Part 2 of the Christmas Experience.....

On Christmas Day we headed to Great Aunt Bert's house for our Christmas meal. We were able to catch up with all of the Dever cousins and meet some for the very first time.  We only could stay for a few hours and then headed to Mt. Pleasant to the Wenstrand House.  Hayden Elizabeth was so glad to celebrate Christmas with Great Grandma Phyllis, Great Aunt Karen, Great Uncle Tom, Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Doug, Aunt Misslissa, Uncle Chris, and Cousins Meg, Marne, Tony and Reed.  She was happy to entertain everyone and she thoroughly enjoyed exploring her new surroundings and playing piano with Aunt Melissa.  Also, Hayden really loved meeting all of the African animals that reside at the Wenstrand home:  the rocking warthog, the African Nyala, the front of a giraffe, the zebra carpet, and a kudu.  It was also Hayden's first experience climbing stairs.  Grandpa Doug encouraged that adventure and of course the fearless Hayden did not hesitate to tackle the task. 

The Christmas Experience....

Hayden's first memorable Christmas was a lot of fun and action packed.  On the 23rd we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Wing's house to enjoy a few days together before the Christmas snow hit.  On Christmas Eve day, 11 inches of snow appeared and we all welcomed our guitar playing Santa into Grandpa and Grandma's living room. Santa brought presents to all the cousins and he sang several Christmas tunes.  First, Santa sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, followed by White Christmas to honor the Troops serving overseas, and finished with Thank God for Kids and a prayer to give thanks.   Hayden had an opportunity to sit on Santa's lap, and as it turned out, she wasn't even phased by the large man with a white beard in a red suit.  Hayden took the whole experience in stride and certainly loved all the attention.  Santa brought her a Sing-a-ma-jig to enjoy!

 

Millie( 9mo), Rylee Jo (Age 3), Taylor (Age 3), TJ (Age 3) Hayden (Age 1) Grace (Age 5)

The Hayden Curl....

One of my favorite things about Hayden and her new found little toddler-self is the appearance of curl in her mostly straight locks.  I am not sure how long the curl will stay, so I thought I would embrace the moment and take a few snapshots to remember the girl curl in her goldi-locks.  Too cute.

Hello Father Winter....

Saturday night we were gifted 10 inches of snow, no power for several hours and a child with a fever of 103〫F.  It was an action packed night in the small town of Garnavillo. Andy and I headed out to go caroling and left behind a sick child with the Berns girls.  Even though Hayden was a bit crabby we went ahead with plans to go Christmas caroling around town.  Well, it turned out due to weather we ended up just going caroling at the local nursing home and then headed to the KG Bar.  The snow continued to fall after a few hours which made the festivities cut short due to a power outage throughout the whole town.  Even Grandma and Grandpa Reimer reported loss of power and had to fire up the generator.  So we headed home to find a house full of candles lit, a cozy Hayden with the Berns girls and no heat to speak of.  Luckily Andy found his headlamp and moved everything we needed for the night into the bedroom.  At about 11pm the power came back on and there was hope for better times.  Now if we can just get our little girl to be healthy.....again.

The Nighttime Ritual

They say consistency is always important for kids.  Well Hayden makes me abide by our night time ritual regardless of her disposition.  It all starts with bath time.  She loves her baths and soaking in the tub. After her bath we lotion her up and put on her warm jams.  When that is all said and done before we leave her room we have to say, "HI" to baby Hayden on the wall and twirl the butterfly mobile in the room.  I ask Hayden, "Where's baby Hayden?" and she will point to her picture on the wall.  I ask Hayden, "Where's your butterflies?" She points and has to touch the butterflies which always brings a smile to her face.  One would think this would get old...but she loves to do this each and every night. 

The Tricks in the Bag....

Hayden has been working very hard at learning her body parts and animal sounds.  She has figured out what a cow says and can point to her nose.  Even though she doesn't always do her tricks on command she does know her stuff.  It's been a lot of fun to teach her new things.  It is amazing how quickly she picks up on things.

'Tis the season....

Hayden was very helpful as mommy and daddy put up the Christmas tree, stockings, lights and garland.  In between the games of peek-a-boo and ornament chewing, she was not afraid to roll up her sleeves and help put up a few tree decorations.  Unfortunately, as many decorations that went up, they came down just as fast.  She has been extremely fascinated with the pretty white lights and loves to dance to any Christmas music.

Hayden loves to call...

Grandma.  She always has a lot to talk about. 

"Let the wild rumpus start!"

"And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws."
  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Hayden...the queen of all wild things...sports Baby Gap very well.  She is a true wild thing, and this outfit fits her personality so.   Warm, fuzzy and quite a bit of spunk!  =)

The Photoshoot....

