Merry Christmas!

Avery's 14th birthday

Avery's birthday was extra special because her BFF Maya came back from Indiana. The girls' birthdays are a day apart, and they've spent almost all their birthdays together, so they were thrilled to not miss this one. The girls got together with Aubry, got manicures, went to Chuy's, and had a sleepover.

Christmas card photo shoot

Backpacking at Inks Lake

Avery's first backpacking trip of the season was to Inks Lake in November.

The "A-Team" (Anja, April, Andi, Aubry, and Avery):

Halloween

Katniss, Voldemort, and a Minecraft Creeper

 

Fall Dance

Chanelle, Avery, and Aubry

Northside Enrichment

This fall, we joined the Northside Enrichment Co-op. We were looking to meet some new people, and it seems that we found just the place! Even with nearly 90 members, we only knew a few before we started. We've met lots of nice families, and we're really enjoying it! Besides the new friends, we really love that it's held at the YMCA, so in addition to our fun classes, we get to use the gym, playground, and pools. It's an awesome set up!

We just wrapped up our first five weeks of classes. I was teaching Critical Thinking in US History to a bright group of teens, and helping out with a Game Design class for kids of all ages. Avery was in my Critical Thinking class and also Book Club. Rhys has been taking Science and Film and Podcast Making, which he has really enjoyed. Griffin has been taking art and science. Next week, we start the second five weeks of the fall semester, which means all new classes!

Rhys in Film and Podcast Making.

Getting to know my Critical Thinking students.

Griffin making "elephant toothpaste" in science.

Griffin making a suspension bridge in science.

More science fun!

Back to "school"

As soon as we got back from our vacation, we got back to work. Avery's classes had actually already started, so she really had to hit the ground running. We've been busy ever since, with school work, co-ops, orchestra, and baseball all going strong.

Avery on the first day of fall classes.

Summer Road Trip '12 -- Part Five

The final leg of our trip was from Indiana back home, with a brief stop over in Memphis for the night. We didn't do much sightseeing on the way home, but we did manage to check out the Clinton Presidential Library. It was well worth the visit!

All in all, a pretty great trip.

Summer Road Trip '12 -- Part Four

After our quick jaunt to Ohio, we continued onto Indiana. We spent a few days in Bloomington, exploring a little, but mostly soaking up good times with friends.

We also celebrated Rhys's TENTH birthday while in Bloomington!  It was pretty special for him to spend his birthday with his best buddy.

The next day, we had to pack up and begin the trip home. After a photo shoot, some donuts, and some final farewells, we hit the road again.

Summer Road Trip '12 -- Part Three

After four nights of camping, we packed up and headed toward civilization -- and showers!  We drove straight through Tennessee (with only a short stop to see the University of Tennessee's baseball stadium) and Kentucky into Ohio, where we spent a night in Cincinnati. My good friend Lori and her family drove down from Columbus and we had such a nice time catching up. We haven't seen each other since Rhys and her son Jackson were about 18 months, but the kids didn't miss a beat!

The next day was the much anticipated BFF reunion. We arranged to meet in Cincinnati at a Reds game, and the sheer joy of the kids seeing each other from across the street was like something out of a movie.

The game seemed trivial compared to the reunion, but we really enjoyed the Reds experience.