The Kalcevich Family Blog

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Although we could all still use another week of Christmas vacation, we’re thankful for the time we got to spend with family and friends! Some highlights included:

· A play date at our house with good friends

William running towards Santa when it was his turn while yelling, "Santa! It's William! I'm HERE!"
· Spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Kristin’s family
· Spending New Year’s week with Matt’s family in California
· William’s first trip to Disneyland

We’re looking forward to the changes that 2010 will bring and will keep you posted on what this year has in store for us! Enjoy some pictures of our holiday!

Matt begins putting William's swingset together in the early afternoon...

Early in the evening, Matt's dad is called in to help...

Later that evening, Matt searches for lost bolts...

Shortly before bedtime, William gets to play on it! :-)

A play date with the children of my good friends Bethany and Melissa

William building the Polar Express across the living room (while singing the theme...it was too cute)

William and my Grandma Peterson on Christmas Eve

William "fixing" my dad

Dad returning the favor

Wow! Santa came!

Bowling with Chloe the Wonder Schnauzer

Ready, race!

This is what happens when the excitement can no longer be contained.

My parents gave William hockey equipment so of course we couldn't resist a "friendly" little match.

Where's the ref????

I still won.

Matt trying out William's new Dr. Seuss twister game

William, trying to figure out how to get his ear on the T.

Let's use all the sporting equipment at once!

Those lemons had better watch it.

Maui Wowie!

Matt, his dad, and William at Disneyland

Our first ride, Dumbo. He loved to go up high!

The carousel, which was a favorite for this horse-loving boy

"I'm like Mary Poppins!"

How many Kalcevichs can you fit in an elephant?

The emotional overload peaked when he found out he couldn't actually DRIVE the little train

Just in case anyone forgets...

Waiting for Small World, a favorite. Others included Buzz Lightyear and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which he likened to the Polar Express

"You're pretty."

William meets my dad's hero

Rubbing noses with Goofy

I love that William was even more excited about meeting all of "his friends" than riding on the rides...he truly thought eveything and everyone was magically real. It was so sweet and he was so incredibly happy to hug "his friends" and spend time at their houses!

William and the Mouse.

Matt and "The Emperor" on the rocket ride. Matt said William would not even let him dip below the maximum height once they got in the air. What a little daredevil!

Taking a break from the fun and the rain to eat something warm

William catches a glimpse of his own hero

"Hi Bear! What's your name? Hey Bear, talk to me!"

William and Papa K, after a double feature on the Winnie the Pooh honey ride (nice and tame...the boy liked thrills, but hated any of the scarier content rides, as we found out all too soon when we rode Pinnochio...)

Like a bull out of the gate, William charged towards "his friends" to get his hugs in

At this point in the cold, wet evening, I was thinking "They both look so warm..."

Even the people behind me were taking his picture!

A festive Small World, which we were told we MUST ride again

Wet and cold, twelve hours in, but William had a blast and that's all that counts!

Fun New Things

2009-07-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

What a fun month! From a trip to the coolness of California to play dates with good friends to William's first ever horseback ride, it's been a fulfilling summer vacation. It's winding down, though, with only one more week before I return to work. (What ever happened to starting school around Labor Day??? Seriously, it's still July!) Anyway, here is a pictorial review of the last four weeks:

I have been watching WAY too much HGTV lately and have decided to re-do all of the rooms I dislike. William's is finished and my next project was to tackle this disaster:

The pepto room...BEFORE

Okay, seriously??? Who would do this??? (We saved these to mount in a frame on the wall as a remembrance of what was.) The pepto room AFTER we renovated it. Thanks to my dad for helping me and teaching me how to properly use all of the fun power tools!

William feeds Buddy the pre-school horse a carrot. We took him for his very first horseback ride.

Hitting the trail

I thought he might be a little hesitant to ride such a large horse, but he hopped right on and was ready to go. It must run in the family. (Matt and I love to ride, too.)

How much happier could this little guy get??? Look at that face!

Nothing says summer like a face full of corn on the cob

Matt and William laying sod in our backyard. (Yeah, grass!)

