Because everyone loves to look at pictures of Asher, right?

"Get my good side. Oh, wait a minute, I only have good sides!"



"Uhh...Mom...a little help here!"



"Get me out of this dumb hat."


"Thanks!"

Rives Family Update (or the " I can't think of anything else to write about and I'm sick of seeing that YouTube screen" Post)

The Rives family is doing well. Here's what's happening in our lives:




--Asher is as cute as he can be. He is almost rolling over but I think he realizes that once he does, it will just put him on his stomach--the last things he wants to see happen.

--Kris is enrolled in the ACP (Alternative Certification Prgram) at the local college to get his teaching certificate and that is going well. He is getting to see the utter lunacy that is public education--something I know all too well. He has classes 2 nights a week so we really miss seeing him, but it is just for a season. And it will be so worth it to have him closer to home.

--I have been in "organizing mode!" I busted out the old labelmaker and I have been going to town! Our linen closet, our "multi-purpose" room, Asher's closet, and the laundry room have all gotten some much needed attention. Thanks to Denise for her inspiring posts that got me moving!

--I got my hair cut--at the place next to the Chevron.
The best part--it was only $17.00


--We are still on the South Beach (the diet, not the locale.) Kris, of course, continues to lose while I walk every day, do Pilates 3 times a week, and watch what I'm eating, and have not lost in about a month, but whatever. My clothes definitely fit better and I can see the changes, but I still want to see that number move!

--We have been attending a community group at Laura and Charlton's house and it has been so good. We are going through the book of James and have really enjoyed getting to know everyone and the lively discussions of God's Word. I didn't realize how much I needed this in my life right now. So to all of you who read this that attend, please know how grateful we are for you and the time we spend in the Word together.

I think that about sums it up. Not much happening, but more and more I am seeing the glorious in the mundane...and it just makes me smile.

You Tube Bandwagon...

...we're jumpin' on.



It's nothing fascinating (to people not a Rives or a Bobbitt) and the camera work leaves much to be desired. But I felt left out! I needed video on my blog, too! And Tye and Josiah and Jon David all just looked so precious on theirs, so Asher needed to join the ranks!

Also, Asher updated his blog so you should check it out. And there are new pics on Shutterfly.

Question for you

If you were a bird. where would you build your nest? A tree? A bush perhaps?

Or maybe a driveway.



This is the "nest" that some crazy bird built in the middle of my parent's driveway. Here is a shot of the driveway for some perspective.




The observant reader will note the abundance of greenery to the left and right of the driveway. But why do it the easy way. Anyone can lay and hatch eggs in a nice, safe tree. Not many can pull it off while dodging cars, critters, and who knows what else that may slither across that driveway.

And it's not like Mama Bird stays with the eggs, either. The first sign of a car, animal, or person and she hightails it out of there. That is just not good parenting. I'm not claiming to be "mother of the year," but come on!

Strange, right? I'm sure you're riveted now, so I will try to keep you updated on the status of the eggs. Check back often.

Father's Day

Today is Kris' first Father's Day. Part of the reason I married this guy is because I knew he would be an incredible dad. And he is. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. He sings to Asher and the little guy is mesmerized.

2. He is always talking to him about who God is and what He has done.

3. He reads to Asher and does all of the voices.

4. Sometimes I have to race him to see who will get to get Asher out of bed when he wakes up and be his hero for the morning.

5. He is changing careers to have more time with him.

6. He tells me when an outfit I pick out is too girly so Asher's friends don't beat him up (Kris feels this is a very real threat if too much plaid and/or pastels are involved.)

7. As soon as he walks through the door when he gets home from work, Asher is in his arms.

8. He models for our son what tender strength look like.

9. He is so attentive to details about Asher that sometimes I even miss (oops...those nails should be clipped.)

10. He prays for Asher, knowing that God must grant him salvation, that he would repent and believe.

I could go on...new things are added to the list daily. He is such an amazing dad and we are so blessed that he is ours!

Baby vs. Wild

Kris and I love watching the show on Discovery channel "Man vs. Wild." The guy who is on it, Bear, puts himself in all sorts of desperate situations and then proceeds to get out of them using his keen survival skills.

In one of the episodes, he is in the Serengeti and happens upon a freshly-killed zebra. Next, he says what we would all say in that situation, "This is good meat. I will eat it." He then takes a hunk of meat off of the carcass and actually puts it in his mouth and chews. Are you grossed-out?

I tell you all of this because we have taken to referring to Asher as "Bear" because of what he does with this toy.




Yummmm. That's good zebra.



Our little wilderness baby!

Happy Anniversary

Today is our second wedding anniversary! We celebrated by eating a fabulous lunch in The Woodlands while Mamaw watched Asher. Two years have flown by and I suspect the time goes by even faster now that we have a little one.

