Here's Bella holding her first-ever photo taken as soon as she was born. Look how far she's come! Words can't describe how proud I am of this girl.
Back in February 2017 - if you told me that one day we'd all be hanging out at home, laughing and playing together, with a completely healthy Arabella...I might have not believed you.
But here we are. Baking cupcakes for your 3rd birthday, Bella.
Bella enjoys helping out in the kitchen...
And now it's time for icing!
Perfect! That looks good!
At Grandma and Grandpa's we have another opportunity to have fun, get silly, take some pictures, and blow out some more candles.
This is by far the best day of the year for us. We reminisce, we talk about the hospital days, we look at old photos and videos, and we look over at Bella and wonder, "How did you get so big?"
Sometimes there are no words. You just shake your head in disbelief, take a deep breath, and thank the Lord quietly in your mind.
On February 17th Arabella turned 3! Wow! To celebrate this milestone I put together a little video montage of the last 3 years. It's sort of a tradition we've started here...
I really enjoy putting these videos together since I get to go back and relive some of the special moments, and put it to music! It always makes me especially thankful for God's grace and the many blessings our family has received. The first few months of Arabella's life were sometimes too much to bear, but God truly lifted us from the fear and doubt.
Arabella made great progress with her walking this past year. In the video you'll see a lot of clips of her making attempts to walk - and finally she pulls it off! That was probably one of the biggest highlights since her 2nd birthday so I wanted to showcase that a lot.
The song during the video echoes some of the feelings of doubt and weakness we all face in life. When we think that the world is crumbling beneath our feet, God is there to lift us up.
Woo hoo! Arabella had an outstanding Christmas. So much joy. So many toys!
This Christmas turned out to be another instant classic 😄
We went to Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas Eve and had a lovely dinner there. After dinner we had some sweets and watched Bella open her presents.
Once she opened one, she had to open them all. She simply couldn't help herself! 😂 Here she is with Uncle D checking out her new hockey set:
When we got home later that evening we left some cookies and milk for Santa (and a carrot for the reindeer) before taking Bella upstairs to bed. On Christmas Day she came downstairs with Mom and saw the mountain of toys waiting for her under the tree.
There's no better feeling than watching her enjoy that moment. It was like magic.
Look how blessed you are, Bella! She had such a blast tearing away at the wrapping paper. One present after another. Would it ever end? 😂 Most of Arabella's gifts under our tree were from Kiera's mom, who had been shopping and stashing gifts aside since September. Thanks Nana - you're too much!
The rest of the day we relaxed and watched Bella enjoy her new toys. Then on the following day we went to visit Kiera's side of the family.
Arabella had the best time with her cousins. Usually she's very shy and timid, but on that day she was interacting with everyone and proved to us that she's a very big girl. Here she is with Aunt Nikki and Uncle Nigel:
And the entire gang, including her cousins, uncles and Nana:
And a very happy new year! Bella's grown a ton since last Christmas. She's quite the little lady now huh? Kiera and I can't believe our eyes some times.
This girl just can't wait for Christmas. She's been asking for all kinds of presents. And she has a long list of demands! 😂
"What would you like Santa to bring you, little girl?"
"Umm...Daddy Shark, Peppa Pig, Daniel Tiger..." (Bella memorized 3 toys that she knows she wants and she loves telling everyone.)
"What's this dadda?"
This is going to be a great Christmas. I just know it!
