Christmas Morning!

What a great holiday! This was the first year where Mia really understood what was going on and decided that she absolutely loves Christmas... Don't get me wrong, Hannukah was great, but in her world one gift a day just doesn't cut it! Papa & Grammy came over and hung out, and Grandma & Grandpa drove in from NM. Mia received so many great gifts that she was actually a bit overwhelmed. She was thrilled to receive her first real camera, and spent the entire day taking pictures of her bears and blanket... She also enjoyed putting together her new make believe washing machine and microwave. Of course Hungry Hippo was a hit with Mia & Daddy! Unquestionably, having a child makes the holidays a whole lot more enjoyable. Just seeing her joy is so rewarding... We can't wait for the twins to join us for our next holiday season!

Gerdie the Giraffe!

All I can say is WOW!! Mia received a lot of great gifts this year. However, I'd have to say that Nancy & Eben, and their sweet kids Blaise & Madi, took the cake for the 'over the top' gift of the year... In fact, when they brought Mia her giraffe she was a little overwhelmed by the size. It took her a few hours to warm to her, but now she's obsessed! In fact, as you can see, she is now convinced that riding Gerdie is a good idea... Gotta love the names she gives her animals!

Yummy Dessert!

Good thing Papa was in town to teach the midget the real meaning of Christmas... It's all about the deserts! These two are so close, and this picture says it all. They are just alike... Mia is so lucky to have so many great relatives who love her so much.

First Dance Recital

Mia has dance class every Friday. For the holiday season they put together a recital. You would have thought Britney Spears was in town there were so many cameras and flash bulbs going off! There were four kids in the program, and 17 cameras flashing... Mia did an amazing job and really seemed to enjoy herself. It's truly amazing the amount of activities that Momma balances. During this busy month there isn't a day that goes by without some organized activity such as Kinder Music, gymnatics, dance, swimming, etc. Then, a few cookie parties and play dates are thrown into each day for good measure! Wow, I get tired just hearing about their schedule... All the effort is worth it. Mia is developing at such a rapid pace and loves the social interaction. She's an absolute angel!!

Plane Ride!

Mia is at an age where her imagination is constantly working over time! She is always lining up chairs to make an airplane, or gathering her bears and pretending to drive them to school... Not to mention giving Mommy medical exams or claiming she's the teacher! It's such an incredible experience to see how her little mind is developing. Her vocabulary is also pretty impressive. This morning we were out to breakfast and she asked Mommy for a snack. Stacy opened a bag of pretzels and handed Mia a few. Mia looked at Momma very seriously and said, verbatim, "Mommy, I prefer to have the bag"! Doesn't sound like much, but her selection of words is pretty entertaining...

Here is a photo of Mia at a playdate last week with Momma. Apparently they had this really cool airplane contraption in their back yard, and Mia wouldn't get out of it for hours! Needless to say, we had one ordered by evening... Uggghhh, it never ends! :)

Holiday Carriage Ride!

On Friday night we had a family date night! First we had a seafood buffet at the Club, and then we went on a horse drawn carriage ride. When we walked into dinner, Mia saw a guy playing acoustic guitar and immediately ran over and began to dance! It was so cute... All during dinner she was mesmerized by the music and kept insisting that Daddy take her dancing! The carriage ride is something we've done the last few years during the holidays, and Mia just loves it. She talks to the horse and bounces around from seat to seat! A very enjoyable evening...

Happy Chanuka!

Last night Mia lit the Hannukah candles, said the prayer and got her very first gift, a Blues Clues CD!! She was very excited... Cousin Nick slept over for the first night of Hannukah and learned a little about the history of the holiday, as well as getitng his very first Hannukah gift! We had a great night...

Merry Christmas!

That's right, we're greedy! We're claiming both holidays as our own... Cheers & Mazeltov!

Santa's Sleigh, er Helicopter!

On Saturday morning we took cousin Nick with us to the Club for a brunch with Santa. Only, instead of flying in with his reindeer, he flew in on a helicopter and landed on the 18th green! Mia sure loves Santa, but we also learned that she shares Daddy's fascination with helicopters... She & Nick quickly climbed aboard, strapped themselves in, and prepared for take off. Our Princess certainly deserves such lavish accomodations...

Cookie Monster!

On Thursday night Momma took the midget to the Stihlman Train Park for their annual holiday festival. Last year Mia was frightened of all the characters they had walking around... Not this year! She just loves Cookie Monster!! I think they share a kindred spirit, or at least a mutual love of cookies...

Daddy's Weekend!!

