For Our Friend Lightning

We sang the Scooter Duck song tonight and I thought of you.

It's a bird! It's a plane!

No wait...!



It's SuperJude!

"What seems to be the problem, Elmo? Mom and Dad turned you off again? I'll fix that!"



He gives Elmo some lovin'.




And then he rides off into the sunset on his trusty steed...er...zebra.

Jesus in Genesis

Here is Andrew Peterson's song, Matthew's Begats, in which he sings the geneology of Christ beginning with Abraham.



And if you, like my good friend Kathy, object to clicking on videos, I urge you to make an exception just this once :)

We Are Not Daily Beggars

The number of pictures in which my children have no clothes on may lead you to believe otherwise. They actually do own plenty of clothes, but for some reason, tend to lose them if we hang around the house too long.

So when we began making sugar cookies this morning, it seemed pretty natural that Asher should be in his underwear. Not quite a classic Rockwell scene, but still a sweet memory.

But then he decided he would like to wear an apron like I was so he got to wear the companion apron to mine (which of course says "Jamie loves Kris"--wedding gifts that I'm sorry to say we don't use nearly enough)



So as Jude and Daddy recovered from a rough night of coughing and yucky nasal issues, Asher and I made our first batch of sugar cookies ever. Very messy, but very worth it.



And with that, I bid a fond farewell to the December Blog Challenge of 2009. And it has been officially decided that this will be the very last DBC ever. Bittersweet, but it's just time to move on. A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

No Crib For A Bed

As some of you know, Asher still sleeps in a baby bed. We have the big boy bed all set up and ready to go, but our first attempt at the transition (when he was about 20 months) went horribly, horribly wrong. So we borrowed another crib after about a month of sleepless nights and he has been sleeping like a baby (pun obviously intended) ever since.

But with news of a new baby coming to live with us, Lord willing, this summer, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity for Asher to make the big move, free up a needed baby bed, and be the big brother-hero in the process--sacrificing the comfort and security that I suppose sleeping behind bars offers.

Well...he sees things a little differently. He has informed us that the new baby (who will be a girl says he) may have his big boy bed and he will stay in the crib. So little baby-on-the-way and the little Lord Jesus have something in common.

Through the Years

I was thumbing through our old workbooks that my pastor had Kris and I use during our pre-marital counseling and one of the items on a questionnaire was "Name your top 3 favorite memories with your partner."

One of Kris' was "Jamie picking me up at the airport as a surprise." I read that and for the life of me could not remember that ever happening. So I asked him about it and he has no recollection of that happening either.

Are we already at that phase of life? Should we be concerned? I mean, it made the "top 3 best memories" list just 5 years ago and now we have no idea what he was talking about.

I guess too many other "best memories" have been made since then that that one had to leave to make room for all the other ones. Yeah, we'll go with that.

A Beautiful Sight

As previously reported on facebook, the shelves are in and they are spectacular. They are exactly what I wanted. We looked for a long time for shelves and I was so close to settling on some that I didn't love but that would have just been an easy fix.

But I'm so glad I didn't because these are perfect. Kris worked so hard in addition to all the hard-working he already does. He cut and sanded and painted and nailed and glued--not because he particularly loves doing all that--but he does particularly love me.

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

As you may recall, Asher was a fireman for Halloween this year. He still enjoys dressing up in his costume and it is not uncommon for him to walk around the house with some piece of his fireman regalia on.

But we should have known he was up to something when he wanted the whole outfit on AND wanted his Elmo bucket in hand. Kris helped him put everything on as we were still sitting at the table after dinner. He ran off and then we hear the sound of the Christmas candy jar being invaded.



He decided to do a little trick-or-treating on his own. It was a good plan so we let him get a piece for himself and one for Jude.

Speaking of Jude and firemen, I think a certain someone is working on his calendar poses.

Tiny Tots With Their Eyes All Aglow

First of all--I know what you're thinking..."Hey look! Asher is wearing that truck shirt. Again. For the fourth time."

Yes, we are getting our money's worth out of it. We have a little over a week left to wear them before they are essentially useless to me so we're living it up.

But back to the picture--Meadow and Saige, Asher, and Josiah. We're thankful for our friends! These guys get to play together each week as the moms participate in a bible study. It is loud, slighly chaotic, and usually one mom is up at any given minute checking on a noise (or a lack of noise) coming from where the kids are playing. But those are the signs of life--beautiful reminders of God's grace in our lives.

Shoppers Rush Home With Their Treasures

I got to leave the house alone yesterday. It's the little things in life, really. Not that I don't love every minute with my guys but sometimes it nice to be able to be able to accomplish my tasks a little more quickly than I'm able to with the little helpers in tow.

