..Life..

..Not The Best at Blogging!!..

2009-06-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

So apparently I totally suck at this whole blogging thing! haha I mean its been 5 weeks since my last post!
But hey...every 5 weeks is better than nothing at all! ha

Well over the last little bit life has been somewhat crazy... Jarred has changed jobs, we have been to Atlanta, GA with our small group, then to Charleston, SC for a business trip and now we are back home trying to get ready for the craziness to start with Baby Grey! :)

We are down to 5 weeks left and things are starting to progress...We had a checkup today and found out that we are already 1 cm dilated!! Not that it means we will be going in for delivery any day soon...it could stay that way past his due date...who knows! But it means we are headed in the right direction...and that direction is OUT!! haha

But the doc did say that I should be having a faster/easier labor and that statistically 2nd babies DO come early!
...unfortunately though, she couldn't guarantee that he will come before his due date!

I'd like to place bets on that though...I am betting he comes a week early! :) (wishful thinking)

Anyhow...things here are going great and we trying to cram in as much as we can in the few weeks we have before becoming a family of 4!!

I hope this little update has satisfied you for now...I will TRY to post more frequently in the weeks to come!

Peace!

**at a Durham Bulls Game. Brody loved the "Moose"! haha

** In Charleston, SC for a business trip with Jarred.

**Trip to Atlanta with our Small Group...Jarred was pumped to get to go wake boarding again and we also got to hang with Truett Cathy!

..10 Weeks To Go..

2009-05-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

So everything is going great so far!

Baby Grey seems to be growing just fine...and so does my belly!! ugh!

But it is definitely getting to that point where I am TOTALLY ready to get him out. Pregnancy is just NOT my thing...but well worth the end result!! :)

It's truly hard to believe that we only have 10 weeks left though...It really has gone by fast!

But we do have a LOT to do over the next 10 weeks, before this little guy gets here...so if you think about it...please pray that the pregnancy continues to go smoothly, so we can fit it all in.

...and if you wanted to pray for him to come about 1 week early...that would be great too!! haha

Here is some info on the 30th week of pregnancy from BabyCenter.com, just in case you are wondering about our little man!

"Grey is about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)"

Needless to say...I am SUPER PUMPED to get him out and in my arms!! I Can't wait!!!

..Jimmy's College Graduation..

2009-05-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe...
But my Baby Brother has officially graduated from College!!!

The ceremony was Saturday, May 8th, where he walked with all kinds of honors, to receive his Bachelors Degree in Athletic Training. He also received the award for Most Outstanding Athletic Training Student!!

We couldn't be happier to say that ...
He is now living down here, in Durham, NC with the fam!!
..and has been hired for an internship with the Durham Bulls!!!!

I am just beyond proud of him and all that he has accomplished!
Could anyone ask for a better brother?! I think NOT!! :)

More pictures from the graduation can be seen on my facebook album here...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76668&id=695953787&saved#/album.php?aid=76668&id=695953787

..NC Zoo..

2009-05-07T19:02:00.001-07:00

Today was a Blast! (April 24th, 2009)
Jarred, Me, Brody, Mom and Dad all went to the NC Zoo!
Although it was about 92 degrees outside, we actually had a GREAT time!!

Brody was in LOVE with all the animals...He got to see: Ostriches, Giraffes, Zebras, Monkeys, Gorillas, Lions, Elephants, Wolves, Black Bears, Polar Bears, Sea Lions, Alligators and MUCH MORE!!

I'm not really sure which was his favorite...But he did get pretty pumped watching the Sea Lions and Seals swimming around under the water!!

It was a LOT of walking...But totally worth it!! Needless to say, we will DEFINITELY be going back again! Just maybe when it is not so hot next time!!

Here are a couple of pics from our day...
If you would like to see more, you can check out my facebook album...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=74283&id=695953787

..The Big 3-0..

2009-04-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

What a birthday...Scratch that! What a BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

The author of these blogs, my wife, is smokin' hot AND she is also THE BOMB party thrower!