This morning was Hayden's 1 year photo shoot.  Grandma Kathy, Mommy and Daddy headed to the hills of Marquette, to the Dodd home, to get some great snapshots.  Always the professional..Shannon did a wonderful job.  She got some great shots of our little girl and was able to take some photos for keepsakes and some potential Christmas card photos. 





Shannon had some great props and creative ideas to incorporate into Hayden's snapshots.  With style and grace, she really embraced Hayden's candid moments.  After of an hour and a half of posing and hundreds of photos later, Hayden had had enough.  Thank you Shannon for a great morning! We're looking forward to seeing the finished products on your blog.  www.shannondodd.com

The Bookworm....

Hayden loves books.  She loves being read to, loves looking at pictures within books, and loves telling the story in her own words.  (She always reads with such animation!)  I hope this means good things in her future...being a teacher's kid and all.  =)

The BIG ONE

It is official.  We are the parents of a 1 year old.  Her birthday party was a lot of fun and Hayden really enjoyed being the center of attention.  With everyone decked out in their black and gold attire to cheer on the Hawkeyes vs. Indiana, we celebrated the "lucky" Hawkeye win and our favorite little girl.  Grandpa and Grandma Reimer hosted the party at their place with family in attendance.  Aunt Melissa, Uncle Chris, cousins, Caeley and Keegan, Aunt Chelle and Uncle Josh, cousins Grace and TJ, Great Grandma Phyllis and both sets of grandparents: Mike and Vicki and Doug and Kathy were there to celebrate. She received a Tahoe full of gifts and lots of love from everyone. 

In preparation for Hayden's first birthday....

Hayden played, for quite some time, with a balloon mommy and daddy had blown up to help decorate for her party tomorrow.  At first Hayden was quite timid and didn't know what to think about the new toy.  She would find it a bit annoying because the string would tickle her face, but then got the hang of how fun a balloon could be.  Around and around she went, with mommy snapping photos along the way.

How Old Are You Going to Be?.....

Hayden's Uncle Josh and Aunt Chelle taught her a while back to hold up the number one using her pointer finger.  Ever since then holding up the number one is one of her favorite tricks. Especially when she sees her Daddy, the number one appears.

Thanks to the Hoegers....

Hayden with her buddy Colton

Hayden and Tate

Tomorrow will be Hayden's first day back to Ann's after her maternity leave.  She is very excited to meet baby Jonah, but will definitely miss the other boys in her life....Colton and Tate.  She loved her time with Nikole and the boys, and everyday was a blast.  Nikole taught her some awesome tricks and helped become a big girl...like how to celebrate Hawkeye touchdowns and baby sign language.  We will miss seeing Nikole and the kids everyday, but we also know it won't be the last "play date" together!

Hayden showing Tate her moves around the Leap Frog table

The Bathtub Experience.....

Ok...I know every mom and dad go through this at some point.  However, I thought WE were going to be the exception.  "Hayden is a little lady and would NEVER!'  Boy were WE wrong.  Tonight Hayden proved us wrong and left a little gift for us in the bathtub.  Here it is HER birthday week and she is the one giving the gifts.  I thought we were the ones to do the gift giving around here.  So, I guess we have been initiated into the club.  Thanks to our little stinker, Hayden Elizabeth!

Lots of Tricks....a Few Treats

Hayden and her knight in shining armor Caleb Lawrence

Cousins: Keaton, Lola, and Nash with Hayden

11 months - Oct 31, 2010

Hayden's first Halloween and night of trick o' treaters didn't get off to a great start.  After being woke from a nap, she wasn't quite ready for all the night's festivities.  Grandma and Grandpa Reimer came up for dinner and enjoyed watching the little people in their Halloween best come to the door to claim their treats. Grandpa really loved entertaining and playing with Hayden, and was hoping to see more kids enter through our doors. Hayden loved to see all the kids, and didn't seem alarmed at their attire.  The Schroeders, Dempsters, Kregels, Berns, Brandts, Reimers, and Lawrence Families all were able to stop by for some treats and  a visit.  Hayden really had fun playing with Cora and Colton.  At 9pm she had enough and called it a night after a full day of fun.

Grandpa Doug's favorite republican

Happy Halloween from the Reimer Family

Baby Steps....

 

Hayden is officially walking and on the move.  She has been taking baby steps from here to there, but in the last week she has really found her legs and is taking more and more steps on her own without any help. As the video shows her steps, Hayden is also an animated little girl with so much to say.  And we know this is just the beginning......

The Hangout

Hayden has a couple favorite places to hang out around the house, but her favorite place to spend time is in the kitchen jammin to her Leap Frog radio magnet.  She loves moving to the song Annie, Annie Ooo and Birdie Bye Bye.  Also, she loves the dancing dots and pushing the music button to hear her favorite songs on the radio.