Jordie?

I caught Jordie taking pictues of Noah. I think she took some great shots! She was trying to capture his first tooth... too bad the camera was out of focus! Better luck next time Sis!

BOLD

Please note my hair: I worked long and hard on it this morning to look just like "LINK'S" from the movie Hairspray.

Hi, I'm Ammon. Somewhere down the line my parents have taught me to be proud and SURE our myself. Today was "WHITE" day in Kindergarten. I have REALLY gotten into the color days. I strive to wear as much of the color of the day as possible. I was a bit disappointed to find I did not have yellow shorts for yellow day. Today however I found the boldest "WHITE" statement in my closet. My latest "AFRICAN KINGS" outfit. My Grandma and Grandpa picked up this little number for me last year. I wear it BOLD and PROUD! My mom worries a bit about my taste in clothes and crocks. You see I love to wear two different crocks. One for each foot. Mom usually asks me to put on two matching but I always wonder where the fun in that is! I like different! Mom wishes she had my self confidence... she said she lost some of it somewhere down the line of growing up. She however is committed to helping me keep all of mine because she love just the way I am! In my mom's eyes... I am just Perfect!

This "Play" is For You Rob!

Noah Loves to Play Peek-A-Boo! He was in such a great mood tonight. Full of Giggles!

I Confess

I play all day with my little Jabba (the Hut)!I run like crazy during his nap time because I know that all I will want to do when he is awake is PLAY.... Isn't he just DREAMY!

Toilet Paper Man

Meet Ammon's new Friend....

A man taught to "FISH"

There is an old proverb... "You give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. You teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." Today I feel that I have been taught to "fish". I had always wanted to learn how to can apples. My friend Amber has the "know how" of canning apples. She also has all the "Cowboy/Farmer" contacts. After ordering 3 bushels of apples we got to work! It was such a fun day. It was a lot of hard work but the payoff is amazing! We made apple pie filling and applesauce! They both taste out of this world. We have only canned 1 1/2 of my bushels. I can not believe how many jars I was able to fill. I can not wait to fill the rest and go back for more apples. Amber was so kind to no only teach me how to can the apples but to work beside me as well. She opened her kitchen and her day to me. I will ever be grateful for this kind act. I feel that today I learned a skill that is almost a lost art.

Tigger

Saturday, we were so sad to learn that our good ol' cat Tigger had kidney failure. There is no cure.

My top 10 memories of Tigger:

10. Cats tongues feel like sandpaper. I was surprised when Tigger first licked me.

9. One night Tigger showed his love to me by bringing me a live bunny! Love or not I was not happy!

8. Tigger could take anything Isaac could give him. I was always amazed he would keep going back to the toddler Isaac. Now... they are best of buddies...

7. I will miss his loud meows at our bedroom door when he wants attention.

6. Brigder taught us that Tigger may attack when you play monster with him and say RAURRR really loud in his face

5.I love how soft his fur is under his ears

4. No matter how much love he was getting from someone... when Marc-A-Roni called he would always come to him

3. I loved when he would pounce on his sister Sage

2. Tigger was always up for giving Sage a bath... He would take put both of his arms around her (like a big bear hug) and lick her to death... It was quite endearing!

1. Being a Non-Cat enjoyer... Tigger grew on me... He will be missed by the RitterB's

I over heard Isaac talking to Tigger, Jordie and Ammon this morning:

Isaac: Have a good time in Heaven Tigger

Ammon: We will miss you Tigger, I am really sad.

Isaac: Don't worry Ammon, Aunt Sharmayn will take really good care of him. She will play with him and they will be really good friends.

Ammon: Yea, they will have fun. Let's give mom a new baby cat for Mothers day.

As touchy as this subject has been I am grateful to hear that our kids "Get It" They know that there is life beyond the grave. That we will live together again.

You Can Feel It!

For the past month I have formed a habit of sticking my finger in Noah's mouth in hope to find a tooth! Well my persistence has paid off! Last night I finally felt something bumpy and hard! I called Gramps...
Me: Noah has a tooth!
Gramps: OHHH.. where is it?
Me: On the bottom.
Gramps: On the side?
Me: No in front... Who grows a molar first?
Is he out of practice or what?
Anywho!
CONGRATULATIONS NOAH!

Photo Shoot

For those of you who are interested in a sneak peek of our photo shoot with Kristen check it out! We had so much fun and can not wait to see what she has up her sleeve! Thanks Kristen for coming cross the country just to shed a new light on our crew!
http://kristinkanenwisherphotography.blogspot.com/

I know what you are thinking... me with a dumpster? It is not like we licked it!!! And yes the orange cones were NEW... like i would shove my kids head in a germ fest cone!

Perfect Baby... Good Friends=Family!

FYI: Just returned from the DR... Noah is perfect.... Thanks to all of my Peeps for your concern and kind comments. We are SO blessed to have wonderful friends that we can call Family! We love you!
Love,
The RitterB's

Accidents Happen...but all is well.