My 30th birthday weekend celebration was kicked off with some awesome time with some of my best friends from college. Luke, Jon, Trog, and Duffy all live out in Dallas, Texas...so they all pitched in to fly me out there for some birthday fun! My time in Dallas included golf, tennis, great food, some dancin', and lots of chillin! Thanks fellas!

I flew back into Raleigh on my actual birthday morning Saturday, April 11th. I was expecting to be greeted by Crystal and Brody at the airport, but after several attempts of trying to contact Crystal to let her know that I had arrived she finally answered her phone and let me know that she was running late. Little did I know that she was finishing up the BIG surprise.

She picked me up from the airport more than 30 minutes past when I had landed. And as we approached the exit for our home she took a detour towards the church. I was told that Brody was up there with his Grandma. I was a little curious about what was going on, but was just wanting to see my boy!

I was greeted at the church by family and TONS of great friends from the area. It was my first surprise birthday party and it was AMAZING! My wife is FREAKIN' GREAT!

The party included old and embarrassing videos of me and some crazy pictures as well.

After spending so much time and energy with trying to be in the best shape of my life for my 30th birthday...and with so much anticipation for this huge mile marker in my life...I can honestly say that it did not disappoint.

.."I like to Move It, Move It"..

2009-04-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

So Brody's newest Favorite song is "I Like To Move It"...
He is absolutely comical walking around the house while singing it at the top of his lungs, with a total rock star face going on and drumming on anything in sight!
Well he finally allowed me to get him on camera doing it...in the car of all places...I just thought it was too cute and HAD to share!!

..Random Update..

2009-04-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

So it's been a little bit since I last posted...I guess I gotta get used to this whole blogging thing! ha

Anyhow...Here is a quick update on our life...
Be prepared that it will be totally random!!

- Saturday was the "Festival of Hope" at our church. There were lots of bounce houses, a mechanical bull, a rock wall, a small train, a 5k/10k race and kiddie races. All in all it was a decent event.
Brody, of course, had a blast on all the bouncy houses and mazes and even got to run in the kids race.
Jarred ran the 5k and did pretty well...coming in at 24 minutes...not too bad after not running barely at all in the weeks leading up to it! ha ha

- Saturday Night we had a GREAT time at our friends house having a "Low Country Boil"...
We had never experienced one of these before and I wasn't really sure what to expect. But MAN WAS IT GOOD!!!!! They used these big pots to boil shrimp, potatoes, sausage and corn on the cob...then they dumped it out on some outdoor tables with newspaper spread over them...gave us each a bowl of cocktail sauce and we all got our grub on!! It was awesome!!!
There was also a crazy game of "lets see how hard you can spike the volleyball at someone else" and some super yummy desert!!!
All I can say is that Ed and Melissa Secrest pretty much Rock for putting on such a fabulous night!!

- Another great part to our weekend was having Jimmy home!!
He came home to interview for an internship with the Durham Bulls and we are happy to say that HE GOT THE JOB!!! God is so good!!!
I can't wait for him to graduate and move here, so we can see him all the time!!! :)

So I can say that we had an AWESOME weekend!! The weather was beautiful and there were lots of fun things going on!! Wish every weekend could be so fab!!

- Oh...and on a pregnancy side note...
I am now 25 weeks into this pregnancy and SOOOO READY to have this baby!!! Pregnancy is definitely NOT my thing! ha
But...I have to say...now that I can see the little guy moving in my belly...it makes me even more anxious to get him out and finally meet him!!!
Brody is so cute with it...he will watch "Baby Grey" moving around in my belly and then he lifts up his shirt and says..."watch my baby move mama!!!" hahaha Not sure he QUITE gets it! haha

Well that's all for now...I will be back on in a couple days to post more!

Thanks for checking in! :)

..You Need To Check Yourself..

2009-03-31T18:10:00.000-07:00

Matthew 7:3-5
"3. Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the big piece of wood in your own eye?
4. How can you say to your friend, 'Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye'?? Look at yourself! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye.
5. You hypocrite!! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend's eye."

