mostly for the out-of-towners

Here are a few pics of us mosying around... nothing too exciting, especially considering my great lack of photography skills.  Grandparents and other adoring fans: feel free to look past that and enjoy the exquisitely dashing Richards clan.

sledding with Grandpa: could life get any better?

Here's what I woke up to one morning.  Never could I have imagined how priceless some 99-cent safari hats from Michael's could be.

This is Miss Caroline, pre-baldness.  Sure enough, she's losing hair by the hour!  We're holding our breath to see what comes in.  In the meantime, she's got some really cute veins on her head.

Ring-Around-the-Rosy with Grandma, aka Jack's fiance.  ("But Grandma, if I marry you, then I'll have TWO Grandma Richards!")

Happy 3-month Birthday, sweet Caroline!

This was supposed to be a perfect Valentines Morning photo op with the two boys kissing Caroline on her cheeks.  Sounds cute, right?  Jack, however, decided to let Froghead act as proxy for himself. Froghead doesn't like girls, I was informed, hence the distance from her.

Ah, the ExerSaucer!  A new phase begins, one in which my legs will now be clean shaven!

just a little amputation

For fear of this blog starting to sound like a bag-on-Nate forum, let me be clear:  he is a wonderful, compassionate physician, an awesome dad, and the only man on earth that could ever put up with all my antics.

That being said, I must chronicle our little twenty-second conversation this afternoon:

Nate: "Babe, let me call you back in a sec.  I'm just scrubbing in for a quick little amputation."

Me:  "A quick little WHAT?"

Nate: "Oh, just this old guy's foot.  It'll be quick, I promise."

And for once, I was the one who was speechless, even past the point of monosyllabic grunts.  

is this normal?

So, I just realized I had a complete, 10-minute, expressive, animated, and heartfelt conversation with my husband, who uttered two monosyllabic grunts. He then found great pleasure in mocking me. Hhhmmm.

oh, jacky...

Jack, Jacker, Jacksters, Jackaroo. He is my little man. What an exuberant fellow he is! When he's happy, man oh man is he an affectionate kiddo. He comes at life passionately, to put it mildly...

Yesterday, we're at Borders. "Mom, can I have a present?' "No, Jacky."

A few minutes later, "Mom, can Grant have a present?" "No, sorry, bud. Christmas is over and I don't have money for presents right now."

Again, a few minutes later, " Mom!!" (and let me be clear here, when Jack wants my or anyone's attention, he means business. LOUD and clear!) "Mom, do we still have some cookies?"

"Yes, bud."

"Well Mom, I don't need money. I'll just get Grant his present... with cookies!

I love him.

feelin' patriotic

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship."

I felt almost electric with chills today as I listened to Obama's inaugural address. I was proud to be a citizen of this great nation as I sat with Grant and tried to explain the magnitude of this historic day while we watched together. Whether or not you voted for him, don't you feel that this nation will be galvanized and refreshed as new challenges and opportunities are presented? I do. I look toward the future with hope and a curious sense of promise.

for the man

Happy Birthday to the love of my life. It's been fifteen years to the day since our first date! And I've been in love for a long, long time. Thanks, Nate, for making every day, even the hard ones, sweet.

Caroline is 2 months!

la-dee-da... here is our little babe at 2 months. How time flies! She continues to be such a happy, good baby... so tolerant of all the commotion, and very expressive. She is a joy! It's interesting what three kids (and the fact that it's freezing outside) will do to you! I used to go insane if I didn't leave the house at least once a day. Now, I'll do anything to avoid it! Grocery shopping online, check. (Hey, with free delivery, who wouldn't?) Have Nate run to CVS on his way home, check. Carpool as much as possible to preschool and praise the school bus, check.

So why is it that my days just seem to zip by?