Put me in Coach

Zach told me last night, "Mom, this is the first trophy I have ever won! I am so excited!" He was so proud and thrilled to get it.

Zach just finished his first year of t-ball on the Wilber Gray Team. He had so much fun and loved playing with his friends and making new ones. At this age it is very entertaining to watch the kids. Some are playing in the dirt, others are off in space somewhere and sometimes when the ball is hit, a group of 6-7 kids all take off in the same direction to get it. There are some good laughs for sure. Zach had good hits and can run pretty fast. He gives us a thumbs up when he reaches the bag. Cameron is Zach's biggest fan! He yells "Go Go Go Zach Go Go Go yaaa yaaa" very loud and claps. It's very cute!

I was laughing because when Zach was playing first base he was so encouraging to the person who had just hit the ball and told them good job etc. He was so wrapped up in helping the runner he was not paying attention to his teammates and the fact that the ball was being thrown to him. Good thing they don't have any heat when they throw the ball or Zach would have had lots if bruises. I wondered early on if he should just be the first base coach instead? :) He quickly picked up more and more skills. Of course he is a work in progress but we are super proud of him and how well he played! He can't wait until next year.

I'm baaaack!

Well, after just 17 short months I have returned to our blog. Geesh. Let's hope I can do better this go round. I will do my best. The only good thing is that means I have lots to talk about so here's a brief recap of last year.

Cameron had just turned 1 and was doing what 1 year olds do. Here is a picture of his most recent birthday cake. I had so much fun making it!

He loved it too! Just look at the excitement. Well ok, it could be that he loved everyone singing happy birthday to him but I like to think it was the cake along with it!

He grew and grew and is now 2 years old and full of energy. I will say without hesitation that he is in the Terrible Twos inside and out. He has become very independent, stubborn, and knows exactly what he wants when he wants it but is not doing well communicating this with us. He has a wide range of words, but does not want to talk in sentences yet. This makes things challenging but we are working on this so it makes life a bit easier on us all. He is very healthy and active and although some days he makes me want to pull my hair out, I would not change him for the world!

Zachary has is now 5 years old. He is the best big brother to Cameron. He puts up with most of the things that little brothers do to annoy big brothers pretty well. He is still very loving and growing up too fast for this mom!

Zach didn't get a super exciting cake but the cupcakes were fun! He was pretty happy with this one. I think we are doing a pirate theme come November. Stay tuned for a fun cake then!

He finished his first year of preschool at Wilber Clatonia Public Schools with Ms. Jenna and loved it! He did great and really enjoyed school. The highlights form his first week of school were according to him: My bus has seat belts and we get to pick which kind of milk we want at snack time and I pick the pink one (strawberry). I thought to myself, well this sounds like it's going to be a great year and it was!

Looking at this picture still amazes me how much he changed in just one year. (Insert Tear Here)

The biggest change for our family was that we moved to Wilber Nebraska on July 31st, 2010. It will be one year next month which is hard to believe. We found a house that we loved and it was just the right move for our family. This tough decision has turned out to be the best thing we ever did. We both work in town so huge plus, we live on a dead end filled with kids and mostly boys similar in age to Zach, second plus, and we have met some of the best people to add to our circle of friends, plus plus plus! Our Crete friends (aka extended family) are still close to us and we see them often. I could go on and on but you get the idea....we are truly happy here and know this is where we want to raise our kids.

This gets me started on recapping where we have been this past year. I will jump back when I think of things that happened. Stay tuned for more current events from all the Crazy Monkeys here at our house......That's what my blog should be, Monkeying around with the Vyhnaleks. It sure could be compared to a zoo some days! I am still playing around with a new background so right now it's monkeys, tomorrow who knows. If you have a fun one that is "Tonjaish" send the suggestion my way. Thanks!!

It's my 1st Birthday!

Happy Birthday Cameron!

Today is Cameron's 1st Birthday. He really has no clue that it is a special day, but we keep telling him happy birthday all day long. He just smiles. He wore his birthday boy shirt today and will wear it again on Sunday for the big party. We are having about 40 people for brunch. Whew, sounds like a lot but really it's family some close friends who are just like family and we just can't leave them out. Our house will be full but it will be okay.

