the bathroom, when she came back instead of quietly walking in and taking a seat she knocked on the door causing her teacher to stop class and open it. When he did she was hiding. She thought it was hilarious. He did not. So after class she immediately came up to me to tell me she had misbehaved in class. I didn't know the story at this point. I told her she needed to go and apologize and tell Brother Faber she would do better next week. Without a single complaint she walked right over to him and apologized. I was shocked! I don't know what all was said but they talked for a few minutes and I could tell that Ally felt better about the situation after wards. Great job Ally! The hard part about making mistakes is saying you're sorry and trying to do better. You are off to a great start already!

Summer Reading Fun

2010-08-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

Jerry has been amazing this summer with taking the girls to the library. All in all they read over 100 books, got lots of great prizes and had a ton of fun with daddy. Today at the library they celebrated the end of the program with a ventriloquist and ice cream party. Thank you Jerry for being so diligent and reading sooo many books to the girls this summer.

Blessed

2010-08-19T19:24:00.001-07:00

I am reminded every day that I work how fragile life really is. I am so blessed to have good health and a great family. Today I was blessed with leaving work 4 hours early. Life is good! When I got home we ran some errands for Sunday's dinner and Ansley's birthday get together. When I showed her the picture of the cake I was making her she smiled and said, "You are such a good parent to me. I get another birthday cake." It's so easy to please kids. I love it! Ansley you totally made my day!

Swimming

2010-08-18T19:55:00.001-07:00

Today we went down to my cousin Debbie's house to swim in their beautiful pool. The girls have been "counting the sleeps" since the day we made the plans several weeks ago. Ally is awful with names so she has been referring to Ryan and Justin as those boys. The morning started out a little crazy but we had a great day. Even the weather was perfect.

After we got up, I packed up the car and we headed over to library. The plan was for me to run in and return the old books and just pick up a few more. Unfortunately the library wasn't open so I went back out to the van to let the girls know that we would all go in together when it opened in fifteen minutes but that they would have to hurry and if they took too long to pick out their books that mommy and daddy would pick them out for them. When I asked them if they understood Ally said "yes mam" and Ansley just continued watching the movie. I asked her again, "Ansley do you hear me?" To which she said, "Yes, but I don't really know what you are saying!" Perfect! Sorry for interrupting your movie time Ansley.

At Debbie's the girls had a great time playing in the pool and hanging out with the boys. The weather was perfect and the pool was wonderful. Even Jerry and I spent some time in it. Thank you Deb, Ryan and Justin! Oh and Lenny and Laura too! We had a great time!

New Friends

2010-08-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

So Jerry has become the dept mascot for the newcomers. The dept secretary has started giving out our number so he can be of any assistance in the hard process of relocating and getting accustomed for grad school. Today TJ and his wife Chrissy finally arrived to CT from Chicago. They are going to be moving into the same complex we live in just across the street. We welcomed them in with a big breakfast and then hit the moving truck hard. Between the four of us and two very kind missionaries we were able to empty the truck in about 3 hours. Thank you Elders Wilson and Fife for giving up your P-day! You guys are the BEST! After unloading the truck we took them to Manchester to return the dreaded moving truck. First stop the gas station to refuel. As I am trying to direct traffic so TJ can pull the truck up the pump, some gracious New Englander (I can say this because I was born one) tries to run me over and then proceeds to cuss me out. He didn't even pump gas. Just took up the pump for 10 minutes in the store. Next stop to deliver the truck. So TJ wasn't all that comfortable driving a 28 foot moving truck with a car carrier but who would be. We pull up and this tall lanky man in swimming trunks, a dirty tee shirt and no shoes walks out and tells him to pull around back and turn the truck around. Now TJ knowing he can't back up with the trailer asks if there is enough room to turn around without backing up. "Oh yeah" he says. "There's plenty of room" So Jerry and I sit talking to this man who proceeds to tell us that he is feeling good because he has had a few (drinks that is). He then starts telling us all about his beloved Emma Lou the American bulldog. After about 5 minutes Jerry realizes TJ probably needs help and walks down behind the building to find him, leaving me all alone with creepy guy who keeps trying to touch me. Finally after what seemed like an eternity I walk down to see what the problem is. The truck and trailer is jack knifed and Jerry is trying to coach TJ out of it. Creepy man walks down behind me (barefoot) and sees it and starts hollering for TJ to get out of the truck. Emma Lou can drive that truck better than you!" So creepy, intoxicated man pulls the truck around and then tells TJ and Chrissy just to leave the keys with him because the Penske rep is out. Hmmmmm, I don't think so and neither did they. So they called Penske and we left the keys in a locked drop box. Come to find out this guy didn't even work for the Penske company. It was a crazy day and I can only image that the Dubinski's are wondering, where on earth they have moved too!

