1st Day of 2nd Grade

Zoe started 2nd grade on August 8th. She was nervous about the new year until we went to meet the teacher night and she found out that a friend from kindergarten who moved away for 1st grade was back and was in her class. We’ve heard nothing but great things about her teacher this year and are excited to see what this year holds for her.

Acro 3

This semester, Zoe moved up to Acro 3, the next level. She was super excited the first day of class when they had a legit balance beam instead of the padded one that is just a couple inches off the floor, basically just a balance mat. She still says she wants to do gymnastics, we will see where this year of acro 3 takes us.

Random Summer Fun

I found a lot of random pictures of Zoe over the summer that I wanted to make sure to save here. Ava did things with us over the summer but is just not a fan of having her picture taken, which is why I don’t have many of her these days. I know the day will come when Zoe doesn’t want me to take her picture either so for now I’m enjoying these pictures of her (especially the last one where Ava did her makeup for fun). We enjoyed time at my grandmother’s pool and our backyard pool this summer. Zoe discovered how amazing Bush-n-Vine corn is (thanks to Lizzy for bringing us some). We had a fun day at Big Air with the Forrest cousins…I spent the time chasing Zoe and Karla around. The pups got their summer cuts. And I took Zoe downtown one day and she discovered the gem mine in downtown, which may now be her favorite place in downtown.

Family Lake Day

Thanks to Ron and Jane for inviting us all out to the lake when their kids and grandkids were in town. Unfortunately, DJ wasn’t feeling up to going and Ava was dealing with a sore throat so they weren’t able to join. But Zoe and I had a great time with the cousins, Ron, Jane and Grandmama. Zoe loved swimming by the dock and tubing. We also loved getting to meet baby Carter for the first time and I enjoyed some sweet baby snuggles. It was a great day with family on the beautiful lake Keowee!

The Summer of Girls’ Trips

This summer, instead of taking a family vacation, we decided that it would be best if I took each of the girls on a separate trip. Ava and I spent a few days in Charleston and then Zoe and I spent a few days at Edisto. I did not get any pictures from mine and Ava’s trip. We were going to go take pictures by the battery after shopping at the market but it started raining so sightseeing and pictures didn’t happen. We had a nice relaxing time in that beautiful city though!

Thanks to a cancellation, Eric and Jenn’s house in Edisto was available for a few nights. It was perfect for Zoe and I to be able to enjoy the beach since we could walk to the beach (much easier for me carrying everything than loading up the car and driving there). She loved searching for shells and sharks teeth. We had a little bit of rain that morning while we were out on the beach but we huddled in the tent and it passed quickly.

We missed DJ on each of these trips but with his chemo fatigue we knew it was best for him to stay home. We are all looking forward to the day that we can do vacations as a family again. But for now, I enjoyed the one on one time with each girl.

Fairy Trail with Friends

Zoe and I ventured out to the fairy trail in Hendersonville with some of our closest friends from church. Jennifer and I loved watching these girls light up with joy at all the fairy houses and exploring the gardens. It was such a fun day!

July 11th Through the Years

Time for the annual look back at Ava on July 11th through the years

July 11, 2012 - Newborn

July 11, 2013 - 1 Year Old

July 11, 2014 - 2 Years Old

July 11, 2015 - 3 Years Old

July 11, 2016 - 4 Years Old

July 11, 2017 - 5 Years Old

July 11, 2018 - 6 Years Old

July 11, 2019 - 7 Years Old

July 11, 2020 - 8 Years Old

July 11, 2021 - 9 Years Old

July 11, 2022 - 10 Years Old

July 11, 2023 - 11 Years Old

July 11, 2024 - 12 Years Old

Ava is 12!

It is hard to believe that on July 11th, Ava turned 12, which means this is her last year before becoming a teenager. It is crazy to think that we will be the parents of a teenager next year.

Ava is growing so much these days and is such a beautiful young lady! She is about 5’2” tall and I am not sure where that lands on the growth chart because her well check had to be rescheduled to a later date. But I know she has grown a ton because of how tall she’s getting and how she keeps needing new pants because they are all getting too short. She is definitely in the juniors section for clothes now and can wear the same size shoe as me.

