- [Crowd] Here they go, they are ready, ready,
whaooh! (fireworks bursting)
Ten, Nine,
eight, seven,
six, five, four.
(soft music)
Three, two, one, happy new year.
(fireworks bursting)
- [Stephen] We just wanted to acknowledge the year
that was 2020
and what a year we might had.
Beginning with our home of Australia being burned
from one of the largest bushfires our country's ever seen,
and the global pandemic that has affected millions of lives
around the world,
and all the other events that have shaped the year,
which will be read about in history books to come.
- A year filled with so much negativity,
didn't stop our hearts from being filled right back up
with one of the most beautiful
and magical events of our lives,
the birth of our first born daughter Hunter.
But before we get to that
let's rewind back to silly events that shaped our year.
In January.
As we brought in the new year
with our little gender reveal fireworks
without good friends, the green series.
In the outskirts of Canada,
we decided to retake the steps we took
during our very first year of flying the nest.
As we explored the Canadian Rockies,
that swapped out crystal blue lakes from our first visit
in 2015 or red warm one seas,
snow covered mountains
and of course there is joy to be found in the cold winter.
(giggles)
- We made sure we warmed up in our frosted wooden cabins
drove along the Ice fields Parkway to walk
across an ice bubble Lake
and a frozen river to end our time in Jasper National Park.
- From there, we said goodbye to the Canadian snow
to do our annual pop into Jessica's parents' house
in the warm tropics of Queensland.
The Valentine's had not been in the same room together
for five years.
So it was extra special to be there
for Jessica's mom's 60 year
- At this point in time
very few knew we were having a baby girl.
So we celebrated together
with as many unique reveals as we could think of.
- One, two, steady go.
(laughing)
- We ended the first month of our year jetting
off to Fiji to have a baby mood.
We spent our days swimming in crystal clear waters
and relaxing by the beach is our baby girl grew bigger.
- Jess had way too many coconuts
and we even spent the night
on our own private Island.
As February rolled through.
We found the cheapest flights out of Fiji
was actually back to Australia.
So we road trip through the South of Queensland
going through the Glass House Mountains,
which a very pregnant Jess climbed,
look at Jess,
I'm so proud of my wife,
six months pregnant,
in a dress,
about to climb to the top of a mountain.
Before staying the night
in a train and a tropical tiny home.
- Like we did once again at the
start of our flying the next journey
we said goodbye to Australia and flew to Hawaii
the place where this all began
all those years ago.
Opting in to see more of the islands.
We started on the big Island
filled with black sand beaches
some turtle friends, waterfalls
and one of our favorite experiences of the year so far,
swimming with manta rays.
It was so, so cool.
- From there, we hopped over to Kauai
to see the grand Canyon of Hawaii.
We had some delicious food
but ultimately we'll there to relax
and dream of the days we could travel with our baby girl.
We were so ready for her to arrive.
- If you told us that our next stop,
the Island of Hawaii
will be our final international trip,
we probably wouldn't have believed you
back in February of 2020,
as we got emotional reflecting
on the incredible journey we had been
on over the past five years.
- So we just wanted to pause the video right here
and take a moment to thank each and every one of you
for being such an understanding and incredible community.
So whether you joined us in 2015, or you joined us today
we just wanted to say a massive thank you.
As none of this would have been possible without you.
To bring a smile back to Jessie's face.
We had a tastiest sibel
even tastiest street food
and swam with dolphins one last time
before our final international flight of the year.
As March approached
and Jess hit 30 weeks pregnant,
she said, Stephen,
I am not done traveling with this baby inside my belly.
Can we just do one last trip before we settled down?
So we rented a van
and headed towards the South of our
home state of Western Australia
- Visiting some of our favorite spots,
taking a dip in a natural jacuzzi
and having coffee with one of the most beautiful views.
We attempted to learn the ropes of our life
as we made our way through Alberni and onto Esperance
to see some of the most beautiful beaches
the world has to offer
before ending our traveling journey
with just the two of us
in front of Stephen's old childhood car.
Tonight, is the last night
tomorrow when we drive back to Perth,
we'll officially be in Perth until the little one comes.
- March was one of the biggest months of the year for us.
The pandemic made its way to Australia
and not only did our country close itself
off from the rest of the world
but our state closed the borders to the rest of Australia.
- With nowhere to go
and a baby on the way,
we made one of the biggest decisions of our life
to buy a house
to bring our little girl Hunter.