Aunt Alli brought over some balloons which were a huge hit. Cameron called them "ba" so we pretended he said balloon. :) Zach still had his Elmo balloon from Sesame Street Live. He went with Melissa, Chelsey, and Shane on Saturday. This was part of his birthday gift back in November. He had lots of fun and was really glad the characters didn't get too close to him. He went to the meet and greet and I was told that Ernie and Bert just sat in chairs and that was ok, but he didn't want to talk to them. He never has liked people in costumes and I am guessing never will. That's ok.

I am on call for ambulance transfers this week. It starts on Sunday at 7 a.m. and goes until Sunday the following week. It's only from 5 p.m. - 7 a.m. but of course we have already had 3 transfers this week. It's good money but can mean little sleep. I don't mind getting out of the house and enjoy driving or the patient contact. It gives me my "fix" since I don't get to go on to many rescue or fire calls these days. Craig is a captain and needs to be on scene. I do make some calls but usually stay home with the boys. One challenge of two parents being on the same dept. Oh well, the kids will grow up fast enough and I will enjoy being with them now.

I will post more pictures after the party!

Watch out world

Cameron has officially started to walk all by himself. On Monday the 18th, he took 8 steps for Grandma Vyhnalek, Aunt Allison and Zach. Today he walked across the room to me all by himself stopping to regain his balance several times. I forgot how cute those first moments are and just how proud he is of himself. It is funny to watch him move along the furniture from one to another and just spot something, think about it and then takes steps and go for it. Sure he falls down a lot, but he gets right back up and tries again. When that fails, he resorts back to crawling which he is really good at and is REALLY fast!!

Zach is equally amazed at this new phase of Cameron's life. He laughs and is sure to tell me when Cam is walking on his own. We all clap and make a big production out of those moments. Cameron claps along and squeals with pride! It's so much fun.

Zach is going through a phase where he does not want to take a nap. He is 4 so I can understand that there are days he might just need some down-time to rest but in my opinion he needs a nap! He starts to get crabby and cranky around supper time and well we all know that is no fun. Suddenly whatever we cooked for supper is "icky" and his "tummy doesn't like it very much." He has a line for everything. So for now we will continue to "rest our eyes" in the afternoon. I laugh to myself when I go in his room in the evenings and find books, puzzle pieces, flashlights, cars, trucks and hard hats. So much for resting in bed during nap time. I think a lot more playing is being done, but hey at least he is being quiet.

Letter to Cameron

Dear Cameron Craig:

You are just about 1 year-old and I can’t believe how fast our first year with you went. We were so excited when we found out you were coming. Both Daddy and I thought you were going to be a girl but when you made your entrance, you were a boy! We were so happy and Zach was, and still is, proud to call you his little brother.

Right now you look a lot like me but have many of Daddy’s characteristics. You have beautiful blue eyes and I love them. Your giggles and squeals bring a smile to my face every time I hear them. You love to do whatever Zach is doing and are always getting into places you shouldn’t be. You can crawl so fast and in seconds you are across the room. Just yesterday, January 18th, you took 8 steps all by yourself. You are so proud of this and can’t wait to run. It won’t be long.

You are so loving and snuggle with Mommy and Daddy. You love our dog Blaze and call her Baa. You call out for Zach and say, Gaaack. You love to give high fives, this makes you laugh. You wave bye-bye and are just starting to not like when Mommy and Daddy walk away from you. You make it known when you are not happy!

You are persistent and a little stubborn, just like your Mom, Dad, and Brother so that’s ok. You come by that rightfully.

You love your green pacifier. You have it in your mouth all the time and sometimes are carrying another one in your hand. It might be hard to get that away from you when the time comes. Make it easy for us, ok?

You are growing like crazy and I still can’t believe that it was a year ago that I held you in my arms for the first time. I am always amazed how someone so little can change and grow so fast into a little person with his own personality.

You make me smile everyday. I walk into your room and you are standing in your crib, smiling and squealing. You just learned that you can make a noise when you inhale and this has turned into a laugh. It’s so cute.

You clap your hands when you are proud and we taught you the sign language for more and you use this all the time in your highchair- you love to eat!

Cameron, you are the fourth piece in our family puzzle. I cannot ask for more. You and your brother bring me so much joy. Sure we have some tough days, but at the end of the day we still love you more than you will ever know.

I am so excited to see what you are going to do as you grow. The possibilities are endless and there is nothing you can’t do.

I want you to know that Mommy and Daddy love you very much and you are very special to us. We will stand beside you all the way and can’t wait to watch you grow. I love you Buddy!

Letter to Zachary

I have read several letters that my friends have written to their children to mark a milestone or perhaps just to express how they were feeling about them. It has inspired me to do the same. I may not do it as eloquently as they, but here is my letter to Zach and Cameron’s will follow soon.

Dear Zachary Charles. You just turned 4 years-old. You are wise beyond your years. We all say you have a memory like your Daddy. You can remember details that I would not have even thought of and you have been doing this for over two years now. You can name every Firemen’s vehicle as you see them responding to a call. You ask, “Why?” not because it’s a habit but because you really want to know so you can remember it later.

You ask me about Heaven and why we can’t see God. I do my best to explain to you what we believe and that one day we will see him in all his glory. This past summer, we were swinging in the backyard and I mentioned that the clouds were moving fast that day. You looked up and said, “I wish I could fly high up above the clouds and see Great Uncle Darrel.” You only met him one time a few weeks before he passed but you can recall him and people you saw that day. You tell me you miss Great Grandma Heyen and remember that she lived in Geneva. You can point out the town as we drive by. You love to go to “School” Sunday school that is. We ask you what you learned about and you always say, “About God, I tell you that every time you ask me.” It makes us laugh.

You are right about things so much of the time it’s amazing. You are hilarious! We laugh all the time and you bring joy to my heart more so than you will ever know. You say such witty things or crack a joke at the silliest times. You play with a stethoscope and call it your “check-up scope.” You are like a breath of fresh air. I watch you as you learn things and I can see that you won’t forget.

You have your Dad’s eyes. Soft and green with eyelashes I am jealous of and wish I had. Your blonde hair is like mine and grows so fast. You get bed-head just like Dad and it makes us laugh in the mornings.

You can be stubborn and get that from myself and Daddy. You are persistent and well you get that from the two of us as well.

You hate bugs. You told me again today, when the temperature was 30 degrees that you don’t like any kids of bugs.

You love your fire boots and want to be a firefighter when you grow up. You also want to be many other things. I want you to be everything you dream of being and more.

You have a huge heart and love the title of Big Brother. Cameron looks up to you and you love playing with him. I can see the two of you having so many years of fun together and keeping me on my toes. If he is crying you say, “Don’t worry Cam, Big Brother is here, it’s ok.” It makes my heart melt to see the two of you together. You are my two very special boys.

It seems like yesterday that we were anxiously awaiting your arrival. We didn’t know if you were a boy or girl and could not wait to meet you. The second you were born Daddy said, “It’s a boy!” and then you went pee all over the place. It was so funny. When I got to hold you for the first time I could not even imagine a more perfect little person in the world. You were the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. A miracle, blessing, the third piece in our family puzzle. I talked to you and said, “Hi, I am your Mommy. What do you want your name to be?” Well we had lots of ideas but thought Zachary Charles would fit you the best and we were right!

Zach, I could keep writing for hours about you. I love you so much and try to tell you as often as I can. I am so proud to be your Mom and look forward to the years ahead. I know you will continue to make me proud. I will always be here to stand beside you and pick you up when you fall. Thank you for the best 4 years. I can’t wait to see what 2010 and beyond holds for you and our family. I love you Zach!

Welcome 2010

So it's the start of a new year and another motivation for me to be better at blogging. As soon as Cameron started to become mobile I lost the focus to get here and reflect on our day. I am going to make a better effort to keep you all posted on what we are up to.

My facebook account has been the primary location of any new or fun photos at the spur of the moment so check that out as well.

I hope this finds you all in good health and ready to tackle the next year ahead because it's here whether we are ready for it or not.