The Big Guy Turns FORTY!!!

 I can't believe that Jason turned 40 in January!  Let me just tell you that I had BIG plans for his birthday!  There was going to be a BIG party!  I would like to say, because I sincerely hope, that there will still be a BIG party sometime soon to celebrate the birth of this wonderful man!

It turned out to be a very stressful week.  His car broke down.  Since his birthday was his only day off that week, other than Sunday, it was the day we had to discuss it and decide what to do.  This is one of those tough parts of marriage.  We strongly disagreed on a plan of action.  One wanted to fork over the money to get it fixed, though it was not cheap.  The other wanted to trade it in and get a new (used) car, since his old car had a LOT of miles on it, and this was probably the first of many major breakdowns to come. 

To add to the stress, we had already decided that he was getting an iPad for his Christmas/Birthday present.  Our phones were due for upgrades, and the iPad came as an upgrade so no money up front, but our monthly bill was going up.  By the time we got to the phone store, I had to just go sit on the side so that my stress wouldn't ruin his birthday.  

After the phones was lunch together.

This was nice, except that our conversation was all about his dumb car.  haha

Jason used to work for Enterprise Rent a Car first in the rental division, then promoted to the car sales division and worked hard selling off the older rental cars.  Jason gained two really good skills from job.  1. He can always somehow get the best deal when booking a rental car.  2. He is really good at buying cars.  I mean he knows how to get amazing deals.  The salesman always does exactly what Jason wants them to, gives him the trade in value he wants, even if it makes no sense.  They give him price he wants, even if it makes no sense.  It really does amaze me every time.  

So Jason left with his barely able to drive car in the late afternoon, and came home an hour or two later with this cute little red thing.  Don't worry - he hadn't bought it...yet.  He just brought it to show me, and have a talk about the deal he had brokered.  I was stunned.  

So he traded in his old car, and bought this newer one.  

I am calling it his mid life crisis.  For example - "Bye!  I'm leaving to the store!  I'm taking your mid life crisis with me!" 

 After the car it was late, so we got the little ones to bed after cereal for dinner, then went to Gustavs for a cheap Happy Hour dinner.  

So his birthday was not at all what I thought it would be, but he said it was a good one.  I have also given him a good warning that since he got an iPad and a car for his 40th, he had better start planning mine now!

Now that the stress of that day is past, I can also say that it was a good day.  The best part was just getting to spend so much time with him. 

For his birthday I want to say - that I love him!  He is the most giving, kind and considerate man.  He works harder than anyone, and has all the respect of his co-workers and patients.  The best part of him is what he gives to me and our children.  

We love you!  Happy Birthday!

Max at Day Camp

The day after we got home from Denver, Max left for his first ever day of Cub Scout Day Camp.  He watched Glenn go for 3 years in a row and has been counting down till the day when he was old enough to go.  He had a great, and exhausting week. 

Here is Max, front and center, with his buddies, ready for the first day.

In the past the Scout leaders have asked Jason and I to come up and help out at camp.  This year no one asked us, maybe because we just had a baby.  This was unacceptable to Max.  He really wanted Jason to come with him on the last day and hang out.  They didn't need any more adult helpers, but Jason went along anyway to satisfy Max.  It was worth it because Jason got some fun pictures of Max at camp, and also because Max really appreciated having him there.

Here is Max launching water balloons.

Jason and Max both made a Gimp Keychain.

And Maxwell's favorite activities were BB Guns and Archery.

My favorite photo of the week.

Father's Day 2012

My children are so blessed to have Jason as their father.

This year on Father's Day Jason got up early with  the kids, and I slept in.  He is that awesome.  He is the most supportive and loving guy.  People ask me how do I do it, with six kids and all.  There is no way that I could do this job by myself.  If I am a good mom, it is only because of Jason.

Taken before church on Father's Day 2012

Taken the night before Father's Day. Jason is in a Tux
shirt after his concert sneaking in some Theo time

 

On birthdays, Father's Day and Mother's Day we go around the dinner table and share what we love most about that person.  Here is what everyone said about Jason on Father's Day this year.

