We came back home and had a little nibble of fig bread, and then Dad read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to our two and to the two in Sacramento via Skype.
And then Santa came!!!
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Christmas Eve!
We came back home and had a little nibble of fig bread, and then Dad read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to our two and to the two in Sacramento via Skype.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Christmas preparations
Mom and Dad Avery took Sebastian and Liesl to Macy's today to pick up a present from them, to me. They have independently come up with an idea, and astonishingly I still don't know what it is! I really really really wanted to be a fly on the wall to see the scene at the store.
Dad described it in an email as follows:
"The cutest part of the day was when mom and I assisted Liesl and Sebbe in choosing a gift for them to give to Bri. They found something (which cannot be named yet, of course). And then we went to the counter to pay. Out of my backpack, we took out their two ENORMOUS piggy banks. We opened them up and poured the contents on the counter, much to the bemusement of the woman behind the counter. The two of them tallied the necessary money, put the leftover money back in the banks and walked proudly out of the store. Now if we can keep Liesl from spilling the beans until Bri has actually opened the present……"
In other news, they've been thick as thieves the last few days, sleeping in the same bedroom, playing Go Fish, reading books together, making pretend cities. And then, first they pretended to be brothers, and then they pretended to be sisters. So cute.
Dad described it in an email as follows:
"The cutest part of the day was when mom and I assisted Liesl and Sebbe in choosing a gift for them to give to Bri. They found something (which cannot be named yet, of course). And then we went to the counter to pay. Out of my backpack, we took out their two ENORMOUS piggy banks. We opened them up and poured the contents on the counter, much to the bemusement of the woman behind the counter. The two of them tallied the necessary money, put the leftover money back in the banks and walked proudly out of the store. Now if we can keep Liesl from spilling the beans until Bri has actually opened the present……"
In other news, they've been thick as thieves the last few days, sleeping in the same bedroom, playing Go Fish, reading books together, making pretend cities. And then, first they pretended to be brothers, and then they pretended to be sisters. So cute.
the Nutcracker
Liesl and I had a girl's day on Sunday - we did some glitter-dusted Christmas craft projects in the morning, went for a walk through the woods together (pretending to be Anna and Elsa lost in the forest, of course), and then met up with friends to see a matinee performance of the Oregon Ballet Theatre's Nutcracker. Liesl got a new dress for the occasion and so we dressed up super fancy. She was impressed by the shining lights of the Keller Theatre, by the live orchestra, by the beautiful stage sets, and by the ballet dancers - the Sugar Plum Fairy in particular, of course. It was magical.
Sometimes I feel like days go by and I don't do a good job of being in the moment, of appreciating my children's joy and laughter and foibles, of really noticing how much I love them and how special they are. But on Sunday at the ballet, Liesl sat on my lap, thrilled and excited, and I kissed her hair and snuggled her close and felt very much present, and happy, and grateful.
Sometimes I feel like days go by and I don't do a good job of being in the moment, of appreciating my children's joy and laughter and foibles, of really noticing how much I love them and how special they are. But on Sunday at the ballet, Liesl sat on my lap, thrilled and excited, and I kissed her hair and snuggled her close and felt very much present, and happy, and grateful.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Sebastian's poster and presentation
First-graders at Sebastian's school have a poster and presentation project in December - the children were asked to create a collage of family photos and write about their family - what made each person special, what things your family liked to do together, and what holidays and traditions your family celebrated. He practiced a few times over the weekend - oy, was he nervous! - and then did a wonderful job on Monday morning. He spoke clearly and described each of the photos he'd picked, he didn't mumble or look embarrassed, he remembered the sentences he'd practiced... it was sweet.
These are the sentences he wrote on the poster - he said a lot more: "My family likes to go on long hikes. I also play a lot of soccer. These are my Avery grandparents. These are my Raab grandparents. My dad loves to cheer for the Steelers. We also like Cannon Beach. My sister, my mom and me are good at bike riding. One holiday we celebrate together is Christmas. My dad lifts me up and I put the star on top of the tree. 25 days before Christmas we hang up the Advent calendar and we get a treat every morning."
By happy coincidence, in terms of forestalling sibling jealousy, Liesl's preschool teachers asked parents to make a family photo collage to decorate the classroom. Here's our effort - she picked the pictures, I made them fit, she applied the glue, I stuck them on:
By happy coincidence, in terms of forestalling sibling jealousy, Liesl's preschool teachers asked parents to make a family photo collage to decorate the classroom. Here's our effort - she picked the pictures, I made them fit, she applied the glue, I stuck them on:
Monday, December 15, 2014
baking gingerbread cookies
The children and I baked gingerbread cookies on Sunday - we followed a new recipe, from smitten kitchen, and the cookies turned out beautifully - not too sweet, dark and spicy, almost biscuit-like. Delicious.
waiting, waiting, waiting...
Yum.
Yum.
Yum.
Friday, December 12, 2014
studio art fun
Liesl and I spent our morning together at a drop-in art studio in NW Portland. (I really am loving our free days together - last week we went hiking at Tryon Creek, and to hear musician/puppeteer Red Yarn; the week before that it was OMSI... fun times with my girl.)
We were joined by friends Anne and Camille for some painting, some craft/collaging/gluing, and then finally some more painting of the Jackson Pollock variety.
We were joined by friends Anne and Camille for some painting, some craft/collaging/gluing, and then finally some more painting of the Jackson Pollock variety.
