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.

The Morning After....

The winter storm of the season hit in a double punch.  Dropping 6 inches of snow and then another 8-12 inches of snow in two days.  We've been out of school for two days, which has given daddy and me an opportunity to spend our snow days with Hayden.

So this morning I decided to spend 15 minutes bundling her up for 5 minutes of fun out in the snow, while daddy was away helping dig others out with the tractor.  As we went outside we discovered there were snow drifts larger than Hayden in our front yard, and piles of snow accumulated that were taller than me.

Hayden enjoyed her short lived moment in the snow and cried when she had to come in.   It was fun to get a few picts of her short exploration in the arctic.

Hayden and her BIG GIRL chair....

For Hayden's first X-Mas Papa Mike and Grandma Vicki got Hayden a stuffed chair with her name on it.  Now she is the perfect age to start using her chair and she just loves it!  The first day we pulled it out, she was up, down, and dancing around the chair.  Having the chair around gives her a whole new attitude.  You can tell she feels like a BIG GIRL in it.

The Talking Tom

Talking Tom is an app found on our iPad.  Tom is a kitty who will repeat words of what the users say and will respond to human touch with different animations.  Unlike her parents, Hayden loves kitties.  Ann, our daycare provider, has kittens on their farm and every time we go to Ann's the kittens are waiting by the door to greet us.  Hayden is always very good at pointing out the "tiddies" and telling them hello as we arrive or goodbye as we leave.

Enclosed is a video of Hayden playing with Talking Tom.  She loves this app and I can't believe how she responds to him every time she has an opportunity to play with him.  She has a hard time containing her excitement and shakes with pure joy as she interacts with Talking Tom. As parents it is very entertaining to see her excitement.

Now you see it....Now you don't...

Little Miss Hayden has always been a great eater.  She has been slightly picky in her transition to table food as the textures of the table food throw her for a loop. But there are a few things she loves to eat....
Breakfast:  pancakes or waffles, and yogurt.
Lunch:  grilled chicken chunks, toast, diced pears or peaches, Cheerios and/or yogurt bites.
Dinner: hot dogs, grilled cheese, cheese quesadillas, Velveeta Shells and Cheese and/or bananas

Any of the above mentioned will be on her plate, but then disappears in a very short time.  She LOVES to shovel as much as she possibly can fit into her little mouth.  We have been working on veggies in the form of table food, but they are more fun to play with than it is to eat.

Also, what I find fascinating, as we transition to a sippy cup, Hayden will only drink water in her sippy cup.  No juice for this girl...=)