Mommy was in Las Vegas with some girlfriends for the weekend, so Mia & Daddy got some quality bonding time! We went out to breakfast on Friday, and then it was off to dance class. On Saturday we went to the Shamrock Farm to see how milk is made! Mia loved all the cows and they even trucked in some snow! Then it was off to our Temple on Sunday for a Hannukah festival with all of Mia's class mates. The midget got to ride a pony, go down the bouncy slide, and took a train ride as well... We had loads of fun, and the best part was that Mia was so tired she took an extra long nap and Daddy got to relax!! We had a blast, but we sured missed our Momma!

Hannukah Festival!!

Here is the midget on her favorite attraction at the Hannukah festival... Of course it was the train! This was so cute. A guy made train cars out of 55 gallon drums, and pulled the kids around on a tractor. Mia was in absolute heaven and had to ride it three times in a row! Her joy is so infectious...

Polar Express Train Ride!

On Sunday we joined some great friends, Russell & Chrissy and Tracy & David, along with their kids, by driving a few hours North into the mountains to catch the Polar Express train! Mia loved the light snow and the train ride was awesome. After carolls, cookies & hot coacoa, Santa boarded the train to give the kids bells!

Unfortunately Daddy got some food poisoning from their lovely high quality buffet, and the ensuing night wasn't so much fun. But after a quick bounce back to good health, we all had fun the next day!

Daddy's Love!

While riding the Polar Express train Mia began to get tired and very loving... Here is Daddy's big lover giving hugs and cuddling! The highlight of any day...

Big Sister of Twins!!

We're not sure if Mia really gets it at this point, but she sure is spending a lot of time talking about her baby brother and sister! If you ask her where they are, she points to Momma's belly... Here she is sporting her 'Big Sister' shirt and carrying around her twins! We can't wait for her to have two little play mates. Much like everything else our perfect angel does, it's probably safe to assume she'll be an incredible big sister!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Twins!

No, not the twins in Momma's belly! I meant the twins from Thanksgiving... We spent the day with Russell & Christine's family, who were so sweet to include us in their holiday plans. Mia & Sascha got to play together all day! Chrissy has been so generous in sharing all of the clothes that Sascha has outgrown, so Momma bought them matching dresses for Turkey Day, to show her appreciation! Tell me they aren't the cutest...

Daddy's Little Sun Devil

On Saturday, Mommy & Daddy took the midget to see Arizona State play the University of Arizona. While we certainly have a family rivalry in the making, Daddy realizes that his school's team sucks this year, and Momma's team got lucky in the final seconds of the game... That's ok, the photo above evidences that we have the cutest fan base!!

When we met Uncle Jesse at the game, Momma had Mia dressed in a red T-shirt to support the U of A. So Daddy pretended that Mia had to go potty, and we raced to the shirt vendor to remedy the situation! Much better, don't you agree?!?!

Daddy's Little Boy!

Not sure if you've noticed, but our midget sure loves playing with Daddy in the garage! Daddy is hoping this will be a life long pursuit, and not just her desire to be around Daddy at the moment. Here she is the day after Thanksgiving working at her tool bench... Gotta love the goggles!

Note the bags of clothes and toys that are being removed in preparation for Brandon & Aubrey's arrival!!!!

Shop Keeper Mia!

The other night Mia set up a shop and invited Daddy in to browse... It was amazingly cute! Mia would put purchases in a bag, punch a few numbers on her cash register, and then hand out a few plastic coins that she referred to as 'Wiggle Dollars'! Better yet, she actually stood up, shook my hand and said, "Thank you for stopping by"! The creative phase is so fun...

The Mermaid

Mia was having a hard time waking up the other morning, so she insisted that Momma wrap her up like a mermaid! Her words... She was all snuggled in with her breakfast of champions, chocolate milk! Of course her favorite companion, Mary Bear, was close at hand. Note Mary's Cardinals jersey!!

Happy Birthday Sascha!

Our close friends, Russell & Christine, have a beautiful daughter named Sascha who Mia is very close with! In fact, Sascha was one of the first little Chinese girls we met when we moved to AZ. Last week was Sascha's 5th birthday (they grow so quickly...) and all the kids went to 'Pump it Up' for some serious climbing and playing! Here is our midget making it to the top, and is very proud of this accomplishment... What a smile!

Meow!

Momma bought our midget a couple of kitty masks. The result is that Daddy is now forced to crawl around on all fours meowing... It's amazing what you find yourself doing as a parent!

Mia seems to be slowly grasping the meaning of Momma's growing belly... She talks more and more about having a brother and a sister soon! Although I'm certain it will still be quite a shock when two new midgets actually take away some of Mommy & Daddy's attention. Oh well, time for Mia to learn to share the hard way!

Couple of Musicians Jamming!

Aunt Cathy & Uncle Ryan came for a visit this past weekend. Of course the first thing Uncle Ryan did was don his swim suit, grab his guitar and head out to the pool. So, what do you think Mia did?! That's right, she had to mimic Uncle Ryan right down to the outfit. In fact, the only difference you'll notice is that Mia is missing her sun glasses. About 90 seconds after this photo was taken she ran inside to get those too! So cute seeing her mimic the one's she loves...