A long week away

2010-08-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

This week I was in Atlanta for work and skills fair. I always hate leaving the girls but it had to been done. We talked every night on the phone and they kept me abreast of all of the weird things daddy was doing. Like ordering Chinese food for lunch. After all if it's not what mommy would do then it must be WRONG! Ha, I have them trained already. The girls spent some time with Sierra while daddy was teaching. She has been a wonderful help to us this summer. Thank you Sierra. I spent most of the week working but did have a half day on Thursday where I was able to spend the afternoon with my best friend from Georgia, Erin and her new baby Roger. He is only a few weeks old and adorable. I was also able to have dinner with my family. It was a nice break from the work week! This week was also a week of some firsts for me. I was able to navigate from the airport to my hotel using Marta by myself with no major issues and will probably use it from now on. It was much easier than I thought it would be and it only cost me 2 bucks. Much less than the 45 dollar cab fair would have been. The way back wasn't as smooth as my cab to take me to the train station didn't show up and I had to take the bus. Thankfully there is a bus stop in front of the hospital. I made it to the airport with 35 minutes to spare only to find out that my flight was delayed indefinitely. Not exactly the scenario I was hoping for. After all, a 12 hour shift makes a shower and a bed top priority and I still had a 2.5 hour flight home and a 1.5 hour drive. We finally took off around 11:30 pm, landed at 2 am and got back to the house around 4 am. I was so tired I didn't even shower and barely noticed that the girls had worked so diligently to make my bed almost perfectly. Thank you girls. You did a great job!

Ally's first talk

2010-08-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

So Ally was quite bummed when Ansley got a talk before she did, so Sister White made sure she got assigned one too! Her talk today was about how Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is a God of miracles. "For behold, I am god, and I am a God of miracles;...and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith: 2 Nephi 27:23. She did a great job. She was able to read most of it without any help at all. Great job Ally!!

Jesus Performed Miracles

Jesus performed many miracles. He turned water into wine. He healed a blind man. He calmed a storm. He healed a group of lepers and he fed thousands with just a few fish and some bread. One of my favorite stories of Jesus performing miracles is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was he sick he went to see him. By the time Jesus got to him, he had been dead for 4 days. Jesus prayed to Heavenly Father and then commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead. Lazarus came back to life. Many people saw this miracle and believed in Jesus. I know that Jesus lives. I know that Jesus performs miracles today. When I was a baby I got very sick. My mom and dad took me to the doctors but I wasn't getting any better. After a week of high fevers, the missionaries came to the house and gave me a blessing. That night my fever broke and I was well again. It was a miracle and one of the many things that brought my mom and dad into the church. I am grateful for Jesus Christ and for the blessings and miracles he brings to my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.

August 1, 2010

2010-08-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! It started with church, where for the first time in a long time I felt like my lesson went really well. Ansley is still not feeling well though and on top of intermittent fevers and no appetite she is cranky and having more of her chronic GI issues. I had given her a ton of laxative which of coarse works its way out while she is in class. :) After class Sister Dilzer tells me that their lesson was on obedience and that Ansley shared that "It makes you feel good inside," with one of those Ansley beaming grins. It really is so appropriate that she said that. She is so sensitive and she really does beam when she knows she has done good so it probably does make her feel good inside. Ally on the other hand had a lesson about being kind. At one point Brother Faber asked the class what they would do if someone hit them. Ally had the answer of coarse. "My mommy and daddy said I should hit them back!" That was a fun one to explain. This is only half true. We tell the girls to tell the person to stop. If they don't we tell them to tell a teacher, parent or any adult and if it still doesn't stop we do encourage them to defend themselves. We never used too but in the last few years both of my girls have had experiences where kids would bully them and pick on them because they wouldn't defend themselves. While I don't want them to be unchrist-like I also don't want them to let people walk all over them. So sorry if my child hits yours. If it was unprovoked by all means I want to know because I do not condone that and Ally has been corrected.

