the Grantologist

early morning McDonalds feast with great friend Daxton, on the day he moved away

Grant has taken to signing his name on his homework and school projects in a very creative fashion: Grantie, Granter, Gran-terrific, Granteronius, and the Grantologist are some of his choices. Good thing his 1st grade teacher was the very chill Mr. Reynolds.

G-money (that's one that Nate actually coined) lives for:

Harry Potter.

That could just about sum it up, but in non-Potter-reading moments, he can be found

playing soccer,

baseball,

riding his bike,

making alphabetical lists of things (still)

trying to talk me into pets,

making up new words to songs,

creating and memorizing jokes (some of which are quite good),

and occasionally, practicing the piano--and,

even more occasionally,

unloading the dishwasher!

Grant is a solid, steady, and thoughtful boy. He's got a sense of humor that keeps me on my toes. He's always in a good mood, and is a friend to many. Including me! I love his "replays" of all his sports-related action moments, even when I have to sit through several dozen per day.

Mr. Jack, the brand-new 5-year-old

Jack continues to prove himself to be the "delightful human" that he declares himself to be. Current loves include LEGOS, LEGOS, LEGOS,

StarWars wii,

making stuff (i.e. enlisting me to help him with inventions such as paper-towel-roll sharks, homemade maracas, and animal trappers),

reading books,

getting tickled (seriously. And he's so squishy that we can't resist him on his generous offers),

sword-fighting,

singing Caroline lullabies before her nap (one of the highlights of my life)

scripture stories,

and U-Haul trucks (??), as evidenced by his request for a "U-Haul Truck Birthday Cake".

Jack is our sensitive, passionate, and loving boy. I adore him.

Plus, he sleeps in the car on a regular basis!

the Queen

Rockin' out to the Madagascar II soundtrack (thanks, Lori and Lucy!),

anything chocolate,

"Baby-Daddy-Mama" (all one word, and her obsession),

"singing" songs at the piano (no one else is allowed within 10 feet),

babies-- dressing, touching, feeding, mauling (no, I am most definitely not pregnant),

Elmo anything,

climbing up slides, but never down them,

giving "loves- not shoves" (as per Grant's constant reminders),

and putting her brothers' underwear on her head daily.

This little lady gives me a run for my money, but we sure love her.

My life is so joyful because of her!

Blogging, Round II

Hello? Hello!

Heaven only knows who's still loyal enough to check in around here.

So.

Nate and I went south to Puerto Rico to celebrate 10 years of marriage.

It was H-O-T!

Anyway, while we were there, my email and our blog was hacked into. Picture "Just Livin' the Dream"-- all in Spanish! We instantly and temporarily decided to make the blog private, without sending anyone an invite. Sorry to those faithful followers who were stumped and possibly insulted-- your requests for invites were inspiring, enough so that I'm going to take another jab at blogging regularly. A daunting thought, indeed! Nevertheless, I am fully committed. Stay tuned...

I must say that I love this man. I love his kindness, his humor, his sarcasm, his friendship, his tolerance (of me), and his amazing ability to balance his obligations with grace and selflessness. And, he's H-O-T. We had a great time, just enjoying each other, and letting everything else....go.

it's all good

On Friday, after a very long, busy, and tiring week, I was walking up a hill with Jack and Caroline in the jogger. Feeling a lump rise in my throat as I thought of all I could've and should've done to be more of an engaging parent this week, I said, "Jack, I want to be a good mom to you! I'm going to do better!"

He said, "It's all good, Mom. You're doin' great."

And then he winked at me (one of his sweeeet 4-year-old skillz.)

Man, this boy is a product of his dad. And it was just what I needed.

Calling All Mothers

Some of you know I'm a closet NieNie fan.

But how could you not be when you see something like this?

Watch, and be inspired.

we are alive

I woke up this morning and decided it was time to get on the ball and post a little update. I'm sure many of our loyal followers have given up on us, but in case you're interested, here are a few pics and a bit of a catch-up for the last couple of months!

Caroline threw our camera into the toilet. So, pics are scarce, but here's a glimpse into our joyfully chaotic world:

Again, camera in the toilet, but I am including this graphic to remind myself that Nate and I had a supremely awesome weekend in Chicago, all to ourselves. Ooh, I fell in love with that city! Nate presented his research at a hoity-toity conference, and boy was I proud. We had a great time: a nice morning run together around Grant Park, a little shopping all on my own (whoa),and some good eats made for some great R&R. I love my husband.

Before the camera in the toilet, I caught some pics of the Queenly One in her debut pigtail appearance! Man, was I proud of myself for maneuvering this production! Too bad they only lasted 20 minutes. Oh well, there is hope.

Here she is again, busily marching her dolly down the street at a remarkable pace. Drive up Hastings Ave and you'll catch her in this pose, at least once a day.

Looking like somewhat of a motley bunch, although mostly pleased, on a rare free Sunday morning (stake conference was at noon), feeding ducks at Haverford College.

Happy 60th, Dad! Oops, did I just say that? We surprised him with every sibling coming to town the week before his birthday. Totally caught him off guard! What a great day!

The Naylor 7, plus a couple of Richards offspring

Ooh, this is big news. Long overdue. Introducing.... GAYLE the PRiUs! Nate's 12-year-old Suburu bit the dust, and this is his green, eco-friendly replacement.

Of course, my cynical spouse had to include a sarcastic wink at all things green. See pic below.

Here's most of my sister-in-laws (a couple weren't in this pic) at our Richards girls' weekend in Utah. I love these ladies. We had a fantastic time.

Here's to posting more frequently! (But don't get your hopes up....)