Thanksgiving

My parents came to town on Monday to spend Thanksgiving with us. I had scheduled to take the week off and work on miscellaneous projects around the house, so they had fun taking Sarah to various places (the zoo, the children's museum, and Maymont--a place with a small aquarium and animal area). Sarah had loads of fun and tired herself out each day with them.

On Thanksgiving day, we decided to decorate the tree. The next few weeks are going to be busy with work and an upcoming conference, so I thought it would be a great opportunity while my parents were in town. Sarah had fun decorating the tree and I am wondering if she'll understand what Christmas is this year.

Unfortunately, Greg was working, so he slept through most of the fun. Luckily they gave him Christmas off, so he'll be able to spend it with us. He looked at his schedule and for the next 3 years (he works every other week, so it is fairly easy to figure out is schedule), he is working Thanksgiving and Christmas. The fun of working retail. Sad for us :(

Mommy and Sarah decorate the tree.

Sarah helps Nanny

Sarah rests on Nanny's lap after a long day

A Weekend in the Mountains

This weekend we headed to the mountains near the Virginia/West Virginia boarder. We stayed at a cabin (this is a picture of it to the left) in one of the state parks known for good mountain biking. While my only mountain biking experience was while in Peace Corps, Greg still tries to ride and recently bought a new bike so we thought it would be fun to go out for the weekend.

We left on Friday and arrived in the afternoon. The weather was great and in the low 70's. Saturday, Greg headed out early for the trails while Sarah and I checked out the park. We headed for the lake which has swimming in the summer and apparently great fishing. We walked around until we found a big playground, but it was still wet from the morning dew, so we ended up playing in the leaves. After Greg returned from his trip, we headed to the Homestead for lunch. The Homestead is a five star resort about 40 minutes from the park. It is a beautiful place and each year, my work holds a conference there because one of the community colleges nearby provides a lot of their employee training. They give us a very reduced rate on the hotel. The conference is next month, the second week after Thanksgiving (a slow time for all hotels), which is nice because it is decorated for Christmas.

We had a great lunch at the golf club overlooking the course and the hotel. People were playing croquet on the lawn next to us (if this gives you an idea of how surreal it seems for us middle classers). I always wonder what the people eating and staying there do and I am fascinated by listening to the conversations at the other tables to get a glimpse at what 'high rollers' talk about.

After our lunch, we headed back to the cabin to settle in for the night and give Sarah her first s'mores experience. She really enjoyed them and so did we. Greg went for another quick ride in the morning and I fought with Sarah to put a jacket on since the weather had turned much colder. I finally gave up and she ran around in a long sleeve shirt and cold nose. She didn't seem to mind, which further indicates that this is yet another gene that she did not inherit from me (for those that know me, I am always cold).

All in all, it was a great trip and we've decided to either head back to this park or check out some of the other state parks across the state with cabins. We were very impressed that the states manages them. They are by no means rustic. There's air conditioning and heat, full kitchen and bathroom, fireplaces and beautiful porches. We stayed in an older cabin, but the newer ones have screened in porches. According to the signs, Virginia's parks have been rated "number one" (not sure by who), but we agree!

A picture of the lake at the park.

Sarah plays fetch with Brody.

Sarah helping Apa make s'mores

Sarah eating her s'more

Sarah poses in front of the Homestead. (Note: If you've been following our posts, you'll notice the small yellow duck in Sarah's hand. It seems to pop up in the strangest places. I am sure we'll do a story on it sometime when we have nothing to write about-so stay tuned...)

Woof Woof

This was Sarah's first Halloween. I had said I wouldn't dress her up in a costume until she said that she wanted to but it seemed that her interest hit a little earlier than expected as her daycare decided to have a costume parade with everyone in her class on Halloween. Although I wasn't too excited about the idea, I also did not want Sarah to be the only one without a costume for the parade.

