The Reitz Family

Besties from the westies

2012-01-27T12:36:00.002-07:00

The McFarlands came to visit us! Our buds from UT flew in to see us last weekend. So fun.

But we were again reminded about how much we miss them and all our UT friends!

The girls played hooky on Friday and we hit the zoo.

It was 25°F so we were the only people there! (freezing our buns off...)

Funny, in the summer, we can only stay in the penguin area for a few minutes before we get too cold...this time it was warmer inside their igloo than outside!

Monkeys.

Er, I mean monkey (below.)

Hazel just loved this orangutan. She was almost in tears with excitement and kept trying to step into his habitat!

{top: Matt, Hazel, Jason bottom: Hudson, Berkley, Armani, Charlotte}

The butterfly house ROCKED. I've never seen so many butterflies in there! It was nice and warm too. We stayed so long, they probably thought we were part of the jungle.

One even landed on Charlotte's head!

Matt and Cass

Armani and Berkley

Hazel and Hudson buddied up in the bathtub.

Hey, wait a sec!

Busted.

Dresser project

2012-01-17T12:20:00.001-07:00

Charlotte's IKEA dresser bit the dust. The drawers starting coming apart every other day, so I figured it was time to move on. I found this beautiful old wooden dresser at a resell-it shop just before Christmas for about $200. Of course, I forgot to take a picture of it before I dissembled it and started sanding, so this will have to suffice as a "before" pic.

It was a fun project -- probably took a week of working 2ish hours per day. I took quite a few tips from a blog called "Centsational Girl" - that helped so much. I think the finish on this one came out much better than anything else I've tried. And here's the final result: painted, striped, and adorned with new girly knobs.

January 7, 2012

2012-01-11T13:38:00.001-07:00

Did you see the date? That's all I have to say about that.

Fresh Air

2012-01-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

NEW YEAR'S EVE was heavenly. Almost 60 and sunny. Now that's my kind of winter weather!

Making use of Jay's new basketball. The girls are really having fun with it too!

Although Hazel still prefers soccer.

After basketball, we took the kite out for a spin. The wind has been howling around the houses here lately!

I think it flew better here than it did when we took it to the mountain passes in Utah! Go figure.

Although our butterfly did run into a bit of trouble with the roof of our home...

We love this fresh air!

(btw, flying a kite isn't always easy...)

NEW YEAR'S EVE EVE was spectacular too. It was a bike riding and running around the court kind of day.

hApPy BiRtHdAy, JaY!

2011-12-29T08:01:00.002-07:00

Does anyone know how old he is???

And Happy Christmas Day

2011-12-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

We told the girls they could wake up early on Christmas morning. Berkley woke up at 6:15, ran downstairs to plug in the tree and then didn't know what to do, so she stood in her doorway leaning against the frame just waiting. Waiting for everyone to wake up. That's how I found her at 6:45 when I told her to she was allowed to wake everyone up on Christmas! (except Hazel of course.)

Could these girls look any more excited?

Stockings

Followed by Norwegian waffles and the arrival of Gma and Gpa Reitz!
Those crazies left Michigan at 2:20 am to make it for a 7am start!

Hazel doesn't have a twitch; this is just her new way to make people laugh at her.

She raises her shoulders. Silly girl. She's a bit of a ham.

Helping Hazel open her stockings. She's gotta catch up!

Dun, dun, DUN! She is here!! The American Girl Marie Grace. That was a long 2 year wait!

Soft.

Hazel's new purse/bag to hold her books for church.

(Mommy's proud of that one, mistakes and all!)

Charlotte wrote me the most precious card to go with the rockin' necklace. LOVE that.
"MIRE CRISMS, CHARLOTTE"

Silly man.

Opening his presents from his big girls before running off to church. The girls bought gifts with their own money this year for the first time and it was so much fun!

She was yelling at the baby to come out of the package. It was funny.

Love it, Grandma!!

Thanks everyone! We sure are spoiled.

Is it really only 2pm?

In Utah, we used to go to the movie theater on Christmas night because we didn't have family to visit with. Since Grandma and Grandpa joined us this year, we didn't have to be lonely! But the girls were hankering for a movie anyway. Little Women was a great end to the day.

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS! THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR YOUR LOVE!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-26T17:26:00.002-07:00

Opening their Christmas Eve presents: Pjs

How do you get these on?

Giddy for Christmas morning

Night!

And Christmas Program #3...phew!

2011-12-18T11:43:00.002-07:00

The last Christmas Program of the season was the Sunday School Program. Have to admit, we don't get quite as revved up about this one, but it's still cute to watch.

The kids performed during late service today. (During which time Jason was preaching at a satellite church and I was struggling to keep an extremely over-tired Hazel from causing too much of a commotion in the back of the church!)

Charlotte's group saying a poem and singing Away in the Manger.

Berkley's group just stood up in their seats and sang a little, shouted a few lines, etc. It's hard to see her in there!

Christmastime is Here

2011-12-18T11:38:00.002-07:00

The Christmas recital was entitled "Christmastime is here" and featured a few pieces from Charlie Brown's Christmas. However, Berkley played "Away in the Manger" and "Arabian Dance."

Ready to head over to her Christmas piano recital

(Thought we needed a couple of cute shots of Hazel!)

Playing her solo piece "Away in the Manger."
"Arabian Dance" was a duet that she played with her teacher Kate Thoelke.

All the performers.

Well done, bug!

Christmas Program #2

2011-12-17T12:52:00.003-07:00

Berkley's Christmas program took the place of the last Advent service. That's how they do it here: all the grades team up and tackle an Advent service. Kind of nice for the pastors!

