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.

this used to be a lot easier...

Remember this?



Piece of cake!

And this?



A breeze!

But this?



Lord, give me strength.

The annual Rives Family Pumpkin Pictures. God bless those Episcopals and their pumpkins--they let us come sit on and carry around and drop their pumpkins every year and are just as sweet about it as they can be.

As you will see, I struggled to get one (just one for crying out loud!) of The Brothers Rives both looking the same way and flashing those million dollar smiles. But what we did get was cute because it is just SO them--squirmy, messy, and a tad uncooperative. Those with the distinct honor of having one and two year old boys know of what I speak.

Here are a few... (oh, Robin--had you only visited just one week later...)







and finally, the four of us



Happy Fall, Y'all!

And I'm Back(ish)

I know I've refused to admit that this blog is one of those mommy-blogs and I'm afraid if I go into too much detail regarding the potty-training, I will never again be able to maintain my stance. And who really wants to read about that anyway?

So let's just say Asher is doing very well and I am most pleased with buying diapers for only one now.

Now I need to find a new excuse for my lack of posts...

potty training

enough said. i'll be back soon. i hope.

To My Party Animal...

Happy 14 Months! Maybe I'll get you a haircut for your present.

But enough about me...

Let's talk about you. What do you think of me?


Oh, I'm kidding. Back to pics of the kids. Let's see if I can beat my record of most unrelated pictures in one post accompanied by least interesting captions. Readysetgo.

This was right after I told them to make sure they leave all of the toys in the playroom alone and come into the bathroom with me while I try to get ready.



We all know Judah Barracuda could benefit from a little trim, but pictures like this make it seem quite urgent.



Asher hit his head on the tile floor a few days ago. A rather impressive goose egg appeared within seconds. I was answering the door when the incident occurred and he was less than forthcoming with the details. Memory loss or up to no good?



We love Yummy Earth lollipops over here--no fake dyes or sweeteners. But some of us still struggle with our technique. In this picture it looks like Jude finished his off, but he is actually just holding it by the candy part. And it appears that he has rubbed his stickiness all over his face and hair. I just like making more work for myself.



We have not "officially" started potty-training yet but occasionally Asher likes to act out what it would theoretically look like if he were to use the potty. And Jude occasionally likes to join him.



I think I'm going to wait to begin potty-training until the dead of winter when I can't leave the house anyway since I completely shut down in cold weather. Seriously, I hate it. So we'll be inside either way--why not do a little potty-training then?

And, finally, here are Kris and Asher chatting with Randall Goodgame after his show Wednesday night. Asher thanked him for writing, what I'm sure Mr. Goodgame considers his finest work to date,Bears.

One Year Ago

Jude was much, much smaller and I was much, much bigger.



I miss the sweet little onesies but not the maternity pants.

Top Chef

Asher is cooking in style now thanks to the "new" kitchen I found on a local online- classifieds site. Oh, how I love a bargain.




Why yes...it is Pottery Barn Kids...thanks for noticing. And yes...it is blue. It may be a play kitchen, but it's a manly one.

So Merry Christmas, Asher, from us and Mamaw and Poppy. You're in charge of the turkey.

For All Those Wondering...

what have those Rives boys been up to?

Other then crossing the last few classics off of their summer reading lists, you mean, right?

Well, they've been eating, of course.



Every. Last. Crumb.



Asher has been learning how to spell his name.


He did this all by himself. So far, we have the "A" down for sure.




Jude has become somewhat confident in his walking skills but gets most upset when he can't walk and play guitar at the same time. Shortly after this picture was taken there was a great fit. It's so frustraing when you can envision yourself a traveling musician but just can't quite make it happen yet. All in good time, my boy.



And I learned that shorts or pants are a necessity now.



The end.

Hilarity Ensued

I can't figure out why the sound isn't working. I took the video on my phone and there is audio when I watch it there, but it isn't working on You Tube. Anyone know why this might be?

In hindsight, the eating of waffle fries while encouraging Jude to laugh more was probably a mistake. But it is rare to catch Jude in a full on laughing fit so I didn't want to ruin the moment. Thankfully, he didn't choke so this video is still funny.

If your wondering what was so comical, it was Asher and I swatting mosquitoes. I know--hysterical, right! And I love the ending--Asher wrapping it up with a big "cheese!" and a swig of milk. Classic.

my blog is on my nerves

I just spent the better part of the last hour trying to change to a 3 column layout and when that went horribly wrong, I decided to change my background, which proceeded to go horribly wrong.

I have to many "textures" happening and the words are hard to read but I'm tired and I'm done for the night.

Why do I undertake major blog changes at 10 in the evening?