Ritz Bitz

Ritz Bitz
Showing posts with label Parties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parties. Show all posts

Saturday, February 8, 2014

New Year's Eve Traditions

Sorry I have no pictures for this post!  I was too busy partying!

I know it's too late for this year, maybe I'll re-post this next December, but I just had to share with you our super fun New Year's Eve (NYE) Traditions!

First off we make a lot of Chinese food including our own homemade Egg Rolls!!!  The whole Menu is HERE on my recipe blog.

Jason and I both grew up with BIG NYE traditions!  

Jason's dad's birthday was on NYE, and he was the bishop of their ward (leader of their congregation at church) for several years.  They lived in a big old farmhouse, and every year the whole ward would basically show up for the "Bob Ritz annual surprise birthday party."  They had a pool table in the attic game room, and everyone would bring food, shoot pool, play board games, sit and visit, and count down at midnight!  Even after Jason's dad passed away the "Annual Bob Ritz Surprise Birthday Party" took place for several more years.  Jason's mom had moved away, so he and I made an appearance one year at it.  It was great fun!

My family lived away from extended family most of the time I was growing up.  My parents didn't want to leave us kids to go hang out, and let's face it.  We were way more fun than any friends they might have had.  One year for Christmas, when I was very young, my dad gave my mom a wok and a Chinese food cook book.  That's when the Chinese food tradition started.  

Over time my mom added more and more activities that became part of our annual NYE.  Something we do often, but not every year, is a family talent show.  I have many home movies to prove the success of these talent shows!

Have you seen the movie Dan in Real Life?  Our NYE looks a lot like that movie.  HAHA Lots of crazy family fun traditions.

Of course, lots of board games were played, but the best #1 activity was Predictions
My mom would write predictions down on square pieces of paper, and we would vote one them.  Here are some examples, "Will Isaac pass his driving test?"  "Who will win the Presidential Election?"  "Will Mom still be Relief Society President?"  "Will Corinne be engaged?"  "Where will Jackson be called to on his mission?"  "Will there be another Terrorist attack on US soil?"

So you see a wide variety of  predictions.  We would sit in a big circle, pass them around, write our name, and our best guess.  As we go around people start calling out prediction to add.  My mom always had a stack of blanks ready to go.  Then, my mom would tuck them away in a safe spot till the next NYE.  

Each year before the new predictions are made, we read through the previous years predictions.  This is SO much fun!  It is a hilarious blast to read what people predicted a year before.  We have evolved to the point where we just don't write yes or no.  We add comments as to why we think yes or no.  These are hilarious to read a year later!  Some years my mom would have her act together, and there would be a prize for the winner!  

This year is the first year that we, Jason and I, have done predictions just us and our kids.  What a blast!


Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Independence Day!!!!

Jason had to work this year on the 4th and 5th.  So the kids and I partied without him.  We started by attending the flag raising ceremony and pancake breakfast at the church. 
Bennett getting a lesson on walking from his friend 3 months younger!

Harrison guarding Bennett from all the chaos.


 Later in the afternoon we went to our friends house for a party/barbecue, decorating and launching water rockets, and fireworks.

I got a good laugh over Max and Lily crammed in this kiddie pool in the backyard with our friend.  Notice that Max needs goggles?

The kids all made and decorated 2 liter pop bottles into rockets for launching later on.


Then we ate LOTS of food! Luckily Jason made it over after work just in time for this part!


Alyssa and Amelia in front of the baked beans I made, and the salad that they made.

Peryn ready to eat some cheeseburgers!

Bennett met a new girlfriend.

After eating, we all went on a walk to a near by field to launch the rockets.  I gotta say this was a great plan.  It took up time while waiting for darkness, and the walk felt great after eating that yummy food!

Glenn with his All American Rocket, ready for launch!



Glenn pumping air into this water filled rocket.  All the kids had so much fun with this activity!


Harrison carrying his rocket with water to the launch site.

Harrison pumping air into the water filled rocket, getting ready to launch!



Harrison and his rocket - after the launch.
  
Bennett had so much fun playing in the field, with lots of attention from the older girls.



Bennett really enjoyed the show and had fun 'launching' this rocket off. 



Bennett was SO happy to be left on the blanket with some POP ITS!

Bennett loved these glow in the dark bands.  This was taken with a flash, so you can't tell how dark it was, and how exciting this was for him.

With the flash off you can see the glow in the dark excitement!

Watching Fireworks

 Sweet Peryn fell asleep.