Swim Time!

The weather this weekend was absolutely flawless! Mia enjoyed her 80 degree weekend with a nice dip in the pool... Even though she's gotten pretty good at swimming, via her swimming lessons, she still loves to swim in her pink tube! What a cutie...

Trick or Treat!

These were so cute I had to post two photos! So this was it, Mia's first real Halloween... At least the first Halloween where she understood what was going on around her. We thought that since she would be cognizant of the festivities that she would enjoy things more. Wow, did we underestimate the joy she found in trick or treating!! She was a midget on a mission. She was so excited to have her group of friends together that she could hardly wait to get rolling. We had our annual Halloween gathering for the neighborhood, and all the kids went out together, escorted by the Dad's of course. After we all came back to the house to enjoy some more food and drinks, Mia decided she had to go again! So off we went. Finally, after an hour and a half of trick or treating, Daddy had to pull the plug on the venture and convince Mia that it was time to head home... As you can see, the planned Ariel costume never made onto her little body, as she refused to put it on. In it's place came Momma's creative pumpkin outfit! As Mia would say, we had Great Fun!

Sailing the Seven Seas!

Mia has entered her 'imagination' phase! It's so fun to see what new adventures she creates each day... Last night she pulled all the blankets out of a basket and proceeded to climb in and let us know she was sailing the seven seas! She then made Daddy carry the basket all over the house for her sailing adventure. She even had baby Donald (Donald Duck Jr.) join her for a cruise... So sweet!

Pumpkin Patch Love!

Here are the four loves of my life! Yep, that's right, Momma, Mia & our yet unborn twins... Mia absolutely loves the fall weather and she's got a thing for pumpkins. I think Halloween may be her favorite holiday thus far! Of course Momma makes sure it's chock full of activities and fun. Daddy's girls sure are beautiful...

Ride Em Cowgirl...

Here is our little jockey enjoying a ride at the pumpkin patch! She sure does love a good pony ride... How bout that helmet? Every day she shows how much smarter she is than her Daddy... Imagine a Lovell wearing a helmet?! Pure genius that midget...

Ballerina Girl

Mia is now officially a dancer! She began taking dance classes a few weeks ago, and absolute loves it... It's so cute to see her put on her little tutu and tap shoes. She has created her own little routines that she does for us, followed by a curtsy! Big lover...

Potty Training!

Ok, so this picture has nothing to do with the today's topic of discussion. I just figured nobody really wants to see any potty training photos... We are extremely excited to announce that Mia is officially potty trained!! Last week Stacy decided that it was time to give it a whirl and so we made Mia spend an entire day with no pants, diaper or underpants. That's right, she was literally butt naked! Surprisingly, she told us when she had to go potty and caught on pretty much right away... We've had a few minor accidents in the past week, but it has really been surprisingly easy. Although I guess nothing should surprise us with this kid. She has made every step easy and enjoyable... The only time she wears a diaper now is when she's sleeping. Yeah, Mia!! She's such a big girl.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We spent the past week in Boston celebrating Grandma's 70th birthday! The whole family showed up, and Stacy's old work contacts ensured a fantastic stay at the Ritz on Boston Common. We spent long, lazy days touring the aquarium, children's museum and historical buildings. Then Daddy, Uncle Ryan & Uncle Perry spent long nights exploring the many Boston pubs! We also had a family dinner at the Union Oyster House, the longest continuously operating restaurant in the country! Mia really enjoyed all the new adventures and was an absolute trooper the entire trip! Here are Mia & Grandma haning out on Club Level just before we brought out the surprise birthday cake. It's always great to get Mia together with the whole family!

Boston Girl!

Here's the midget doing her best to blend in with the Boston style! Note the Boston hat and rain jacket... I must admit we enjoyed Boston far more than we expected. We knew the vacation would be fun, but had no idea that the city was so cool. Great pubs, rich history and fantastic character! A wonderful week together as a family...

Nicky!!

It was great fun having the whole family together but, as usual, Mia only had eyes for her cousin Nick! They just have so much fun together... Nick even moved into our room on the first night and stayed with Mia the entire week. Here they are playing in the wheel chair instead of eating their lunches!

Mustaches!

After enjoying some of Grandma's birthday cake, Mia decided to show Daddy how to make a straw mustache! A very serious family we are...

Traveling Companions!

Mia has travelled so much that she gets a little bored these days... So she brought along her travelling companion, Mary Bear! While waiting for our flight they caught a movie together. You don't have to be present to guess what a stir she causes in the airport. I'm fairly certain that requests for autographs aren't too far behind... She sure is a cutie!

Wheel Chair Tour!