William and his cousin Dylan on the 4th of July

Slip and slides (or, what concussions are made of...)

Beach time

He's finally contained

Feeding Telly the Tortoise

A fun wagon ride through the neighborhood

Now if the cat would just come over here...

Us...having fun. :-)

I'm Such a Bad Blogger

2009-06-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Uncle Chris helps William spray down the parking lot at the fire station
Maui!

Our new lab pup, Maui

Kristin and William on the carousel at the park

Kristin and William at the train park

His actual words were "I love you firetruck."

Papa K and William riding the fire truck

Grandma K and William watching the fire trucks

All deckout out for the Luau in California

Thomas and Ken talk politics. (Just kidding.)

Papa Kalcevich and William at the fire station

My deepest apologies for the fact that I haven't blogged in MONTHS. My June resolution is to be more consistent. (Of course, this will also probably become my August resolution and my November resolution and my New Year's resolution...sigh...)

ANYWAY. TONS of new things have happened since April. Here are the high/low-lights:

Elsa Kitty, William's best buddy, died in May from kidney disease
We traveled to California for a fantastic Memorial Day weekend with Matt's family
William is potty trained! Still working out the kinks but we have daytime success.
As a celebration for the above, we spend an afternoon riding the train and the carousel at McCormick Ranch Park in Scottsdale
We got a dog! Now that we're down to one cat, we thought it was the perfect time to adopt a puppy. William is in love with his new friend, and even Macy seems more relaxed with another animal in the house again. Her name is Maui and she's a 12-week old yellow lab. Maui is by far the most chill and obedient puppy I have ever met. She loves to be loved and although she is clearly interested in becoming good friends with the cat, she has respectfully kept her distance and even submitted to Macy's authority this morning. Amazing. Macy's satisfied, William's in heaven, Matt has a new cuddle-buddy, and I'm happy that she's naturally quiet. :-)

Where is the Warm Weather Hiding?

2009-04-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

Planting our garden

Valentine Love Bug

William and I at the Phoenix Zoo

Driving a John Deere

William meets a life-sized sheep

William and his buddy Lauren

I finished painting the football room

Grandma's Birthday Quilt

Matt and Thomas...

William's first family (cut-throat) game of croquet

Ring around the rosey

This is just funny

All done egg hunt.

Searching for eggs in the rocks

I see it...

The cutest Easter Bunny I've ever seen

William thought that blowing on them would speed up the process

He was SOOO excited

Yuck.

Baking cookies with a two year old...

Spring came. Spring went. It’s a brisk sixty degrees out today and I’m wondering if Spring isn’t under the impression that we’re involved in a game of hide and go seek. If so, I give. Let’s have our balmy eighties back!

Aside from a week of turtlenecks and sweaters, it’s been a hectic but enjoyable few months in our new house. We’ve had lots of visits from Matt’s family, who are now officially building themselves a second home in our neighborhood. William, especially, can’t wait until August when Grandpa and Grandma Kalcevich complete their place.

In February we celebrated Grandma (Great-Grandma) Peterson’s 90th birthday at our home. I asked all of the close relatives from my side to make a quilt square honoring Grandma and I put it together for her present. Despite the fact that I will never be the seamstress that she is, Grandma loved it.

We spent a beautiful Easter with my family on the East side. William had his first ever egg hunt, which was just so adorable. He was so thrilled with the eggs and just beside himself when he realized that they were actually filled with even more surprises.

The highlight of the season is William and his passion for everything new. The terrors of the two’s are lessened and even palatable when they are coupled with the authentic excitement and amazement that only pre-schoolers are capable of. Whether it’s greeting ducks at the zoo, applauding Mommy upon the suggestion to plant a garden, or watching the “ ‘mazing!” magic created by egg dye pellets and water, the sense of wonder never ceases. Every little bug is fascinating, every cheesy song is a top 40 hit, and even the tiniest surprises (“Hey, William, would you like an orange right now?”) inspire an exuberant, “Wow, Mommy! Tanks!!” and often come with an excited giggle. He’s old enough to have genuine emotions but not old enough to be too embarrassed to throw his arms around us and pelt us with kisses. So, despite the endless boundary-testing and our failing efforts in the Pennies for Potty Chair campaign, the verdict is in. We like two.

