December 2009 (330 photos), by andrea Klaus

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Trip to Chicago

We had a great trip to Chicago the last week of August. We stayed a few days with Tante Hedi and got the chance to visit with Uncle Bert, Tante Elfriede, and Bob. Hedi was a great host and Brendan really loved playing with her.



After that we headed downtown were we spent a few days at a hotel close to Navy Peir. We visited the Field Museum and Childrens Museum as well as the park, Mich Ave, Navy Peir, etc.... We learned allot navigating the city with our double stoller. I didn't care for carrying the stoller up the stairs to catch the train, but we made it. The weather was cool, but the rain stopped once we got to the city. Lukas got is first boat ride and both got their 1st ride on a subway. We all enjoyed ourselves and the boys really had fun.

Andrea's Birthday August 6th

I took the day off, and Andrea was already home for her birthday with the kids this summer. We started the day with a nice big breakfast and then went to Kentucky to Newport Aquarium, Brendan always loves the fish and we really enjoyed how much Lukas enjoyed himself also...the colors and movement seemed really nice for him. After the Aquarium we had lunch at the Hoffbrauhaus and then got ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. We went home after that and all took some time to nap before we went to pick up dinner to make at home and cake. It was a great day for all of us to enjoy Andrea's birthday.

Clifford Train Ride

Today we went on another train ride with Clifford the Big Red Dog as the theme, Brendan as expected had a really nice time. After the train, we went and had a hamburger at Red Robin and Andrea had ice cream and was sang (a few days after her birthday).

Water Time

This afternoon we played outside and enjoyed the very comfortable weather, Brendan always likes to play in the water and he had a really nice time today. After playing in the water, we made a big dinner of sausage with basil and onions, lasagna, and fresh vegetables and baked eggplant from our garden. Mommy came home from Memphis just in time for dinner, everybody is very happy to have her home.

Kolping Festival - Brendan and Daddy

After nap today, we went to a "party" at the Kolping Catholic German society of Cincinnati, we had a great time. We were lucky to be there early since by the time we left at 8:30pm (about an hour past Brendan's bedtime) it was packed. We had multiple cream puffs, and all sorts of other food. We played in the fields and listened to lots of music. I don't know if it was the excitement or all the sweets, but Brendan was wide awake even when we got home and running all over, glad he had such a nice time. The best part for Brendan was that there was a game where the table spun with a rat was under a metal cover, then a bell was rang, the cover was removed and the rat ran into a variety of colored holes that people could bet on the odds...that was very entertaining.

Brendan and Daddy Day

Mommy went to visit family for a long weekend so Brendan and Daddy have had some fun time together. Today we started our day out by having a big breakfast at home together and then running some errands including buying a bb-gun (yes, mommy knows of our new "toy"). Then we got some Chick-fil-A for snack and took it with us to see an old steam engine running out of Mason just down the street from us, it was really exciting also since they had people and an all dressed-up in the Civil War-era. After our picnic of our Chick-fil-a we talked to some of the soldiers and then went on the train ride. It was very loud with lots of ash from the coal engine and Brendan really seemed to enjoy himself on the ride. We rode on the open air car right behind the engine where he got to see the coal being loaded, the bell rung, and the loud whistle. After the ride, we spent more time in the "Civil War Village" and were able to see all sorts of interesting things. Then we went back to Chick-fil-A for lunch and had more chicken...along with playing in the playland until Brendan was beyond tired out, so we left after a big scene in the restaurant of crying, kicking, and yelling how he didn't want to go!!! Now he's well into the 4th hour of a nap before we go to a German festival when he wakes up.

Cow Appreciation Dsy

For free meals, we all dressed up for Cow Appreciation Day at Chickfila. We had a great time, enjoyed our free combos and played in the playland before going home. A big Friday nite out for us!

Touch a Truck

The boys and I went to 'Touch a Truck' today and had a nice time. Brendan was a little shy at first, but then got in and touched some of the vehicles. Our neighbor, Barb, joined us to lend me a hand with the 2 boys, Thanks Barb!