After church we went over the Buckley's for an amazing dinner. It was like Thanksgiving. Ansley is still not her chipper self and didn't eat much. This has definitely been the worst round of vaccinations ever. After dinner we picked blueberries off of her blueberry bush and rhubarb and flowers out of the garden. Ms Claudette has a wealth of edible greens, fruits and flowers in her yard and the girls and I enjoy trying them all! Thank you Buckley family! It was a great Sunday afternoon!

Two Birthdays and the snake

2010-07-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

Today two of my very good friend were celebrated birthdays which meant twice the birthday cake before heading to work at 3pm. I got the first cake out of the oven and was getting ready to put it out on the deck to cool when I dropped it on the freshly vacuumed carpet. Ruined. The look on Jerry's face was priceless. It was a mix of shock and fear as I think he thought I was about to lose it. All I could do was laugh. At least it was a two layer cake. One layer is better than no layer! Happy Birthday Brenna and Tanjua. I hope you guys have a great day!

After the cake fiasco Jerry and I took the girls to the library to pick out some more books and then I could walk across the street to work. It worked out that they were having a reptile show. The girls were able to see snakes, turtles, even an alligator. At the end the kids were allowed to come up and touch or hold the animals. Wouldn't you know that Ansley was the one with the 3 foot snake around her neck. Where's a camera when you need one!

The cup

2010-07-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

So we went out and bought Jerry a cup for karate over the weekend. He's been kicked a couple of times now and felt like it was a worthy investment. :) This morning I go downstairs and Ally has it over her face like a mask. She sees me looking at her and asks me what it is. I explain to her that its a cup to protect daddy's privates. She immediately puts it down and yells, "Ewwww, this was on his peanut?" Thankfully it had just been taken out of the package but I don't think Ally will touch it again!

Tonight we had the missionaries and Ryan over for dinner. Ryan is a 19 year old intern working for Cigna as an actuary for the summer. He leaves next week for his mission so we wanted to have him over for dinner again. We had a good time. We ate way too much though. The missionaries were intrigued by the magic water. It can only be stored in glass or it loses it's alkalinity and antioxidant power so Jerry drinks out of a half gallon glass jug. It looks like he is drinking moon shine so an explanation is always warranted. It's day 7 and still so far so good!

Beat Boxing

2010-07-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

So I know my girls have been spending too much time with there dad when they pick me up from work and the first thing they say is "mom we can beat box wanna hear?" Beat boxing, really Jerry. He says they picked it up from the Electric Company either way they are actually both pretty good. And it gave me a good laugh after two long 12 hour shifts in the ICU!

Home sweet home, finally

2010-07-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

I don't have any scientific evidence to back up this theory but the drive home from any trip always seems much longer than the drive to the destination. We have finally made it home. I have to say the driving has been much more pleasurable in the van and I am getting over the initial sadness of driving around with a tag that says, yes I am old with kids! Maybe older with kids isn't so bad after all! :) No to hurry up unpack and wash before we head to Canada on Thursday!

Paradise

2010-06-26T23:10:00.000-07:00

After a 45 minute embarrassing mix up at Walmart in which my credit card company denied my credit card because they thought it was stolen (apparently you shouldn't travel 1500 miles from home without contacting them) we have finally arrived in paradise. And thankfully the oil has not. We quickly unloaded our stuff and headed out the back door to the white sandy beach just in time for our first sunset. There really is no better place on earth!

To Mexico Beach We Go!

2010-06-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Jerry and I decided that since we had the room in our condo and in the van we would take my sisters girls with us to the beach even though she couldn't go. With the van fully equipped for road trips we packed up and headed out. Within the first minute I knew that the TV installation was worth it's weight in gold. I didn't hear "mommy" until the first movie went off. I almost didn't know what to do with myself. The entire ride was a dream.

