the stejskal family

our birthday boy!

2011-12-14T14:23:00.001-07:00

today i turned 2!

and this is how i spent my birthday....

playing in my room

showing some sibling love

we really do love each other!

and dad made sure i had a birthday donut (really because DAD wanted donuts!)

grandma jane came to visit me and gave me a really cool truck!

then we headed up to see the lights at the zoo!

i thought they were a-maz-ing!!

grandpa mel, uncle gary, dad, kate, and auntie atsuki

after almost freezing to death we headed over to gary & atsuki's house

to have hot cocoa, cake, and best of all....

presents!!

such a good boy...folding his arms to say a pray before his cake ;)

and now....the PRESENTS....

pretty sure i cleaned out the thomas the train aisle!

and now.....my "CHEESE" face!!

its awesome, i know!!!

kate's dance recital

2011-12-13T23:12:00.002-07:00

what a difference a year makes!
kate did such a great job and she was all smiles backstage...

no tears, just a happy little girl waiting for her turn to shake it!

trimming the tree

2011-12-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

this is the first year that we decorated the christmas tree as a family....i usually wait until everyone (even vic!) goes to bed and then i do it all by myself!

i am very picky about my tree!

but one of my favorite childhood memories is getting our house all ready for christmas. we would always go pick out the perfect tree on my birthday and set it up that night. i remember the first year my mom let me help with the lights (that was always her job and we would have to wait FOREVER for her to do it!) now....the lights are my least favorite job....they do take FOREVER to do!

so i let it all go and let my little family have some fun! kate was an awesome little helper, handing me ornaments while i stood on the stool to do the top half (it was actually really great! i didn't have to keep going up and down!) will was a goof...he was so amazed by everything! "WOW!" was his favorite word for the night!

after the tree was "done" (i totally went back and re-did 75% of it) vic set up our train.

WILL WAS THRILLED!

the kids played with it....and broke half of it! now i remember why we haven't taken it out for several years. i honestly thought it would be fine....oh well, they had two hours of pure bliss, right?!

after all of the fun, we put the kiddos down for the night...and put away the train!

maybe we'll try again next year!

thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

this year we hosted thanksgiving at our house.

we have a lot to be grateful for this year and were able to enjoy the day with some of my family.

love the faces....vic and will!

kate requested "the foot"!

wilbur

2011-12-02T22:50:00.001-07:00

he really loves chocolate...

halloween 2011

2011-10-31T19:37:00.000-06:00

we had such a great halloween this year!

first we went to a halloween party with all of kate and will's friends!
they played games and jumped on the trampoline outside, worked on a couple of crafts, ate pizza, and then kate's favorite part...the AWESOME spook alley!
will loved it too...he kept going back downstairs with anyone that would let him tag along...
which of course was everyone!

the other place will could be found...right in front of the fish!
he really loves fish...a lot.

a quick nap for will and we were off to our ward's chili cook-off and trunk-or-treat.

the costume parade...

notice kate...but no will...
she promised she would hold his hand and stay with him.

he did finally stroll in...all by himself...went through the gym and then we lost him for about 15 mins!

so a big THANKS to the person that kept a hold of him...grandpa was the one to find him and didn't know who it was...not a fun 15 minutes :(

next up....the trunk-or-treat. i'll be honest, not really sure how i feel about the whole thing! i think my kids have it way too easy....they should have to walk to every house in the neighborhood to get a bag full of candy...not a quick walk through our church parking lot!

grandpa wanted a picture with the kiddos...will did not.

on halloween day kate had her class party.

we made cute pumpkin shakers, had some yummy treats, and played some very fun games!

and just for uncle gary....a picture of the monster cupcakes that i made....on my blog...for everyone to see.

and the 15 halloween bags that i made and embroidered glow-in-the-dark spider webs on ;)

the weather was perfect for trick-or-treating on halloween night!

the kids had so much fun running around the neighborhood with some of our favorite friends, josh and alex!

kate and josh were usually at the next house before will and alex could even get off the last porch!

i love that kate loves to match her little brother (and he hasn't complained...yet)

but...we got lots of confused looks when the "monster" showed up twice on their doorsteps!

i had to say a couple of times that we had two of them!

will had more fun looking at all of the decorations...and if it glowed, made sound, or moved we had to go get him so we could go to the next house!

note for next year....bring water for everyone to drink! poor kate almost died from thirst.

i didn't think we would last longer then 45 minutes, maybe a hour...but we were out there for almost two!

it was such a fun night and kate is already asking when we can have halloween again!

pumpkin patch 2011

2011-10-19T16:40:00.000-06:00

last saturday we took a drive over to our favorite pumpkin patch.

will and kate had a great time running around!

they got to pick out their very own pumpkins, climb all over some pretty cool tractors and go for a ride, feed the goats FOREVER,

and look at the corn maze (we didn't get very far into it...will kept slipping!)

we went home with a trunk full of pumpkins and two very happy and very tired kiddos!

two-wheeler

2011-10-11T10:18:00.001-06:00

on september 20th kate learned how to ride her bike all by herself!

two lessons from her daddy and she was good to go!

kate and grandpa off for a bike ride!

way to go kate!

we are so proud of you!

summer 2011

2011-10-04T14:10:00.004-06:00

not really sure where summer went...but here are some of the things that kept us busy!

june

we took a trip out to the great state of oklahoma

to visit bridgette, chad, ella, owen, and little miss evelyn

LOVE the tongues!

the battery died on my camera the first day we were there.
my mom took pictures during the rest of our trip...still waiting for her email ;)

we did some swimming at home

will decided to be my little shadow and was ALWAYS by my side,
behind me,
underneath me...
you get the idea!

july

will tried his hand at making his own lunch....marshmallows!!
and he left a trail behind!

he is discovering the joys of sugar and sweets...
and has quite the sweet tooth (just like his daddy!)

i really did try!!!

we attempted a "family shot" on the 4th of july

and enjoyed several family bbqs

august
kate's love for "fluffy-s" continued to grow

will found a new spot for watching his shows.

he is watching cars in this picture and using the top of the alphabet card box for his steering wheel...

not exactly what i imagined when we bought them!

we played with friends at LOTS of parks!

kate and will loading up the wheel with woodchips

will waiting for his chance to turn the wheel....

and send all of the woodchips flying!

kate scolding him...it was her turn to do it...& you can see on his face just how sorry he was!
such a "kate & will" moment!
kate trying to be in charge....will not even pretending like he cares!