Ready to go!

Grandma & Grandpa with the stairs (who actually don't have stairs anymore...!) came down for BOTH girls' programs.
They are a bit camera shy, so this is the only picture I have of them.

The first and second grade classes all together.

Berkley's class doing one of their songs

Berkley speaking one of her two parts. It was hard to get pictures because I had a tired, sweaty,
just-getting-done-with the-stomach-bug 1-year-old yelling and causing trouble in my arms!

Speak of the devil. I mean...of Hazel. This is how she spent the second half the the service.
Jason thought we looked a little red-necked...letting her run around naked. oh well.

Berkley with {L->R: Jessika (Claire's new step sister), Claire, and Ella Rose}

To fill you in, we drove home, got the girls to bed and Mom got sick. Woke up in the morning and Charlotte got sick. Went 24 hours without any sickness and Berkley got sick. Berkley finished throwing up last night and Hazel started again (we blame that on the Chipotle though!) That brings us to right now. Berkley feels great just in time to head out to her piano recital! Phew! That was a close one. We did have to cancel our Christmas party for tonight though. :( Now we're just hoping Jason stays healthy at least until church is over tomorrow!

And here we go! Christmas Program #1!

2011-12-12T07:42:00.002-07:00

The Christmas Program Season is upon us! The first of the year is Charlotte's school program. All the preschool classes and 2 kindergarten classes performed last night.

She was so excited for this! (and partly excited just to wear a sparkly dress and fancy shoes!)

With her sisters

...and with her teacher Mrs. Hoehner.

Reciting their short poem together

This is all the half-day preschoolers - three classes worth.

Their bell performance was wonderful! So fun to watch them and so sweet. (We noticed Charlotte takes her ringing duties very seriously.)

I think we caught her quick half-smile she shot my way! (Daddy took these pictures - Mommy was too far off to the side. The perks of being the pastor, front and center!)

Her class. Great job, kids!

Gobble, gobble and birthday cake too

2011-11-27T16:27:00.001-07:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We feasted on 2 turkeys! One grilled and one deep fried. Delish. Along with all the fixin's.

The "adults'" table

The kids' table {Hunter, Delaney, Mary, Berkley, Nicholas, Lily, Erika, Charlotte, and Anders} Hazel slept through dinner.

Curtain call for the (wordless) play about pilgrims and Indians. The first Thanksgiving in mime!

Berkley, the director (I think she was taking notes those years when Katie got things rolling!)

Mary and Charlotte dressing up...AGAIN.

Cousins crafting and coloring

We even got to see Jen, Tim, and little Colin the day before Thanksgiving. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!!

and HAPPY BIRTHDAY BESTEMOR AND ERIKA!
Bestemor turned 92 and Erika turned 7 the day after Thanksgiving!

Throwing paper at Grandpa. So.Fun.

Hazel had fun, even if she missed all the feasting.
She had fun ransacking Grandma and Grandpa's house.

On the Road Again...finally.

2011-11-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

The move really put a stop to our family rides. I'm happy to say we finally hit the road again after a year long hiatus! It wasn't much, but it was a start. And it was Hazel's first time in the bike trailer. We're hoping it'll grow on her!

All smiles for a moment

This is more like it.

This girl needs to rid her bike of training wheels. They are actually messing her up at this point, but we neglected to work with her this summer. Can we squeeze it in before the snow and cold comes?? MAYBE! It was 70° today!

These are the pretty little bike trails that curve through St. Peters.

I just threw this one in for fun. Everyone needed a bath!

The Last of the Soccer Snaps

2011-11-03T10:52:00.003-06:00

Soccer ended last Saturday - the weather was beautiful! We couldn't have asked for better soccer weather this year.

Charlotte and her "special friend" Aidan. These two are a little sweet on one another.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-03T10:48:00.003-06:00

Laura Ingalls, Tangled's Rapunzel, and a discontent bumble bee

The Roulands joined us for some trick-or-treating around our neighborhood this year.

The girls just looooove running around together!

It's just too much fun to pretend to attack with a frying pan!
Everyone wants a turn!

And everyone GETS a turn!

Celia, the garden gnome

Two "Tangleds" are twice the trouble!

Livin' the life

Trick or Treat!!! (Anna - ballerina- came around with us too!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Arnold and his mistress

2011-10-30T11:21:00.001-06:00

"It's a too-ma!"

Our buddy Jack

2011-10-30T11:18:00.004-06:00

Drawing on the faces

(just a little snack...)

Berkley's finished masterpiece (although daddy did all the work!)

Charlie's finished masterpiece (and she gutted the whole thing herself - with bare hands!)

Here's what Hazel did to keep herself busy during the carving.
Hello there!

Ta-da! Bring on the fall!

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-30T11:08:00.003-06:00

Zion hosted a Trunk or Treat on Friday night. It was our first time attending one of these and we had a great time! Even Hazel, despite the tears here!

(that's Rapunzel and Laura Ingalls if you were wondering...)

Having fun in one of several bounce houses before this one was swarmed by big kids.

Dancing the night away!

And enjoying the oodles of candy (eek!) while warming up those frozen toes!

Apple picking without the apples

2011-10-21T21:00:00.003-06:00

We headed to Centennial Farm this morning for some apple picking. When we got there, we were informed that the apples have all been picked since October 1! Whoops! So we opted for some pumpkin picking and goofing around instead!

She loves the doggies!

There's that dog again!

