The Avery Family Blog

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.

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. 

Looking for the Perfect Pumpkin

    

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.

The Four of Us

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.   

Sad News

Last week, we found out that my Uncle Larry, who was battling lymphoma and stomach cancer, was extremely ill and was being admitted to the hospital in Plano, TX. His condition continued to deteriorate and, within a few short days, Uncle Larry was gone. I arrived at the hospital a few hours after he passed away but was able to say good-bye and tell him that I loved him. Losses like this are difficult, especially when there are many good memories and strong emotions to reflect upon.

Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

On Sunday, we went to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium with my sister and her family. We lucked out on the weather and had a clear, sunny sky to walk around the zoo. Spring is something of a mixed bag in Washington State, so you learn to enjoy the good days when they come your way! Nicole and Avery got along great. I think they liked chasing each other on the grass more than anything else, although Nicole thought the reindeer and the, always popular, beluga whales were pretty neat, too.

 

Grammy Makes a Surprise Visit

On Sunday, I took Nicole to pick up a surprise package from the airport. And guess what, or rather who, the package was? That's right, Grammy! Needless to say, Nicole was very surprised. It took her a good minute or two to get over the shock. After Nicole regained her composure, she quite naturally slipped back into her role as Grammy's Little Princess. In fact, we were all very happy to be together again.

Grammy is spending the week with us to meet her new grandson, Andrew, and to celebrate Nicole's birthday. Then, Grammy will spend a few days with Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Jonathan to see cousin, Avery, and their pug, Commodus.