The Kleins

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Happy Summer!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Grandpa Lanny and Grandma Lynn are here visiting us for three weeks before we all head out Crane hot springs in Oregon for the Collier Family Reunion next week. We are having a wonderful time so far. The babies are having a blast hanging out with their grandparents, although Mischa is a little slow to warm up on some days. The babies are really enjoying my parents delicious cooking. They have eaten everything from chicken chow mein noodles, to red chile ground beef with black beans, spaghetti with italian sausage and even pot roast with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. One of their latest favorites is probably cornbread! The babies are definitely getting a variety of meals lately and it's so fun experimenting with different foods. Tonight, we all went to Dairy Queen and enjoyed some yummy sweet treats. Needless to say, all three babies loved the strawberry sundae we ordered for them. This was their first time trying ice cream and they loved it! Grandpa and grandma sure do know how to spoil these little ones!

Besides all the delicious meals we have been eating, we've also been taking the babies on walks around the neighborhood. They fell in love with the swings at one of the nearby parks the first time they tried them last week. In fact, they usually don't want to get out of the swings when it's time to go home. Lynn and I have been getting our steps in together since we both have fitbit pedometers and like to encourage each other. Here are pictures from the past two weeks.

Here's Isaac and Seth in Hawaii two weeks ago...lucky boys!

Still can't believe he's 14 sometimes

Isaac shredding on a half pipe

Caleb and Mischa being pulled in the wagon by big sister, Madeline

Madeline

Caleb checking out the colorful chairs

Mischa

Our wonderful nanny, Citlalli, and Caleb

Out for a walk around the neighborhood

Sweet Madeline

Big smile from Caleb

Mischa wasn't so sure about the headband look

She likes picking flowers so I put one in her hair

Madeline enjoyed grandpa's italian sausage spaghetti!

Caleb liked it too!

Mischa ate the most! ...and right to the bathtub the babies went! :)

First time for the babies at Dairy Queen! They were in heaven

Madeline had her mouth wide open and was ready!

Caleb loved dad's hot fudge sundae

Madeline took big bites of her strawberry sundae

Once grandma Lynn started feeding Mischa her ice cream, they quickly became best friends!

After their adventure at Dairy Queen, it was pajama time, diaper change, milk and then bedtime for the babies. I'm sure they are having sweet dreams right now! Thanks for stopping by :)

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

18 months old today!

Wow, the babies are officially a year and a half today! What an amazing, extraordinary and fun time it is right now. They are so playful and energetic and starting to really become more and more independent by the day. They love playing with balls, reading books, going for walks in the wagon, playing in the backyard, and hanging out with other kiddos. With the weather being so gorgeous lately, we have spent a lot of time outdoors in the sunshine and they can't seem to get enough of the great outdoors.

We've all been doing really good lately. We have had a busy past few weeks with BBQs, birthday parties, play dates and life in general. The babies have their 18 month doctor check up in a couple of weeks, so Seth and I are excited to see how much they have grown. We have a fun tradition where we always play a game we call "Fantasy Baby" where the day of a doctor's appointment, we both guess each kiddos weight. It's kind of like fantasy football in a way so that's how we came up with the name. We try to guess to the ounce each babies' weight and who ever wins gets a treat from the other person (foot rub, back rub, mani/pedi...ha, you know which one I prefer)!

In the past month we transitioned the babies to one day time nap at noon and it's been good. They seem to respond well to one long daytime nap, as long as Caleb doesn't wake them up too early. Caleb has always been the one to wake up before the girls so sometimes Seth and I have to run into the nursery to get him out before he wakes the others up. On weekends when Seth plays with the babies ALL day, they tend not to nap quite as well because they are so excited to play with dad. Fortunately, they are sleeping great at night. We still keep them on a tight schedule in terms of feedings, nap, playtime and bedtime. Having a schedule is what keeps us parents sane. They are pretty much eating everything nowadays, too. Mischa is still our number one snacker. She eats a fair amount with meals in the high chair, but she sure does love to snack throughout the day. She loves anything from fruit to graham crackers, gold fish, mum mums, and dried yogurt bites. I've always been a snacker myself, so Seth is always joking that Mischa is just like me in that sense.

