Miles’ drawing made real!

Do you remember Miles’ first real drawing from several weeks ago?

Miles was really proud of himself, as he should be! My mother-in-law, Kathy, immortalized the creation.  How you ask?

Well, she has quite a sewing talent.  She’s been accepting drawings from children and stuffing  a soft, cuddly replica! Check out her website here!

When we  traveled to Iowa for a visit, she gifted us with this PERFECT pillow!

 

Don’t you love it?! We do!  Miles loves to show it off too! It’s spot on!

Thanks so much, Kathy! The pillow is a real treasure!

Do you have any drawings you’d like to see brought to life?  Check out Stuffed Scribbles today!

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Posted in: Klinge's,Miles

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"Head to bed or add a log.........?"

Update:  We added a log and enjoyed the evening a little longer!

Oops... this is from Friday night.  It didn't post!

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First Camping trip for 2012

This weekend, we packed up and left the city for a relaxing long weekend away.  Because we waited until the last minute to reserve a spot,  we ended up staying at a “resort” type campground instead of the usual state park.  To be honest, after experiencing both, we still prefer the state park.  We were actually fairly annoyed by all of the resort style bells and whistles.
We built lots of fires and ate most of our meals from a roasting stick.  The same  was true for any dessert we devoured.  Rather than repeating myself over and over to give you a play by play of the weekend, I’ll just touch on a few highlights that defined our weekend.

We endured CRAZY storms one night which led us to venture into the small town in order to find a local greasy spoon for breakfast. The storms pushing into the morning wouldn’t let us get a fire started.  Small town people are awesome.  Kind of reminds me of our Story City days…
The boys did A LOT of fishing in the catch and release pond too!
 

We did a little swimming in the lake/pond too…. The temperatures were 95-100*F all weekend long. The water kept all of us nice and cool…. even Cooper!
Other than that…  We played SPORTS all weekend long! A little Soccer, Basketball, Frisbee… but mostly Baseball! We were better than satellite TV for most of our neighbors. Many of them even took the time to tell us so.  None of them could believe that a 3 yr old had that much know-how for the game.  One couple even asked if his father played professionally – at least the minors?  Ha! If only I was quicker on my feet- I wouldn’t have been so quick to reject the compliment.
Miles pitched with a full wind-up, rounded and stole bases, and cheered himself on.  He hit pitches from Nate and I, but also took a step back to practice hitting from a tee (since t-ball starts in 3 weeks).
Check this out below: I messed with the camera a little and took this motion capture! Nate has really enjoyed analyzing each photo to gauge each aspect of Miles’ form.

picasion.com
I’m sure this is only the beginning.
These next few photos are probably my favorite from the weekend…

After these candid shots, Miles wanted his turn capturing his favorite moments:
He adores his daddy!

He likes his mom too.

Ooh! Fires are pretty cool! The fishing pond isn’t so bad either.

Cooper is his “best dog.”

The neighbors and their flag – Happy Memorial day!

His bed and the playground.
 
Then the camera turned!  Miles wanted to take a picture of himself.
Shot #1: Oops.  just blurry chin.
 
Shot #2: getting closer.

Shot #3: Yeah… full face, just not so pretty.

Shot #4: Yeah!  Perfect!  Thanks for the photo bomb, Dad!

So… that was our weekend. Thanks for tagging along!
It was a much needed escape! Hope that you enjoyed your long weekend as well :)

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Posted in: Baseball,Kelly,Miles,Nathan

