2009 Connolly Family Reunion

Being up at the cabin worked out just perfect too! Because we went straight from the cabin to camping with Chris' family for the week just on the other side of Payson! Now, I've gotta admit, I wasn't really looking forward to camping all week with a 7 week old baby in a tent, and I actually intended on only camping for a coupe days and then calling it quits... But we had such a great time that we ended up camping with everyone for the entire week! haha! It was quite the experience! But lots of good memories were had! We all had a great time! It was fun getting to know family that we don't get to see very often and enjoying everyone's company. Ava never knew she had so many cousins! :) Then at the end of the week we all met in Cottonwood at Nana and Grand-dad's house to have family pictures. And surprisingly the whole gang was there! 48 to be exact! Everyone from all families were accounted for! So congrats and thank you for those in charge! Can't wait for the next one!

(I was very disappointed with myself when the week was over, cuz I noticed that I barely took any pics all week!! ugh... I've got to get better at this!)

Picking wild boysen-berries out in the forest! They were so yummy! And the kids had a blast!

Here's all the younger cousins that were there! What a wild bunch! :)

The kids caught miltiple Horny Toads throughout the week! Ava thought they were so neat! So I had to get a pic of one! That girl is fearless... haha!

My princess... isn't she cute?! Love you Ava!

~Cabin Week~

I know I am late at posting, but its been a crazy couple weeks and I'm finally getting used to being home again! So better late than never, right? Alright, well two weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the cabin with my mom, and two sisters, Emeli (w/ her two friends) and Kati, while my other sister, Lesli, attended a pole vaulting camp near by. So it was fun to have a girls week up at my favorite place in the whole world... In fact, Kati and I loved it so much that when my mom went home with the girls on thursday, we decided to stay for the rest of the weekend! So our husbands came up to join us along with some friends too! And since it was the 4th of July weekend, we went into Payson to see the fireworks saturday night! And they were spactacular! Probably one of the best fireworks shows I've ever seen! All-in-all it was a weekend to remember! And to the Paulson's, Fringer's, and Welly's... Thanks again for coming with us and making it a great weekend! We love you guys! We are so lucky to have such awesome friends!

Here are a few pics I got from the cabin...

Playin at the creek-
Ava rock sliding! The water was FREEZING! But Ava loved it!

Tryin' to warm up in the sun!
Miley slept through the whole trip... like usual... :)
Ava with her new found friends! Maxine, Emeli, and Lexie! Thanks again girls for entertaining her for the week! She really enjoyed hanging out with the big girls!
Rock hopping down the creek!

4th of July Pinata!
What a great idea! the kids loved it!
Check out Brocks face.... haha! He's so determined to get that candy! ;)

Go Tristan Go!

That pinata was one tough cookie! The dads finally had to take a couple hard swings to bust it open! The kids didn't seem to mind though, as long as they all got their share of the goods!! :)

Waiting for the fireworks...

Lake Trip!

Well, I didn't get very many pics, but I just thought I'd post the ones I got... A few weeks ago we went to the lake with my fam for the day! It was a blast! I haven't been to the lake in a couple years and it sure felt good to be back! I love going to the lake and riding in the boat and chillin on the beach... I have to admit, it was hard to go home! Thanks Mom and Dad for a great time! Can't wait to do it again soon!!

Miley's first lake trip! And only a month old! Call me crazy, but she did great!

Blue had to dig a spot in the dirt every time he layed down... I guess it was cooler for him. It was so funny though! And everywhere Chris would sit, Blue would follow and dig a spot right next to him... Silly dog... Isn't he too cute?!

Miley Rae Rice

Okay, so I'm a couple weeks late announcing the news on our blog... Things have been kinda crazy over here for the last couple weeks with family coming and going and all... So I'm finally just now adjusting to our life with two kids and getting back into the swing of things! Anyways, ... for those of you that haven't heard the details.... SHE'S HERE!

Miley Rae Rice was born at 1:11am on Tuesday May 19th! She weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was about 20.5 inches long! The nurses kept telling me she was a perfect baby. She was healthy and happy and did a great job adapting to her new environment! She has done great breastfeeding and is slowly getting used to a new sleep schedule that works for the both of us! :)
She came out looking just like her big sister, with the dark skin, dark eyes, and lots of dark hair! But, as I predicted, she definitely has her Daddy's nose!
Labor was incredible! I was amazed to experience the difference of labor with an epidural for this delivery! and it was.... well INCREDIBLE! There's no other way to describe it! haha... If I remember correctly there was only a handful of pushes and she was out. So I'm already looking forward to the next one... haha!
We are so excited and have enjoyed every minute we've had to share with this beautiful little girl! As soon as she was born we knew that she is definitely something special! And Ava is doing such a great job as a big sister! She loves every opportunity she has to hold her and love on her! Its too cute!
Well, here are a few pics... But first I just want to say thanks to everyone for all your love and support! And a special thanks to my sister Kati, for all your help around the house the last couple weeks! It made my lazy recovery so much easier having you and Mike at home to help out with everything! And another big thanks to Becky for taking Ava for the days that Chris and I were in the hospital! We have the best friends and family anyone could ask for! Thanks again everyone!! We love you all!

Here is a quick pic Kati and I took the morning before I went into the hospital... ugh! I can't believe I was that big... haha!

Here's Miley!! :)
First Family Pics!Proud Big Sis!

