Kleinville

Ella Tries on a Few Careers

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:17:00 +0000

If you ask Ella what she wants to be when she grows up, she will inevitably rattle off a long string of professions that usually include doctor, designer, artist, photographer and chef. Her idea is that she can do one profession each day of the week, so why limit yourself to one? Who knows what she will finally choose, but these pictures might hold some clues.

Ella loves designing things, like the flower in her hair that she made out of dried leaves.

Her unique sense of fasion might also direct her towards the runway.

Play doctor is one of Ella's favorite games, and Katy is one of her regular patients. Don't worry, her blood pressure tested normal.

I'm not sure if star athlete is in her cards, but she's been ice skating three times now, and likes it.

Ella loves learning about animals, but she insists that she'll remain a doctor and Sarah will be the veterinarian. Maybe she'll be a marine biologist instead.

Of course, there would be benefits with her following through with being a fairy household helper.

A career as a personal shopper could he helpful too.

Chef could be in her future as well, as she loves helping mom cook in the kitchen.

The deligence with which she made these goggles might indicate a propensity for being a pilot.

Or maybe a conductor.

Or a taxi driver.

In the end, as long as she makes enough money to put her parents up in a posh retirement home, we'll likely be happy with her choice.

Christmas Holiday - Bonus Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:17:00 +0000

We stayed down in Nipomo between the holidays, and some of our good friends joined us to ring in the New Year.

They boys were occupied with the first annual Nipomo Dirt Rally Grand Prix (1/10).

Ella dropped the scarf to start the race.

And helped when adverse road conditions (and/or driving) impeded the vehicles.

The wives loved it when the trucks took off on the jumps.

The outcome of the race was so close, the impartial judge had to check the instant replay.

At the end of the day, the drivers reflected on the race and the metaphors it provided for the New Year ahead.

Christmas Holiday - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:05:00 +0000

As you can imagine, the kids did a lot of cute stuff over the holidays that was way too much to put in one post, so here is "Part 2" of the Christmas Holiday Extravaganza in Nipomo.

Santa brought the girls new fangled wheeled-transportation devices. Sarah loved her Big Wheel™, but her legs were unable to connect with the titular feature.

As many of you know, Meg and I love everything retro, so we found a great vintage bike for Ella.

I am kidding of course. We knew Ella would want something a little more pink.

And they're off!

As mentioned in the last post, Ella and Sarah enjoyed hanging out with Uncle Scott and Aunt Heidi...

...and their dog Roxy.

In fact, everyone did.

Scott and Heidi had a good time too, which included an inaugural trip down the zip line...

...and a hop on the rope swing.

Papa enjoyed having the girls around too.

So did Grammie.

Ella spent some quality time in her garden.

And Sarah was checking in on her stock portfolio (apparently, it's up).

I think it's fair to say that a good time was had by all.

Christmas Holiday - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:52:00 +0000

It's been about a month since Christmas, so I figured it was time to post some photos from our time in Nipomo. We were very fortunate this year to have the full family together for Christmas. We spent the holiday in Nipomo at Meg's parents' beautiful six-acre escape, and we were joined by my parents, my brother Scott and his wife Heidi, and Meg's brother Ian and his wife Maya. This is the first time we'd all been in the same room together in nearly 10 years.

Speaking of which, here we all are in the same room together.

Ella and Sarah opened some gifts with Grandpa and FaFa on Christmas Eve.

In order to get a glimpse of Santa, Ella was going to try and hide on the couch. (Hint, she's in the middle.)

But instead, Ella and Sarah put their bribes out for Santa and Rudolph before going to bed.

Ella and Sarah were also excited about Uncle Scott and Aunt Heidi's new puppy Roxy.

Roxy got lots of attention that weekend from the whole family.

So did the girls.

Sarah was very excited about the new Moroccan outfits that Uncle Ian and Aunt Maya got for girls during their recent travels.

Sarah had to go model it for Aunt Maya and Aunt Heidi.

Ella was pretty excited about Christmas too.

She helped Grammy make the traditional Buche de Noel.

The girls also spent some quality time outside.

Stay tuned for part 2 for some more photos from our holiday in Nipomo.

Megan's Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:30:00 +0000

On Friday, we celebrated Megan's 30-something birthday.

In honor of the special day, the girls had made some necklaces for Megan with jewelry master Sheridan. Meg and Sarah are modeling these avant-garde pieces in the photo below.

The Birthday weekend festivities also included a round of Beatles Rockband at AJ and Sheridan's. Fans of "DreamForce" will notice a couple of original members in the photo below.

Vocals, drums, guitar - Meg was a natural.

Demonstrating their understanding of the art of surprise, the girls threw Meg an impromptu surprise party the day after her birthday (Grammie and Papa helped). We came home from a 9:45am sold-out show of Avatar on IMAX to Ella yelling "surprise" as we opened the door to a room full of balloons and streamers. It doesn't get much better than that.

