Avery's Favorite Books of 2011

• Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller -- This was a really fantastic book; a page turner with great writing that will make you really think about it even after you finish it.
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- Enthralling, page turning, sometimes gruesome, exciting, funny, amazing.
• The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins -- Great books with incredible writing, especially involving depth of character (who else could make you love a cockroach?) and a really great story.
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie -- Amazing book.  Agatha Christie is definitely one of the best writers ever - her use of suspense and the creepy rhyme that haunts the book just adds to the great characters and plot.
• Boy by Roald Dahl -- This book made me laugh out loud!  Roald Dahl is so witty and my very favorite storyteller, he can make anything funny (even getting his tonsils out!)!
• Blood Red Road by Moira Young -- Moira Young is a very talented writer who provided and interesting perspective and narrative to this great story.
• Emily the Strange (all) by Rob Reger -- Hilarious, witty, unique, smart, and a page turner.  Many nights were spent with a flashlight and this book in one hand and the other hand clamped over my mouth to keep me from laughing so loudly I woke the rest of the house.
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba -- This incredible, almost unbelievable tale may have been the best book I have ever read.
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger -- Awesome writing, good plot, deep true-to-life characters, funny, and smart.  I love this book.
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -- Zusak gives the most incredible narrator and writing to one of the very best books of the century.  Trust me, this book will make you laugh and cry.

Also consider reading:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The Secret Series by Pseudonomous Bosch
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadhota
Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Kira-kira by Cynthia Kadhota
Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang
Matched by Ally Condie

Lexy's Favorite Books of 2011

• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli -- I read this for Rhys's bookclub, which I lead.  It's one of the few of the more recent Newbery award winners that I'd never read, and boy was I missing out!  What a perfect little story this was.
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand -- I had no idea how strongly I'd be drawn into the tale of Louie Zamperini, Olympic runner and WWII POW survivor. This was far and away the best biography I've ever read.  I also read Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, which is a runner up for my top ten list.
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte -- I read this with Avery, her best friend, and her friend's mom before seeing the newest version of Jane Eyre at the movie theater.  I completely and totally loved this book, and can't believe I hadn't read it sooner!  (Loved the movie too!)
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee -- Avery's bookclub read this, and I reread with them for the first time since high school.  I worried that it wouldn't live up to my memory of the book.  I needn't have worried!  It is just as beautiful and wonderful a book as it was the first time I read it.  I doubt I'll be waiting as long to pick it up again!
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood -- This is another classic that I somehow missed in high school.  I'm not usually a big fan of sci fi, but I loved this!  It was such an interesting look at society and women in culture.  
• Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam -- This was another of Avery's book club books.  The movie October Sky was based on this memoir of Homer Hickam, a young man growing up in West Virginia during the early years of the space program. The movie is good, but it can't hold a candle to this inspirational book.
• The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins -- I'm cheating a little here, because instead of choosing just one, I'm listing the whole series.  We got these on audio at the recommendation of a friend and author, and we all loved them!  
• Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White -- Somehow I missed out on ever reading this E.B. White classic until this year.  We listened to this on audio, read by the author.  It is a wonderful tale in its own right but made even better by the author's fantastic reading.  (We will forever say "water" now with a New York accent!  Wuh-der.)
• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell -- I'd heard a lot about this book since it was released, and honestly I was a bit turned off by it.  But, instead of being a how-to book on becoming an uber success, it really expressed how rare and fantastic it is when the stars align just right to produce a prodigy.  Very interesting.
• Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba -- The inspiring true story of a boy growing up in Malawi who managed to transform a life with so few options into a promising future for him and his community.  If nothing else, it will give you a huge dose of perspective.

Griffin's Favorite Books of 2011

• Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems -- It's funny and I like the other ones too.
• Mr Maxwell's Mouse by Frank Asch and Devon Asch -- Funny and kind of weird.
• Say Hello to Zorro by Carter Goodrich -- Funny.  I love it.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling -- Love it.  I love the magic.
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling -- Love it, but a little less than the first Harry Potter.
• Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White -- I like the way the author read it.
• 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith -- Good but not very funny.
• The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins -- Lots of fighting.  Good. The first book was my favorite.
• Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop -- Really good.
• Summerland by Michael Chabon -- I liked the baseball parts.

Bill's Favorite Books of 2011

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King -- King at his best. In the vein of The Body (Stand By Me) and Shawshank.  King takes you back in time and makes it real and alive. A very compelling love story and some great Kennedy elements. There's also some It references for the hardcore King fans. Truly fantastic.
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand -- Truly the most interesting man in the world. He lived out 7 or 8 amazing lives, all wrapped in to one. You won't believe how quickly you'll devour this book.
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot -- Moving, amazing, funny, and sad. Should be required reading.
• Blood Red Road by Moira Young -- YA dystopian fiction with a Cormac McCarthy feel to it. Of course, I loved it.  Add a splash of Mad Max and his crazy Thunderdome, a sprinkling of a Hunger Games type badass female lead, and heavy dose of Cormac McCarthy in style and substance and you've got Blood Red Road. Good stuff.
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle -- One of the greatest books ever written.
• Lord of Chaos  (The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan -- The Wheel of Time books vary greatly in quality from book to book as the story ebbs and flows but this one is great start to finish and the last chapter is the stuff that really separates this series from the rest of the fantasy genre.
• Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand -- an amazing story. I felt like a shadow member of Seabiscuit's team. From the same author as Unbroken.
• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy -- McCarthy's villain in this book (The Judge) makes Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men look like a softy. Terrifying. You'll feel hot, dusty, and tired the entire way. Not a likable character or setting to be found and still it will keep you turning the pages.
• World War Z by Max Brooks -- The first book of the year. It's not my normal style (zombies aren't my bag), and it's not literature, but it might be one of the funnest reads you'll ever lay your hands on. Good times.  

