Karen And Randy

First Day of School, Kindergarten and 1st Grade

2011-08-30T14:55:00.005-05:00

Daddy is ready to take us to our 1st day!

Sisters!!

Ready for 1st Grade!

Ready for Kindergarten!

Ready to go!

Being silly in the Jeep:)

Monarch Project

2011-08-30T13:52:00.007-05:00

So a few weeks ago the girls started finding caterpillars all over the place and collecting them. A few have died, a few got away and now we have 7 that have stuck around. All are monarch caterpillars, 2 have pupated and are busy turning into butterflies within their chrysalis, one is hanging and will probably pupate tomorrow morning and 4 other of various sizes are eating away at the milkweed and will hopefully pupate near the house so we can watch them change as well.

This is the most recent caterpillar that we found, it is still in the early instar stage, probably just hatched out of it's egg in last day or 2. In the next 9-14 days it will eat and grow like crazy and shed it's skin 5 times.

These are late instar caterpillars and are only a few days from pupating.

This guy is hanging in his "J" and will probably pupate tomorrow morning...we are hoping to catch him in the act. After eating and growing, they hang themselves upside down for about 1 day and then it only takes them about 6-7 mins to pupate. Crazy!

We only missed this guy pupating by a few minutes, I couldn't believe it! The black ball on his side is his skin that he sheds as he goes through the pupation process.

This one we missed by an hour or so...it is our first and we were so amazed to know how fast they change. Stay tuned for more photos as they complete metamorphosis.

Gracie's 5!

2011-08-30T13:23:00.003-05:00

Gracie turned 5 last week on 8/22. Hard to believe she is 5 already, she is such a tiny little thing. She also started Kindergarten yesterday, and is loving her mornings at school:) I can't wait to see what she learns this year, I know she'll do great!

Gracie's cake...a Betty Crocker Yellow Butter Cake with Buttercream Frosting...She wanted a gymnastics girl on her cake and if you look between the candles there you can see a blue and purple stick figure. Ha! Her mama is not quite the cake artist that may have hoped for:)

But she loved it!!

She loves barbies and was very exited to have one with puppies:)

He's always been faithful to me

2011-08-12T10:58:00.001-05:00

: Read
He's Always Been Faithful Lyrics
here.

The Big #1 for Jack!

2011-06-09T14:00:00.012-05:00

Jack turned 1 on May 29th, and we had his birthday bash this last weekend. I thought I would jot down a few of his stats just for me to keep track of them and share a few fun photos for anyone out there who might be looking for them:) So here we go...

Size:

weight- 20lbs. 8oz.
length- 30 in.
head circumference- 18.5 in.

Things he can do:

waves
so-big
high 5
blows kisses
gives kisses
gives snuggles
walking- started taking steps around 10 months and is now getting around very quickly
blow raspberries
blow ferberts on your belly
show me your tongue
lizard tongue

Things he can say:

mama
dada
ba- ball
bo- book
vroom- car
turtle
du- duck
yeah
no
oo-oo-ah-ah- monkey
elephant noise
water

Things he loves:

to eat- and he eats anything, he loves baked beans, and will put meat in his mouth but does not seem to know what to do with it.
milk
sweets- he had a hay day with his birthday cake
trucks
balls
vacuums
music
mama and dada- ( I would say that he is a mama's boy, but he gets equally excited about daddy too. The only time he really prefers me over Randy is when he is tired or when there are lots of people around.)

Things he hates:

washing in the tub
going in the water at the pool- we're working on this one with our pool pass this summer
large bags of ball pit balls

Jack is definitely "all boy", he loves to play rough, get dirty, be outside, and make lots of noise. And boy is he funny...don't tell Randy, but he get's that from me:) We have not had any broken bones or stitches... yet, but definitely more tumbles that ended in bleeding and bandages than I would like at 1 year of age. He is very busy and keeps me hoppin'!

Birthday Breakfast- cinnamon rolls

Peek-a-boo fort:)

Just because he's cute!

Vrrroom! He LOVES to play cars.

more birthday party pictures and video to come, but blogger seems to be having some issues, so i'll get to that later:)

If It Had Been Us...

2011-04-29T12:20:00.001-05:00

...and we already had the kids...

...and her name even is Grace...
http://www.okmagazine.com/2011/04/prince-williams-goddaughter-grace-will-pout-if-she-wants-to-at-royal-wedding/

Summer: Are you here yet?

2011-03-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

"I don't know how much longer I can wait..."

Tweeting for Reese's Rainbow!

