Visit to Children's Museum

The family got a pass to the Cincinnati Museum for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we all went down for our first visit to the Children's Museum. We all had a great time. Brendan played all over the museum and we were amazed at how much is there. Rich had never visited Union Terminal that houses the museum before, and was very impressed by the historic building. After checking out all of the Children's museum, we visited the Christmas train exhibit. After this, we were all tired and hungry and headed home. It was a great day and we may go back next week to see the Natural History Museum.

GodFather Visit for Brendan

Last Sunday my GodFather Elliot was in Ohio visiting from Chicago. He and his parents came by for a visit and dinner. I had a fun time playing and got a nice gift that I've enjoyed playing with. We enjoyed dinner together and I gave everyone hugs when they had to go. I look forward to them visiting again.

Brendan

Merry Christmas Aunt Marla - Thanks

Aunt Marla - Thank you very much for my wonderful gifts, I've been playing with my jack-in-the-box and sketch board constantly. I really love opening up gifts and getting things to play with. I'm having a lot of fun with Christmas time. The only bad part was that Bailey chewed up my St. Nicholas gift last night, it was a nice wooden hand-made ornament, Mommy and Daddy took me around to try to find a replacement for it today, but we had no luck, so we found a Santa ornament of the same type which is just a good...but Mommy is still upset at Bailey!!! I hope your Christmas is going well also - Brendan.

Dad's Birthday

For my birthday (dad's) we had a great day. After our normal morning routine of getting Brendan ready and taking him to daycare, we took the day off of work. We ran some errands and took a nap in the morning. Then we went to lunch at a sushi restaurant and went to Costco to pick some things up including a new car seat for Brendan since he's outgrowing one of the ones we have. After that we picked up Brendan and went to EnTrainment Junction, it is a really nice place where they have model trains running from all different eras in US history...we all really enjoyed ourselves. After that we went to Brazenhead for dinner but it was really short since Brendan was pretty worn out by this time and was ready for bed.

Thanks Tante Hedi

Dear Tante Hedi...Thank you so much for the wonderful Christmas gift, I just couldn't wait until Christmas to open it!!! You must have known that I really like music, I played with the music box you sent all evening yesterday while dancing and clapping to the different songs. I even clapped my hands and stomped my feet to the song "If you're happy and you know it". Thank you very much, I can't wait to see you again.

Christmas Party

We had our annual Christmas party this year with our friends...this year we hosted. Wow, things have really changed over the past few years as we went from a bunch of couples to having the party completely dominated by children...it is a lot more fun now!!! This year was the first year that we even did a children's gift exchange, all the kids were happy with their toys...although I can't say the same thing about all the adults :)

St. Nicholas Day

Brendan received some great gifts for St. Nicholas day. He got an advent calender early and absolutely loves getting his calendar each day to open the door and get his chocolate after dinner. He also got a nice ornament of a wooden moose on an airplane which he also plays with every day. It is very nice to see how excited Brendan is to receive his gifts. He seems to look forward each day thinking he will get something new!!!

Christkindlmarkt

Brendan's Grandma Klaus is down for a visit this week. Saturday was her birthday and we all went to the Christkindlmarkt to celebrate. We had lots of fun with food, a petting zoo and music. Grandma was able to buy some German crafts and said it was a great birthday. It was cold outside, but the tent was nice and warm.

Expecting Another Baby Boy

Well we had our ultrasound and the new baby looks healthy and on track. They confirmed we are expecting our second son. So that will bring the house Male/Female ratio to 4-1 (Rich, Brendan, New Baby, and the dog to Andrea). We are looking forward to the arrival of our new addition and are excited that Brendan will have a little brother to play with soon.

Phoenix, Arizona - Trip

This post is a bit overdue, but we all went out to Phoenix, Arizona in mid-October. I had to travel out for work and Andrea had some extra vacation time so things worked out perfectly. I also took some extra vacation days and we saw a lot of Phoenix, and we traveled to Sedona. Sedona was absolutely beautiful as you can see from the pictures. We had a really nice trip and were able to see a lot...and Andrea and Brendan were able to hang out at the hotel water park while I went to work!!! Now that the new baby is due in March, we won't be taking any big trips as a family for awhile.

Happy Halloween

We all had a great time trick or treating last night. At first, Brendan was hesitate, but after a few houses, he would reach right into the candy bowls and grab what he wanted. He decided he really likes candy like KitKat, Whoppers, and Twislers. After making it down our street and back, we handed out candy to any remaining kids. Brendan was a puppy this year. He left is custom, including the hood, on the whole time. He even stayed up past bedtime, but we're not sure if that is because he was having so much fun or the sugar.

