Christmas 2009

Santa is Good
Santa is Great
Santa is Wonderful

Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas Eve traditionally consists of a Turkey Dinner at Grandpa & Grandma's house. Followed by a few Christmas carols, a nativity play put on by the kids, the reading of the night before christmas, opening presents from extended family, some dessert, and a drive home watching the sky for Santa and his Reindeer. Occasionally, every few years, we like to add in a family "quarrell". This year was peaceful.

Christmas Cookies

This year I bestowed the cookie making on the girls. They are all excited the first 10 minutes of cutting out and frosting but then fizzle out and leave me with the clean-up. Heidi, however, saw the cookies through till the end and was frosting with 2 spatulas. She looks like a mini Julia Childs in this picture. Maybe I should get her a show on HGTV:)

Der Haus

Front Porch

Family Room

Living Room

These pictures are posted for our friends in Deutschland who wanted to see the house at Christmas Time.

Dana Point Boat Parade

In December, for the 2 -3 weekends before Christmas there are boat parades at the harbors in Dana Point and Newport Beach. The "haves" decorate their boats and yachts and parade them in front of the "have-nots". It is a fun thing to go and see and sometimes we will take chili & cocoa, other times we get fish and chips on the pier. The crowds get crazy so this year Dan pulled one of his usual "schlitzurs" and got us onto the island on the other side of the parade. The parking attendant let us go into the yacht club parking lot (for free) and we had front row, un-crowded seats for the parade. We only go to the boat parade every few years. One time Dan & I went on a sail boat in the parade (courtesy of our friends Mike & Monica). It was sort-of boring. I think I would rather be a spectator with the "have-nots" and get to see all of the boats.

Christmas 2009

Its impossible to get everyone to smile when you are on a camera timer.... so for what it is worth... this is this year's christmas picture.
REED- is growing like wildfire (not a term taken lightly in So. California). He is nearly as tall as me and is turning into a teenager. He is involved in scouts and has started his first year in Jr. High. His life is consumed with homework and more homework. In his spare time he likes to read, build things, play computer games, and play with the dog and chickens. He is evidently liked by the ladies as well. ( Being surrounded by 3 sisters your entire life MAY have one perk.) He has 8th grade girls coming up to him at school telling him " I like your hair" or asking randomly for hugs. Recently he went to a birthday party at a Mini Golf Amusement park and picked up on 2 girls.....(which I am not ok with, yet) complete with getting their phone numbers. When I asked where the $10 spending cash was that I gave him for the night, he said he was out because he bought the girls popcorn! ( Then had to teach him the little life lesson that girls will like you if you buy them things..... not like you, for you.) For the next few weeks he begged for a cell phone. Oh HELL! What are we in for?
ASHLEY- Spends most of her time with her two best friends. They play the Wii and "hang out" making strange retarded sounds from her room. (I really don't want to know what is going on up there... I am sure it is not improving their intellect.) I had to instigate "no-friend" days because I litterally had extra children at all times in the house. They are good kids and when I watch them play I laugh my head off... I just go insane after prolonged exposure to lots of children. Ashley is in her second year of piano and despite her lack of practice, she plays really good. Every week she can" pull one over" on her teacher who thinks she put in hours of practice and absolutely adores her. She must have a real talent for it, because no one should sound that good hardly ever practicing. In school, Ashley made Honor Roll this year and has straight A's. A Klein Family first! She is very sweet, responsible and mature for her age. (When not with her friends.)

EMILY- Loves all things paper. When not in school, she is playing school with Heidi. Teaching her all sorts of things. (Heidi told me that a Fag was "a boy and a girl that were naked in bed with each other") So evidently, Emily also includes Sex Ed in her curriculum. Emily can draw, color and staple for hours. She hoards paper to make books, and even goes through the trash in her classroom to get "valuable items" useful in her school at home. She is our sweetest, quietest, most low maintenance child and is content just playing or drawing. She loves outfits and fashion and I have noticed this year she has a very contemporary style. (not from me) She is learning her times tables in school and reading really well.

HEIDI- Is in preschool again this year. She is the tallest girl in her school. She is writing letters and is far more advance than my other kids were at her age. (Probably from all of those school lessons Emily teaches.) She is still an obsessive complusive cleaner. (With the exception of her own room). I was cleaning the chicken coop and she said " I'm glad chickens are messy because when we are bored we can come out and clean up after them."?? What kind of kid says that? She is ready for school and SUPER bored when the kids are gone. Her preschool is only 2 days a week and she will be ready for kindergarten next year. She literrally chews me out if she can't have a playdate with one of her friends. (I hate formal playdates.) She thinks she is a princess and thanks to Ashley and her friends... she thinks she is betrothed to a guy named "Prince Eric" who has sent her gowns and crowns and letters vowing his love to her. She is so cute flitting around the house and she is always happy. I is sad to think that she is growing up and I will not have that sweet little innocence in the house in a few years.

Thanksgiving in St. George

We spent a few days in St. George doing what we love to do there.... absolutely nothing. We go with no plans but somehow find ways to fill the days. The kids spent alot of time playing guitar hero courtesy of Auntie Audra. And they also played with a new puppy , courtesy of Auntie Audra. The rode scooters on a level street. (Quite a novelty since we live on a hill with vicious vehicles driving by trying to kill us... unprovoked!) The food was good and we left a day early to miss traffic.
Keeping with tradition, Dan dresses up as Cousin Eddy (from Christmas Vacation) every year for thanksgiving. (And sometimes on christmas eve if he wants to aggrivate his mother that year.) My mom didnt seem to mind at all and giggled all day when she looked at him.

Reed learned to drive Uncle John's 4 wheel, and from the looks of it.... Uncle John probably needed to change those overalls when Reed was done driving.

Then Dan had a turn at the wheel and evidently released some pent-up agression towards Reed.

The Girls had fun playing with Auntie Audra's new puppy.

Car Accident Update

A few weeks ago Dan got a call from the District Attorney asking him to testify in the case where the Benz was hit parked out front of our house. We thought it was amazing that the case had actually gone to a jury trial. The kid must be an idiot to think he would'nt get nailed for reckless driving charges. So, furious that the kid actually fought the charges, Dan said he would absolutely testify. He was actually able to fulfill a life long dream along with testifying that day. He has always wanted to sit on the witness stand, and in the middle of questioning... when all attention was on him, turn to the side of the stand and pour himself a glass of water. Dream Fulfilled! Who needs the Make-a-Wish foundation?
After 2 days of trial, the jury found the kid guilty and gave him 5 days in Jail, 2 years probation, and a $100 fine. ( The fine will go to re-filling the water pitchers and dusting the courtroom that day). Then instead of jail, the kid has to do 5 days community service. He will probably get lucky and be on a work crew with Paris Hilton or David Hassellhoff or someone famous. Is there no justice in this world?
The only comfort I take in the whole matter is my family is still alive and the kid had to pay at least 10K for his attorneys and special witnesses.

Halloween 2009

For Halloween we invited a few neighborhood families over for dinner and I cooked a stuffed pumpkin. I served all the food with gross names. The Pumpkin was "maggots and ground flesh", the rolls were "baked implants", the jello was in a brain mold ... etc. Everyone dressed up and I don't have any pictures of me or Dan now that I am looking through the pictures. I was a bloody Boy Scout and Dan was "Cousin Eddy" from Christmas Vacation. He actually won a costume contest the night before. (He does a great cousin Eddy impression. ) We ate dinner then took the kids trick-or-treating. Afterwards they came home and started a candy marketplace in the front room. The bartering and exchanging taking place was actually very sophisticated. The floor was literally covered in candy. Then they gorged themselves until about 11:00.

Pumpkin City 09'

Keeping with tradition, on Monday, we took the kids to Pumpkin City (A makeshift pumpkin patch in the mall parking lot.) They rode a few over priced rides and saw farm animals. I think Reed has outgrown the pumpkin patch:( With his $5 he didn't ride one ride. Heidi, on the other hand, was in heaven.She loved her pony ride and pet the horse the entire time. We then went to PF Changs for dinner.