21 months

2011-09-20T23:00:00.002-06:00

will is getting so big...and losing all of his cute baby rolls! i totally miss his chunky little butt! now when i look at him, i see this big boy that loves to do everything all by himself! he is SO independent! he loves to open and shut things all by himself, put things away, put on his shoes...basically he tries to figure out everything! he spent 10 minutes one morning opening a yogurt...it almost killed me! he would NOT let me help him! but he was one proud boy when he finally got it open!

he is definitely my little man...he loves to give me lots of hugs and kisses! he has started doing this funny thing where he will be busy playing and all of the sudden he will come running to find me. once found, he will give me a little pat or a real quick hug and then take off running back to whatever he was doing.

i guess he just needs to know i'm still there.

will has taken an interest in the whole potty-training thing. every once in a while he will give me a grunt and point to the bathroom.

he LOVES to sit on the toilet...for like 20 minutes!

he just sits there with this goofy grin and then he puts his arms out...this means "all done". he does try to say it! it kind of-sort of sounds like it!

he goes about half the time! but sure...will wants to sit still...sound good to me!

will decided to climb out of his crib again...

so on august 31st, we moved him into the "toddler bed"! he LOVES being able to climb in and out all by himself! his bedtime routine goes like this...first we get milk (he pulls out the chocolate syrup every night and every night i have to tell him not at bedtime!), then we all line up to start our "binky hunting". we sing our silly "let's go bink-y hunt-ing" song as we go up the stairs collecting any binkies we see. kate loves this too! if i try to go up the stairs, she always says, "mom, sing the song!" we also tell the kitties "good night" on our way to will's room. once we get there, we look under the bed, the train table, and the dresser for any stray binks! then i ask if will wants a story...and he always shakes his head and tells me no! he is too busy climbing into his bed to arrange his stuff animals and then he snuggles into his pillow. i tell him i love him and he blows a kiss to me and waves nigh-night...

and then he is OUT!

have i mentioned what a good little sleeper will is?? HE IS AWESOME! you wouldn't even know that he isn't in his crib! the only difference is what i find in the morning, lots of cars and books in his bed and on the floor! but i will take that any day...he plays in his room in the morning...its usually the "smell" that lets me know he's awake!

will's big boy bed!

so excited!! he is saying, "WOW!" underneath that bink!

kate had to get in on the action...

and then they got SILLY!

will spit out his bink...it was on!

shake it!

yes...he is shaking his booty!!

and this is how i found him after we had all left his room,
just hanging out in his bed

playing cars...

and totally happy.

2011-09-13T13:27:00.004-06:00

i was asked to sub in kate's class on monday and on the way home she said,
"mom, you're a fun teacher...and you're my favorite! i love you lots and lots!"

aww...kate, you're my favorite too!

hoooo-ray for school!!

2011-09-06T15:19:00.000-06:00

kate started preschool again today. she was so happy to finally get back!

when we went over the "what are we going to do tomorrow?" list last night during bath time, kate was all smiles.

we talked about getting up early and putting on her school clothes, going to school (without mommy...), and having her cute friend kaylee there with her. then the plan was to have mommy and will pick up her and kaylee and have kaylee come home with us, eat lunch with us, and play with us!

she was one excited little lady!

kate all dressed and ready to go!!

kate and mrs. combs

kaylee and kate in front of the job tree

of course she had a great day!

i asked kate what was her favorite thing from her first day and she said,

"the park!! and playing on the bumpy slide!"

she still calls all playgrounds "parks" ;)

our kate LOVES school...and we LOVE that she loves it!

spring soccer 2011

2011-08-31T11:04:00.001-06:00

this year we signed kate up for spring soccer. she was so excited to get out there and kick the soccer ball just like uncle gary!

unfortunately, once she got out on the field she wouldn't really play at all. she just clung on to me and ended up watching the majority of the games from the sideline. i finally got her to tell me what was wrong...she was terrified that someone would knock her over!

let's just say we won't be signing up for fall soccer this year!

will being will....this kid LOVES anything that has to do with a ball!

he loved all the games!

will....

2011-08-21T22:31:00.000-06:00

how can you not love this kid?

our little dancer

2011-08-21T22:18:00.002-06:00

kate started dance again! she was so happy to go back "to class".

summer has been a killer for us this year....ok....really lack of routine and structure is getting to both of us.

will...happy to be sleeping in until 9:30...or sometimes 10!

kate picked out her very own outfit...she even finished it off with a bracelet and wanted a ribbon in her hair! and kate NEVER wants bows or ribbons or anything!
this girly was EXCITED!!

will wanted in on the action so kate helped him get ready!

and boy, you should have heard him cry when i took off the skirt...

kate's new wheels

2011-08-03T17:21:00.000-06:00

kate got a new big girl bike for her birthday!

she knew exactly which one she wanted at the bike store.

i may have tried to talk her into another color...

the last bike she picked out was blue...with a pirate on the seat.

perfect for handing down to her little brother!

but every time i "suggested" the red one or the yellow one,

she would say, "mom, i LOVE the pink one! its my FAV-O-RITE!"

not sure when pink became her FAV-O-RITE, but i finally gave in!

will...he got a balloon...

and the hopes of someday being the proud owner of a hot pink bike!

totally kidding....i would never MAKE him ride it....

but pretty sure right now our funny little guy would pick out pink....don't tell vic!

bubbles

2011-08-03T16:48:00.000-06:00

colored bubbles....my kids love them

a little messy...but all of those cute smiles make it totally worth it!

girl's day

2011-07-27T13:42:00.000-06:00

this year kate got to choose a friend and have a fun "girl's day" for her birthday.

naturally she wanted to bring peyton...so off we went!

