Shihata's Apple Orchard

A chilly fall morning we decided to beat the busy traffic of leaf lookers tour of NE Iowa/SW Wisconsin and head to an area apple orchard.  Shihata's Orchard was very kid friendly and busy with exciting things to do.  Hayden got to pick out her own pumpkins and apples to take home.  Shihata's owners had a tractor/hayride tour of the orchard and a small petting farm for kids to enjoy.  Hayden loved the miniature ponies Rudy and Ruby and the baby goat Billy.  There was equipment to play on and sweet treats to taste.
It was a great family trip to the Orchard.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

By Eric Carle.  Hayden's read aloud.

Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus.....

Grandma and Grandpa Wing took Hayden, Andy and me, with cousins Rylee Jo and Taylor to the Circus at the Mark in the Quad Cities.  This was Hayden's first opportunity to experience something so amazing. The Acts were very entertaining and got all of our attention.  Hayden was able to sit through most of the Circus, with frequent breaks to exercise her legs, and enjoyed the motorcycles in a cage the most.  Before the Circus began we all had the opportunity to go on the floor underneath the BIG TOP to see the entertainers and the star of the show Kelly Jo the Elephant.   Thank you Grandma Vicki and Papa Mike for such a fun afternoon!

Hanging out at Niabi Zoo...

Grandma and Grandpa Wing took the grand kids to the zoo for the day.  It was so much fun and Hayden got to experience a whole new world of animals.  She saw elephants, giraffes, gibbons, camels, zebras, bears, lions, kangaroos, parakeets, parrots, snakes, lizards, miniature horses and so much more.  Her favorite part was being able to hang out with her cousins and riding on the zoo train and the merry-go-round.  The train brought a smile to her face every time she saw it toot it's horn and drive by as we toured around the zoo.  It was a great adventure and she enjoyed every minute she got to spend with her cousins and Grandma and Papa at such an amazing zoo. 

The Happy Harvester....

Hayden was very happy to travel in our backyard to help Grandma Kathy pick some tomatoes from the neighborhood garden maintained and cared for by our nice neighbor Bud and his dog Casey.  She loved digging in the patch to look for the best "matoes" in the bunch.  The best tomatoes were picked for Papa Doug and G.G.  Hayden was a great little helper and I think Grandma enjoyed the extra help and showing Hayden how it is done.

The Crop Dusting Copter....

For days there has been a helicopter crop dusting fields around our area.  Hayden has discovered the helicopter and when she hears it over head she goes darting for the window to see if she can catch a glimpse of the pilot at work.

It just so happened she was eating dinner one night and the crop dusting helicopter was making it's rounds.  She enjoyed several minutes of watching the helicopter do it's work as it flew by over head.  I was glad to be able to capture her excitement on camera.

A mini pedi....

She already has a little fascination with her little toes, so I decided to give Little Miss Hayden her first pedicure.  She sat really still while mom painted her cute little toe nails in our bathroom. It only got a little messy, but she has admired her pink colored toes since.

The Clayton County Fair....

Hayden enjoyed her first experience at the Clayton County Fair.   The highlights of the trip were seeing the cows, sheep and chickens in their immaculate pens.  We even got her picture close to some rare doves and her eyes got as big as quarters when the roosters' would cock-a-doodle-doo....
Hayden even took the opportunity got to meet one of my student's FFA entries - up close and personal -to get her picture taken with mommy.  Everything was MOO - MOO - MOO after that.

Mom and Dad went to NYC....and all I got was a T!

But Hayden did get to stay with Grandma Vicki and Papa Mike!  She had a great time there playing with cousins Grace and TJ, Rylee Jo, Taylor and Millie. She loved Grandma's eskimo kisses and endless attention. Grandma Vicki even took Hayden to story hour at the Library.  She got to play some African drums and the most fun of all... run the long hallways.

While Mom and Dad are away....Hayden will play

Hayden's Aunt Missy came for a weekend for a little quality time while mommy and daddy met up with some friends in Chicago for the weekend.  The two spent a lot of time catching up and had a weekend full of excitement with a lot of play time.

Hayden kept Aunt Missy very entertained....or was it... Aunt Missy did a lot of the entertaining?❀?  The two  played with blocks, went on several walks outside, drew with sidewalk chalk, jumped on the bed, did the hokey pokey with Elmo, visited grandma and papa, and so much more.  In addition the two girls had some unexpected excitement along the way.  Right away Saturday morning, within a few hours, Finn managed to puke on the carpet twice, and lock Hayden and himself in the Tahoe while it was running and Aunt Missy was on the outside looking for a solution.  Hayden was stuck in her swing as Missy tried to figure out the tricky straps, and finally Missy had to change a dirty diaper that would have made Andy proud. ✿


So much for a little R and R and catching up on her doctorate work....☺

Missy's candids, highlights and recaps of the weekend brought many smiles our faces. She did an amazing job with Hayden and I know Hayden enjoyed every minute of their time together.  Andy and I were very grateful for the time away and appreciated knowing she was in such good hands.  A BIG THANK YOU to Auntie Misslissa.♡We love you very much.♡

 

✮✮Experiencing Garnavillo in all her Glory✮✮

This year Hayden got the full experience on Garnavillo's Independence Day celebration.  The weekend was full of activities and Hayden Elizabeth did a great job of keeping up.  On July 3rd, Hayden went to her first Teddy Bear Parade in the park.  Grandma and Papa Reimer were there to cheer Hayden on as she paraded in her wagon that was pulled by one of her favorite babysitters Cora Lawrence.  Her honorary guest in the wagon was her long time buddy Caleb Lawrence.

The 4th of July's day started with a 5k.  Grandma and Papa Reimer participated in the 5k with Hayden and me, while daddy helped organize the event. If mommy would have let her run, I think Hayden would have!  

Shortly after the race, Hayden and I headed to the parade where she met up with mommy and daddy's friends and her play mates. She waited for daddy to drive by in the Dollars for Scholars float and soaked it all in.  There were miles of tractors, horses, firetrucks and plenty of candy and Flavor-Ice for everyone.  Papa Mike and Grandma Vicki met up with us during the parade and Papa Mike helped Hayden wave her flag as the parade passed! Hayden loved the floats with any kind of music. She danced and marched by the curb where she sat.  However, she wasn't a big fan of all the loud sirens and horns on the firetrucks, but still couldn't seem to take her eyes off of them. ☺

After the parade we headed to the park to watch the CR dance team perform and circulate the tents of food and activities.  Hayden just wanted to watch rather than participate at this point. Then we met up with her cousins and Art and Ashley.  She was happy to show Millie, Taylor, and Rylee Jo the ropes.  But nap time arrived to quickly, but she had to nap if we were going to make the Garnavillo's fireworks show.