Happy Birthday to the best wife ever.

Ice Skating at Union Square

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:25:00 +0000

Everyone had the day off yesterday, so we decided to head up to Union Square to see all the holiday festivities. The first stop was Macy's decorated windows. Notice the two kitties in the background.

Next, it was off to check out the outdoor ice skating rink. After two birthday parties at ice skating rinks this past year, Ella was excited about getting back on the ice.

Always the daredevil, Ella skated despite the risk.

I'm not sure whether it was the ice, the skates or the Christmas spirit, but Ella did amazingly well on the ice - skating on her own without holding on.

Sarah cheered her on from the sidelines.

Next it was time to check out the Union Square Christmas Tree.

As fortune would have it, cousins Laura and Jared were at Union Square too, and we had lunch with them and their kids Dax (not pictured) and Cielo (pictured).

Now it's off to Nipomo for Christmas with both sides of the family for the first time in many years. We can't wait!

Sarah Auditions for "Twilight: The Early Years"

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:33:00 +0000

It was a busy day today. Sarah just got back from her audition to star in "Twilight: The Early Years," a prequel to the popular vampire series.

In this scene, she is beginning to feel remorse for the victim she tracked down with her special vampire binoculars.

Of course, these images could also be explained by a cookie decorating party Megan hosted for kids in her playgroup.

Ella Delivers Heralded "Special Night" Performance in Kindergarten Rendition of "Must Be Santa"

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:12:00 +0000

Ella & Elana - Exclusive Rehearsal Photo

After endless rehearsals and preparation, Ella and her fellow kindergartners performed "Must Be Santa" for a captive audience (the doors were closed) of fellow classmates at North Shoreview Montessori.

Ella was part of a quartet whose responsibility lied with creating an enhanced visual richness to the line "Special Night" of the holiday classic, "Must Be Santa."

Without further ado, here is the famed performance.

For all of you theatre aficionados, here is some rehearsal footage that will be included with the forthcoming DVD.

O Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:53:00 +0000

Ella wanted to get our tree on December 1st. So we did.

Other holiday festivities included going to see the Nutcracker with the Daisy Scouts. Ella loved the fancy costumes -- especially the Sugar Plum Fairy!

Zingo Shenanigans

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:42:00 +0000

I am proud of Ella for trying to cheat at Zingo by saying "It's okay Daddy,
the sun is a star, so I can put it on star." Girl after my own heart.

Office Furniture Boxcar Racing

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:21:00 +0000

After 8 years of service to us (and about 60 overall), our retro thrift-store desk chair has been unseated by a newer model that doesn't have stuffing bursting from rips in its once fashionable faux leather.

Of course, that also means we get a big box. And big boxes are cool - especially if you happen to be under six years old (or father to someone who is). Given the sturdy construction of this box, I thought it perfect for Ella's first boxcar racer.

A skateboard, some rope and a saran wrap window later, Ella is ready to roll...with a sister stowaway.

After the success of the first run, I fashioned a boxcar racer box-cam to capture the thrill of the race.

Ella still wants to paint it, and maybe add a spoiler, but I think this is the first of many.

Ella and Sarah - The Secret Audition Tapes

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:37:00 +0000

I've been meaning to post these videos of the girls trying out the microphone that Ella got for her birthday from Uncle Scott and Aunt Heidi.

In this video, Ella performs a beloved standard with a little help from her sister.

Next, Ella takes a solo performance as she sings along to "Click, Click, Click, Click" from one of our (and now her) favorite bands, Bishop Allen.

I hope this last video doesn't cause the band to reach out to Ella to become a back-up singer. Life on the road can be hard.

Here's the official Click, Click, Click, Click video, which also exposed Ella to how a film camera works.

Thanks Uncle Scott & Aunt Heidi! Next stop, American Idol.

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:18:00 +0000

The ghosts and ghouls were out this Halloween and remarkably, Ella and Sarah took them all in stride. Ella only refused to trick or treat once at a haunted house decorated by a friend who is strongly committed to providing kids with a good scare (nice work Nicholas). As we've done every year since we've lived here, we joined a bunch of neighborhood kids at a friends house and got in the mood for some trick or treating.

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because she was being pushed in a stroller to a Halloween party.

Of course, no Halloween party is complete without a pinata.

It's true that chickens like corn.

All the kids getting ready for the neighborhood candy crusade.

Ella and Sarah are ready!

Ella made sure to get front and center at the first house.

At the end, Sarah enjoys her sweet reward.

Getting Ready for Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Ella draws a haunted house.

Here are some photos to get everyone in the spirit before tonight's calorie-laden festivities. First up, Sarah searches for the perfect pumpkin.

