Ava is 13!

This post is super late because I kept putting off taking Ava’s 13 year portraits when summer was busy and then waiting until it got cooler. It is long overdue but better late than never.

As of July 11th, we now have a teenager! It still doesn’t seem possible that Ava is 13. Some days it feels like forever ago when she was born but then I also have no idea how she is already a teenager.

Ava is such a beautiful young lady! She is 5ft 3 in tall. It won’t be long before she is as tall as me.

I asked Ava her birthday questions again this year. It is always so fun to compare answers and see how things change as she grows up.

What is your Favorite color?

Lavender

I think pink is also still a favorite. But, she also likes dark colors and says when she has her own house it will be painted dark so that it can feel cozy.

What is your favorite book?

Number the Stars

This book is such a good book. We read it during her 6th grade homeschool. It’s about a girl in WW2 and her Jewish friend. We liked reading it together so much that we decided to read more of Lois Lowry’s books for homeschool. We started The Giver series of her’s. The twists and turns in the books are good but they are strange books. We aren’t really sure how we feel about them after finishing the 3rd book. 

What is your favorite TV show?

The Addams Family

She really likes the old black and white Addams Family. She discovered it after watching Wednesday and she loves the old classic tv show. She still likes some of the other old classics like I Love Lucy too. She’s also a fan of Blackish and Friends.

Who is your favorite music artist?

Billie Eilish

She is a huge Billie fan these days. She likes a lot of the popular artists right now but is also into jazz artists like Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. She likes a lot of the 90s pop artists too like Brittany Spears and Backstreet Boys. Broadway and Disney music are still her interests too, especially Wicked and Hamilton. Basically, she likes a wide variety of music. She listens to music all the time and still loves to sing. 

What is your favorite outfit?

My jeans and a black top

Her style is changing as she’s getting older and figuring out more of what she likes. This fall she is really into longer length skirts too. I keep telling her that everything she is pointing out that she likes is either late 90s or early 2000s. So many things are what I was wearing in high school…it’s so funny how things come back. 

What is your favorite food?

Good fries and pizza

Her food choices change a lot these days. She is vegetarian because she does not want to eat meat from any kind of animal. She will eat eggs thankfully to get some good protein. She is still not big on veggies but will eat roasted kale and sometimes some red bell peppers. She is getting better about eating things with spice or more flavor. She really likes garlic and onion flavors. Pesto is a big hit these days and she likes it on sandwiches and pasta. Tacos and nachos are also still favorites.

What is your favorite restaurant?

Molina’s

This answer may never change. She loves our Mexican restaurant (we all do). She is also a big fan of Tupelo Honey and Swamp Rabbit Cafe. Moes, Chipotle and Surcheros are also popular take out choices. She also really likes breakfast restaurants like First Watch, Another Broken Egg and Eggs Up Grill. 

Where is your favorite place to shop?

Target

Ava loves to shop. Some other favorites are Old Navy, TJ Maxx, Kohls, Ross and Sierra. She really likes the mall too, especially if she can get Auntie Annes Pretzels. 

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

A nice bag, some really good quality jeans and some cute shirts and a pair of adidas

She is all about clothes these days so this answer makes sense. She also loves purses. When we went to Disney she was amazed at the Coach store and all the bags there. She loves the name brand items but does realize you can get the dupes that are still really nice. But, she always says she plans to buy designer when she is an adult and has the money. 

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

I want to go to NYC to live but I would probably go to Japan to go shopping in their really good thrift stores and it seems really safe there.

She has the dream of living in NYC because of all the activities there. She says she’d never get bored living in NYC because there is always something going on and somewhere to go. Like I said, she loves shopping so of course her dream destination would involve shopping.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

An entrepreneur

She really wants to start her own business and be her own boss. She has a plan to start a business at 15 and work to grow it to the point that it can support her when she is an adult. She hasn’t landed on what type of business she wants to do but she and DJ are already working on trying to come up with some ideas.

What is something special to you?

My family

As always, this means a lot to us when she answers this way. She may get annoyed with us or Zoe, especially more now that she’s a teenage girl, but she always makes sure to tell us she loves us. She cares so much about all of her extended family. She is blessed to have her grandparents and great grandmother in town. We also love having great aunts and great uncles close by as well to pour into her as she grows up. We are thankful for all of the family in her life who love her dearly, and that of course includes her birth family. 

What do you like to do with your family?

Walk

I was a little surprised by this answer but she does like to walk, especially if it is in Downtown Greenville. She is not a fan of walking in the summer, or really the spring when the pollen is so bad. But, once the temps finally drop, she loves to be outside and going for walks with the dog or in our woods. We keep saying she needs to move somewhere that only has 2 seasons, winter and fall. She would be very happy to be somewhere that she could be outside all year long and not have to hide away from the pollen and the heat.

What do you want to accomplish as a 13 year old?

I want to figure out what I will do for my job if I want to start a business in 2 years.

Like I said, she has a big goal of starting her own business that will support her when she is an adult. We think her personality fits being her own boss. She also watches DJ run his own business so she has been exposed to the entrepreneur life for a long time now and it’s rubbed off on her for sure. We want to help support this big goal for her and want to see her flourish as she grows up.

We still cannot believe that Ava is officially a teenager. That tiny baby that we met in Texas is growing into such a beautiful young lady and we cannot wait to see what God has planned for this next stage in her life. The teen years can be tough but we are trusting that God is going to care for her through these hard years. 

Of course, I can’t write about Ava’s birthday and life at this age and not acknowledge the loss that started her life. Her beautiful birth mama has missed out on these past 13 years with her and that sacrifice is something we can never take lightly. She made the hardest choice to place Ava with us because she thought that was what was best for Ava. We are so honored that she would trust us with her baby girl and we hope that we can honor her always in Ava’s life. 

Happy 13th Ava girl! We love you to the moon and back!