Summer Fun 2025!

 My Dearest Avery,

Oh my goodness how fast this year is flying by! Along with finishing fifth grade, you finished the year with your soccer team amidst a lot of drama about the next year's team. After the dust settled, you decided to move up a year and play for the 2013 Team 2 in the National League (on an 11v11 field). You're also into swimming and playing pretend games, sewing and reading books on natural disasters and weather patterns. Other than that, you're really focused on prepping for your new middle school - we're moving you to Cross Middle School in August!

After the school year ended, we immediately took off for ODP camp in Flagstaff. It was an all-day soccer camp for 3.5 days where you learned some great skills and met some great friends. Then you had a week of soccer camp here in Tucson and a week of toxins camp at the UofA. Next we went to Kansas City to visit my side of the family and you came back to a photography camp and some rest time. In there you did the test to move up a level in math and you did so well that it was an easy decision for you to attend 7th grade math while you're in 6th grade. Then we went for a week in Carlsbad for the San Diego Wave soccer camp with Gabi and Eva and came home only to quickly turn around and fly to Denver for Evan's last hockey camp of the season at DU, which happened to be next to the DU soccer camp so we sent you off to that one too! We just got back from Denver so our summer shenanigans are winding down as we prep for school to start.

Personality-wise, you are starting to show more and more signs of more complicated emotions. When you get all the feels because something concerns you, you look focused and worried and don't easily come out of that funk. You sometimes love playing with Evan and sometimes hate it because you say he gets mad at you easily. You still love Modern Family and talk about it all the time - you even quoted it in your sleep saying, "you're playing for second" - I originally thought you were talking about soccer but nope - Modern Family strikes again. You've learned to sew on the sewing machine and you coded your own Roblox game with Dad teaching you. Speaking of Roblox, you play on there with your friends; you're also emailing and calling to talk with them. You had your first sleepover at a friend (Izzy's) house and you're working through all the different issues that come with friends at your age. You like playing Store (opening up your Sunshine Cafe in our kitchen). You still like science and math and I think you are leaning towards meteorology. Your riding sort of ebbs and flows with progress but you're working with some new horses along the way (Cheese and Hannah are helping you while you take a break from Dixie). You also continue to teach yourself the piano.

One more thing - I also told you the truth about Santa this summer. While it felt like taking your innocence away, I didn't want it to be someone in middle school who did it for me. When I told you, you said you had had suspicions but you didn't know who else could do it since Dad and I also get filled stockings. Gradually, you also asked me about the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny so you know about all of them now. I read the average age for a kid finding out is 8.4 years (and Evan has hinted that he knows it's us) so I think we made a good run of it. I also told you that you only have the right to ruin it for your own kids - no one else - and if you do, your gifts will be reduced accordingly. I think our secret is safe with you :)

Here's your life in pictures right now....

Checking out the musical performance at your new school!

Hockey game! Got free tickets to Roadrunners so had to go!

Watching Evan play!

Rainbow over Tucson!

You and Izzy singing karaoke at school's spring event!

That's my #5!

Scottsdale Quarter, cooling off after soccer, no doubt!

You have loved taking the corner kicks this season - and you were so good at it!

Backyard camping!

Spring Performance!

You got to play instruments!

Riding Dixie!

Easter in your new sweatshirt!

You're still going with me on some mornings!

Movie in the park!

11 years old!

Your party - at the pool this year!

Last tournament was in Flagstaff!

Your team won the tournament!

Celebrating with your coach Alex - who is not a fan of Arsenal!

End of May weekend at Starr Pass lazy river - your soccer buddy Emma came to join us

Wore you out!

Hiking West of Tucson before leaving Starr Pass

Your Toxins camp ended with presentations given by all the kids

Yours was on Pesticides

Riding Cheese

Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House

We made breakfast with other families for the folks at the Ronald McDonald house

Walking the UofA campus

KC here we come!

You and Emma seem to just pick up right where you leave off!

Royals game!

Got Pop in on the annual jersey grab!

Uncle Will was performing one night so we all went to watch

KC Science City

Met up with one of my college friends and her kids - you and Maddie had a great time bowling together and drinking Shirley Temples together

Blackbob pool!

It's more like a water park

Soccer with Dad - and you didn't enjoy this one. Ended in tears, unfortunately

Goodbyes are hard

You got to lead the FC Tucson Women's team onto the field twice this summer!

Women's FC Tucson ball girl!

July 4 fireworks

Collecting soccer player cards

Waiting for the hockey game!

Wave camp - Evan's ready for basketball on the courts next to your field

Padres game while at the Wave camp!

Legoland while at the Wave camp

Handels while the boys were out of town

Dad trying to be cool and you getting embarrassed!

Beach day while at the Wave camp

DU soccer and hockey, here we come!

Avery, my dear, you are turning into a wonderful young lady. You care about others, work hard and are always wanting to learn new things. As the new school year starts, I wish you nothing but the fast gaining of friends and an easy transition into a middle school you love and one where you can thrive.

All My Love,

Mom