Osborne Nature Center....

Hayden had her first trip to the area nature center.  The small center had a lot to offer little Miss Hayden Elizabeth, but she had more fun traveling from exhibit A to exhibit Z.  She got to see a bobcat, a grey wolf, a bald eagle, a brown bear, a mountain lion, a red fox, white tailed deer, a raccoon, snakes, turtles, and the flowers in the Osborne Arboretum.  Even though she wasn't too interested in the animals, the grey wolf would have enjoyed having Hayden for lunch.  He paced and barked at her as she came near and never went too far from where she was. 

Her first Happy Meal....

A definite benefit of living in the Villo is it is in a location that provides very little opportunity for "fast food" experiences.  At nearly 20 months....Hayden's first fast food / pop culture experience was a Chicken Nugget Happy Meal from McDonalds.  She was a little apprehensive about the chicken nuggets, but tackled two of them.  Her most favorite was the french fries!  She loved them.  What amazes me is she is a pretty fickle eater but she took to the fries right off the bat.  I guess that is the unbelievable magic of McDonalds and the hold it has over all of us.

As we pulled into the drive through, Andy couldn't help himself to point out the two McDonalds workers who have had a quite a few too many Happy Meals.  As they were sitting outside taking a smoke break Andy made sure he taught the risks of eating too many Happy Meals.  Always a great dad..taking moments  to teach his daughter about "real life experiences."  ☺ Happy Father's Day!

  

For Hayden's memory...

Although Hayden had limited moments and time with Great Grandma Donna, I want her to have a memory of who she was and how much she meant to our family. "GG Donna" (as referred to by Hayden) had so much love to give and always had her own way of sharing her love with each of us. We will miss the way she made us smile with her feisty personality and spirit. We are saddened that she is gone, but GG Donna will always be remembered with love.

I'm Free

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm Free,
I'm following the path God laid for me.
I took his hand when I heard him call,
I turned back and left it all.
I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work, or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
I've found peace at the close of the day.
If my parting has left a void,
then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,
Ah, yes these things I too will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow,
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life's been full, I savored much,
Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief,
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me,
God wanted me now; He set me free.

Donna Marie Cornish was born on September 19, 1929 in Maquoketa, Iowa, to Buren R. "Brownie" and Laura Anna (Wirth) Cornish. She was a 1947 graduate of Elwood High School and then attended Cosmetology School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She married Harlan Bartels on October 2, 1949 in Elwood, Iowa. He preceded her in death.

Donna was a homemaker and then worked for the Clinton County Department of Human Services as a case worker in the General Relief office from 1972 until retiring in 1998.

Donna was a member of the Elwood United Methodist Church. She was a collector and was an avid Iowa Hawkeyes fan.

Donna is survived by her children, Vicki (Mike) Wing of Maquoketa, IA, Brent (Beth) Bartels of Olathe, KS and Brad (Beth) Bartels of Cedar Rapids, IA; a brother, Benjamin (Betty) Cornish of Phoenix, AZ; 8 grandchildren - Joshua David, Mindy Marie, Seth Andrew, Jesse Arthur, Aaron Michael, Kara Elizabeth, Emily Amanda, and Jacob Harlan - and 6 great-grandchildren: Grace Ann, Thomas Joseph, Rylee Jo, Taylor Anne, Hayden Elizabeth, and Millie Harlan.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.

A, B, Cs with Hayden Elizabeth......

Hayden has been working hard at recognizing the letters of the alphabet.  Hayden has nearly the whole alphabet down and has fun learning with her jumbo magnet letters.

Learning body parts....

The favorite body part on her and others at this time is the"belly butt"........  She's not afraid to go searching for it either.....

Easter in Galena.....

It has been a long time Sondergard tradition to have Easter in the Galena Territories, and this year was Hayden's first trip to peaceful Galena.  During the long Easter weekend we all had an opportunity to catch up with family and have some peace and quiet and R & R.

There were many great highlights to Hayden's first trip to the Territories.  To start Hayden love most of all an opportunity to spend time with her cousins Caeley (KiKi) and Keegan.  As always, they were so good to her and she tried her best to keep up with the two of them.  She enjoyed every minute with Aunt Missy, Uncle Chris as well.  They are always so fun, loving and caring and Hayden is very grateful to have them in her life.

Another favorite memory was having an opportunity to see and continue to get to know the Wenstrand cousins and Great Aunt Karen and Great Uncle Tom.  Hayden gave her best self and provided endless entertainment with her wit and charm ;)  It was really neat to see Mommy Marne and Hayden's "Babe" Tony!  Hayden is so very excited to welcome Baby Alex into the Sondergard family.  He will be a lucky little boy and loved by all.