What a scare we had last night. Our little Noah was accidentally dropped by one of his siblings on to a tile floor. Hitting directly onto his head. It was a sound that a mother will never forget. Marc gave Noah a blessing immediately. In the blessing he asked Heavenly Father to make it know to us (his Parents) what we need to do in order to care for our son. The drive home from Blue Springs was quite. Plea after plea to our Heavenly Father was running though my head. Our plan was to get Marc and the kids home and I would take him in to the ER. When we arrived home Noah started to vomit. Here was our answer.... get him to the hospital now. We rushed to the hospital. Noah's eyes started to fix on the left side... I was terrified that he was having a seizure. I pulled him out of the carseat hoping to get his attention. It was then that Noah started to vomit again. We changed plans and had the Aulners met us there. The drive was endless.. I had called 911 for some direction. If we would have know Noah's condition would change in route we would have called for an ambulance. But once in route there was no stopping and waiting for an ambulance!

Once we arrived we were cared for with extreme caution. After much poking and prodding... tears and pleas (from both Noah and his parents). Noah checks out perfect! We woke him every hour to check for any change. Change has only been for the positive. Today we are tired both physically but more mentally. We are quick to "jump shoot" at each unexpected movement from Noah. Now it is time to sit back and Have Faith. The Lord has blessed our family with this beautiful baby boy. Last night I learned that there is NO one in our family that looks at him as an "adopted outsider" He is ours... He is a RitterB through and through.
But no matter how hard we try or how careful we are accidents happen. From each accident we are able to learn... I am sorry we had to learn with Noah's head! We love you Noah.

Thanks to the Liberty Hospital trauma team for taking Ah-mazing care of our special boy!

The Name Game

I found this "TAG" on Peck's blog... It thought it was super funny! So here I go..............

~The Name Game~
1. YOUR REAL NAME:Kiera
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle):Kieizzle
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME ( favorite color and animal): Brown Dog
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name and current street): Ferguson 94th
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name):Rit ki Bat
6. YOUR SUPER HERO NAME (2nd favorite color and favorite drink):
Burn Orange Diet Coke
7. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (mother's middle name and father's middle name):Rae Clyde
8. YOUR GOTH NAME (black and the name of one of your pets):
Black Mr. Jack-O-Lantern
9. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet & current car):Bunny Foo Foo Expedition
10. YOUR NASCAR NAME (the first names of your Grandfathers):Douglas Isaac
11. YOUR EXOTIC NAME (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy):Patchouli Kit Kat
12. YOUR T.V. WEATHER/ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same last letter): Brookes Boston
13. YOUR SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, flower):Fall Lily
14.YOUR CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now +"ie" or "y"):Mango Track Suitie
15. YOUR HIPPIE NAME (what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Cereal Pine
16. YOUR ROCK STAR TOUR NAME ("The" + your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element +"Tour") The Scrapbookin' Rain Tour

Filling Our Needs

Meet "Mr. Jack-O-Lantern" He is our cat. I may even venture to say he is MY cat. For those out there that do not know... I DO NOT ENJOY CATS! "Jack" came to our home September 12, 2007. Let me explain how it was Jack became part of the Ritter B's.... Funny as it may sound it all started July 2007. We had just arrived back from our Summer Vacation. Early one morning our phone rang. It was our adoption agency. WE WERE MATCHED! A birth mother had chosen our family to love and protect her unborn baby girl. I was so elated! All the waiting and disappointment was over... all we had to do was keep busy and prepare for our Ella Rose to be born. She was expected Mid-September. That is not much time to prepare! So Marc-A-Roni and I got to work... we changed the kids room... made the Perfect sisters room! Oh and we had to go shopping! Ella needed clothes and bows! My parents were schedule to come and care for our children while we were away. I was so thrilled to watch my own adoption come full circle I had both of my grandmothers flown out. I wanted those I love most to have a first hand experience in one of the deepest desires of my heart. I had the ache in my heart for so long. As Ella's due date approached a sick feeling crept into my stomach. 2 days after Ella's due date we received word that Ella's birth mom had decided to parent. I was devastated. I had planed and prepared. I had fallen in love with Ella even before I knew her. I felt as if I was already her mama. Never before had I felt so betrayed. I didn't know who or what to be mad at. Or was I even mad? What was I feeling? What is the emotion beyond sadness? Maybe it was that I was feeling.

How does all this relate to Jack? It was a beautiful afternoon. I had the windows open and was enjoying the breeze. I kept hearing this crying sound. I would get close to the window and the sound would stop. 30 minutes or so into this process of hearing and not seeing a small orange kitten appeared on my front porch. He was so small... almost a pile of bones. Odd as this my sound.... Jack was my grace. He was something I could love and care for. Keep my mind and heart far from my sorrow. Jack has been in our family for a year now. As you can see he is no longer starving. He is a little whacked! One minute he is a cat but before you know it he is acting like a dog... I am not sure he knows what he is. He loves popcorn. And is caught chasing Atari's training leash daily. Jack is the perfect fit for our family.

Life moved on. And in February we were blessed with the Perfect baby boy. I know he was hand picked just for our family by our loving Heavenly Father. How blessed we are to have another son. He has the most amazing spirit! I am amazed how he will stop people dead in their tracks just for a moment to look at his beauty. I know he is part of the grand plan for the Ritter B's. I can not imagine our crazy life without this beautiful boy as part of it.

