Avery's Seven!

 My Baby, my first born had a birthday....she is seven now!  When I really stop and think about her, I marvel at how good God is.  She most definitely filled a hole in my heart I didn't even know existed.   Though I was not convinced I wanted to be a mom, the moment I held her, all that changed.  I'm so grateful she made me a mom...she's been a delight since she took that first breath.

She is quiet and happy.  She's insightful and detailed, cautious.  She is serious and responsible but balances that out with her enthusiasm and zest for life.

Avery is helpful and hard-working, and motherly towards her little brother.  She has a heart for Jesus and an insane memory.

She loves to read and play and swim and ride her bike.

She is like me in so many ways...Shaun often says 'she is her mother's daughter'...its both scary and humbling to see myself in her.

To celebrate, Shaun and I took her out for some trinket shopping and ice cream while we were in Outerbanks on her actual birthday.

She loves to shop and has an incredible sense of style (both of those she did NOT get from me :).

We went to the college a couple blocks from our house to do a mini photoshoot.

I told her I'd graduated from here in 2005, the year she was born.  In the spring semester I was very pregnant and in the fall semester I left a tiny baby home with her daddy or grandma.

Shaun and I love getting one-on-one time with her.  She is such a little lady and just a joy to be with....and she helps keep us straight.  :)

Classic Avery look that she was literally born wearing.  Always thinking, always processing.

Grateful for these seven years we've had with her.  Forever grateful.