Back to the Rink

We really do enjoy our family skates at Sprinker. We started the new year off with trip to the rink! 

The Year's End

A few years ago, I started including our Christmas letter as the last blog post for each year. That way when I print the year's posts in a book, we have our Christmas letter to look back on too. 

Merry Christmas from the Taverns!

The lights are up all around the house and the Christmas DVDs and blu-rays have been moved to the front of the media cabinet. But, it’s not officially “That Time of the Year” until the annual year-that-was letter is composed. So....away we go.

Our family grew by four little paws on the second day of 2013 when we welcomed a new kitten to the fold. Rudolph Clarence Kringer Tavern - affectionately shortened to Rudy - quickly became a huge part of our daily lives and almost a year later we can’t remember what life was like before him. Though he is not small enough for her to wheel around in one of her doll strollers anymore, Leila loves playing with him and calls him “my little angel.”

Much of what has filled years past for the Tavern Clan continued to occupy our time and energy this year. We continue to love the time we spend seeing plays and musicals at Seattle Children’s Theatre. Leila enjoys seeing the performances, but she also loves learning about how they pull off various “Theatre Tricks” (as she calls them) such as cool lighting effects or set construction. We happily continued to show our love of Disneyland in 2013, making it a Double-Disneyland year, traveling down during Spring Break and during the summer. On one of our trips, Leila was selected  to take part in the Jedi Training Academy. She gave Vader the one-two and got in a couple Force-pushes on unsuspecting Stormtroopers. I was simultaneously so proud and so jealous. While on our second trip to Disneyland, Erin and I celebrated our Datsyukian wedding anniversary (for those who aren’t fans of the Red Wings, that’s number thirteen). We added hiking to our list of summer activities this year, going on hikes in Mount Rainier National Park. Though a little hesitant at first, Leila enjoyed the experience so much, she decided to go for a hike on her sixth birthday. 

Erin continues to teach first grade with such talent and care that former students greet her in the hall with hugs and petitions of “Can we please come back to first grade with you, Mrs. Tavern?” Her compassion, care, and excellent teaching definitely impact her students’ lives. Erin also started doing a bit of photography on the side. Though she does not have any formal training, she most certainly has an eye for what looks good and a knack for making her subjects feel comfortable. Proving she’s got the chops to be a photographer, she won a Best in Show Award at the Pierce County Fair for one of her photos.

    I continue to plug away, teaching and directing at the high school level. A highlight of this year was directing Guys & Dolls, a musical that I was in during my senior year at Rogers. Leila and I went to our first Daddy/Daughter Dance in February and it is certain to become an annual tradition. In April, I decided to start taking hockey lessons. Eight months later, I’m not prepared to say that I’m good, but I am proud of the progress I’ve made thus far. 

It’s been a gigantic year for Leila. Her total of lost teeth has run itself up to five, she danced in her second dance recital (she’s a pro now), and she was the perfect flower girl in a beautiful summer wedding. She played soccer this fall, scoring quite a few goals and surviving her parents as coaches. Recently, she has developed a love for comic books, most especially Tiny Titans, My Little Ponies, and The Powerpuff Girls. The biggest news is that she started Kindergarten and she is loving it! Her reading continues to amaze and she is developing great number sense. She loves telling us about the “studies” she does during the day (that’s what she calls worksheets), gives us lessons in how to play the rhythm sticks, and looks forward to January when she can start checking out books from the school library. It’s no shock that school has been a great fit for this kid, but we are most proud that she is a positive leader in her class, helping out the teacher and being the type of classmate that all of her peers want to be around. What more could parents ask for?

      As you finish reading up on the year-that-was for the Taverns, we hope that your year-that-was brought you as much happiness as 2013 brought our way. It wasn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t blessed. May the joy of the season, the peace of the divine, and the many blessings of life abound for you in the year to come.

                     Peace and Good Wishes,

Chris, Erin and Leila

The Polar Express

Two days after Christmas, we drove to Portland to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family. We met my family at Jonny and Amanda's and caravanned out to the Mount Hood Railroad Station to catch the POLAR EXPRESS! Whoa, what a ride! It was magical! Characters from the movie visited each train car. We met the conductor, the hobo, elves and even Santa and Mrs. Claus! We drank hot cocoa while we traveled to the North Pole to ride past Santa's workshop. 

 Granddad, Aunt Kathy, Grammy, Leila, Diane, Chloe and Aylen 

On the train...

Each child was given a bell by Santa. 

Next year we hope Jonny can join us in person! 

We are already planning next year's trip aboard the Polar Express! 

Christmas Eve and Morning

 After we returned home from ice skating, we set to work baking and frosting cookies for Santa. Leila uses almost one jar of sprinkles per cookie…we are still working on less is more! Chris took a nap. 

Chris and Leila tracked Santa throughout the evening and then she started worrying that she should be in bed already. By 8 o'clock she was itching to go to bed. 

 Santa came! 

 Checking out what Santa brought...

After opening gifts, eating our traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast and watching the Disney parade on TV, we headed over to Gramma and Papa's house for dinner, more presents and White Christmas. 

Christmas Eve Skate

It is official! We have a Christmas Eve Tradition! For the second year we went ice skating on Christmas Eve. The session started a little earlier this year than last, but it fit into our day just perfectly. After lunch, our little family headed over to Sprinker. It was more crowded than last year's Christmas Eve skate, but not too packed. Most people had Christmas attire and colors on and the atmosphere was jolly! Leila did amazing!! She fell a few months ago and has been a little hesitant to get out there again, but she overcame that fear and skated it up!

We don't let her get a slushee when we go skating but we figured it was Christmas Eve…I think this is what gave her the initial motivation to lace the skates up again…the idea that she would get a slushee at Zamboni time. Whatever works, right, to get her over that fear of falling again?!?!

Pre-Vacation Snow!

 We almost had snow on Christmas vacation! The last day of school prior to break, we woke to a little dusting of snow. It was enough to delay school for two hours and to allow for some snow play before school started. I used to love snow delays because Chris and I could sleep in a bit longer, but those days are gone! We are up and out in the snow with Leila as soon as she wakes up. We can't miss the chance…especially with it being just a dusting as it was gone by early evening. 

Leila's snow rabbit she made that morning. 

To make the morning even more special, Leila got to go to school with Chris to ERHS! Morning kindergarten sessions were cancelled with the two-hour delayed start, so rather than taking her to daycare Chris opted to take Leila to school. Save to say she had a great day all around!

Excellent Eagle Award

 The Wednesday before Christmas vacation began, Leila was chosen to receive the Excellent Eagle Award at the school assembly. Each month the teachers recognize 2-3 students per classroom. The teachers select a character trait or academic achievement that the students will be celebrated for. These assemblies are a surprise for the kids, so Leila was not told that she was receiving the award. I took the morning off and Chris found coverage for the morning. It was a "Gramma Day", so Shawn had the day off and was able to come to the assembly too. Mrs. Madsen recognized Leila for her "awesome reading, her helpfulness and for being kind". We couldn't be any prouder of Leila. She is a great reader, loves school and, most importantly, she has a kind heart. 

Chris had to scoot out right after the assembly was finished, but Gramma and I stayed for the refreshments that were offered by the school's PTO. While Leila was eating her treat, I asked if she was surprised. "No, I saw the award on Mrs. Madsen's desk and I read it to myself." Well, there you go…too smart for her own good!