Happy 12th Birthday, Andrew!

On the 9th we celebrated Andrew's 12th birthday!  We started the day off eating crepes with lemon and sugar for breakfast followed by a bike ride with just him and I.  The afternoon was spent canoeing with Jimmy and we ended the day with a simple family party (with my parents) with Mama burgers and chocolate cake (birthday boys request) for dinner.

Twelve.  The last year before he is a teenager.  Don't even get me started.  I'm a string of cliches about how time has disappeared right before my eyes, that just yesterday I was watching him walk for the first time, all wobbly legged with a look of pure disbelief on his face.  While I would love to have just one day back with my chubby cheeked little boy, in his elaborate dress up clothes, playing in his make believe world, I'm really loving this age more than any other with him.  He's mature enough to have great conversations about pretty much any topic, he has intelligent observations of the world and makes me see things differently, often for the better.  He genuinely seems to not just love his parents but like us and he willingly chooses our company (I'm sure this won't always be the case).  I'm often struck with pride when I observe the ease of which he interacts with other adults in conversation and the manners he displays.  Something I've realized isn't a given at this age.  Now, he is a 12 year old boy, so he can be ridiculous and act immature at times too, I don't want to give the wrong impression, but more often than not he is pretty darn remarkable.  I love the young man he is becoming.