Super parents

Have I ever mentioned how much I ADORE being a parent?!

Well, let me take a minute to tell you my thoughts right now.
I happen to think that my son is amazing. He's a brilliant little sponge, absorbing every bit of information that flows his direction. Whether the topic is reading, writing, manners, science, athletics, geography, pop culture... he loves it and can't get enough of it.

Yes, the routine of life with a hunky husband and a perfect child can get a little mundane... but I like this couples outlook on life.  Just be the best at it.. and be proud of it!  Then share your wisdom with the world. You're kids will love you for it...



Parents rap about maintaining their household by videosonlytube

So... this video, along with a couple other favorites (Click here #1 and Click here #2) got me thinking!
Nate and I could totally do this!!  Nate's rhymes are smooth and my dancing is kickin'! Miles could totally rock a harmony too.

I'm sure this will take A LOT of convincing. Wish me luck.

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Posted in: Kelly,random

The End is in Sight!

As many of you already know, we MOVED!  

No, we didn't leave Chicago....  We just have a new home in a better neighborhood!

We absolutely adore our new neighborhood, but are still adjusting to the new apartment.  Even though we have nearly the same square footage, we are still adjusting to the normal ceiling heights.  It's amazing how claustrophobic you can feel in your own home...

This post is just a quick note to let you know that we hope to return to our more frequent blogging schedule very soon.  We've finally ordered internet! There's only so much you can do from your phone, smart or not.  Until then, please enjoy our sporadic facebook updates...

Side note tangent:
How about those BEARS?!  I lost my fantasy football game (against my husband) and I don't even care.. I'm  far too excited for the 2012 season!

posted from iPhone

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Posted in: Chicago,Instagram

Quick Update

This post is just a quick update on what’s been going on.  I know I haven’t posted in a while, but I wanted to let you know that we are alive and well.  Tired, but alive and well!

We’ve been traveling every weekend for the last 7 weekends except for one.  Yes, we are exhausted – but feel accomplished. We’ve seen a lot of people and created some lasting memories.

Even though we are travelling on weekends, we are still trying to get Miles’ T-ball league time in before leaving town.  We recently found out that his league isn’t going to progress beyond a little batting practice and base running. Boo….  I’m not going to feel bad if we miss it anymore.  Miles get more practice in with his dad each night. Time to start looking for a pee-wee baseball league that’s not a part of the parks division.

During the week, we’ve spent our evenings looking at apartments since we hope to move late August.  Our current condo has served us well, but we NEED outdoor space. Miles is far to active to be so far away from a park. We hope to select a new unit within the next week or so!! Then its onto planning the actual move…..

We have LOTS more travel planned in the next few weeks.  I hope to be better about taking photos again so that I can post during the week after our new apartment is selected!

Thanks for your patience throughout this busy summer!

As long as there’s time for baseball, Miles has been GREAT in our crazy season of life. If Miles ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!!

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Posted in: Baseball,Miles,Video

She’s a Purdy Thirty!

Happy July 3rd to many of you….BUT Happiest of Birthdays to you, Miss Bethany Joy! 

I’ve heard –many, many times – that had you delayed your first breath by just a few more hours, your name would have been Amy Erica!  Yikes – I feel that your given name is one of your greatest gifts, don’t you agree?!

I’ve been hanging around the Klinge’s for greater than 11 years now. I learned of the family’s love for traditions, both old and new.  Little did you know, that nearly 2 years ago, you started a new one. Click here if you need a giggle/reminder!

Now onto the blast of your past showcasing just a few of your talents and spiritual gifts:
(aka photo dump from a time in your life I wish I could have witnessed!)

Strength – look at that control!
Is this Beth or Paisley?!  Wow – Klinge’s make cute kids!
 
Taste - Early development of your refined palette

Provider- just honing your master chef skills

Thankful - Showing outward appreciation for those who love you.

Brave– holding an awkward pose in the arms of a grumpy brother so that a photo opportunity is not missed

Quick learner – little time passed from demonstration until mastery

Maternal instincts – Paisley and Adelyn don’t know how lucky they are!

Great aim – this will surely come in handy on that acreage!

Beauty – you can never underestimate the importance for adequate sun protection

Confidence – yours is contagious!

Bethany Joy…. you were a cute little girl, but you are a beautiful woman – a very purdy thirty!
Welcome to the club!

(Pictures generously provided by Kathy’s photo vault)

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Posted in: birthday

T-ball: Opening Weekend

These pictures will probably be worth millions someday – so bookmark this post!

Miles had his very first T-ball practice last weekend. I see it as a simple beginning to a lucrative career in the MLB. Baseball has grabbed on tightly to Miles’ attention and doesn’t appear to be letting go anytime soon.

The league Miles is a part of is comprised of 3-5 year olds.  It’s obvious that a couple of kids understand a few of the basics, though sadly, a large majority of the kids seemed to have just had their first exposure to the game.

For about 45 minutes, they were shown how to hold a bat, how to swing at a ball sitting on a tee, how to run bases, and shown how to stop/pick-up a ground ball and throw it back to the coach.

The skill range was wide…  I’m still not sure why I’m surprised by that!  This is a 3 year old league! Some parents didn’t know which side of the tee to put their kid on. There seems to be an attitude of letting the parks system teach the sport, rather than parents teaching their kid the sport and letting the team atmosphere and coaches refine the talent. Am I weird in feeling that way? Either way, Miles is very lucky to have such an involved father –and he knows it!

Miles WHACKED the ball off the tee and into the fence, catching the attention of many! Dad was so proud.

Next, the kids ran all the bases,  one kid at a time.  Parent volunteers were requested to stand at each of the bases so that the kids knew where to run and could be directed where to go next. Again, to my surprise, this was a tough task.  A couple little boys wouldn’t even run the bases by themselves. Parents had to run the bases with their kid.  Sorry, I don’t have pictures of this as Nate stood at third base and I stood at first.  Miles had no problem sprinting around the bases on his own; he’s had plenty of practice while camping, in our living room, and following each of Nate’s softball games.

Finally, practice ended with grounders.  The coach would roll the ball to each kid and have them throw it back.  Miles did well. Fielding grounders is not something we’ve done a lot of yet.  After the practice, Nate added to the new skill.  Miles now shuffles his feet to line up with the rolling ball.  His feet no longer cross over one another thereby reducing his potential for tripping.  Go dad (and Miles)! Nate’s trying to make sure Miles is learning each skill correctly so that it doesn’t have to be fixed later :)

Unfortunately, Miles missed T-ball this weekend as we were camping with friends from out of town.  I can testify to the fact that Miles got a lot more practice in than his league’s 45 minute timeslot.  In fact, he even wound down Sunday afternoon watching the White Sox/Brewers game on TV.  This is where he learned that the pitcher carefully peers over his shoulder at a runner on first base who’s trying to steal second.  The pitcher needs to be ready to throw the runner out if he takes off running.  Yes.. you’re right. Miles not only noticed it on TV, he interrogated Nate as to what the pitcher’s purpose was, and spent the next 30+ minutes or so practicing in the living room with “ghost runners”.

Ey, ey, ey!  Baseball is taking over my summer!

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Posted in: Baseball,Chicago,Miles

Things my kid says

Setup: Grandma and Papa B were in town babysitting Miles while Nate and I attended a work function.  The following conversation began in our absence, but completed once Nate and I returned home.

Miles:  Papa, can you spin the basketball on one finger for me?

Papa: Ha, no. I can’t do that.

Miles: Why not? My daddy can do that

Papa: Sorry bud.  We’ll have to let your dad show me how to do that

(fast forward about an hour)

Papa: Hey, Nate.  Can you show me how to spin a basketball on your finger.

Nate: What?

Papa: Miles asked me to do it earlier and said that you knew how.  I’ve always been curious. Can you show me?

Nate: I can’t do that. Ha.  I’m not sure where that came from.

(Isn’t it adorable how little boys think their dads are invincible and all-knowing?!)

~~~~~~

Setup: This conversation occurred on Father’s day as we watched game 3 of the NBA finals.

Miles: Dad, did you see that?  That blue guy just did a fade-away jumper!

Nate: Yeah, buddy.  Then what happened? Did he rebound it?

Miles: No, the other team got it.

As the game continues, Miles watches closely while conversing with Nate.

Nate: Miles, which team is your favorite?

Miles:The Bulls.

Nate: The Bulls aren’t playing tonight buddy.

Long pause….A commercial comes on so Miles finally gives us his full attention.

Kelly:  The white team is the Heat and the blue team is the Thunder.

Miles:Uhm, I like the heat. Did you see that before?  The blue guy on the Thunder was trying to steal the ball from the white team, but the guy on the white team named the Heat just jumped really high and dunked it on him. That was cool, huh?

Kelly: (looking at Nate): How does he put all of this together and remember the details?  I hope he’s this good at math!

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Posted in: Things my kid says

Lots of highlights

With summer in full swing, Miles has taken it upon himself to increase the required number of sports related activities necessary to consider any given day a success. Apparently wearing a t-shirt from one of his favorite local teams, shooting hoops at school, riding his bike during dog duty, and logging at least one hour of indoor baseball with dad isn’t enough for one day.

He usually likes to spice things up by throwing in a few sporty kids books at bedtime or watching an entire Cubs game on TV. Lately, Miles has even given up his beloved bedtime stories in order to get an equal amount of time watching Michael Jordan YouTube highlights as part of his “wind-down” routine.

 

It’s not unusual to see Miles dancing to the soundtrack or practicing the jukes and dunks. Yes, Miles even practices with his tongue hanging out…. Monkey see, monkey do! He likes to be very accurate in his mimicry. If you ask me, this is hardly a wind-down activity…..

source

Here’s a video of Miles in action.  It’s actually pretty toned down; likely because I have the camera out. Enjoy the hip-hop dancing and slow motion, highlight-esque dunks on Nate.

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Posted in: Bulls,Miles,Video

Soccer Season Finale

My original plan was to give you game highlights from each game this season. I found out quickly that each game was a whole lot of the same. Adorable, but the same.

Miles really shined during his first game. It was the only game where the 6 year old on his team wasn’t there and Miles scored a goal!  Every game that followed, Miles remained fairly aggressive and could take the ball away from the other team, but the 6 year old was always right there to take over.  We were happy to watch him improve in the last 8 weeks.

Here are a couple action shots:

 

And finally…. a nice team shot!

GREAT season, Yellow Hornets!

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Posted in: Miles,soccer

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"Game 1: Architecture Softball League gone terribly bad. "

Sometimes 1st base tugs at your hammy a little more than necessary.

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Posted in: Instagram

Things my kid says

Setup: Nate and Miles had just polished off a sizeable stack of Oreos after school.

Kelly: Miles, are you still hungry? Are you going to eat dinner?

Miles: No, I already ate some junk food. I will drink this healthy milk though.

____________________________________________________________________________

Setup: We were eating dinner and I asked Miles to eat more of his green beans.

Miles: Beans, Beans,  the magical fruit. The more you toot, the more you poop!

That’s not really how the saying goes… but I may like it better!

____________________________________________________________________________

Setup: Miles was putting his Diego puzzle together on the floor of the living room.  Nate was working on his computer and I was cleaning up the kitchen.  It was a great, quiet family moment until….

Miles: Dadadada-Dada-daaaaa.  Dadadada-Dada-daaaaa.  DA-da-DA! DA-da-DA!

Do you recognize that tune?  Click here.

Yes… only Miles would be the kid that breaks the silence humming ESPN’s Sports Center theme song.  We don’t even have cable! Where does this come from? My only guesses are that the tune is part of the Michael Jordan highlights that Nate and Miles often watch on YouTube or from Space Jam.  Ey – Whatta kid!

____________________________________________________________________________

Setup: Shocker- I know – but the boys are playing baseball in the living room. Here’s a few one liners.

Miles: Nice catch, bro!

~~~~~~

Nate: Watch the ball close.  This pitch is a change-up

Smack!

Miles: Yeah, that was tricky. But I hit it though.

~~~~~~

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Posted in: Things my kid says

Budding Architect

Like most little boys, Miles love to walk in the steps of his father. Many of us close to him have known this for a very long time.  That includes his Aunt Beth and Uncle Nick.

While we lived in New York,  Beth and Nick bought this treasure for Miles!

One of New York’s finest buildings – The empire state building, ala lego. However, due to the 10+ year old rating and the 77 very small pieces, this box remained intact and atop Miles’ dresser for the last 2 years or so. Things changed very recently during one very rainy weekend.

Nate mentored Miles through the 25 pages of instructions as Miles assembled the whole thing.

 

Aren’t they adorable while they think and study?!

 

Here’s a few process shots:

 

 

And the final product!!

 

Ah,New York! Sometimes I miss you (a little).

Thanks, Nick and Beth, for the fantastic gift. Your perfect timing for this purchase led us to a great family moment on a cold, rainy Chicago afternoon talking about our NYC memories. 

I think the smart people of the world call these teachable moments. Thank you for encouraging our budding architect!

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Posted in: Klinge's,Miles

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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Posted in: Instagram

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