Ketchup

We visited a church one time where they were apparently behind on their budget so their brilliant solution was to launch a "ketchup" campaign so everyone could "catch-up" on their giving. Everyone was issued red ketchup squirt bottles to fill with money and bring back the following Sunday. They even had guys walking around in huge ketchup costumes...you know, like the ones in the book of Acts.

Well, there are no costumes or little red squeeze bottles here, but I do need to play a little catch-up.


Last week, we went to the zoo with Patti and her kids. Asher and Hudson are about the same age. The animals were nice, but getting freed from the stroller to play in the leaves was the highlight of their trip, I think.



Notice the awesome "ta-gah" on Asher's shirt that his Mamaw got for him.

Later that week, we attended The Woman's Hospital of Texas NICU reunion. We missed it last year so we decided we should go, just to see if it is worth it to go each year. It was kind of a bummer because we didn't see anyone that we knew or any of the nurses that took care of Asher. But the good part was that there wasn't one baby in there that looked like he or she started out life in intensive care. Next year, it might be at the Children's museum and if that's the case, we'll go.



Next up was Josiah's first birthday party. We had a to get a few "Tye-Josiah-Asher" pictures now that they are all big one year olds.



Here they are about a year ago--my how they've grown!


(Josiah, Asher, Tye)


Can you spot the birthday boy in the picture below?



Since it was Saturday, Kris was at work at Second doing his audio thing. Asher and I decided to be productive and get some housework done. We started in the living room. The before...



and the after...



My special cleaning helper abandoned me half way through the job to attend to an urgent highchair repair.



Hopefully, the straps are working just fine now.

Then we moved on to the kitchen. The before...




and the after...


This was the only picture that didn't come out too dark, but trust me when I tell you, the rest of it was spic and span.

Regrettably, I was abandoned again by my special cleaning helper during the process. This is where I found him as I was finishing up...



He had some reading to catch up on, so I let him do what he needed to do.

After that, I was wiped out so that ended the cleaning frenzy.

And that catches you up. Sad, right? No blogging for almost a week and that's all you missed. But if anything exciting does happen, I'll be sure to let you know.

Busy at Work

Asher spent a good 20 minutes "working" on his highchair. We're not really sure what was so intriguing or pressing that he felt it deserved his undivided attention for so long, but I guess he knew what he was doing.



I've also been trying to catch his "conversations" on video. He is a non-stop talker with hand and facial gestures and appropriate intonation changes. It is so funny and I really wish I knew what he was saying. I love his babbling, especially when he says something and then cracks up laughing. As more and more words immerge, I know that these days of sweet made-up language will end.

So I got a little bit of talking on this one. Not a lot, as he was very focused on the task at hand.

One (okay, make that two) small steps for Asher

Maybe it was the shame of being the only guy in the group not walking. Maybe it was the lure of Dumbo being held just a few inches out of reach. Maybe it was to get his nagging mama off his back.

Either way, my little man took 2 steps all by himself today. I doubt he was aware that it happened, but I clapped and cheered like he had been planning it all along. Bethany and Tye were over and Bethany held out Dumbo for Asher to get. I let go of his hand and he took two (albeit shaky and wobbly) steps to claim his beloved elephant.

When you are almost 6 months pregnant and your almost 14 month old child weighs 24 pounds, 2 steps is a huge deal! Carrying two babies, even when one is on the inside, is hard work.

And speaking of walking, a huge shout-out to Josiah, who is now a pro!

Dat! Dat!

"Dat" (that) is Asher's newest addition to his vocabulary. When he wants something, he points at it and utters a frantic string of "dat!, dat!"'s. Then he usually follows it with a lengthy explanation of what he wants and why he wants it but that part is a bit harder to understand.

I try to figure out what he is poiting at and then call it by it's real name, but he just looks at me like, "Yeah, dat! Why are we still discussing this?"

He has also started saying "ta-gah" (guitar.) He gets very excited when he sees Kris' guitar case and points at it saying "ta-gah!" hoping that Kris will take it out and he will get to play. The other night, we were at my parents house and he sat in 3 different people's laps looking through my dad's Acoustic Guitar magazine. Right now, he is sitting at my feet holding an old electric guitar with no strings on it in his lap and is quite content.

The really fun part is when we are at church and Kris is playing up front. We are trying to teach him to sit with us during worship but for the first 5 or 10 minutes of music, he is fighting with all his might to get to "Da" who is playing his "ta-gah." Thankfully the other people in our church are very patient as we train our child what is appropriate behavior during the service!