In addition, I ran into a neighbor who has a five year old and she asked if we were taking Sarah trick or treating. I told her I wasn't, but during the course of the conversation she convinced me it would be a good way to meet some of the people in the neighborhood. She was nice enough to offer a dalmation suit for Sarah to wear. I don't think Sarah was too sure of it at first, but once she got it on, we couldn't get it off. Consequently, she loved the parade at daycare with the kids (and getting candy in the classrooms they visited), which meant she was ready to roll that evening. She did a fantastic job and held her new friend Kyrne's hand when she went to the doors. We probably went to 20 houses and she loved every minute of it. Her bag was so heavy she kept dropping it. Luckily I brought another bag, so I could take the weight off. All in all, it was a fun night and we had to fight Sarah out of her suit to go to bed.

Pumpkin Time

This weekend we went pumpkin picking. It's the first time we brought Sarah on this type of adventure. She has a plastic pumpkin in her room that she likes, so we thought she would enjoy this. We went to a place that is about 25 minutes north of the city. They do all you can carry for $20 (notice Greg practicing in the picture).

Sarah was a bit nervous when we climbed into the trailer of the tractor for the hayride out. We weren't sure if she was going to enjoy it. However, after a few minutes she started to enjoy the right (or at least stop saying "I want to get out"). We were a little worried when we arrived that there wouldn't be much to choose from considering this was the last weekend day before Halloween, but we were lucky and found a few good ones.

After the hayride back, Sarah went into the kids maze made out of hay bales and had activities along the way like a moonwalk, zip line, animals, wobbly bridge, etc. She enjoyed playing in the area and, by the end, didn't want to leave.

Sarah and mommy on the hayride out to the patch.

Sarah and Greg in the Pumpkin Patch (but where's the Great Pumpkin?)

Sarah plays on the moonwalk slide.

Down by the river....

This weekend we enjoyed the nice fall weather (in Richmond that means 70-80's). We brought Brody down to the river to have fun at his playground (versus Sarah's, which is across the street). There he gets to swim in the water, run off leash, and play with the other dogs. We enjoy the quiet walk through the trails.

Our other fun task was shopping for a new refrigerator. While our old one is not dead yet, we estimate (based on the copyright for the manual) that it is about 23 years old. It is the last remaining item that has not been replaced since the kitchen remodel about 4 years ago this month. We figured it was better to replace it while there are good sales going on versus buying one when it breaks down. We are excited to have a new refrigerator, but found it very challenging to find one that fit the space. If we had only known, we would have made the opening a bit wider during the remodel. We only needed about another inch more to allow us to expand our possibilities! It will be a nice welcome though.

Sarah walks with Greg on the rocks



Brody enjoys a dip in the water after running around

New Camera, Better Photos

I mentioned in an earlier post that I admired the wonderful photos that Greg's brother took with his digital SLR (35mm type) camera. Greg was nice enough to get me one for my birthday and we've been having fun with it for the past week (he made it an early gift). Honestly, I think the camera has more capabilities than I could even begin to explain and it makes me realize that I really don't remember much from my two semesters of photography back in high school. Of course, back then we spent half the time learning how to properly develop the photos--does this start to make me sound old?

I am probably going to take a class or get a book and learn to do more with it. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of the photos we've taken. Sarah really likes the camera as well and wants to pose when we turn it on.

Right now Sarah's favorite game is to play hide and seek with us. She can play for a while-whether she's just gotten up in the morning or we're just getting home from a long day. She's also into building blocks and will just sit on the floor and 'build towers.' Maybe my brother's obsession with Lego's when he was younger wore off on her.

Happy Sarah (practicing on the potty-but we edited the lower part out)

Sarah jumps up and down next to her tower of blocks

Happy Birthday Pop-pop

My father's birthday is the 17th, so Sarah wanted to make a video for him. She sang happy birthday, she was a bit camera shy, but this is her best effort.

Go Dog Go!

This weekend we had the remnants of hurricane Hanna pass by. We received lots of rain on Saturday, so we mostly stayed in. Greg was working, so Sarah and I hung around the house. Sarah was nice enough to read Go Dog Go! to me several times. While I couldn't understand exactly what she was saying (other than Go Dog Go), she was very proud of herself.

