The Avery Family Blog

Andrew's First Haircut

Even though Nicole had a 4 year headstart, Andrew won the race to have his first haircut. Truth-be-told, I wasn't particularly fond of the mullet in back, and Manivanh thought his curls made him look too much like a girl. Here are the pictures.

 

 

 

 

Andrew (in a nutshell ...)

New Words

1.       Dada

2.       Da-di

3.       Mama

4.       Ka-khi

5.       Hi

6.       No (No-no-no!)

7.       Sister

8.       Uh-oh!

Favorite Things

1.       Blue blanket with satin back

2.       Watering cans

3.       Chalk

4.       Shoes

5.       Play kitchen

6.       Cinderella laptop toy

7.       Little People play house

8.       Plastic blocks

9.       Books

10.   Remote controls

Favorite Foods

1.       Milk

2.       Crackers

3.       Oatmeal

4.       Noodles

5.       French fries

6.       Sticky rice

7.       Broccoli

8.       Apples

Likes to

1.       Walk/run

2.       Go to the park

3.       Play in the bathtub

4.       Play with plastic spoons and food containers

5.       Climb on things

6.       Have lotion rubbed on his face

Dislikes

1.       Having his nose wiped

2.       Anything warm or hot

3.       Being held too long

School Pictures, 2009

Nicole, age 5

Nicole, age 5

Nicole, age 5, and Andrew, age 16 months

Nicole, age 5, and Andrew, age 16 months

Andrew "Porkchop" Avery

 

Happy New Year 2552

We had perfect weather for Lao New Year this year - sunny and warm. The weather is usually grey and rainy - at least in the Pacific Northwest - so this was a welcome change from prior years. What a beautiful day!

Manivanh and I gave alms to the monks. 

In the afternoon, we watched a Thai dance presentation. 

Our family. 

Manivanh lit several candles for our family. 

Afterwards, Manivanh and Nicole poured water over the Buddha statues. 

The older kids had fun throwing water and spraying shaving cream on each other. 

It's good luck to "water the elders", too! Happy New Year 2552! 

 

Spring Has Sprung

Here are a few pictures of our family. As you can tell, Spring has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest. The daffodils are blooming and the tulips should be showing their colors in the next week or two. In the meantime ...

 

Nicole eating an after-dinner lollipop. She must have eater all of her dinner like a big girl!

 

Manivanh and Andrew in the car after shopping for groceries.

Nicole and Andrew taking it easy on a lazy Sunday morning. 

 

Andrew

  

Digging

  

And playing

  

With Daddy's cars

  

The End! 

U.S. Capitol Building

Created with Photosynth

A Good Walk

On Monday, Andrew and I took the morning off and went for a walk at the Nisqually Wildlife Refugee. It was a little windy but the sun came out and helped keep us warm. I thought Andrew would like to see the different ducks and geese and birds, but he is in a rocks and sticks phase, so the birds raised nary an eyebrow from him. Here are a few pictures from our walk together.

 

 

 

  

   

2 + 2 = 4

This evening just before bathtime, Nicole told Mommy, "Two plus two is four!" Manivanh followed up with a few, simple addition problems. Nicole answered them all correctly until she got to "10" and then she ran out of fingers. Pretty cool,huh! Especially since we've never really practiced math skills other than counting to a hundred. We do, however, like to play "Brain Quest" before bedtime, and maybe this is partly responsible for her sudden interest in math. Nicole is also very good at puzzles, mazes, and all kinds of pattern recognition.

Caught In The Act (Again)

 

Nicole in Olympia

Wordle

A text analysis and fun graphic of Our Avery Family Blog, courtesy of Wordle!

Video Chat To Laos

This evening, our friend, Jack Huxtable, called us from an Internet cafe in Houay Xai. We used Skype so we were able to do a video chat with Manivanh's parents and her sister. It was great seeing everyone again - especially since we could show them Nicole and Andrew, who happily cavorted around the webcam. Hopefully we will be able to do this again.

We talked with Khamphu, Thongsai, and Jack. 

Sisamut joined the party, too!  

  

Here we are in Washington State. 

Nicole is 5 Years Old!

Nicole turned 5 years old on Friday. She's been planning her birthday since the day after she turned 4 years old! We had a small party on Friday so she could have a big party with her friends from pre-school on Saturday.

Nicole picked out the colors for her birthday cake. She said the icing was great but generally avoided the cake as it is more of a filler. 

