18

Well it has finally happened. My baby girl turned 18 today. So many memories.

It took three tries before we finally got lucky and got a full-term pregnancy with Avery. It was an easy delivery. Avery was born at 12:12 noon on September 15, 1993. She weighed 8 pounds and was 20 1/2 inches long. She had a lot of hair and all of her fingers and toes. We named her Eliabeth Avery Smith.

Donna moved from Kilgore to San Antonio to live with us. She would got to college at night and watch the baby during the day.

I remember after we had been home from the hospital for a few days, I thought, "Oh no. We have named her the wrong thing. Avery does not fit her at all."

Donna was the voice of reason and said, "Her name fits her perfectly!" 

She was an easy baby and slept through the night (8 hours) when she was 10 days old.

She used her first curse word at age 2 1/2. Thank you Quentin for teaching her that!! She promptly got her first time-out too.

Here are some examples of the cute things she said as she grew up.
Woowoo = dog (sitting in her bedroom window looking out at a
     dog across the street)
Packback = backpack
Hopticopter = helicopter
Yellow jacks = wasps
Higher my seat = raise the seat on her bicycle 
I'm gonna be crazy tonight! - Avery to Mom and KayKay after
     drinking coffee (age 5)

Wanton cookie = fortune cookie

Arc tic tac = architect

Rush Limbo = Rush Limbaugh (said at age 10)

Katie and I took the girls and went to Starbucks one evening. They tasted, or should I say guzzled, our coffee drinks on the way home. They promptly started singing at the top of their lungs. We had to open the windows in the car so we did not go deaf!!!

She started playing volleyball in 7th grade. She LOVED it. She played in 8th grade. She joined a club team and really excelled. She played as a freshman and a sophomore. By the time she reached junior year volleyball tryouts, she had grown weary. She did not think she had a real future playing in college and it took about 25 hours a week. So after much thought and prayer, she decided to quit volleyball. It was a difficult decision and weighed heavy on her for a while. The positive outcome was that she could spend more time on her art.

She could really get off the ground and hit that ball.

Quentin called her "The Hammer".

Group shot with the Kendall County Juniors Club Team after they won a tournament. Coach John was a great coach for Avery. She remains in contact with some of the Boerne girls.

She has always loved art. She and Ashlyn have been making art since they were small. She started quilting at age 4. She made her Aunt Donna a small quilt for a wedding present. She has made jewelry out of hot glue. She has beaded. She has knitted. She took art at school every year since 1st grade. She draws and paints. Quite accomplished for someone aged 18. Here are some samples of her work.

Pencil sketch. Pencil is her favorite medium.

One of her attempts at watercolor.

Someone at the KCC Art Show offered to buy this painting.

Pen and glitter.

 

She entered the Battle of the Flowers Band Poster Contest 2011.

She won Honorable Mention (4th Place) out of 517 entries.

This a a close-up of her entry. They loved her fonts.

She was nominated for Homecoming Queen 2012. They will announce the winners on Friday night during half-time at the football game.

Avery is the 2nd from the right. Good luck Sweetie!!

She has always made good grades starting back in elementary school. She has been accepted to Texas Tech University, which is one of six schools she applied to. Avery has an exciting future ahead of her. She plans to major in Business (Marketing) and Minor in Art.

I am not sure where her life will take her but I know she will be successful. She has always made good choices and applied herself to the task at hand. She has been a real blessing to us. I am so proud of her and the beautiful, kind, wise, mature, Christian woman she has become.

Happy Birthday Avery!!! You are 18!!!

Love you more than you will ever know! 222!!

Mom