first we to build-a-bear to make some new "friends" (cheesy!). peyton was great! she walked straight to a pink bear and said that was the one she wanted. but kate...oh.my.sweet.kate!! she spent OVER 35 minutes trying to decide which one she wanted. it was a good thing it was her birthday is all i have to say!! she FINALLY choose a lamb (which i kept telling her was not ideal for the little outfits...but WHATEVER!) next they picked out cute dresses. happy to report this only took kate about 15 minutes....peyton walked right up to the one she wanted and didn't even look at any other ones (maybe she had some time while kate was still picking out her lamb!) then it was time to stuff and add a heart. the sweet lady helping them was really cute and made such a big deal that it was kate's birthday. she was going on and on about taking care of their new friends and telling them silly little things....like they needed to kiss and hug the heart so their new friends would always feel love....but both kate and peyton kept looking at her like she was crazy. it was hard not to laugh! peyton went first and jumped right up to step on the button to start the stuffing process. unfortunately it makes a really loud noise and kate wanted no part of it. so peyton got to stuff kate's too. then it was time to "wash" them...again another loud noise...so peyton was on double duty again. after all the fluff was gone, the girls got to dress them. kate wanted the matching panties...her lamb's bum was showing! i tried to get peyton to pick out a pair for her bear, but she was cool with just the dress....maybe kate should take notes?!

after we finished up we were all hungry (we were there for a REALLY long time!) so we headed over to california pizza (note to self...don't try to drag two hungry little girls trying to carry build-a-bear boxes on a really hot day from one end of gateway mall to the other....whining will occur!) we made it to the restaurant and luckily didn't have to wait for a seat! our waiter brought out the bread and butter and those girlies devoured it! i couldn't butter the sour-dough slices fast enough! kate ordered a cheese pizza and peyton ordered a pepperoni (which she immediately picked off when she got it...which made me smile...maybe she's not perfect after all!) they both ordered sprite (and of course i quietly asked the waiter to bring kate a water too...because that's what she will really drink! she just thinks she likes sprite!) after our yummy food the girls both got a sundae (don't tell kate her's was really the same...i told her it was her birthday sundae!) they each took about two bites!

then we headed back to the other side of gateway to play in the fountains...no whining this time...i think they were too stuffed! i have to say, the fountains were not a big hit! kate was worried she would get water in her eyes and peyton slipped and landed right on her bum. i think they were both too tired and too full to even try to run around. i didn't complain...it was so hot outside! so we loaded back into the car and headed home. the time spent in the car was enough to rejuvenate their little bodies and they wanted to play in the pool on our back patio...so that's how they finished up their fun-filled day!

my favorite part of the day....watching kate tell EVERYONE it was her birthday!

she completely loved all of the attention!!!

kate is four!!

2011-06-26T20:27:00.086-06:00

little miss kate turned 4 today!

kate at 4 years....

31.5 lbs (20%)
37.8 inches (12%)

when did you grow up and get so big?! and by big, i mean you have a big personality, a big imagination, a big heart, and a big naughty streak....but man, we love you!!

june

july

august

september

october

november

december

january

february

march

april

may

june

happy birthday to our sweet girl!

we love you T H I S M U C H!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

father's day

2011-06-21T00:06:00.004-06:00

father's day was such a fun day for us!
i woke up early to make breakfast for the "dads" and this is what i found.....

kate woke up even earlier and didn't want to miss helping me make breakfast!

it almost killed kate to wait to give vic and grandpa their presents!

a new drill....so he can fix things....he wore out his other one!!

and a new game to play with grandpa!
he really is happy....but grandpa (the photographer!) never smiles in pictures!

and like always...will was still snoozing away!

happy father's day to the daddys in our house....
we are so lucky to have them both!

happy birthday dad!

2011-06-12T16:31:00.009-06:00

from your two crazy monkeys!!

we love you lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and then some more! mom kind of likes you too :)

graduating

2011-06-11T23:11:00.021-06:00

we have had quite a few graduation programs to attend this spring!

kate's was on may 24th and was very cute!

kate and her classmates
(she's the short one in the middle with the black tights!)

our little graduate!

kate and the best teacher out there...miss becky!

grandma alena came out to support her favorite little girl!

grandpa mel was there too...even though he was sick!
another reason why we love our "grandpa in the basement"!!

kate and her daddy!

my sweet girl!

not every mommy gets to go to school with their kiddo....but i do!

it has been a great year for the both of us!

saturday, may 28th was another very important day for our little family...

vic's graduation!

i don't even know how to say how proud i am of him!
he has worked so hard the last two years towards this major accomplishment!
(i should know...we have missed him!)

patiently waiting...

kate telling us its dad's turn!

finally...HE IS DONE!

after 3+ hours...kate exhausted, will delirious, vic & me THRILLED...and ready to go eat!

so proud of both of them!

kate's first talk!

2011-05-16T21:05:00.014-06:00

kate gave her very first talk in primary on sunday, april 17th. she did such an awesome job and i could not have been more proud of her! it is so sweet to watch her go to primary every sunday like a big kid.

i love that she is learning about the gospel and our savior and that she loves it!
she has amazing teachers and i am so grateful for their patience and willingness to share their testimonies with my little girl!

it means so much to me to be able to take my children to church with me and this might have been the "best (sun)day ever!"....

if you know kate...you know she loves to have "the best day(s) ever!"

easter 2011

2011-04-24T12:35:00.030-06:00

this year we celebrated easter a week early!
vic is almost done with his master's program and he had a little trip (if going to south africa is little!) that was schedule over the holiday!

the easter bunny made it to our house and left behind a couple of goodies for kate and will!

kate went a few steps past the window, turned around, and saw her surprise!!
a new playhouse and slide for our backyard!

here is her "i'm not really awake yet, but i'm really excited, trying not to smile-face"!

checking it all out!

all smiles now!

back inside waiting for william to grace us with his presence!!
that kids LOVES to sleep!

kate showing will what to do!
last year he was a little lump laying on the couch...just a bit different this year!

showing his egg to mommy!

now showing his egg to grandpa!

kate telling us they found will's basket!

checking it all out!

kate found her basket!

will might have been the cheesiest i have ever seen him! he would smile so big for the camera....his eyes would disappear!

cheesy

cheesier

cheesiest!

two happy kids!

the "real" easter morning...no vic...he's in south africa!

and yes, i made kate's dress and will's tie!

happy easter!

why is it SNOWING in april??

