Summer Wrap-Up

Here are some of the things that kept us busy this summer...

I taught a couple of weekly music class at our house each Thursday.

First, a "baby class" for SJ and her friends...

Then a "big kid" class for Clara and her friends...

I played in a doubles tennis league with my friend, Andrea. We didn't DO great, but we DID have a great time!

Here are some photos from some other events/field trips:

Volvo Family Day at Bur-Mill park:

(Do we look hot? Because it was, and we were!)

A trip to the dairy farm:

Afterwards, Clara made up a song about it. It went a little something like this,
"Dairy Farm- Dairy Farm- Dairy Farm- PLLLAH (a rasberry)"
(Do-me-sol, Fa-re-ti, Do-me-sol)

A visit to the butterfly farm:

Here is a picture Clara drew, afterwards. I can see Clara holding a butterfly and she is surrounded by little rocks (the butterfly pavilion had a gravel floor).

Good Books and Pumpkin Pie

I recently read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I loved it... I found it fascinating and inspiring. For example, it inspired me to make a pumpkin pie using a real pumpkin... not the canned stuff. It was really fun and strangely satisfying to cut open, clean out, cook, and puree the pumpkin- plus roast the seeds for a future snack. The resulting pie was delicious, if I do say so myself. Greg, who hates pumpkin pie normally, devoured it.

Other books I have really enjoyed, lately...

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

Hope you like them, too!

A New Tradition

Greg has started telling Clara stories at bedtime. Usually, they are from his childhood. I was a little disturbed to hear this one:

Greg: When I was a boy scout, I went on a wilderness camp-out. We couldn't bring any food and had to survive off of the land. We found frogs, so we had to eat frog legs for dinner.
Clara: But how did the frogs hop without their legs... did they grow back?
Greg: Umm... no... the frogs died.
(Nicolle... gasping... afraid that Clara would be terribly upset)
Clara: Oh (not upset at all)
(Nicolle...phew!)
Then it was Clara's turn to tell a story:
Clara: When I was a little girl, I went camping, but I didn't eat frog legs, I just ate graham crackers, and marshmallows, and candy (S'mores).

It made me laugh

Sherwood Family Reunion, July 2010

Saturday- Picked up Lindsey Allen (Greg's niece) from EFY at SVU on our drive up to Palmyra, NY. The girls did great in the car, but by the time we got to the Hill Cumorah Pageant Clara was pretty irrational from lack of sleep (we woke her up at 4am to leave, and she only slept about an hour in the car the whole day), but she still enjoyed the show. We got to visit with the now famous Brock Allen (Greg's nephew) before the show began.

Monday- "Glenn Sliding:" a favorite pastime from Greg's childhood. We hiked up a little creek to a small waterfall/pool where the kids slid a short distance down the rocks.- I don't have the photos, yet, but hope to add them, soon.

Tuesday- Lake day: swimming, jumping, tubing, and pushing Daddy in the water at Lake Owasco.

Clara and Meghan

Wednesday: The Amazing Sherwood Race- designed by Greg Sherwood

(Clara with Maya, her look-alike cousin)

Thursday: Church History sights

SJ and Brett were good buddies

Friday: A rainy day... some hang-out time and a walk through the Sacred Grove

(Great shot, Kim or Scott!)

Saturday: Home Sweet Home

SJ's 1 year old stats

Height: 29 7/8" tall (75th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs, 9 oz. (between 50th and 75th percentile)

Words (in order of when she learned them):
hi/hey
bath
bye-bye
Yeah!
da-da (says this all of the time)
ma-ma (says this only occasionally)
Mmmm (not officially a word, but still very cute- she says it when she likes what she is eating)

Likes:
-playing dropsie
-Music/dancing
-Kissing and hugging- especially baby dolls and stuffed animals
-Playing in water - especially the toilet (no we don't let her but she can be quite sneaky and very fast)
-Playing hide and seek and chase with her big sister
-Clapping and cheering "yeah!"


Favorite Foods: BANANAS, most other fruit, frozen peas, beans (black, white, kidney), pasta

My favorite moment of each day is right before I put SJ down for bed. We rock and snuggle and sing... she buries her head on my shoulder and makes the most perfect noise... a mix between singing and purring. This IS the good life.

And... the moment you've all been waiting for. She is walking!!!

Our Baby is One!!!

Happy Birthday, sweet Sarah-Jane!

We can't believe a year has gone by since this...

Blender Pancakes

My friend, Kelly, gave me this awesome recipe for "Blender Pancakes." They are 100% whole wheat, but they don't taste like it. We've been enjoying them a few times a week.