So to say I rushed home might be a bit of an overstatement. Took my time and made sure they were in bed before I darkened the door is actually more accurate. I found a gift for Jude that I think he is going to love. And maybe a little something for me. And I ate dinner alone at Cafe Express--a place I knew Kris would not at all mind missing out on. He's not a fan but I love it. I think this is because they offer sun-dried tomoatoes on their little mini condiment bar. I feel that sun-dried tomatoes enhance just about any dish and at Cafe Express, you get to add as much of them as you like.

I came home to boys in bed and an unloaded and reloaded dishwasher. That's right--my man builds shelves AND does dishes. Good call on my part marrying him.

All I Want For Christmas

is for my brother to respect my personal space.

Mary's Boy Child...

probably never needed a haircut. She had plenty on her mind as she cared for him, no doubt, but the the fact that he was getting a little shaggy was not an issue.

Not so here. Haircuts were sadly overdue. Asher had a about a 2-3 week window where he was rocking a pretty cool "surfer-musician, I just run my fingers through it and go" style but then it degenerated into "pitiful street urchin" and that's just really not the look we're going for.

So Mamaw and I took the boys today to get haircuts.



The webcam obviously does not do well with moving subjects so this is all I could get without actually getting up and looking for and using the camera. But trust me, they look so sweet. Asher kept saying, "I look pretty." I said, "Yes, you do baby...you get it from your daddy."

Don We Now Our Gay Apparel

My friend Becca made these adorable shirts for the boys and I just love them! I really wanted cute holiday shirts for them but wanted a design that Kris would not get mad at me for putting on his boys. Cutesy snowmen and reindeer would just not do. We needed somthing that said "Cute, yet overtly manly." So a truck hauling a Christmas tree was the winner! Asher had his doubts at first ("I'm NOT wearing a Chris-a-mus tree shirt!" But he came around...as you can see.

The Cattle Are Lowing

Does that mean mooing? Mooing quietly perhaps? Eating hay? Who knows.

I can tell you that a good dairy cow (under normal circumstances--meaning not what you find in most American "dairies") can produce up to 17 gallons of milk a day. If you give that cow to a family in a third world country, that family all of a sudden has the means to feed itself and a source of income by selling the surplus. This is exactly what Heifer International makes possible for thousands of families around the world.

An animal can literally change the course of life for a family. In addition to cows, you can give llamas, chicks, goats, even water buffalo! Each gift not only addresses an immediate need but starts a chain reation of need-meeting for the family, the neighborhood, and the entire community. But I'll let Alton tell you more (because who has not learned more from Alton Brown in one episode of Good Eats than in all 4 years of high school science classes?)...



Here is the gift catalog. Do a little holiday shopping!

And Heaven and Nature Sing

I love hymns, ancient and modern. There is just something about theologically rich, well-written, Christ-exalting music that proclaims the gospel to your soul. Many of the songs we typically think of only around Christmas time are incredible proclamations of the glory of the Incarnation that we would do well to meditate on throughout the year. Some of these songs were written hundreds of years ago. Some were written in the last decade.

Andrew Peterson, one of my very favorite singer/songwriters, has a beautifully done album all about the coming of Christ. He begins in Genesis, which is where we first receive the Promise that God will deliver His people, and follows the promises throughout the Old Testament, culminating, of course, with Christ's birth.

If you have never heard the album I recommend you CLICK HERE and get it! One of my favorite songs on it is called "Labor of Love" and the first line is "It was not a silent night. There was blood all around." Now that's my kind of Christmas song.

So check it out. And listen to it all year long. Because as believers in Christ, his Incarnation is a precious truth that we celebrate all year long.

Making a List--UPDATED

Before I lie down tonight, here is what I would like to accomplish

1. Make up bed with clean sheets. (update: made bed...same sheets...kids got in made bed and now it is no longer made...story.of.my.life.)
2. Fold and put away all laundry. (update: might still happen)
3. Hang all clothes that go on hangers. (update: DONE)
4. Clean bathroom counter and mirror. (update: not looking good)
5. Paint the rest of the shelves. (update: the Boss told me to wait til he sands them more)
6. Vacuum. (update: not happening)
7. Clean kitchen. (update: almost finished...had to cook dinner which made the job more involved)
8. Clean out magical minivan. (update: still filled up will all manner of books, papers, sippy cups, shoes, and junk mail)
9. Gather all books scattered throughout the house. (update: gathered some)
10. Deposit checks. (update: went to Target for more cleaning supplies and ran out of time...bank closes too early)
11. Print out Jesse Tree stuff. (update: maybe next year)
12. Straighten boys' rooms. (update: what's the point?)