Christmas and Other Fun Times

2009-01-29T19:53:00.001-08:00

Two buddies strolling through the zoo
Awaiting their chauffers

Matt and William feed a giraffe

They're in a cage for a reason...

William being a goat

William kissing a goat (ew)

William and Uncle Mason

William snapping shots of Chloe

It needs more sprinkles

He looks so serious here!

How does he do this???

Aim at Grandpa!

Captain William

Just a quick update on the last couple of months (wow, they went fast!)...

We had a fantastic Christmas with Matt's family in California and with Kristin's side around New Year's. It's always so nice to relax and enjoy the company of people you love to be with! William definitely loved visiting Uncle Chris's fire station, wearing the Captain's hat, and going for a ride in the big red truck. He even got to help spray down the parking lot with the hose. William seriously asks to go back and "do again" every time we pass a firetruck on the road.

Matt and I LOVED attending (wow, that's a teacher word...) the musical "Wicked" in Hollywood with Thomas and Kristy (Matt's cousin and wife) and eating at this cute little diner down the street afterwards. And to Thomas and Kristy: You know you are mega-important when the people you are eating with notice that you are all at a table next to a huge celebrity (John Malkovich), don't even pause in the conversation, and completely forget about it until days later. :-)

When we returned to Phoenix, we celebrated Christmas with the Petersons, which is always super-fun. William got a toddler-proof camera from Papa and Grandma and is now aspiring to become the next Ansel Adams. I'll post some of his work soon. ;-)

New Year's Day was spent at the zoo with good friends Bethany and Eli Hutchison. The boys had a fantastic time riding James the Train, feeding giraffes, and being chased by a child-eating deer in the petting zoo.

After some weird title issues and fancy finagling, we finally got to move into our new place! Many thanks to the Kalcevich and Peterson families for all their help packing, moving, and watching our child. And now, back to the unpacking...

Back in Boxes

2008-12-20T11:18:00.000-08:00

I promise, we're not gypsies! It sure seems like it, though, as we're packing up our stuff for the fifth time in less than three years. It has been extremely frustrating, to say the least, but different circumstances have inspired our transition from Japan to Prescott to Louisiana and back to Arizona within a 26 month time period. As many of you know, we've been renting a home in Avondale, AZ since our return to the West in May. We had thought about purchasing another house in 12-18 months but with the plummeting economy we've been able to secure a beautiful place in Surprise much sooner than we'd anticipated. (Silver linings, I suppose...) As I'm writing this, William is busy throwing his toys into empty boxes, determined that they should go to the new place. ("Take it ball to new house, Mommy!") I am anxiously awaiting the day when I get to toss out our well-worn U-Haul boxes, knowing that FINALLY we are moving Home.

...And living in Arizona again is truly that. William has seen his grandparents more times in the last eight months than he had between the time he was born and the time we moved back to AZ. Matt loves his job and meshes well with his colleagues. I'm teaching again and am pursuing additions to my career in early childhood education. We've located a church that feels like home and what do you know, it happens to be down the street from our new house. William's health has been incredible. While last year we endured two surgeries, eight seizures, and nearly constant ear, nose and throat infections, he hasn't had more than a cold since April. So many things are finally falling into place--I can't help but feel like the bottom is going to drop out any second! (Matt would like to interject that I am paranoid and that I need to relax.)

We hosted a big old-fashioned family Thanksgiving this year (insert National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation comparison jokes here) and for us, the season of thanksgiving has been extended. The blessings just keep coming...

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a crisp, white, fresh New Year!

Here are some recent pictures...more to come after the holidays!

I'm not sure, exactly, but isn't this a scene from "A Christmas Story" (the one with Ralphie)?

I love that the only things touching the ground in this picture are the tips of his toes on one foot

All boy

William rocking the runway at the City of Peoria Kids Fashion Show for Seniors

William and his favorite furry friend, Elsa

January 2nd can't come soon enough!!! (Our new house)