Mia is Officially a Big Sister!!

It's official, at 8:28 am this morning Mia became a big sister to baby brother Brandon Christopher, weighing 3 lbs. 12 oz. & baby sister Aubrey Paige, weighing 3 lbs. 9 oz. Both of Mia's siblings are doing fantastic! For being born at only 31 weeks, they are both breathing on their own, controlling their own body temp and are absolultey perfect in every way... Mom had a bit of a tough weekend, to say the least. She is recovering well and we're hoping to have her home soon! Welcome to the family Brandon & Aubrey, we love you!!

Special thanks to Dr. Karrie Francois, Stacy's OB, who did an amazing job with the procedure. Also, you'll notice the Ohio State scrubs on the other doctor. It was at that moment that I knew everything was going to be ok...

Big Girl Potty!

Mia has been regressing a bit lately and having occasional accidents, after we thought we had her totally potty trained... We're hoping that the arrival of Brandon & Aubrey won't make her regress even further. Today Mia went all on her own, without even letting Mommy or Daddy know what she was doing! I thought this was the cutest picture. She's damn near falling in...

Snow Day!

Yes, it's that pathetic time of year again when Arizonans truck in snow, dump it in the parking lot, bust out their mittens, and endure the harsh 70 degree weather to pretend we live in a miserable climate! If this picture were panned out you'd see a bunch of Mom's kibitzing in flip flops and skirts while the kids pretend they live in the Midwest... Poor children, they'll just have to keep dreaming and hope for a better life someday!

Big Sister Sascha!!

Mommy snapped this photo when Sascha came over from her class room to visit her little sister Mia in her class... They are so cute and sweet together! Note Sascha's beautiful dress in honor of the Chinese New Year! What beauty...

School Surprise!

On Wednesday Mommy & Daddy surprised Mia and made a guest appearance at her school. Each week they choose a different topic to teach the kids about. Usually it's a Jewish theme, as it's a school at the local Temple. However, in honor of Mia's heritage, they allowed Mommy to read a book called 'My First Chinese New Year' to the class, and then we passed out pastries from a local Asian bakery. The kids all had a blast, and of course they loved the surprise dessert! Mia thought it was show & tell day. She's always so proud to show off her Mommy & Daddy to her classmates, which is the most amazing feeling for us... We're very lucky!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mia would like to send a great big 'I LOVE YOU' to all of her fans!!!!!!! Happy Valentine's Day...

The Adventurer!

Yes, she is quite the adventurer! Mia saw a rock climbing wall at Chinese New Year and decided she had to climb it. Never mind that it was for kids twice her size... She got buckled in and scurried right up the side. Gotta love her enthusiasm!

Fake Smile!

Can anyone sense the fake smile?! Our little ham has grown tired of the incessant picture taking and now fights us to get a good picture... When she does say 'Cheese', it's with this lovely fake smile that is on display in the above photo, and lasts for all of a second and a half, if we're lucky! But that's ok, we'll just have to move on to the candid photo phase...

Note the 'twins' in the photo! As most of you know, Mia is obsessed with her bears. We bought a back up to 'Little Bear', just in case he was ever lost. Well, she found the back up and immeditely decided, with no guidance from us, that they are twins, just like the babies in Momma's belly! So now she carries her twins around... Too freaking cute, and just a bit ironic!

Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year to you all. This past weekend was the big FCC (Families with Children from China) event of the year. Momma is on the Board, along with Sascha's Mommy Chrissy, and they work hard all year preparing for the festivities! As always, it was an absolute success. Mommy worked about a 10 hour day, which is always good in the 3rd tri-mester of a high risk prenancy... Daddy showed up fashionably late with the midget and got to enjoy the fruits of all the hard work. (Does anyone sense a recurring theme here?!) We played games, made t-shirts, and even got a T-Rex balloon! It's always fun to delve into Mia's birth country's culture and expose her to so many neat traditions and so much history. Thank you very much to all of you who so generously supported our event! The midget appreciates it...

Kisses for the Twins!

Mia sure loves talking about her baby brother & sister, Brandon & Aubrey! She definitely knows she's got siblings on the way, but certainly has no idea of the stress it's going to cause her... Momma is full blown pregnant now, as evidenced by the picture, and Mia likes to give her siblings kisses in Momma's belly! Too cute... She's going to be the best big sister!

Big 3rd Birthday Bash!!

As many of you are aware, Momma is quite talented at throwing parties! Mia's 3rd birthday celebration was no exception... We had about 150 people to the club for a celebration that included face painters, balloon artists, bouncy houses, a train and of course the mandatory matching Donald & Daisy cakes! For all of Daddy's whining, even I had to admit that Momma did a fantastic job. Mia had an absolute blast! She had a pony made out of balloons that she spent about 3 hours riding in circles while hollaring, "Giddy Up Pony!".

It was nice to see so many great friends and family. We really appreciate the effort everyone put forth... And while the volume of gifts was truly absurd, they sure are appreciated! Mia has an endless array of new toys to keep her occupied (for decades!), and has already chosen a few of her favorites.

It's crazy to think that Mia is already 3 years old, and truly amazing to see the sweet little girl she's blossomed into... We're so lucky to have such a sweet child, and can only hope that Brandon & Aubrey follow in her footsteps! We know she'll be a great big sister, as she's already telling the world. Happy Birthday Mia!

Special Guest - Donald Duck!

When we were putting Mia to bed on Sunday night, Momma asked the midget what she enjoyed most about her party. She quickly answered that seeing Donald was the highlight of her day! As Momma then kissed her goodnight, Mia looked up and said, "Momma, I had so much fun today at my party, I love you so much!" Wow, could there be a sweeter angel on Earth?! Note who's holding Mia, the apple of her eye, Papa!!

Big Birthday Gift - The Plane!

A few months back Mia saw an airplane, like the one above, at a friends house. She was instantly mesmerized and obsessed! So like the good servants we are, Mommy & Daddy made sure the midget got her very own airplane for her birthday... We waited until the morning after her party, when all the excitement had passed, and brought her outside to see her gift! She was so excited and couldn't wait to climb aboard and scream, "3-2-1 blast off!". Thanks to Godfather Steve for spending a long Sunday evening assembling this monstrosity with Daddy! The smile on her beautiful little face made it clear it was time well spent...

Special thanks to Grandma & Grampa Lovell, along with Aunt Cari & Uncle Perry, for generously contributing to the "Mia Needs a New Plane Foundation".

Class Party!

On Thursday Momma brought cupcakes to Mia's school for everyone to share! As you can see, the midget was very happy to have both Mommy & Daddy attend the celebration... In fact, when Daddy walked into the classroom, Mia began screaming excitedly to her friends that her Daddy was there! It was the cutest thing... Happy Birthday Mia, we love you!