Video: Happy 4th Birthday Bella

Arabella turned 4 years old on February 17th. To celebrate her birthday I've created a video montage (as I do every year) of some of our favourite moments in the last 365 days. 

 

 

And here's Arabella's 1st birthday video, below. It's hard to imagine that was the same child.  She's certainly come a long way since day 1.

 

God bless you, Arabella.

Arabella turns 4

This wonderful girl turned four years old!

It's incredible how fast time flies, because these last four years have come and gone in the blink of an eye.

These are the type of moments that make life beautiful and extraordinary, and we were soaking in this day, these moments, as much as we could.

Arabella, today we celebrate your strength, your fierce determination to defy the odds, and God's unwavering grace.

Every year on your birthday feels like a ride in a time machine. It takes us back to the day you were born, those first few weeks and months, the joy and pain we all endured, the decisions we were faced with, the people that surrounded us, and all of those specific moments that defined us.

Today is a celebration of life. Today is a celebration of us. And above all, today is a celebration of you, Arabella.

Keep growing strong and wise, little one. Happy Birthday. Love, Mom, Dad & your entire family 💜

Snow angel

It might be chilly out there, but nothing stops Bella from enjoying the outdoors. She'd rather freeze than go inside.

I know, I know. We've been stuck inside the house for months. Well in that case, let's open up the shutters, let in some light, and breathe in some fresh air.

Whether we're making snow bears...

Going for sled rides...

Skating on the pond...

Or enjoying a good old fashioned walk through the woods...

We live for this sort of stuff!

And when we're home there's never a dull moment either.

Bella stays busy by playing, dancing, running around, and acting silly. And of course we're right there with her!

She loves helping Mom, especially when it comes to baking.

She even makes yummy meals in her own kitchen! What's cooking Bella?

Her fascination with music and musical instruments continues to grow. Interestingly enough, she loves playing along to hard rock and country music. We've been listening to a lot of country music as a family too, something we've really enjoyed doing.

 

Arabella's loves to create. She's taken a huge liking to painting in dad's art studio, experimenting with colours, brushes, and techniques. Mom even made Arabella her own artists smock, which really came in handy.

Great use of colour and contrast, Bella!

Anytime I go to downstairs to paint I see the pictures that Arabella drew on the protective paper covering the walls and I think to myself, "I am really really lucky to have a daughter as wonderful as her".

Together apart

The year ended on a high note.

Arabella was showered with gifts on Christmas and she had the time of her life. The overwhelming mountain of toys has become a tradition of sorts and I've learned to accept this reality. Tell me, what's a dad to do? Mom claims everything was bought on sale, so there's no disputing anything! 😂

Leading up to Christmas Bella was overjoyed with anticipation. Singing Christmas carols, reading books about baby Jesus and the three wise men, watching Christmas movies, talking about the idea of Santa and his reindeer - it really captured her imagination.

On Chrismtas Eve we let Bella open a few presents, as per tradition.

We stayed at home but we got dressed up anyway and connected with our families on Skype. Although we were apart physically, we felt united and that's all that matters in the end. Arabella understands what's going on in the world, and she knows why we're isolating.

Nonetheless, the spirit of Christmas was in the air.

Afterwards Bella got washed up, put on her pyjamas and got to open one more gift, before leaving some milk and cookies out for Santa, and a few carrots for the reindeer too!

On Christmas Day, Bella woke up and noticed her stockings were filled with gifts. Even Cub (Bella's favourite stuffed animal) had a stocking from Santa.

After taking some time to wake up a bit more and open her stocking gifts, Bella went downstairs to see what Santa had left her. And boy, was she surprised!

We watched her open gift after gift, and she loved every minute of it. There was no denying this was one happy child.

Joy to the world

Could it be Christmas time, already? I've been waiting and waiting so patiently!

I've been a good girl all year, you can even ask my parents. And I sent my letter to Santa last month so I know he must have gotten it.

Heyyyy Dad, you're not Santa!?

Oh, but what's this? The real Santa told you to give this to me? Really?

Thanks Santa-Dad! This will help me on my path to being a veterinarian one day, because I love helping animals and making them feel better.

Mom and Dad, you spent the last two days blowing up all of these balloons, and now I understand why!

Because they're fun, festive, and pretty!

Okay, now that I've calmed down, let me just say Merry Christmas to all of you.

May you have a safe and relaxing Christmas filled with peace, happiness and joy.

Lots of love,
A+K+D

'Tis the season

Hey Arabella! Christmas is just around the corner, and you're counting down the days.

You are incredibly excited, and your list to Santa this year is so long. It's endless!

Now that we're basically into winter, it's time to frolic in the snow. It's time for winter activities.

We'll gladly take advantage of any mild weather to get outside and have some fun.

When it's too dark or chilly we have no choice but to hibernate indoors. But there's always a game, or craft, or something else to keep us occupied.

Anyone up for a rock concert? Arabella loves to perform for a crowd, and she'll ask Kiera and I to sit on the couch while she entertains.

When you're a little older, Bella, you can have the guitar that my Dad gave to me, if you want. You just need to be strong enough to pick it up and hold it!

 

We had some unusually warm days into November, which were awesome. Those nice days were like a beautiful gift. We savoured every minute.

"Say cheese!"

Do you love throwing rocks too? That was officially the last rock-throw of the season.

So let's bring on winter, and hopefully we can get through these cold and dark days ahead.

Thank goodness for Christmas, and everything wonderful that Christmas brings. We had our tree up in early November (as we always do) and it made us feel so happy to see those decorations again. Something about them just satisfies the soul, doesn't it?

Because there's nothing quite like Christmas - the best time of the year!

Oh Deer! What a year!

Happy Halloween!

It really was a happy Halloween at our house this year. So much fun and laughter.

This little reindeer looks to be in training. Maybe one day she will be strong enough to pull Santa's sleigh? Let's hope so!

Dad the make-up artist? Don't worry, I won't quit my day-job (I have to admit I did enjoy it).

Mom and Arabella have some pretty good ideas. With all the beautiful fall decorations and costumes this year, it sure looked festive.

Well done, ladies!

Arabella only visited one house this year, and it was ours. Trick or treat! We had a glow-in-the-dark toy hunt, danced around our living room, and simply enjoyed each others company. This Halloween will surely go down as one of the best I ever had. We had a blast!