2011-04-23T23:13:00.008-06:00

the weather was the pits and we were BORED!!

good thing we had kate and one of her "good my-deas"!!

she says "my" instead of "i" because its her idea...makes sense, right??
one day i'll correct her, but its way too cute right now!

kate thought it would be SO fun to pile up the pillows and blankets and jump off the couch! she arranged everything just right and off they went!

will was a little nervous at first....

but he gave it a try and decide the head-first face plant was the best way to go!

taking a break to "sing" the song from super why!

not that they didn't have a blast....but we are looking forward to warm weather!

"will-e-am"

2011-03-25T21:47:00.011-06:00

just some cute pictures of "will-e-am"....

your first shiner!

you are constantly stealing the poofs from the shower and love to run around dancing with them!
your father does not see the humor in this...
i think its adorable!

you are a tad on the dramatic side...see pictures below....

you like to let us know when you are not getting your way!

watching a little tv....right before nap time & yep, you fell asleep!
that's how much you love (& need) your sleep!

kate

2011-03-04T22:42:00.009-07:00

my sweet kiddos
they are my sunshine!
each day is an adventure with these two....

i love that my little kate gets to come to work with me! how lucky am i to get to see my kid learn and grow each day....and i love when she calls me "miss holly" with a smirk on her face because she thinks its so funny not to call me "mom". kate is growing up so quickly and is too much fun right now! she will say the funniest things!
this was (some of) her four minute prayer last night,

"dear heavenly father, thank you for our day. thank you for all of our blessings. thank you for our school. thank you for our house. thank you for mommy and for her to feel better and her back's better. thank you for the airplane that daddy went on. thank you that daddy was home. thank you for kate. thank you for will and that he sleeps like a good boy. thank you for our food. thank you for grandpa and his bike. please bless our food to strength us. please bless dad to come home from work. please bless kate and will. bless us to be safe. amen.....oh....please bless mom. amen."

i know there was more....she just kept going and going.....she is pretty dang cute!
love the "up the nose shot"!
so precious!

will's first trip to the ER....

2011-02-21T22:02:00.016-07:00

will can be described as carefree.

while this is a wonderful trait, for our little guy this has lead to many bumps and bruises! he is so busy enjoying his little world and everything in it, that he doesn't EVER watch where he is going or what lies in his path....

lets start with friday....he decided that he needed to go through the two inch space between our huge bookcase and a little saucer chair (that he can and does pick up and move all the time!) he fell and hit the bookcase (right in the spot with lots of molding) and ended up with a big scape behind his ear.

saturday....luckily nothing that left a mark! just the daily i ran into the corner of the table eight times because i am running around like a mad man!

sunday....he was running around (again) during sunday school at church and walked right into the corner of the stage. i was two steps behind and watched him do it. of course he started to cry and everyone turned around to see what was going on....
by the way, where did all the babies in my ward go and why does it seem like will is the only crazy one running around?? he ended up with a giant goose-egg on his forehead....it was not pretty.

and now monday....we spent the morning running errands and when we got home i put will down for his nap. i went back downstairs and vic and kate stayed upstairs. vic was working (yes, he even works from home) and kate was quietly playing. twenty minutes later i heard will screaming, really screaming, and vic was yelling my name. i ran up the stairs and saw vic holding will's face and there was blood all over. that's when vic said he didn't know if it was his eye or his face bleeding. we took him into the kitchen and realized it was not his eye....just his face, but the cut was pretty deep. will had pushed all of the bins for our toy box in and then tripped and fallen into one of the lips that the bins slide in and out on. we threw everyone into the car and i drove (with an expired license, trying really hard not to speed, with vic holding will in the front seat keeping pressure on the cut...i think kate had shoes on...i know will didn't have pants or a coat or shoes....) to the emergency room. will was seen by the doctor who told us that he could put in a couple of stitches, but they would probably have to sedate him. will would be able to see them out of the corner of his eye and might pull them out and then he would really have a scar.....or he could use demabond (fancy name for expensive super glue!) and with that his scar would be minimal (either way he was going to have some scarring). we went with the glue and they called in reinforcements to hold him down. after wrapping him in a sheet (to keep his hands away) the doctor cleaned out the cut and applied the glue. will just laid there perfectly still and let him do it! it needed to dry for a minute and that's when he did finally try to move! and will being will, just sat there smiling at the doctor! he really is such a good little guy.

will and his first battle wound

still smiling!

will, i love you more than i can say....but please try to stay in one piece....
PLEASE!!

valentines day

2011-02-14T16:39:00.023-07:00

one year pictures....and 3 1/2!

2011-01-24T17:08:00.010-07:00

will at one year

kate at 3 1/2 years

my little monkeys

christmas 2010

2010-12-25T21:07:00.033-07:00

Christmas.....a good day at our house!

family pictures 2010

2010-12-21T23:00:00.009-07:00

kate's very first dance recital!

2010-12-19T08:36:00.026-07:00

on december 17th kate had her very first dance recital....

and IT WAS ADORABLE!!!

getting all ready.....

the finished product!

giving us her best pose and off we went!

grandma stejskal stealing a quick hug before her performance!
grandma and grandpa glodowski were there too....but we didn't get a picture!

so excited and all smiles......

until she got into the dressing room!

kate is not a fan of small spaces or lots of noise (just like her mommy!)

cute peyton.....she was cool with it!

she did better once i took her out of the hot stuffy room....

eventually i "gave" her to one of the older girls, walked out, and hoped for the best! she did fine (the cute girl was from our ward and she has helped in the nursery with kate before.....so she didn't totally freak out!)

i quickly found my seat and the show began!!

kate.....ummm.....not a whole lot of "dancing" on stage!

but if looking cute counts for anything.....
SHE DID AWESOME!

she did do the partner part! she really likes being able to tell someone else what to do (sorry to her cute little partner!)

and then right back to making sure her feet are together instead of actually dancing ;)

at the end the girls were surprised with a visitor......SANTA!!

kate and kaylee.....didn't exactly want to go see him.....

and of course kate found someone to carry her......

kate with her flowers from daddy!
she loved them!!