2011-03-29T14:52:00.002-05:00

I've posted a few times about Reese's Rainbow and the great work they are doing! Well today I heard that Patricia Heaton (widely known from Everybody Love's Raymond and The Middle) is going to give RR $1 for every follower they have on twitter up to 10K. So if you are on Twitter, get over there and follow @reesesrainbow. If you are not, it's easy to create an account (www.twitter.com) and follow anyone you deem worthy. It's a great way to help out and keep in touch with what RR is up to! I tweeted over to @patriciaheaton to say thanks too:) What a gal, and what a great way to give!

AFV material...

2011-03-20T18:36:00.002-05:00

Look what my kid can do...prepare to be amazed!

My Little Mad Scientist...

2011-03-19T19:36:00.002-05:00

Jack has been pretty funny lately... I think he sounds like a mad scientist when he laughs!

Spring Break in Champaign

2011-03-18T13:48:00.005-05:00

70's and Sunny...Oh happy Day!

Gotta love these Ludwig Boys:)

They grow so fast!

I remember pushing both the girls in these swings...so fun...such great memories!

I've always said that her middle name is true to her spirit...Joy!

Gavin loves Jack!

A serious competitor never admits defeat, they simply plan to win!

My artist.

On the way back to Champaign from the airport Dulcy and I had to stop in at the greatest accessory store ever, Charming Charlie's, for some fabulous hand bags and other necessary accessories.

We've been having a great time in Champaign. The Ludwig Family have been wonderful hosts. Dulcy and and I have had some much needed girl time and the kids some much needed play time.

Every child should have a family to love them...

2011-03-10T21:49:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine, RK, has shown her love and passion for helping kids that deserve to be part of a loving family. I know she would bring every kid on Reece's Rainbow home if she could. It weighs on my heart to know that there are kids out there that are not being held and rocked and adored the way they should be. There is one family that is working to bring their little girl home. They only have a few weeks to raise the $ they need to save her from being permanently institutionalized. Help save little Lera! Here are a couple links...

http://www.savinglera.blogspot.com/ Little Lera is so close to having a family, please join me is donating and praying for her!

This is a link to Reece's Rainbow. There are so many kids waiting for families. Check it out...Maybe you can help them by adding to their account so that a family who wants nothing more than to love them can afford to bring them home.

http://reecesrainbow.org/

9 months and counting...

2011-03-09T13:16:00.002-06:00

Jack is now 9 months. Along with crawling Jack has met a few other milestones this last month. He waves, and he says Mama and Dada to Randy and I.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2011-03-09T13:07:00.002-06:00

We have a crawler! The truth is that Jack has been doing the army crawl for a little over a month, but just yesterday he decided to make the transition to a full on all fours crawl. So without further a due....

Jack in a Box

2011-03-09T12:53:00.004-06:00

A week or so ago I didn't feel like cooking so we had cereal for dinner (gasp...I know!), and a direct result of that was this...

When your birthday is in February and you live in MN...

2011-02-13T16:28:00.003-06:00

and your parents give you a bike....

Then you do what any 6 yr. old with a new bike would do. You ride it in the snow in the middle of winter:o) After all, it's a balmy 46 degrees today!

My Funny Little Valentines

2011-02-11T14:21:00.004-06:00

My sweet and...

...sometimes silly, Little Valentines.

When you are this cute...

and you have two silly big sisters...

something...

like this...

is...

bound...

to...

happen.

Ohhhh how they love him!

For Sara...

2010-12-16T15:48:00.004-06:00

Thanks so much for the fun gifts for the kids! They were so excited! The girls are both wearing all of their hair clips today...not exactly a fashion statement to get them all in there at once, but you can hardly say no to that enthusiasm. Great job on the clips, btw, your craftiness always amazes me! They can not wait to go to sleep on their soft pillows tonight, to quote Gracie, "How did she know I love soft things?" I told her it was one of your super powers..hehe. And of course there was lip gloss for school today, oh so much fun:o) I'll have to get some pictures of them later, they were not in the mood for a photo shoot.

And my little man looks quite handsome in his warm up suit too, see...

And he loves his ornament!

How many creepy ornaments do you see? They're all there...proudly displayed.

The boys...you should have heard all their plans of taking their boys fishing together.
Can't wait to see you all this summer! When I picked Maddy up from school she asked where Curt was and started to cry when I told her that he had to go home. She said, "But he was only here one day and I did not get to see Sara yet." I guess she did not get that only Curt was here, like she missed out on you while she was at school. I think kids see married people as pairs, and if you see one the other should be there too. So sweet:o)

You have to have a good attitude to show your gratitude...

2010-12-07T16:05:00.005-06:00

It all began with a note that was scotch taped to the front of my kindergardener that read "Shhh...this note is a secret!" and on the inside it said, "Maddy will be getting a character award for Gratitude tomorrow at 11am. You are welcome to attend! Mrs. W."

Maddy's school has a character trait that they talk about and focus on each month, they do this all the way K-12. And each month the teachers have an opportunity to select a student from their class that they feel has been the best example of that month's character trait.

November's character trait was Gratitude, and Maddy was given the character award for her class.
This is Maddy sitting with her class after we surprised her by coming to school and before she was given her award. She was so excited to have Randy and I there, it was awesome!

After school, we picked up Gracie from preschool and I heard Maddy explaining to Gracie what gratitude is, "Gracie, are you thankful for your brother and sister? Are you thankful that Daddy has a job and makes money to pay for our house and our car?" Gracie answered yes, and Maddy said, "That's what Gratitude is."
Then Maddy called both Nana and Grandma to tell them about her award. She was so excited they could hardly tell what she was saying, they both said...."You got an award for a good attitude, that's great!" Then she repeated herself and explained what the award was. And Grandma said, "Well that's wonderful, you have to have a good attitude to show gratitude, don't you."

Baby it's cold outside...but we're Minnesotans, so let's have some fun!

2010-12-02T13:57:00.005-06:00

It's only about 10 degrees here today, but the sun is shining so we went out to play.

The girls have their own shovels, so they shoveled paths all around the yard and then played tag along the paths. jack thought they were pretty funny running all over.

My handsome little man:o) These snow pants are one size too big so his little feet are all cozy tucked up in there.

I like to think that smiles like this are just for me. He is such a sweet boy!

Nana says he's exceptional, and I like to agree, after all can all 6 month olds make snow angels?

My 3 angels.

I think they're pretty cute all bundled up!

Watching Hank- Day 1

2010-11-10T15:04:00.003-06:00

I am watching my nephew Hank a couple days a week while his other Auntie is on maternity leave. He is such a happy little guy, we are really enjoying having him here!

More fun at the dinner table

2010-11-09T16:17:00.004-06:00

The girls love their brother and the idea that they can teach him how to do something new or help him learn; is something they get very excited about!

Dinner with the big people

2010-11-08T22:51:00.003-06:00

Eating like a big boy

2010-11-08T22:40:00.002-06:00

Jack started eating rice cereal this last week and he LOVES it! The girls were both so confused when they started eating solids, like they didn't know what to do with it. Jack on the other hand...knows all about eating...I mean have you seen the multiple rolls on his thighs...seriously.

He also figured out that blowing Raspberries with food in his mouth was a lot of fun. Really kid, on your first time?

Halloween Fun

2010-11-08T22:19:00.003-06:00

Dulcy and the boys came to visit Halloween weekend. Dulc and I had a great time visiting and I think the kids were equally excited to see each other. So great to have good friends like them!

This is Gracie's preschool class all dressed up in their costumes. They had a great time with their Halloween party and parade that they put on for the parents.

Maddy was a Jr. Park Ranger, Gracie was Snow White, and Jack was a Robot.

We took the kids over to both grandparent's houses in their costumes and then they went Trick-or-Treating in my old neighborhood. They had a great time and got way too much candy. Maddy ran from house to house, and only stopped between houses to see if we knew how heavy her bucket was...oh to be 5.

4 Months Old!

2010-09-29T10:05:00.004-05:00

Jack is a happy, drooley, 4 month old today!

Soccer

2010-09-09T12:32:00.004-05:00

Both of the girls are playing soccer this fall and it has been so fun to watch them get started in learning the basics. Their first games are this Saturday and I can't wait!

Gracie playing around while she waits for her practice to begin.

Gracie's team stretching.

Maddy playing a practice game called, "Stuck in the Mud".

She's got skills!

I love her expression in this one. I'm sure there is a picture of me like this somewhere.

Maddy's First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-30T10:03:00.003-05:00

My beautiful Kindergartner.

Annual 1st Day picture in front of the apple tree.

So excited for Daddy to take her to school.

Lovin' on her baby brother:o)

Look at all my beautiful blue eyed babies:o)

Vacation and such...

2010-08-22T20:56:00.011-05:00

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

Makoshika State Park, Glendive, MT. Randy and the girls hiked down into the hills and saw all kinds of fun things.

Seeing the Triceratops Fossil. The girls were so excited!

Playing in the rain at Pictograph Cave State Park, near Billings, MT.

The boys staying dry:o)

Arriving at Yellowstone!

Maddy starting her Junior Ranger project at Mammoth Springs.

How Jack enjoyed much of the trip...that's a sweet boy smiling for mama.

Walking the board walks at Menerva Springs.

More smiles!

The boys at Yellowstone Lake near our campsite.

Moose!!

Grand Tetons National Park

The great sandal debockle of 2010:o)

Looking for rocks.

The Chapel of Transfiguration in Grand Tetons National Park, where Randy proposed to me 9 years ago.

We took the boat across Jenny Lake and hiked to Hidden Falls.

More smiles for Mama!

Maddy celebrating her completed Junior Ranger project with her badge and a chocolate chip cookie from Nana.

Watching Old Faithful.

Walking the board walks and checking out the hot springs with all the Kleinmans at Old Faithful.

On our drive from Yellowstone to Devils Tower.

Prairie Dog Town at Devils Tower National Monument

Our little Junior Rangers at Devils Tower.

Devils Tower National Monument.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Crazy huge, and scary looking spider, on a hike at Custer State Park, SD.

Last night campfire at Custer State Park.

We had a great time and saw all kinds of exciting and beautiful things.

Team Grandpa

2010-07-22T12:44:00.003-05:00

Funny, this lighting makes him look like a red head, he's really not though.

Look, I treed Mr. Chubby Cheeks!

2010-07-22T12:24:00.003-05:00

We have a ground squirrel that climbs up our clothes line and eats the bird seed out of the feeder. (you can see him on top of the pole) The girls have since named him Mr. Chubby Cheeks. Gracie chased him up the pole the other day and then spent a descent amount of time tormenting him from the ground.

She decided that climbing the pole would be the best way to get to Mr. Chubby Cheeks and I have to say she made a good go of it.

Then Maddy came out and told Mr. Chubby Cheeks that it was time for him to stop eating the bird seed.

Shortly after this Gracie shook the pole and Mr. Chubby Cheeks took a flying leap to the ground and ran to safety. I sure he felt this was a near death experience:o)

Zoo, Parade, and Old Friends...

2010-07-22T10:14:00.003-05:00

Randy's work recently had a discounted zoo day. So we all spent the day at the MN Zoo. Fun was had by all!

The Prairie Dogs were a family favorite and we can't wait to see them in the wild at Devil's Tower next month.
Question...Who's watching who here?

Randy and the girls by the Caimen, I thought they were baby alligators, but thanks to Diego the Animal Rescuer, my 5 year old promptly corrected me:o)

There's never a bad time to stick your head in a hole and take a photo!

The Richmond family was in town and it was so fun to see them and meet their newest addition, Miles. Look how our families have grown in the last 6 years:o)

Sitting with Nana at our annual trip to the MG Days Parade.

Photo Shoot...Just because I think they're cute.

2010-07-22T09:49:00.003-05:00

Playin' at the Park

2010-07-02T19:47:00.004-05:00

We love that we can meet up with our cousins any time to play at the park. This last week we met at a park that has a splash pad and the kids ran in the water for a bit then we had a picnic lunch and played on the playground. It was a beautiful day enjoyed by all!

Jack enjoying the park with Auntie Nicole.

Gracie being her silly little self.

Gracie, Maddy, Leah, and Isaac....they are the best of pals!

Isaac is 6 and so grown up.

Leah is the girlie girl of them all. She is so sweet!

My sweet Maddy, she too has become quite the little grown up this year.

But not too grown up to be silly:o)

Micah...he steals my heart!

So sweet!

My Sweet Boy!

2010-07-02T17:23:00.002-05:00

Jack started Smiling on purpose today, unfortunately the only time I caught it on camera he was sleeping:o)

We almost caught it here...But this is what we affectionately call "The Randy Kleinman Crooked Smile"

He takes a Nuk like Maddy did and I'm pretty sure I can find a picture of her like this that we would not be able to tell them apart.

Fat, naked, cute, and sporting the "Jackhawk"!

Father's Day

2010-07-02T16:57:00.005-05:00

The girls picked out fireworks and a DQ ice cream cake for Randy for Father's Day. Needless to say he was quite pleased:o)

Then they put on a dance show for Daddy.

Nana and Papa came over for dinner for Father's Day and Randy made plans to take his dad fishing for Father's Day.

Randy and the kids and my brother Tom went fishing with my Dad in the evening. Gracie was very excited about her fish.

Grandpa with Jack.

Maddy learning to cut her own worm. She loves fishing and anything else she can do with her Daddy.

Maddy cutting her own worm. It took her a bit to realize how much she had to pinch it to cut it, but she did it and was very proud of herself.

Fishing off the dock at Weaver Lake.

Jack and Uncle Tom.

Maddy "holding" the fish.

Gracie actually holding the fish.

Gracie is done fishing and ready for bed.

Randy finishing Father's Day the way he loves too!

Teddy Bear Band

2010-07-02T16:18:00.009-05:00

We went to see the Teddy Bear Band with Nana. The girls had so much fun listening to the songs and dancing along and it was fun to see how much more interactive they were than when we went last year. They have both grown so much this last year...I have two little ladies on my hands now:o)

17 days old and....

2010-06-15T16:56:00.006-05:00

10 lbs. 6 oz.! He's my little butter ball.

Squish face for Nana.

My sweet boy!

Hey, what's with all the flashing bright lights?

It's a lot of work to be this cute!

Too Cute!

Some More Pics of Jack at the Hospital

2010-06-05T12:49:00.004-05:00

Follow this link for a slideshow:

http://bit.ly/cCSBaL

Jack is here!

2010-05-30T17:30:00.011-05:00

Jonathan Charles Kleinman
Born- 5/29, 5:20pm, 8 lbs. 14 oz., 22 in.

Here are a few photos of our new little guy, enjoy:o)

The girls were sooooo excited to meet their new little brother and hold him:o) They are going to be great helpers.

I think we might have a thumb sucker...

2010-05-29T17:02:00.001-05:00

Starting to push now!

2010-05-29T12:21:00.001-05:00

Water broken at 11:45, taking a walk now.

2010-05-29T06:48:00.001-05:00

Let's roll!

2010-05-28T23:20:00.001-05:00

Mobile Blogging Setup from Karen's cell phone.

Mother's Day Fun!

2010-05-11T19:37:00.008-05:00

For Mother's Day we went to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market to buy plants for our garden. Herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and so much more. It was a really fun time!

On Sunday we went to brunch at my parent's house and then we went to Nana's house; where the girls helped her do some planting while Randy went fishing with his dad.

Gracie and Maddy each picked out some flowers for me at the farmer's market. I had some fun taking some pictures of Gracie with the flowers she chose.

And since I was behind the camera on Mother's Day, here is a photo of how ready I am to have this boy out! Have to say I'm lookin' pretty good at 36 weeks:o)

Science Project and Maddy's Parent's Day

2010-05-11T18:12:00.007-05:00

All the kids in Maddy's class did a science project for Parent's Day. Maddy chose to bring some Agates that her Grandpa gave her. Randy helped her make a chart about her agates. She listed what she likes about them and what you can do with them. Then she drew pictures of her agates and made a matching game with them. It was so fun to see her creativity.

This is her finished project. The agates are in the bucket.

Maddy was so excited to show me all the things she can do in her class. She drew me a picture on the easel of herself and I at the beach. It was so fun! It amazes me how much she has changed since she started preschool last fall.

Nana came to Parent's Day too! She and Maddy had fun doing a puzzle and talking about our upcoming trip this summer to Yellowstone National Park.

Maddy was excited to show us all of her tricks in the play room.

Maddy and Nana on the balance beam.

At the end of Parent's Day the kids performed some of the songs they have learned this year. It was so cute and so fun to see and know that they are at a school where they learn and sing songs about God. I love that! (Oh and just in case you notice that Maddy is really high on the scale with her rhythm, just know that she can't help it, it's genetic and I take full responsibility:o)

Catching up and/or making nice with those from afar who like the pics:o)

2010-03-24T15:53:00.006-05:00

Let's see here. What's new... I am 29 weeks pregnant. The snow is all melted. The kids are enjoying the beginning of spring and wondering when we can plant our garden. Not sure how to explain to preschoolers that we live in zone 5 and that means that we have well over a month and closer to 2 months before we can plant anything. Maddy tied her own shoes today for the first time, and she started a gymnastics class last night. Randy is a little over a week away from defending his thesis in Champaign...eeek. That about sums it up:o)

This is our first park outing of the spring, the girls were oh so happy to get out, even if there was so much water everywhere that they could only play on half the equipment.

This is a drawing of Maddy's that she drew and colored all on her own. Then told me that is was a peregrine falcon and asked if I could spell it for her so she could write it on the picture. Let's just say that as a mother I was very impressed with her picture, let alone the fact that she knew what a peregrine falcon was and decided to draw one.
I wish I had some pictures of Maddy's gymnastics class but we will have to wait 4 more weeks for that. We don't get to watch the class, but the kids put on a show at the final class and I am really looking forward to that.
Gracie has been up to her usual antics of keeping us on our toes. Let's just say I have been listening to Dr. Dobson's "The New Strong Willed Child" on cd and it has really given me some insight into what makes her tick. So we are on our way to shaping her will without breaking her spirit:o) Oh and just in case you have the same pet peeve I do, you'll be happy to know that she is growing her bangs out and has actually gotten quite good at wearing barrettes, most of the time, to keep her hair out of her eyes. Now all I have to do is make it another year or so without her bangs having an unfortunate run in with scissors and we are all set:o)

And What a BOY!

2010-01-19T15:42:00.007-06:00

For all of you in Blogger world that are not on Facebook...here are the sonograms that we had done today:o) Enjoy!

It's a boy alright!

This is a shot of the top of his head and his hand. You can't see his thumb here but he is signing, "I love you". What a sweet boy!

Profile pics, gotta say I think we make some cute babies:o)

Sledding Sisters

2010-01-18T16:08:00.005-06:00

The girls spent the afternoon at the neighbors house sledding. They have a great sledding hill and they had a ton of fun.

Watching them come up the driveway you would think they had walked a mile to get home...it's actually just next door. I was able to watch them out the dining room window the whole time. On the way home Gracie told Maddy that she was too tired and wanted to be pulled in the sled. After Gracie flopped down on her belly in the sled Maddy gave it two strong tugs. On the second tug she fell flat on her butt and told Gracie, "I guess you are just too heavy for me now." To which Gracie replied, "Yeah, you need bigger muscles to pull me."

Sisterly Love!

(My Dad has been so kind as to lend us one of his cameras until we are ready to get a new one of our own. So I'm back in business:o))

My Life in Graphs: #1

2010-01-06T12:28:00.004-06:00

I thought that it would be interesting to post blogs that are more inline with my current life. What I mean by that is I am still working on my PhD dissertation, and I have been making a lot of graphs lately. So without further adieu, here is my life in graphs, installation #1.

Figure 1 (click on the image for greater detail) shows the recorded air temperature in Andover, MN, on January 2, 2010 (red) along with my personal displeasure index (green). The data was collected at the weather station located nearest my residence. Minnesota has been experiencing lower than normal temperatures and this Saturday morning was no exception. The lack of insulating cloud cover is the most important temperature factor. The temperature curve shows a decrease until around 7:00AM corresponding to dawn where the minimum temperature reached -18F. The temperature rose throughout the day until dusk at 4:30PM started the ensuing decline. An independent reference point (blue) corresponding to a local bank marquis temperature reading of -22F at 8:08AM, implying a significant local temperature variation.

The reason the bank temperature is reported is because at the time I was driving with my friend Brad past the financial institution. As you may know from recent blog posts and Facebook status updates, Brad's drivers's side window was broken during a theft on New Years Day while visiting in Minnesota. We were taking the minivan on a forty-five minute drive to have the window replaced at the nearest automotive glass replacement facility on a Saturday after a holiday. My personal displeasure index is also plotted in Figure 1. This index was created by me to gauge perceived levels of human experience traditionally defined as being negative: physical discomfort, rage, emotional distress, etc. The displeasure metric is scaled where a value of one (termed neutral displeasure) for a typically level-headed person corresponds to equal desire to punch someone in the face as to spend a night in jail or watch a movie starring Robin Williams. The index is a subjective metric.

The displeasure index for me remained neutral until I awoke and realized that the glass replacement was the first item on my agenda for the day. The peak index value of 25 occurred simultaneously with the event of me reading the local bank temperature and realizing that Brad and I were embarking on a long, mostly-highway venture in sub-zero temperature in a vehicle with the window down. The index plummets shortly thereafter when the window was fixed and remained neutral throughout the remainder of the day. A dip below one is seen between 6:00PM and 9:00PM when the Ludwigs, Karen, and I treated ourselves to a lovely Texas Roadhouse dinner (minus the children) to aid in the emotional recovery of recent theft and destruction of personal articles.

So....

2010-01-04T09:33:00.002-06:00

I'd like to think that I am a better person than this, you know the kind that shakes it off and turns the other cheek. However, this new year started out in a way that I did not expect. And 4 days later I still feel a little mad.
Our friends the Ludwigs' were in town and despite the sub zero temps, we decided that we were going to go out and enjoy a little of this MN winter and go sliding. Of course we were not going to just go out to any old hill we drove to a park that both Randy and I grew up going to. They have a sizable sliding hill. We had a ton of fun in the little less than an hour that we were out. That was until we returned to where we had parked our vehicles and found that the driver's side window of the Ludwig's van was smashed to bits and both purses, belonging to Dulcy and I, were gone. Only a small tube of Zinc Oxide was dropped and left behind for Dulcy to reclaim.
We spent the next two days making the most of our time together and calling our banks and whereever else necesary to make sure that these theives got as little of our money as possible. We also spent the time looking for things only to realize that the said looked for item too, was in the stolen purses. After talking to police, we found out that the theive more than likely took our debit cards and dumped the rest of our stuff in a trash can somewhere.
All in all it just makes me mad. Why is it that there are some people out there who seem to think it is okay to take what does not belong to them. I mean this appears to be something that they have done over and over again. They did it and I'm sure they didn't think about what they were really taking. Things that they intended to throw away that we really needed. And as much as I hope that they pay whatever consiquences are coming to them, in all likely hood they will go one with their lives never thinking about us and continueing to take from others.
Dulcy said we should pray for them. I know she is right. However, I can't help feeling a little like Jonah in that I'd like to see them face justice before they recieve forgiveness. In this I have some soul searching to do. I know that God sent His son for all of us, not just those of us who live slightly moral lives and claim to know Him. But for all of us. And yet in my frustration I feel more entitled to His grace than someone who has taken from me.
In all of this I now find myself thankful for one thing. It has brought me to the place I need to be most...at His feet.

Happy New Year to you all. I pray you see Him in each an every part of 2010!

p.s.- Due to the fact that our camera was in my purse. It may be a bit before I post anything regularly.

A Day in the Life of an Elf, and the Holidazzle Parade

2009-12-14T12:57:00.006-06:00

We have made a tradition of going to these two winter events in Minneapolis, and we have gone almost every year even when we lived in Champaign. Here are a few fun photos from last night.

This year was the 47th annual 8th Floor Holiday display at Macy's, themed "A Day in the Life of an Elf". Although we have taken the girls to this in previous years; this year was definitely the most fun. The girls were in awe of whole display and would hardly look at the camera for fear that they might miss something. Here they are watching the elves make toys and candy:o)

Then we went down to Nicollet Ave. to watch the parade.

Here is a taste of what we saw. All of the floats are covered in holiday lights and themed mostly in children's stories. There was Mother Goose, Captain Hook, Alice in Wonderland, and many others and as always the parade ended with Santa.

We went to the parade with Nana and Papa. It was a lot of fun and it was a pretty nice night for the parade, a whole 10 degrees! Randy was there too, but he is the man behind the camera:o)

Animals or Children?

2009-12-12T13:51:00.003-06:00

Sometimes it is a very fine line between whether we are raising animals or children.

They went outside and immediately began barking and eating snow on all fours.

I love them all bundled up! And watching Gracie walk in her get up is like my own little version of "A Christmas Story".

Snow much fun!

2009-12-12T10:43:00.003-06:00

This last week we were on the north end of the snow storm that swept across the Midwest, so we only got 3-4 inches in our area. The girls have been eager to get out and play in the snow every day! I think they will be looking forward to each snow storm that comes our way. Still to come this month....The Holidazzle Parade in Minneapolis, The 8th floor at Macy's- the 47th annual Holiday display(this year it is- "A Day in the Life of an Elf"), and perhaps going to see the light display and ice sculptures in St. Paul. Of course there will be lots of sledding and maybe some ice skating to come once we find our local rink. And a new little Kleinman niece or nephew, Randy's brother and wife are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first baby (due 12/7) and we can't wait to meet the sweet bundle of joy!

Heart Rate Theory....

2009-12-04T15:01:00.002-06:00

I heard the baby's heart beat the other day for the first time. It came in at a whopping 160 bpm. This is lower, but still very healthy, than what I recall either of the girl's rates being. They came in the high 170- low 180. According to the old wives tale, this could mean we are having a boy...only time will tell. We love our girls and will look forward to the baby, boy or girl:o) Do any of you remember the heart rates of your babies at the beginning of the pregnancy? What were the rates for boys and girls? Just curious if there is any truth to this tale or if it is like all the others and you have a 50% chance of being right, so there is really nothing to it. Tell me what the rates for your boys and girls were and we'll see if there are any patterns to be found.

On the note of another theory, I have found that the Chinese Lunar Calendar has been correct for both the girls and this time it says I am having a boy....very interesting. Just have to wait til the middle of January and we will know!

Big Screen Babies

2009-12-03T21:47:00.000-06:00

I thought that the following movie looks interesting, especially since we are having a baby. It follows the lives of 4 babies during their first year of life. One child each from Japan, Mongolia, Namibia, and the USA.

In a theater near you in April 2010.