Mom - He loves his family and his Father in Heaven.  He is a super hard worker.

Glenn - He is the best example and honors his Priesthood.

Lily - He is the nicest person ever and makes me laugh so hard.

Max - I love it when he takes us to the park with Karl.

Harrison - He plays Star Wars and soccer with me.

Bennett - We asked "Do you love Daddy?"  He said, "Yes."

Time Flies By

Over the last 2-3 months I have felt like time is flying by.  Yes, even towards the end of my pregnancy I felt that way.  In direct regards to feeling like I was going to be pregnant forever, time was barely creeping by, but in every other aspect of my life it was and is flying at a very uncomfortable speed.

After Theo was born, time has only sped up.  I am constantly trying to slow it down, and to enjoy every little moment.  I am moving on with life, but feel melancholy about the fact that my kids will never be these ages again.  They are growing up way too fast.

This week Jason and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.  (I use the term celebrate lightly.  He was gone from 4:30am-11pm, and I had the worse evening ever with the older boys.)  

This picture hangs in our room.

 I look at it and think, "My goodness!  We were babies!"

I am so grateful to be able to say that the last 14 years have flown by, and time flies when you're having fun.

We have had a lot of fun.

Even more than that, we have grown together, and have learned so much.

People keep asking me how I feel about having 6 kids.  I feel that it is just weird.  I can't believe that I have six kids.  I can't believe we have been married for 14 years.  I look at that picture of us on our wedding day, and I feel like I am the same person, but really I'm not at all.

I am wiser.  I am happier.  I have more joy.

Every year when our anniversary rolls around I can't help but look back at where we've been, and look forward to where we are going.

We were married in an LDS temple.  It is traditional, as part of the ceremony, for the man marrying the young couple to give advice to them before the performing the sealing ordinance.  I should have written every thing down that he said as soon as we left, but come on, let's be real.  We did not write his advice down.  And yet all these years later, I still remember a lot of what he said to us.  One thing he advised us to was to kneel down together that night, on our wedding night, and pray together.  He promised us that if we prayed daily as a couple and thanked our Father in Heaven for each other, out loud so the other could hear, that our marriage would benefit.

We haven't always been faithful in doing this, but we have tried.  We always go back to this advice, and pick it up when we are slacking.  I'm not saying that our marriage is only successful because we pray together, but it has definitely helped.

So this year, in lieu of celebration, let me just say that I am so grateful for the man that I chose to marry.  And that I am grateful for.

Cooper Hollow Road aka Memory Lane

Friday, May 25th was a fabulous day!

A warning - The day was so fabulous that it warranted a very long post!

Jason woke me up this morning to say that he really wanted to do something fun.  The kids had the day off from school, and he starts back at work on Monday, Memorial Day.  He feels like he's running out of time.  I do to.  He's had the last 4 1/2 weeks off for paternity leave, and we are all a little anxious about Monday.  The kids will be home from school for the holiday, and Jason will be back at work caring for our Veterans.  

So what do we do that is cheap, fun, easy with 5 kids + newborn, and Memorial Day appropriate?

We take a stroll down memory lane.

We loaded up all the kids and headed south.  When we got to Salem kids were needing a potty break.  This is when I got emotional.  This was only the second time I've been down there since my parents moved.  The first time was at Christmas time for my nieces baptism when they were visiting from Australia.  For fifteen years my parents were there for potty breaks and snacks.  I did shed some tears.  I just haven't had to face it head on like that too often.  Jason said that if it made me feel better, we couldn't visit his parents either.

This made me feel worse.  Or just even more sad.

Let me explain why.  My parents lived there for 15 years.  Jason's parents lived there for almost 40 years.  His father passed away in Salem in 1997, and his mom moved to Utah a year later.  So, yeah... I was made more sad with the thought that here we were on our way to visit his dad's grave site, and I was whining that I couldn't see my dad, who I just saw in January.  Also, Jason lived there his whole life, till he was 19, in the same house, and now can never visit there or see his parents there.  I wouldn't have any idea what it would be like to have lived in the same town, or house with the same friends and people my whole life like that. 