For Robin

I took this for you today at H.E.B. with my phone. Ugli fruit is apparently low in acid with a sweet flavor. There is nothing ugli about that.

Feel free to link to this post from your explanation of ugli fruit.

Then and Now

March 2007

March 2008

I know the whole point is to actually grow and get bigger, but seriously, why does he already look more "big boy" and less "baby boy?" I think it has a lot to do with shoes. Socks and shoes age a baby. After seeing this picture, I don't think he's allowed to wear them any more.

ps-- Happy First Day of Spring!

“I guess you just stick to it, come what may.”

That is the key to a lasting marriage, according to Mayme Vail, who has been married to her husband for 83 years.

Complex simplicity at its best. You just keep your promise.

It's funny how the majority of couples in this country think that actually staying married is just way too hard and that those who do manage have somehow tapped into an earth-shattering secret that isn't for all to know.

83 years later, "I do" still means something to them...very refreshing!

It's Official!

Our poor little nameless baby is nameless no more, thanks to the final name approver guy's final name approval.

Our little boy's name is Judah Kristopher Rives. I plan on calling him Jude for short. Judah means "praise" and Kristopher, besides meaning "super cute guy that I love," also means "Christ-bearer." I'm very excited that it is official!

Let the monogramming begin!

It just gets more and more entertaining

Those boys! It had been a while since we attempted a group shot. We just thought it was tough to get a good picture back then! Now, it borders on impossible.


We have a new friend in our group now. Josh is about 5 months old and has a lot of fun watching those crazy big boys! It is so funny how the 3 Musketeers all look about the same size now. And as of March 31, they will all be in the "I'm one!" club.



Ummm...not sure what's going on here.



And that was the end of the photo session.



And speaking of entertaining...

This is me at 21 weeks. The size of the belly disturbs me a little. I guess Asher made it so any future babies would have plenty of room to stretch out.

Notice the nice, clean bathroom in the background. The maid forgot to come today--that's why it looks that way. Normally, it is spotless.

Riiight. I clean it once a month whether it needs it or not. ;)

Quote of the Week

"My time with you is like my pants...

...way too short."

--Kris Rives (who will never again buy jogging pants lined with cotton)

The People Have Spoken

Or at least 47 of you have.

It was a close one, with Judah Kristopher just barely edging out Judah Henry. I must admit, Judah Henry would be my first choice. But Henry is a name that is not going to fly with the final name-approver guy, even though it is absolutely adorable. The final name-approver guy and I have so much in common, but taste in names is not one of them.

So the winning name here is my second choice. I hope to announce our child's name soon. In the mean time, I'm calling him Jude* and I mentally add the asterisk when I do. I have to call him something!

Incidently, Kristopher Kevin Rives, Jr. got way more votes than I anticipated. Kris said we should name him that and call him "Dos." I said, "um, no."

Thanks for voting :)

I tried to resist taking this quiz...

...but I couldn't.

**note: I put in red the things that I think are baloney. But some of it was pretty right on. **

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven. You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue. You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched. You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions. Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice. (But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!) You excel in: Leadership positions You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

So what are you? (If you happen to be the quiz-taking sort...)

Kris and Jamie's Excellent Adventure

For the last few days, we have been in Memphis (Tennessee, not Egypt.) We flew out last Thursday to attend a wedding in which Kris was the best man and also to spend some time with my family that lives there.

The flight there was great. Our neighbor works for Continental and offered us Buddy Passes, which means the $900 per person round trip tickets were only $100 each. The catch of course is that you are flying stand-by. We got on the Thursday flight with no problem. Asher did really well! We were on the very last row of the plane right by the bathroom so everyone that walked by to use the facilities was greeted by Mr. Friendly Guy himself. He started getting a little antsy towards the end at which point I busted out the iced animal crackers--the pink and white kind with sprinkles! Oh yeah, baby. That boy is a cracker eating machine and could not have been more pleased with his treat.

Here are a few of us on Asher's first flight.

I look all busted (to borrow a Pez phrase) but Asher compensates for my lack of cuteness in this picture.




We were on one of those little Express Jets that only have one row with 2 seats and then another row with one seat. There was enough room that we had all three seats to ourselves so Asher got passed back and forth across the aisle.

We arrived in Memphis where my Aunt Ginny picked us up and we met my cousins for a fabulous BBQ dinner at Corky's. It was delish! The next day we got to visit my cousin Julie and her kids and then we had lunch with Wes (the groom) and some of his family.