Rhys's favorite books of 2011

This year we kept track of all the books we read, which makes it much easier to look back and choose our favorite reads for the year.  In no particular order, these are Rhys's favorites along with his comments about them:

• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling -- I like the Harry Potter books because the author writes really well, and I love to listen to them on CD because Jim Dale reads them really well.  They're funny.
• The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood -- Very, very funny.
• Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor -- Really good story. Some parts were sad and some parts were happy, but the book was very, very good.
• Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White -- I really liked the father swan, because it was really funny how he couldn't stop talking.  Really good book.
• Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Junior Edition by David Borgenicht and Robin Epstein -- This is a really funny book with good advice for lazy kids.
• Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger -- This book is a lot like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, which are also some of my favorite books.
• Super Sluggers: Wall Ball by Kevin Markey -- Really good if you like baseball.
• Encyclopedia Brown by Daniel J. Sobol -- I love the mysteries in this series.
• Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle -- My dad read this to me.  It has always been one of his favorites, and I really liked it too.
• Frindle by Andrew Clements -- Super funny.

Avery's Birthday Flashback

Now that all the Christmas excitement is over, I have time to go back and post about all the fun we had celebrating Avery's birthday!

On the actual day of Avery's birthday, she woke up to a room filled with balloons.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize just how much helium balloons lose overnight, but she got the idea.  :-)

Avery is such a ray of sunshine in the morning!

We invited Mamar and Carolyn over for Avery's birthday dinner (Linah, Nonnie, and Poppie couldn't make it).  We had pizza and cake.  Yum!

Avery is a very...ahem...special girl.

In lieu of a birthday party, Avery opted to go with her best friend (and birthday buddy) Maya to San Antonio for a girls weekend. Maya's grandmother lives in San Antonio, and was so sweet to host the four of us for the weekend. We had a wonderful time, and I can't remember the last time I've laughed so much -- mostly at our crazy girls.

We started the weekend downtown at the Mexican Market.

Not quite sure what to say about this one....

Getting a caricature.

The resemblance is uncanny, doncha think?

Then the girls got (temporary) colored streaks put in their hair!

Next, we went down to the Riverwalk.  The trees were lit up beautifully for Christmas.  We took in the sights for a while, then we got on a boat for a dinner cruise!

The next morning, we woke up slowly and lounged around for a while, playing some games and just chatting. For lunch, we went to Green, a fabulous vegetarian restaurant.

We wrapped up the weekend with a stop at the Tea Garden.  The girls were in rare form.

We did manage to rein them in to get a couple of decent pictures.

But after that brief interlude of sanity, the girls were back to their "normal" state of madness.  There happened to be a limo parked in front of the tea gardens (presumably for a couple that we may or may not have interrupted during a proposal).  The girls, of course, jumped at the opportunity to pose on the red carpet.

Happy birthday, you crazy girls!

Christmas '11

We had a wonderful Christmas.  The kids loved all their loot and we had a great time with family in and out all day.  And I got a new lens, so be expecting much improved portraits once I figure it out!  ;-)

The kids playing cards with their cousins at the family Christmas Eve party.

Opening new Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve, wrapped in new Christmas pillowcases that I made on a whim the night before!

Ready for bed!

Our Christmas card picture for 2011.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Fun

Thanks to my Pinterest addiction, we've found lots of fun holiday crafts.  We made ornaments for the kids' music teachers.

And some pretty painted ornaments for our tree.

And, of course, we also made some Christmas cookies.

We also went to check out Christmas lights with our good friends the Lucases.  We were a little thwarted by the rain, but we managed to see a really neat light display at Mozart's Coffee Shop and also on 37th Street.

THIRTEEN!

Our sweet baby girl turned 13 this week.  It's hard to believe...wasn't she just born?!

The only consolation to the continued passage of time is watching Avery grow into such a creative, bright, wonderful girl.  We're so proud of her and the young woman she's becoming.

All I want for Christmas is...

...my two front teeth!

Baseball...brrrrr!

Just as we did last year, we wrapped up fall baseball with a coooooold December tournament. This tournament was extra fun, because Rhys's good friend David got to play with us for the first time ever!

Rhys playing short stop and David playing center field.

Avery was thrilled too, because she got to hang with Aubry all day.

 The boys played really well again, ending the tournament with a 4-0 record.  Rhys pitched another complete game for the championship.

Go Voodoo!