Bunny eating pickles

Brendan is good at sharing with his toys, now if he could just start sharing with other people :)

Lukas in Bouncy Seat - 3 months

Lukas is really learning to hit is toys, he is so focused while playing with them.

Father's Day 2009 Itenerary

1. Big family breakfast
2. Gifts and hugs for Dad
3. Trip to the aquarium
4. Lunch at Claddaugh
5. Then yard work :)

Brendan Climbing Memorial Day

We went to the park for a Memorial Day picnic. Brendan had a great time and as always had to make sure the other kids 'waited their turn' . :)

Lukas's Baptism

Lukas was baptized on April 26th at All Saints Catholic church. Several members of our family joined us for the special occasion. We were able to bapize Lukas at the same church that baptized Brendan and Fr. Dennis was able to perform the baptism (he also married Rich and I).

Brendan's 2nd Birthday

We celebrated Brendan's 2nd birthday on April 25th at Heritage Park in Mason. The weather was warm and we had a great time with our visiting family and friends. Brendan really enjoyed all the snacks and cake. All the kids had a great time on the playground!

Brendan's 2nd Birthday - Let's Eat Cake

Brendan had a great 2nd birthday last weekend at the park with lots of friends. The weather was great and we all had a good time. He is still opening presents!

Lukas on Playmat at 2 weeks.

Lukas Andrew Klaus - Homecoming

After only ~36hrs after delivery, both Andrea and our new son Lukas Andrew were released from the hospital. We took the day "easy" and tried to get some rest before coming home, which we realized was really needed. Brendan had a great day with his aunt and grandma today and went Easter Egg hunting, lunch at Bravo, and lots of other playing. Then Brendan was not overly excited to see his new brother, but at the same time very interested. The evening with Brendan went well overall until after he got back from ice cream with his aunt and grandma. Brendan had a number of meltdowns, and was very needy of mommy and daddy and really still misses his best friend DeeDee (Bailey) who we will pick up from the kennel tomorrow. Lukas is getting used to his new home and a bit overwhelmed himself. We'll see how tomorrow goes :)

New Baby Boy Klaus

Andrea woke up about 12:30am this morning and was having regular contractions. We figured it was time, so we got ready, and were told to head to the hospital after calling the doctor. Our friend came by to watch Brendan, and a neighbor helped to take Bailey to the kennel. The new baby boy Klaus was born at 6:46am at Christ Hospital here in Cincinnati and is 20" and 7lb13oz. We still have to come up with a name, but we have time. Grandma Klaus and Aunt Kim are on their way down to spend some time with us and help out with Brendan. Hopefully Brendan is not too upset, and it will help that he is on his normal routine at daycare today.

Brendan's First Haricut

It has been a long time, but Brendan finally received his first haircut prior to his 2nd birthday. Now that summer is near it is

better that it is a little shorter. The haircut place was very nice with a TV and videos, Brendan watched Thomas the Train and sat in a car seat while playing with toys. We were all surprised how well Brendan did and really seemed to enjoy himself.

Spring Time - Brendan and Mommy with baby

The weather is starting to be very nice here, although we're still getting a few cold days on and off. This picture is mommy at ~8mts pregnant with Brendan's brother. As of Mar 13, that was mommy's last day of work and she has 2wks off before her due date. During that time she is relaxing, getting things ready, and watching a lot of movies.

Cincinnati Symphony - Bugs

This weekend was the Cincinnati arts weekend so there is a whole lot of things to do around town. Last year we enjoyed the art museum and this year we took Brendan to a Saturday morning performance of the Cincinnati Symphony. The show focused on all sorts of Bugs. Brendan seemed to enjoy himself and was very relaxed the whole time. After that we had our picnic lunch and enjoyed seeing the Cincinnati Music Hall, it is an old beautiful building. As usual, by the time Brendan made it to the car he was well on his way to sleep. Most of the rest of this weekend was cold and snowy so we played around the house and mommy went off Sunday to have lunch with some friends who hosted a baby "sprinkle".