That night we went to the rehearsal and dinner, which was more delicious BBQ (what do you expect--it's Memphis! What Tex-Mex is to us, BBQ is to them.)

Here is one of Kris, Wes, and Asher.


Here is Asher and Elvis, who was gracious enough to stop by the rehearsal dinner.



Asher was not impressed.


Since about 3:00 that afternoon, it had been snowing, which for us Texans was quite a sight. I have only ever seen little snow flurries, never actual snow that covers the ground! So even though it was way colder than I care for, it was a treat getting to see everything covered in white. We woke up the next day to about 4 inches of it on the ground. Of course none of us have proper snow attire, so Aunt Ginny (we stayed at their house and borrowed their car seat and van, making this trip so wonderful!) helped us put together a make-shift snow suit for Asher so we could go outside for a few minutes and get some pictures. We left his fleece sleeper on and then put his feet in ziploc bags which we fasted with rubber bands.





Then we put socks over the bags, then put his jeans on, followed by one more pair of socks. Then we put on a fleece jacket and then his coat and a hat (which we had to borrow from Julie's little boy. We were not prepared for this weather!) We topped it off with socks for mittens and he was good to go!



He had a lot of fun playing in that cold white stuff...



until he decided to act out that scene from "A Christmas Story."



Then Asher decided that he needed to taste the snow.





I had to borrow gloves and that head thing from Aunt Ginny. She even had to show me how to put it on!



The socks-for-mittens were not holding up too well so we went back in. But we sure did have fun!

That afternoon was Wes and Libby's wedding. Here is my little man looking so cute I almost cried.



Kris looked very handsome in his tux, but unfortunately this is the only picture we got. We waited way too late in the day to try to take a family picture. Asher was wiped out!





The happy couple...



We flew back home on Sunday. We got there about 11:30 and we were supposed to leave at 1:15, but with the winter weather, everything was off schedule so we didn't get seats on that flight. Or the 2:00 flight. Or the 4:20. But they assured us the 6:00 would have plenty of room. Asher had a blast pushing his stroller around the waiting area and interacting with all the people.



He loves, nay, needs, an audience, so he was fine as long as there was someone there to "ooh and aw" over his stellar snake impersonation or ask him how old he is. He fell asleep in his stroller for about an hour and a half, which was wonderful!

But then, around 5:00, we got the news that the 6:00 flight was now the 9:00 flight due to bad weather in Newark, where our plane was currently awaiting take-off. Lovely. We decided to call Aunt Ginny, who graciously came to our rescue, took us to buy more diapers (we had one left at this point,) and get some dinner. The change of scenery was much appreciated! We got back to the airport around 8:15 and took off a little after 9:00.

By this point, I was about to fall over. Being 5 months pregnant and spending all day at an airport is not something I would recommend. We loaded the plane with a VERY tired little boy who was still smiling and talking to everyone, bless his heart. He fell asleep for a little while on the plane, but never had a meltdown. We are so blessed to have such an easy-going baby! Please join me in praying that Jude* follows suit!

We landed around 10:45 where Susanna's husband, Kenny picked us up (THANK YOU, KENNY!!!) and brought us home. Asher was awake by this point and very happy to see his toys. He got a bath because, quite frankly, it had been a while, and went to bed. I did the same and slept hard!

And that was the end of our excellent adventure. I'm so glad we got to see everyone in Memphis, but it's good to be home!

A boy and his loveys...

It's a beautiful thing. He now calls Dumbo "Babo" and likes to crawl into his room and pull "babo" out of his bed. Usually, Dumbo is restricted to the bed only, but I have permitted some out-of-the-crib cuddling lately. But I draw the line there. That things gets gross enough just getting chewed on--I can't imagine what he would look like if he got to leave the house.

And I'm sure some of you are thinking, "there sure are a lot of pictures of Asher in just a diaper or just a shirt and diaper! Doesn't he have any clothes?" The answer is no, sadly, he has no clothes. But he is in 18 months clothing and he likes Children's Place ;)

Latest design

Asher's thank you notes

picture taken by Bethany

I finally got them all sent out...just shy of one month after the party. I'm not sure if I committed a serious breech in etiquette, but hopefully the cute picture will make up for any hurt feelings :)

I just mailed them Friday so if you didn't get a hand-delivered note, the USPS should have yours there shortly.

Why is everything funnier when said with a British accent?