To Atlanta We Go!

2010-06-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

After skills day at Rockville Thursday evening we headed out for Atlanta. We left the house around 6 pm and got to our destination at about 11 am on Friday. Overall the trip was much more comfortable in the van. We were able to take everything we needed and had more than enough room. Without the entertainment package the kids still whined quite a bit. Ally was asking if we were still in Ct mere minutes after we left the condo. Ansley slept a total of 4 hours the entire 17 hour trip but seems completely unaffected. Jerry took the van over to Traffic Jams to get the TV and mp3 hookup installed while the girls and I headed out to the pool. It only took a few minutes for me to remember why I love the south so much. As the girls and I were walking to the pool one of Jerry's aunts neighbors stopped us and made us take her up on a ride to the pool. She even wanted me to call her when we were ready to leave so she could bring us back to the house. She felt it was just too far to walk in the heat. It was really appreciated especially with whiny kids. Man I love the south!!

Happy Anniversary Jerry!

2010-06-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we have been married seven years already. Time is flying! Thank you for 7 great years of marriage and 12 wonderful years together! Here's to ETERNITY! I love you!

We have a MINIVAN!

2010-06-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

So after yesterday's waste of a day in NY Jerry comes straight home and starts looking for vans at Car max. I am comatose on the couch and intermittently he would say look at this one and try to show me all 38 photos. Finally I told him I was going to bed and we would look tomorrow. Bringing us to today. He found one he thought he had to have. So he calls first thing this morning to see about having it shipped up from North Carolina. Well it was already gone. Again devastation for Jerry. So all day he was on the web looking. Well around 4 pm a new black Honda Odyssey pops up on the Car max website and it's in Hartford. He immediately calls and they tell him it's on the way to the East Haven lot, as a matter of fact it's sitting on the truck. Somehow Jerry gets them to agree to take it off the truck and we set up an appointment for 6 pm. When we get there and ask for Mike, the response is Black Honda Odyssey and a laugh. Apparently it took over an hour to get it off the truck and even more time to fix all the paperwork. The van belonged to the East Haven lot so there were issues in every department once we decided we wanted it, which wasn't long. Jerry took it for a drive and loved it! I even drove it, only in the parking lot though. And no, not the one with all the cars in it! So we finally did it!!!
We bought a minivan. Traveling back and forth to Atlanta in small cars was becoming unbearable. The bigger the girls get the bigger their stuff gets and there was just not enough room. After enduring 16 hours this past Christmas with no room for my feet I vowed we would never make the trip again without a van. With our summer trip fast approaching we were running out of time. Car max was great to us. They sold us a great van in pristine condition and gave us 8500.00 for Jerry's red KIA. The only annoying thing to happen was the salesman ripping one while getting out of the car. And Jerry thought it was hilarious!! It must be a guy thing. It was by far the easiest car purchase I have ever been a part of. And heaven knows I have a lot of experience buying cars :) Thank you Brenna for staying with the girls. It made the experience even easier!!

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

After a long 8 days away I have made it back from Atlanta. Mom picked me up from work with subway around 7pm and rushed me over to the airport. I made my flight with not much time to spare and landed around 11:40 pm in Boston. Brenna was nice enough to spend the night at our house so Jerry could come to pick me up without the girls. So he did and before we were even 10 miles from the airport we get stopped by cop. Jerry the old man driver got a speeding ticket for driving 60 miles an hour on the highway. Apparently parts of the highway in Boston are 45mph zones. It sounded pretty shady to me but it's not even worth fighting. Jerry is devastated. He has never in his life been given a moving violation and now his perfect driving record is RUINED! He'll get over it, sooner than later I hope. As for now I am sure it's the only thing he will be talking about. When we got home I had to peek in at the girls. I love to see them all snuggled up in their beds asleep. As soon as I tiptoed in Ansley's little head shot up and yelled Brenna. When she opened her eyes and realized it was me she squealed mommy and grabbed my neck. It was super cute and a great welcome home. I tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. Time for a shower and BED!!

