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!