Uh, guys, how'd you get in there?

Finding some choice pumpkins

And here's mama's pumpkin!

Quick Trip

2011-10-17T12:03:00.001-06:00

Quick Post.

The older girls didn't have school W-F last week, so we took a quick road trip up to Michigan to visit Jason's family.

We haven't left yet. Not sure this is the best way to START a road trip!

Berkley and Charlotte loved riding in the combine with their cousin Craig.
I think they may have talked this farmer's ear off...

Pretty cool rig.

Cross Country Wrap Up

2011-10-17T09:01:00.001-06:00

McNair Park regular season meet

This was Berkley's second to last meet. It was a great race and she ran her personal best. She ended up coming in 7th, which is great!

With Lexi, Ella Rose, and Tegan (the lone Kindergardener - soo cute!)

The last meet of the year was Saturday. It was the Conference Championship (although, it seems all the same kids ran in every meet, give or take!) and it was at our old stomping grounds - Concordia Seminary!

Berkley was so revved up (well, as revved as Berkley gets...) She wanted to run her heart out and do her best.

warming up with the team

Tegan, Brady (who won 1st place), Ella Rose, Livia, Lexi, and Berkley

Ready for the start

This was a heartbreaker. I was so proud to watch her finish, despite tears streaming down her face in frustration and disappointment. (Boy was it hard to watch her start crying while she was running. Of course, I joined in!) She pushed so hard the first half of the race, she had nothing left for the second half and girls just coasted past her. A hard lesson to learn the last race of the year, but a lesson we all have to learn sometime I guess! (I think I've learned and re-learned that lesson many times...) All in all, she still loves cross country, so that's good news! She had a great season!

Rolling with the Roulands

2011-09-29T12:42:00.002-06:00

Playgrounds rock.

Celilou and Haze

Dude. I'm making no progess in climbing this thing. Slip.per.y.

Celia

Mach 10

Ev daring to climb the web.

Oh yah, picnics rock too.

Some soccer shots

2011-09-26T08:42:00.001-06:00

We finally had a clear, beautiful day for soccer this weekend! It was lovely!

I didn't get many pictures of Berkley this week (probably because her field is so big, my camera is inadequate for most shots.) Here's one good one though:

Berkley finally got some ball action since she had a few minutes in the midfield.
She's been camping out on defense most of the season. Go, Berkley, go!

Both girls wear blue this year, but Charlotte's team is a power house (undefeated thanks to some talented kindergarten boys) and Berkley's team is lucky not to be shut out. But they're both having fun. Score shmore.

Blue offense - Evelyn, Charlotte, and Grace - go girls!

I just love that she doesn't shy away from those brutish boys. hehe.
(although, the pushing she can handle; the trash talk, not so much and she's gotten that quite a bit this season!
she was really upset one week when a boy said to her, "I'm gonna get you off this field!" Ahhh...boys.)

And she scores!!! (along with 3/4 of her team...!)

Cross Country Race #3

2011-09-22T14:37:00.002-06:00

Yesterday's cross country race was at nearby Laurel Park and it was a perfect afternoon for a race!

Hazel marched herself into the middle of the stretching circle and tried to become part of the team.

Hey - where are you all going? Why'd you get up?

The 2nd grade girls ready to run
L-R: Anna (1st grade), Lexi, Ella Rose, Annalise, Brady, and Berkley

Ready to go! This was a BIG meet and a LONGER race!

And they're off!

The back stretch through the woods and around a little pond.
Yes, I am the crazy mom who sprints all around the course to cheer everyone on!

Keeping it going...almost there

In for the finish

5th place got her a medal! Not too shabby for such a big race. Way to go, bug! (She really wanted me to include a picture of her medal - it's her first ever!)

Cross Country Race #2

2011-09-21T12:27:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday, Berkley had her second cross country race, but this time her whole team was there too! We had a busy morning as we raced from XC in South County to two soccer games back at Zion!

Berkley's littlest cheerleader

This one is ready to start racing too. She's stretching those legs!

And helping watch her independent little sister!

Berkley and Lexi ready to race on this chilly morning!

At the starting line with all her teammates and competitors with a big half mile on their horizons.

I love this picture! Look at that stride! Go, Berkley, go!
And she finished FOURTH for all the K-2nd grade girls! (She was a little bummed - they gave medals to 1st-3rd places!) One of her teammates came in 1st and several finished in the top 10; Zion really did well.
She's got another race today (Wednesday) and this one is longer: 3/4 mile!!!

Berkley with Lexi and Ella Rose, her buddies who came in right on her heels!
Good job, Zion!

...and DONE!

2011-09-15T12:21:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday marked the LAST of the birthday parties of the summer! phew!

Can you ever really be ready for nine 5-year-olds?

Charlotte was very excited to host a COSTUME party for her celebration with her friends!

She dressed up as Laura Ingalls! Here's our neighbor Anna as Belle.

And Addy and Lindsay as a pretty pirate and as Ariel.

Bounce house fun!

Hailey, the bride, and Charlotte having fun in the bounce house.

Bubbles made their predictable yet grand appearance.

Maddie as Cinderella

Ever enjoying the swingset!

We took a break from the free-play to decorate some masquerade masks!

Carsyn as Dorothy, Berkley as Rapunzel.

Evelyn as "Tangled", aka Rapunzel, showing off her pretty mask

My sad attempt at a costume-themed cake!

Happy Birthday big girl!