This morning with some moaning and groaning Jerry got up with the girls so I could sleep in. Working 6/7 12 hour shifts was killer and I was exhausted. I actually slept until 10 am and probably could have slept most of the day but I wanted to see Ally before she left for school and catch up on the weeks happenings. Before I could even fully wake up Jerry was talking about going to look at vans (when he gets something in his head it consumes him until it's done). So after school we picked up Ally and drove New York city to Paragon Honda. Its a huge certified used Honda dealership and they had 10 used Honda vans to choose from. We were sure we'd like at least one, after all they looked great on the website. It was a horrendously long drive after a long week but we made it. It only took us about 20 minutes to come to the realization that none of the minivans on their lot were even close to anything we'd spend our money on and left. We headed back to CT and hit up the Car max in East Haven who had far fewer vans but all were in pristine condition. It was a much better experience and all the pictures on the website are of the actually cars you are buying. I am not so sure that is the case with Paragon. Also they will ship from any other Car max so let the search for the new Honda minivan begin!!

One funny thing about NY. Ansley and Ally love the Home Alone movies. In Home Alone 2the movie takes place in NYC. So we are driving, and driving and driving and the girls keep asking, "Are we still in CT?" So as soon as we crossed into NY I said we're in NY now. To which Ansley yells, "Where are the bad guys mommy?" Hilarious!

A nice Sunday

2010-06-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Last night Chrissy picked me up from Piedmont so I could spend the day with the family today. It was nice to see everyone and just relax. Mom made macaroni and chicken wings and dad made his famous meatballs. We spent the day hanging out at moms house talking and just enjoying each others company. After dinner we celebrated moms birthday and Father's day since I won't be here for either celebration. Mom and I ended the day with a dip in the hot tub. Unfortunately it poured minutes after we got in but it made for a good laugh. Love you guys! Thanks for a great Sunday afternoon at home.

A week away

2010-06-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Jerry dropped me off at the Boston airport for my quarterly week away from the family. Normally we would be in Atlanta for the summer by now but with Allyson's crazy school schedule the summer break is all messed up. So I am flying back to work for two weeks. To kept the trip a short as possible I am working the end of one week and the beginning of the next. It's going to be a killer to do that many 12 hour shifts but I wanted to be away for as little as possible. Leaving at all makes me nervous. Not the Jerry can't handle it, because he does a great job when I am away but I just miss them and worry too much. It's a mothers job to worry and I am great at it. Mom and dad picked me up from the airport and we stopped for dinner. It was great to see them. Now its bed and a long week ahead.

Worst mom ever!!!!

2010-05-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like the worst mom ever and tonight was definitely one of those nights. I have been away from home way too much this month and even when I am home there is so much to do and so much rushing around that I feel like I rarely just get to enjoy my family. Tonight as I was tucking the girls into bed I told the girls I was sorry that I hadn't been home much and that I felt like I was the worst mom ever. To which Ansley immediately looked up at me and said, "You are a good mommy, I love you." How could I deny that adorable face. Thank you Ansley, mommy needed that today!

On a crazier note we had record temperatures today. 99 degrees in Hartford. So for one day, the state of CT was the hottest spot in the US!

As seen on TV infomercials

2010-05-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

So Allyson has an addiction to infomercials. She will sit for hours watching them and then beg me to buy whatever the product is. Last month she spent 45 minutes watching an infomercial on the Ninja blender. She just thought we had to have it. She could even site reasons it was better than the blender we have now. In the end I made her turn it off and would not buy it. A couple of days later while we were in BJs she spotted one and again persisted about the blender. "Look mom it's just like the one on TV!" It was a nice one and was about half the price of the TV version so I caved in and bought it. She was ecstatic.

Today while I was at work she tormented Ansley with an infomercial on vacuum cleaners. She was totally engrossed while Ansley begged her to change the channel. Jerry does the same thing, so it must be genetic. All we could do was laugh as she admitted to it and told me about how "cool" the vacuum cleaner was. This in itself was funny enough but after a short run today I was doing some crunches when I hear her little voice say, "You shouldn't do those mom, they don't work." What doesn't work Ally? "Those things you are doing. You need the thing you put your knees and go like this (she gives me a demo) Those just hurt your back." And where did you learn this Ally? "I saw it on TV, it makes your body look good" I laughed so hard I almost cried.

