Sweet Seven...Isabelle's Golden Birthday

Two weeks ago we celebrated our sweet Isabelle's golden birthday.  We tried to make her birthday extra special this year as you only get one golden birthday in your life.  We started the celebrations a few weeks before her birthday when we took her to Disney's on Ice performance.  It was a hit and she loved it!

Then we planned a My Little Pony party for her complete with a Pinkie Pie piñata and My Little Pony cupcakes.  She was able to have a few friends over and we played games, did a scavenger hunt, had pizza and cake.  She thought it was the best time ever.

On her actual birthday we had a low key evening where we celebrated her birth as our family.   As I got her ready for school on the morning of her birthday I told her how special our first time meeting her was and how the nurses talked about how beautiful of a baby she was.  I remember the first moment I saw her, I felt love.  I wanted nothing more than to protect her, love her and give her the best life I could... from the moment my eyes met hers.

It's hard for me to believe that our precious little Belle is now 7.  I remember being 7 and thinking it was a great age.  I see life now through Isabelle's eyes and while she has grown she continues to be the loving, kind-hearted, excited-for-life girl she has always been.  She loves life, is eager to learn, spreads kindness like confetti and she always sees the best in others.

She has brought so much joy and love to our lives and I give thanks each day we were picked to be her parents.  I dream about and wonder what she will be like as an adult, and I pray I get to watch her become a mother, because I know she will be wonderful.

Some of the things I love most about Isabelle is how excited she gets about the simple things in life.  Like this morning when she looked out at the frost on the grass and shouted, "Jack Frost came to the grass last night"  Her eyes light up and her excitement spreads throughout her whole body.  I love how she loves her sister and tries to be a leader, a teacher and a role model for Madelyn.  She plays so well with her and it is clear Madelyn is infatuated with how amazing her big sister is.  I love how Isabelle never looks at the negative in a situation or the bad in others.  She loves everyone and sees everyone for their best... I hope she keeps that perspective forever.  One other thing I love so much about Isabelle is how she thinks about and loves to show her love for us.  Just last week, she spend most of her hours after school working on making special valentines for everyone in her family.  She took the time to make each of us a beautiful personalized picture and wrote a special note to each of us to tell us how much we are loved by her.  Her kindness and care of others is truly special.

I seem to always say this but each year goes by faster and I want time to slow down and with Isabelle's case I feel no differently.  I want to bottle up her innocence, savor her loving personality and foster her confidence, determination and drive with each passing day.  Mostly I want her always to know how deeply she is loved, how much she was and will always be wanted, and how big of a gift she is to us and to this world.

Happy 7th GOLDEN birthday our precious Isabelle.  We love you more than you'll ever dream possible.

Mom and Dad