Ella demonstrates the efficacy of using a apple corer in the art of pumpkin carving.

Ever since Ella got hooked on "House" and "Grey's Anatomy" she's been into dressing up as doctor. However, for Halloween, she decided to head down the evolutionary ladder.

Ella's full costume will be revealed tomorrow, but it involves a box full of puppies.

Sarah practicing her Trick or Treating skills at pre-school. We're hoping that she's not chicken tonight when she comes across some less benign costumes on the neighborhood candy circuit.

Happy Halloween!!

Ella and Sarah go to SFMOMA

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:53:00 +0000

Today was Target Family Day in San Francisco, which meant some free museum admissions and lots of cultural activities going on in and around Yerba Buena Gardens. The chance to take the girls to SFMOMA for free was too good to pass up. That way, if they weren't interested or caused a scene, we could leave with no financial impact. It turns out they loved it. In the above photo they're checking out Mark Rothko's "No. 14."

Here's Ella contemplating René Magritte's "Les valeurs personnelles"

The girls were also fascinated by Andrew Kudless's 45-foot cast plaster wall entitled "P_Wall"

Here Ella are Sarah are viewing what Ella calls "The Snowman." Max Ernst calls it "Bauta"

Not surprising, Ella was particularly interested in pink art.

Ella was so inspired, that she immediately made some modern art of her own when she got home - with no prompting from mom and dad.

Ella's painting above seems to be inspired by the one below.

We're not sure the inspiration of this exercise in Colorforms.

Ella also really like the sculpture. She calls this one "The Blue Hat."

I definitely think we'll be going back - and maybe even pay the next time.

After SFMOMA, we saw Circus Bella perform outside at Yerba Buena Gardens. The girls were fascinated by the acrobatics, juggling and clowns. We finished the day with a free ride on the carousel at Zeum.

Ella Channels Björk

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:08:00 +0000

Ella has been singing up a storm lately, and if she ever makes it to the Grammys, she is going to give Björk a run for her money.

Here's her practicing one of her new songs.

Two Cute

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:51:00 +0000

Here's Miss Sarah on her 2nd birthday enjoying a "pupcake".

Thanks, Papa! Sarah loves the highchair you built for her babydoll.

Ella's First Day of Kindergarten

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:05:00 +0000

Ella had a great first day of Kindergarten yesterday. She was very excited and looked so cute wearing her new hot pink polka dot backpack.

School is this way!

Lining up to go into her classroom.

No tears were shed. Not even by mom!

San Diego Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:43:00 +0000

Ella starts kindergarten tomorrow, which means the summer is officially over today. However, we did end it with a bang by spending a week in San Diego visiting family and friends.

Having a week full of trips to the beach and the pool did wonders for Ella's confidence in the water. Plus, a swim vest borrowed from our friends Brad and Angie helped.

In addition to seeing my parents, we were also very fortunate that my brother and sister-in-law were able to drive out from Las Vegas. The girls had a lot of fun spending time with Uncle Scott and Aunt Heidi.

We started out the week spending the day at Coronado Beach with our friends Dave and Cheree and their daughter Dorothy.

The water was surprisingly very warm, and it was hard to get the girls (especially Ella) out of the water.

Of course, playing dress-up back at Dorothy's house was a close second to the beach.

We also got to spend some time with Dave & Laurie and their two boys, and I learned quite a lot about the world of Pokemon. Ella and Sarah were more interested in their new, very mellow kitten.

No trip to San Diego is complete without seeing the Wright clan. Jeremy introduced us to their new chickens.

Animals were also seen at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. Thanks to my parents for taking them to the latter, which enabled Meg and I to hit the outlets for some back-to-school shopping.

The aforementioned Wright family also invited us to their "Hibachi & Bocce" party at Swami's.

Ella again hit the waves...

...and then made s'mores as the sun went down.

We are also thankful to the Gary's for letting us stay at their place, while the girls resided at Grandpa and Fafa's. The extra benefit to this arrangement was access to a million flavors of Dippin' Dots.

Happy Belated 4th! ...and Puppies!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:15:00 +0000

This Fourth of July, we went down to the central coast to spend the holiday with Grammie and Papa and kick off "Camp Nipomo" for the girls.

In addition to a custom firework display that involved a spinning wood disk, some sparklers and a blow torch, we also went berry picking at Avila Barn.

There weren't many ripe berries, that didn't stop the girls from having fun.

Ella and Sarah also had their first smores.

Ella thought it was pretty good.

Being good Americans, the girls also played some baseball - t-ball style.

We were also able to meet up with our good friends Tim and Sherri and their two beautiful children Malaika and Amani, who happened to be out from New York visiting family in San Luis Obispo.