As for now there will be no more infomercials at the Rice house. In fact she may need a little infomercial AA!

April 19, 2010

2010-04-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Ally went out to the mailbox for her dad this afternoon and returned to report that there was nothing in the mailbox for him, "only bills for mommy." Nice!

Crinkly

2010-04-18T18:02:00.001-07:00

This morning as we were getting ready for church Ally was overly obsessed with applying lotion to her face. When I asked her why she needed so much lotion she replied, "So I don't get crinkly like you mom!" To which Ansley then replied, "Give me some Ally, I don't want to get crinkly either!" I am guessing they mean wrinkly which Jerry found absolutely hilarious. I found it much less humorous.

Flowers

2010-04-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

So this week I am determined to get the house back into some sort of semblance of order. I have 6 days off while Jerry studies for comps so I have set up a schedule of things I need and want to get done for the week. The problem lies in all the little things that keep popping up. It's no wonder I can't seem to make headway EVER! So this morning the girls decided they wanted to paint. I set them up outside on their picnic table while I cleaned out the refrigerator. (A diet coke exploded in the fridge yesterday) As I was cleaning Ansley approached me with a beautiful daffodil she had picked out of one of the front flower beds. I thanked her and then explained to her that those flowers were planted for everyone to enjoy and that if she picked them people wouldn't be able to enjoy them. To which she replied, "But I wanted to give it to you, because I love you!" Gotta love some Ansley. She is the sweetest!

On another happy note I did manage to change the sheets, do 3 loads of laundrey, clean out the fridge, vacuum and mop the condo, make dinner, bathe the girls, have family home evening, paint my toenails and blog today. So yeah me. It was a productive day.

Strep Yuck

2010-04-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

The start to this year has been awful health wise. It seems like someone has been sick since we got back from Atlanta. Today we kept Ally home from school with a sore throat and fever. Definitely strep per Dr. Bush so to Stop and Shop we went for antibiotics. When I got the pharmacy I was ecstatic to learn that the antibiotics were free! Not only that but they gave me a coupon for a free bag of salad and a free rotisserie chicken (Ally's favorite!) It was a great score. Free dinner and free medicine. It doesn't get much better than that. Now back to the condo for some much need snuggle time.

:)

2010-03-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today was just one of those days. I couldn't seem to get anything done and I was very frustrated by that. The girls I think sense this and prey on it. The result was a very long afternoon. Just as I was at my wits end I told the girls that I needed a time out and sent them to go and play. I found them a few minutes later curled up in my comfortable with Ally trying to read the Book of Mormon to Ansley. It was adorable and made me smile. Thank you God for the small beams of sunshine on even the most dreary days. I am so blessed!

I love Sundays

2010-03-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

I love Sunday's. It's a great day off with my family to relax and regroup for the upcoming week. It is truly a day that I look forward too. Today the weather was absolutely beautiful which was an added bonus. Claudette and Sierra picked up the girls and I and we hung out over at their house for the afternoon. It was such a nice afternoon. The girls played out in the yard with Sierra and Claudette and I got to hang out and chat. When the sun went down we laughed at the girls watching Home Alone, their favorite movie. It used to be Ally who would belly laugh and entertain us but now it is more Ansley. She wanted to give us a blow by blow of the movie and kept turning my head towards the TV and yelling for me to watch. At one point in the movie Harry tells the father not to worry that their house is in good hands. To which Ansley replied, "No it's not in safe hands. He is a bad guy!" It was a wonderful and relaxing day. Thank you Buckley family. The Rice's love you guys!!

My Girls

2010-03-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today Jerry had to stop by Men's Wearhouse to pick up a shirt with the girls. Despite numerous attempts to get them to behave they just refused. The result was a loss of treats for a full week. As they were walking out of the store Jerry looked to Ally and said, "Ally you are old enough to know how to behave." To which Ansley adds "And you should be teaching me!!"