3/4 cup whole wheat (You don't grind or soak it, just pour it in.)
1 cup milk
dash salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
2 tsp baking powder

Pour wheat, milk, and salt into blender. Blend for 5 minutes. Add eggs and oil, blend and add baking powder while still blending. Pour onto hot skillet. Don't let mix sit too long before using it. Makes 8-10 pancakes. Add grated apple, sliced bananas, or strawberries for variety.

Here are some we topped with fresh peaches. YUMMY!

Also, they are a lot less messy than smoothies.

Happy 4th!

We had a very fun weekend, filled with...
-a party and parade with playgroup friends
-replacing the brakes on both cars (0k, not the most fun part of the weekend- but productive!)
-a downtown festival
-a cook-out and fireworks with Aunt Suz and Uncle Sean
-a trip to the pool with the Horrances
-Gelato from Gnam-Gnams (Have you tried this place? It is awesome!)

Here are some photos:

We love our country and our freedom!

Clara's Ballet Recital

Clara LOVED the ballet class she has been taking this summer. She dances around the house, all day, and is always pretending to be a character from the book/movie series Angelina Ballerina. Her favorites are Angelina, Alice, Flora, or Felicity, and while she is pretending to be them, she bosses around an imaginary Henry).

l
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Who Ya Gonna Call?

The Story of our New Vacuum:
We have lots of hardwoods and lots of tight corners, so an upright doesn't work well and pulling around a canister vacuum is a pain. After using a $10 yard-sale-find for 8 1/2 years, we finally splurged on a new vacuum. I went for the industrial backpack vacuum.

I think I'm in love.

Plus, I have my Ghostbusters costume all set for Halloween.

More big news:
I got this measuring spoon-magnet-hangy-thing for Mother's Day. No more searching the drawers for the measurement I need. I am a new woman.

Ahh... the simple joys of a housewife.

Belated Soccer Wrap-Up

I knew it... I knew joining Facebook would interfere with my blogging. I am way behind. Here is a summary of Clara's soccer season (which ended over a month ago).


Clara Sherwood, #0

Season highlights:

• Clara seeing me eating a banana on the sidelines... then running off the field and refusing the go back until I gave her a bite.
• Clara falling down every time she saw someone else fall down, then waiting for the coach to come and pick her up. (He did this during the first game, so she thought it was part of the sport, I think)
• Clara got to play goalie a couple of times. One time she got bored and ran to the playground adjacent to the field... good thing her team was stacked and they didn't get scored on even with an open net.
• Clara spent more time picking flowers and dancing than playing soccer
• Clara never got the hang of the "handshake in a line" routine after games. Check out the video... she was so confused. :)
  

Clara's favorite things about soccer:

• Snacks and drinks after practices
• Snacks and drinks after games
• The practice when her Daddy subbed for the coach and they got to play "pirate."
• Playing with boys (the rest of her teamates were boys, and most of her little friends are girls, so she liked making new friends).
  

Strawberries

We went strawberry picking this weekend. We barely made it in time for the end of the season, which is ending early, this year, because of all of the wet weather. (I'm not sure who was more disappointed - Clara or myself- when all of our regular picking spots were already closed.)

Luckily we found a farm with some strawberries left.

We made strawberry shortcake, strawberry popsicles, and fruit leather with our stash. Yummy!

Sarah-Jane, 9 months old

Stats:
Length = 28 3/4 inches (between percentile 75 and 90)
Weight = 20 lbs. (between percentile 50 and 75)

• New skills: turbo crawling, pulling up, cruising, waving (see this sideways video)
  

• Does not like baby food (anything pureed), but will eat finger foods

• Loves people... anyone who looks at her gets a huge smile and a wave

• Loves baths... is desperate to get into the tub if she hears it running!

• Has two bottom teeth, and 6 of her top teeth are on the way... all at once!

• Favorite song: Little Sacka Sugar (I know, you think I'm making this up... how can a baby have a favorite song? Let me tell you, she goes nuts whenever it comes on- just dances her little heart out)

• She's gotten very playful, lately (read: busy, busy... into everything). We figure we only have a couple of weeks before she starts walking.She is a happy, happy girl and we love her!

(I started this post a while ago, but am just now finishing it up... so she is actually almost 10 months by now!)

Topsail Island, May 2010

We spent a week at the beach with friends.
6 adults + 6 kids (all 3 and under) + one beach house =
lots of craziness, not a lot of sleep, but TONS of fun!

Happiness is...

a new swingset...

and learning how to pump all by yourself.