isabella kristan :: six years old

today is my beautiful isabella's sixth birthday.  

click here to see the blog i wrote for her on my bachmanville photography site.

december 19th :: photo*a*day

december 19th

a little lunch date with my favorite girls

someone likes to pretend she's a puppy when she eats :)

december 16th :: photo*a*day

december 16th

future doctor

isabella has decided when she grows up, she wants to be "a doctor for babies and children."

sounds good to me!

our kids absolutely LOVE doc mcstuffins, 

and the bedroom frequently turns into a clinic for all the stuffed animals.

december 14th :: photo*a*day

on friday,

our little isabella won an award at school for her behavior.

we are so proud of her.

december 14th

bella the awesome

her teacher, mrs. w., is amazing.

all those kids.... she has way more patience than i do.

we are so grateful for the awesome teachers God has blessed us with this year!


with the horrific events that occurred on friday,
 i was especially grateful for the opportunity to be in isabella's classroom.
i cannot imagine the pain of the families who lost their children that day.
we send jackson & isabella to school everyday,
trusting they will come home safe and sound to us.
we are praying for the families and communities whose lives have forever been changed by this tragedy.

everyday is a gift.

december 10th :: photo*a*day

my isabella loves to draw.

our family is all abuzz over our elf on the shelf, foddy.

today she came home from school and asked to draw him a picture.

i love watching her work.

december 10th

isabella drawing

bella and i had a rough day today.

she was emotional, argumentative, and defiant.

i was frustrated and short-tempered.

not a good combination.

at the end of the day we spent some time talking,

apologizing, and forgiving each other.

i'm grateful that we ended our day like this.

i love this little girl to the moon and back.

being a mommy is hard.

but it's always worth it.

december 7th :: photo*a*day

our little isabella is never the girl to get on stage,

dance in front of people,

or be the center of attention.

as loud and crazy as she can be,

she is also totally shy.

tonight was rockharbor's 'twas the night before christmas',

a super fun event to get the season started.

families come in jammies, drink hot chocolate, sing songs, and watch the drama team act out favorite christmas movies.

bella was asked to be cindy lou who from the grinch who stole christmas.

we weren't too sure how she'd do.

but she was amazing.

totally rocked it.

so proud.

dec 7th

bella as cindy lou who

here's a little video of her:

and for all the grandparents,

a few more photos of our night

(this one may have been taken during rehearsal, hence the grinch not totally in his gear yet)

(throwing candy to the crowd :)

december 5th :: photo*a*day

december 5th

big kiddos on their scooters.

this happens every.single.day.

and bella can scooter circles around jackson- 

she is pretty amazing.

and since i started a bit behind,

here are two more from today:

jackson reading christmas books by the tree.

kids anticipating hot chocolate

(their elf on the shelf, foddy, promised them hot chocolate after dinner. they were quite excited :)

a firework

 right now, time and i are in a fight.

i feel like every time i blink, i open my eyes and it's a month later.

i mean, really.... november already?

how is that possible?

life feels like it is just swirling past me,

a list of un-checked to-dos and things i wish i could have done.

desperately trying to savor the moments with my children,

and yet i frequently end up cleaning instead of cuddling.

yup.  

i don't like time much.

today, especially, i feel it.

because just yesterday,

my life looked like this:

a brand-new baby girl in my arms,

tiny(ish) and helpless.

her entire life ahead of her.  and me.

(i had to post this picture. seriously.  do you see the rolls that little girl came out with? 

she is going to hate me someday for that one ;)

but today, i woke up to this:

five candles on her cake.

a big girl before me.

time... where have you gone?

that's not to say i want to go back...

i have five years of precious memories with this little girl,

and i absolutely adore who she is today.

but i sure wish i could slow things down.

freeze time for just a bit so i can take in every minute.

because this is one special little lady.

isabella kristan,

you are my little firework.

you shine and sparkle, dazzling everyone who meets you.

you absolutely light up my life.

you love dresses- especially ones that twirl. the color pink. your brother and sister. macaroni and cheese. drawing (which you have gotten so good at this year!). your scooter. anything that sparkles. roly-poly bugs. picking flowers. sugar, sugar and more sugar. snuggles. bubble baths. building sand castles. helping me cook. doc mcstuffins. disneyland. soft things. sticks. your 'kitty' boots. swimming. your long, 'rapunzel' hair. being in charge. the ipad. my little pony. babies. getting dirty. decorating. snacks. 

like a firework, you can also be, well, explosive.

you live life with passion.

when you don't like something, you REALLY don't like it.

such as:

anything tight.  seatbelt buckles. jackson calling you 'isabelly'. getting out of the bath. vegetables. pants.  getting in trouble. sharing. having your nails cut. shots. going potty. the dark. being told no.  and sometimes being told yes. cleaning up. being confined. going to bed. 

you are a lover of all animals.

if you see a dog, you MUST pet it.

this year you got your first pet that was all your own...

a hamster, and you loved her dearly.

(sadly... cupcake the hamster died,

and her sucessor, cotton candy, is now missing in our house somewhere.)

two months ago, 

you started school for the first time.

we are beyond proud of you-

you can already write all your letters and your numbers 1-10.

you are learning how to be a good friend and work hard.

it seems as though everyday you learn something new.

i love having discussions with you as you explore new vocabulary -

especially coming up with a word to describe your day other than 'good'.

you LOVE princesses.  right now your favorite is merida from brave.

you love playing dress-up but get really frustrated when the dresses are scratchy.  

being a princess is hard.

lately, i've been looking at you and just marveling.

you are a person.

no longer a toddler.

but a little girl,

full of thoughts, ideas, and opinions.

you are compassionate and kind.

funny and exuberant.

shy in new situations.

intelligent and intuitive.

strong and independent.

creative and competitive.

you are full of questions about life,

and you want to make the most of every minute.

you challenge me.

frustrate me.

encourage me.

motivate me.

day by day,

i can see more of the woman God is forming you to be.

being your mommy isn't always easy, but it's always good.

 i wouldn't take back a single moment with you,

and i love you beyond explanation.

exactly the way you are.

so time... just back up a bit, okay?

i don't want to rush past this.

because just yesterday,

she was a toddler, and then a three year old, a four year old, 

and now... 

a whole handful of fingers held up.

five.

5.

yep. five perfect, precious years.

keep shining brightly, little firework,

.....filling my life with oohs and aahs.

have a SUPER halloween!

happy halloween from the bachman family!

we decided on a superhero theme this year:

jackson is captain america, isabella is wonder woman, and charlotte is catwoman...

ready to rid the world of evil- and candy!

have a wonderful night, and don't steal too many treats from your kids :)

(don't know why it won't let me center... oh well! ;)

for more halloween cuteness, check out the bachmanville photography blog.

i got to photograph 40+ adorable kiddos in their costumes this year!