Aunt Cathy recently tore her achiles tendon, so we rented a wheel chair to make life easier for her while touring Boston. Mia decided that walking wasn't all it's cracked up to be, so she hopped on board and enjoyed a bag of chips! Lucky Uncle Ryan got to push both pretty girls up and down the hills of the Beacon Hill neighborhood... A fantastic trip!

Morning!

Ok, this is too funny! Mia has been giving Momma a bit of a hard time lately when she goes down for her afternoon nap. Nothing huge like kicking and screaming, but rather she'll play in her bed for up to an hour, sometimes longer, before falling asleep. So the other day she decides to throw a party for every one of her stuffed animals at nap time! Then she falls asleep at the foot of the bed where there was just enough room for our midget. Momma caught this picture just as Mia was waking up. Note the bed head, and the mountain of animals! The party never ends...

Public Service Announcement

Mia would like all of her fans to be aware that her next blog post will not occur until next week! Her Manager, aka Daddy, has booked a showing for her in Boston... She's the entertainment at Grandma Barb's 70th birthday gathering. Should any of her fans feel a little needy in her absence, please feel free to leave a comment. Rest assured, our regular showings will return on Wednesday, October 14th, upon Mia's return to Arizona! Thank you for your patience, and please do try and carry on in her absence.

Summer Love!

How cute is this picture?! Mia has a little friend named Dalton. They do 'My Gym' and some other activities together. So why not spend a little quality time relaxing with a nice lollipop? The innocence and sweetness is amazing!

Lazy Saturday Morning...

Mia is in this cute phase where she'll tell us that she wants to 'rest'! So Saturday morning, after playing rough for a few hours, she grabbed a bag of chips and did some resting on the couch! Rough life for our midget... She's a lover!

Best Friends!

These two have become quite the buddies over this past year... Mia gives Sofia treats each night before she goes to bed, and chases her around all day! So sweet!

Big Sister Mia!!

It's official, Mia is going to be a big sister! Much to our surprise, she's going to have two siblings, because we're having twins!! Today was our third ultra sound and marks Mommy's ninth week of pregnancy. It's still early, but the doctor says we've made it through the most dangerous part, and now our chances of delivering healthy babies are at 94%. So we've decided to share our joy with the world! I'm not sure Mia really gets it at this point. We bought her a 'Big Sister' t-shirt that she is very proud of, and shows off regularly. When Daddy first told her she was going to be a big sister, she shrugged and asked if we could go jump on the bed... We couldn't be more excited, and are thrilled for Mia to have siblings for playmates!

Drummer Girl!

Mia's musical talents continue to grow, and her latest obsession is playing the drums! So the other night she made two drum sets for her and Daddy to play. She lined up different size boxes on two chairs and then invited Daddy for a drum session! Her creativity has simply exploded in the past few months... It's so fun to see the new games she creates each day!

Ball Game!

For some reason Mia has been asking to go to a baseball game for the past few weeks... So Daddy got some tickets and we took Nick with us to see the Diamondbacks play the San Diego Padres on Saturday night! It was a lot of fun, especially since our team won. Mia kept stealing Nick's hat until Daddy bought her one, and then she simply stole his glove for the rest of the game! We had great fun...

Big Bowler!

Mia's new thing is bowling! She always wants to go... So on Sunday Daddy took Mia, Nick (or as Mia calls him, Nicky!) and Madi for some dinner and disco bowling! The three of them had an absolute blast and Mia actually bowled a decent game. She's very lucky to have such sweet older kids around to help her out. They all play so well together!

Daddy's Little Helper!

This past weekend Daddy was doing some work around the house, and found a very helpful little midget! Good thing Mommy wasn't around to see Mia climbing the ladder as if she was going to change a light bulb or something... The kid is not only courageous, but absolutely fearless!

A Limo?!

Mia got to experience a limo for the first time on Sunday night! Momma and some girl friends went to see 'Pink' in concert, and treated themselves to a little luxury... At first she was a little confused seeing such a long car, but quickly decided it was fun to play in!

Limo Play Time!

And play she did... I'm pretty sure we've got a movie star in the making, cause she looked all too natural in the back of that big car! Gotta love the pig tails...

Gotcha Day Celebration!

In the realm of Chinese adoption, 'Gotcha Day' is a big thing. Gotcha Day is the day that you finally hold your new child for the first time, after a very long wait... We held Mia in our arms for the first time on September 17th, 2007. Can you believe it's been 2 years already?! We can't... Time flies so fast. To celebrate our 2nd anniversary together we went out to dinner at 'The Great Wall', a fabulous Chinese restaurant in town. As usual, Mia was the center of attention. During dinner Mia noticed that their was a dance floor, and insisted that Daddy dance with her. She showed off her twirls... She's the best, and we're very lucky to be able to share our lives with her!