Happy 4th of July!

For the 4th of July holiday we joined the Wichansky clan for a few days at the Princess hotel in Scottsdale!  The kids enjoyed long days in the pool and sand box.  We even did a little fishing, and Mia caught 2 cat fish!  She's very serious about her fishing these days...  Unfortunately all of the kids fell apart before sun down, and were sleeping soundly as the fireworks went off.  A very relaxing family getaway!
 

Zonked!

The twins started swimming lessons a few months and have fought it every step of the way!  Finally, over the past week or two they are learning to enjoy the water and actually want to learn to swim...  Both of them are holding their breath and swimming distances under water. In fact, Aubrey got in the pool with Stacy this past weekend and swam for several hours until we had to force her, kicking and screaming, to get out of the pool and rest.  This picture is her about 15 minutes later!  As a side note, look at how long Aubrey's legs are...  It's frightening how quickly these kids are growing!

Big Boy Underpants!

Brandon is endlessly silly!  Besides trying on Momma's bras and shoes, the other day he decided to try on a pair of Daddy's boxers.  Fit like a charm, huh? Look at that sweet little face...  He truly has grown into an amazingly gentle and sweet little boy.  Unlike his twin sister who is absolutely loveable, but a constant terror!

Happy Father's Day!

On Father's Day Mommy got sick and ended up in the hospital.  I know, big surprise for the Lovell family to experience medical drama!  Thankfully Mommy is fine, and was released by that evening.  Grammy & Papa were kind enough to cancel their plans and raced up to Phoenix to help out with the kids.  When Mia woke up and found that Mommy wasn't home, she was very upset that she didn't know where her Father's Day gifts were...  So, instead of pouting, she did the next best thing she could think of and created her own gift!  She filled a gift bag with her very favorite toys, made an incredible card from scratch, and proudly presented the gifts to Daddy!!  She is an unbelievably sweet child... 

Fishing with Molly & Kenny in NJ!

For Daddy's 40th Birthday, Momma planned a surprise Daddy & Mia trip to visit Molly & Kenny in NJ, and take in a few days of fishing!  Molly & Mia spent the first 7 months of their life together in the Jangxi Social Welfare Institute. They were born one day apart, and we make sure to get them together at least once every year.  Molly's Dad, Kenny, has become a very close friend.  Kenny has been a fishing captain for many years, and was a phenomenol guide.  The girls had a blast together and it was one heck of a way to spend a weekend, out on the ocean, relaxing & fishing!

Catch of the Day!

The highlight of the second day of fishing was pulling up a blue fish that fought like it was an 800 pound tuna!  We had to work this fish for probably 20 minutes to land it...  Mia was a fantastic helper and was proud to step up for the photo op!

Shark!!!

Mia was absolutely amazing at fishing!  I was a little unsure of how a 5 year old would do out on the open ocean with a fishing rod, but she was fantastic.  Once her line was baited, she was able to drop the line, work the reel and actually pulled a few fish up to the surface on her own... Not bad!  The best part was when she caught a shark!!! Actually, she caught two sharks and a sting ray, on top of several dozen black sea bass and fluke.  Molly is a seasoned fisherman, having spent many days on the water with her Dad.  For Mia, this was all new, and truly exciting!  What an amazing experience to see the unbridled joy and excitement as Mia squealed each time she got to touch a shark, hook a ray, or even cast her rod.  Priceless!

NJ Heat!!

It was gorgeous out on the water, but once we got onto dry land the heat & humidity was stifling...  So on our final day we all went to a local water park and the girls had a blast chasing each other around and splashing in the fountains!