While the women were away celebrating Baby Alex's summer arrival at the Goldmoor Inn and the boys were off in the city enjoying the social scene, Grandpa Doug took charge with the help of Cousin Keegan.  Together the two of them took Hayden under their wing and enjoyed a day at the house.  Hayden loved every minute of it and I think the two boys did an amazing job of keeping her happy and content! Even when it came to dirty diapers! ☺

Also what was really amazing is the Easter bunny knew how to find Hayden, Caeley and Keegan in Galena! The Bunny was so thoughtful and generous.  He left a bunch of candy and a very animated singing giggly duck! Hayden just loves that little duck...

"OH MY....THE EASTER BUNNY FOUND ME!"  

Creative Vocabulary....

Hayden's vocabulary is expanding at a rather rapid rate.  Some of her favorite words and phrases are: "What's this?" "Okay?" "Amen." "Peas." instead of Please. "Up." "Hi!" "Whoa." "Oh...no.""Yay" with applause, "Bug" "Baby" "Light" "Mom" and "Dad."

A word in her vocabulary that has a different interpretation is, banana.  Hayden says, "Abi" instead of saying banana.  Mommy and daddy love her creative twist on the word.  It is a great representation of our little one at her best.

This picture is more than....

Words can say. This photo is my attempt to capture a portrait of the two of us.  This is what I came up with.......and I didn't realize her reaction to the camera until I took a look!  ✮ It makes me chuckle every time I look at it.  That's our Hayden!  Always so animated.

A few favorite tricks☆

Right before I decided to capture a few of Hayden's tricks on video she did everything on command and we zipped right through it. No delay, no problems... However, luck would have it when I began recording she decided to be very selective on what she wanted to share....  Here is a small video of a few of Hayden's favorite tricks -  In Grandma Kathy's expert opinion, she claims..."Hayden is smarter than a 5th grader..."  I would have to agree with her.☺

Ridin around in my automobile.....

Daddy thought it was a great idea to buy some new wheels for Hayden.  With the warm weather approaching, this little girl will be equipped to be outside in style. Until then she will be taking some hot laps and having some indoor fun in her new Little Tykes convertible. There is a permanent grin on her face every minute riding in her new toy.  She will sit in it and look at either one of us and say, "Pees."

The Battle Wounds....

A day of adventure at Ann's turned into a bruised right cheek, some marking above the eye, and on the forehead. A fall onto a stepping stool will do it everytime!  I am sure this will be one of many bruises for our little busy body.  Supposedly she only went to the ugly cry for a minute!  A small sacrifice in the name of exploration.

Old MacDonald....

So we have a star on our hands.  Her singing debut......

A sleepover.....

This weekend was time away from mommy and daddy.  While they were with friends at a UNI bracket buster game I got to spend some QT with my Aunt MissLissa and Uncle Chris in Cedar Falls.  We had so much fun together and there were many highlights of my stay.   I made new friends with a stuffed purple monkey.  This purple monkey was bigger than me and cuddly as can be.  Also, I got to play with letter magnets and spell things on the fridge.  I had so much fun taking a bath in the kitchen sink while Aunt Missy spiked my hair.  Missy and I discovered a new favorite TV show of mine as well.  I loved watching The Lawrence Welk Show and dancing along with the music.  Uncle Chris was a good cuddle bug after my mid-morning nap.  I even got myself into a little trouble too.  I tend to get into everything....the good, the bad and the ugly.  The stinky and ugly was what I found and decided it was good idea to play with as I placed magnets on the fridge.  Good thing Uncle Chris discovered the mess I made before it got too stinky and ugly.  Thanks for the great weekend Miss and Chris.  I can't wait to come back and stay with you again!

Our little Valentine....

Love is in the air...and much LOVE has been received by Hayden. This Valentine's Day, Hayden received the Love Puppy Pillow Pet for Valentine's Day from Daddy and Mommy. Grandma Vicki and Grandpa Mike sent Hayden a Valentine in the mail.  They got her a cute summer outfit with hearts, and a board book about animals. She has already spent much time browsing and reading the book about animals. Of course she loves looking at the kitty the most. Also, Caeley and Keagan made Hayden valentines and it hangs on our refrigerator.  She loves to look at and point to the pretty pictures.  She is very grateful and fortunate for all the love in her life.

Anything you can do....I want to do too...

Hayden is little Miss Independent about many things.  The latest way of expressing herself is to try and do everything mommy and daddy do.  Whether it is type on the computer, do dishes, fold clothes, take Finn outside, talk on the phone, or sing, Hayden wants to be involved and do her part.


So on one of the snow days this last week, she was determined to wear mommy's snow boots.  So I decided to help her get into them and just see what happens.  She wasn't able to walk anywhere, but she was very proud to be wearing mommy's snow boots.  It was pretty cute as she talked up a storm about the snow boots on her feet.