Picnic at the Park

Yesterday we planned to go to San Diego for the day to get a signature from one of Dan's clients and spend the rest of the day at the Zoo. It ended up that Dan didn't need the signature until a few weeks later so we wanted to scrap the plans for the day. The only problem is that we told the kids we were going. So we had to bribe them with a picnic and the promise that when we had to go back down to San Diego, we would pull them out from school.
SO .. I packed a picnic and we loaded all of the bikes on the car and headed to the park. We unloaded the bikes and ate our picnic then headed out for a bike ride. This is where all hell broke loose. It was about 89 degrees and the first 1/4 of the ride had some hills (which Emily refused to ride down... and Ashley refused to ride up). After the last big hill Reed simply refused to go on and Ashley literally threw her helmet. We stopped, had a huge yelling match in the natural wonders of the park and told the kids we were going back to the car. Little did they know we were doing a big loop and would be heading that way anyways. Of course, after we got back they said it was fun... but we will remember this one for a while. I am torn between dragging them out next weekend to do it again... until they get used to it... or just the two of us going from now on. I am afraid right now I choose option #2.

Box Fort aka. Hobo Village OC

On Thursday Dan told me that he wanted to build a fort for the kids out of cardboard after school on Friday. I 1/2 way believed him... but found out he was obsessively serious. I thought it would be impossible to find any cardboard boxes big enough and wasn't too excited about having a mess of cardboard in the backyard for who knows how long....

So after school on Friday, he picked up the kids and headed out to hunt for cardboard. He came home with a washing machine box from a appliance store (which he placed on the top of the car and held onto with his hand through the sunroof to get it home... an act that I argued was very dangerous and he argued wasn't). But I quickly got over my argumentative state when he showed me what he found out back with the trash......2 awesome leather Lane recliners! I have been looking for gaming/lounge chairs to put out in the garage to replace 2 bean bags and these were in great condition. I am assuming they were in the "Dolby" room or for a big screen display. Dan went inside and discreetly asked the one of the guys if he could take them and the guy said yes. As we sat in them last night.. it occured to us that we probably took off with the "Smokers Lounge". And someone is not going to be happy with the guy who said Dan could take them.

Dan worked for 4 hours on the fort and made each kid their own room. They had windows with plastic wrap and doggie doors. When I took a tour it reminded me of the "Hobo Village "underneath Las Vegas. They played in it until 10:00 and then were in it first thing this morning. They have taken pillows/blankets/crayons/dolls/lava lamps... and basically 1/2 of their bedrooms out into that Fort. I am dreading the yard clean-up after this one... but the kids are loving it... so thats all that matters..... right?

P.S. We looked up the chairs on Lane.com and they retail for $1200/each! SCORE!

Octoberfest

Frau Reed
Herr Reed

Last weekend we took the kids to Octoberfest in Huntington Beach. They have a little german village there with a great German Restraunt. We looked around in the little shops and had a really yummy german lunch. Then we bought some german chocolate....agggggghhhhhh......
There were dachund dog races and a band flown in from germany (that sang american songs). We went early, so once the crouds showed up... we were out of there.

Port of Long Beach

Today we went up to Long Beach for "Green Day at the Port" . The public was allowed at the shipping port to see operations up-front and look around. The premise was that the port is working to be as eco-friendly as possible. There was a train tour around the port as well as a harbor tour. When we got there both tours were out of tickets. So... after parking in a remote parking lot and riding a shuttle over to the port... we found out that we basically wasted our time.
BUT........ we never give up that easy.
We snuck onto the shuttle that took us to the harbor tour. ( At the base of the Queen Mary) And then Dan started (for lack of better explanation) "Networking for Tickets" . Somehow he was able to get all 7 of us (Ray was in town) on board a harbor tour. Now the Germans have a name for this type of person who can get all sorts of things given to them, get what they want when they want it, and get into places with out paying... it is called a "schlitzur". Dan is certainly one of them!

There were thousands of containers in port... The Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles recieves 47% of the country's cargo.

The Harbor Tour was an hour long and was alot of fun. It was interesting to see the port up close.