Ok, that should be enough to keep me busy for today. I just put the Brothers Rives down for their naps so I will go get to work.

ps--the shelves are in and they look awesome! I just need to paint the little shelves that go inside because Kris made it to where they are adjustable. After that, I will post pics. My man did an incredeible job!!!

Later On We'll Conspire

I think the scales at doctors offices (specifically OBs) are not balanced properly. I think all the obstetricians got together and decided to set their scales to weigh you at a good four to five pounds heavier than you really are. They keep you under their thumb better this way. You're defeated and desperate, therefore more inclined to do whatever they tell you.

Well I'm on to them and their evil plot (did I mention I'm pregnant?)

I get on the scale for my first appointment and I weighed--of course--4 pounds more than I did just 30 minutes before on my scale at home (which I know to be highly accurate.) So the nurse asks me my pre-pregnancy weight. So I just added four pounds to what I knew my starting weight to be. Take that. You're gonna have a faulty scale, then I'm gonna make the necessary adjustments. No condescending glances or offers of an appointment with a nutritionist for me, thank you kindly. (maybe I've been down this road before?)

So yeah, July 3. I'll be 10 weeks on Wednesday. Everything looks good. Got to see a sweet little heartbeat. Very happy and thankful indeed.

I really did try to make it a real button with a real code but, as usual, I couldn't make it work and I gave up. So you have 2 options: figure out how to turn this picture into a button and post the code for the rest of us OR just save this pic to your computer and add it to your blog.

Either way, DBC '09 starts tomorrow. Fa la la la la la!

DBC--Monday--Be There

2 more days to rest up and then it is ON. And that blog button is coming--pinky swear.

Because what else would I post about today?

Snow in Houston. If it happens, we make sure everyone hears about it. I'm looking out my window at the downy flakes falling softly and quickly. A beautiful sight no doubt, but to really enjoy it, one needs the proper attire and it seems hard to justify snowsuits for the family when this only happens once a year.

We started the day with a light flurry that we made sure to go out and rejoice in just in case this was The Great Snowfall of '09.




I promise there really are little flakes. Really.

Then we came inside and played for a little while and decorated the Christmas tree, which, it must be said, is no easy feat with Thing 1 and 2 lending a hand. We ate lunch as we watched the flakes grow in size and speed. Excited that it was actually sticking to the ground, we headed back out to enjoy the snow a little more.



But as it turns out, fleece jackets aren't really ideal snow-wear. So back inside, in the very spirit of Tim Gunn, to "make it work!" When we were staying with my aunt and uncle in Memphis about 2 years ago, it snowed and my Aunt Ginny put together an impressive makeshift snowsuit for Asher using grocery sacks, ziplocs, and rubberbands. Using the knowledge I gained then combined with Patti's idea for garbage bag panchos, I whipped together a snow-playing-in ensemble.




Asher's fireman boots came in very handy today while Jude got to sport the ziploc bag/croc snowboot. We played for a while, but their little red and runny noses let me know that it was time to go inside. Plus it was naptime and snow or not, those boys lay down at 1pm.

Stay warm, y'all.

DBC '09

Doesn't this seem like it was just yesterday?

Don't even try to tell me you haven't been looking forward to this all year. Seriously, I won't believe you so don't.

As Robin mentioned on Sunday, the Third Annual December Blog Challenge is right around the corner. Those of you that have participated in past years know the holiday fun and mayhem that will undoubtedly ensue.

Here are the rules: from Dec. 7 (Monday) til Dec. 20 post everyday and put as the title of your post a title of or a line from a Christmas song. If you haven't joined us before, you simply must this year. Ask anyone who's done it--it will change your life. Ok, maybe not...but it is fun to see how much we will stretch the meaning of a Christmas song to make it fit the content of our post.

Leave me a comment to let me know if you are in! I think I'll list all the participants in my side bar (along with the really cool DBC '09 button that will soon be created for you to proudly display) so we can all keep up with the merry-making.

Our Family--Thanksgiving 2009

Remember November?

I barely do. And it's almost over! here's what we've been up to this month...

--We went to Dewberry Farm. It was lots of fun for the boys--plenty of climbing and riding and playing with lots of our good friends. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch--or what was left of it.

Unfortunately, this was the only picture I managed to snap of the boys together.



Not sure what's more pitiful--the decimated desert they tried to sell to us as a pumpkin patch or poor Jude.

But after he got up, he owned that place.



--Asher and Jude played several concerts--The Living Room Sessions. Outfits of choice that evening were Daddy's shirts.



--We had a craft day with our Bible study group. Here are the pictures our kiddos made. They did surprisingly well! (or their moms did in some cases...hmmm....)



Let's see...what else, what else?