(it may have been her favorite part of the evening!)

will may or may not have spent the entire show dancing his little heart out from the audience.....
maybe he should be the one in dance ;)

will's first birthday party!

2010-12-15T21:00:00.024-07:00

on december 10th we had will's very first birthday PARTY!!!

we had LOTS of balloons (will's favorite thing in the world!!)

we had a bounce house....tents and tunnels.....and so much fun!

will climbing in.....

will climbing back out!

we also painted super scary dinosaurs!

then we dragged will away from all the fun and stripped him.....
time for birthday cake!!

singing happy birthday

he teased us for a minute and we thought he just might eat it......

but nope, no cake for this kid either.......

so not interested!

we tried giving him a fork.....

pretty sure he had more fun with that fork than his cake!

the dinosaur cake!

the pinata!!

the presents!

will's favorite toy.....his very own laptop!

we tried to take it away so he would open his other gifts.....and he sat on it!

he did not want to let that thing go!!

we were so excited to celebrate will's big day!
thanks to everyone for coming!
love this little guy!

hey everybody....i turned one today!

2010-12-14T19:50:00.020-07:00

and this is how i spent my very first birthday!

first i woke up very, very early! we started our christmas break on monday....so of course i have decided to wake up no later than 6 am (i tried 4 am, but mom was so not cool with it!)

i spent the morning playing with my big sister kate and chasing after the balloons from my party! then mom dragged us out to run errands at 7:30.....
i guess that's what i get for waking her up so early!

when we finally got home i took my first nap! it was sweet and i was desperate for it!
i really only cry because of three reasons...
(1) you took away a cell phone or remote from me,
(2) my sister took away a toy from me,
or
(3) i need my beauty sleep and my bed and i am not getting them the very instant i want them!

after i woke up kate and i watched a movie together and then we played with trucks and blocks. i chased the cats for a while and had lunch. i was so tired after all of this and i needed another nap......i really like to sleep!

dad came home from work, i woke up, and we headed downtown to see the lights at Temple Square! this was the first time our family has done this and it was cool! i loved seeing all the lights from the comfort of my stroller and even got in some good flirting with several sister missionaries!
(it was my birthday......so they let it slide!)
kate's favorite lights were the pink ones....i couldn't decide, they were all awesome!

i barely stayed awake for the ride home and was more than happy to get my jammies on and go right to bed! it was a fun and exhausting day for me!

one year

2010-12-14T13:34:00.067-07:00

one year ago today this little guy joined our family!

will at one year.....

24 lbs 6 oz (72%)

31.3 in (90%)

has six teeth! two on the bottom and four on the top. he has always loved to chew things and now he has the proper tools!

is clever. will is a thinker and he is smart. i know every mom thinks this about their child, but people tell me all the time how smart this kid is! if he wants something, he will find a way to get it. he does this in a quiet way. he rarely screams for things....he is too busy figuring it out for himself!

is really into climbing up on everything.....and gives me at least three scares each day!

has some of the best moves ever! i love that he will dance to anything.....from techno to church hymns....you can count on will to shake it!

loves to entertain. we play a game called "giant baby". to play giant baby you need a mom (or a dad), a big sister (or brother), and a giant baby. the mom and sister sit on one side of the room and say, "oh no!! its a giant baby! ahhhh!!" then the giant baby grins, raises his arms, and comes to get you! he tackles you to the ground laughing all the way! finally the mom grabs the baby, pins him to the ground and tickles him until the sister decides its her turn.....i know it sounds complicated, but this is will's favorite (and he is really good at it!)

loves cell phones (prefers real, but will make do with fake ones.) will can usually be found carrying around his "phone". he opens it up and says, "ello", then he will wait a couple of seconds before giving his response in his very own form of jibber-jabber, and he always ends with, "k". it may be the cutest thing ever.

gets into everything. he loves to open drawers, boxes, and cupboards. he will pull out every last item he can find inside. this is not the cutest thing ever.

favorite toy....still a laptop....and now he has his very own (non-pink) and HE LOVES IT!

is a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l sleeper!! this boy loves, loves, loves to sleep!! he takes TWO good solid naps each day (2-3 hours each). he loves his crib and is always trying to get up the stairs to get back to it! he loves to just sit and play in there.....i can hear him in the morning or after one of his nap talking away, laughing, and listening to the songs from his glow-worm (love that thing!). it is so fun to say to him at night (is 6:15 really considered "night"?), "will, let's go to bed,". he will nod his head and climb up the stairs to his room, go to his crib and wait for you to put him inside. he still gets that silly, happy grin when you lay him down! he knows (and appreciates) the value of a well-rested body.....maybe that's why he is always so happy!

loves to drive cars and does some pretty awesome sound effects!

loves our cats. sadie is still a little stand-offish....but she is doing much better. she lets both the kids come up to her for a couple of seconds before darting away. and gus......will and gus.....so funny to watch them together! kate is so rough with poor gussy....gus doesn't put up with much from her. but with will it is a completely different story. gus will sit with him while will pets him and gives him big bear hugs. will get SO EXCITED and will basically scream when he spots one of his kitties. i'm pretty sure he is saying something like this, "LOOK MOM, THE CAT! AND I'M PETTING HIM AND HE IS SO COOL AND SO SOFT AND I LOVE HIM AND I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE HE HASN'T RUN AWAY YET! I LOVE HIM!" will loves the kitties.

loves his sister. he smiles whenever he sees her. he follows her everywhere. he loves to pull her hair to show her just how much he loves her!

loves his dad. he cries each and every time he sees his daddy leave and lights up with excited each and every time he comes home.

snuggles with his mommy in the morning. maybe my favorite time of the day....before kate is awake....will and i have a little "just us" time. he loves to sit with me and i give each of his cheeks good morning smooches.....he just sits there smiling and lets me do it.

december

january

february

march

april

may

june

july

august

september

october

november

december

we love you so much buddy! you make each day an adventure and keep us smiling and laughing! happy first birthday!!

a quick update with pictures because my kids are too cute!

