Baby Beanie is 11! Anneliese is now old enough to watch for her Hogwarts letter this year (although I have to say, we'd second-guess sending her, because she-who-must-not-be-named turned out to be such a disappointing turd).
(Note to self: don't say turd in the opening sentences of a birthday post about your beloved beautiful daughter whom you adore! Eeeeiiiiiii!)
Anyway happy birthday, Anneliese! Yer not a wizard (we don't think), but you're magical to us all the same!
Anneliese at 11 is so... old (?) that it not only doesn't feel hard to believe that she's 11, it honestly wouldn't shock me if you told me she was turning 12 or maybe even 13? She is increasingly mature and she seems so grown for her age (at least compared to my other two data points) (I am obviously not around very many other almost-11yo's these days, so maybe she's absolutely average in this way, and we have lost all concept of social perspective, pandemics are fun, wheeee).
She is bright and creative and even though she is reserved and quiet in many settings, she's funny and silly and sometimes even bossy at home with us. She loves her violin and her ukulele and loves singing, she dances and stretches around the house near-constantly, she's ever more capable and competent in the kitchen, and even though she is, hands down, no exceptions, THE slowest chef in the history of cheffing, we still aren't complaining at her increasing interest and abilities. (It's fun! Also useful! Big kids are the best!)
She's also the dreamer of our family, who stares out the window during her class day but still manages to stay on top of her remote-school meetings and assignments pretty dang well. She's quick to sink into thought, and slow to react with words, and to be honest I wish I could be more like that myself; I admire it in her, deeply. She's sensitive, tender and sometimes easily hurt (but somehow never really butthurt), yet has a resilience -- or maybe emotional agility is a better way to describe it -- so that her sensitive moments do not derail her and probably actually serve her well. I admire this deeply, also.
She still likes reading, and audiobooks, and has found a new love for classic children's lit (next up this week: Heidi). She loves her scooter and her new-to-her bike, my old one from childhood through college, which still works great after some improvements from Mark and my dad. She plays tennis a few times a week, more because it's the only activity we could find that felt good in a pandemic than for her pure love of tennis, but literally no one is complaining about any outdoor semi-social activity these days. Her favorite is the trampoline, with her siblings, far from Mom's management and ears and worries. (Hours of laughing from a healthy distance in the house is also Mom's favorite, little do they know.) She loves swimming, especially when she has the pool to herself and can float around quietly. She likes games, so long as they're funny and not boring. She likes ordering and re-ordering her shelves and drawers in her room, making her little nest her own. She likes tweeny tv and youtube, and tolerates video games in the name of not being left out of sibling fun, but she doesn't truly love or feel invested them. She and Nathan remain fast friends, and she and Charlotte are ever closer, while also pretending they drive each other nuts, then immediately back to their sisterly games. She still happily plays with dolls and still sweetly sleeps with her face nuzzled into Hattie's, every night.
She doesn't like eating many new foods (despite her willingness to cook them), she still hates being rushed, she misses her friends and her cousins and shopping and choirs and orchestra, and she has an (ironic) impatient streak that makes her sometimes feel all done with what her siblings want her to do, which has resulted in some... um... unkindness. Part of growing up is learning how to navigate those situations with nuance, and practicing making judgement calls about when to walk away or not, and... well, yeah.
In some ways she is ready to be much more grown than she already is (dreaming of college and camps and study abroads and adventures), and we are so proud of how poised and independent she wants to be, but are glad she's not too close yet. Don't get there too fast, sweet girl. You're still a tiny pigtailed toddler in our hearts, and always will be.
Happy birthday, dear Anneliese, our middlest baby, of sprinkles and rainbows and dreams and so much deep heart.
Some memories of the past year, even though pandemic life is weird and time is meaningless, it's also somehow passing? I don't even know:
(If you can't see the video embedded above, click here to watch it on YouTube)
Videos from past birthdays:
9th year
8th year
7th year
6th year
5th year
4th year
3rd year
2nd year
1st year
