She started her day with homemade chocolate mint donuts with vanilla glaze by request.

We chatted with Grandma and Grandpa in California on the computer and she opened packages from them. Then we had a party on our deck. Gavin did a great job of decorating to make it feel festive.

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I organized a scavenger hunt by request for the birthday packages. This one I tried to make extra hard! A few of the clues stumped even this very clever birthday girl. This is the trumpet vine bush, which was the answer to There’s a fanfare for your birthday. Go listen! Her favorite was the juniper tree hiding spot; the answer to If you wanted berries in June, where could you look now? We went all over the yard, searching and finding and unwrapping.

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We had a lovely afternoon with my parents and sister.

At thirteen, Lilah climbs and climbs and swings upside down. She loves challenging herself. She loves animals and wants to work rescuing them. She practices by taking care of our animals and making friends with any others she comes across.

Her favorite card game is Exploding Kittens and her favorite computer game is Among Us, which she plays with friends online. She loves graphic novels but is also reading bigger books now. Her favorite book is Aru Shah and The End of Time by Roshani Chokshi.

She can often be found crafting something around the house. Her favorite colors are purple and blue. She loves scattering seeds and petals on our walks, solving riddles, drawing, and anything with chocolate. She brings joy with her everywhere and finds it anywhere.

She thinks we should change how factories keep polluting the world. Her choice for president is Hillary Clinton.

Her curly hair is a bit longer than shoulder length and she prefers it down. She’s almost as tall as Gavin, just inches shorter than I am. She goes barefoot as much as possible and usually has dirt colored soles.

She loves to wear a whole rainbow of colors and patterns. She spends a few minutes most days practicing her favorite song on the keyboard. She stays up late reading, hanging out with her cat or drawing. Then she’s slow to get up in the mornings. She’s always excited about a bunch of different things. She likes picking the garden and climbing out of her window onto the roof. She notices things that not many others do. She’s always ready for an adventure.