In addition, Sarah practiced her acrobat moves off the arm of the couch. Yes, for you safety-first readers, this may cause some concern for you that we let her jump off the arm of the coach and onto the cushions. I am sure we'll rethink that when we bring her to the hospital for stitches one day. In the meantime, she likes to do it and it keeps her entertained.

Sarah has started making several transitions now that she is two. This week, she started in the two year old room. She really likes it there. They are working on potty training (thank you daycare!) and she's already gone a few times! We just need to be good about getting her to use it more at home. In addition to the potty training, I decided to start moving her out of her crib over the weekend. She does fairly well at night, but struggles to stay in her bed to take a nap during the day. The picture below was after she refused to nap in the afternoon and finally fell asleep on the coach while eating her snack at 5pm. What was absolutely heavenly was Sunday night, when she actually slept through the night, and then at 7am came to my room to see how I was. When she didn't want to come into bed with me, she went back to her room to play with her blocks. This is something I definitely could get used to, but know that those days are still the exception to the rule. Dare to 'dream!'

Sarah also decided to help out Greg while he was washing dishes from breakfast. I think it took a bit longer than normal, but she didn't think so.

Discovering Richmond

Last weekend we decided to explore new areas in Richmond. We'd read in the paper about pumphouse park and thought it would be interesting to see it. While it looks like a church, it actually was a pumphouse for water built in 1882. It was later abondoned, but there are efforts to restore the building.

There are trails near the pumphouse, so we brought the dog and took a walk. It is a nice area and right in the city. We were glad to find a new place to enjoy the river in Richmond. I think we'll try some other areas in the coming months.

Sarah is getting ready to transition to the two year old class next week. We're hoping she likes it. She has trouble when teachers change, but she knows a few in the next class, so it may not be as bad. She continues to build her vocabulary. It is nice to almost have a conversation with her and be able to understand what she says. She likes to say "that's silly" at anything we do. Her favorite book at the moment is Where the Wild Things Are and she loves to chase or be chased around the house in the evenings. Her favorite food right now is seaweed and rice-yes, those sushi wrappers with rice in the middle. Sometimes she'll just eat the wrappers. I can't complain. It is, for the most part, good for her and better than some alternatives. She still is a poor sleeper and makes it through the night about two nights a week. Other nights, she is up off and on. She has never been very good at sleeping since she was born, so I guess it is to be expected.

A view of the pumphouse.

Sarah looks at the stream from the bridge nearby.

Greg helps Sarah over the bridge

Sarah going down the trail

Sarah sits in her new chair from Aunt Julie, 'hypnotized' by her favorite show-The Backyardigans

Celebrating Sarah's Birthday

A few weeks ago we celebrated Sarah's second birthday with Greg's family. It was a fun day as everyone came to the house. It was the first time in a year and a half that all of Greg's family could be together. His sister and her family were stationed in Hawaii (her husband is in the Marine Corps) for over three years and they just returned in June. They are currently living just over an hour north of us near DC. We are excited to have them back in the area and look forward to many more family gatherings. Greg's sister, Susan has three children, Alex (8), Noah (6) and Lauren (10 months).


Greg's brother, Eric, helped out and drove their parents up from Fayetteville, so we had a full house. For the first time, we had a kids table and I wasn't sitting at it! I guess that means we've grown up. Eric took wonderful pictures of the day with his new 35mm digital camera. (I think I know what I'd like for a future birthday or Christmas gift now.)


Alex, Noah, and Sarah eat their favorite -seaweed and rice!


Sarah opens presents with Apa (Dad) and the help of her cousins Alex and Noah


Sarah let's us dress her up with her new hair clip


How do I look?


We finally get to meet cousin Lauren......


