January 2014 - What's Going On!

January is always such a slow month after the holiday rush.  As a kid I hated how boring January was.  Now I LOVE it, and look forward to it!  It starts with a deep cleaning of the house, and putting all the Christmas stuff away.  Then we settle in for a lot of calm, cool and collective holiday recovery. 

As I went through all my January photos I found a lot of Theo sitting in his high chair smiling and laughing.

Just deal with it.  I have a super sweet boy here.  We all adore his smile, and the other 7 of us are all devoted to his happiness.

There was a Sunday that I was home sick from church.  Later that afternoon a friend posted this picture on facebook of these two sweet brothers.  I love this picture with all my heart.  It's not the best quality, but it shows a rare moment of kindness between these two.  I love that Harrison is gently guiding Bennett with his arm around him.

Does your local Payless have a fun house mirror?  Ours does.  It pretty much freaked the little boys out, especially Theo.  

Eight is Great

At the beginning of the year, our Primary Presidency put on a fireside meeting for all the kids turning eight this year.  Harrison is so excited to turn eight!  He is the last one, so the poor guy gets to watch all his friends move on without him.  

Harrison will be getting baptized and starting cub scouts in November.  

Harrison is on the far right.

Theo is truly a daddy's boy.  I took this picture one day when Jason texted me to ask what we were doing.  I told Theo to smile for daddy, then texted the photo to Jason.

A highlight for me was attending the last Gourmet Club dinner of the rotation.  It was a our final dinner with a couple of friends, before we added a few new friends.  It was a game night theme by Alisha, and it was amazing! Check out the link for all the details and recipes.

Theo found Bennett's old Lion hat on the coat closet floor.  He has been obsessed with it.  

Lily got invited to an 80's birthday party, and I had so much fun helping her get ready!  

Theo loves to ride in the car, but he gets so upset when we are dropping off an older sibling.  When they hop out and leave him behind his little heart breaks.  It is especially bad when the person leaving him is Lily.  This picture was taken when she got out of the car to join her 80's styled friends.

My sisters, mom and I group text and group message each other on facebook daily.  One day we went through a cycle of sending crazy selfies to each other.  This is my selfie.  Makes me laugh.  Out of kindness I am not sharing their selfies.  

 Jason is out the door by 4:20 AM on mornings when he is working.  One morning I woke up to find these two sweet boys in his place.  Bennett is often there.  I have no idea how Theo got out of his crib, and into my bed.  I did not mind spending my morning cuddling with them.  

Glenn has been continuing on with his homeschooling.  He loves his art class very much, and did a really beautiful still life in January.

On Sunday evenings we often watch America's Funniest Home Videos together.  Even Theo gets into it, and laughs at all the right places.

I found this, and I need to frame it.

Speaking of bed time... Lily was supposed to be helping Bennett into bed for me.  I found her in the mirror, and Bennett playing with dolls.  No one was getting ready for bed here.  Sigh... Oh well....

Our Stake (group of 8 congregations) did a women's conference.  I was asked by my old friend Beth Newell, who is now our Stake Relief Society president, to do a display table with info and ideas on how to help kids with ADD, ADHD, ODD, Sensory Disorders etc. without using medication.  This was hard for me, because I do use medication.  But after talking to Beth, and thinking of all the other things I do to help my ADHD kids, and other things I have heard of, but not tried, I feel like I came up with a pretty great table.  I am so grateful for the help I received from friends with this table.  If you are interested in more info leave a comment or message me.

While I was gone at the conference Jason put the boys to work.  I was happy to come home to a very clean house.

And then that afternoon we Max had his final pinewood derby for cub scouts.  Check out the picture in the bottom right.  His car was named "Maxwell Silver Hammer."  It was clocked as going 114 mph!
Such a busy Saturday.

Harrison is really fun to take to the Doctor.  If they want to listen to his chest, then he gets to listen to theirs.  If they look in his ears then he wants to look in their ears.

