Arabella loves the outdoors.
And I love watching her experience it all.
To her it must seem like such a world of wonder...
The changing colours of the trees. The bright blue sky above. The feeling of a cool wind, or the sound of leaves beneath her. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch!
She's changing so much with every season...
And every seasons brings new hopes and challenges.
There are a lot of good times, and there are stressful moments, too...
But as long as we're together we can get through it. And we do!
We all lean on one another.
Without a doubt, it's a beautiful life with Arabella. She forces us to take a step back. To slow down and relax. To appreciate.
I find myself being a kid again. Living in the moment, having more fun, and not worrying too much about the superficial.
Arabella has changed my outlook in so many ways.
I only care about the big things now. The "real" things in life. There's no room for time-wasting, or doing things simply to keep up appearances. And I'm in no rush to do anything, or go anywhere. Ever.
I only have one mission, and it's to devote as much time and energy as I can to this little girl. I want to squeeze everything I can from each and every moment, before it's too late.
Ever since she was born, something inside me said, "Give everything of yourself to her. Don't even waste a minute, because nothing is guaranteed in this world."
This girl is getting bigger every day. She's changing right before our eyes...and I don't want to miss any of it.
Every minute, even in silence, is precious. I'm constantly reminding myself that there are only so many years left where I can hold her like this.
And when she grows too big for me to hold her in my arms, hopefully she'll hold onto my hand for a little longer, at least.
Then one day she'll have to let go of my hand, too.
And it's going to be alright. I'm going to be ready for that, and I'll be okay with it, because I know I've given her every bit of myself that I possibly could.
I live for this girl. I live for my family, and for my closest friends. And it took a life-changing experience to realize this.
Time is precious, and it waits for no one. That's why we have to do our best to squeeze these moments, and hold onto them as long as possible.
Hold them. Own them. Cherish them.