Nicole and her friends from preschool and one friend from the neighborhood. Cousin Avery was asleep in the car with Uncle Jonathan and Andrew was asleep upstairs. 

The kids had dino-nuggets, egg rolls, potato chips, veggies, fruit, and capri suns fruit drinks. Hhhmmmm yummy! 

Mommy checking in on the party from the kitchen.  

We played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Even Mommy and Daddy had to play!  

Mommy had a little trouble finding the donkey.  

But she managed to put the tail almost in its right place.  

Nicole got lots of nice presents including a Barbie car from her Grammy in Texas. Thanks, Grammy!  

She got some Barbie clothes from Aunt Lindsey, too. How did you know Nicole's Barbie dolls needed new clothes?   

  

The mommies got together for a group picture. 

Happy 1st Birthday

We celebrated Andrew's birthday one day early so Grammy and Papa could attend the big party. (Andrew was actually born on January 2, 2008.) Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Lindsey, and Cousin Avery graciously hosted the party at their house in Covington. Andrew liked the extra attention, Nicole played with Avery, Avery played with Nicole, and the parents and grandparents talked while the Rose Bowl played. We took a short break for birthday cake and dinner and, by the end of the day, all three kids were tired and the adults were exhausted. Happy Birthday, Andrew! We love you!

 

Winter Wonderland

We got our first big snow of the year today. We celebrated by taking Nicole and Andrew on a sled ride around the neighborhood. They both had a blast and can't wait for more snow to fall tomorrow. There is a good chance that we will have a white Christmas after all.

Miss Upside Down

Do you see anything wrong or out-of-place in this picture? That's right, I didn't think so!

11 Months Old

Andrew celebrated his 11 month birthday by eating a plate of Swedish meatballs and noodles for dinner. Nicole thought this was a pretty good idea.

First Steps

Manivanh saw Andrew take one step by himself and then sit down last Friday. Since then, Andrew has been content to crawl, cruise, and stand - until this evening. I was playing with Andrew in the living room and watched him take three eensy-weensy, teeny-tiny steps from the middle of the floor to the couch. He shuffled his feet and barely lifted his knees, but it still counts as walking in my book. Andrew took a few more steps so Manivanh and Nicole could watch him strut his stuff, too.

Happy Thanksgiving

This year, we invited our friends, Daniella, Kiko, and their son, Ivan, to have Thanksgiving Dinner at our house in Lacey.

Nicole and Daniella are good friends and sat next to each other at the dinner table. 

Kiko brought a small bottle of plum rakia to get the party started. Rakia is a distilled spirit and is very strong. We found out that the bottle of rakia we were drinking is very rare because Kiko made it himself when he lived in Bulgaria. Apparently, homemade stills are very common in Bulgaria.

We also celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary at dinner. Manivanh and I drank a glass of champagne together and kissed for a long time.

Andrew put on a tie (and a big smile) for dinner. What a handsome little boy we have!

Thanksgiving Dinner was as good as it looks plus we had homemade pumpkin pie and ice cream. 

Cruisin'

Happy Halloween

Wishing you a Happy Halloween - Sleeping Beauty and Chicken Little 

Looking for the Perfect Pumpkin

    

Look, Ma! No Hands!

Andrew is now balancing on one knee and standing by himself without support. Several weeks ago, I told Manivanh that I thought Andrew would be walking by the middle of November, but it looks like he will be walking much sooner than that.

Andrew is also teething again. Manivanh said she can see two "shadows" next to his two top teeth. It's nice that Andrew can eat finger food, but the downside is that he hasn't been napping well. Luckily, Andrew is still a pretty good kid when he's cranky.

Green Mac 'N Cheese

The crazy thing is, I think this was my idea!

The Birthday Boys

Andrew and I are celebrating our birthday today. That's right, we are the Birthday Boys! This is probably the only time when we will ever share the same birthday. I am 39 today, and Andrew is 9 months. Manivanh thought it would be cute if Andrew dressed up to celebrate. Isn't he adorable in his little, red-striped tie and sporty cap.

Attack of The Cookie Monster

Andrew really likes these teething biscuits. They taste good (according to Nicole who, by the way, is not teething) and they seem to help his sore gums.

Lattin's Country Cider Mill and Farm

Yesterday, we went to Lattin's Country Cider Mill and Farm to check out the farm and its many attractions. Nicole liked the goats and other farm animals. Andrew ate a bunch of Cheerios. Manivanh stocked up on fresh apples and corn, and I sampled the farm's award-winning apple cider. We didn't have time to ride on the hay wagon, which means we will probably be back sometime in the near future.