Monday, December 8, 2014
dinner games
Steve often introduces fun guessing games in the car and at the dinner table - a lovely and very welcome distraction from the usual drudgery of asking the children to mind their manners and eat their vegetables - and tonight's were particularly interesting.
The first game was fairly straightforward - think of your favorite vegetable and write it down. And then we went around the table and asked each person to name the others' favorites. So Liesl was first, and we all had to guess her favorite vegetable. Then everyone guessed Sebastian's, then mine, then Steve's. For the record, Sebastian said peas, Liesl picked avocado, I picked kale, and Steve picked avocado. The kids did a great job of identifying favorites - Liesl picked green beans for Seb (his second favorite), avocado for me, and kale for Steve, all pretty accurate. Sebastian got Liesl's avocado and guessed lettuce for me (pretty close) and broccoli for Steve.
The second game was more complicated and very interesting - it was akin to a choose your own adventure story. Steve told a story and at six key moments asked each of us to choose between three options. We each wrote down our choices and then at the end we again went through and had to guess what the others had picked.
The story was that we were heading out on an adventure - in search of treasure - and it was possibly dangerous. We had to pick a route: trek over the mountains, sail across the ocean, or head through a series of tunnels and caves. Next, we had to pick what extra supplies we wanted to put into our backpacks: food, weapons, or tools. As we were going along, we saw a stranger up ahead, and knew we were in dangerous territory: did we hide, greet the stranger, or attack him? We kept on, and eventually reached a field of fruit: did we pick and eat the blueberries, strawberries, or apples? At the end of our journey, a magic fairy promised to give us whatever we desired: health, gold/money, or fame? And finally, what thing or experience did we want most at the end of the long adventure, to make us feel warm and comfortable?
Trying to guess what the others had picked was much harder for some of these questions than others, but it was very fun.
Liesl headed over the mountains, chose to bring extra food, attacked the stranger, ate strawberries, asked for good health above all else, and at the end of her journey wanted a blanket and Bunny Foofoo. Sebastian went down through the tunnels, brought extra tools, attacked the stranger, ate blueberries, also asked for good health, and said he just wanted to sleep at the end of the journey. Steve also headed into the tunnels and caves, with extra tools, but he hid from the stranger, also ate blueberries in the field, but asked for gold from the fairy (!), and at the end asked for a kiss from me. :) I climbed into the mountains with Liesl, brought tools, hid from the stranger, picked apples to eat, asked for good health, and at the end of the day wanted hugs from my family.
I was proud that both children picked health over money and fame - surprised, too. I thought Sebastian might wish to become a famous soccer player, and Liesl might wish for money to buy treats and toys. And we were astonished that they both decided to attack the stranger - or trap him somehow. Really?? But at the end they both wanted to be home and in their beds, and that was a nice reflection too of how they feel about home.
The first game was fairly straightforward - think of your favorite vegetable and write it down. And then we went around the table and asked each person to name the others' favorites. So Liesl was first, and we all had to guess her favorite vegetable. Then everyone guessed Sebastian's, then mine, then Steve's. For the record, Sebastian said peas, Liesl picked avocado, I picked kale, and Steve picked avocado. The kids did a great job of identifying favorites - Liesl picked green beans for Seb (his second favorite), avocado for me, and kale for Steve, all pretty accurate. Sebastian got Liesl's avocado and guessed lettuce for me (pretty close) and broccoli for Steve.
The second game was more complicated and very interesting - it was akin to a choose your own adventure story. Steve told a story and at six key moments asked each of us to choose between three options. We each wrote down our choices and then at the end we again went through and had to guess what the others had picked.
The story was that we were heading out on an adventure - in search of treasure - and it was possibly dangerous. We had to pick a route: trek over the mountains, sail across the ocean, or head through a series of tunnels and caves. Next, we had to pick what extra supplies we wanted to put into our backpacks: food, weapons, or tools. As we were going along, we saw a stranger up ahead, and knew we were in dangerous territory: did we hide, greet the stranger, or attack him? We kept on, and eventually reached a field of fruit: did we pick and eat the blueberries, strawberries, or apples? At the end of our journey, a magic fairy promised to give us whatever we desired: health, gold/money, or fame? And finally, what thing or experience did we want most at the end of the long adventure, to make us feel warm and comfortable?
Trying to guess what the others had picked was much harder for some of these questions than others, but it was very fun.
Liesl headed over the mountains, chose to bring extra food, attacked the stranger, ate strawberries, asked for good health above all else, and at the end of her journey wanted a blanket and Bunny Foofoo. Sebastian went down through the tunnels, brought extra tools, attacked the stranger, ate blueberries, also asked for good health, and said he just wanted to sleep at the end of the journey. Steve also headed into the tunnels and caves, with extra tools, but he hid from the stranger, also ate blueberries in the field, but asked for gold from the fairy (!), and at the end asked for a kiss from me. :) I climbed into the mountains with Liesl, brought tools, hid from the stranger, picked apples to eat, asked for good health, and at the end of the day wanted hugs from my family.
I was proud that both children picked health over money and fame - surprised, too. I thought Sebastian might wish to become a famous soccer player, and Liesl might wish for money to buy treats and toys. And we were astonished that they both decided to attack the stranger - or trap him somehow. Really?? But at the end they both wanted to be home and in their beds, and that was a nice reflection too of how they feel about home.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Christmas decorating, continued...
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