It was been an incredible two years filled with so many great memories. We continue to be honored to have the opportunity to take part in God's design for demonstrating to the world the love between Christ and the Church. Although we are a dim reflection of the reality, we realize what a huge responsibility it is to portray, as we are given grace to do so, a picture of faithful love, selfless serving, and humble submission.

Oh No!

"I'm 4 months old already?"

My little Asher is 4 months today. I have no idea how long he is or how much he weighs, but I would guess about 14 lbs. He's a big boy and we have learned not to despair over small beginnings!

ps--I picked him up right after I snapped this shot and he calmed down--no worries.

A Recipe (who knew!)

I just thought I would see how far of a departure I could make from my typical self. So I will post a recipe. Kris and I had this last night (so Asher had it a few hours later.) It is Baked Pesto Chicken and it is super easy. Here ya go...

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I cut off all visible fat because that's just gross and I pound the chicken so it is even in thickness by putting it in a ziploc bag and pounding the heck out of it with one of those little meat hammers--whatever they're called))
1/2 jar of pesto (Or I'm sure you little Betty Crockers out there could make your own)
shredded mozzerella (as much or as little as you like)

All you do after that is heat the oven to 375 and spread 1/2 the pesto on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Salt and pepper the chicken and put it in the dish. Then put the rest of the pesto on the chicken and cover with foil and bake for 25-30 min. Then uncover, add the cheese, and bake for another 5 min.

I made some whole wheat pasta (because we are all about South Beach here) and served the chicken on top of it. It was pretty good.

I think now I have secured my place in the Traci/Rebecca/Robin club. Not necessarily based on merit, but on effort.

I am not an Aggie

**A brief explanation for my readers who may not be familiar with the term "aggie." It refers to those who attend or have attended Texas A&M University. To just give you an example of an Aggie, those who are one are trying right now to figure out why I think I need to explain what one is because they assume EVERYONE knows--how could they not?***

Kris is. I'm just not. I'm sorry. I went to Lamar University. So many of our friends did attend there and when they find out that I didn't, a brief look of pity crosses their faces. Robin's husband once told us that Kris was my "kinsmen redeemer," saving me from the shame of my non-A&M past.

But I humor Kris and even took a picture of our little boy sporting an Aggie hat. And I have to admit, he looks pretty cute!



And now a few things that you probably couldn't care less about...

---I need a haircut. My hair is way too long. My husband's only request is that it stays long enough to pull back into a ponytail. Fair enough. But the thing is, I am no longer at a place in life where I can afford $60 cuts. I probably should have never been getting $60 cuts. So now I need to find a reasonable but amazingly talented hair person. Any suggestions, greater Houston area friends?

---I need to hang pictures on my walls. They are quite bare. I used to think I could decorate a house pretty easily, but it turns out that I can't. I like our cookie-cutter, no-character house, I really do! It just needs a little something. Any suggestions, greater Houston area friends?

---New pictures on Shutterfly!

1986

It was a good year. I graduated from kindergarten. I started first grade. What a life! Can you spot me?

And I would like to mention that my husbad was in fourth grade at this time.

Cradle-robber.

A few pictures

Proposed birth announcement

Is there a statute of limitations on sending out birth announcements? I hope not, because I just got around to making Asher's. I designed this one...what do you think?

And please be excited when you receive yours in the mail even though you have already seen it.

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school. I haven't been in the classroom since February 7, but I went up today to tie up some loose ends and to tell my students goodbye.

The whole time I have been a teacher, I have looked forward to the day when I could be a stay-at-home mom. There were mornings that I would dread going to school. In fact, for a while I thought that the reason I became a teacher was because I wanted a job that I could leave easily when I had kids. But as it turns out, leaving is a little harder than I thought it would be. It seems like when something draws to a close, it's much easier to remember all of the good things.

Most of teaching, I will not miss. The pushy parents (some, not all,) the paperwork that has nothing to do with teaching a child, the kids who never listen or never turn in work. But I will miss seeing the look on a child's face when he finally "gets" how to add double-digit numbers. I will miss watching a kid sound out a really big word and then look up at me to make sure I am impressed. I will miss 25 minute lunch periods and that puppy dog smell that second graders have after recess and PE...wait a minute! Seriously though--being a teacher is hard and often frustrating, but I have had a great 3 years, and I am grateful for them.

And it's not like I'm not a teacher any more. I have the amazing oppourtunity to teach every day. Even now, when Asher lies down and when he rises up and as we walk along the way, I am charged with teaching him who God is and what He requires.

Double-digit addition was nothing!

Sip N See

On Sunday, my very good friends held a "Sip n See" for Asher and me. If you are unfamiliar with this, it is kind of like a baby shower but the baby is actually there...and you see him...and you sip something (punch and tea in our case.)

It was a lot of fun! My good friends that I hardly ever get to see anymore where there. Here are a few pictures...