I can not help but feel a tug at my heart when I think of that dark September day. That day when time stopped for a small moment for me to wonder why she was not part of the grand Ritter B plan. No matter how much I loved her, she is not mine. She has another mother. Do you think we will meet in heaven? Will I be able to tell her how much I wanted her as my very own? Will she ever be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ here on earth? Will we be friends?

I still hope for the day when Our Heavenly Father will bless our family with a little girl. When Jordie will finally have a sister of her very own. I have faith that this day will come. Until that day I enjoy and am ever so grateful for the children we have been given.

Calling all Smartie Pants!

I found this post on my cousin's blog. Ok all my math-crazed friends... What is the answer?

*while walking thru a market on vacation, you notice a small stand selling cameras. A camera-and-case set is selling for $310. The seller tells you that the camera costs $300 more than the case itself and that the case costs the price of the set minus the cost of the camera. You decide you'd rather wait on buying a camera and opt to just buy the case alone. You hand the seller a $100 bill and see his eyes light up. Think fast now!


I've tried 10, 9 and 0. Those are NOT correct.

7 Years

For 7 years today my Marc-A-Roni has been working for this great company! I am such a lucky wife to have a husband that really likes where he works. It has been fun to watch it grow from 13 to 45+ and counting! We are truely a blessed family.

Les Miserable

On a complete whim we rushed off to the last showing of Les Miserable last night. Life has been real crazy here in the RitterB household! We could not have asked for a more perfect night. The sky was clear. So clear that Isaac pointed out a shooting star... that being said I am not sure how much of the show he really watched. Jordie was so funny... she kept saying "So I can hear what they are singing but I have NO idea what they are talking about" So I would have to recap what was going on. All in all I am not sure she really got it. She was proud as a peacock to be able to tell her teacher why she was late to school though! Noah slept most of the time. Ammon well, he tolerated it... He is only 5. We got home around midnight and were pretty tired this morning... I am so glad we went!

Humbled beyond words.

I feel a bit of "bloggers" block... There are things I want to write about and share but due to their sacred nature I feel bound. I have started post after post just to delete them... Today, I am grateful to have known Kerri Houston. I am humbled beyond belief to have been able help serve her in our last earthly act of love and kindness. I am ever so grateful for the experiences Our Heavenly Father has seen me fit to experience and grow from.
I am thankful to KNOW that there is life beyond the grave. That our relationship don't end at death.

IKE

This one is for my DEAR FRIEND CATHERINE!
My thoughts have been with you for a few days as I watch Hurricane Ike move closer to your family. As I read your blog this morning I was grateful that we have been counseled to have food and supplies set aside for just this thing. Glad you have your water barrels filled to the brim!
My thoughts have also loomed over Lakeisha and her little family. I have not mentioned her name before but this may be one of the most important women in our families lives. Lakeisha is Noah's birthmother. She and her 4 children live right in the path of this storm. My prayers are constant for her and her safety. She, unlike Catherine and her family, have not had the counsel from church leaders to prepare for distaster and times of trial. I have a constant tug at my heart hoping and praying she has water, food and shelter to weather out this storm.
So today you will find my heart full of prayers... Prayers of gratitude. Prayers of Concern. Prayers of Love. Prayers of Safety. May you all be protected!

Oh and Catherine... Enjoy Hawaii!

Gift to Myself

I made this necklace a while ago. It has always been "missing" that special touch... When I came across a lady that made these charms I could not resist to have one made.

Weston Red Barn Farm

Sometimes even a germ-a-phobe things germ licking is cute!

How blessed I feel when I see what amazing gift I have been given as a wife and mother...

Vaughn's Apple Orchard

We spent some time at the apple orchard this morning. The kids had a blast picking and eating apples... Once Noah had a taste he was hooked! Thanks to the Shelby Family for inviting us for a morning of fun!

Happy Birthday Mama!

Top 10 reasons I love my Mama:

10. She is the Queen of laundry! (If she is the queen I must be princess! Who doesn't love being a princess?)

9. She cares about each and every one of the sisters she serves as their Relief Society Sister

8. She has "Gone where HE wants her to Go" each time my dad has been called for a new assignment. (What a great example she has been to me!)

7. She calls everyone "HONKERS"

6. She has taught me the ART of shopping!

5. She loves Marc-a-Roni... maybe more than she loves me! (It is so wonderful to know that your parents love the love of your life!)

4. What you see is what you get... you never have to wonder what she is thinking! (One of my favorite characters on "Everybody Loves Raymond" is Marie... With total love and respect I have dubbed her MY MARIE...)

3. She does everything EQUAL! She never wants someone to feel gypped... There was this Christmas when Carol and I got the exact present... We have to practically open our gifts at the same time so that the surprise is not spoiled! It is SO great!)

2. Hands Down she is the BEST Grandma a grandchild could have! (I think she has dedicated a whole room to our kids bug collection!)

and my Number 1 reason I love my Mama is....

1. She loves me more....

I cant wait to spend a couple of weeks with her during Thanksgiving break!