Charlotte decided to collect money for World Vision for her birthday this year. She had remembered that Berkley had done that a year or so ago and really wanted to do it too. She just kept thinking of how sad those children in Africa would be without food and water and medicine - never mind presents! She raised $100 for World Vision and used it to buy food, seeds, and medicine for people in Africa, clean water and sanitation, and some clothes for children.

(putting the money into her World Vision bank)

She had such a fun birthday party! Thanks everyone!!

Snippets of a great visit

2011-09-07T09:28:00.009-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa with the chickens and Bestemor came to visit us over Labor Day weekend! We had a blast! We did some house projects, ate out a lot (thank you, Bestemor), puruzed the zoo, and had a great time together.

Enjoying some yummy Seamus burgers.

This girl is becoming high maintenance...with a mind of her own!

nice smile, Berks.

We even ventured to the zoo on Labor Day! It was the busiest I've ever seen it, but we managed to enjoy the beautiful day and see quite a few animals!

Grandma, Grandpa, and Bestemor celebrated Hazel and Charlotte's birthdays while they were here too! (Although Hazel was so tuckered out from the zoo and the lack of nap that she slept through the celebration. whoops.)

Reading some cards from the cousins

Just what she's always wanted! And olden day dressup so she can be one of the Ingalls girls!

(and a new bonnet, since she just passed hers down to Hazel on Hazel's birthday! phew!)

Thanks for coming G&G and Bestemor! We loved having you! Come again soon!

5 is going to be a great year!

2011-09-07T08:59:00.011-06:00

That's what we had to keep telling Charlie the night before her birthday!

Despite the fact that she had been counting down the days til her birthday since SPRING, the eve of the big day was very emotional as she gripped the fact that her year of being 4 was coming to and end. "I loved being 4!" In her mind, 5 was really old...and she wasn't quite ready to accept it!

I told her that when she's five, she can pretty much count on the fact that she won't have to move again! Right there you've got a good year!

By morning, she was whistling a different tune.

(Those aren't jellybeans for breakfast; she was just admiring her rocks from the zoo! I wish I was cool enough to give her jellybeans for breakfast!)

Grandma, Grandpa, & Bestemor said goodbye on her birthday. It was so fun to have them here to celebrate!

Yes, that's a McDonald's bag. My middle child is in constant turmoil overing liking McDonald's even though Berkley and Mom don't like it. "I know it's bad for me, but I just love it. (sigh)" We told her to toss the guilt for the day and enjoy her McDonald's lunch!

I think she did!

A birthday wouldn't be complete without plenty of dancing and singing.

Or without some gifts. As usual, I think she hit the jackpot.

Hey, wait a sec, I thought birthdays were for ME!! What's all this hoopla for Charlotte?

Thank you, craigslist for some clubs. We'll see how long she's really interested in golfing with daddy. lpga?? who knows.

"Mom, I don't really know what to SAY on the phone when they say happy birthday." I thought that was funny. The girl who could talk all day long... Anyway, I don't think any of us really know, but we just know how to fake it.

Angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries. This little lady gets to have 3 birthday celebrations this year, so we tried to mix up the cakes.

Happy Birthday, jellybean! It's gonna be a great year!

I have died and gone to heaven

2011-09-03T17:34:00.004-06:00

My daughter's a runner! (at least this year)

Berkley has chosen to join the cross country team at Zion. It's a K-8th grade team. The K-4th graders only practice on Mondays and race in a couple of meets throughout the fall. Practices have been HOT and tiring. Some days she's not so sure she's ready to get sweaty and sore as a 7-year-old, but she's still giving it a try.

This morning was her first race - a 1st-2nd grade race. Now honestly, Berkley's not the most competitive of the Reitzes, so when the going gets tough, sometimes she gets "uninspired." I was just hoping that she'd have fun and finish with a smile and try not to walk.

I think we were all a little nervous before the race.

Even Grandma and Grandpa were here to cheer her on (which is probably the only reason she wanted to run the race.)

The lone runner from Zion at the starting line. (This was an optional meet for us since the coach was out of town.)

The gun goes off and woosh! there goes Berkley! And woosh! There go mommy's tears!

I probably should have, but I didn't anticipate how emotional it would be for me to watch her run! She took off ahead of the pack with a smile on her face. We were all sure she had started too fast, but she kept it going. (That made me cry even harder.)

I realize this shouldn't be about me, but the emotions that gripped me were STRONG. I was just overwhelmed and filled with pride and so many other things just in seeing my daughter do what I love to do!

The little girl in the dark shirt ended up passing Berkley, but she kept going and finished a strong second! My heart was about to burst. I tell ya. She surprised us all!

Grandpa's cheering her on as she gets to the finish line.

Phew. Now that was fun!

Way to go, bug! x0x0

No More Babies!

2011-09-01T09:45:00.011-06:00

My baby turned one! With the craziness that was this past year, I can hardly believe we've had her for a whole year already. Happy FIRST, Hazel!

She woke up to "Happy Birthdays" all around her. She quickly learned to clap everytime she heard "Happy Birthday, Hazel!"

(Seems we said it a LOT, cause she's clapping in just about every picture!)

Balloons are enthralling.

As are balls. (Thanks Roulands!)

Hazel really enjoyed this rocking chair. A friend from St Paul in Utah gave it to us a couple years ago and it sat in the basement. With a paint job and some excitement, it has new life and Hazel just loves rocking in it. It catapults her out when she's done. That's got to be half the fun.

Presents from her sisters, friends, and fam.

Me thinks she's getting the hang of this whole birthday thing.

Aria and Charlie.

The entire Garrett and Rouland families were here as well - but they managed to escape without a single picture being taken!