Bennett went home early with Jason, so they could both go to sleep.  Then we got out the Carmel corn, and really started to party!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Glimpses into prison life and other things too.

We have been SO busy the last few weeks.  I have some catching up to do in all parts of my life!  The blog is getting caught up now!

Today was the last day of school!  I'm not sure how I feel about that yet.  On the one hand I am really happy to not have to set my alarm tonight.  Yet the constant bickering and whining, that always comes that first week or two of Summer break, started two days ago.

I wish I had had a clear enough head yesterday to take out the camera.  I am still not ready to laugh about it, but I know that certain readers of this blog would find it very entertaining. 

I literally dragged the kids to piano lessons.  Lily was in a bad mood to begin with because her teacher had given out homework every night this week, including last night!!!  We pulled up for piano lessons, and Lily and Max had a fight out front of the teachers house, and I had to almost beg each of them to go in and do the lesson.  Max never did. It was emotionally exhausting for me.

After calling my mom, locked in my dark room, in tears, I told Lily she could rip up the worksheet if she wanted.  Thanks for advice mom.  This conversation totally cheered Lily up!  She didn't tear it up, and she happily sat down and completed the worksheet after dinner!  I don't get it!  Report cards were done!  She was already on the honor roll!  I was thinking about writing a letter to the teacher.  But that really upset Lily because the teacher was retiring and Lily loves her!  When I picked up the kids today, Lily sobbed big snotty sobs all the way home because her teacher won't be there to visit next year.

Changing the subject now.  A few weeks ago, while Jason was working, the kids and I went to a friend's birthday party at a park.
Maxwell, Glenn and Lily with their party favors.

Amelia, the birthday girl, and Harrison.

Bennett really LOVED being out in the sunshine at the park!

Lily looked adorable in these glasses she found in the treat bag.

Last week, as I was getting the kids ready for the piano recital, two cop cars drove up and arrested our next door neighbor!  It was a good show.  I feel like we live in a nice area.  Our Culdesac is peaceful, and the homes and yards are all kept nice.  So this was a surprise.  It was the mom they arrested.  Apparently for shoplifting. 

The boys all had their faces plastered to the bedroom window.  She sat in the cop car, while the officers talked to her husband, and watched my boys watching her. 

Harrison asked me if she got arrested for saying the word stupid.  I answered, "Yes, she did."

Today he got mad at the Female British Voice on my hands free device in the van.  He said, "She is SO stupid."  Then, he asked me if he would get arrested.  I told him no.  Then, he asked if he was going to get hot sauce.  I told him no.  Then he said, "Mom, sometimes I feel like I am so stupid.  Do you think I'm stupid?"  I told him that I didn't think he was ever stupid!  He then smiled and said, "I TRICKED YOU!!!"  HAHAHAA!!!!!  He laughed really hard.  Here I was seriously worried about the lack of self esteem in my four year old!  When really, he was just looking for ways to say 'stupid' without getting into trouble!


A couple weeks ago, while I was making dinner, I heard Bennett screaming.  I went into the dining room and found this!  I yelled for Max, who had been in there with Bennett.  Max came in and I asked him if he had done this.  He said, "Yes!"  I asked why.  He said, "We were just playing a game.  We put him in jail.  He is our prisoner!"  So Max and Harrison had put him in jail, then left.  Bennett was NOT amused!

To make it up to Bennett, I put him in high chair and gave him a pre-dinner chocolate chip cookie.  Fresh and warm from the oven!

Cheered him right up!



Wednesday, May 25, 2011

New Baby Makes me HAPPY!

One of my best friends had a new baby on May 4th.  YAY!  I gotta say, if you're not going to have a new baby then the next best thing is for a best friend, or sister to have one.  I LOVE getting to hold her, rub her head and smell her! 


Pictures of us in the hospital.  Myself, Baby Greta and the proud parents, Kevin and Alyssa.


Ten days after Greta was born we had a baby shower at my house.  This is the best way to have a shower!  Everyone got to come and hold the baby!  It was a very fun afternoon.  We ate yummy food, held the baby, caught up with old friends and played Pictionary! 


Party favors were capped acetate tubes filled with pink and light green Jelly Belly's and wrapped up in toole and ribbon.  They doubled as decorations, lined up across the mantle.  The balloon flowers hanging in the front window were made like this. (scroll down on the link)  Depending on the angle, the balloons kind of looked clusters of something else that fit into the whole theme of newborn suckling baby.


On the MENU - Banana Slush
PBD's (little shortbread cookie sandwiches)





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