Good night 2012, see you 2013 in the morning

Lincoln Park Zoo Lights

A couple of weeks ago we hit up the Lincoln Park Zoo and stayed to check out the "zoo lights." They sure do a lot of work at the zoo making it all in lights like they do, definitely worth the trip, especially when it is not so freezing cold outside. We went on a fairly "nice" weathered afternoon, evening, so it wasn't horrible wondering through the zoo in the winter. It was pretty nice and the kids loved seeing the animals, and going on the carousel ride. Although Alicia's biggest complaint of the night was that the "monkey's house smelled like poop" well, it was the truth. I think Alicia really liked seeing Santa Claus and telling him what she wanted for Christmas. Ben, however, still is not too fond of the guy in the big red suit, he was good at an arm's distance away still.
 

 

Hey, look who we found, good ole Santa Claus.



A few pics of the city at night- Chicago sure is pretty.

see you later Christmas tree

Perhaps it is a bit ba-hum-bug-ish, but the tree has been shelved until next year. It was up for about a good month, so I think the time is due, plus I can't handle any more ornaments being broken or the cat camping out in the tree anymore. I think the ornament breakage total for this year was about 5... yeah, not cool, since I don't think I've ever had that many go down total in all the years with the cat and the tree, guess the Ben factor had an impact this year.
 

 kids having fun in the tree box

kids under the tree

mommy and Ben under the tree

Tanner cat camping out near the tree acting like how a nice cat should....

wait, what's wrong with this picture. yeah, a cat in the tree


Tanner camping IN the tree... It was hard to move him out, or else he'd get scared and knock over the whole darn tree or break an ornament on the way down, so you kind of had to let him do his own thing in the tree and let him come down on his own. I don't think Santa approved of this type of activity... naughty cat.

thanksgiving fun

Before Thanksgiving Day, the cousins got together and went exploring in Dubuque's Aquarium Museum. The kids seemed to really like it, it was a pretty nice day for late November, that the kids got to enjoy some of the outdoor area by the museum too. We drove some radio controlled boats, built some damns, looked at a bunch of cool fish, and even played in the water exhibit area, where amazing enough no one got too wet.



Fun from the museum




The Kloss side did something we've never done before- that was to take a huge family picture! It was crazy, but nice to have a big cousins picture like this, too bad not all family members were present, but it was a good representation of the families.


A random good picture of Ben and grandma Kloss from Thanksgiving.


I think I might have posted this picture before, but if not, it was the first time we got to meet the newest family members, Jay and Johanna.
The proud uncle with both new babies :)

The reading tent

Both kids love reading their books in their little hideout tent. :)

Happy Sunday

Tanner wants to help

Tanner says, "hey, let me help you with presents. I can use my razor sharp teeth to cut the ribbons for you." :-) haha.

Ornament from school

Alicia brought home a super cute ornament she made at school the other day for our tree . It's got her handprint on it that is decorated as snowmen. Aww, her teacher has such cute ideas.

Such a serious bedside manner look

Ben sure had a serious look on his face here when he was checking out Tigger. Hope everything was ok. Too bad he wasn't wearing the stethoscope right , perhaps that was the problem ;-)

Hugs

Ben really likes to hug his big sister, Ali <3

Seriously, we have a chair right next to you ..

There's the kids' Elmo chair... but instead he prefers to sit in a partially empty toy bin box and look at books that way. Sure kid.

touchdown!

This is a few month's old, but I just found this picture tonight and instantly thought it needed a post sharing it saying "touchdown!"
  

Plus here's another picture that was a pretty good of both kids.

 

He's baaaccckk....

Here he is.... Making nightly round trips to the North Pole and back, it is your very own CookieO!! He started the kids' tradition last year on St Nicks day, so we thought it was fitting for him to return on his (birthday/anniversary).
Happy (1st) birthday, CookieO.

Fly!! Toy story fly!!

Silly Ben keeps going and going...

Papa was right... We need the Gorilla glue more at our house than theirs...

Papa was right... We need the Gorilla glue more at our house than theirs... 

Bad day for the tree continues. After I assessed the damage of where the Ben collection came off of, I found a few stragglers on the floor. :( nothing in too many pieces and appear to be clean breaks.

Sent from my iPhone

Who needs toys when I have ornaments.

Grr... Someone has been sneaky about stealing ornaments off the Christmas tree. Over the last day or so I've found quite the collection growing in my laundry basket . It started with one or two Thomas Train ornaments and now we've graduated to about the whole Toy Story series.. I try and place them back on the tree and magically they reappear back upstairs in the laundry basket. Finally caught the little sneak in action.

new niece and nephew - aka we got more cousins!

Mommy and daddy got a new niece and nephew - aka we got more cousins!

With in the last month or so Grandma and Grandpa Kluesner's grandchildren count has grown by almost double!  Drew's brother Tony and wife Michelle had a baby girl, and Drew's sister Ann and husband Todd had a baby boy!  Alicia, Cali, and Ben welcomed two new cousins Johanna and Jay.
Welcome babies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out announcements for Johanna - http://arnoldkluesner.blogspot.com/2012/10/johanna-marie-kluesner.html
and Jay - http://arnoldfamilysite.blogspot.com/2012/11/jason-michael-arnold.html

Make me a deal..

Tanner and Ben conspiring about who is going to knock over the tree first... Doesn't look good, either way.

I can just hear it... Tanner " kid, I've been climbing and knocking over this tree here now for the last 10 years so don't take my thunder." Ben, "ok, ok, cat, so you and i both knock it over and you get the blame like always, sound like a deal, high 5 on it??"

Someone is enjoying the construction crane

At the dr office today Ben is sure enjoying the view. There are a few construction cranes and crews outside and he is in awe.

There's a bigger monkey on my leg now!

There's a big monkey on my leg...

Explanation no longer needed..

Now that is why the kids' baby doll stroller is getting a little more wobbly and worn...

2 peas in a pod... er, chair.

We love reading books. Of of few times Alicia and Ben will sit next to each other without freaking out or misbehave.

Just logging into work today from home

And we're out- first time in a cart.

Lucky there's a strap to keep him up, lol.