Happy Birthday, YOU

My dear...we are here: your FIRST birthday. It was only twelve short months ago (and one hour, from the exact time I am writing this) that you came into this world to greet us. As is my tradition for the first year of this blog, I am writing one birthday blog for every member of our family to serve as an introduction. At this point, I would like to introduce you to...yourself at the age of one year.

Baby Ella (which is what you know yourself to be...you point yourself out in pictures on the wall when we ask "where's baby Ella?") is the newest and most advanced member of our family! She understands everything and is the most friendly little lady in the sandbox. She is currently capable of challenging her 240 lb father in a pound-for-pound eating contest and she spontaneously dances with wiggly hip motions when she hears music or is otherwise delighted.

Without a smidgen of exaggeration, baby Ella has singlehandedly changed her father into a blubbering fool (I cried more than you did the first time you really took a dive). She is able to cross whole living-rooms in a series of bobbling bounds and she is miraculously capable of managing to get all manner of foreign objects into her mouth before her Daddy can stop her (no matter how close at hand I may be).

In short, Baby Ella is the superhero of her Daddy's life.

Now...you show me which of your little friends has THAT kind of introduction written for her! I'll bet none. The way you are burning through books and baby sign language, too, I'll bet that by the time you can read this, we will be nearing your second birthday and you'll be finding my errors in grammar (there are plenty...I shift persons dramatically in those paragraphs above).

Ella, you are the shining example of what each of us could be if we spent each moment being exactly and totally what we have the potential to be. You are my daughter and you are my hero all in one, tiny, and periodically messy package.

Happy Birthday.

Dad.

This is where you will grow up (partly, at least!)

This is going to be our first house together! Welcome to your new home!!

You get to grow up with some cool things:

- A fireplace (made of real brick)

- A big back yard

- A nearby park

- A nice big room for you

- A nice neighbourhood with lots of kids to play with!

This is a pretty decent house to get started in, if you don't mind me saying so myself. I mean, it hasn't got a hot tub (yet) or anything, but it has a lot of places to run around and play. Also, it's already raised one family...and houses that raise happy families are good houses to be in. I am very excited to get everything all set up and shimmy-shimmy for you in there (and when I say that, I mean I can't wait for you Mom to get everything set up while I'm working in the inner city.)

So get ready. Daddy will likely start to get a bit edgy during the move, but will feel better when it's all done and sees you smiling.

Love you!

Dad!

Happy Birthday, Opa Stan!

Ik wil jullie voorstellen aan Opa Stan, en ik ga om dit te schrijven volledig in het Nederlands. Als je geen Nederlands kent, ga dan Google Translate en plak deze blog in het vak om het te lezen in het Engels.

Opa Stan is het enige lid van onze uitgebreide familie die je me kon introduceren. Dereden is dat je hem ontmoette en ik heb het niet! Toen je net drie maanden oud, je gingnaar Nederland met je moeder om hem te bezoeken. Ik heb gehoord dat jij en hijonmiddellijk van elkaar hielden en ik kan het zien als je praat met hem over het computerscherm.

Ik verheug me op vergadering Opa Stan zelf op zoek. Er is mij verteld dat hij zal komenbij ons op bezoek volgende maand en zal zelfs ons helpen verhuizen naar ons nieuwehuis! Ik verheug me erop u te ontmoeten en Opa samen spelen in onze nieuweachtertuin! Het gaat om een ​​veel plezier voor iedereen!

Liefde,

Pa!

I want to introduce you to Opa Stan, and I am going to write this completely in Dutch. If you don't know any Dutch, please go Google Translate and paste this blog into the box to read it in English.

Opa Stan is the only member of our extended family that YOU could introduce ME to. The reason is that you have met him and I have not! When you were just three months old, you went to Holland with your mother to visit him. I am told that you and he immediately loved each other and I can see it when you talk with him over the computer screen.

I am looking forward to meeting Opa Stan myself. I am told that he will come and visit us next month and will even help us move into our new house! I am looking forward to seeing you and Opa play together in our new backyard! It's going to be a lot of fun for everyone!

Love,

Dad!