Just doing what we do

Well finally a new blog you say. Well yes, here it is. We have just been doing what we do and I haven't had a chance to blog.

Cameron now has two bottom teeth. Those little suckers sure are giving him a hard time and I am so glad they are through and my oh my are they sharp. Yikes, he tries to use me as a human teething ring and is close to leaving marks on my finger. The day he bites while he is nursing may be the day I switch to strait formula. Ouch.

Zach is still amazing us with his witty comments. This afternoon the boys and I walked to the library and I commented that it was sure nice outside. He said, "It is nice, it's not sweaty at all." Out of the mouth of babes. I tell you his perspective on things amazes me. We have been going through a bit of a spell where his is saying bad words or phrases. The thing that gets me is that he uses them in the correct context. Oops, gotta keep a close watch on what we say.

What else? Well I had another birthday on the 17th, yes this is the last year of my 20's. Hello 29 what will you bring for me this year? 28 brought wonderful things and I am excited to see what is to come. Craig and I went to a movie on the Sunday before my birthday which was fun. Then on the actual day, I was scheduled to work and we had fire practice that night. He bought me a cake from a great bakery in Lincoln and we shared it with the dept. He scored bonus points becuase there were purple frosting flowers on the cake. My favorite color. What a good guy.

Craig has been busy working and going from meeting to meeting. He is on a few committies and meets with customers after work once in awhile to make it more convienent for them. He is doing a great job and really loves the insurance industry. I am glad he found what he enjoys.

No pictures at this time. I have been video taping the boys. Cameron has the cutest giggle and I need to get that posted. He talks to Zach and I swear he said "Hi" to him tonight.

Czech Days 2009

The boys were able to experience Czech Days in Wilber this year. They looked so cute in their little Czech outfits. Zach drove the power wheels Grandpa Vyhnalek bought for him and his cousin Jacob, and Cam, in the parade. His passenger was Lily, whose Dad, Ryan, works with Craig at First State Insurance. They all did a great job and Zach drove really well. Lily was the one who told him to "Go faster, go faster." It was so cute. They waved and smiled at everyone. When he spotted us along the way he was smiling ear to ear. The parade route was only about 4 blocks long and when they got to the end Zach wanted to go through again. That was so funny. They had a big day and lots of fun and were completely exhausted by the end of the day.

Smiling big for the camera. All dressed up and driving down the parade route. Cute brothers in their Czech outfits. Looking sooo cute. Cameron loving the activites and all the people.

Grandpa Heyen and Zach.

Aunt Melissa, Zach and our friend Dara looking good at Czech Days.

Wisconsin Dells Vacation 2009

Craig, Zach and I went to Wisconsin Dells, WI for an insurance convention. We decided to leave Cameron at home so we could spend a little more one on one time with Zach. This turned out to be a great decision becuase it would have been a bit more challenging to go to the waterpark and do the DUCKS tour with a baby. We are so thankful for Allison, Grandpa and Grandma Vyhnalek and Grandma Heyen and Shane for watching him. Yay for wonderful families. We missed him but knew he was in good hands. Here is a little summary of our adventure....leaving NE entering Iowa....for a long, long, long, drive across that state. Zach while driving through Iowa. This was about 3 hours into the trip. He watch his dvd with "Emergency" season one playing the entire time. We had to turn it off to get him to nap a tiny bit. Notice the wind turbine in the back. I was just amazed by how many of those "farms" that there are in Iowa. They are HUGE. We met lots of semi's hauling one blade which took up the whole trailer and they needed a "wide load" lead car to warn everyone. Very cool..
Zach was super excited as can be to reach the hotel. He was pumped about the room and excited to see what we were going to do. The view from our room was fantastic!!!

Playing mini golf at our resort. Our hotel is in the background. This is very interesting with a 3 yr-old. Zach mainly wanted to hit the ball in the water and move on to the next hole. It was so funny.