2010-12-07T16:29:00.014-07:00

our days have gotten so busy over the last couple of months! i went from staying home full-time with my kiddos to now working part-time every day at american heritage school. kate comes with me to attend the preschool class with her awesome teacher miss becky. she loves going to "mommy's school" and is learning so much. it is so fun to listen to her tell us all about what she did in class! will gets to have lots of playdates with his friends......crew, peyton, aspen, trae, brighton, brandon, josh, and alex! it wasn't hard to find a place for him to go each day.....he might be the most lovable and mellow almost one-yr-old out there! he gets so excited when we walk up to the door in the morning.....let's just say that my kids do not have attachment issues and i have THE BEST MOST AWESOME neighbors in the world (thanks jeni, adrienne, and kassy)!

i love being back at work and having a schedule again (and a reason to shower every day!). i work from 8:30-1, so i don't feel like we are gone all day, just enough to keep us all sane!

vic is still really busy with work and school.....can't wait until the end of spring.....could there actually be an end in sight?!?!?!

kate on her first day of "mommy's school" preschool!

will and his crazy bedhead.....he has gotten two haircuts since this picture and he needs another one!

kate after school on a friday....love that school wears this girl out!!

she was totally and completely asleep like this!

will being a ham.....with a juicy booger hanging out of his nose!

kate has discovered the joys of headphones....and prefers the biggest pair that her dorky dad owns ;)

what happens when vic feeds will.....

kate and her elephant ears. she wore them this way at school and at home!

vic and kate "watching" a movie.
vic woke up when i came into the room, but trust me....he was asleep!!

overall we are doing good....busy and tired....but having a great time!

happy thanksgiving

2010-11-25T18:08:00.026-07:00

this year we enjoyed thanksgiving day and dinner at our house.

i baked and kate helped.

vic built lego houses and kate helped.

their awesome lego house....complete with a scary ghost holding a pirate flag and a monkey climbing a ladder.
not pictured....an equally awesome garage they built to go with their house.

kate had both her mom and her dad at home....at the same time....she almost didn't know what to do with herself!

will spent the day playing with kate and vic, taking a couple of naps, and tasting all the joys of his first thanksgiving dinner. he really loved the stuffing and the chicken.....

yep, i cooked a chicken instead of a turkey.....what a rebel!!

will....so happy and excited to finally put on his jammies! he knows that means he's off to dreamland! it was 6 o'clock and we had to wake him up during nap #2 so we could eat.....

because will loves his sleep....vic stayed home....and played xbox.

kate and i drove down to uncle mark's and auntie melissa's to play with her cousin ashton and to spend the rest of the evening playing board games....and maybe one more piece of pie!

kate's preschool made thanksgiving placemats that included a quote from each child. this was her's......

i love that she is thankful for snakes! what a goofy little girl!

i am thankful for her, her little brother, and her daddy!

happy halloween

2010-10-31T11:21:00.008-06:00

from two of the scariest dragons around!!

picking pumpkins 2010

2010-10-28T15:23:00.018-06:00

we finally had an afternoon where we were both home and the weather wasn't horrible!

so we bundled up the kiddos and headed out to pick our pumpkins!

i love her face in this one!
she LOVES tractors!

will.....love this kid! so happy and content just sitting in a cart.

you can sit on the tractors next year buddy!

kate off to search for the perfect pumpkin!

she wanted to find one that she could carry all by herself.....and she looked at EVERY pumpkin there.

(well, all that was left!)

then she spotted it!

which was a good thing because she was starting to get really cold!

kate and her little pumpkin!

friday night date

2010-10-26T21:37:00.008-06:00

kate was away at grandma stejskal's

and

vic was...

at work!

so friday night will and i had a little date.

will was in bed by 7:15.....and i got to relax

ALL BY MYSELF!

not too shabby.

trying to steal the camera.

showing off his yoga skills.....

with little treat breaks in between poses.

so good-looking!

time with dad

2010-10-25T11:35:00.013-06:00

frienemies

2010-10-12T14:59:00.005-06:00

twenty minutes earlier......kate was pulling his tail and gus was trying to bite her.

will.....walking!

2010-10-05T14:25:00.009-06:00

will did a little walking last night!
he took two full steps all on his own....and hasn't slowed down since!

here he is about to stand up

and then right after

all smiles and so proud of himself

this is why i can't get a good shot of him actually doing it.....
he sees the camera, drops to his knees, and starts to chase after me!

9 months......yesterday!

2010-09-15T07:52:00.022-06:00

Will at 9 months:

23 lbs 6 oz (87%)

28 3/4 in (67%)

his melon.....18.1 in (70%).......sorry little guy!

will has 2 teeth.

he crawls, pulls himself up, thinks he can climb stairs by himself......

will was doing one of his famous stairs climbs one day and had made his way up two before i got to him. he was so pleased with himself that he lost his balance and fell straight back!

don't worry, gus (our cat) was at the bottom and made quite a soft landing pad.......
do you think i can train him to break will's fall every time?!?

will thought it was hilarious.....no wonder he loves that cat so much!

loves to play with his buddies.

some of his favorites include:
swapping binkies
wrestling
deciding which books are good for chewing
playing hit the ball and then crawl as fast as you can after it
pulling out all of the toys in the toy box and then fighting over one

has discovered that his crib makes an excellent trampoline......
i hope it holds out.

is starting to try to stand by himself.
he does a pretty good job & can balance for three or four seconds before he slowly lowers himself down. he doesn't ever fall.....just squats back down and then takes off crawling!
he is all over the place!!

loves, loves, loves to laugh! he even has a funny little fake laugh now.
kate is still the one that cracks him up. today we were shopping and will was riding in the cart with kate walking next to us. she would make a funny face and call out his name in a silly voice and he....was....dying! other shoppers were laughing at the pair of them!
such goofs!

prefers his drinks to be in bottles.

will loves to watch super why and backyardigans with his sister.
if he hears the songs from either one, he will crawl into the room with the biggest grin, sit down in front of the tv and start bouncing away.