Kleinman Christmas Tree 2009

2009-11-28T20:08:00.010-06:00

As any good American family would do, we went out the day after Thanksgiving to get our Christmas tree. It was a successful outing that went a little something like this...Randy, Gracie and I began walking down the rows of planted trees carefully surveying each one for the "perfect tree". Maddy on the other hand began running ahead and would stop every few trees and yell, "I found it, I found the perfect tree!" To which I would come and take a look and possibly give the reason that we were going to continue looking. Maddy was usually off and running to the next "perfect tree" before I was done telling her my reasoning. When we finally came upon the tree we cut and brought home, I ask Maddy what she thought, and she responded by stepping back, taking a look at all sides and exclaiming, "It's perfect! I found the perfect tree!". As we were tying the tree to the car Maddy was watching and told me in a very proud voice, "I'm great at finding the perfect tree, aren't I Mommy?" To which I told her, yes you did a great job:o)
Daddy and his girls:o)

The "Perfect Tree" Finders!

Maddy watching from a distance while Daddy cuts down the tree. She was careful to keep a good distance to be safe:o)

Gracie was all tuckered out from finding our tree, so she fell asleep on the way home with everything she needed....her own little tree.

The finished product, The Perfect Tree!

Gracie, Mia, Maddy, and Carmen

Today we had some fun surprise visitors. The Richmond family was in town visiting some of their family for Thanksgiving so they stopped by to see us for a bit. It has been at least a year since the last time we saw them and it was so fun to catch up. We were all amazed to see how our girls have grown and changed and it was great fun to see them play together again. We hope to make it to Kansas to visit you all some time soon:o)

Fun photos from this summer:o)

2009-11-25T16:52:00.008-06:00

It was so fun to have our friends here this summer and Tom came the morning that they left and took a few photos. Here is a small sampling of what he did.

deBruyn Photography

Photos by Uncle Tom

2009-11-24T14:54:00.011-06:00

My brother Tom has been getting into the photography business this past year and he is quite good, if you asked me....the unbiased sister. Here are a few photos he took of our family this fall. You can also check out his blog at www.debruynphotography.com .

They crack me up...

2009-11-24T14:23:00.005-06:00

The girls have really changed how they play since they started preschool this fall and it is so fun to watch them grow and learn new things. Here is a little taste of what I am talking about:o)

The funny thing about this is that they moved their whole kitchen set, table and chairs from their toy room into their bed room, and they have been having quite the party in there. As you can see Gracie is pretty happy with their success.

Then they requested their Noah's Ark fort so that they could take their animals to the Vet. Evidently they are all pretty sick. So funny to listen to them talk about what is wrong with each animal and how they are going to fix it. Just about everyone gets a shot!

This one of the most amusing thing I have seen lately, although much to my surprise Randy was not as amused as I was. When given some paper and markers Maddy took it upon herself to draw this work of art. It is a picture of Sam, our late beagle, taking care of his business in the rain. Oh and let's not forget that it is a Valentine...see the hearts:o) Maddy has been all about making Valentine's lately, I mean it is only November. I tried to tell her that February 14 is a long ways away and she simply told me that she needs a lot of time to make cards for everyone she knows, and by the way, could I buy more paper. Too funny!

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T19:27:00.005-05:00

Happy Halloween!

We have had a fun couple of days celebrating. It started with costume parades and parties for each of the girl's classes at school. Then last night we went to my parents church for a fall celebration with games and candy and a bounce house. Today we carved pumpkins and Randy took our little Monkey and Kangaroo around the neighborhood for Trick or Treat.

Watching The Numbers Tick....

2009-10-27T11:24:00.001-05:00

Ever wondered about how much we (and everyone else around the world) use Internet social media, cell phones, other things that didn't exist when we were kids? Check this out:

What did you do at work today?

Three's A Crowd

2009-10-17T11:44:00.005-05:00

The shirt says it all.

She has no idea what is coming.

Forgive us for the text, but it is true to an extent, right?.

A New Era - Part 3

2009-10-15T23:17:00.000-05:00

There always comes a time in everyone's life when they think that it's time for something new. For most of us in this day in age, that just means we change something on our Facebook page or download a new app. For us in the Kleinman household, many things have changed in the last six months including the frequency of advertising our lives online.

After quite a bit of gentle and not-so-gentle prying from those who were fans of thekleinmans.net (our second blog), we decided to finish the sale of our online souls to Google by opening a blog on Google-owned blogspot. I mean we already have Gmail accounts, share calendars, chat on Google Chat throughout the day, and use Google maps to find where we are. Why not bring the blog to the welcoming arms of Larry Page and Sergey Brin?

Stay tuned for more, more often.