Joyeux anniversaire pour tes 13 ans, belle Andrée! (Happy 13th Birthday, Beautiful Andrea!)

    

13 Today!

    As of 5:29 PM today, Andrea is celebrating day 4, 748 of life! She is in 7th grade; truly a "middle-schooler", and studying French, among other things. (Thank you Michelle Terzini-Hollar for the translation!) She enjoys French, Chorus, and "Project Art", a class that meets every other day during an enrichment period. She's less enthusiastic about Math (pre-algebra), history, and English, but she works hard and gets good grades.  I think she's torn about being back in school full time. She enjoyed not having to get up so early and be dressed and functioning, whereas now she needs to be in the car before 8 every day.  On the other hand, she gets to see actual real live people, (*cue Frozen - "For the First Time in Forever") and some classes are definitely better in-person. Not throwing shade at anyone for last year - we know that all teachers are doing their best. It's just been hard for everyone.

First Day of 7th Grade

    Just like last year, it's been a strange 365 days, (Thanks again, COVID!) so activities were limited.  For her 12th birthday, we were able to rent a movie theater, so she and her friends were together, just distanced.  Everyone got popcorn and drinks, but we sent the kids home with cupcakes instead of having cake in the theater.  She is continuing to take ceramics classes at a local studio, improving her use of a pottery wheel and doing a lot of hand building. She was also able to go back to summer camp and made some great new friends while getting out of the house for a while each day.  Because of the isolation of quarantine, remote schooling, and social distancing, Andrea got her first phone. It seems like a big rite of passage, especially since we were planning to hold off until 8th grade. It made a difference, being able to text her friends, even when they couldn't safely see each other.

    The big news was the acquisition of PIERCED EARS this fall! I think she would have liked to get them done sooner, but that was something else derailed by Covid.  Many places were closed, or we just didn't feel safe going.  We had an awesome experience at Pleasurable Piercings in Hawthorne - no fainting or other drama. Andrea is anxiously awaiting the time when she'll be able to change out the starter earrings for something different, which should be any day now.

    This summer, our family vacation was to Tennessee. In an effort to be as Covid-safe as possible, we drove down, opting to avoid crowded airports and planes. The guys were able to take turns at the wheel, but poor Andrea had a 12+ hour car ride with few distractions. She bore up like a trooper!  No trip to the Volunteer State is complete without a stop at Dollywood, of course.  Andrea is now tall enough to ride EVERYTHING, and she seems pretty fearless. Luckily, Daddy and Kenny George are also pretty fearless, so Mommy was spared the roller coasters and other crazy rides.  We also visited Great Smokey Mountain National Park and stood in Tennessee and North Carolina at the same time.  We did an escape room in Gatlinburg that was a ton of fun, and Andrea was really able to help solve the clues.  We went to the Aquarium of the Smokies, which is interesting because it's the only aquarium we've been to that's not on a coast. Andrea the Brave also rode the mountain coaster along with the big guys, while Mom stayed firmly on the ground.

    Andrea is still participating in the town's Leader's Club, but it's been modified again for safety. They're meeting only in the fall and spring when they can be outside. Many of their activities have been curtailed also - no bingo at the senior center, for example, but they had a food drive in the fall and I'm sure they will have other events when they pick up again in April.  I love her involvement in this group because she gets to associate with people she doesn't necessarily see in school. It's a chance for her to work with different people and learn to interact with a variety of personalities.

    Andrea is still a Harry Potter fan, although she's moved on to some other things now. However, we recently visited Harry Potter: The Exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.  Mom and Dad came along with us, and we made a mini-vacation out of the trip.  We got to sort ourselves into houses, with Andrea being a proud Hufflepuff as usual. I, of course, was my normal Slytherin self. We got to play Quiddich, replant Mandrakes, cast spells, and mix potions, all while earning house points. Here is Andrea sitting in Hagrid's chair.

 We also went to the Museum of the American Revolution, which was an amazing stop. It opened in 2017 and is worth a visit if you happen to be in Philly. They have George Washington's original war tent on display, along with some really interesting artifacts from the revolutionary period.  Much to our surprise, this museum was Andrea's first choice of where to go. Unfortunately, it was a quick trip, and we didn't have a chance to visit any of the art museums. They are high on her bucket list for the next time.

    We took an Amazon Explore trip to Paris today. For years, Andrea has been interested in France, and anxiously awaited the time that she'd be able to learn to speak French.  We spent an hour being guided around some of the major sites in Paris, then had a French-themed meal to wrap up the day. Cheese fondue, followed by beef and chicken, and ending with chocolate! Of course, no birthday in our house is complete without a Last Licks cake. Thank you, Danielle, for another amazing creation!

If you need an ice cream cake, you can't go wrong with Last Licks!

    Every birthday is a milestone, but somehow, 13 seems momentous. When she was born, a lot of people didn't expect Andrea to come home from the hospital.No one came right out and said that, of course, but it was understandable. When I started this blog, I also didn't expect to still be writing it (albeit less often) 13 years later. We're grateful that Andrea has continued to thrive and equally grateful that people care enough to still follow her story. I hope she continues to provide inspiration to others.

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"As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder