The Tooth Fairy's Arrival!!!!!!!!!

Mia noticed her first loose tooth a few weeks back and could not have been more excited!  Each night we wiggled it and guessed when it might come out.  Thankfully, Momma was wise enough to bring home bagels on Saturday morning, which immediately did the trick.  Mia could hardly wait to write a letter to the tooth fairy and put it under her pillow. Mommy & Daddy typed a letter in response, so as to avoid hand writing detection from our super sleuth!  Now it's time to head to the mall and spend her hard earned tooth fairy money... Note, if you click on the picture above, you can blow it up to read better!

Playmates!

This continues to be the absolute toughest year of our lives thus far!  While the twins continue to rain terror upon the Lovell home, their are brief moments of joy & peace...  Today was one of those rare occasions.  The twins spent the morning playing as if they absolutely loved each other and knew nothing but kindness and joy!  It was so sweet to see them skipping around the hosue together and planning their next activity, with loads of giggles and smiles.  Here was one such moment!

Girlie Girl...

Aubrey is certainly a girlie girl...  Where Mia would never want anything to do with nail polish or ear piercings, Aubrey has been begging to get her ears pierced for months now!  While we're not ready to give in on the piercings, she did get her first manicure / pedicure this past week!  Apparently she loved every minute of it, and sat amazingly still for the entire process. When she got home she very proudly showed off her freshly painted nails, and made sure Daddy got a picture of the toes!  Ugghhhh...

Pony Ride!

This past weekend our friends John & Dana, who live in Sedona, had a 1st birthday party for their twins. We were happy to spend a day out of the heat, and what a day it turned out to be! They had pony rides and games along a grass lined creek. The kids had an amazing time, and our handsome little man got to go for a 'nay nay' ride! A wonderful day...

Scary Tiger!

At the Graham's birthday party Mia got some extreme face painting!  She was adamant about becoming a 'scarey tiger' and acting out the Lion King...  Such an imagination!

Happy Gotcha Day!

Here is a picture of Mia making a cake for herself on 'Gotcha Day', the day we commenorate her home coming!  Sept 17th we celebrated her 5th Gotcha Day by having Marc, Lex & the kids over for dinner & cake.  What made this year unique is that Mia finally understands what it all means...  Early in the day she told Stacy that she wanted to be close to her all day, and then asked if her birth Mom missed her!  We spoke often of her journey to our family, and she asked some very deep questions, and seemed very introspective. She didn't seem sad in any way, thankfully, but definitely is really beginning to understand her past.  We are so lucky to have such an amazing little girl in our lives!

Potty Training!

What a picture!!  Unlike when we just had Mia, we tend to fight the fires which are blazing the hottest.  Not a lot of proactive parenting going on at this point...  So we were quite surprised to find that the twins both decided this past week that it's time for potty training!  It must be their desire to emulate their big sister, who they look up to very much.  Aubrey now spends about half of her day sitting on the toilet waiting for some action.  Yep, the simple joys...

10 Year Anniversary!!

Wow, pretty shocking that it's already been 10 whole years since we were wed!!  How amazingly lucky we are to have each other, and 3 wonderful children...  We celebrated with a quick trip to Cabo for the weekend, while Grandma undertook the monumental task of taking care of the kids alone!!  We are very thankful for the break, and happy to be home!

Boys Will Be Boys!

It's truly amazing the genetic differences between boys & girls.  Aubrey is so girlie, and always insists on takig her dolls to dinner or the store.  Conversely, Brandon takes every chance he can to strip all of her dolls naked and line them up in alarming positions...  I guess that provides comfort in counterbalancing his penchant for tap dancing!!

Little Miss Chaos!

It's a damn good thing this kid is cute!  Cause the chaos and carnage left in the wake of her obstinant personality is utterly overwhelming...  We absolutely love Aubrey to death!  And premature death is what she will cause her parents!  Her voice sounds like a 70 year old baritone singer. Why, you ask?  Perhaps it's the result of standing in her crib screaming for several hours each night!  I am not exaggerating either...  The kid is just different.  Thankfully the sweet little hugs and kisses make up for the choas she has reigned on the Lovell family!

Date Night!

Every Monday night is Date Night, where Daddy & Mia have a special night out. It's amazing to see how Date Night has progressed over the last year.  It used to be a ritual trip to the mall to play in the play area, get a cookie and be silly.  Now, sadly, we walk past the play area and Mia says she's too old for it... Then she decides which store she'd like to go clothes shopping at first!  She has clearly learned that Daddy is a pushover and can't say no.  In fact, she prefers going shopping with Daddy, as Mommy picks out pretty clothes.  Conversely, Daddy allows her to shop in the boys section and choose outfits like the one in this picture.  A nice pair of athletic shorts and a Darth Vader t-shirt!  She's still the sweetest...

Happy Boy!

Brandon has modeled himself after his big sister Mia, and is truly a sweet, easy child.  He's always smiling, loves to give kisses, and is very sensitive to any punishment. He loves to put on Mommy's bras and Daddy's shirts!  His favorite dress up item is Mia's tap shoes...  That's ok, we love him with his feminine side and all.