I asked Ava her birthday questions again this year, with a few modifications to make them fit an older kid. It is always so fun to compare answers and see how things change as she grows up.

What is your Favorite color?

Purple, Pink, Blue and Yellow (all pastels)

This is always a question that changes for her. She goes through phases with different colors but lately has at least stayed in the pastel range.

What is your favorite book?

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Ava doesn’t read as much these days but she does still enjoy books. We have been reading together for homeschool and it is fun to go through books together. We both really enjoy historical fiction books so we’ve read some of the Dear America books and we both especially loved Number the Stars that is set during the Holocaust. 

What is your favorite TV show?

Stranger Things

Ava enjoys suspenseful or horror shows and movies for the adrenaline rush. It is crazy to us that the little girl who was scared of pretty much everything likes those things now. It is also crazy that we are past the stage of watching animated shows. She is growing up so fast.

Who is your favorite music artist?

Ariana Grande

Ava is very adamant that she is not a Swiftie. She says all of Taylor’s songs sound the same. I appreciate that she doesn’t just go with the crowd and recognizes the talent. She also really likes Adele and Lauren Daigle. She still sings Aladdin and Greatest Showman songs all the time. And lately, she’s been in a Christmas music kick and is singing all sorts of Christmas songs. She is a great singer and has a beautiful voice. Voice lessons is something she tried this summer and is considering doing again at some point in the future and we think it would be great for her to develop her God given talent. 

What is your favorite outfit?

High waisted jeans with a blue cropped graphic t-shirt with a vintage design

Ava is very into the current fashion trends and I keep telling her everything she likes is from the 90s. It is crazy to see the styles in Target that look exactly like the popular clothes in the 90s/early 00s. She mostly wears jeans because she says shorts aren’t as comfortable. She is not into dresses or skirts as she gets older. Graphic t’s are definitely her staple and she likes the so called vintage designs but I keep saying things from my middle school days are NOT vintage, ha. She loves clothes but I think she’s happiest in a cozy sweatshirt and comfy pants.

What is your favorite food?

Tacos

We have tacos for supper most weeks and they are a common lunch request from Ava. She loves the hard shell tacos with rice, black beans, queso and salsa. Sometimes she eats them with a pan fried flour tortilla instead of the hard shells. She also loves lasagna soup, quiche, fried egg whites, tater tot nachos with homemade tater tots, black bean soup, and buddha bowls with rice, black beans, kale chips and fried eggs. Breakfast for supper is also a common request with items like pancakes or waffles. Ava loves to bake and that has been a common homeschool activity for us. It is a great way to use math without it being too boring.

What is your favorite restaurant?

Molinas

Molinas is our family favorite Mexican restaurant. Ava used to only ever get a cheese quesadilla but now she has ventured out to bean nachos or bean burritos. Ava also loves Moes, Cracker Barrel, Eggs Up Grill, and Panera. Her local favorites are Sidewall Pizza and Swamp Rabbit Cafe. Her favorite places to get special treats are Starbucks, Crumbl Cookie or Duck Donuts. She is also a big fan of Boba tea and loves to get that out as a special treat.

Where is your favorite place to shop?

TJ Maxx

Ava loves to shop. She loves all the stores like TJ Maxx or Marhsalls that have good deals. She also loves Target and Kohls. She enjoys walking through the stores at the mall too. She especially loves stores like Ulta and Sephora. In fact, her birthday wish was to go to Ulta to spend some of her birthday money, which we did. She could spend hours in those types of stores looking at all the makeup and skin care, two things she absolutely loves.

If you could have a shopping spree, what would you do?

I would go to the mall and go to all the expensive stores like Nike, Lululemon and the other expensive stores I can’t afford and buy lots of things. I would also go to Sephora. I would also buy a dog. I would buy lots of things on Amazon and complete my room. I would also buy some expensive Christmas gifts that my family would like so that they like them a lot. I would also buy a new iPad, iPhone, Apple computer with cases for them all. I’d also buy a ton of Stanleys. I would buy us a new couch because we need it. I would also buy a pool for our backyard. 