Angie and Asher


Tina, Asher, and me


Hilary, Donna, and Reese


Stacy, Sandy, Kara, Carolyn, and baby Cameron


And here are a few of Asher in his new bumbo that Donna gave him. He loves it!

Date Night

Kris and I have been wanting to see Shrek the Third so Asher's wonderful Mamaw came over to babysit last night. We haven't been to a movie in quite a while, so we were really looking forward to going on a date. Since we didn't want to be gone too long, we went to the theater near our house. We usually like to go somewhere else, because this theater is not the cleanest. We were reminded why we don't go there as the evening progessed.

First of all, it was filthy! To find a seat, we literally had to pick the one with the least popcorn on it and brush it off. It was so bad that Kris actually went and told a manager how gross it was. A few emplyees came in and started sweeping the trash around, not really "up." Then there were problems with the movie so it started late.

The movie finally begins and we chuckled at a few things, but it wasn't all that great. I was so tired and missing Asher on top if it, so I wasn't having the best time. Then, with about a quarter of the movie left, the screen goes blank. We looked at each other and Kris said "Let's get our money back and get out of here."

So after haggling with the manager, who wanted to give us passes and not a refund for a movie theater that we never intend on going to again, we got our money back and went home. The tickets, by the way, were $9.00 each! Ridiculous! Our new policy is to wait until movies come out on DVD and rent them from the $1 a day kiosk at the grocery store.

To sum up...Shrek is not that good, tickets cost way too much, and I would rather spend a night at home with my husband and baby then go out. I think I'm officially old now.

Our Family

I feel the need to post

...but I can't think of anything fascinating to write. I really wanted to come up with some thought-provoking, insightful words to really give my readers something to chew on, but that just doesn't seem like it's going to happen. I haven't slept through the night in over 3 months so my brain activity is not quite up to par. So I'll just give you a few tidbits of what is going on in our lives now.

1. Asher is doing great. He is sleeping better (although right now he is in his bed protesting his morning nap...loudly!) He is smiling all the time (except for when the camera is out.) He is 14 weeks today!

This one is a little dark, but you can still see the smile.


Here's one with Uncle Micah.




2. Kris has decided to get his teaching certificate. He loves working for his dad but the drive (over an hour each way) is getting to be too much, especially when you have an adorable baby to come home to. He hopes to find a PE job because his degree is in health so most of his upper level classes are Kinesiology based, but will probably also take a qualifying exam for grades 4-8, just in case a PE job doesn't come up. He will be a fantastic teacher and any school will be incredibly blessed to have him!

3. South Beach diet fun continues! It has been profitable though because I have lost almost 20 lbs. and Kris has lost over 20! I have promised myself not to eat the way I did during my pregancy with Asher when I am pregnant next time (which will be quite a while from now, Lord willing.) I'm almost at my pre-preg weight, but in order to get to my wedding day weight, I still have about 20 more to go. My goal is to be there by my birthday(Nov. 18), which is 9 months after I had him...following the 9 months on, 9 months off theory.

4. I entered the "Real Simple" magazine organizing contest. You send in 2 pictures of a room that needs help and hope they pick you to come and work their magic! Here are the 2 photos I submitted of our library/recording studio/office/sewing room/guest room.

I should totally win, right? I'll let you know...

I guess that's it! Have a great day!

A lot changes in 3 months...

I can hardly believe how much he has grown already! The sagging skin and wrinkled forehead are gone! In its place are fat rolls and two chins!

This weekend we will attend the NICU reunion. Apparently every year, The Woman's Hospital hosts a reunion for all the babies that have been in the NICU. I think it is to encourage those of us with babies still trying to catch up by seeing the older kids that have risen above their tiny beginnings. The nurses come too and I'm sure they are encouraged by seeing their little patients doing so well. We are definitely looking forward to it!

p.s. new pics on Shutterfly :)

I forgot to tell you...

I finished Asher's bedding!

And he is sleeping in his bed!!! I started the whole "Babywise" thing last week and he is doing great with it. He sleeps in his own bed and takes several naps during the day---which he never did before. I was worn out and so was he! Last night was a little rough, but he has been averaging about 4 hours from feeding to feeding during the night. It was every hour and a half so I am thrilled with the progress! He fusses a little when he goes down for naps, but at night, he goes right to sleep.

He is almost 13 weeks and packing on the pounds (roughly 10 of them.)


****UPDATE: We went to the dr. today (5/8). He's been waking up at night not able to breathe very well--she thinks he has acid reflux :( But the good news is he weighed 11 lbs. 4 oz. !!! Granted that was with a diaper, a onesie, and shorts on, but still...! *****


Here are a few recent pictures...

Check out the leg chub! We are most proud of it!




He went over to Tye's house and played a few days ago. Here is a great picture of the two of them...what do you think the caption should be for this one?