We bought our house!
We moved out of Steven's parents' house,
grabbed our lives
that we had packed up
all those years ago
from living out of small rooms, trains and planes,
it was really incredible to have a place of our own.
- So as we went into isolation,
we skull through old boxes
and memories of the years gone by,
Building beds for big people
and beds for little people.
And for some reason,
an old painting of a monkey
seemed to tickle Jess's pickle
- Look at that (laughing) more than I ever thought,
it's a monkey.
Without knowing how long we would be stuck in Perth.
The home renovations began to make this place
feel like owls.
with April rolling in,
and the days ticking down before the big day,
we celebrated Easter.
got the nursery ready
attempted to install a car seat
and renovated a cubby house
- But May had a few big events.
I surprised Jess with a quarantine 30th birthday
by cooking her dinner filled
with video messages of loved ones who couldn't be there.
It's crazy to think that just two short months,
after going into isolation,
restrictions were already starting to lift
in our home state,
which meant I could sneakily
throw Jess the baby shower for her dreams.
One which had to get canceled.
So after consulting her friends
and family on what should go into it,
I surprised Jess with one of the most
emotional days of the year.
- Oh! My Gosh!
- Oh! Jess you're gonna make me cry, don't.
- It's so much.
June, 2020 is the month that we'll go down in history
as changing our lives forever.
What seemed like the longest week of our lives
as our baby girl decided she was comfy
exactly where she was a week past due date.
We packed our bags for the last time as just the two of us.
- Due to the restrictions placed on the hospital,
after Jess's induction.
- (indistinct) that was so fast.
- I know one hour is so quick,
especially when I haven't seen you all day.
- I'm okay.
- All right.
She waited and went through labor all by herself
until the early hours of the morning,
on Tuesday, the 2nd of June,
we watched the sunrise together
listened to Jack Johnson
and hung out like old times
as we waited for our little girl to arrive.
So with tears in our eyes
our little Hunter Jane came into the world
later that evening.
- [Jess] Hello, welcome to the world.
- (indistinct) or your left arm.
- Sure!
- All right.
- Yeah, that sounds good.
- Before we could bring her home,
there was a few complications with Hunter
and she was admitted into the baby ICU for the week.
And though it was hard on us.
There was still plenty of highlights,
including giving her her first bath.
Going home day was finally upon us.
And as Steven got the house ready,
we finally brought Hunter into our home
for some much needed family time.
- And speaking of family,
there were plenty of people who were excited to meet her.
From my sister and parents,
to our friends and family.
But unfortunately, due to the border closures
we had to make a few faced on calls to Jess's family.
- Oh my gosh, she's sick.
- [Jess] She's so cute.
- So the next week we started to get adapted into parenthood
including brave in it all as a family
to leave the house for the very first time,
whilst also dealing with the lack of sleep from all parties.
- As the weeks went by so fast,
July rolled through
and even though international
and Australia wide travel was banned.
We really wanted to say what travel with Hunter was like
as it was a goal of ours for 2020.
So we packed up the car
and did a little family road trip down South
to show our baby some of our favorite spots.
- After some heated discussions on sleeping arrangements,
this bed is way too big for you.
So what are we gonna do about that.
We experienced our first beach sunrise as a family
a favorite of mine and Jessica's
Hunter did great and it was a little milestone for us.
As we realized we had struck gold.
Our baby was so good to travel with.
So we already were planning our next trip
but we needed a very important document first.
- Your very first passport
is a very important time.
So a baby spa day was in order
massages, baby chinos
and a cute outfit was acquired before well,
let's say none of that hard work paid off as yeah
this is how our photo turned out.
As we waited for the passport to arrive,
August rolled through
and we couldn't believe
that our little girl was already three months old.
They say enjoy every moment as it goes by so fast
and we can certainly attest to that.
As Hunter is still forming memories of her own
we decided that for a first year
we would do bimonthly updates on her milestones
updates include making a new best friend,
enjoying bath time
and working on the neck control.
- August was another big milestone
going on a flight with a two month old
with next to no cases here
in Western Australia,
we booked a trip up to Broome
for a week long getaway.
Hunter slipped straight into vacation mode
with cocktails by the pool,
dips in the pool
and more sunsets by the beach.
The trip continued as we packed up the car
and drove up to a little spot called eco beach,
which was a resort with some of the best views.
