Category Archives: food

Avery is Eleven!

Avery just celebrated his eleventh revolution around the sun. Time is such a funny thing. It seems like he was just a baby, but at the same time, eleven seems about right. I am so proud of the big boy/young man Avery is becoming. He is smart, kind, and sensitive. One of the things I admire most about him is how fiercely he loves his little brothers and sister. Sure, he enjoys teasing them like any big brother, but he holds Silas’ hand at school and plays Legos with him for hours. He takes care of Layla, reads her stories, and looks out for her. And he loves being outside with Kieron. It’s easy to forget there are three years between those two.

At eleven, Avery loves Legos, chess, the outdoors, and Nerf. He takes pride in the fact that he is one of the fastest boys at school (and a good defender) but he does not want to play team sports or run track (breaking his arm playing soccer didn’t help any). Avery thinks girls are pretty boring, he doesn’t understand why some of the kids at school just walk around and talk at recess, and he is disappointed the middle school does not have a play ground.

This year has easily been the most difficult of Avery’s young life. Moving at the age of ten is hard on a kid (just ask me and Jonathan, we both went through it and swore we wouldn’t do it to our own). But then we did, and it has been just as tough on Avery as I remember it. And making it even harder, we moved from a neighborhood where he could walk to school and most of his friends’ houses to a home where we have to drive ten minutes to get anywhere. Are there advantages, sure, but I just really have to hand it to Avery, he’s been through a lot this year.

And through it all, Avery is excelling in school and has gradually made friends. He also had a really special teacher (who happens to have a son who is in class and friends with Silas). It has been reassuring to have an adult at school who is in Avery’s corner.

I think this next year is going to be really special for Avery. He is SO ready for middle school — even if there isn’t a playground. I’m excited to see what the future holds for him!

Per his request, a Nerf party

Battle face!

We started out with a little target practice

Our neighbor, Shaw

Shaw’s dog, Obie. It’s perfect that our neighbor has a pug who frequents our yard (and parties). Just feels right.

BFF Hayden came for the weekend

Luke & Kieron

Landon captured the flag

Braden & Avery

The gang

The house decked out for the party. Love the pretty sky (mind you, it’s March)!

Jonathan going over rules with the boys

Team A

Team B

Sniper?

Game on!

Jacqui & Layla, watching the action

Time to eat








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December

December is always a busy month. Here’s what we were up to when we weren’t doing the typical holiday things:

AFV (America’s Funniest Home Videos) is a favorite at our house. Everyone likes it!

Jonathan got himself an early Christmas present – a new Subaru Outback! Okay, technically, it was a long-overdue purchase for BOTH of us. The station wagon is our “cool” car. It really freaks me out thinking this will likely be the first car Avery learns to drive!

A cool panorama of the lake and our beach.

Silas loves apples

Our cute boys being silly in the kitchen



Bathtime

Layla watching Cinderella.

Caught her red handed!

Daddy borrowing Layla’s accessories

Silas at school

With his 4th grade reading buddy, Hunter

Putting up Christmas lights is a snap at this house!

The living room all decorated

Snuggling with the babies

Decorating our gingerbread house. Thank you, Costco, for selling these pre-assembled so we can get straight to the fun part!

Loving on her biggest bro

Nothing like a little Christmas Star Wars puzzle to get the season going.

Silas discovered YouTube drawing tutorials. Give this kid some markers, a stack of paper, and a laptop, and you won’t hear from him all day. I literally had to make him step away just to eat a little lunch. There is something so rewarding about seeing your child in a flow, doing something they love so much they can’t pull themselves away. The intensity of this five-year-old is pretty impressive, and makes me so proud!



Pulling Buzzy-Bee down the hall

“Let’s get Daddy!”

Kieron & Silas checking out my old place of employment, Hollister.

Making cinnamon tortillas with Grammy

Chex mix for the neighbors

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Thanksgiving

We had a pretty quiet Thanksgiving this year. The Avery’s of Pullman were in Laos, and The Kings of Vancouver & Oakland had other plans as well, so it was just Grammy & Papa, and us.


There was a lot of ping pong

And some foosball

Papa and Silas shot some hoops downstairs

We put a puzzle together

And when we got a chance, we took some walks




Silas, ready to bake cookies!

I can’t remember why she was crying, but she looks cute

On a happier day, with her baby

I think they were watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade

Laughing about something with Grammy

We took Avery & Silas to The Nutcracker the day after Thanksgiving. (I originally thought we’d take Avery & Kieron, but he didn’t want to go, and Silas did, so it all worked out). Unfortunately, we got tickets to the wrong performance, which was more of a hip-hop interpretation. Don’t think we’ll see that one next year, but we had fun anyway. Here we are at The Local prior to the performance.

Playing piano with Papa

I hosted a OneHope wine party for some friends on Saturday. Here’s Grammy and me toasting my launch.

Meanwhile, Daddy & Papa took the kids to the Whatcom Museum. Here is a logging exhibit they liked

They also enjoyed looking at all the stuffed birds

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Goodbye Leitz St.

After going back and forth over whether to rent or sell our house in Snoqualmie, we decided to sell. The new owners moved in in October. Here are a few pics from our final goodbye.

Layla taking one last look out her window.

Avery in his room for the last time.

One last peek at the playroom

Kieron with his good buddy, Louis

Ben & Layla

Layla and I stayed with Caroline that weekend

Visiting Rooster Valley Farm School. They got two new sheep!

Mommy selfie
  

I think this was on the drive down

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Visit from the Lotts

The Lotts came to visit again in September. Poor Avery and Hayden really miss each other (okay, so do Jacqui and I), and so we’ve made extra effort to get together when we can.







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