The Andrades 2021 Christmas Letter

And so 2020: Round Two comes to a close.

After the crazy year that was 2020, 2021 was a welcome change of pace. Even if still not really back to normal. C’mon 2022, I believe in you!

This year the girls ages are even, and their school grades are odd (yes, this is how my brain tracks these things, welcome to my mind). So I have a twelve, a ten, and an eight year old - respectively 7th, 5th, and 3rd grader - running around this house.

And yes, before you ask, of course there is drama. Having three girls all in the same house can get crazy. But you know, I do get to see all their interactions. All the time they get along and help each other. All the times they make each other laugh. It is all pretty cool to watch. There might be drama, but there is plenty fun too.

And we found new ways of coming together and having fun this year. Like throwing fake avocados at each other. Or watching a family take on the robot uprising. Or taking a trip to Boston (oh my goodness we are dying to go back just for some fries and cannoli).

Also made a LIFE CHANGING discovery of ice cream flights at King Brothers Dairy. That’s right, flights of ice cream. And while I may not have had the time to put up a whole breakdown of the 2021 edition of the Andrade Ice Cream tour like I did last year, I will note that King Brothers Dairy is now a must visit place along with Hayner’s, The Snowman, and Samascott’s Garden Market. (Am I an ice cream influencer now??)

I know enough to not take this time for granted. Mariah is growing up and starting to want to spend more time with friends, I’ll take all the time of just the four of us I can get.

As for the what the girls have been up to, I’ll brag about them for a bit. Not cause I deserve the credit for their accomplishments. They are their own persons with their own talents and passions after all. (Though I do hold I should at least get some credit for being one of their part-time Uber drivers). Nor do I do this because everything is perfect all the time (hint: turns out life has its up and downs at all ages, and four people living under the same roof might just sometimes get on each others' nerves). But I love to share because they do some pretty cool things. And I’m so blessed to walk along side them, or from a pre-teen acceptable distance, and see it all unfold.

Mariah

If she were to watch Ted Lasso, “Fútbol is life” would resonate at least a little bit. She made her middle school modified soccer team this fall. Not an easy feat (shoutout to all you guys that donated to her fundraiser!!). It was awesome to see her play for her school and work really hard (she was either at practice or at a game every day after school for two months straight…).

Now she’s switched to club travel soccer season, playing indoor games most weekends. Every year it gets more fun to watch her play. Exciting to see where she goes with it.

Mikaela

Hmm, now I’m looking for a gymnastics related pop culture reference. Feel free to insert your own here for the sake of continuity.

Mikaela’s first year in a competitive gymnastics team. Learning new routines and skills. Practicing non stop. New terminology non stop. It’s pretty cool to watch it all.

I did however very quickly realise at her first meet that I need to take a crash course on gymnastics scoring and judging. So if you got some YouTube recommendations, I’ll gladly take them cause it all looked like 10s to me.

Merida

Merida is also taking up travel soccer this year. She really wanted to join a club travel team, so here we are. Practicing multiple times a week, with games every weekend. A lot for who I will forever refer to as the Tiny Human. She’s really excited for all of it. And it is fun to see her play.

Third grade coursework stepped it up, not gonna lie, but she has risen to the challenge, so to speak.

Very grateful that we’ve been healthy this year. 2021 may not have been the full return to normal we all wanted, but it felt a little closer.

Lastly, I know not everyone has the same experience around the holidays, so I will say this:

If your Christmas letter would be filled with joyful moments (and probably less run-on sentences than mine), I am so glad to hear it! I’ll be here cheering you on, happy for you, and hoping the next year brings even more joy.

If instead this season is not what you hoped for, well then I’m also here for you! Praying for things to get better. Offering any help I can - seriously, don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything you think I can help you with - even if it’s just a listening ear.

Wherever this letter finds you in the ups and downs that make up our lives, I do hope this tiny glimpse into our year, filled with my weird sense of humor, at least brought you a smile (I mean, you read the whole thing, so it couldn’t have been that bad).

Also, if we haven’t chatted in a while, don’t forget to say hi! (Facebook, Instagram)

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Your friends in upstate NY, The Andrades.