Avery Isabella

Our roses are in bloom and it inspired us to have a little photo-shoot with this almost 6 year old!

Little sweetheart. 

I love her strawberry blonde hair.  

Soccer

Avery played soccer again this spring and loved it. She is really starting to develop soccer skills and is playing more aggressively.
Most games were rained out, which isn't a big surprise for spring soccer in Moscow. It's usually cold and wet through June.
I think we'll stick to Fall soccer from here on out. The chances of it being wet, cold and muddy is a little less.

She wore her sunglasses to protect her eye.

O did a little riding and a little game watching. 

Team huddle. 

Waiting on the sidelines. 

Coach Brian. 

Dance Recital

Avery performed in her ballet recital 4 days after her eye surgery. She was feeling great and the swelling and bruising had gone down significantly. Her eye was still sensitive to light so she wore her sunglasses during the performance. It was really cute and the audience thought it was part of the show. They laughed and oohed and awed when she came out. It worked out perfectly. She had a wonderful time and can't wait for her next performance.  

Before the show! She still has rollers in her hair.

With her friend Hannah. 

The little ballerina's in dress rehearsal. 

Here they are during the performance. 

Avery after the performance.

Portland

We went to Portland for Avery's eye surgery at OHSU Casey Eye Institute. We arrived a few days before her surgery to play a bit in Portland. We stopped in Hood River and walked around downtown and ate at a really yummy restaurant. We also went to the Portland Zoo which was so fun. Our good friend Eve was able to come with us and we spent 5 hours exploring the zoo. 

After the zoo the kids crashed out in the car so Eric and I decided that was the perfect time to get our Ikea shopping done. The kids slept the entire time and it made our shopping so easy!!

We ate dinner in Portland then went back to our hotel to swim. The next morning I took Avery to the pool since she couldn't eat breakfast before her surgery. We checked-in at the hospital at 10:45. She was admitted about 12;00 and went into surgery at 1:00. We were able to see her when she woke up at 2:30. She was in a lot of pain and really miserable. That first night was awful. She is unable to close her eye for a few weeks and it was really hard the first day and night. She was so tired and wanted to close her eye but couldn't. She took Vicodin the first night but it didn't help much. She barely slept and screamed and cried. It was really hard. I felt awful and wanted to help her feel better but there wasn't much I could do to bring her relief. I just held her and softly rubbed her hair and back. She was so brave and sweet throughout the whole experience.

She is healing really well. Her eyelid is still a little swollen and bruised. She went back to school today and was so happy to see her friends. She wore her sunglasses because the light bothers her eye since she can't close it all the way. She was able to share her story and pictures with her class. She is very happy to be back at school and she feels great. 

At dinner in Hood River. Owen's demonstrating his nose picking skills. 

I think Owen was in shock he was actually on a train.

On the Portland Zoo train.

Feeding the birds.

Stop at the fountain. Owen could play in water all day. 

Zoo tractor.

We stopped at the fish hatchery and Avery was too tired to walk around.
Her head was also hurting so we pushed her in the stroller.
The blanket was a gift from the hospital. 

Owen had just woken up. It was cold and we bundled him in his sisters coat.

Avery felt like getting out to see the fish. 

Avery before her surgery.

After her surgery. :(

1 day after her surgery and feeling a lot better! 

Owen's 2nd Birthday!!!

Owen turned 2 on the 15th! We made a special breakfast when he woke up, then we opened presents. After his nap we met friends at the park for a little party. Then we went out for a birthday dinner. It was a great day!! Owen was so excited and had a lot of fun. His favorite part was blowing out the candles.

Taking a break from opening presents to play with Sequoia. 

Timeline of Owen's first 2 years. 

Cupcakes! Avery helped me decorate them. 

Happy Birthday Owen!! We love you. 

Easter

On Easter day we drove out to Palouse Falls with a picnic lunch and to hike around. It was the first time we took the kids out there and they really loved seeing the waterfall. 

Avery and I created some Easter decorations for the house:

 Avery's Bunny

 Mama's Bunny

 Mirror bunny

 Easter window decor

 Palouse Falls!

 Owen couldn't look away from the waterfall and

Avery wasn't in a "picture" mood. 

A rainbow appeared on our last look at the falls.