The Dog Whisperer!

I'm not exactly sure if Aubrey should be called the Dog Whisperer, or the Dog Terrorizer!  One thing I am sure of is that Mr. Marshall has an amazingly calm temperament.  Aubrey not only carries him around all day, but she curls up in his dog bed with him and literally smooshes him with love & kisses!  We watch very closely for fear of some type of snapping from Mr. Marshall, but he just seems to love the constant attention and affection.  Hopefully she'll figure out at some point that he's not a stuffed animal...  No doubt the love he has brought into our loves is a great complement to the already amazing children we are so lucky to share our lives with!

Happy 6th Gotcha Day!!

Hard to believe it's already been 6 whole years since this crazy beautiful child came into our lives...  Sept 17th was Mia's annual Gotcha Day celebration.  Mommy made her a special chocolate cake, and Grammy & Papa came up for a visit as well.  Mia decided she wanted to go out for pizza, and end the night with some ice cream and games at the Sugar Bowl.  Another awesome and rewarding family day...

L'Shana Tovah!

To celebrate Yom Kippur, Mommy & Daddy volunteered to be the Shabbat parents for the Twins' classroom!  The kids were so excited to have us be a part of their celebration, and we stayed with them through Temple too.  They were so sweet and happy!!

Mr. Marshall Comes Home!

For over 3 years now, Mia has been begging for a puppy!  She has had leashes and dog beds ready for years...  She leaves notes posted all over the house, and in the garage, promising to take care of him, and committing to do whatever is necessary to be trusted with a puppy.  This past week Daddy surrendered and we brought home a little poodle mix, that is about the size of a large guinea pig! Mia was committed to naming him Mr. Marshall, and utterly thrilled to have her boy home...  He's only been with us a few days, and is only 8 weeks old, but already appears to be potty trained, sleeps through the night with no crying and might be the easiest puppy we've encountered.  Good luck appears to have struck the Lovell household again!  We sure love our new Mr. Marshall.

Mr. Marshall Gets Comfortable!

Mr. Marshall settled in pretty quickly, and was off to a very relaxing nap before long!

Mr. Marshall Loves on Momma!

It didn't take Mr. Marshall very long to figure who the true care taker of the family is...  He may be a puppy, but he's no dummy!

Mr. Marshall Makes Children Very Happy!

After years of waiting, the kids sure are smiling a lot and constantly loving on Mr. Marshall...  One lucky dog!

Sisterly Love?!?!

Could it really be?!  Is it truly possible that these two sisters are finally interacting?!  Since the Twins joined our family, it seems Mia & Brandon are best friends, while Aubrey and Mia work to terrorize each other...  Then, this evening I came across a sight to behold.  Mia had Aubrey sitting on a stool in their bathroom and was brushing her hair and decorating her with bows!!  Doesn't sound like much, but for these two it's major advancement.  Sure made Mommy & Daddy smile!

Final Summer Trip!

School may be back in session, but the crazy Arizona summer heat hasn't subsided...  So after a few weeks back at school we decided to take one last summer vacation!  Some close friends of ours, the Grasers, were staying in La Jolla, so we shot over to join them for a long weekend.  The kids loved the seals and are beach obsessed after spending so much time frolicking in the sand this summer.  In fact, Bubbies wants to know when we're buying a beach house...  No pressure on Dad!

Naked Beach Shower!

The twins fell in love with the outdoor shower at our La Jolla home!  They would come home from the beach, immediately strip naked, and spend quite some time trying to get the sand out of every nook and crack...  They were quite amused by the apparently acceptable outdoor nakedness!!