Freakin' 14!

Happy birthday, Lincoln! Another pandemic birthday, but this year we are vaxxed to the max, and able to celebrate for real. That meant chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for breakfast, Shalimar buffet for dinner, and double desserts of KOTLC Mallowmelt AND your sister’s delicious homemade vanilla cake.

Yes, quite a bit of sugar on the menu today, but you have earned it this year! Not only did you knock it out of the park with your organization and effort at school (A’s across the board apart from a solid B in 9th grade algebra) you also became incredibly independent at home: getting up to your alarm clock, making your bed, prepping your breakfast and lunch, never once missing the bus, attending before-school virtual band and chorus, tackling homework as soon as you came home, helping with dinner prep or cleanup, and taking care of your new braces. We appreciate how mature you’ve become and how we can trust you to be so responsible. Oh, and that includes being responsible for your hair’s health and good grooming! You have been growing it out for months now, and it is l o n g! Bangs reach your nose and the rest is to your shoulders. You flip it to hide half your face, and I am not sure if you will cut it again any time soon! 

You are especially responsible when playing Xbox online with your friends. You ensure order, police the profanity (when I'm listening, at least!), and try to ensure teamwork and fairness. That doesn’t mean you won’t steal a stash or torch something or shoot someone in the back, but usually only as retribution, and you definitely teach a lesson!

In addition to playing video games, you spend a lot of time learning about them, watching YouTubers play and mastering their techniques. I can’t keep up with you when I watch you play, everything happens so fast! I wonder if you will start putting your own content out there? You seem like a good coach when playing with friends and can definitely share tips and tricks!

You also spent plenty of hours away from screens, walking the dog, reading books, playing your sax (after some prompting from me), going for runs with Dad or me, and kicking up some dirt on your mountain bike. We really hope you think about joining the (State Championship) biking club team here in Niskayuna with your sister in the fall, or maybe give cross country a try again. Put those legs of yours to use! You shot up 3.5 inches this year and you are long and lean like your Grandpa Bob was. Sometime I catch you sitting in the living room all lanky with your legs crossed and you look just like him! It brings a smile to my face. You also seem to share his sense of humor, and that quick wit makes me laugh every day.

You make you dad and sister guffaw as well... although you also know very well how to push our buttons. Bedtime bathroom antics, harmonica playing at crazy hours, and expressionless blank stares are a few of your favorite ways to trigger us! But it is more laughter than agitation most days, thankfully. And even at your most petulant, we love you.

What a wild ride this last year has been, and you handled every twist, turn, dip, and do-over with an enviable laissez faire. You mastered the “roll with it” vibe, which is a credit to your teen-ness, I think, since if there ever was a year where “whatever” was a bona fide mantra, this certainly was it. We hope 14 is fantastic, with fun bike rides, exciting badminton matches, fantastic frisbee tosses, successful Xbox campaigns, Nutella-and-goldfish sandwiches, sweet songs hummed or sung when you think no one is listening, and jazz music! We love you so much, Lincoln, and look forward to seeing you continue to learn and grow in the year ahead.