no question about it, will's favorite toy is kate's laptop.
she has two.....that are both pink.....
so guess what he is getting for christmas, or maybe his birthday!
he would sit and play with that thing all day......if someone would let him!

will can say:
mama
dadda
ba-ba
hi

every morning i can here him in his room saying, "ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma," over and over again!

he is also starting to use some jibber-jabber.......
especially when he sees the cat! he gets so excited and wants gus to know just how much he likes him!

loves the bath tub!!!
if the bathroom door is open (i usually shut it right when we get upstairs!) he will do his super-speed crawl and head straight there! then i have to go get him.....because he knows how to turn the water on.....then he fake cries.......so dramatic! when it is bath time and we go into the bathroom, will is overcome with joy! he grins and squeals and starts doing his bouncy dance! he loves to play in the water with his sister and is a total tub-hog! kate ends up squished on one side while will enjoys the rest of the tub! he also thinks it is really funny when water drips from his head onto his eyes and down his face. he blinks it away while laughing at it!

will has a bit of a jealous streak.
on the rare occasions i actually get to hold and snuggle with kate, will will do his best to squeeze in. he wants mom all to himself! i haven't had so many hugs in my life! its kind of nice to be the one they both want!

he also wakes up with bedhead now.....and i love it!

ok....so we pretty much love everything this kid does!!

first day of school, first day of SCHOOOOOL!!!

2010-09-13T08:39:00.011-06:00

kate was SO EXCITED to start school again! she got to pick out a new outfit (kind of.....i held out two choices and she picked out one of them) and she got a new "pack-pack" (is it wrong that i love how she's says that and haven't corrected her.....yet?) i made the mistake of telling her about starting school about a week before it was actually going to happen.....
here is the same conversion we had EVERYDAY......

kate: mom, i'm going to school today! (usually with some jumping up and down).

me: no kate, not yet. its really, really close though.

kate: no mom, i'm going today!

me: i'm sorry baby. almost. just (insert amount of days here) more days and then you get to start.....
if you're a good girl.

kate would be sad for a couple of minutes before she found something else to give her attention too!

kate is a night-owl, so she is also a sleeper-inner! i always worry about having to wake her up in the morning......because if you wake that little girl up before SHE is ready......watch out!
not pretty at all!
because of this we have also started a new bedtime routine. summer and staying outside to play had completely destroyed our old one. so each night we have gone back about 15 minutes....back to the lovely 7 o'clock hour.

we start by giving kate and will a bath with a good scrub down.
(my babies don't smell like babies anymore.....stinky kids live with me now!)

we get will out first (kate always insists on this.....so she can play in the tub just a little bit longer). will gets his clean bum, his lotion, some comfy jammies, and a book to chew on (while he waits for us to get out kate!) then kate jumps out and gets her toy story (a pull-up), lotion, comfy jammies (all jammies MUST be comfortable according to kate), and she picks out two stories to read. after stories are read, prayers are said, and kisses given, we head into will's room to lay down the most exhausted little boy you have ever seen (will starts to fade around 6......so keeping him up until 7 is a chore!) then its kate's turn.....and she has actually been really good about going down without TOO much of a struggle! her list of things she needs has gotten much shorter and mom and dad don't fight over who's turn it is to put her down......yep, we hated it that much!

thursday morning a well-rested kate was actually up before 9 and since she was going to go to school that morning, she was all smiles! we had breakfast, got dressed and were ready to go.....on time!

we drove over to kate's new school (she calls it her little school. her old school was bigger, so it makes sense.) the first thing she said was, "NOT THIS SCHOOL, MOMMY! I WANT MY OLD SCHOOL!" she was not happy at all! so then i went into the same things i've been telling her, "you're too big for your old school, this is were killian (her cousin) used to go, you're a big kid like him now, you will have so much fun,......" then she asked if she got to make pictures, i said yes, and she calmed down a bit.

we went inside and she started again. this time it was, "mommy, don't leave please. mommy, i'll go with you." i helped her get her name tag, hung up her back pack, told her teacher she should be fine as soon as i leave, and walked out the door.

kate was fine (teacher heather said it took about 30 seconds) and ended up having a great day! not only did she get to "make a picture", she also got to paint a clothespin and make a magnet for our refrigerator (she said it was for me....so i'm assuming she's not mad at me for leaving her!) she also got to play with new toys and go outside to play with her friends.

and she said she wanted to go back.

so i think we're good.

first tooth!

2010-09-07T11:14:00.005-06:00

our little guy has his first tooth and if its possible.....his smile may be even cuter now!

notes for my kids

2010-08-31T23:06:00.010-06:00

kate

you are mommy's sunshine! you have such a strong willed and loving personality. you love to play and be around people. showing things to me is how you spend most of your day. you love to share and always want everyone to be included. you are a wonderful big sister and are such a great helper with your little brother. you adore him and always try to make him happy. you are naughty and you know it. you call me "sweetie mommy", your dad "bic", and your brother, "buddy". you bring happiness into our lives each day.

i love you.

will

you are my guy! i love every single inch of you and just can't get enough of your sloppy kisses! you have a calming and joyful personality. you love to explore and investigate. you are content to just watch people. you love to play with your big sister and try to wrestle with her every chance you get. you are desperate to keep up with the big kids and it is amazing to watch how quickly you figure things out. you love to boogie and man, do you have some moves! your smile. there is nothing like it. you already know how to use it and it makes me happy to be your mom. you have made our family complete in every way.

i love you.

so cute....i just might die!

2010-08-26T22:14:00.008-06:00

poor us

2010-08-25T10:34:00.006-06:00

about a month ago i was sick.....

vic went into work REALLY early so that he could come home as soon as possible.

this is what he found when he got back........

good afternoon will!