--Oh yeah--I turned 30. Here's some pictures of my kids eating my dessert. There aren't actually any pictures of me from that day. But the devouring of the Tres Leches is well documented.



Jude was under the impression we were reenacting the scene from his birthday.



--And finally, last night we went to The Downtown Aquarium with our friends, the Leathermans. All the boys loved it and what made it even better was getting in for $5 each instead of the usual $16 thanks to it being Aldine ISD day. Just one more perk to being in public education. The list just goes on and on.

We saw lots of amazing sea creatures! Jude went diving to get a closer look.



In addition to the bazillion gallons of tanks there, they have a huge white tiger. I'm sure there is some sort of correlation, but it was lost on me. So we just said hi to the real tiger behind the glass and then posed with other real tiger for a few quick pics.




Fearless those boys are!

Then we moved on to the real fun--the carousel, ferris wheel, and train.




The lighting was bad, but the other reason for the blurriness is that this carousel was moving at warp speeds. Russ was holding on for dear life. He may have screamed like a girl--can't really remember.



Normally, I love ferris wheels, but there is something about being SO high with my children who have very little fear or appreciation of gravity. I was a nervous wreck and Asher and Jude just wanted to be put down so they could hang out over the side.




Needless to say, we only rode once.

Whew! Now you're caught up. Soon, they'll probably reel me in to particiapte in The Real Housewives of Harris County and then you can just tune in to see what we're up to, but for now, enjoy my sporadic updates :)

New Shoes!

My Ssekos came in and I love them! Still learning all the ways to wear them and wishing I had more straps--soon enough I'm sure.

But here is a little video that shows one of the looks.



Have you ordered yours yet?

The More, the Merrier!

This is what our little play group looked like 2 years ago.



And this is what it looks like today!



From the left: Asher and Jude, Jax and Tye, Josh and Dash, Travis (big bro to Cana and his mama is pregnant!) and Josiah and Naomi.

We've added friends and siblings and there are more babies on the way! Bethany will need to purchase a longer couch for our picture next year.

Happy Non-Specific Fall Holiday

We are lovers of reformed theology therefore our hats go off to Dr. Martin Luther as we commemorate the nailing of the 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenburg on October 31, 1517.

But with all due respect to the Protestant Reformation, we trick-or-treated this year. We went to Grammy's house and had a blast with cousins Reagan (aka Hannah Montana) and Reed (aka big scary green dragon.)

Asher loved dressing up as a fireman and Jude was his trusty sidekick, a Dalmatian (not a COW thank you very much.)



Reagan and Reed were very cooperative during picture-taking which is more than I can say of my own two little darlings.



But thanks to Aunt Mindy for capturing this day for us because I neglected to take one picture with my own camera. Hers are always better anyway.

Every Sandal Has a Story

Heather over at Sit a Spell recently posted (like yesterday I think) about an incredible company called Sseko Designs. Sseko was created by Liz, a woman who--get this--saw a need and did something about it. Novel idea, I know. What about that concept do I not get? Anyway--back to Sseko.

The need she saw was this: Ugandan women needing a way to earn money to continue their education. You can read more about it here.

Sseko is a "not just for profit" organization (don't you love that!) Liz broke out of that false dichotomy that says you can either make money or do good. Why not both? Why choose between helping those in need, improving a local economy, and making a quality product when you can do it all?

I ordered a black pair because I'm so adventurous, but there are so many cute patterns to choose from. So go check out Sseko Designs and we can all be cute and socially responsible together!

Asherisms

Dinner last night...
"This is actually pretty good!"

This morning when a commercial for The Nutcracker came on...
"Look, Mama! The Cheese Cracker!"

Whatever It Takes

This was taken a few weeks ago in the early days of potty training. There was very little I said "no" to during that phase.



Jude just wanted to be prepared for the worst.

Yes, Jude Got a Haircut!

It was time. The curls were precious but they were getting a little out of hand. And Asher was starting to think he had a sister because people would comment on our cute little girl or tell him how pretty his "sister" was. Judah is pretty--gets it from his daddy--but that's not really the look we were going for.

So I took him to Snippets, a kids haircutting chain...against my better judgement, I might add. You aren't working at Snippets because you were at the top of your class in cosmetology school. But I wanted a kid-friendly and budget-friendly place. And since I used a coupon, I got both at Snippets. She did an "ok" job but since his hair has so much texture and curl, any uneveness kind of blends in. She was very sweet and patient though...almost as important as talent. Almost.






Everyone who sees him now comments on how grown up he seems. He changed from a baby into a little boy while sitting in that big pink chair. A little boy that doesn't leave the house without his lovey, mind you, but a little boy nonetheless.