..Chuck E. Cheese..

2009-03-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

This morning Brody was very upset when it was time for Jarred to leave for work and kept telling him "Daddy, No Go!" "Daddy, No Go!". It was truly heartbreaking!!
So we told him, "Brody, Daddy has to go to work...But when he comes home for lunch, there is gonna be a BIG surprise!!!"
As planned...this FAR outweighed his disappointment in letting his dad go, and he was immediately ok with it!
11:30 rolls around and in walks Jarred from work...as soon as Brody sees him he says..."Where is my surprise?!?!?!"
To which we had to let him know...We have to go TO the surprise.

So we are on our way there and Brody is all pumped up and excited to see what it could be...
He seems to have this idea in his head that we are going to get a RABBIT?!?!?!?! No idea where that came from! haha

But we finally get to our destination (Chuck E. Cheese), Brody is totally excited for the grand reveal...Jarred gets him out of the car and goes "TAA-DAA!!!"...and Brody goes, "WHAT IS IT?!" hahahaha
It always sucks when you have to explain the surprise...total downer! haha

Needless to say... after we got inside and he realized what it was all about...he was beyond ecstatic!!

Brody ran from game to game wanting to play them all, ate a yummy pepperoni pizza for lunch, while watching the awesome Chuck E. Cheese band jammin out on stage, played more games and then got to pick out lots of prizes with all his tickets (courtesy of Thomas and Tiffany...our friends who invited us out)!! It couldn't have been a better surprise...unless maybe if it was a rabbit! haha

Then...after a long afternoon of fun... it only took him about 5 minutes of playing with his new pirate hook (one of his prizes) in the backseat to fall asleep on the way home....and he has been out cold ever since...FOR 4 HOURS!!!

So thank you Thomas and Tiffany for the Fabulous day of excitement at Chuck E. Cheese!!!

..Greyson ("Grey") Jennings Ritter..

2009-03-27T06:24:00.001-07:00

So we finally decided on a name...
We had originally fallen in love with the name "Grey" and thought it had potential to be "the one".
But we have always liked having a longer name, so that we could shorten it...dont ask why! ha

So eventually "Greyson" popped up and we decided it fit!

Then it was time to pick a middle name...

Well with a first name like Greyson and a last name like Ritter....There are not many middle names that go...and we wanted the perfect one. Imagine that! ha
We went through many different random names, family member names, friend names...
and finally we had it!!

We have decided to name him after a very close friend to the family, who means the world to both Jarred and I. He has been in our lives for a very long time and helped us through more than he probably knows...Tim Jennings! We could not think of anyone better!!

So there it is...Greyson ("Grey") Jennings Ritter!!!

..Hey Ya'll..

2009-03-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

WOW..here I am...Creating a BLOG!!!
I know quite a few of you are thinking "IT'S ABOUT TIME!!" ha
But bare with me...some things take me a little longer! :)

So let me start my first post by giving a brief update on life...

As many of you know, we are living in Durham, NC and loving it!
Yes, I DO miss Florida SOOO BADLY...but you can't beat the community here and the friends we have made.
Jarred is the Pastor of Student Ministries at newhope church (www.newhopenc.org) and we feel so at home there.
Brody is a total ROCKSTAR!! We are so proud of our little man. He is going to preschool at newhope, is TOTALLY out of diapers and at 44 pounds and about 3' 4" tall, he is growing like crazy!!
I am currently a stay at home mom and part time marketing director for Chick-fil-A! I love BOTH of my jobs!! ...Chick-fil-A is the perfect employer and staying home with the Brodster is great..at 2 1/2 years he is CONSTANT entertainment and keeps me laughing most the day!
We are also expecting baby #2!!! Another Boy, due July 21st, 2009!!! All of us are so excited for our new addition and can't wait to meet him!!

God has, and continues, to bless our family in so many ways and I can't wait to see what the future holds!!

I will do my best to keep everyone posted on our life...
and I hope you will all check in on my Blog from time to time to see how things are going!!