How much would I miss it then?  How much does Jason miss it?  I think today he was really missing all that.  I think he was especially missing his dad.  As we drove away from the cemetery this afternoon he said that he misses his dad's guidance and silly jokes.  He wishes he could hear him laugh. 

Back to my story, I got off track there, but that's OK.  This is all about our stroll down memory lane.

We were in Salem, needing a bathroom.  I also needed to feed the baby.  So we stopped at the Salem Riverfront Park and Carousel.  This is a place we have been visiting and playing at since Glenn and Lily were tots.  Our children LOVE this place!  We have had many picnics and fun times there.  The kids were THRILLED when stopped there.  We used the bathrooms, fed the baby, played at the park and each kid got TWO rides on the carousel.  Harrison was SO excited about the fact that he got TWO rides!

This was his second ride.  I laughed SO hard when I saw this picture that Jason took.  He is making the same face as the donkey aka ass that he is sitting on!!!

 Bennett was so nervous at first.  He didn't remember riding the carousel, and how much he loves it! 

 

 Max being a cool guy.

I just LOVE Maxwell's sweet, shy smile.

For some reason this is the only picture Jason got of Lily on the Carousel.  A nice action shot if you ask me.

 You're never too old to love riding a pretend horsey on a carousel.

Bennett had a blast playing at the park.

 The sunshine was perfect!  We even got a little sweaty from playing in it.

 Playing Peek a Boo with daddy.  He is just the cutest, sweetest two year old EVER!

Waving Hello to daddy in the middle of Peek a Boo!  See what I mean?  Cutest EVER!  Right?

One of my favorite parts of the day was Lily teaching Bennett how to roll down the grassy hill.  I remember many years ago, when she was his age, teaching her to roll down the same hill.

After our little break we continued on to Monmouth.

 This was our reason for driving all the way down there.  Jason really wanted to visit his dad's grave site.  Not only is it Memorial Day weekend, and his dad did serve during the Korean War, but also I think he's been missing his dad.  Theodore is named after him, and I know I've been thinking about Jason's dad a lot lately.

His dad is buried in the most beautiful spot.  It is so peaceful, and overlooks the valley where their family farm is.

I love the pictures we took of the kids.  For some reason Glenn felt the need to put his hands on Theo's and Harrison's heads.  I think Harrison really didn't like it.  I noticed when Theo was starting to fuss, so apparently he didn't like it either.

I had to post all of these because Harrison is making a different and just as crazy face in each picture.  That kid makes us laugh so hard.  He just cannot help himself!

At Grandpa Ritz's Grave Site.

Jason's dad's name was Robert Theodore Ritz.  We named two sons after this amazing man.  Glenn Robert, and Theodore. 

After the cemetery we drove through Monmouth, past our first house after Jason graduated from BYU.  It is such a cute house.  Hey!  It's for sale!  We lived there with just Glenn and Lily.  Max said we should buy it!  Well, it's only 1/3 the size of the house we currently live in.  I wish we could live there.  It is a good house, with a great yard, and seeing it reminded me of simpler times.  Sorry Max, there is NO way we would fit in that house now.

We also drove past my parents house there, and the house that Jason's parents lived in after they sold the farm.

Then, we drove out to Cooper Hollow Road.  This is where Jason grew up.  His parents owned it for over 30 years.  When they lived there it was a working turkey farm, with sheep and other animals too.  Now it is a horse boarding place.

We kind of pulled off to the side so Jason could point things out to the kids.  They were all excited.  There was a dog in the yard barking at us.  A woman came out of the house, so I rolled down the window to say sorry, and that my husband grew up here so he was just showing our kids his old home.  She was all excited and said that she would love for us to come in and let us explore the house and land!  She said, "We always do that for your family."  She was excited that some Ritz's were stopping by.  I knew that all of Jason's siblings and his mom had all visited.  