Mmmm....treasure cake.

Now, there's a first for everything. Neither Berkley nor Charlotte touched their birthday cake. They looked at it and wouldn't even TRY it until I gave them a plastic fork. Then they played in the frosting and MAYBE took a lick or two. Hazel, on the other hand, DEVOURED her cake. One minute it's there; the next it's gone!

That's a satisfied, happy grin!

(I could get used to sweets, mom.)

A few bubbles before bedtime.

And some sliding. (That's a look of elation!)

Discovering the video camera. Pretty cute.

Happy Birthday to my munchkin!!

Gettin' Grandpa's money's worth

2011-08-25T12:33:00.003-06:00

Big sisters really like to "help."

She loves going up. She loves going down! (She doesn't love waiting her turn!)

Heading back to the slide. We don't take breaks!!

Nothing like a 100 degree day...

2011-08-25T12:25:00.003-06:00

...to kick off the soccer season! (dorky pun completely intended.)

There is no ayso here, but Zion has their own league, so both girls are playing this fall. Charlotte's on a PS-KG team and Berkley's on a 1st-2nd grade team. Too bad the first day of practice was brutally hot!

It's gonna be a fun fall!

First Day of School

2011-08-18T21:06:00.003-06:00

August 17th was the first day back to school. Seems early, but it was a week after the public schools! Berkley's off to 2nd grade and Charlotte's a trooper in PS4. The cutoff in MO is August 1st, so she's getting her money's worth of preschool! Maybe she should teach PS this time around! She's still excited to get started though.

Starting the morning off right with french toast.

Not really a fair picture (with mouths stuffed full!)...so here's another:

Can you feel the excitement?

Berkley is in Mrs. Oldre's class.

Charlotte has Mrs. Hoehner.

happy first day of school!

Camping 2011

2011-08-18T07:28:00.014-06:00

We DID it! We went camping with a baby...and I'm looking forward to her being older the NEXT time we go! ha!

The older girls couldn't WAIT! We headed to Lake of the Ozarks for 2 nights of camping. Of course, I wonder about these trips...it takes 2 days to pack and 1 day to unpack for less than 48 hours of camping!

Camp.

First things first: Charlie assumes her position in front of the firepit. (Does it matter that there is no fire?)

Berkley hits the tent to read a little. Not surprising.

Bike-a-ridin'.

Jason tried to teach the older girls how to throw a frisbee...wrong way, Berks!

(someone else really wanted to play too...)

Checking out the campground.

"Mom, it's so dark!!" Yes, my kids don't know what NIGHT looks like! They go to bed so early that things like darkness, stars, and fireflies are wonders to behold.

Hanging in front of that fire (front and center, believe me) and Berkley doing a little sketching in her nature journal.

GHOST STORIES (not scary ones.)

(can you say drama queen?)

The funny thing is, we couldn't hear a word either of them said. Hazel was sleeping in the tent, so they were whispering...and we couldn't hear it over the sound of the cicadas!

Happy helpers

A little hiking

(I think the chocolate granola bar was their favorite part. Are these my children?)

Hazel managed to have a little fun too, even sleep-deprived.

Chillin' at camp. She just looks so comfortable and settled in!

At this point, our friends the Thoelkes joined us for our last night and for our trip to Laura Ingalls Wilder's homestead in Mansfield, MO. We had a great time!! BUT I lost my camera battery between now and then, so I will have to post pics of that part of the trip once I get them from Kate. It was lots of fun to see all Laura's things and Pa's fiddle in her home with Almanzo and Rose. Guess you could call us die-hard fans.

11 Months

2011-08-02T10:33:00.004-06:00

well...11 months and 1 day. missed it by a day this time. I'm slacking.

she sure is getting big and getting around!

hard to believe, next month will be her FIRST BIRTHDAY! yowzas!

almost there...

2011-07-27T08:20:00.005-06:00

On Berkley's birthday, Hazel decided to start going for it. She gets a little more confident every day. This was yesterday:

1, 2...stepping along

3, 4, 5, and sometimes 6! It would help the cause if she could go a day or two without a major fall and a bruised head!

Go, Hazel, Go!

hApPy SeVeNtH BeRkLeY!

2011-07-26T07:25:00.009-06:00

Here she is on her 2nd birthday with Ellie Garrett - the same friend she brought to the Magic House last week!! (see below)

So here she is this year. SEVEN. Seriously. It's hard to believe!

The day started out with Norwegian waffles.

YUM.

And a impromptu trip to the zoo!

This time we forewent the usual hippos and elephants to check out the tigers, jaguars, zebras and giraffes!

Thank you G&Gs and Aunt Sonya for the presents!

(oh yeah, and Mom and Dad and Charlotte!)

(Hazel is trying to "grab" the picture of herself in Grandma's card!)

Lots of lovely surprises

Dinner and cake (icecream cake, of course)...

...and a quick ride around the neighborhood and this birthday is a done deal!

Happy 7th Birthday, bug!

just cause she so darn cute!

2011-07-23T09:41:00.003-06:00

Rendezvous in Kansas City

2011-07-23T09:13:00.007-06:00

-the first annual, hopefully!

All four of us Reitz girls headed to Kansas City for the night to meet up with Kim and Cate Schmeling, great friends from Utah. Berkley and Cate were so happy to see each other again. They are truly BFFs. Not to underestimate Charlie's happiness at seeing them as

well! We just miss all our Utah friends a whole lot.

We had dinner in Independence, spent the next morning in the hotel pool, enjoyed lunch and icecream and hit the road. A quick, but fun trip!

