Sick Children!

For the past month or two our home has been an absolute war zone! Each child has had a double ear infection at least twice, and one is going on a third infection... They just rotate the infections and viruses around. So our nights are long, and the days are painful. Here is Brandon at about 8:00 am one day last week, after getting up at 4:00 am crying and irritable. He literally just passed out in the middle of the floor! In fact, it's late Sunday night and Momma is at the emergency room with baby Aubrey as I'm typing... Probably just another ear infection, but after having heard about several children actually dying from RSV, we'd rather waste the time on a false alarm than the reverse. So, time to buckle up and head back into the war zone! Sleep well those of you who have already made it through the infant years. We're jealous...

Happy 4th Birtday Mia!!!

Wow, can you believe that the midget is already 4 years old?! It truly is amazing how quickly time flies when raising children... Her annual wedding style birthday soiree isn't for another two weeks, so Mia decided she wanted to celebrate her birthday at Dave & Busters! Aunt Catha, Uncle Pancake, Nanca, Blazers & Corn Dog came with us to help celebrate the big day. As you can tell, Mia has taken up Daddy's penchant for providing a nickname for everyone... I must admit she's quite good. We played lots of games, ate massive amounts of unhealthy food and Mia even picked out a grand prize that she is saving her tickets toward! It was a great day, and Mia could barely keep her eyes open for her bath. As quickly as the time has gone by, we also can barely remember what life was like without her! It certainly wasn't nearly as enjoyable as having her perfect little face, beautiful big smile and overwhelming intellect to start and finish each day! Chilren truly are an amazing gift...

Birthday Cupcakes!

For Mia's birthday breakfast she decided she wanted chocolate cupcakes! Momma was happy to oblige... Mia really seems to enjoy cooking with Momma these days, and anytime you mix in chocolate frosting, you can be sure she'll gladly participate!! She excitedly frosted cupcakes, then licked off all the frosting and threw the cup cake away! Go figure...

All Aboard...

This morning, during breakfast, Mia decided it was time to build a train! She made us all line up single file, with our chairs, and then she conducted a train ride... I never knew that having siblings would create so much joy for her, and fuel her creativity! The twins always gamely play along with whatever big sister Mia proposes. Apparently Daddy does too...

Self Feeding!

While the kids are really growing and developing, they certainly are not losing their penchant for feeding time! Momma has got them eating real food for all of their meals, but we still supplement with a few bottles each day. Last week Brandon began holding his own bottle for his entire feeding! Wow, does that ever make life easier... Baby steps, literally!

Happy Girl...

Aubrey is absolutely blossoming in the past month! Not only is she finally rolling around and showing interest in actually moving, but she is just the happiest little girl... I guess that's what a lot of Momma love does for a baby! She certainly is a Momma's girl. Where Big B will go to anyone, she is certainly a bit apprehensive with strangers. She has the sweetest little smile...

Mobile!!

Brandon is convinced that he'll be running a marathon shortly! He is crawling all over the house and getting into everything. Aubrey certainly isn't up to his speed, but she's really progressing. So we decided it was time to get the walkers out of storage. They are so excited that they can now push themselves all over the house! Of course Mia always finds a way to get in on the action...

Reminiscing!

It's so fun to watch Mia's reaction each time we bring out one of her old toys for the twins! She reminisces for a bit, claims them as hers, and then slowly embraces the fact that she has to share... Here she is fitting in a 12 month old walker! Yep, that's our big girl. You'll notice she hooked a small chair to the back of the walker and told us she was driving a bus!

Tiny Dancer!

Mia is completing her second year of dancing and really enjoys it! Here she is with her instructor, Miss Caroline, after her most recent recital... It's so cute to see her tapping and twirling! She is growing so very quickly and the changes from month to month are dramatic. Kinda makes us feel old already! Heee heeeeee

The Freak!

While not the best photo, this picture is very representative of the way Brandon spends most days! He is extremely mobile now... If you turn your back for literally 15 seconds, he is in the other room trying to eat a lamp or smash a toy! Wow, what a boy he is... In contrast, sweet Aubrey is still content to sit in one place playing gently with the nearest toy! The disparity between their development levels continues to decrease, but the contrast is still quite dramatic. Our PT assures us that she is fine and has committed to having her crawling by her birthday, February 28th, and walking by Mother's Day! I think she might be a bit of an optimist, but I like her style...

Sibling Love...

The bond between Mia & Aubrey has really grown into something special... It's so sweet to see how close they are, and how excited Mia gets when Aubrey wakes up from nap time! I can't imagine raising Mia as an only child now that we're experiencing the joy of their blossoming relationship!

Best Buds!

Not to be outdone by his twin sister, Brandon is sure to maintain his tight bond with big sister Mia... Here he is spending a little quality time in her latest cave creation! I think he used to be Mia's favorite, but now that he is so mobile and mischievious, he frustrates her by continually foiling her best laid plans for a cave or nest. It's really quite enjoyable to watch him tear through the house like a sandstorm!

Happy New Year!

On New Year's Eve we let Mia stay up as late as she wanted. She lasted until a few moments after we did our sparkling apple cider toast, which was at 8:45 pm! She's quite the crazy party girl... Happy New Year to all. If your year was anything like ours, you should feel very lucky!

Momma's Bundles of Joy!

Unfortunately Momma doesn't make it onto the blog very often. That's because while we're all playing and having fun, she's sacrificing her life for our family! Momma is an amazing woman, and we are so lucky to have her as our fearless leader... She is our glue, and we love her very much!

Changes...

Surprise, you've got twins! Wow, what a year it has been... To think that 12 months ago Mommy was pregnant and Mia was our sole focus. We have been so lucky to get the chance to share our lives with these three little people. They certainly create a tiring and chaotic environment, but we wouldn't change it for the world. The amount of love and gratification we receive from these midgets is truly overwhelming. Let's hope 2011 is half the year 2010 was!

Mia the Magician!

Mia is definitely in a magic phase! Aunt Caren got her an awesome gift which enables her to magically make a flower appear in an empty vase. Not only has Mia mastered the trick, but she has invited the entire neighborhood over for impromptu magic shows... She is very focused on this new art of hers. Big surprise, now she's requesting a magician for her annual wedding, I mean birthday party! You'd have to attend the soiree to understand the joke.

First Teeth!

Does this kid ever not smile?! I swear, these are the happiest children on the planet... I thought you would enjoy this picture as you can see Brandon's two new teeth! They both have teeth coming in on top & bottom... Very exciting!

Merry Christmas!

It was amazing to have so many little people around on Christmas morning! What better gift than to see such utter joy & pleasure on their faces as they tore through gifts and ate chocolate for breakfast?! The twins are growing so quickly and big sister Mia helped them with their new gifts... Absolutely the best Christmas ever! Note Aubrey hanging onto her brother... Too sweet!

Letter From Santa?!

Could it really be a letter from Santa?! It was so cute to see Mia so excited for Christmas... This was the first year that she really understood what was going on, and wanted to partake in all of the rituals. On Christmas Eve she left a plate of carrots out for Santa's reindeer, and received a letter from Santa in return. She was very excited... (Hint: click on the letter and it will enlarge)

Sugar Buzz!

This is what a sugar buzz looks like in the eyes of a child who receives 3 large bags of personalized M&M's for Christmas! That's right, Mia got M&M's, which are her absolute favorite, and they even say her name... She was thrilled, not to mention a little hopped up on sugar by 8 am!!