Starting The New Year with a Bang!

My Dearest Avery,

I know it's been a while - I thought about blogging in January and then all of a sudden it was the end of March! You'll find that time flies faster and faster the older you get! 

Let's see, since October you made the ODP white team again - you got loads of playing time and you score - you were a difference maker for your team. You also scored an own goal, which wasn't your best moment but we know it happens. You've also had some ups and downs in school. You had a great science experiment on mold in horse feed but your partner was non-existent. That was a hard lesson and you were definitely principled about it but it won't be the last time a partner lets you down. That experiment got selected for the SARSEF science fair and you won in two categories: you won a UofA award and 3rd place for 6th grade in your category. I'm so proud of you! You had some sick days out that really set you back in school and it was tough for you to recover - also a lesson. We're working on improving all of that.

Over the holiday break we went to Los Alamos for Evan's first hockey tournament - your first chance at being a ferrel sibling at a tournament. It was outdoors and cold but you were a good supporter for Evan. Your soccer team won the Ft Lowell Shootout and you've been mostly playing Center Attacking Mid. Sometimes you play Center Defensive Mid and just today you got your first chance at playing Winger on this team. You're a great ball handler and good facilitator of the ball going to your teammates but you can move it forward and shoot more than you do. You're still jumping with Kim, too, although we did take 3 weeks away from you when your grades fell. 

Finally, we just got back from an incredible trip to Costa Rica. There really aren't words to describe how beautiful it is and how much fun we had. Our excursions included a hanging bridges tour, a Costa Rican cooking class, a chocolate and coffee tour, white water rafting, deep sea fishing and a guided tour through an incredible national park. We saw monkeys, birds, sloths and the Arenal volcano was visible every single day. You got nervous about the "drops" in the rafting tour (they mentioned them prior to us starting) but you wound up loving it and want to go back for more. You even got out of the raft twice to go swimming. You guessed right that mosquitos pollinate the cacao trees on our chocolate tour and you loved trying the coffee. The hanging bridges tour was too scary for you but you loved wearing your teal towel around your waist like a sarong and you got compliments on your style. One afternoon you did sit at the swim up bar with Dad and watch the Arsenal game with your virgin daiquiri, you lucky duck! You like the shampoo plant that you squeeze the flower to get a juice on your hands that smells good. You also loved the cane sugar milk and you changed the code on the safe to where we almost couldn't get any of our electronics or passports out!

You're now saying things like "I got you" and "sup". You've got some boobies coming in and your friends have changed a bit at school - you're hanging out with Riley, Violet and Aubrianna for the most part. You did intramural basketball and you just started intramural track and field - you think you're going to focus on the mile and the 4x400 relay. You're thinking about a field event as your third choice.

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

Jumping!

Halloween at school!

Two peas!

You and Eva, your soccer buddy, at ODP tryouts. Eva made the blue team (top team) but didn't get as much playing time as you did on the second team.

Sibling style at hockey

Evan's birthday party at Rock Solid

ODP tryouts

ODP games - Grandma Gail came to watch!

Christmas!

Team meal!

School soccer photo - you were a co-captain!

Science fair medal you got at school

In Houston, lined up for the flight to Costa Rica! Amazingly, everything we did was on time!

Arrived!

First guided tour!

Writing letters to Santa! While I did tell you about Santa so your middle school friends wouldn't make fun of you......you still say you believe in him!

I got a bike to ride with you and Evan! You're too fast for me to run alongside anymore.

We went to see LeAnn Rimes in Tucson for Christmas! It was an early xmas gift from Santa!

Your science fair trophy! You were so excited that you ran up onto that stage!

Out to dinner with Murray and Pati

Science fair things!

Science fair presentation

Evan's hockey tournament in Los Alamos

hotel life

Took you to the Pompeii exhibit at the AZ Science Museum - you were enthralled!

Great pic from ODP

Guest playing for one of your private coach's (Cynthia's) team

We took care of your class guinea pig over Thanksgiving - she passed away the next month! Her name was Sandy (and she was DIRTY)

Went to watch a friend do an Ironman - you loved it!

Looking through a scope at a lizard

Hanging bridges tour

A gift left in our hotel

Cooking lessons

Big girl in the pool!

Life is rough

Rafting!

Sunset dinner in Manuel Antonio

Making your own chocolate

We caught 10 mahi and 2 tuna!

Family photos! (of course)

Manuel Antonio National Park

C-123 in a restaurant in Manuel Antonio

Out hotel in Fortuna

Howler monkey

The pool lights changed colors

Sloths

A sloth at our hotel in Manuel Antonio

Macaws

These white faced monkeys are known as the mafia in Manuel Antonio - they steal stuff from people!

Avery, you are making waves, my dear. Now we're planning for my brother's wedding, your birthday sleepover and summer camps along with our summer cruise in Europe! You remain a sweet heart with some sass on the side. You like to talk tough about sports and about girls doing things boys can do. You get more and more annoyed at your brother but I think that comes with the territory - you still love him.

I'm loving every minute of it with you!

All My Love,

Mom