February 2011

Written for the Giles Files

There isn't too much to report from Sherwood these days. We're just plugging along with the regular comings and goings of daily life, and overall things are really good!  No news is good news, right?  We have weathered a few bad colds with the kids this rainy, wet winter season, but everyone has pulled through with few days of school missed.  We seem to have had a nice break in the weather lately.  It is a joy to have a few sunny days amidst the grayness of winter in Oregon.  

Let's mix it up and start with the youngest this time (I'm feeling real "wild and crazy" like that!)

Joe turned one year old last month!  We had a fun celebration with the traditional giant cupcake which he got to destroy all by himself.  It was so fun and messy! I think we took about 100 pictures.  He is getting very big - forward facing car seat and the whole bit.  He has started taking just a few hesitant steps at a time, but crawling is still his preferred mode of transportation.  We are surprised at how blond he has turned since he was born.  He had so much dark hair at birth, but now it looks a lot like Henry's.

Alice is really enjoying our co-op preschool.  She talks about her friends there all the time.  She has entered the phase of wanting to know how to spell everything, and she spends lots of time coming up with 3 letter words that she can spell with her fridge magnet toys.  I (Sarah) downloaded some software that contains 140 lessons of interactive tutorials that teaches kids to read step-by-step, starting with letter sounds. Alice and I like to play our "reading game" on the computer every day, and this week she read her first words all by herself.  It was very exciting for me as her mom! She still builds intricate "cities" with her many, many blocks.  She is hilarious and makes us all laugh a lot every day.  For instance, today after she had an accident on the bathroom floor (having too much fun playing to stop and use the bathroom before it was too late!) she scolded me, "Mom!  You REALLY need to potty train me better!"  

Oscar's first grade teacher just went on maternity leave, so he is going through a bit of a rough transition right now.  We gave him Taekwondo lessons for Christmas, and he loves it!  He goes twice a week, and he is getting very good.  He will be testing for his yellow belt (his first advancement in rank) next week.  He can count in Korean and has mastered all of his "forms" and kicking combinations.  We love to see his focus and determination in his class, and we're hoping it spills over into every other area of his life.  Our favorite part as parents is that he bows to us every day.  We get a real kick out of it.

Henry is doing well in school and piano lessons.  He will be earning his "Bear" next week in Cub Scouts! He and Taylor had a lot of fun designing and building his Pinewood Derby car last month. It was designed to look like a Swedish flag waving in the wind. He learned to use a Dremel and a jig saw. He won a few races and then was beaten by the eventual winner. Oh well, there is always next year! He has always enjoyed reading, but now he has a Nook (ebook reader) and he is reading all the time. He is currently reading The Red Pyramid and The Hobbit. He is also starting to improve his babysitting skills with his younger siblings.  He has a natural, gentle way with younger kids. 

Waverly's most recent creation was a hat that looked like a llama.  She continues to be a trend-setter at school, and some friends have even asked her to make hats for them.  We were recently very pleasantly surprised to find she has straight A's at school, and her teachers at conference only had wonderful things to say about her work and personality.  She received a "Student of the Month" award last month for her sense of humor! And as if to defy her own disdain for all athletics, she set a record in her PE class for the most number of jumps with a jump rope in a minute.  Waverly never ceases to amaze us.  She is full of surprises!

A new season with the Sherwood Chorale has just begun, so I am busy with meetings and preparations for the upcoming concert in May.  This year we are sponsoring a Sherwood version of "America's Got Talent" and awarding prize money for the best acts.  It should be a very fun and different version of our spring concert!  I continue to enjoy directing the ward choir, and Taylor and I have recently started teaching a Temple Preparation course during Sunday School.  I have stepped up my running schedule, and I am hoping to run a half marathon in June.

Taylor enjoys serving in the Elders quorum presidency and serving as the unofficial chef of the ward choir.  He created a cook book to give to the ward choir with all of the recipes he has made for them over the last year. (If you email him, I'm sure he'd send you a pdf of it.) It is amazing what he is able to experiment with and cook in our limited kitchen setup.  Taylor just finished doing our taxes!  He is budgeting and planning so our family can go visit my parents in Sweden next fall.  The process of acquiring 6 passports is quite a feat!  Things are going well at Kryptiq, and his jobs and responsibilities are evolving. 