Lily and I face-timed with my sister.  She had a cold.  Not many people can make me laugh as hard as Kylie can.

 Harrison loves to draw and write all over the program during Sacrament Meeting.  I wish I could keep them all.  He writes the most wonderful things, and draws beautiful things.  One day I noticed he had written on the front, a title of sorts.  This is really hysterical to me.  I laughed so very hard at this.

This is what happens when I lay down on the couch.  I am a giant magnet.  I have a giant, invisible billboard over my head that says, "Come and climb all over me!!!"

And more morning cuddles...

What am I going to do when he grows up? 

Who is going to climb all over me, and cuddle me in the morning?

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!

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!

That Period of Time between Christmas and School Starting Again

The month started out with myself feeling wiped out, and recovering from illness.  Some of the illness rubbed off on the family.  (Our first illness, but NOT the last of the this winter.)  One morning we couldn't find Bennett.   

We found him in Lily's bed.

Sound asleep. 

Cuddled up with her big white polar bear she got for Christmas. He loves that bear, and has been trying to steal it ever since Christmas.  

Glad he found a nice, comfy place to rest.

No snow as of yet, but still a bit of gloom.

I find this gloom quite pretty.

 I had told the kids many times over Christmas break that I would take them to OMSI.  Suddenly it was January, and school was about to start back up.  Life of course was busy, but I found a day that we could go.  Trying to get everyone ready was just ridiculous.  Am I the only one that this happens to?  I say, "Kids!  Let's go do something FUN!"  The kids respond in an excited manner.  I hurry up and get myself ready.  I get the little boys ready.  I make and pack a lunch.  I am ready to go.  Everyone else is still in their jammies doing the exact same thing they were doing when I first announced we were leaving.  Grrr...

On this particular day, while I was going crazy trying to get people to respond to me, Theo smacked his head and ended up with a good ole' bump and bruise on his forehead.  We postponed the trip for an hour or two.  Poor baby.

He was very happy when we got there.  He did not hold still long enough for pictures...

 ...until Harrison grabbed him.

Without a doubt, his favorite spot has got to be the water tables.

Max, and a blurry but Happy Theo!

I adore his little body.  Playing with the big boys.  Harrison and Theo.

Trying to catch some water balls.

The older kids were off at the Sherlock Holmes exhibit.  It was AWESOME!  I went through it quickly because I had the little boys.  Even Harrison and Bennett enjoyed it.  Sadly photography was not allowed in the exhibit.  If it comes to a museum near you, I highly recommend it!  If it comes back we are going to make it a date night event!  (no kids allowed next time)

We always have a big party on New Years Eve, but this year that got postponed because of all the illness going on in our home.  We celebrated New Years Eve about 5 days late.  We invited several couples over to eat Chinese food with us, and play games.  Only two couples could come in the end.  It was perfect.  Fun, but low key, which is really what I needed.  Sadly I was busy having too much fun because I took NO pictures!  

I do have a picture of this mishap however.  Our friend Kevin put their 2 year old in our bed to sleep along with a sippie cup that was NOT spill proof.  It was just water, but they left about 1 AM with a soaked little girl, and left us with a soaked bed.  Good thing Jason got me a brand new hair blow drier for Christmas.  Jason had fallen asleep downstairs on the couch.  I got it all dry before dragging him up to bed. 

 One of my favorite parts of this week was finally catching up with season 4 of Downton Abbey online.  If you're still in the middle of it, keep watching!  The last episode of season 4 is one of my most favorites ever!

 On Sunday (the day before school started back up!) I was home sick with sick kids.  A friend saw these two cute, sweet brothers crossing the gym after church.  She posted it on facebook.  This shot totally warmed my heart, and for a few seconds I thought that maybe I didn't want these sweet babies to go back to school.  I very quickly snapped out of it, and remembered how much they love school, and I would just be mean to make them stay home with me!  HAHA!

Harrison and Bennett