It really "huhts!"

No idea who these kids are , but I laugh every time I watch this.

Outfits for "the boys"

"The boys." Poor guys--this is probably how I will refer to them. For example, to say "I'm taking Asher and Jude* on a walk today" would take way too long. So I will say "the boys" even though I think I shouldn't.

So I bought the boys matching outfits. Not that Carters rompers are the cutest things ever, but I was in the mood to buy Jude* something and I had a gift card to Babies R Us and I saw that these outfits came in Newborn all the way to 24 months. So this is what they got.

What I really want for them is an outfit like this, which I now know are called "jon-jons" (thanks Rebecca and Patti.)


Not to dress the boys in all the time...just every once in a while. Most of the time, I dress Asher in a scaled down version of what Kris wears--polos, khaki shorts, oxfords, etc. But he looked so sweet in his birthday outfit that we borrowed, I realized he needs a few more outfits like that. And I refuse to pay $45 for one. So either one of you needs to volunteer to make me one or I will have to make it myself. I am a sewing hack, but that hasn't stopped me before.

* Jude may or may not be this child's name, but the final name-approver guy has not yet given his final name approval. So I just went with it for the sake of this post and provided this disclaimer lest the final name-approver guy think me too forward.

A little Thursday randomness

Can I just tell you...

--I hate it when shirts come with extra buttons and thread. That is a red flag that, to me, means "this button will fall off at any moment." Just sew them on better and keep your stupid little baggie with the button in it.

--If you do a google search for "dumbo lovey blanket," this blog will be the fourth on the list.

--Ari is taking Asher's one year pictures next week and I am very excited about that!

--Asher's favorite word is "cracker." He says it all day long and really clearly, too. So we've been working on saying "brother" because if you can say "cracker," you can say "brother."

--I found my Bella Band! I lost it a few days ago and have been tearing the house apart looking for it! Now the number of pants that I can wear has gone back up.

--The song "Hey Jude" has been in my head all day long.

--We are going to see Matchbox Twenty tonight! I'm VERY excited! Mutemath is with them. I've never heard them before but I hear they are awesome. I'll let you know.

--We bought a paper shredder and my new favorite thing to do is shred junk mail.

OK, enough randomness for one day. I have to go sew a button on the shirt I want to wear tonight!

What the?

Are you guys voting for "Kristopher Kevin Rives, Jr." because you like it or because you hate Judah? Because honestly, that last one was a joke. I expected one vote for that from a certain person's husband who likes to be the dissenter on my polls.

Seriously--Junior? Maybe you should take another look at that FIRST ONE!!!

And just to clarify, he would go by Jude. (or junior, depending on how the poll goes.)

It's a...

We are thrilled to announce that we are having a little boy! It has been a memorable and exhausting day, and I'm too tired to type it all now, but just know that he is healthy and right on track. More later :)

Here's a quick little video that they shot in 3-D.



It's like he's saying, "I love it in here! I will stay in here longer than Brother did!"

And thanks to Kathy for reminding me of the "cat picture" in our last "It's a boy" post.

My Little Hobby

So I've decided to share with you all a little hobby of mine. This is something that I really enjoy doing and were it not for an over-saturated market and a slight inferiority complex, I might try to take this whole thing beyond hobby status. I like to design invitations, photo greetings, thank you notes, birth announcements, etc. I've got a lot to learn, but it is fun and I've really enjoyed making them.

Here are a few that I have created.

Asher's birthday invitation


Birth announcement 1


Birth announcement 2


Last year's Christmas card


Chrismas card 2


Shower invitation


Fall greeting



Just thought I'd share :)

"But don't you want to be surprised?"

I was surprised. About 15 weeks ago. Two pink lines...surprise! That's what I say to you "oh, we're not finding out what we're having" people.

I'm ready to know and the big ultrasound is this Tuesday! We are super excited to find out what we are having mainly because it gets rather tedious saying "he or she" or "him or her" or "the new baby" each time we refer to "him or her" (see what I mean.)

I think we have a girl name selected, as of last night. Boy name is still up in the air. If we are having a girl, her name will be Caroline. Not sure about a middle name yet.

According to several websites, Caroline means "joy" or "song of happiness" depending on which language you use. We think that fits in well with the theme we are trying to perpetuate. Or it could mean "manly" because it could be considered the feminine of Charles. We're gonna go with the former and just forbid her from playing softball (I'm kidding all you sportsy girls out there!)