Here we are getting ready to go on a tour. Zach was so excited to be on the "boat with wheels." We looked it up on the internet before we left and this was his only request and the thing he wanted to do the most. It was so fun and very pretty. Myself and Craig on the DUCKS. Zach helped me take this picture...not to bad.
This is called Hawks Bill, I believe and was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine many years ago. Sure looks like one to me. There were so many amazing rock features and beautiful trees and plants to looks at.

This small deer just ate right in front of us while we stopped. I think they get so used to the tours they don't even get scared. This was yet another exciting moment for Zach and the rest of us. Beautiful!

Elmo joined us on the trip.

Zach and Elmo taking a little rest at nap time.

We had to stop and get some cheese and curds before we went home. This was so yummy.

The biggest deer I have seen in my life so of course we had to stop and take a picture. I am sure zillions of people have done the same. Thanks to the people who own him...this was so funny.

Picture of the waterpark early in the morning. There was so much to do. There was also an indoor waterpark you could also access through an underground walkway under the parking lot. This way you can swim all winter long and never have to go outside...great planning on the resorts part.
More slides.
These are the slides coming out of the indoor waterpark. So much fun!!!

German Clock TowerZach and the biggest hotdog he has ever seen. And no, he did not eat it all. I think he had three bites but I give him credit for trying.

Zach and Craig at a wishing well. I forgot that Zach has never done this before. He thought it was great.
Outside next to the German Tower and a cute little "Square."

Of course we had to stop at a fire station. This picture is a little fuzzy, but we had fun as you can tell. It was a great trip and we have tons more pictures but this is just an idea of all the things we saw and did. I will go back there again some day. It was wonderful. I am so lucky to have a great husband and kids to share these memories with. It's just another event to add to my ever-growing collection!! I am blessed.

Swimming Lessons & Rolling Over

Zach finished swimming lessons on Friday, July 10th, just before we left for vacation. He passed or as he told me "I tested out Mom." He did a great job and is a lot more confident in the water. On the kick board.Zach and his teacher.
Looks like he is thinking hard about what to do next.

He did a great job and we are very proud of him.

Cameron has started to roll over more and more. Here are a few shots of him in action.

The Starting position

Now we start to roll.
Success! Now we are over.
I call this pose "crunches." He wants to sit up by himself so bad. He is going to have great abs.

Vacation pictures and info will be coming soon!

Fourth of July

On the Fourth of July, Zach and I went to Seward with Grandpa and Grandma Vyhnalek and Aunt Alli to watch the parade. Zach LOVED the fire trucks and ambluances, no big shock to any of us. He would tell me if one of them was coming down the parade route about 1 minute before the truck would reach us. He was comparing Sewards fire trucks to our departments. It was so cute. He could have cared less about the candy, he wanted to see more trucks. My cute little firecrackers.

Craig and Cam came up later and we all had supper at Aunt Suzies and Uncle Richards. It was lots of fun and we all ate way to much. The boys fell asleep on the way home and we thought the night was over, but Zach woke up and asked me, "Where did we just come from? Are we going to watch fireworks?" - All in a bit of a daze from the mini nap. Craig took him to watch some fireworks and I stayed with Cameron who was still sleeping after bathtime. So an uneventful evening for me but that's ok, I was pretty tired after a long day. It was unusually cool for the 4th and Nebraska weather so that was a nice change.

Traveling and Swimming

We have been busy people here at our house. On June 19th, we traveled to South Dakota for Craig's cousin's wedding and came home on the 21st. It was in Yankton and the kids once again traveled great. We are so lucky. No one gets car sick and we really don't have to stop much except for bathroom breaks and food. I love the dvd player and so does Zach. I sat in the back with the boys for awhile and even got to watch a movie. Craig put on the headphones and listened to the cd I burned with his favorite songs. I am not so sure if that is legal or safe, but most of the time he would hear us talking to him so it must not have been to loud. :)

Zach started swimming lessons in Wilber this week. He is getting a private lesson and loves it! Today they did water safety and what not to do at the pool. He is getting much more comfortable with the water and went down the slide with his teacher and jumped off the diving board. He even went under water!! Wow, I was impressed. Here was my little boy who not to long ago, would not allow his feet to leave the person holding him in the water- doing this. It's amazing how fast he took to swimming. I am happy we decided to do it. We are going to Wisconsin soon and there will be a water park so we wanted him to have water awareness at the most and now I know he will be fine.

We sound like world travelers. This year has been one of many trips. I hate to think of next year when we go on one vacation. Zach is not going to know what to do. Who knows maybe we will be able to do a couple each year. It's been fun.

Cameron has started rolling over regularly. He loves to be on his tummy now. The hard part is about 3 minutes or so and he's done and can't quite figure out how to get back on his back. He is a storyteller and has found his voice there is no doubt. He doesn't have the routine that Zach did at this age, mainly becuase I stay home now. I can kind of predict his day. I should write it down for when we leave go to WI. We are leaving him behind and both Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunt Alli have agreed to watch him. I hope he will be good. We love them for doing this for us!

I thought this was cute but I don't want it to become a habit.

We spent a little time in Davenport last weekend so here are a few pictures. Uncle Shane sure takes good care of his nephews.

Cameron thinking really hard.

Shane and Zach on the 3 Wheeler. Zach just can't get enough of the rides. It can be this or the lawn mower and he loves every minute.

Updates soon

Well it has been awhile since I have been able to update our page. I promise there will be more coming soon....stories from South Dakota and swimming lessons and more. Cameron is helping me type this as we speak. This is the second time I have written this so....to be continued. ;)

Park

Well today we met up with my friend Kylie and her two little ones, Kellan and Maeli at the park in Denton. We had lots of fun on this warm sunny day. Of course I forgot my camera. That park is great, it has the compressed rubber under the playground to soften falls and makes it nice to push a stroller. Going over rock and wood chips is such a pain. Then Kylie had us over for lunch which was great. The kids had fun and it was nice for the Mom's to catch up again as well.

We are busy getting ready to go to Yankton, SD for Craig's cousins wedding. It is only about 4 hours there and after making the 9 hour trip to Minnesota in May, this should be a breeze. The kids travel well so we will hope for the same again this time. Thank the Lord for DVD players. It's the best investment we have made in awhile. Zach has his headphones, we push play, and away we go. Hardly a peep out of him until he wants a new movie. It's great!!

Here is a little funny thing Zach told me the other day. He was just getting done being in timeout and he said, "Mom, I prayed for you." I said, "You did, what did you pray for me about?" He answered, "I prayed for you and for fire trucks, because Jesus likes it when we pray." I said that was very nice. I got to thinking if he prayed that I would stop sending him to timeout or something if it might work? Who knows, at least he learned more good things at Bible School. Silly boy. Zach at vacation bible school.

Tummy Time for Cameron!Big Brother Zach reading his firetruck book to Cameron. Zach told me that Cameron doesn't know about pumpers and hoses so he needs to teach him all about them. That's my little fireman.

Vacation Bible School

Here is a little video of Zach at Vacation Bible School. He is obviously the one in the middle, not the little boy standing so still….keep watching it gets very funny towards the end and remember this is only part of one song. Oh my, I can’t imagine what the Christmas program will be like, or can I? We practiced his songs at home and he sang very well and even danced a little. They were all so funny to watch. Craig, Cameron, and I as well as Grandpa and Grandma Vyhnalek, and Aunt Allison were able to make it and he was performing for us all. At one time he was trying to raise his eyebrows and move his forehead like Craig does to be funny, why he chose to do it up there I don’t know but it was hilarious!!! We laughed so hard.

Check it out:

Wasn't that funny? Oh my. He keeps us entertained to say the least.

In other news, I am painting a hutch that my sister Melissa and her boyfriend TJ gave us. I am going to put it in our dining room and am painting it dark purple to match the accent wall. I have taken over the garage on the side where Craig parks "Blue Betty" our Buick La Sabre. Poor thing, I think she will be OK. (That is a hint of sarcasm if you didn't catch it.) The first coat of paint is drying and the second one will be going on soon. Of course I pick one of the most humid days to paint. It rained this morning and was just raining a second ago while the sun was shining. I will have pictures of it when it is all nice and settled in the house.

Party Pictures

Here are pictures of the birthday cake. We went out to eat at Lee's Chicken in Lincoln with Craig's family. We had fun and the cake was good to. Notice the perfectly placed/spaced strawberries and candles? Yes that is one of my OCD issues or my need for near perfection. Ha Ha - Somethings just need to be that way and others...well who cares. :)

Zach picked out the squiggly candles. He thought Daddy would love them, and he did.
Zach eating the left over frosting. All of us before we cut into the cake.

I think we all had a pretty great day.

Here is the receipe for the best ever White Chocolate Frosting from The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn:

6 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I found it squared in a little 6 oz box)
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temp
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temp
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Melt the chocolate on low heat in a sauce pan. Stir constantly and let it cool.
2. Cream the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until blended. Then add the melted white chocolate and blend again. Finally add the vanilla and the confectioners' sugar and blend for about 30 more seconds.

So delicious. It said to refridgerate the frosted cake when you are done. Yummy Stuff I had to share.

Happy Birthday Craig!

Today is Craig's birthday and we are going to celebrate by going out for supper in Lincoln. I also made a cake with a little help from Betty Crocker. I did spice things up a bit and broke out my Cake Doctor cook book and followed the receipe in there for a White Chocolate Frosting which I made from scratch. I did a two layer white cake and in the center put frosting and then some store boughten strawberry sugar free glaze. The frosting is fantastic and I will post it later for anyone who likes cream cheese frosting that is not to sweet. Yummy, I think you could dip fruit or crackers in any extra you may have...I think that is what we will do. I will let you know how the whole thing tasted.

Zach is still loving vacation bible school which is going on this week. After he was done in time out yesterday he told me, "I was praying for you Mom." I said what were you praying for me about and he said, "Well I was praying for firetrucks and you becuase Jesus likes it when we pray." I am not sure if he was praying I would not keep sending him to time-out when he is naughty or what but I was laughing pretty hard to myself when I heard that. I guess he is learning something at bible school. Oh boy do I have my hands full with him these days!!

Just a quick update on Cameron. Thanks to tips from my friend Natasha, I kept track of how much he was spitting up and when it was happening. The nurse suggested that we keep his bottles to 4 oz a feeding and then keep him upright for 30 minutes after he eats. His little tummy can't handle much more at one time. I have noticed that not laying him down so soon has helped some. When I am nursing him I obviously can not tell how much he is getting but he seems to be getting full so that is important. I still feed on demand so I don't have much of a routine and it is hard to say exactly how much he is eating in a day. His weight gain is good, he was 16 lbs 11 oz at his 4 month check so they are not worried. I think that when he is offered more oz in the bottle he will just keep eating because they are there and he is not really hungry. I can't blame the kid, sometime I eat becuase food it there to so I can sympathize. :) The past two days he has only spit up two or three times and they were much less. I think we have found the answer for now, let's hope it does not change and we have to buy expensive formula. I would be happy to change my diet before we have to do that.

Ok, birthday pictures to follow tonight.

Another Monday

I worked at the bank today becuase it is Monday. I really like it there and enjoy my one guaranteed day with adults. Working there also keeps me thinking and working with numbers as opposed to thinking about dirty diapers, trying to keep the dog hair out of Cameron's mouth and making sure I spend quality time with Zach. Balancing two kids is much harder then I ever thought. It took a long time for me to even go places with both boys just becuase it stressed me out. Now I just take it in stride and don't get worked up about it. But of course taking just one at a time is much more simple. I commend all my friends and family with twins (clapping) you are awesome and I can only imagine the challenges you face.

