Keeping Up With Clara

Clara has been waiting all summer - and so have we - for a visit to Grandma's and Grandpa's! Finally we found a couple of days that were free on both families' calendars. I drove to Somerville on Sunday afternoon and met Kelsey and Clara there. Somerville is about half way for both of us, so it has become convenient for our kid-exchanges.

It was a short visit, but we tried to fit in all the fun we could.

Sunday evening Clara kept herself occupied with the Legos from Grandma's toy box. She just got back from a big California vacation which included a visit to Lego Land, so there seemed to be a renewed interest in them.

On Monday morning Grandpa's physical therapist (for his new knee), Kimberly, came to the house. Clara enjoy meeting Kimberly and loved watching her take Grandpa's blood pressure, temperature and oxygen count, and then put him through his exercise routine. She even joined in for a few of the exercises.

Monday afternoon we baked cookies and put them in little baggies, which Clara decorated with stickers, and took them over to Nanny's (my Mom's) new home at Stoney Brook. While we were there, we walked around with Nanny, and Clara handed out cookies to all of Nanny's new friends. Clara loved Stoney Brook. She thought it was beautiful and said she wants to move in. She was especially impressed with the concept of someone doing all of the cleaning, cooking and laundry for the residents. (Of course, I think Clara has someone doing most of that for her already - right Kelsey?)

After dinner on Monday, Grandpa started teaching Clara how to play chess. She did a good job of catching onto how the pieces move, and said she was excited to have another lesson sometime soon. 

Tuesday was shopping day. We bought a new school dress and, since there were end-of-season sales going on for the summer clothes, we got a pretty summer sun-dress, too. It was big enough that it should be fine for next summer as well as for the remaining summer days this year.

We also went to Hobby Lobby and picked up a few things, including a set of bathroom fixtures for Clara's dollhouse. 

In between everything else, we did a lot of art projects, including some paintings and a magazine collage. I was really happy to have some original art work from Clara and have already framed it  so I can display it in the house. 

This is Clara's Water Series . . . Jellyfish, Sunset at the Beach, and Fish Bowl

And we worked a puzzle. Clara was eager to put the edge pieces together, but lost interest as we worked on the interior ones. However, she found one thing fascinating about this particular puzzle. It was made by the Yankee Candle Co., and some of the pieces were shaped like little candle jars, and had scratch-n-sniff scents on them! Not only that, but near the center was a large jar shape formed from several pieces. When we finished the puzzle, Clara had fun removing all of the "jars."

 Somewhere in all of the busy-ness of these two days, we also took a trip to Kiddo Kingdom to play on the bouncy houses. I didn't think Clara would have much fun there, since she didn't have a friend (or brother) to play with, and since she is getting older, but she told me, "I make friends anywhere, Grandma!" And so she did! She ran and bounced and made friends for about an hour and a half.

Tuesday night we made up a batch of home-made strawberry ice cream - Clara chopped up and mashed up the strawberries and helped measure everything - and had it for an evening dessert. Yum!

On Wednesday I drove her back to Somerville, where Kelsey and Robert met us. We all had lunch together before saying our good-byes. (Robert's lunch of choice: a Frito sandwich! Ha!)