TRUCKS

The past year a lot of road construction has been underway on Western Row by our house. There has been no sidewalk and the road was out so we couldn't get out of the neighborhood except by car. Now the road is finished but not yet open so we have a very big road to walk up and down which is nice. The best part is that there is sometimes construction equipment. Today is the first time that we were able to take Brendan out to see a backhoe which he really enjoys seeing in person after reading about them in his books and doing puzzles of different trucks. The road and bike path they are building out in front of our neighborhood is going to be very nice once they get everything complete in a few months.

Boom Box

Brendan can't seem to let go of his Valentine's day gift of a boom box mp3 player. He carries it all around with him listening and dancing to his music. He's also started to want to share everything with his best friend Bailey. Bailey gets lots of books read to him from Brendan and also gets to listen to all of Brendan's music.

More Wind Damage

We had some more amazing storms here in Cincinnati this week. For the second time in ~6 months we have roof damage from very high winds. In the pictures below you can see the north side of the storm approaching from the southwest, as we watched the clouds come in the air was still and then as the clouds in the pictures went past us we had winds of 50-60mph for about 30min. This was much less damaging than the wind storm back in September of last year but a lot of homes have significant damage again since most were already weakened from the fall.

Valentine's Gift

Brendan received a very nice package from his Grandma and Opa. There were clothes, books and an mp3 boom box. It took a few days to figure out how to get the boom box to work, but after mommy and daddy figured it out with the help of Grandma via phone it is now Brendan's favorite thing around. He carries it and listens to his music, he is even getting good at selecting different songs to listen to.

Trash Day

Brendan continues to love the trash. Sunday is the big preparation day to get the trash out to the curb and start talking about the trash truck. Monday's we wake up and watch the trash truck and men getting all the trash from our street. This always helps to make Monday's a great morning for the whole family.

Enjoying the Outside in Winter

Although we've had cold weather with snow and ice this winter, we've also been lucky and had a lot of very nice days to enjoy. This past week, it got into the 60's so we left work early to come home and enjoy things outside. Brendan enjoyed getting his scooter out and riding around as well as giving his friend Bailey lots of hugs.

Shoveling the Driveway

More good news, we discovered today that Brendan can shovel the snow from our driveway. We never thought at such a young age he could shovel like this. But as you can see, he even did the sidewalk. Rich and I were really proud as we watched from the porch :)
Bailey on the other hand just ran around in the snow for a few minutes, then he was tired.

He also cooks!

Oh, in addition to taking out the trash, Brendan now helps prepare dinner. This is perfect as we prepare for the new baby to arrive. You can't do much in the kitchen now with Brendan's 'help'!

One of Brendan's Favorite Things.....TRASH

Brendan's loves to watch the garbage truck come and pick up our trash. Since he loves that so much, he also loves to help take out the trash on Sunday's. This involves him backing the car out of the garage (with Rich's help), pulling the cans and any boxes to the curb, and pulling the car back into the garage. He talks about trash all day Sunday in anticipation of the truck coming Monday morning and all day Monday about how the truck came. We have to admit, we're glad the truck comes on Monday, he is in a great mood after garbage pick-up.

I had to go swimming

Well, since Rich had Lasik done, he couldn't go swimming for at least 2 weeks. This meant the I (at 7 months pregnant) had to dig out a swimsuit and go to swim class. While Brendan would have preferred his Dad take him swimming, he made due with me but often complained that I was not throwing him in the air or bouncing around as much. I tried to tell him he should just be happy in the pool and join in the fun, but reasoning didn't do any good :)

Rich Fixed his Eyes

Rich got Lasik first thing this morning. He has been thinking about it for a long time and finally got it done. He got home around 10 AM and slept to mid-afternoon. His eyes are sore, but he is seeing well. He gets to wear these really cool googles till tomorrow morning when he goes to his check-up. Brendan was sushing me all morning because Daddy was sleeping. Brendan got to play some this afternoon with his Daddy, we was really missing his Dad.