Park Visit

We had a nice weekend preparing for the fall time by enjoying the weather outside. We went to the park this Sunday afternoon and it is amazing how quickly Brendan is learning and growing. This visit he was very excited to arrive at the park and ran over to his play area. The last time we went to the park was only a month or two ago and he could not climb up on his own very well. This time he is able to do everything himself and walks right up the stairs and even the ladder. We also were able to feed some ducks with bread that people gave Brendan...he loves to watch and feed the ducks.

Pumpkin Hunting

Today we went out to the pumpkin patch to find a nice pumpkin. Brendan was able to start out the trip with a nice hay-ride, then walk around the pumpkin field touching all the different types of pumpkins, gourds, and squash. It was a really nice place that was a working farm so there were all sorts of animals that Brendan has only seen in books up to this point. He was able to talk with some cows and share his favorite animal sound "Moo". Although he loves his monkey sounds also, there were not any monkeys around :) We had a really nice day so far, now Brendan is taking a long nap to recover.

Play Night

Last night was great, my friend Emily came by and we had a lot of fun. I was a bit upset at first that mommy and daddy were spending time with Emily so I cried instead of eating my dinner...I showed them!!! After dinner we danced and played with all my cool toys, the best part was running up and down the slide for about 30 minutes...wow were we sweaty after that workout. After that mommy and daddy took us on a walk around the neighborhood and we got to relax and get sleepy. Then we got home and it was time for my bath, but we decided to keep playing instead. Emily's parents came back and she was happy to see them. I can't wait until next playtime. The picture above is us having fun on the slide.

Trasitioning to Toddler Room

This week, Brendan is transitioning to the toddler room at daycare. This room is for kids 18-29 months old. Today is his first lunch with the toddlers, he now needs to bring his lunch in his own lunch bag. He was really excited to take it this morning. So far, he has enjoyed the time spent in the toddler class. By this Friday, he will be in there full time. It looks like the transition will be harder on me than him!

New Klaus addition - End of March 2009

Brendan is going to have a new sibling...things are looking good for the end of March 2009...about the same time as Opa's birthday.

Storm Damage

Last weekend we had some terrible winds, luckly there was nearly no rain. We saw significant damage to the area, including some damage to our house, although minor compared to what others saw. We lost some shingles on the roof and many others are loose, we also lost some siding. About 90% of the Cincinnati area was without power for a good part of the week, we were the lucky 10% who never even lost power. We've never seen storms like that before in this area, some of it was from Hurricane Ike but a cold front came through at the same time which resulted in wind gusts up to almost 80mph.

Halloween Decoration

We decorated for Halloween this weekend...Brendan is enjoying playing with all the new "toys" around the house. It is really a lot of fun to see Brendan enjoying himself for the holidays. We've had a nice weekend between going to a baby shower, playing in the yard...although it is very wet since we aerated and overseeded this week so it is getting heavy watering now. Today we're planning to do some shopping and just enjoy our time together.

New Furniture

We decided to get some new furniture, nothing special, but our old "just out of college" furniture had lived most of its useful life. Brendan and Bailey were both a bit anxious of the change but seem to have adjusted quickly. We're very happy with our new furniture, and the recliner will be a big help for Andrea for sleeping as the new baby grows!!!

Kings Island

Today was our annual work event at Kings Island, this was a fun year since Brendan could enjoy some of the rides. We went on the old carousel and he was a bit nervous but had a good time, after that we went high up the tower where we could look out all over the area and even see our house, it was very windy. We had a nice lunch that we brought with, then went on a few more rides before Brendan was worn out and decided to come home to take one of his 3+hour naps

Toddler Bed

Brendan made the transition from his crib to his toddler bed today. The crib nicely converts with a few part changes. He has been sleeping on a cot in daycare for about a month, but this is a big change at home...mostly for mommy!!! So far he has taken a few naps and seems to be staying in bed and enjoying himself. When we first converted the bed, he actually ran right to it and climbed in. The fun will start when Brendan realizes he can get out of bed and play with all of the toys in his room anytime he wants.

Brendan loves reading

Brendan loves to be read to, we can't look at the paper or an article without him joining in.

Labor Day Weekend

We enjoyed our labor day weekend with some fun family outings.

Saturaday we went to Findlay Market where we had Bienstich and Cream Puffs, yum. Afterwards, we headed over to the Hoffbraus Haus for some sausage, pretzels and beer. Brendan enjoyed the pretzels and playing in the rocks.