Our days were filled with drinks on the beach,
our afternoons on kayaks and our mornings in the pool.
- Before heading home,
we decided to go camping with Hunter,
where she started to play with toys.
But no trip to Broome is complete without a pump
into Matso's brewery for some ice cold ginger beer.
September rolled by so quickly
and we were already celebrating Steven's first father's day.
Hunter helped me pick up all his favorite snacks.
Plus I go into my painting done of the moment
Steven realized he was a dad.
If you're new around here
you may know we are a little bit addicted to travel
and this was the perfect excuse for another fix
a little father's day getaway
to the winery that we got married at.
- So as Hunter turned three months
we started really getting into a routine with her.
As we started taking her to swimming school
we picked strawberries together
and dipped her little feet
into the ocean for the first time.
October was another big month filled with fun.
We launched a podcast, a shop an Academy
and our second fly the next expeditions.
Hunter turned four months old
and she started to giggle and hasn't stopped since.
(giggles)
Oh, and she started to roll over too
and began being interested in what we were eating.
- We surprised our friends with yet.
You can guess at a little trip in Perth,
filled with pool dates, pool games
and initiating Hunter into Jess's favorite
hotel tradition, robes
October 16th came around
and it was another big birthday.
Steven joined the 30 club
and I surprised him with a road trip to Exmouth.
Happy birthday!
- Oh! My goodness!
- A friendly and has a caravan
which he had never driven before.
And as he learnt the robes
we went silver seals, saw pink lakes
Baden natural hot Springs
and Oh, did I mention, we swam with humpback whales.
- It was so special as we realized we could travel
as we used to.
Our baby is always up for an adventure
and a nap just as much as we are.
The birthday surprises weren't done.
as we drove back to Perth
our friends had a couple of surprises left in store.
So the month ended with a little Halloween celebration.
We prepared beautiful desserts,
did some pumpkin carving
and got our very first trick or treaters to our house.
So with November rolling by
and no plans for international travel to
resume any time soon,
we decided to pursue a dream of ours.
Buying a van and converting it into a tiny home in wheels.
And that's exactly what we did.
So after a few test drives
we decided to pick up an empty cargo sprinter.
- With no idea what to do.
We reached out to our friends
to help us with our van build
so after measuring and picking out a flooring.
We decided to put in a window,
so, after calling around we found a spot
and let's just say they didn't do a very good job.
- And they put the window in the wrong place.
- [Jess] From there,
the build began a very exciting moment.
As the flooring went down
and a gigantic hole was cut in our roof.
- So after being with Jess for 13 years,
I didn't realize just
how much of a Christmas holder she'd become
with our spare room
Looking a little bit like Santa's workshop.
So for our anniversary,
I let her put up the Christmas tree in November,
which let's just say was her favorite day this month
- Oh! My gosh! Should we go to make gingerbread man
going to be placed together, Oh! My God!
- Placing tree ornaments.
We'd collected from around the world
to decorating the house.
Yep, 47 days before Christmas.
- With December rolling by
and the end of the year already set in stone.
A little span was thrown into the works
with over seven months of no community transmission at home.
The borders within Australia opened
which meant Hunter could finally meet her grandparents.
We booked the first fire out to Queensland
with our six month old
and me and my granddad
and my brother and sister finally being able to meet.
- I'm so proud of you.
- We relaxed in the warm tropical sun,
had family barbecues,
dips in the pool
and an early Valentine Christmas.
And though it wasn't easy saying goodbye.
It was still so magical
that my parents could finally meet our baby
- So after abandoning our van to quickly fly to Queensland
work resumed by getting a car seat installed.
So our new member could join us on our adventure.
The day had finally arrived
and Hunter was about your experience
her very first Australian Christmas.
We built gingerbread houses relax in the hot Aussie summer
went Cleo's birthday party
and try to show Hunter as many traditions as possible.
- It's crazy to think that just one year earlier
we were finding out we were having a little girl
Christmas eve was spent baking cookies
and preparing our big meal.
We all got matching Christmas jammies
and put out milk and cookies for Santa.
December 25th, arrived
with some footprints leading to the tree.
It was such a special day.
Opening up presents together,
having a family lunch
way too many giggles
and a dip in the pool
before closing out the celebrations on the beach.
- So as we sit here on new years eve of 2020.
- We're ready to see what 2021 brings.