It's so hard to say goodbye. Berkley was in tears at bedtime. "I just miss Cate so much all over again." I guess that's the tough part about getting together, but she wouldn't trade their time for anything!

Let the Birthday Celebrations Begin!

2011-07-18T20:20:00.008-06:00

For only the second time in her long little life, Berkley will not be having a birthday party with her friends this year! We decided amid the chaos of our move to play it low key for her this time around.

So instead of a party, she decided to take a friend with her to Magic House, the Children's museum in St. Louis. Here she is with her friend Ellie, who happens to be the oldest daughter of our great friends from seminary who now live just 20 minutes away! We never thought when these 2 were born that they would have the chance to be such great buddies! kinda cool.

the Alice in Wonderland exhibit

goofing

Climbing Jack's beanstalk

President Berkley and President Ellie

baby docs

grocery buyer and grocer

It would have been cool if the bubble would have made it all the way above them, but it was hooked up lop-sided and kept popping down low. still fun though!

the wonder of pulleys (and muscles.)

Happy Birthday, Berkley - part 1! One more week 'til the BIG DAY.

a little bit of rough-n-tough in my girlie girls

2011-07-17T13:12:00.004-06:00

Berkley's been preoccupied with finding a tree to climb lately. After searching far and wide, she found one in our backyard. The first time up she needed a little boost from Dad, but has been going solo everyday since.

Like sister, like sister. I think she was taking notes.

(This girl's not quite tall enough to reach the first limb! She definitely still needs a lift, much to her chagrin!)

It's still fun to climb though. (And even more fun in a skirt! haha!)

Pool Part-ay at Laurel Park

2011-07-12T08:12:00.005-06:00

This girl loves the diving board.

Hmmm...that's pretty deep.

Success!

I'm thinking she feels so big and grown up...do you think so? but she's hooked!

Ah-hem. One of these things isn't like the others. (Can we say "grown up"?)

Guilty

2011-07-12T08:06:00.001-06:00

There's no pleading out on this one.

(Someone was playing with the greasy spindles on the swivel stools...)

The Reitz Family Singers

2011-07-12T07:59:00.005-06:00

We should take this act on the road.

Working It Out...

2011-07-12T07:37:00.002-06:00

Not quite ready to walk...but she loves to cruise and stand alone! And she loooves her daddy.

Happy Fourth!!

2011-07-05T09:05:00.008-06:00

The morning storms and some car trouble kept us from hitting the parade, but we managed to sneak in some firecracker-type things in the evening.

After the kids went to bed, the neighborhood fireworks really got started. We had no idea it was legal to set of legitimate fireworks in your driveway! We're talking the real deal. It was a great display all around and above us. We woke B & C up to see them, but they were too tired and went back to bed! ha!

Look at this silly girl! (PS - do you see that there is a CAR parked in the garage? woo-hoo! we're making progress!)

My fourth of july cuties...and crazies!

YIPPEE!! She's not heavy, she's my sister.

HAPPY 4th, EVERYONE!

10 Months

2011-07-02T09:38:00.003-06:00

What? I'm picking out my clothes, mom.

Hazel is a happy little lady, although she's got an agenda of her own. As you can see by the fuzziness of these photos, she no longer likes to sit and pose for me.

what's keeping us busy

2011-06-30T13:10:00.004-06:00

...besides settling in? we've got swimming lessons going on at a pool near our house...

...and charlie has finally started gymnastics! it was hard to find a place to take her and, let me tell you, we are missing cassidy in so many ways! not only do we miss her as our bestest buddy, but we miss her soooooooo much as our gymnastics teacher! we'll see how it goes, but charlotte's putting on a good face in this picture. her new teacher doesn't smile or joke around or act like she's ever talked to 4 and 5 year olds before! we may need to shop around some more...

but this girl sure seems to have been made for gymnastics.

One of our favorite hangouts

2011-06-30T13:05:00.002-06:00

the ZOO. of course. no surprise here.

but this time we went with our friends the Garretts!

someday Hazel will see animals. it's just not meant to happen this year.

The big 3-3.

2011-06-27T08:32:00.003-06:00

Charlotte said that she can't BELIEVE I'm 33 cause it's just so OLD. Eh. It's all relative.

I'll keep getting older if it means I get an icecream cake on birthday each year! YUM.

from your girls

2011-06-20T13:24:00.002-06:00

(all four of us.)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DADDY!

all dressed up for father's day because daddy is soooo special!

buds.

the man of the hour. xoxo

Happy Belated Birthday, Emily!

2011-06-19T19:15:00.007-06:00

We were a really terrible aunt and uncle this year and totally forgot to send Emily (Jason's niece) a card for her birthday back in April! What's worse, we didn't realize it for about 3 weeks. We told her we owed her a trip to the zoo and dinner. This weekend, she finally collected. Jason's parents, sister Sonya, and Emily came down from Michigan to visit.

Hazel assumed her lounge position for the duration of the zoo trip.

The big girls with Emily

We know there is glass there, but we just can't help being a little scared when that big hippo comes swimming by! But we looooooove the hippos!

(and the elephants!)

We had so much fun at the zoo! Happy Birthday, Em!

Brad Paisley

2011-06-19T18:22:00.003-06:00

I surprised Jason with tickets to Brad Paisley for Father's Day (the Friday before.)

Can you really celebrate Father's Day if the kids aren't involved? We thought it was a nice way to say "You're a great dad. You deserve some time away from them with your wife's full attention!"