Zach went to vacation bible school today and brought his friend Delaney. It runs this week and they have a program on Friday. I am so excited to see how he does. I asked him how this first day went and he said, "Good. We sang songs and ate snacks." He showed me the items he got to take home and was explaining it to me but those were the highlights. First Sunday School, now VBS, next stop preschool- but not for awhile. This all means my little man is growing up. Honestly where does the time go?

Cameron went to Kris' house today. We have the BEST babysitter ever. We are so lucky to have her and love that we have become like family. Cameron didn't have much to say about his day but the report was that he cried a lot. I am wondering what we are going to do with him. He has been spitting up a lot after eating and went through 3 outfits today. Yikes. I am making a call to the Dr. tomorrow and ask for suggestions. Is it the formula or the breastmilk or combo? Time will tell I guess but this throwing up business also means I go through just about the same amount of outfit changes as he does. Silly kid, gets me or Daddy everytime. I hope it grows out of it.

Well here are a couple pictures of the boys. I will try to get one of the kids at VBS and add it soon but for now here are two favorites of mine.

Zach on the boat during our trip to Minnesota in May.

Cameron 4 months, what a happy baby.

Bring you up to speed

I have been thinking about blogging since Cameron was born and I was going to get the opportunity to stay at home with the boys. I thought I would have plenty of time to get started and keep everyone updated on what we are doing. Well as you can see Cameron is now 4 months and I am just getting started. Better late then never I say. So here is a little jump start and information about our family.



My name is Tonja and I am staying home with my two boys, Zachary who is 3 and Cameron who turned 4 months on May 26th. I work Mondays at First State Bank in Wilber as a Teller. This also happens to be the same bank my husband Craig work's as an Insurance Agent. We can car-pool that day after dropping the boys off at daycare so that is nice.



There is so much to know about me and those of you who already know me will be reminded of how I am reading these blogs. :) I am adjusting to the role of a stay at home mom and really love it. I have my days where I just want to get away for awhile, but don't get me wrong, the good times out-weigh the bad there is no doubt. More about me later....



Craig, the Dad, works full time and extra hard so I am able to stay home. He has found his calling and is excellent at what he does. So for those of you who need an insurance quote, just let me know and I can hook you up with a fantastic agent. Craig and I are both Volunteer Firefighters and EMT-B's on the Crete Fire Department. I have been on the dept. since 2002 and Craig much longer. He is the Rescue Captain and in charge of our transfer ambluance so that is something that keeps us busy. I have of course slowed down on my responses to calls due to having the boys, but my in-laws are close and some days I make a call or two if they are around to watch them.



Zach turned 3 on November 10th. He is full of life and never ceases to amaze us with his wonderful memory. He strikes up a conversation with just about everyone and is always wanting to know, "How's your day?" If you ask him he will reply, "Mine was busy, really busy. I had a lot to do." He is very funny and witty. I think he gets most of that from his father. Zach is a very kind and loving kid but is all boy when it comes down to it. I am learning all about how dirty little boys can get in just minutes and have come to realize that my house will always be a little dirty. I can think of worse things.



Cameron turned 4 months on May 26th. We thought Cameron was going to be a girl. My pregnancy was so different than with Zach but when he was born he was clearly a boy. What a total surprise. We didn't find out the sex with either pregnancy. Cameron is also a great baby but much different than his brother was at this age. Zach was sleeping through the night at 3 months, Cameron did for one week and decided that was enough. We are now getting up at least once in the night usually around 4:30 or 5 to eat and then he goes back to sleep. It really is not that bad now. I forgot how rough the first few months really can be. I like to sleep and of course now having two little people around it doesn't always happen and naps for mom are rare. We are making it.



Well I am going to use this blog to keep family and friends updated on what we are doing. You can also checkout my facebook page which will also have many of the same pictures as we go and ones that are already out there. I hope you enjoy our blog and would love to hear your feedback. More to come.....