I was not expecting this detailed and long of an answer and when I commented on how much she was buying she said I didin’t give a budget to the spending spree, haha. I love that she included things for us and her family, not just herself.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

London because it is London and to see all the pretty shops, downtown and the palace

Now that she is older, she talks about traveling and where she wants to live when she grows up. Sometimes she will talk about wanting to go far away but usually she says she wants to visit those cool places like London, NYC and LA but that she wants to live close to home.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

An Entrepreneur - I want to own my own business

Her daddy was very proud of this idea because he is an entrepreneur and is always coming up with business ideas. He cannot wait to help her start her own business. She actually says she wants to start an e-commerce business when she is a teenager so she can start saving money then for the future. She also talks about wanting to be an influencer like most kids her age. It will be exciting to see what she ends up doing as she gets older. For now, she loves to plan out her future with her business, her house and her dogs.

What is something special to you?

My family, Winnie, Sookie and my blanket and Red Panda

This was a super sweet answer. She loves her family and her dogs. Winnie especially is her best buddy. They sleep together every night and Winnie is such a great companion to Ava. Her blanket is her Tot Tot that she’s had since she was a baby. And Red Panda is her little red panda stuffed animal that she’s had since she was a toddler that she instantly attached to. We got it at a White Elephant gift exchange with our community group and it became her favorite stuffie. We tried to find back ups for it but couldn’t. Thankfully, he is holding on well!

What do you like to do with your family?

I like to talk about stuff and go to Disney World and the beach and the mountains.

Ava definitely has opened up with us a lot more as she’s gotten older. She will have nights where she is super chatty and wants to talk about all sorts of things. It is special to be trusted to have those conversations with her…and they aren’t all deep conversations, sometimes they are about the most random things. It is just a sign of her growing up and maturing and it is fun to watch. We missed out on a family vacation this year but we hope to be able to do something next year, all four of us. The girls love the beach but the mountains are definitely mine and DJ’s happy place so it is great to hear that Ava loves them both equally.

What was the best thing to happen when you were 11?

Figuring out myself

Ava is definitely in that tween stage of trying to figure out who you are as you are not really a little kid anymore but you are definitely not grown yet either. It is a tough stage for everyone but I am thankful she sees it as a positive thing from this past year.

What do you want to accomplish as a 12 year old?

Get closer to God

We can’t hope for a better answer as her parents. We pray this for her as well and we are seeing growth in her relationship with God as she gets older and understands more about faith and grace. We cannot wait to see the ways that God works in her life this year.

This past year has had its challenges but we are proud of Ava for how she’s handling all that has gone on. It hasn’t always been easy for her or for us but she is growing and changing so much and we see the way that God is working in her life. She is becoming a young lady and we are excited to see who she will become. We know that our front row seat to this comes at a cost and we never take that for granted. There is someone very special to us missing out on this view and we promise to always honor her and her role in Ava’s life. We are so grateful to Ava’s birth mom for trusting us to raise her and we hope she always knows how much she means to us.

Happy 12th Birthday, Ava girl! We all love you to the moon and back!

Freshman Hall Reunion

I had the chance to catch up with some of my freshman hall friends from our Lever 6D year. Ame was in town visiting her family and organized the get together at Brick Street. Lizzy and I spent so much time with Ame and Kathleen freshman year and we realized it had been 16 years since we had all been together at Kathleen’s wedding. Unfortunately, Kathleen’s roomie, Rebecca, wasn’t able to make it but we all decided we needed to make sure we didn’t go another 16 years before getting together again. It was so nice to be able to catch up with these sweet friends!

Zoe’s Spring Recital

Zoe’s recital this spring told the story of Willy Wonka (although they called her Willa Wonka because the dancer that played Willa was a girl). The studio did such a great job at putting on a fun show. Zoe’s acro class played the old grannies and they started out their dance wearing robes and shower caps that they threw off to dance to “Stayin’ Alive.” Zoe did an amazing job with her routine and her cartwheels across the stage. We are always so proud of her for getting out on that big stage and performing her piece so well! I didn’t purchase her portraits from the studio this time since she let me take some of her before the recital but I had to save them even with the watermark because they were so cute.