We are excited for the summer months ahead because we have a few trips planned with the babies. We are planning on attending the Collier Family reunion over the 4th of July weekend in Oregon. Isaac with be visiting for 2 weeks since he is on summer vacation, so we are really looking forward to him being here. It will be quite the adventure having 3 one and a half year old kids running around in cabins out in the beautiful wilderness. I somehow foresee lots of dirty little hands and feet running around everywhere having a ball. Luckily, there will be plenty of family around to help out! We are also planning another trip to the bay area to visit Seth's family. It's been a few months since we were last in San Francisco, so we're looking forward to going again this summer. Seth and I keep talking about how maybe this will be the year in which we take the babies to Hawaii....hmm, it might happen but we don't have anything officially planned yet.

Well, here are some pictures and videos of the babies. Our camera is actually in Hawaii right now because Seth took it with him to visit Isaac, so I'll be sure to post more pictures very soon. Enjoy!

Madeline & Caleb in their new big kid car seats

Caleb looking a little unsure...he's not used to facing forward :)

Mischa just big enough for the new seat

Madeline

Caleb passed out in the wagon (being a kid is exhausting!)

Mischa

Caleb getting a ride from dad

Out enjoying the day at Wingfield Park

Our attempt at a group photo...not too bad

Madeline

Caleb

Mischa

Madeline checking out the toys at a friend's birthday party

Caleb liked the toys too

Mischa couldn't decide between the green ball and the walker

Caleb enjoying the new outdoor sand and water table

Mischa & Madeline playing in our tent with their friend, Sasha

Mischa pushing a stroller

Madeline "talking" on the phone

Madeline and Caleb playing on mom's treadmill

Out for a walk in the neighborhood with dad

Here are a couple of videos from the past week

Thanks for stopping by! I will post an update soon :)

Monday, May 6, 2013

17 months old!

Howdy everyone! Where is time going? Last Saturday, the babies turned 17 months old! Seth and I can't believe we are almost at the year and a half mark. Everyone always says time goes fast when you have kids and boy, were they right. It sure does seem like the months are flying by.

The babies are all doing really great. They are down to one nap a day now after lunch and still sleeping from 7pm to 7am (thank heaven for us parents). They are eating well and its been fun introducing them to different foods, although they make it well known if they don't like something because it ends up thrown on the floor immediately (let's just say tofu wasn't their favorite). The newest event in our household has been Mischa letting out her aggression with her teeth! She's been biting her brother and sister when she gets upset with them. Poor Caleb and Madeline have teeth marks and bruises on their arms to prove it. Fortunately, Mischa doesn't lash out too often but we try to gently yet sternly tell her no. Is it even possible to be gentle yet stern? HA! :) We're pretty sure she understands that it's wrong because she gets a certain look on her face and will stop, then sometimes cry. Hopefully this is a phase that passes soon. And wouldn't you know Mischa happens to have the most teeth out of the bunch...OUCH!

Last weekend we made the transition from infant car seats to convertible car seats. Wow, our little pumpkins outgrew their infants seats finally in terms of height. They used to look so tiny in their infant seats when we brought them home from the hospital. What precious little babies they were! The new car seats are great in the fact that these will be the last car seats we will need to buy since they convert to booster seats once the kiddos reach 65 lbs and then will last until they weigh 100 lbs. Did I mention that buying three new car seats costs the equivalent of a half a month's mortgage payment pretty much? Luckily, all three car seats fit in a row in the middle aisle of our Pilot since these convertible seats are pretty big and cushioned. By the way, if anybody needs any information about convertible car seats, I did enough research to probably write a 20 page dissertation, and then some! The funny thing is that in the end I ended up going with the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Rachael)!

Here are pictures from this past weekend to mark 17 months old!