Schnepf Farm Peach Festival

Before the baby was born we wanted to go out on one last family outting as a family of three! So Saturday we went to the Peach festival at Schnepf Farms! And it was HOT! I usually take my big water bottle everywhere, but for some reason on this one occasion, I forgot it... Figures, right? So aside from it being a little warm outside, we still had a good time! We started with a hay ride out to the peach orchard, and picked our own bunch of peaches. Then we walked over to the petting zoo and saw the animals. And topped it all off with an italian ice treat! Chris was excited with his purchase of a home-made jar of peach salsa! So it was a fun day for all of us! Here are some pics! :)

38 Weeks and Rice Family Update!

WARNING: Sorry, It's a pretty long post, but I had to get caught up! haha!

Ugh... what a horrible picture of me... but YAY!! As of tomorrow, I've only got 14 days till my due date! I can't wait! We are all so excited! Ava asks every day when her baby sister is going to come out and play with her... haha! I've never seen any little girl so excited to be a big sister. Its so cute! She is going to be such a great helper when this baby comes.And I know everyone keeps asking, but no... we still haven't picked out a name for this little girl... haha. We have, however, narrowed it down to two! So her name will either be Emma or Miley. We both like each name but Chris' choice is Emma and mine is Miley. So we've decided we will come to the final desicion after we get to meet her and see what happens then. But we've finally got the crib up and all the baby clothes out! I'm even packed for the hospital! So I'm ready! We're just waiting for the moment that this little girl will decide to finally grace the world with her presence! haha! We'll be sure to let you all know when that moment comes!

Then I also thought I'd give a quick update of everything else we've been up to, (aside from getting ready for the new baby) since I haven't really posted anything significant in a while... haha. So here it goes~
Well, as for Vegas... like most of you know, we were supposed to hear the final results this week about whether or not Chris got the job with the Vegas Police Dept. But since we never heard anything, Chris decided to email his background investigator to see if there was any progress on his case. And she said that unfortunately, since the May and June academies are both full, they went ahead and canceled the board meeting that they were supposed to have on May 6th to review Chris' group of recruits. And because the next academy isn't until the end of September, they have decided to postpone that meeting until August... :( So, as frustrating as that is, we STILL won't know if he got the job or not for a few more months. And then if he DOES get it, it will be a mad-dash to move to Vegas so we can get settled before he starts the academy... Crazy huh? Doesn't make any sense to me... but what can ya do, right?
So while we continue with our lives somewhat on hold, we'll pretty much just keep doing what we've been doing. Chris has gotten a summer job with a friend selling pest control, so that will be good. Although it is a door-to-door/commission paying job it will provide some extra income until we can get something else a little more stable. And on top of that we are both going to continue attending school for the summer.
Also, my sister, Kati, and her new husband, Mike, are going to be coming this next week to stay with us for a little bit while they find a new place to live and work! I am super excited because hopefully she will be here and get to see the new baby born! They are moving down here from Provo, UT to be a little closer to home and so that Mike can attend school without having to pay a ridiculous amount for out-of-state tuition... haha! So that is going to be fun! It will be nice to have her living down here closer to us so we can hang out more often!
And that is about all I can think of for my update... I hope I didn't bore you too much with this short novel.. haha! Hopefully our next post will be announcing the birth of our new little baby girl!!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!

Just wanted to wish all of you mothers out there a wonderful and Happy Mothers Day!! I hope you all get pampered and shown the appreciation you deserve today!

And a special thanks to my own incredible mother!
Mom, you are and always have been the backbone of our entire family! I know it has been a heavy weight to carry over the years, but you have done a more than amazing job at it! I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing us with such an unbelievably wonderful Mother who has taught me everything that I know! I'm grateful for the standard that you set for me so that now as I learn about being a mom to my own children, I feel like I almost have a head start because of how well you have taught us. Above all, I am thankful for the example that you have set for me in my life and the values that you raised all of us by. I am thankful for your strong testimony and relationship that you have with our Heavenly Father and the example that you have provided for us so that we, ourselves, can and have learned the importance of staying close to our Heavenly Father and the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks again Mom for being the best that you can be and walking in our Heavenly Fathers footsteps so that we can follow right behind you! I love you Mom! You are and always have been my greatest Hero!

Easter!!

Since we were up in Cottonwood for the wedding on Saturday we got to spend Easter with the whole fam too! So it worked out great! Sunday morning we got up and the kids hunted for eggs at my parents house, then later we went to have dinner with Chris' family at the Stokes house, where they did another egg hunt! So Ava had a pretty fun filled day... Here are just a few pics!

Mr. and Mrs. Kleinman!

I know I'm a little late posting... But I just thought I'd send out a belated Congratulations to the newly weds! The wedding went great! Even with the rain! :) And I have to say... your flower girl was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen! haha! Ava was so excited to be a part of the wedding. She is such a little girl! She loves any excuse to get all dressed up!

Ava was begging me all night for a piece of the cake! She didn't understand that we had to wait until Kati and Mike cut it... Can you tell she looks anxious for some cake?!Ava's favorite place was the dance floor the entire night! She was a dancin' fool!

Here she is dancing with her new Bridal Barbi...

42 Days to go!!

42 days to go! Yay!! I can't believe there is only a short six weeks left in this pregnancy! I had another utlra-sound done this morning and they said she is measuring at about 4 lbs 15 oz! They said she is a little bit on the small side, but everything else seems to be growing good so she is still on track for the same due date!

This is a 3-D pic of our little girl now. It's not really a great one... It's a little funny looking just because the umbilical cord was in her face. So that is the weird gooey-looking thing across her upper mouth area and down the side of her little chin. Then she also has her fingers kind of over her left eye too... But you can still tell she has her daddy's nose!! haha! Can you see it?!
We can't wait to meet her! Still can't agree on any names yet... but I'm sure when we see her we will know! Or atleast I hope so!