Things my kid says

Setup:  Miles insulted Nate earlier in the day. He didn’t mean it that way it came out, but I said that he should say something nice about Nate to help me feel better. He refused,  but he did apologize. That evening, the boys were taking out the trash when….
Miles: Dad, run fast.
Nate: I can’t
Miles: Ha! It’s ‘cause your sandals don’t have any straps. Pansy!
(Miles runs around the corner, and peeks back)
Miles: Uhm.. Dad, you have a handsome face! (with a cheesy smile)
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Setup: Miles and I were playing catch with a football in the living room.  I dropped it.
Miles: Mom, Nice catch – NOT!
Kelly: What?!
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Setup: Driving across Iowa for the weekend, nearing Montour.
Miles: Do you see all that grass? What are we in? Do you know?
Kelly: Uhm…
Miles: We see no big buildings because we’re in the country!
____________________________________________________________________________
Setup(s): Here are a couple of other conversations while driving across Iowa…. this time on the way home.
Miles: Get me some food in here!!
~~~~~
Kelly: Miles, look out the window.  Do you see that big river?
Miles: Yeah, the bridge helps us cross the water and stay dry.
Nate: Yup, and when we cross the river, we are in Illinois.  Iowa is on one side of the river and Illinois is on the other.
Miles: Illinois?
Kelly: Yeah, buddy. Remember we live in Chicago, IL.  We are closer to home.
Miles: Yeah. You’re right because we live on Earth, right Dad?
Nate: Ha… yeah.
~~~~~
Apparently, the car was a little too silent. He broke out with his own version of this.
Miles: Para, para, paradise. Para, para, paradise. O-O-O-O-oooo!
It seems as though Bieber’s Baby Oh isn’t the only ‘slow jam’ Miles has in his back pocket…..
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Setup: The Cubbies were playing on TV and w on!  I chimed in and sang along..
Kelly: Go Cubs Go. Go Cubs Go. Hey, Chicago, whattya say! Cubs are gonna win today!
Miles chimed in with the next chorus, but sang….
Miles: Go Cubs Go. Go Cubs Go. Hey, Chicago, whattya say! Cubs are gonna win SOMEDAY! Ha Ha.
Kelly: Grr!  You are a stinker!
____________________________________________________________________________
Setup: Miles and Nate were getting ready to take the dog out…
Miles: Dad, what is car in Spanish?
Nate: I don’t know.
Miles: Mom knows. She’s smart.
After the dog trip….
Miles: Mom, what is car in Spanish?
Kelly: Coche
Miles: Turns to dad.  See, told ya!
____________________________________________________________________________
Setup: Miles and Nate were playing basketball in the living room when Miles had to take a quick potty break. The dialogue begins with Miles barking orders from the bathroom.
Miles: DAD – I don’t hear you playing.
Nate: What?
Miles: DAD – I don’t hear you playing. He runs into the room.
Nate: I didn’t hear you.
Miles: You need to practice so you can get better and better and better and you might beat me sometime.
Nate: Ha! Ok, Buddy.
Miles: Ok, now I gotta go back and flush my turd.

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Posted in: Things my kid says

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"Totally normal.....right?!"

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Soccer game #3 and #4 recap

I was going to try and give you lots of details about the games, but honestly, it’s a lot more of the same.  Miles confidence is getting better,  but no big scores in either game.

I’ve noticed that Miles plays a little less aggressively when the game is indoor. Luckily, this weekend’s weather is supposed to be incredible! I REALLY hope to get better photos.

So for now… this is all I’ve got. Enjoy!

Game 3 was outside… but wet and cold!

Game 4 was raining and super cold… so the game was moved to the field house again.

I didn’t snap many photos since I spent too much time trying to capture action by video.  As is my luck, not much happened while I was recording, but I’m hoping it helps you all feel as though you were right there with us!

 

Want to know how excited we are about decent weather for the weekend?

THIS excited!

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Posted in: Chicago,Miles,soccer

Mother’s day

My mother’s day started last Thursday at Miles’ school.  The kids planned a little social for their moms called Tea Time with Mom.  I was super excited to go!
When I arrived, Miles gave me a craft!

We grabbed some snacks: watermelon, chips and salsa, mini muffins and lemonade.
When our plates were clean, Miles piled them up and said that he was going to clean up. I noticed several other kids doing the same.  I think they were coached, but I still loved the gesture! He came back a few minutes later unable to locate the trash cans. He’s the sweetest little man!

Besides the little mom party, I had a tough week and Nate knew it. I came home to roses.  So thoughtful!  But it gets better……

As you all knew, Mother’s Day was Sunday… Miles surprised me early with balloons, chocolate, and flowers.  Nate said that Miles put a lot of thought into each of his selections. He has an eye for special balloons and made sure that his flowers had lots of color since Nate’s flower selection was only red.

My favorite part was the handmade card: the front, back and inside.

 

 

 

The surprises didn't end there!  They made a lovely breakfast: Raspberry pancakes for me and blueberry pancakes for themselves… with bacon and orange juice.

The pancakes were incredible…. the bacon needed a little help.  I offered to salvage a few strips and they were OK with that :)
  
After we cleaned everything up, we set out to enjoy the sunny, 70*F day! While I showered, Nate and Miles packed a picnic lunch and loaded the bikes on the car. They planned a day at the lake!!

We biked 2 miles or so, ate lunch and played a little football in a grassy field.  We biked 4 more miles, played frisbee on the beach, and rode 4 miles back to the car.
 

So… did my day end after a 10 mile bike ride and 4 hours at the lake? Nope!
The boys made chocolate chip cookies and washed the car. I was feeling super special and pretty tired, but Miles wanted to take me to a restaurant for dinner.  He picked hot dogs… Oh My!

So, after a family dinner at Superdawg, the surprises came to an end. We tucked Miles into bed, watched a movie and slept very well! 

Nate and Miles went above and beyond to make the day a special one. I loved every minute!

Thank you, Nathan and Miles!  You’re the best and I LOVE YOU TOO! I can’t wait to help make Father’s day an exceptional one :)

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Posted in: Kelly,Miles,Nathan