We loved having ML and DP visit last month!  It was so fun to spend time together and have another Christmas with them.  We don't have any plans to move any time soon. We just love the space and quiet of "country living".  You are all welcome to visit anytime. So,if you don't mind sleeping on the floor in our living room we could have a great time!  We love and miss you all!

Greetings from Sherwood, Oregon! We hope our Christmas blog finds you and your family happy, healthy and well this holiday season. We are experiencing the most severe winter weather we have seen since we moved to Oregon over 5 years ago, and they say it is the worst storm in 40 years. It has been snowing for almost 2 weeks and there is more than a foot of snow and ice on the ground. Church has been canceled 2 weeks in a row, and the kids' school was canceled all last week. Even the kids are sick of the snow! But we are grateful for our warmth, comfort and many, many blessings. We spent one day without electricity and found refuge at a friend's house. We are safe and warm, back in our own house, and enjoying our white Christmas.

Waverly (10) sings in the Sherwood Children's Chorus, performed a solo at this year's Christmas concert, takes piano lessons, is in 5th grade, continues to create unique works of art, and was selected to be on a student committee to create a mural for her school. She and Henry participated in the Sherwood Track Club last spring, and Waverly enjoyed doing the high jump. She also completed a family triathlon and a 5K this year. Waverly is a tremendous help to her parents, and is Alice's favorite babysitter.

Henry (7) played soccer last fall with Taylor as his coach, and they won all but one of their games! (So close!) He loves all sports, and pretty much every video game he's tried. He took pride in completing a 5K with a great time on Thanksgiving and seems to have a real talent for distance running (His mom couldn't be more proud!). He is in 2nd grade and is a super-speller. Henry is a very conscientious student and loves to share his opinions and insights with everyone.

Oscar (5) is attending 2 preschools this year to keep his mind and body busy. He is learning to read and write. He is simply the most hilarious little boy! He loves smiling and laughing and is sure to wiggle his way into the middle of any hug. He also finished the family triathlon and (almost) all on his own power. It was an amazing thing to see the determination and grin on his face as he crossed that finish line.


Alice (20 months) had a big year: she turned 1, learned to walk, and is very tall. She can barely say 2 words together, but she seems to have an unusual ability to mimic her sister's singing. She has great pitch! She is super silly and mischievous and we love her to pieces.



Taylor is working to build a nation-wide physicians' email network for his company, Kryptiq. He has traveled to Dallas, Santa Monica, Missouri, Washington, DC, and Seattle this year. As the Chair of our ward's Activities Committee he has put on some fantastic events which have included his gourmet food. Delicious! Probably the best food ever served in an LDS cultural hall.

Sarah serves on the Voices for the Performing Arts Foundation board, sings with the Sherwood Chorale, leads music in Relief Society, helps plan Enrichment meetings, teaches art at school, blogs at suziepetunia.blogspot.com and marathonmommies.blogspot.com, ran the SLC marathon in April and the Newport, OR marathon in May, but spends most days doing the things a mom with four young kids does: feeding the family and trying to keep the house clean. How exciting is that?! It may not be glamorous, but she loves the rare and precious rewards of motherhood.

In other news...

We have been renovating a cottage on the property of a friend of our's in our ward over the last few months. In the next few weeks (as soon as the snow and rain give us a little break!) we will be moving there. It is only about 1/3 of a mile from our current home. We will be renting our house and saving for whatever the future may bring. (Anyone need a place in Sherwood?) :-)

We will be using our cell phones as our primary lines, and you can continue to send mail to our current address until we get a PO Box.

We have loved receiving your Christmas greetings this holiday season. We hope you are having a very merry Christmas, and we hope the new year brings you health and happiness.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Giles Family
Taylor, Sarah, Waverly, Henry, Oscar and Alice