She's 12!

Well, our first baby certainly isn't a baby any more. We celebrated Abbie's 12th birthday on Saturday. She chose the place that she wanted to go for dinner -- one of the incredibly popular new places that is walking distance from our house -- and we were fortunate enough to get a reservation. We all shared a soft shell crab appetizer, mussels, and then Chad and I finished off with some pasta while Abbie had a steak. Emily, of course, was content with bread and butter. Of course there was way too much chocolate for dessert and the waiter surprised her with some raspberry ice cream, as well. From there, we walked home and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with the neighbors while the kids played. All in all, a pretty low-key birthday.

Celebrating with fancy drinks

The following day, we went to one of Abbie's favorite restaurants for lunch (it was not an option for her birthday dinner because evening wait times can be up to two hours). One of the fun things about this place is that there is an open kitchen so Abbie likes to watch the food being made and likes to talk to the chefs as they cook. One of our favorite dishes is the whole fish, which was a branzino yesterday. Generally the sous chef brings it to the table and asks if he can de-bone it for you. He has been coaching Abbie on the steps required, so yesterday they arrived at the table together and he let her do the honors. So fun and he was so sweet with her!

Today, it is back to camp for one more week before we head up to Niagara Falls for a few days. Abbie has Debate 101 in the morning and then Henna in the afternoon. I fully expect that she will excel at her debate class. ;) As for henna, it will be interesting to see what she comes up with. They get to make their own designs and then actually apply them on the last day of the class, so whatever she comes up with will be with us for the trip north.

Camps, Camps, and More Camps

Showing off the fidget spinner and bird house that she designed and 3D printed in her computing class.

The past six weeks has been a flurry of summer camps. Abbie has done tennis/swimming, YouTubing, 3D computing, ceramics, rock climbing and ropes, and calligraphy. In addition to all of this, we have had her working on her French, math, and violin in the afternoons. As you can imagine, her "summer break" has not been feeling like much of a break.

At last, she had this past week off because we started on our annual summer road trip last Thursday. She has definitely welcomed the break (although we have still managed to squeeze in some French and violin). This year's travels take us to Minnesota for a month, up to Niagara Falls, through Ithaca, and then down the east coast. It can't possibly be as scenic of a trip as last year's trip out west, but at least we can enjoy the cooler temperatures.

Have no fear, though, while in Minnesota there are plenty of additional summer camps on the schedule. Next week she is trying mock trials in the morning and cooking in the afternoon. The following weeks bring a Red Cross babysitting class, comedy, debate, and henna. Hopefully she will enjoy the mix.

Before you start feeling too bad for her, though, she has also been having fun at the Mall of America, seeing friends, and enjoying time on the lakes. For instance, yesterday the rain kept us from attending the annual 4th of July parade, but did give us a great excuse to hit a few rides at the mall before grabbing lunch.

We also have plans to take some day trips along the St. Croix, and up to Duluth. If the weather cooperates, we will also try to squeeze in some berry picking, farmers' markets, trips to the water park, and maybe a trip to the zoo.