A few more details, now, on Avery at eight…

Personality: As mentioned in previous posts, she’s got a big one. At school she’s still mild-mannered and unlikely to get super silly outside of recess, but at home she’s always running bouncing around, dancing, talking loudly, telling jokes and – yeh – sometimes being sassy. She likes teasing people (especially me!), and she likes bathroom humor. (Under the teasing-me umbrella, one of her favorite things to do is take off her dirty socks and leave them scattered throughout the house. She knows I don’t think like it and, hence, thinks it’s hilarious.) She’s also known as our little diva: She tends to be very dramatic about things, with three phrases we hear very often – “That’s not fair!” “You’re so rude!” and “I’m hun-gry” – often said in an exaggerated or whiney voice. We also hear “Real-ly?” accompanied by an eye roll more than I like! But, still: She’s a sweet kid who is caring and compassionate. When one of her teammates got hurt during a soccer game this spring, for example, Avery was the first one to rush over to her, put her arms around the girl and start to comfort her. I got a lump in my throat when I saw that (I was much prouder than if she had made a goal!), but that’s pretty typical of her.

Interests: Like when she was seven, she loves playing pretend (as I type this she’s downstairs playing school with Zoe), as well as Barbies and Lego Friends. Though she has been lukewarm about taking a class, she really enjoys dancing and putting on performances. (I’d love to be able to show photos or videos, but more often than not she performs without clothes on – something she finds hilarious to do.) Over the past few months, she has been very into Hamilton music (as has the rest of the family), and her favorite thing to watch is H2O, a show on Netflix about mermaids. She likes reading more than she used to; in the spring she discovered the Owl Diaries and she also really likes the Heidi Hecklebeck series. She also seems very interested in computer programming; she enjoyed working with Scratch during technology class at school, and we actually signed her up for a coding camp next week.

School life: Second grade was a big success for Avery, especially since she had an amazing teacher. Though she’s likely to describe school as “just okay” (and she never gets sad about vacation days), she does seem to really enjoy it – and she considers math her favorite subject. And as for friends, she has a little crew (see her recent birthday picture) and seems happy in that department.

Other stuff: She’s 53 inches and wears a size 2 shoe. She had her first crush this year and was very open about talking about it with us; one night at bedtime I asked what she was going to think about as she tried to get to sleep and she answered, “Marrying X.” (She also talks about his hair and how cute he is on a regular basis.) Speaking of bedtime, we have a new routine over the last few months where she asks us to “check on her” every few minutes until she’s asleep. “Don’t forget!” she’ll call out in her sweet voice. (As if we could ever forget her!)

-M

While Avery was at a birthday party one afternoon, Zoe and I skipped over to a nearby public library where – in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter books – they were holding a potions class. For 45 minutes Zoe measured, stirred, mixed together ingredients like vinegar and corn starch and watched her creations turn colors and bubble over. Her final assessment was that the event was fun but “more for younger kids;” she, in turn, took home the potion recipes and re-created them with Avery the next day.

-M

As mentioned previously, this week the girls are at Galileo, an art and science camp that they’ve gone to for the last several summers. (This is actually Zoe’s fifth year there!) What makes this year especially exciting is that they’re finally really together: Rising third, fourth and fifth graders are known as Supernovas, and Zoe and Avery are in the same group.

-M

When I was sick last week Q had to do most of the camp drop-offs (and pick-ups). I  was still asleep when he took her one morning, and when I woke up I found this note taped to the pillow next to me.

-M

My favorite photo from Avery’s party… They just look so happy!

-M

Since Avery’s birthday fell on a Monday, we waited until the following weekend for her real celebration: a slumber party with some of her closest girlfriends. The girls made stuffed bunnies, did crafts, watched movies, and acted generally silly – ya, know, the norm for 7- and 8-year-olds. And the best part? Thanks to Q (the party planner/nighttime guard), they even got sleep.

-M

I had a summer bug (cold and fever) last week, which is why I haven’t written in a bit. But the girls had a successful first full week of summer, with Zoe at math camp and Avery at a sports camp. I was proud of both of them: These were their first times at each camp, they knew no one there, and they weren’t at all nervous about going. They both had great things to say about them (though Avery, who swam and played tennis, basketball and soccer and didn’t come home until 5 PM each day, was clearly exhausted), and they each made new friends.

Next up for them: a week of camp at Galileo (an old favorite).

-M

An official update, but for now: A shout-out to Avery, who just turned eight! (And here she is celebrating with her treat of choice: not cake, but donuts.)

-M

Sending happy wishes to all those dads out there… We celebrated the day one day early by heading to nearby Great America – a tradition dating back to when Avery was one!

-M

Yesterday was the last day of school for the girls, and it’s official: Zoe’s time at Brandeis is more than half over (gulp). She’s officially a fifth-grader, with Avery – just days away from a birthday – moving to third. We said our good-byes on campus Wed. afternoon… (And they look older than in September, no?)

-M

Love these pics of the girls and their friends – both taken earlier this week.

-M

We may have been in vacation mode after our trip, but things have been far from mellow. There’s been a lot going on, including an end-of-year chorus/band performance by Zoe, an early in-class birthday celebration for Avery, and the finishing of various school projects (such as Zoe’s bridge-building project and Avery’s biome poster, below). I’m ready for a break, and I know the girls are, too: Lately they’ve both been sleeping in past 7, a real rarity (and treat).

-M

One last post from Mexico (I swear): What might be my new favorite pic of the girls.

-M

Two highlights of our recent trip to Cabo were a visit to Flora Farms, a ten-acre valley farm and restaurant about 45 minutes from where we stayed (and where the kids ran around the gorgeous grounds and, after dinner, enjoyed homemade ice cream), and a parasailing trip for Q and Zoe. Avery and I stayed on the ground (or, more accurately, at the pool), but, from the looks of their GoPro pics, the other two had a great time up in the sky!

-M

Some more photos now from Mexico, including some of our boat ride to visit Cabo’s famous arch and a lot from the beach and (beautiful) hotel grounds. And the last photo, in particular, makes me so happy – walking to the beach with my girls, we didn’t have a care in the world…

-M