Boy names are way harder, I think. Kris and I are still discussing our options. I think I like Judah, which means "praise." We could call him Jude, which I think is adorable. But Kris said we might as well just go with Jude if that is what we are going to call him. ButI kind of like doing a whole "tribes of Israel" thing. Not that we are planning on having 12 sons! I mean, "Reuben Rives?" or "Naphtali Rives?" I don't think so.

Either way, we are so excited to welcome this new baby into our family! I've enjoyed my boy SO MUCH! But girls look pretty fun, too. I'd say this is a win/win.

Nap Time

Taken when I was getting 2 hours of sleep at a time and would never have posted about how tired I am because he is sleeping through the night but only taking short naps.

Do you know what I would do if someone put me in my bed in the afternoon and told me to go to sleep? Kiss them and then go to sleep is what I would do.

Asher sees the world differently though. Nap time has always been a precarious thing at our house. He started out not a great sleeper at all. Then we moved to a great sleeper at night, not so much during the day. Then we went to sleeping great at night and taking a 3 hour nap. Then back to great nights, short naps. Now we are at wake up at 5:45 ready for the day and them take a 30 minutes afternoon nap and call that sufficient sleep.

Granted, he is teething right now. Normally, if he wakes up too early (like before 6:45 am) then he just gets to have a little private meditation time in his bed. But since he is teething, I am cutting him a little slack. He is whiny and clingy, which is very unlike him, so I know that he not feeling great. I'm very grateful that the Lord has given us teeth, but they are kind of a hassle as they come in.

But like right now, I just laid him is his bed for his afternoon nap. He still takes 2 naps most days. Sometimes I think he is ready to go to one (which ideally would be a really long one, but it never is) but then he changes his mind and acts like he still needs two of them. So anyway, I put him down at 1:30 and it is now 1:49 and he just fell asleep. He cried for 19 minutes off and on. He doesn't do it every time, but by now, shouldn't he see the whole nap thing coming and just go with it?

So any napping wisdom that anyone would like to pass on this way is welcomed. You know, the tried and true, works everytime for every kid secret that makes your baby sleep 13 hours at night and take a 3 hour nap..without the use of Benadryl, preferably.

googled again

a few more of the interesting Google searches that have brought people here...

grace for an 80th birthday lunch
grace to you pics
how much do pharmacy tech. make at walmart
one year check up
Retirement Cake remarks
pappasitos steak fajitas
"little sack of sugar", song

I must say I am honored that a search for Pappasitos would bring someone here. Whoever you are, I hope you went there and thought of me as you enjoyed the sheer bliss that is a fajita from the 'Sitos.

What's in a name?

I never used to think much about what names meant. I knew that in the Bible, a person's name was very significant, that it basically told a short, one-word story about that person. But today? It isn't often that you hear someone's name and then nod knowingly, as if they have just revealed their character or destiny to you.

Now, for the most part, parents just pick what they like. When I was pregnant with Asher, I tossed around all sorts of names that had been on my unofficial name list for a while. I couldn't have told you what any of them meant. But then Kris suggested the name Asher, which he told me meant "happy." The meaning is actually what sold me on the name. I really liked the thought of giving him a name which would hopefully describe his personality. Boy does it ever!

Now don't get me wrong. That child has his moments for sure! Kris and I joke to each other when he is in the midst of a whine or freak-out fest "is he always this happy?" because that is what we hear all the time from people. The answer is of course "no!" He is not always happy, but the usual tone of his disposition is.

He smiles and waves at most people he encounters, strangers and friends alike. He belly laughs when he gets tickled or startled. He talks and sings all day long, to me and to himself. He reads to himself and puts the book down for a moment to fully take in the joke he apparently just came across. He will pause his moment of utter despair to show you his tongue or tell you what the puppy-dog says and then return to the fit.

So I think that there is something to this name thing. Granted, I am basing this hypothesis on the results of an incredibly small test group, but still...I feel a little pressure now. Should we name this baby "Asher II" or "Asherina" a la George Foreman? That would probably get a little confusing.

Any name I like now has to pass the "meaning" test. And since I am very picky about names, this cuts the list of possibilities way down. The criteria is not too trendy, preferably not on the top 100 list, nothing starting with "Ky" or ending with "ly", no friends with that name, and now, must mean something positive. Ugh. This will be a challenge.

Any ideas?

Where's the love?

Just wanted to pass this on...



Not saying you have to leave me comments, but what kind of message does it send when you don't? I'm just saying.