Happy Birthday to Benjamin, our sweet little man! Ben had a very fun birthday. We spent the day playing with his new drum set and getting frustrated that his bike was just a tad bit too tall for him to stay on. The kids wanted to go to Chick-fil-A for dinner and boy are we glad we did! They had a balloon lady and a bunch of crafts for the kids to do. Mia waited in line patiently helping the lady for over a half an hour.
Football guy is a new addition to our house, the kids tackle him and read to him (he's just like a big brother!) Ben's birthday party theme was Yo Gabba Gabba. As usual, Jess made an amazing cake. Here you see Plex from the show. D.J. Lance Rock even made an appearance! Ben must have a had a GREAT time because we hardly saw him at his party. He was too busy running around, playing in the basement and eating! At his two year check up, the doctor was so pleased to see that he's growing so well.
It's no surprise that the shortest month of the year brought plenty of activity in the Brown house. We were cooped up inside for most of the month due to frigid weather and gusty winds. But that didn't stop us from having a good time... Mia insisted on creating her own Valentine's cards and managed to make about 27 of them. Each one was hand crafted (mommy did the folding) but Mia cut out some of the hearts, and did all of the gluing. She even added a post-it note on the front for the names. She certainly got a ton of practice writing! Valentine's Day came and went and our sweet little loves enjoyed their treats. We had a great dinner with Dori, Javi, Isabel and Johan that resulted in the coolest dance party ever! Jess, dear friend and cake-baker extraordinaire, decided to take her show on the road. She invited Mia to make her own birthday cake. Boy did Mia ever like squishing the bananas! Even though Jess is an excellent pastry dabbler, she seems to have placed a bun in the oven. Our congrats go out to Jess and Dale for their little one due to make an appearance in mid-August. Mia, Mommy and Ben made cupcakes for Mia to take to school. Mia woke up early on her birthday to open presents and spend some extra time playing before it was off to school. Once she was in the car Mommy told her to think long and hard about what she was going to wish for on her birthday. She said, "Mommy I already have, for you to love me always and for me to love you!" That was the best present she could have ever given us and we're still feeling high from her sweetness. Our little princess wanted a "Tangled" themed party so here 's how we did... Cousins Laura and Bernadette came over early and we put them in charge of decorating. Jess's Rapunzel cake and Pascal cake were delish. Kids loved the coloring castle with lanterns hanging overhead. Even Avery got to participate in the arts and crafts. Mia made her a party favor and later, she made her mark on Mia's painting. Guests had a chance to paint a design on a canvas. The painting was a big hit and we hung it up in her room. Owen put on a concert in the basement. That boy sure can rock! Luke enjoyed being the prince rescuing all the pretty princesses. Our guests were invited to come out back to see Daddy and helpers light up sky lanterns. In the movie, Rapunzel's parents send up sky lanterns on her birthday to let her know that they love her and are still looking for her. This was a BIG hit with the adults as well as the kids.
Our little princess is growing up SO fast. She truly was a big kid at her 4 yr. checkup. She received FIVE SHOTS , and for the first time ever, they were in her arms...OUCH! She was as brave as can be. Dr. Mogavero was pleased to see what a sweet and smart little girl Mia has become, something which we've been lucky enough to know already.
The first month of the year has brought more monumental firsts than ever before. We started the month with a visit from the Robertsons. Kim and Sara came to help Laura move into her cool basement apartment in Georgetown. Sara had her first visit to the Brown house and first read aloud to Ben. Mia had her first "big girl" time out. As you can see from the picture- she got some good writing practice! Mia attended her first ballet class. Although it wasn't quite what we expected (the instructor didn't show up and the guy filling in said he'd be taking over and teaching hip-hop), we stuck with it. By the second class, we were happy to find out that two young ballerinas took over the class and hip hop was just a thing of the past. Avery had her first lunch date with Mia and Ben at Jason's Deli. Mia, Lydia and Grace learned first position and other ballet moves (though not shown in pictures). Ben received his first haircut in the kitchen (we know this was a stretch but we have a theme to keep up with). Mommy and Mia had a blast staying upright on ice skates on their first trip to the outdoor ice skating rink in downtown Silver Spring. We had to drag Mia away from the rink, she had so much fun! Ben and Daddy had their first real jam-session. Not a first and but hopefully a last, we had yet another tree fall. Luckily the chimney kept it from falling through the roof. The snow/ice storm brought us a winter power outage for three days which caused our house to dip down into the 40's. Good thing we have a gas fireplace in the basement! Because of this winter power outage, Mia and Ben had their first debut in the Washington Post. Our friend and neighbor is a photographer for the Post and she was trying to find people who hadn't abandoned their cold, dark houses so she found us! Last but not least, we took our first family trip to the slopes of Liberty Mountain. Mia got to try skiing (which was a total hit) and Ben had his first tubing experience. We went with Cameron, Emie, Tom and Kate's families. Daddy was an excellent teacher, teaching Mia how to stand, get up from a fall, make pizzas and elevens with her skis. Mia's not great at stopping or turning yet, but she is great at going straight and fast! They even ventured onto the ski lift. The best part was cruising down the bunny slope holding hands Needless to say, it was difficult to get Mia and friends to stop. They wanted to ski all day and skip lunch. Can you believe that?
Ben, Emie and Kate hit the tubing slopes. The kiddie tubes weren't half as impressive as the real tub runs. Ben almost fell asleep in his tube but he enjoyed riding the bus to the venue.
Other firsts: Ben is pretty much talking for real now- speaking in sentences, singing songs, and calling out things like, "Mommy where are you?" (instead of crying when he wakes up). He's turned into a little man almost over night!
Mia is learning how to sound out her letters and has even read her first basic reader.
Stay tuned for Valentine's Day and Mia's birthday post...
