ritzbits

JOURNALING READS: This year we headed up to Comstock for the 4th. We got there a few days early so we could be there for the Ritz family reunion. Most of our “branch” was there since we were the hosts. About 150 total were there! Bryce brought Mina’s (my 3x great gma)steamer trunk that she immigrated here with from Germany in the 1800’s. We got to go on a drive around the area to see things with Steve’s family. We stopped by the old one room schoolhouse that Grandma taught at. Later that afternoon, we all went to the North Loup River dam and had a fun time swimming and playing in the sand. We also got to have a cookout with some of the extended family at the Last Resort and Brayden entertained us with fireworks. John, Logan and I had to leave after the parade on the 4th, but Tyler and Brayden stayed so they could see the big show that evening. They both managed to place in a couple of the races - and Brayden even won $5 in the turtle race. . . . and if you have time, ask John about the “safarski.” SUPPLIES USED: Boy Joy Biggie A Beautiful Year Collection Biggie (no longer in store) SSEmb Photo Clusters 4 Basic Shadows 6501 SSPaper Edgers Biggie FONT: Whackadoo

My quiet little Tyler is ALWAYS good for a laugh. Usually not on purpose, though. Supplies: BMU Dazzle, ACA Spots & Stripes, BMU SSPaper Edgers, COL Highlights brush & style, SBA SSSytles Basic Shadows Journaling reads: It was winter time. Snow on the ground, ice on the trees... Cold. You get it. So we were inside. For DAYS. Of course that meant that our house turned into a perpetual wreck. The big boys, five and almost four, had a habit of taking the toy boxes and just dumping them, then leaving the mess for me to clean up. One night, I had just HAD it. I told the boys to clean up their room. Brayden threw a fit and pouted on the couch, Tyler disappeared. A little while later, he came and grabbed my hand - “Mommy, come see how clean my room is!” he exclaimed. I went in and was very surprised. Tyler had never cleaned everything by himself before. I was so impressed and bent down to give him a big hug. As I did, I happened to glance under the bed. And there it was - the stashed mess. But my middle boy was SO proud of himself for “cleaning up.” I had to leave the room so he wouldn’t see me laughing... I figured I’d get the camera while I was at it. And as I came back, camera posed for portraits, my little Tyler’s face lit up - he was so happy that I was as proud of his job as he was. And as we both laughed about it, the cold outside didn’t seem to matter, because our hearts were warm, our home was warm, and our laughter brought us sunshine.