The Kleiber Family Timeline

Category: Playtime

playtime

  • New Bird Family Members 2009

    I remember we used to give the dove eggs away because they never were fertile and the doves would spend weeks sitting on eggs that never hatched. Its kind of rare for doves in captivity to breed, none the less, the doves we got last year hatched 2 chicks and the proud parent doves are taking good care of the chicks, feeding them and cleaning them. They still can’t fly and sometimes stumble and fall but they are doing pretty good and should be able to fend on their own in a couple weeks.

    Pretty bird would be proud to see how her tradition is being carried on. For those who don’t know we do several magic sites and use the birds in magic tricks to promote those sites.

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  • Traverse City 2008

    The trip down from Mackinaw sometimes gives us a chance to stop places we normally don’t plan on, like this day we spent at Traverse City. The train ride goes right along side the beach and was alot of fun not only for James but for us as well. It has little crossings where pedestrians have to wait as the train putts along. The shopping district is right across the street and has not changed all that much since my last visit which was during my softball days in the 90’s. James made a friend and they had a blast building sand castles while Mary and I relaxed on the beach.

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  • Huggum Dolls Visit For Christmas 2006

    Right before Christmas the family received a surprise from Mary’s mom, Huggum dolls that she played with as a child were sent to us so naturally we had fun taking pics of the dolls with the rest of the family.

    They were sent to us Fed Ex and arrived safe and sound. This has been a tradition in Mary’s house for many years and the dolls do class up the place if I must say so myself. James was curious about them, wondering if they were playtoys or not, but Mom assured him they were not his to play with but rather family heirlooms to be passed on from generation to generation.

    In these pics you can see some of the fun we had posing the dolls with some of the Christmas decorations. We especially liked the dolls on Jumbo the horse.

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  • Elmo Comes To Dearborn 2006

    As with most young children, Elmo plays a big part in their childhood activities via games, television, or talking dolls. Elmo is a hero for James and James could not wait to see Elmo when he came to the Fairlane mall – and he was not disappointed. After waiting patiently for about a half hour he finally got to see the star, Elmo of Sesame Street.

    The thing I will remember about this is James getting upset when we had to leave and I had to carry him out crying, as I walked past the security guard he said “There goes a true Elmo fan” lol. However all was not lost, just on the other side of Fairlane the Easter bunny was setting up shop and with a little coaxing, James was back to his happy self again and getting his pic taken with the Easter bunny (which I will add to the Easter gallery later).

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  • Meijer Garden 2005

    We visited Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids Michigan for a day. Truly amazing flowers and gardens, even predatory flowers could be found there. This is the same Meijer who operate the Meijer super centers throughout Michigan and the midwest.

    On the way home, James got sick and we had to stop in at Criss’s doctors office to make sure the little guy was ok. We were already on our way there anyhow but we did not expect James to be sick. When he got into the Doctors office he threw up. Poor kid, and poor Aunt Criss, she doesn’t get to see James that often and when she does he throws up at her work.

    However James was fine at Meijer Gardens and enjoyed the play area there.

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  • James Meets Ronald McDonald 2005

    While we were walking around the Dream Cruise on Telegraph, James got to meet Ronald McDonald at our local McDonalds restaurant and had a good time with the famous clown.

  • James Sandbox 2005

    James enjoys playing in his sandbox and its relatively maintenance free, however once you fill the thing with sand it “ain’t going nowhere”. We got the sandbox and sand from Toys R Us. I guess they use a specially treated sand in these things, probably similar to what you get at the beach. The lid is to keep animals out of it (I guess they think its a glorified kitty litter box).

    Many of Jame’s missing toys have been found submerged in the depth of the sand so its trouble free so to say (maintenance free and trouble free are two different things. With the exception of his little dolphin pool and the swing set slide, this is his favorite and he can spend hours playing in it (well maybe quarter hours playing in it). Its in a shaded area so he does not have issues with the sun with it.

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  • Dolphin Swimming Pool 2005

    I really thought this thing looked cool in the store and after about an hour of figuring out where to blow everything up I think even more that it looks cool, just a pain to put up. James certainly enjoys it and when he wasn’t at the St Albert Festival this weekend he was enjoying the swimming pool (or the sand box depending on the time of day).

    The highlight of the pool is the two dolphins balancing a beach ball between them. By some miracle this thing does not leak air, at least not yet, and considering all the different ports and such that had to be filled with air that is definitely saying something.

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  • James Backyard Playground 2005

    James loves playing on his swing set, it has a couple slides, places to crawl and places to climb. Now that the cement is in and the back yard is level with new grass, the place is alot funner (and safer) to play. I felt so sorry for the toddler running in the back, only to fall down because the ground was so unlevel. Now he can play to his little hearts content and believe me, he has.

    We almost bought a wooden set but I think the plastic one will serve us better and last longer. I see alot of these at garage sales so it must mean they outlast the kids childhood. I never see the wooden or metal ones at a garage sale which means they are probably scrapped. Right now, if he had a favorite, it would have to be the slide and after that the swing.

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  • Niagara Fun Factory Arcade 2004

    The kid is barely one year old and already his favorite place is this arcade that we pass by on our way to almost everything in Niagara. Its like they say, location, location, location. James is simply fascinated by the sounds, lights, and motion of everything going on around him. We are kind of fortunate that we can visit this time of year since most of the school kids are in school so James has the arcade pretty much to himself.

    His favorite is a Sesame Street ride with Grover and Big Bird (or is it Bert and Ernie?). He just loves it and has to ride it each time we pass by. Usually when he is in his stroller he is sleeping but not when going through this arcade, or even near this arcade.

    So its official now, James has visited his first arcade and he likes it!

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