We had a really good time. Blake Shelton opened for him and Jarrod Neimann opened for Blake. They were all really fun.

It was a little interesting (or more accurately, exhausting) to watch all the teenagers and twenty-somethings all dolled up trying to impress each other. Phew. Were we glad we weren't there anymore!

Blake on the left; Brad on the right.

Brad singing out by us - in the cheapseats. Great show!

Hazel Around Town

2011-06-16T14:10:00.008-06:00

One happy listener and one not so happy listener

Lots of sisterly love going on around here...and Hazel's finally thinking that she might want to keep up with those big girls...

And she LOOOOOVES to make them laugh! What a little ham.

She also loves the swing. She could sit there all night. One time she did. We forgot her there. Just kidding. Maybe. Looks like you'll never know for sure. But we know why those third children are so adaptable. And good looking. And fun loving. And talented. And super smart.

She likes the swing, but she doesn't like her hat.

(like that play-by-play?)

We had a really quick picnic in downtown St. Charles. Really quick, and yet Berkley honestly found a 4-leaf clover!

I'd never seen one before! It was the first clover she plucked too. Lucky redhead.

And this one is just for laughs. Hazel is seeing the fountains at the galleria mall for the first time. She loved them. Reminded us of when we used to bring Berkley and Charlie here at her age. Ah, I feel old.

THE TRIP & 9 Months

2011-06-06T09:51:00.011-06:00

I packed up the Pilot and drove from St. Louis to New England with the three girls! About an hour outside of St. Louis, I started wondering WHAT I had been thinking when I planned this trip! About 45 miles outside of New Haven, CT (where I met my mom and handed off the girls for the weekend so I could go ref some lacrosse on Long Island), Memorial Day weekend traffic had me in tears! Those last tiring 45 miles took a good 3 hours...and all my sanity!

Everyone made it through the weekend just fine, in the end.

On Monday, we went to Alyssa's parents' house on Bow Lake and enjoyed the water.

And some singing...

...some goofing with the cousins...

...and some canoeing!

Not so excited about the life jacket.

Thanks Johansons and Kjendals for a fun day!

Together in the tub

Hanging at Grandma & Grandpa's (where I really didn't take any pictures!)

Look who's 9 months old!

My sweetie...and a little bit of a ham too.

And she sure likes Uncle Dave (and Uncle Ben)!

"Auntie" Jen and her little baby Colin!

Renee's hilarious daughter Sophie and cute little Irish man Ian.

They seemed to all have a lot of fun playing together.

Even Hazel and Colin.

(maybe not Colin...)

And THE CAR RIDE HOME. Never a great time, but the girls were superb. Mom, on the other hand, was a little cranky. But we made it! In one piece and with all kids accounted for. That's a success in my book!

Not sure that I'll do it again alone though...

(getting a little tired and slap-happy perhaps?)

Last Day of School

2011-06-06T09:24:00.004-06:00

Berkley's last day as a FIRST GRADER!

Preschool ended with a big picnic at Laurel Park, the park down the road from our house. Charlotte had been anticipating it for weeks and didn't let the rain deter her!

Charlie playing some parachute games and Evelyn in the bubbles...

Charlotte and Gracyn. Gracyn is her friend from her one day of full-day preschool. She's also my friend's daughter, so we got to play with her all day long!

Megan and Celia; Mark and Evelyn, a little under the weather, but smiling pretty anyway!

Fun Days and a Big First

2011-05-23T08:29:00.003-06:00

Hi.

Hazel basil!

Charlotte and Evelyn being silly

A serious eater

Berkley and Claire being silly too

...and Berkley's FIRST PIANO RECITAL. She played "He's got the whole world in His hands" as a solo,

and followed it up with "Climb every mountain" with her teacher Kate Thoelke!

8 Months and Laurel Park

2011-05-03T07:40:00.006-06:00

Look at that cute 8-month-old! She's a joy.

(that's my favorite smile of hers.)

Getting ready to FINALLy ride over to Laurel Park, a great park in the neighborhood.

(The girls had been asking us every day for a week to stop working and ride over!)

Looks who's up on all fours!

There's my favorite smile again!

Easter

2011-05-01T11:35:00.010-06:00

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

We were wondering when we'd get to wear our flower girl dresses again.

Little Hazel's all smiles

Time for the Easter egg hunt! Due to poor weather, we had to hold it inside this year.

Mom and Dad were a little trickier in choosing hiding places this year. It also helps that our house is still a mess of half packed boxes! I think we even had a couple eggs go undiscovered.

Look at all that loot!

Some new friends from church invited us over for dinner and another Easter egg hunt! It was so much fun! Luckily, by then, the weather was much better. How many kids can say they had Easter dinner with their teacher? I know a few! The Trinkleins' two daughters are Berkley and Charlotte's teachers!

What We've Been Up to the Past Month or So

2011-04-29T19:58:00.003-06:00

Well, Hazel was so cute, we thought we'd buy her a house.

Maybe it wasn't exactly for that reason, but we did buy a house! yay!

And cute little Hazel DID turn 7 months old the day we closed. yay!

So, we bought this lovely home and decided to tear it all up!

Good-bye carpet...

YIKES.

Hello painting!! lots and lots of it! I think I went through 10 gallons of paint in one week.

And hello to lots and lots of sub-floor! In't purdy?

And good-bye to Jason's smiles...for a little while.

Look at that man, hard at work at something he's never done before. And why not?

Maybe because this room took 3 days...but it sure looks good!

In the midst of our chaotic work schedule, we couldn't find Charlotte...