I'm not sure if puppies are quintessentially American, but during Camp Nipomo the girls made a trip to the Labrador breeder up the street.

The more puppies the better.

Finally, here's a cute photo of Ella from the Father's Day picnic in the park.

Hawaiian Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Ella and Sarah at Hanalei Bay

We somehow managed to have a wonderful two weeks in Hawaii. :-) We spent the first week in Kauai, where my parents got us a condo across from theirs in Princeville.

The girls stayed with them, so Meg and I had a REAL vacation. We spent a lot of time at Hanalei Bay and then did daily trips to kid-friendly beaches like Anini, Lydgate and Poipu.

We spent the second week in Honolulu visiting family. Meg, Ella and I stayed with my cousin Kathy and her beautiful family, while Mom, Dad and Sarah stayed at Uncle Bud's house. It was great to be able to spend so much time this branch of family and get to know them a little better. Meg still can't believe I had never visted them in Honolulu prior to this trip (Uncle Bud has lived in Honolulu since the '60s).

I posted a bunch of pictures to Flickr, but here are some gems...

Sarah at Waikiki at Sunset

Wailua Falls

Fern Grotto boat ride

Ella with a new hair accoutrement

At Uncle Bud's

The cousins at Duke's in Honolulu

Waikiki

Hawaii Bound!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:26:00 +0000

We're off to Hawaii tomorrow for two weeks of fun in the sun and fun with the family. First, we're meeting my parents in Kauai for the first week, and then we're headed over to Honolulu for the second week to have a mini Klein family reunion with my Uncle Bud and some of his brood. Needless to say, the kids (okay, Ella) are pretty excited. Ella started packing on Monday.

I imagine we'll be taking some pictures while were there, but in the meantime I thought I'd leave some cute photos of our girls for all of you in the interwebs to enjoy!

Aloha!

Happy Mother's Day X2

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:11:00 +0000

My Mom, Meg and the girls on a Mother's Day picnic at Twin Pines Park

I think Hallmark can get carried away with all the various occasions it promotes to sell cards. Do people really send St. Patrick's Day cards? When was the last time you sent a Secretary Day card to someone? But Mother's Day, that's a day I understand. In fact, I think it's even more important than birthdays. Without Mother's Day, I wouldn't have a birthday to celebrate in the first place.

In many households (including mine), it's the mother who has the lioness' share of work when it comes to raising children - and it is a lot of work. Given the amount of effort and the tedium that can creep in from the inherently repetitive tasks involved with parenting, mothers deserve a lot credit for all they do. Now that I'm a parent, I have a deeper understanding and respect for the sacrifices that my mother made for me and my brother. I'm lucky to have had someone who supported me in all my dreams, and stayed up late to help me finish school projects that I had procrastinated on.

I'm also lucky to have a beautiful wife who is a beautiful mother to my two beautiful daughters. I lucked out having two exceptional mothers in my life, and my life is better for it.

Future Artists of America

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Like most parents, I save select pieces of artwork created by my kids. However, unlike most parents, the reason goes beyond mere sentimental value. I'm hoping to cash in when Ella becomes the next Picasso. "Next up on the Sotheby's auction block, early art from Ella Klein at age 4. The bidding starts at $50,000."

Ella became adept with markers, paint, scissors, tape and glue at an early age, and now she is a master of multimedia. Often combining orginal drawings with found objects and images from magazines. Here is one of her most recent creations.

Of course, Ella is also very interested in exploring the natural world, whether exploring the smaller creatures...

Or the wetter ones.

Sarah, on the very hand, loves music. I'm secretly hoping that she becomes the next Neko Case. She recently demonstrated her indie rock cred at a local toy store by deftly pounding the "skins" in her Fountains of Wayne t-shirt.

She also seems to have a thing for tattoos, which should serve her rise to rockstardom well.

Spring Has Sprung!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:11:00 +0000

Spring has finally arrived, so last weekend, we took advantage of the warmer weather to go see the annual tulip garden at the base of the windmill in Golden Gate Park.

The girls were fascinated by all the flowers, although one understood the concept of "look with your eyes" a little better than the other.

Grandpa and Fafa were in town, so they got to share in the beauty too.

This weekend, we carried on the Spring festivities with an Easter Egg hunt put on by the San Mateo Mother's Club. The Easter Bunny made an appearance and apparently had the energy to hide hundreds of eggs after laying them (no postpartum depression here).

The girls (including Ella's friend Ava) were eager to fill their baskets.

Sarah contemplates ones of her more spectacular finds - the rare green plastic egg.

Afterwards, Ella and Sarah examine the loot they received for returning the eggs to the Easter Bunny. He/She must have been so relieved. I question the gender, because a rabbit laying eggs may defy more than one law of nature.

Back at the house, the girls celebrated the Easter Bunny's generosity.