....unfortunately, Lauren gets sad when mommy isn't close by :(


Noah is very happy when Uncle Greg offers to help him build a birdhouse


Noah shows off his new birdhouse to Harabouji (Grandpa)


Sarah hangs out with Harmoni and Harabouji


All the kids hanging out with Harabouji and Aunt Susan


Alex and Noah wrestle with Dad (Kelly)

Summer Trip to the Cape

Over the fourth of July week we took a family trip up to the Cape to visit family and enjoy the cooler New England weather. The drive up (10-12 hours) is always an adventure. We tried driving through the night to make things easier. Greg was still on his working night schedule, so we thought it would help us avoid traffic. Unfortunately it didn't, we were stuck in traffice for over an hour at 1am, which made everyone in the car a bit cranky.

We drove straight to my friend Elina's house-arriving at 7am for an early breakfast. Elina had twin boys earlier in the year, so they were up and ready to go at that hour. Her son Zak and Sarah are only two weeks apart in age. We saw them last summer at this time, so it was good to see the kids together again. I am not sure if they recognized each other, but they looked cute together posing for their annual picture.

After visiting Elina, we drove to my parent's house to spend time at the beach, eat Cape food, read books, and relax. It was a nice week. My brother came from Rochester, NY with his wife and new baby (Abigail) and my cousin came down with his wife and two children (Rohan and Vrinda) on the fourth of July. We enjoyed a fun parade on the fourth in Orleans. It is small town and they throw candy from the floats (see my brother's blog to the right for more info). The kids seemed to enjoy it.

We enjoyed the nice weather. Ate good ice cream (It's hard to find homemade icecream in Richmond) and relaxed. The week always goes by too quick, but it seems all vacations end too soon.


Sarah at the beach.


Sarah watches Nanny make sandcastles.


Greg helping Sarah and cousin Rohan out of the water.


Sarah and cousin Vrinda play on the front lawn.

Sarah Waters the Plants

OK, so this isn't the best video. I used the one on my camera and not the video recorder. In Greg's wonderful wisdom to buy an HD video recorder, we still haven't figured out how to make plain old videos. If anyone reading this has suggestions, feel free to post a comment.

Anyway, I've attached this one of Sarah helping me water the plants. She's at the point in her life where she loves to imitate everything we are doing. It was helpful today since she wanted to imitate me washing the car. I thought it would be good to post at least a small video for those who haven't seen her in a while. Pictures can only say so much.

I've got some other photos to post from our trip to the Cape over the fourth of July. It was an adventure. Sarah had a great time going to the beach, seeing her cousins, and watching the parade. More to come in another post...

Corn!

Tonight Sarah had her first piece of corn on the cob. She seemed to like it and giggled most of the time. She's been more of a picky eater lately, so we're happy when she decides she likes something. I tried to video her eating, which was fairly entertaining, but of course she wasn't up for 'performing' when I turned the camera on. I will try to get some video to post in the near future.

It's been incredibly hot here the last few days and it seems the weather is not expected to break until Tuesday.

This has only made taking care of our new yard a bit time consuming. I finally counted the other day and realized that we have over 100 new plants in our backyard. I bought a soaker hose for one side of the yard and was hand-watering the rest. It was taking forever and I decided to get a few more soaker hoses this weekend. I'm slightly paranoid of killing all these new shrubs, bushes, and flowers since my reputation has been to kill things (my maiden name wasn't Brown for nothing!) so I've been very cautious to water. I can't wait to see the water bill this month. However, we are starting to see the fruits of our labor. Some of the rose bushes have bloomed, the blueberry bushes look like they'll have ripe berries next month, the gardenias smell wonderful, and the hydrangeas are beginning to flower. We still have a few more plants to put in, lattice below the deck to put up, and the shed to paint, but that will have to wait until fall.

In addition to spending what seemed like half of my weekend watering or weeding, I pulled out the sensory table that Julie sent us last year and filled it up with water for Sarah to play in. My friend Kat brought her daughter, Emma, over this weekend and Sarah was nice enough to show Emma her way of using the table, which was to climb in and sit in it. It was real cute and the girls had fun playing in the water. I think I'll need to upgrade to a kiddie pool in the near future.

The beginning of the herb garden.



The bushes in the side yard


Sarah helps mommy water


Sarah and Emma beating the heat!