Jason is the youngest in his family.  I came into the family after they had sold the farm, and after his dad had passed away.  When they reminisce I just listen and soak it in.  I have loved getting to know his dad through his journal, photo's and their memories of him and where they grew up.  I have never been in the old house or on the land.  I've only driven past it a billion times, and seen 100's of pictures.  I was REALLY excited! 

It was SO so cool to watch Jason excitedly run around the yard telling stories and describing what it was like in his day etc.  The kids hung on his every word.  The owner said that the old tree house had just come down from rot.  Jason was excited because he and his dad had built that tree house.  So then he showed the kids where it was, and what it looked like etc.  Then he and the owner started discussing other trees, and what was new, and what had come down etc.  All of the sudden Jason stopped and exclaimed, "I planted that tree!"  When he was about 11 he went up in the woods and dug up a small Christmas tree.  His dad helped him put it in a pot.  He put it in his room as his own personal Christmas tree.  After Christmas Jason planted it out in the yard.  And today I took a picture of Jason with that tree and his kids.

Yes, he is hugging the tree.  Hee hee... Kinda reminds me of "The Giving Tree" - I just never knew that Jason had a tree of his own.

After playing in the backyard we wandered to the side yard.  Jason took this view of the house there.  He always talks about this flag pole.  He really wants his own flag pole someday. 

The couple who lives there now have been there for 18 years, and raised their 4 sons and 1 daughter there.  It is really crazy to think that this place is now to another family what it is and was for the Ritz's.  I don't want to say their names for privacy sake, but they are the nicest family!  The Mrs. told us that the Mr. fought in the Vietnam War as a helicopter pilot.  His original helicopter has been restored, and is in the air museum in Napa, Idaho.  Now my kids really want to go and see it.  We go through there at least once a year, so we just might stop.  The Mr. transported this old Vietnam Helicopter to the farm.  He planned on restoring it, but never got around to it.

Now it's for the kids and sheep to play on.  My kids LOVED it!  I overheard Harrison say, "I LOVE dad's old helicopter!!"  It dawned on me that the kids were thinking that this is all exactly how it was 30 years ago when Jason was a kid.  I had to tell them several times, "This was not here when dad lived here." about the toys in the house, and fun things in the yard.

This area was the vegetable garden.  Jason's parents had it divided into plots and each of the six kids were in charge of their own plot. They had to plant it, weed it, harvest it etc.  They all got to choose what to plant, and where to plant it on their plot etc.  I am SO grateful they did this.  Jason knows how to garden, and has taught me so much.  Also, Jason has the most amazing work ethic.  I know it is because of where grew up, and how he was raised.

The current family keeps ponies in the old garden, under the old Gravenstein Apple Trees, that my mother in law canned from every Fall.  Jason has memories of harvesting the apples for his mom to can.

The current Mrs. gave my kids all many carrots to feed to the ponies and the horses in the lower barns.  They were in HEAVEN!

When we went in the house we met the Mr.  We all thanked him for his service in the Vietnam war.  He was very nice to the kids.  The Mrs. brought us to the kitchen, and fed the kids snacks.  My favorite part was the kitchen and dining room.  I've seen SO many pictures of this part of the house.  My favorite picture is of Baby Jason sitting on that counter next to a big Thanksgiving Turkey.

A 10 month old Jason sitting on that same counter with the Turkey.

We had so much fun showing the kids around.  The current Mrs. is a collector.  I had to try to imagine what it was like when Jason's mom was the Mrs.  My children LOVED all the collections and stuff and things that were every where!  My favorite collection was the group of antique rolling pins hanging in the dining room.  Jason liked the old quilt dated to the Civil War that was hanging in his old room.

 We were all tired after our long day. 

After we got home, and settled a bit, we had a family meeting.  It was fun to sit around with the kids, and discuss the day.  It was really wonderful to relax, and hear what all the kids thought of our adventures.  After Harrison and Bennett went to bed we had ice cream with older kids, and reminisced some more with pictures and scrapbooks.  The kids have never been so interested in the pictures before.  Today they were, because they had just been there.  Jason loved sharing this with them.