My Ava Grace is twelve years old today.  I’ve thought a lot lately about her toddler days, her silliness, her sweet smile, her ability to eat a never-ending quantity of strawberries and tomatoes, her remarkably calm and kind demeanor.  And in reality, those things haven’t changed a whole lot.  True, she doesn’t spend a lot of time doing headstands on the couch for fun, anymore, but she still laughs easily and loves to be goofy.

As was inevitable, though, she is growing.  She’s developing new interests and discovering new skills.  Ava has a great eye for design and has become talented at conceiving of and making jewelry and trinkets with polymer clay.  She has also taken more interest in gardening, and although she has bitten off a little more than she can chew with her garden plot this year, she has pumpkins and squash growing that I’ve never successfully grown myself.  Ava is also continuing to advance in her Tae Kwon Do skills, and despite her small size (or maybe because of it?) is making great progress.

However, beyond her interests and abilities, Ava is kind-hearted, diligent, slow to anger, gracious, and patient.  She receives correction with humility.  She considers the well-being of those around her.  She looks for the bright side in every circumstance.  She wakes up with a smile on her face in the morning, and just generally adds an air of peace wherever she goes.

Without a doubt, Ava has enriched and blessed our lives from the moment she arrived.  We are so thankful for the unique and wonderful girl she is and I am excited to celebrate her twelve years today.