Bridgette wore this dress last December, and it was a little big.
Here she is a year later, and it fits perfect!
Thank you, again, Grandma Janna! 
Monthly Archives: December 2012
Protected: 12.25.2012
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12.24.2012
Christmas Eve
Rick shares the story of the Nativity with Bridgette, before bedtime
Bridgette is seriously a hoot!
Snow Shoeing
We got pounded with snow and were excited to pull out the snowshoes and make some trails. Last season was really weak as far as snow fall, so we were thrilled to have enough to march around on. 
Bridgette was a champ! We kept her snug and warm and she enjoyed it too. Feels so good to breathe in cool air and feel your heart pounding! 
We hear Rochester gets more snow than Madison. We look forward to lots of winter activities!
12.21.2012
A visit to the state capitol, in Madison, to see the Christmas Tree.
Snow Day with Papa!
We’ve been anticipating this “blizzard” for days and it finally came!
(On a side note, I ran to Target last night for some knick nacks and I noticed the bread aisle was completely sold out! Well, I guess the world is supposed to end tomorrow, so maybe the mad dash is valid!)
I was worried the storm would sweep just South of Madison, but we got lucky and it’s still painting our town white!
Yes, A WHITE CHRISTMAS! There is nothing I wanted more this year. Mother Nature delivered.
Rick’s clinics were cancelled, so we were lucky to have him home with us for the entire day.
Rick told me he was going out to scrape off his car and when we looked through the window, he was building a snowman!
I suited up the B and she could barely move! After putting on her boots, she just laid there, reaching up for me. HA HA HA!
Then we went to the mail room and watched papa from the window for a few minutes. She fell over and couldn’t get up.
Of course I just start shooting, instead of helping her. She seemed pretty content. ::: wink wink :::
It was so windy and cold! I handed over the B and quickly snapped a few shots. 
Rick then put Bridgette on her feet near the base of the snowman and she face planted right into the snow!
Poor lil’ B! Snow up her nose and in her eyes. She’s such a trooper and quickly recovered.
This was probably the highlight of the afternoon for her:
A couple of Instagram shots. I love this one of Bridgette with her Papa, before he finished the snowman.
What a cute little snow bunny!
12.19.2012
Bridgette loved the Christmas Village and spent so much time….throwing all the snow on the carpet. 
Christmas Lights
Olin-Turville Park in Madison has a free Christmas light show every year. 
Bridgette gets to ride on Papa’s lap as we slowly drive through the park to see the different light displays.
If you want music, you can tune in to AM radio to hear old time Christmas tunes.
We love doing this every year!
Pictures with Santa
The Mall had a fancy booth set up for Pictures with Santa. I picked up a flyer to check pricing. The cheapest package was $21 for 2 4×6 prints. HIGHWAY ROBBERY PEOPLE!
I told Rick, “FORGET IT!”
Then I found out that Santa would be at our local library and I could set my daughter on his lap and take my own picture FOR FREE!
That’s what I’m talking about.
(PS: Happy Birthday Dad! 12.12.48)
Hair Cut
With a toddler tugging at my legs in the bathroom, I just didn’t have time everyday to blow this out:
So I had it chopped off:
Time to embrace my mid 30’s and update my look.
And only 4-5 minutes to blow dry and style…I’m LOVING IT!
Gingerbread Houses 2012
No excuses this year to do Gingerbread Houses!
2010, I was pregnant and not motivated.
2011, we had Bridgette and I was not motivated.
But after peer pressure from family and friends this season, we decided to go for it!
Thankfully, Rick figured out the pattern for me and even rolled, cut and baked the gingerbread.
We cut enough pieces for 2 houses, as we invited our friends over to build their own house with us.
However, I didn’t realize the grand scale of these houses and we didn’t have enough dough to cut all the pieces for both houses.
We used cereal boxes for roofs. ::: hangs head in shame :::
We used the same RECIPE we have for years and I still love it!
We crushed starlight mints for the roof, and used fruit roll ups for the siding. Rick used corn meal for the light in the windows,
and a cotton ball for chimney smoke.
I love this house, but I don’t think I can top our gingerbread house from 2008! It’s still my favorite.
We had a great time this year and look forward to more gingerbread houses in our future.
Bridgette was busy sneaking M&Ms most the evening!
12.10.2012
A Mickey Mouse photo shoot for Grandpa Alan!
12.09.2012
Rochester, New York…a place we’ll call home in 2013
We met Rick at the hospital so we could open the email together to find out where we matched. I didn’t want to wait until he got home from work that evening! I don’t think he did either.
I kept tearing up on my way to the hospital. I felt so much excitement, peace, love and admiration for Rick and for his hard work. This was our moment of truth. Our destiny. 
I’m so thrilled to share our good news: Rick matched to the Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program at the University of Rochester in New York. It’s a 3 year program and it was our #1 choice on his rank list. We’ve been anticipating this day for months! He interviewed at over 10 programs and spent way too many hours on planes, trains, buses, metros, and automobiles. We submitted our rank list in mid November and have been on pins and needles ever since. You get one shot to match to one program. So you can imagine how much anticipation leads up to “the match.” This is a big deal because the field of Oncology/Hematology is very competitive. Rick was telling me some of the stats from the match (these are estimates, as I can’t remember exact numbers) and there were around 500 positions available, nationwide, for a spot in Oncology. 8 of those spots were unfilled. However, there were over 700 applicants looking to fill those 500 spots. That means close to 200 residents will not be able to start their fellowship next Summer. They will need to reapply in a year, and hope they match.
We feel extremely grateful and blessed that we matched, let alone to our #1 choice. He ranked John’s Hopkins as #2 (which would be an amazing place to study cancer, but I would have moved to Baltimore with some hesitation; High cost of living, longer commute, etc) and our #3 pick was Richmond Virginia, along with two programs in Boston, one in Ohio, etc. We feel like this is truly the BEST MATCH for our family and the priorities we have now. (That being cost of living, proximity to a Latter-Day Saint temple, close to an airport with more direct flights, commute time, etc.) As my friend Lee said, “It’s a match made in Doctor Heaven!” Amen to that! We thank family and close friends for all the love and support you have been the past few months. You’ve been great cheer leaders and we appreciate it so much. We’re so glad the wait is over!
We will be moving late June of 2013 and we look forward to moving back East! Madison has been very good to us. I have met some incredible friends here who have been more than I could ever ask for. (I’m tearing up just thinking about saying goodbye!) Bridgette has her dear friends too and we will always hold Madison close to our hearts, but it will be easy to leave the soy and corn fields! 🙂 It will be hard to leave the free zoo, the wonderful Children’s Museum, the walking/biking trails, the lakes, the tree-lined streets, the beautiful downtown, the amazing local restaurants, and the members of the church. It has been such a positive experience living in Madison! We have no regrets. I look forward to many wonderful things in Rochester though: The Museum of Play, the Palmyra temple and many church history sites, scenic trails and waterways, lilac festival, a zoo, museums, Broadway plays, lots of festivals and especially some of our Vermont friends!
I’m so proud of Rick and for his dedication to his career and passion for medicine. At the same time, he makes time for family when he can and is always present when he is home. He ain’t no bump on a log! He continues to clean the kitchen, fold laundry, fill my car with gas all the time, stuff our cloth diapers and he keep the B laughing and happy! I’m truly blessed to have him as my life partner and love him so much. Way to go, sweetie! Time to celebrate!!!
Rick + Vanessa + Bridgette + August 