Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Avery's 11th Birthday Beach Party

Avery is such a special girl! She is very determined. When Avery was in the first grade, I asked Avery if she wanted to play soccer. She said, "No". Three days later she said, "I want to play soccer! I've been practicing at school during recess, so that I'm ready for the season." Like I said, she is very determined. She has now played for about 5 years. She was a junior ref this last season, and was confident and humble out on the field, as she called out each command. She has many friends who are boys, and many friends who are girls. I also love that she is so close to each person in our family. She has a special relationship with each one. Avery has a great sense of humor, and is constantly making me laugh. She always remembers to pray when she needs help. She and Mikaya were caught in a riptide about 2 1/2 months ago, and she thought they might drown, if they didn't get some help fast. She immediately prayed and were blessed to make their way out of this scary situation. Although it took awhile to feel comfortable back in the water, she continues to have fun in the ocean! She is the perfect balance of knowing how to be responsible, and also knowing how to have fun at the same time. We love everything about you Avery!!!

We had a ton of people out for Avery's Birthday Beach Party! We barbecued on the beach, had Waikiki meatballs, hotdogs, Hawaiian rolls, watermelon, and homemade Oreo cake cookies. We drew a big field in the sand and the kids played soccer, capture the flag, boogie boarded, and ran some relays. The weather didn't completely cooperate, but that didn't stop everyone from having fun in and out of the water!

Project Showcase

For Project Showcase this year, Avery studied about deep sea creatures. I painted a deep sea fish, and photos were taken as people stuck their heads behind its jaws; an "Elf Yourself" kind of thing. We had fun watching people laugh and smile. For Mikaya's project, she studied the respiratory system, of the human body. She had people take a deep breath and blow into a balloon, to show the difference between an adult lung's capacity and a child's lung capacity. She also demonstrated how it might feel to breathe with asthma, as she had her observers blow through a straw stuffed with cotton swabs. Project Showcase took place at Balboa Park Club, near the San Diego zoo.

The park, running around the lake, rollarblading at Miramar college, and History Club swim party.

"Call it Courage" End of Year Party

Avery's class celebrated the end of the year by decorating the classroom in "Call it Courage" style, and eating some of the food from the island where it took place. Avery made a huge albatross out of cardboard and white paper and paint, that soared above the classroom. They displayed their dioramas of "Call it Courage" (pictured). They also broke open coconuts and tasted the juice.

Surfing the Sand

Legoland