On Sunday we went to Sharon Woods park for a picnic. Afterwards, Brendan played in the water, he had a great time and ended up soaked!

New Bike for Mom

Brendan and Rich got me a brand new shiny blue bike for my birthday. It is a comfort bike and it is a great smooth ride. We have tested it out in the neighborhood, we can't wait for the construction to be finished so we can go for long rides.

Summer Bike Rides

Summer is going quickly. We've been having some fun taking Brendan for rides in his carrier, we even bought mommy a new bike for her birthday. Brendan really enjoys riding in his carrier, as long as he has a ball to carry with him. Unfortunately, the main road outside of our neighborhood is under construction so we are limited to short rides until they get everything fixed up.

Getting Tubes

So tomorrow is the big day, Brendan is going in to get bilateral tubes first thing in the morning. I am nervous and excited. I hope he feels better after this is done. The doctor said he as allot of fluid and pressure on his ears. This will improve his hearing also!

Playing With Bubbles

This morning, we took Brendan out to play while it was still cooler. We got out his bubble machine and boy did he have fun. This is the 1st time he has been really interested in it. He chased bubbles all around and only have one good tumble (with a knot on his head to prove it). After chasing all those bubble he was pretty worn out and ready for his nap.

Fun with my tent - Surgery gift

I found out on Friday I have to get ear surgery since I've had 6 ear infections over the past ~5months, boy do my ears hurt...and it's been hard to hear mommy and daddy talking to me. Daddy got me a special surprise, I guess it is good to have to get surgery!!! Bailey and I had a great time playing in my hippopotamus tent on Saturday, I let mommy in even though she is a girl. My scooter was fun to play with inside the tent also, but once the balls came in also it started to get crowded. My big surgery day is planned for Friday July 25th in the morning, wish me luck.

Day at the Park

We had one of our first free days in a very long time on Sunday...hard to find what to do in between Brendan's naps. We went to Pine Hill Lake park here in Mason on Sunday and enjoyed the kids playground set. Brendan loved climbing the stairs and crawling through the tunnel, even though he looked like a girl in his hat and long hair...at least many people at the park said he was a "cute girl". Lots of fun was to be had until he went to the water park area and slipped onto his rear end a few times and then it was time to go home.

We Gave In

Here is a picture of Brendan, Bailey, and myself with our new mini-van. I've fought getting

one of these, but finally caved in when Andrea's old boss decided to unload his and move back to Mexico...I still question if Andrea forced him out of the country in order to get his van. It is nice to get a used car from somebody we know and trust, it is in good shape and we're very happy with our new bus!!!

Memphis: BBQ and Sweet Tea

We just got back from our trip to Memphis and Jonesboro, Arkansas. Brendan loves sweet tea just like his Daddy. We had a nice time, but boy was it hot. We stayed in Memphis off of Beale Street the 1st night. Brendan walked on Beale in his blue shoes, saw the Peabody ducks, ate lots of BBQ, listened to blues and visited the muddy Mississippi.

Brendan and Emily's Playdate

Emily came over tonight since her Mom and Dad had dinner plans. Both Brendan and Emily loved the ball popper. At first Brendan was shy and didn't want to share his Mommy and Daddy, but then he warmed up and he and Emily ended the night playing Peek-a-boo. Then it was off to bath for Brendan and bed for Emily. Both went right to sleep after a hard night of playing.

Brendan and I were home on Monday as he was recovering from a bug. We made a tunnel between the couch and coffee table. Brendan enjoyed crawling through and over the tunnel. He is really climbing now, walking everywhere.

Brendan Mowing Driveway

Brendan has been walking for the past couple of weeks and he has gotten pretty good. Tonight he mowed the driveway for us with his new bubble mower. He loves to be outside and walk, but he is not a big fan of grass yet.

Father's Day

For Father's Day we visit the Cincinnati Zoo and had a picnic. We saw lots of animals and really enjoyed our lunch in the shade. After eating a big lunch and running all around the picnic tables, Brendan decided he needed a nap. Rich and I saw the rest of the animals before heading home. Once home, we relaxed poolside to cool off from the busy hot day. This was Brendan's 1st trip to the zoo and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Butterfly

Brendan enjoyed the Butterfly show here in Cincinnati. They were flying all over the room and landing on all the people.

Detroit

Our trip to Detroit to visit Aunt Kim. We had a great time, although I don't like long car rides. My great Aunt had lots of toys for me to play with and also a different looking puppy than mine.