Mommy and Nicole feeding the hungry goats.

Manivanh tried out the farm's apple slingshot.

Daddy gave the slingshot a try, too!

Don't worry - no cows were harmed. The actual target was at least a hundred yards away!

Andrew climbed an apple tree all by himself.

Nicole thought it would be a good idea if she joined Andrew in the apple tree.

This was the perfect day for a visit to the farm.

Election 2008

In about a month, the country will elect a new president, so this seemed like a good time to ask Nicole who she likes for president, Barack Obama or John McCain.

Daddy: "Nicole, who do you like for president, Barack Obama or John McCain?"

Nicole: "Barack Obama."

Daddy: "Why do you like Barack Obama?"

Nicole: "Brocolli."

Daddy: (pause) "Brocolli?"

Nicole: "Yeah, Brocolli. Barack Obama and brocolli are different, but they're almost exactly the same." Unlike George Bush Sr., Nicole loves brocolli.

Daddy: "Well, uh, that's a pretty good reason to like Barack Obama, then, isn't it?"

Nicole: "Uh-huh."

Nicole also likes the way "Barack Obama" rolls off her tongue. His name is much more fun to say than "John McCain".

The Four of Us

Princess Nicole

Standing On My Own

Andrew has learned how to pull himself up and stand with assistance. It won't be long now until he starts cruising and walking by himself.

Long Beach

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Long Beach. The weather was warm and everyone had a great time playing on the beach. Andrew stuck his toes in the sand and even did a little exploring on all fours. Nicole really seemed to enjoy flying her kite in the stiff breeze that comes off the ocean. For Mommy and Daddy, it was a chance to get out of the house and have a little fun!

Manivanh and The Gang

Andrew's first experience in the sand.

"Help! I can't sit up, and I can't lay down!"

"Now, that's more like it."

Kites are fun!

"Er, Houston? We have a problem."

 

A Young Salt surveys the mighty Pacific.

Bring on the dog days of summer.   

Andrew says, "Mama"

Nicole was the first to hear Andrew say, "Mama," while we were eating dinner. Needless to say, Manivanh was overjoyed.

Bumper Harvest

 

She Shoots! She Scores!

All season long, Nicole has been saying that she would score a goal during one of her soccer games. This didn't seem likely as Nicole usually tried to avoid the swarm of kids who followed the ball from one end of the field to the other.

Finally, something must have clicked in Nicole's brain because she started practicing "power kicks" with her Scooby-Do ball in our garage. The last game of the season was on Friday, and she played like I've never seen her play before. She scored two goals and had one assist. Way to go, Nicole!

Itty Bitty Soccer

Nicole at soccer practice. Go, Nicole, Go!

Where Do Eggs Come From?

I recently had a conversation with Nicole about where eggs and other things come from. Nicole started off well but then revealed some of the reasoning behind her answers.

Daddy: "Hey, Nicole, do you know where eggs come from?"

Nicole: "They come from birds, and they come from hens."

Daddy: "Do you know where milk comes from?"

Nicole: "Milk comes from cows."

Daddy: "Good. Do you know where peanuts come from?"

Nicole: "They come from squirrels. Squirrels like to eat peanuts."

Daddy: "Oh. Where does water come from?"

Nicole: "Water comes from elephants. They have long trunks and like to spray water out of their long trunks."

Da Da

Listen to some of Andrew's first words plus a few raspberries thrown in for good measure. The audio clip was recorded during Nicole's soccer practice.

Learning to Swim

Bend It Like Nicole

Nicole's soccer team had their pictures taken today. Here are a few shots of our budding soccer star!

First Words (sort of) ...

Right after Andrew came home from his check-up, he started doing all sorts of new things. The big news is that he is now saying, "Da-Da," and "Ba-Ba." Okay, maybe he's really saying, "Da-Da-Da-Da-Da-Da-Da-Da" in between a bunch of raspberries, but this still counts as his first word in my book. He's also started clapping his hands together and coughing to get our attention. Apparently, there was a synapse in Andrew's brain that got connected while he was sleeping last night and now he can do all sorts of new tricks. Babies are so amazing!

6 Month Check-up

We took Andrew to see Dr. Harvey for his 6 month check-up today and found out that Andrew is 29 inches long and weighs 20 lbs and 4 ozs. Dr. Harvey said, Andrew is the same size as a one year old. It will be interesting to follow Andrew's development to see if he stays a big boy or slows down. My bet is that he will be tall and thin (like me), but we'll just have to wait and find out what happens next.

