Last non-teen year

Last week Abigail turned 12.  That makes this the last year without a teen in the house.  I guess some people have bad teen-years experiences but we have had a great time with Isaac and Abigail at every age.  It is shaping up to look like the teenage years will be great for Abigail as well.

Birthday dinner!
Birthday dinner!

She has all sorts of  things that interest her.  She is a budding flutist and made the all-county band as a 6th grader.  She thinks she is the only 6th grader in the entire band.  And to boot, she is 9th chair out of 22…as a sixth grader!  I couldn’t be more proud!

Abigail's Birthday...with her great grandmother!
Abigail’s Birthday…with her great grandmother!

She loves to read and challenges my paychecks to keep up with her appetite for books.  Of course, I know it is money well spent and the library always seems to be behind her so we just go for it and buy both printed and kindle books.  I figure if nothing else, I could insulate our house with all of the books we have laying around.

As bad as legos are in some people’s houses, markers seem to be that bad in our house.  It seems like I am always stepping or sitting on a marker or colored pencil.  Abigail loves to draw and creates all sorts of scenes and drawings.  She labors and fusses over her work and tweaks it until she feels like it is done.  She has a cool perspective on the world and it’s fun to see it unfold through her work.

Abigail and her brother
Abigail and her brother

Abigail is also a budding runner.  It’s fun to run with her…sometimes…she complains about getting started but has a period during our runs where she seems to enjoy it.  Warming up is ok and the first mile or so is ok.  It’s pretty hard to call what comes next “ok” but I like to run with her anyhow.  She ran cross-country last year and enjoyed it mostly.  Over the winter she got out of shape so she and I are running every week now in an attempt to get her ready for the season in the fall.  We get a little father-daughter bonding time at the least so I like that!

Anyhow, please help me wish Abigail a happy birthday even if it is a little late!  She’s a great kid and is on her way to being a decent adult!

8 thoughts on “Last non-teen year

  1. what a wonderful granddaughter. She is the apple of my eye and my craft buddy. Can’t wait until we get moved down there so we can work on some new craft ideas. Hard to believe she’s 12 already. Growing tall and growing strong. Love you Abigail and Happy Birthday. See you soon.

  2. Happy Belated Birthday Abigail. May all of your choices be the right ones for you and all of your experiences make you happy.

  3. Happy belated Birthday to your sweet girl! You and Emily have certainly done something right, as it obvious by your great kids.
    Books/bookstores—my one downfall as a parent. Like you, if one of my kids wanted to read a book, I was a pushover at a bookstore. There is something magical about purchasing a story that can last a lifetime in your heart and mind.

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