After looking all over, guess where we found her?

Curled up in the curtains in the master bedroom! Sound asleep!

Speaking of Charlie, she's just a little excited about finally having a purple room!

And after a little dilberation, Berkley went with the fist pump to show she's pleased with her green room.

And Hazel, well, she's just happy to be getting out of that pack and play and back in a comfy crib!

Oh, and she also gets to have a REAL BATH finally! Her blow-up bath was packed away in storage the past 4 months, so she's had to make do with a sponge bath. So not fun. She's truly loving bathtime now.

And just tonight Berkley was in a musical at school called "Down by the Creek Bank" put on by the 1st-3rd graders. She did a great job singing and doing actions. Cute little play actually.

(She was embarrassed that Mom made her wear suspenders, so be sure to tell her how cool she looks in them.)

Here's a little video of Hazel's fun in the tub.

I'll try to do better now that we're sleeping more regularly and trying to ease back into life! Between working on the house (painting, putting in floors, and did I mention we tore out the kitchen too?), lacrosse season, and school activities, we seemed to have missed a month of our lives! But things are good! It's all very good. :) Stay tuned for Easter pictures asap.

And please, come and visit us!

Oh, St. Louis Zoo, how we have missed you.

2011-03-15T18:10:00.006-06:00

It's good to be back. This has got to be one of the best zoos in the country - definitely the best FREE zoo! Yes, I said FREE. It rocks. We used to walk over after breakfast in the morning or after dinner in the evening when Jason was in seminary just to see a few animals and avoid crowds.

We love the elephants. We were super excited to see real hippos, but alas, the tank was drained and they were MIA. Maybe next time. I suppose, technically, it's still winter...

Charlie has been begging to go on a carousel for the past month, so she was pretty thrilled.

Hazel...not so much.

Doesn't Berkley look like she's feeling better? After such a disappointing Friday (missing Grandparents' Day and her play due to a fever), she got a little special treatment, getting to go to the zoo and get ICECREAM! Mmmmm! (Luckily for us, we all got to take advantage of that special treatment.)

Lutheran Schools Week

2011-03-14T06:04:00.005-06:00

This past week was Lutheran Schools Week, culminating with Grandparents' Day on Thursday (C) and Friday (B).

MONDAY: Pajama Day

Charlotte was ecstatic to finally be part of the dressup week! Berkley brought her American Girl doll along (with matching PJs of course.)

TUESDAY: Spirit Day

Wear as much red and Zion-wear as possible! Berkley was trying to win; we thought her hair would be the clincher, but another student in her class spray-painted his hair red, so the prize went to him!

WEDNESDAY: Character Day

What's your guess? Rapunzel? A queen? Nope. Berkley was Jane Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.

THURSDAY: Hawaiian Day (or bright colors day)

Our real Hawaiian gear is still in storage, so we went with the bright colors theme.

Thursday was also Grandparents' Day for preschool, so Charlotte had the honor of bringing G&G with the stairs to school with her. They arrived at 5:30 in the morning! Those crazy kids left Michigan at 12:30 am and drove in for the start of school!

Berkley's Grandparents' day was Friday, but unfortunately, she had to be picked up from school on Thursday with a fever, so she wasn't allowed to go back to school for 24 hours. :( She was heartbroken. Not only did she miss Grandparents' Day, but she also missed being in her class play (that was prepared for Grandparents's Day.) Luckily, she will get another chance to be in it for the parents' showing later this month.

Haze these days

2011-03-09T12:39:00.002-07:00

Hazel and her buddy Celia. They are almost exactly 6 months apart.

Jumprope for Heart

2011-03-09T12:27:00.002-07:00

Zion participated in Jumprope for Heart, to benefit the American Heart Association back in February. She had so much fun and has discovered that she loves to jumprope.

Six Months....ALREADY??

2011-03-09T08:19:00.003-07:00

SOOO big!

(six and half by the time I actually POST it! I realize I am waaaaaay behind!)

Cuties

2011-02-10T20:45:00.001-07:00

...that's all I have to say about that...

Me Likey the Carrots

2011-02-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Can you tell?

A Big 5 Months

2011-02-10T20:30:00.001-07:00

This was almost 2 weeks ago now, but she's still 5 months old, right?

She's a sweetie.

Snow Day

2011-01-19T15:06:00.003-07:00

We're definitely not in Utah anymore. School was cancelled for these three piddly inches!

The girls loved their day off!

(For the record, we have had TWO snow days already this winter! Kind of a splurge after 3½ years in the snowy foothills of UT without a single day called!)

Tastes so sweet...

2011-01-19T15:01:00.003-07:00

...or maybe not!

But she did finally agree to eat some rice cereal for about 5 days...and then decided she was done with it! That's 5 days longer than her sisters.

Norwegian girls

2011-01-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

4 months

2011-01-06T10:34:00.002-07:00

Big Days

2011-01-06T10:17:00.004-07:00

Guess who decided to get her ears pierced? She was given the option when she turned 4, but turned it down, saying that she wanted to wait until she was a teenager. Well, something changed right before Christmas, so getting her ears pierced became her Christmas present!

So excited.

Man that hurt! But not for long!

Jay turns 29...AGAIN.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Hazel's all smiles these days.

Christmas tidbits, way late

2011-01-06T09:22:00.003-07:00

The Usual.

Our girls.

early morning stockings

the tradition continues: Christmas morning Norwegian waffles

Thanks, Jesus, for being the best gift of all.
and a HAPPY CHRISTMAS to everyone!