The Democratic Senate Debate

2010-03-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight Jerry took me out to the Democratic Candidates Senate Debate between Richard Bloomenthal and Merrick Alpert at the University of Hartford. I was already very partial to Merrick Alpert but tonight has sealed the deal for me. He is the underdog and probably has no chance against someone like Bloomenthal but he understands the American people and has a grasp on what we need to do to try to fix the economy among many other problems we are facing in this country today. He is a fantastic speaker and I really enjoyed listening to the debate. It was so much better than the play he took me to a couple of weeks ago. I only wish we had tickets for the Republican debate tomorrow night.

American Idol

2010-02-23T22:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight the girls and I watched American Idol. Ally was ecstatic to see Ellen on the show. Ally and watched her show everyday from her birth until she was 3. I couldn't believe she even remembered who she was. We haven't watched her since we lived in our house. Kids have such amazing memories. Ears too. Ansley thought the girls looked HOT tonight in their dresses. Hot, really. Where do they get this stuff?

Family Home Evening

2010-02-22T20:31:00.001-08:00

Tonight for family home evening I read the story Maria's new Dress to the girls. The story was about a little girl who receives a new dress and is excited to wear it to church to show it off to all of her friends. At church she enjoyed hearing her friends compliment her on her dress and she spent most of the sacrament meeting tying and untying the pretty pink bows. At the end of the testimony meeting she noticed that many people had tears in their eyes and she questioned her mother about it. He mother explained to her that they had felt the Spirit and that sometimes it brings tears to their eyes. Maria was sad that she hadn't felt the Spirit and questioned her mother as to why. Her mother explained to her that the Spirit speaks in a still small voice and that we have to pay attention to notice it. Maria knew that she hadn't been thinking of Heavenly Father or Jesus but only of her new dress.

Ansley concluded our evening with a prayer. Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day. Thank you for having so much fun. I hope that I won't color in church anymore and that I won't look at my friends. I hope I will think about Jesus and Heavenly Father. In Jesus' name, Amen.

I guess the story evoked a little guilt about not paying attention during church. :)

Sunday February 14, 2010

2010-02-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

So the past week has been less than stellar and has definitely left me feeling less than adequate at many things. It happens from time to time. I get into a rut feeling like I am falling short everywhere and no matter what I do or how hard I work I just can't get ahead and this week has been of those weeks. So as I sat in Primary for sharing time I couldn't help but become quite emotional over the lesson. It was exactly what I needed to hear. Sister Elwood shared a story for the kids about a boy who really wanted a new scooter. So he worked and saved until he thought he had enough. But when he got to the store, even though he had worked really hard he hadn't saved enough. Fortunately for him, his father loved him and was willing to make up the difference and he was able get his scooter. Much like what our Father in Heaven has done for us. He knew that no matter how hard we tried and how good we were we would always fall short, so he sent Jesus his son to atone for our sins and shortcomings. To make up the difference, so we can return to our Father in Heaven. I couldn't help it. I was an emotional mess over it but I needed to hear it. I am not perfect and never will be. My Father in Heaven knew this long before I was born and I need to find peace in that fact. So thank you Sister Elwood. I needed that kick in the behind today. You are an amazing teacher and I soooo needed that today. :)

On a funnier note to drive the lesson home for the kiddos she had made Valentine's Day cookies. During the lesson, if the kids were reverent and listening they could earn tickets to purchase the cookies at the end of the lesson. In the end some of them had two tickets, some had three but none had the 10 tickets it cost to purchase one cookie. So like the father of the boy with the scooter and like our Father in Heaven Nikkie made up the difference and allowed each child to take home a Valentine's Day cookie with the understanding that they had to be eaten at home and only after they changed their clothes and told their parents about the lesson. So as soon as we got home both girls ran right up the stairs, changed their clothes and came running back down. It was by far the fastest change ever. No fighting, no stalling, DONE. It was great. When Ansley was done she went running straight for Jerry who quickly scooped her up and said, "Come here you look like you need some Daddy time" and squeezed her. "No daddy, I need some cookie time" was her response. It was priceless. She just wanted to tell him about the lesson so she could get her cookie. I love kids. When I explained what was happening to Jerry we laughed so hard, we cried.