Summer Vacation

It used to be that I could get by with a suitcase and a carry-on for just about any vacation. Nowadays, the logistics are overwhelming. In our current family configuration, Manivanh and I travel with 3 suitcases, 2 car seats, two carry-on bags, a purse, a fold-up stroller, a 4 1/2 year old daughter, and a 6 month old son - who, by the way, is awfully cute but is also no help at all. Luckily, Nicole is old enough now that she can literally pull her own weight in the suitcase department. Actually, I don't think she had much choice in the matter.

Nevertheless, we feel very fortunate this summer that we can take a break from our work-a-day lives to visit with our family in Illinois and Texas. We are especially excited to be going to our first-ever Zink Family Reunion in Centralia, IL where we will be able to see some of the more distant relatives in our family tree. According to my records, the last family reunion was held in 1948 - long before our time.

Nicole's New Booster Seat

Nicole reached another milestone-of-sorts this weekend when we installed a new booster seat in our Subaru Outback. The pink color on the backrest was a big hit, even though Nicole said she wanted a more girly, princess-themed booster seat. As a parent, you really have to draw the line somewhere though.

Wat Buddhangkura in Lacey

This weekend, Manivanh's friend, June, took us to visit Wat Buddhangkura in Lacey. Incredibly, this Thai temple is less than 5 miles from our home! We've lived in Lacey for almost a year and didn't have the faintest notion that there was a Wat like this in the area.

Manivanh, Andrew, and June

Wat Buddhangkura and meditation center

The Black Buddha statue is a replica of a famous Buddha statue in Thailand 

Nicole Goes to the Dentist

Last Saturday, Nicole and I went to see Dr. Maebo, our dentist, for a check-up and to have our teeth cleaned. This was Nicole's first dental appointment, and Manivanh and I were a little worried that she wouldn't like the cleaning, so we really pumped her up about being a big girl and how fun it was to go to the dentist's office like Mommy and Daddy. Our preparations and Dr. Maebo's excellent staff seemed to have really paid off.

First, our hygenist, Mi, showed Nicole all the different dental instruments that she would use to clean Nicole's teeth. Nicole thought this was pretty neat.

Nicole liked the extra attention, too, even though sometimes things got a little strange.

Mi: "Nicole, did you have chocolate pudding and gummy bears for breakfast?"

Nicole: "Whhah, ngo whhaaygh."

Mi: "Hhhmm. I thought so. I'll have to have a talk with your parents."

After her teeth were cleaned, Nicole got to pick a foam flavor for her fluoride treatment.

Nicole said this part of the cleaning was a little scary. Her mouth was full of bubblegum-flavored fluoride foam, two large plastic trays, and a suction device for two minutes. Still, she managed to pull off a pretty cool and relaxed look in spite of all the mouth-gear.

After the fluoride treatment, Dr. Maebo examined Nicole's teeth. No cavities! Yeah!

It didn't take long for Nicole to find the toy drawer for good little boys and girls. Jackpot!

Meanwhile, Dr. Maebo gave Nicole's baby brother, Andrew, a hug and a squeeze.

Dr. Maebo's dental office is the best!

Andrew and Mi pose for one last picture.

Andrew's New Trick

For the past week or so, Andrew has been sticking his tongue out whenever he interacts with us. His behavior seems to be part of his age of discovery and language acquisition - sort of a - hey, what is this thing in my mouth? - what should I do with it? - hhhmmm, yeah. - a little air on the ol' tongue feels pretty nice - yeah, oh yeah!

Sisamut Gets Married!

Several months ago, we received some good news from Laos. Manivanh's sister, Sisamut, was engaged to be married. Sisamut is Manivanh's younger sister, and we were very excited for Sisamut and her family. As you can tell from the pictures, it looks like everyone had a great time at the wedding. It's too bad we couldn't be there, too.

The wedding baci.

The bride and groom.

First lamvong (dance) as husband and wife?

The wedding party. 

Aunt Chanmaly and Manivanh's cousin.

Manivanh's older brother, Thongchan, entertaining the wedding guests. We hear that he is a very good singer.

Mom and Dad.   

Gardening with Nicole

Nicole couldn't pass up the opportunity to help Daddy plant a few tomato plants and herbs in containers. That's my helper girl! Now, if only we can keep from overwatering our little garden.