2010-08-24T15:50:00.009-06:00

this is what our little guy looks like when we go in to get him out of his crib......

so happy and well rested.
another reason why we keep him around!

splishin'-and-a-splashin'

2010-08-15T08:45:00.014-06:00

we have spent a lot of time at the pool this summer!

some days have been good......

others....not so much!

this was will's first time swimming....
it was a little chilly and he was not happy about it!

as you can see when the weather warmed up.....he was cool.

floating and napping....what a life!

so content.

kate had swim lessons with miss ivy.

monkey....airplane....soldier!

playing ring-a-round-the-rosies.

blowing her bubbles.

water, sun, and cute kids.....love it!

bike parade and a little confusion

2010-08-06T17:30:00.009-06:00

on saturday july 10th our neighborhood had a bike parade. my back was still recovering so i sent vic and kate to the store to pick out a couple of balloons to help decorate her "birthday bike".
this what is they came home with!

kate was so excited to tie the balloons to her bike and kept telling me,
"mom, i'm going to fly to owen's house. mom, i'm going to fly to bridgie's house and see ella and owen and elephant (evelyn)!"
i didn't think twice about this, i always tell her that we have to fly to their house on a big airplane because it is so far away......
we tied the balloons onto her bike and she hopped right on.
she scooted forward a little bit and then stopped with a shocked look on her face and said,
"mom, i didn't fly. its not working. hold on,"
she went forward a bit more and stopped again,
"these are broken. i can't fly,"
that's when i realized that she thought the balloons would make her fly......
just like one of her favorite movies up!

kate was so disappointed that her little plan hadn't worked, but she did have a great time the next morning at the bike parade!
funny kid!

six years

2010-08-05T23:02:00.019-06:00

on july 30th, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.

vic planned

(yes.....VIC PLANNED!)

a nice little get-away over the weekend for just the two of us!
we went to the sundial lodge at the canyons (park city) and enjoyed the "ultimate romance package"!

it was so fun being able to actually spend some time together.....no kids.....no homework......no messes to clean up......you get the idea!
it was heaven!

and the kids had their first sleep-over together at grandma & grandpa stejskal's!

it was a lovely little weekend!

oh, and I LOVE YOU BABE!!

kate's first dance class

2010-08-04T20:17:00.012-06:00

kate had her first dance class today! she was so excited to go "shake her booty"!
she did a great job listening (for the most part) and had a blast!

when we got home i asked if she liked it and should we go back?
she answered, "yes mommy! i like dance class! and kaylee was there too!",
then she paused for a second and with a very concerned look on her face said,
"oh no mom, i forgot to shake my booty!!"

but don't worry, we decided she could do that next time!

kate. age three.

2010-08-02T13:08:00.019-06:00

kate is at such a fun age right now (challenging, but fun!)

she is really starting to "play" and to use her imagination.

she loves to play with her babies and take care of them....
however.....sometimes they are naughty and they have to go to "time-out".

she'll give them a warning first, "you need to listen!", but that doesn't usually work!
next she counts to three, "if i get to three, you're going to time-out! one, two, three!"
then she will put them on the time-out wall in our kitchen.
after they have finished their time-out, she picks them up and tells them,
"you need to say sorry. please listen next time."

and she always finishes by giving them a kiss on the forehead!

kate's idea of getting dressed!
she put on the socks because she was cold......i wonder why?

kate's first sewing project

2010-07-29T22:03:00.010-06:00

today kate and i needed something to do......

so we got out the sewing stuff and.....voila!

we made a new throw pillow for her bed!

first she pick out fabric and then decided she wanted ribbon too.
she helped pin the ribbon onto the fabric, "let's make it bumpy, ok?"
then she pinned the fabric right-sides together.
(i took over next....for the sewing machine part!)

she finished it up by turning it right-side out and stuffed it until it was "nice and fluffy"!

and there you go.....one cute pillow for one cute girl!

kate....she makes her mommy proud!

will.....he had some email to check!

great!

2010-07-27T09:01:00.011-06:00

i was ok with him crawling and rolling all over the place,
but now will's figured out how to climb and pull himself over things!!

will's crawling!

2010-07-15T21:58:00.005-06:00

will really crawled today!
he has had all of the "motions" down for quite a while now, but today he finally put them in the right order!!
way to go will!

here he is one morning after not only crawling to kate's bag of cereal....but after dumping it all over the floor too!

had to take the bink out to see just how big that smile was!

last day of preschool

2010-07-12T15:32:00.020-06:00

kate's last day of preschool was on june 17th.
she had a great year growing, learning, and playing!
what a wonderful experience for her to have her own thing and she loved going each week!

what she loved and what she will miss:

miss julie
miss ashley
singing "hello" to everyone and getting to choose whether to clap or stomp her feet
playing with her friends
making art projects
listening and participating during story time
snack time

kate and miss julie

jack and kate

party time!

2010-07-12T09:46:00.050-06:00

this year kate wanted an "under the sea" party!

so that's what she got!

working hard on her starfish.

getting ready to smash mister shark.....

warren.....

wow.....that's a lot of kids!

the cake.

the presents.

movie time!

kate had another great party!

thank you to everyone for coming and helping us celebrate our special girl!

all good thing must come to an end......kate helping with the clean-up!

will during the day.....

will after two parties and way past his bed time.....

psycho baby!

6 months and 3 yrs pictures!

2010-07-12T09:46:00.044-06:00

happy 3rd, 4th, & 5th of july!!

2010-07-05T23:23:00.014-06:00

with the 4th being on a sunday, the "4th of july" got stretched out all weekend long!

we got to have vic home all weekend.....and maybe even a few extra days!! so happy!

kate dancing with her daddy.

kate riding the carousel. she was the only one on it!

kate driving! this was her favorite ride.....i think she rode it four times, maybe five!

another blue car! her favorite! its kind of hard to see, but she was grinning from ear to ear because the guy running the ride had shown her that this car had a horn....& she honk it the entire time!

i promise will was there too!
it was the first time he drank out of a water bottle and now he is obsessed with them!

kate at our "patio bbq".

yes.....we need a weed-wacker for all of that grass!

and yes.....kate picked out her shirt all by herself!

will with kielee (he loves her!)

the old man.....trying to look scary.....

killian, kiera, and kate.

we opted out of the fireworks (again). we know we are lame. kate is not a fan of loud noises (unless they are coming from her!) and we can't keep will awake past 8 pm....even if our lives depended on it!
there's alway next year, right?
instead, i went to a movie with my niece kielee.....it may have been eclipse.....
and vic, he went to bed.....shocker!