Happy Birthday to ME!!

2010-02-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

So this morning as I always do I before work, I went into the girls room to kiss them goodbye. Usually they don't even realize I am there and I enjoy a few moments just watching them sleep, snuggled up in their warm beds. This morning though when I kissed Ansley she shot right up out of bed and whispered, "Happy Birthday Mommy. I hope you have a good day." It was precious. It was one of the last things we told her last night and even in her half conscious state it was the first thing she thought of today. I got a great big birthday squeeze and I rubbed her back for a minute. Something she enjoyed, "Oooh mommy, that feels good" and I told her to go back to sleep. Ally too woke up just long enough to kiss and hug me. I tucked them back in and went to work. It totally made my BIRTHDAY!

While I was at work Jerry called me to inform me that Ally has now decided its time she starts wearing a bra. She came down dressed for school with the top piece to her two piece bathing suit under her shirt. When Jerry asked her what she was doing she told him she needed to wear a bra like mommy. :)

After work Jerry took me to the church dance while Brenna watched the kids. We had a nice dinner with great friends and learned some new dance moves. Even Jerry got up. Thank you to the ward for throwing a great party on my birthday! I couldn't have spent it with a better group of people.

Febuary 4, 2010

2010-02-04T22:00:00.000-08:00

So tonight at dinner Jerry told the girls that tomorrow is my birthday. I am working the entire weekend so he promised them that we would do something next weekend. I could tell something was bothering Ansley so I asked her what was wrong. She said that it couldn't be my birthday because it was Daddy's birthday. I tried to explain to her that we already had Daddy's birthday but she said no it was still Daddy's birthday. I again told her that Daddy's birthday was in January and now it was Mommy's birthday. To which she blurted out, "It can't be your birthday because we didn't have cake for Daddy yet. So it is still Daddy's birthday!" I guess the pizza and brownie party wasn't enough for Ansley. It has to be birthday cake.

Mrs. Pat

2010-02-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today Mrs. Pat came to Ansley's Preschool class. I was the helping parent so I was able to get some great shots of Ansley. She had a great time!

Ansley

2010-02-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here is one of Ansley's less fashionable outfits. She finished it off with the hot pink winter boots too!

The dancing fairy

2010-02-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

My beautiful girls

2010-01-31T17:30:00.000-08:00

Ally and Ansley before church

January 29, 2010

2010-01-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had planned to go out to dinner to celebrate Jerry's birthday but he and Brenna got back from class late. So instead we did the pizza deal at Big Y and made some brownies at home. The girls we thrilled to give Jerry his gifts. Jerry and I always make a big deal out of their birthdays so they get upset when we don't do the same for our own. So to satisfy the girls we had a little birthday celebration.

Ansley

2010-01-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Ansley has been dressing herself lately which has been wonderful for me. Some days she looks great and some days she looks like a complete mess. She always comes running down for her room to ask if she looks cute. Today she did an especially good job and I just had to document it with a picture. Good job Ansley! You look super cute!

Play time in the snow

2010-01-28T18:04:00.000-08:00

Today all after school activities were cancelled because of the snow so we enjoyed some time outside. It was the first time Ansley rode in the sled and actually enjoyed it. Both girls had a blast!!

My little daisy

2010-01-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

A proud little Daisy Scout! Ally sold over 60 boxes of cookies.

Score!

2010-01-27T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today I scored my best deal yet at BJs. 2 all laundry detergents, 1 snuggle softner, 3 pack of axe deodarent, 3 pack of vasoline intensive care lotion, 12 pack dove soap, 4 pack kids shampoo, 3 5 packs of noodle soup, 6 pack of liptons onion soup mix and a huge tub of country crock. Total was 101.50. 26.50 in coupons and a 40 dollar rebate. 35 Bucks!! My best at BJs yet. The cashier was not happy but I was thrilled!

I love my Girls!

2010-01-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

I admit it, they drive me crazy but they really are good girls and they love each other. Yesterday while Ally was still in the tub and cold, Ansley said from her warm towel, I wish you were done and in your warm towel too, because I love you. It was so sweet and very sincere. She loves her big sister so much.