My 1st Swimming Lessons

On Tues., July 26th I had my first swim lesson for my Parent & Child Aquatics Levels 1 & 2 class at the Blue Earth area pool.  I was so excited when we arrived that the baby pool was open I ran right in before Mom had her shoes off!  This was the first time in the past couple of weeks the baby pool wasn't contaminated and I finally got to play in the all the fun sprinklers & waterfalls we've seen from afar.  During our first lesson we went over the pool rules, our swim instructor, Annika, read a fun book on water safety and we worked on putting our heads under water, front and back floats, flutter kicking and spider crawling on the side of the pool to the deep end.  Mom said I did really good at getting my head wet, I even tried blowing bubbles and the only thing I wasn't sure about was laying back on our back float.  We'll keep trying though.

Here's me checking out the water on our second day, Wed., July 27th.  On the 27th I did even better in the water and instead of "jumping" in off the side of the pool from a sitting position in the deep end to Mom I actually stood up and "jumped" in to her over & over.  Less and less tentative.  Mom says and so did a couple of other moms that I'm fearless.  By the second day I started making friends with the other kids in the class & it was nice to know some from daycare.  I was the youngest in our class but did really well according to our instructor. 

 Checking out the temperature & wondering why the sprinklers were turned off.  We learned they turned them off when class is ready to start and when the pool takes breaks.

 I love the water!  Swimming pro Hayden!

 Big boy walking around the water all by myself.  Soon after I dove in head first as I love to lay on my tummy in the water and pretend I'm swimming.  By our third day on Thursday, July 28th I completed all our skills like an old pro.  I would lay on my front and lay on my back during our floats with my face completely in the water.  Again, no fear!  I even got better at kicking when we did our glides and made friends with the blond life guard (*of course)!  I also got my weekly report at daycare on the 28th in which Mrs. Jean said I'm showing social growth each week.  I'm getting better each day at listening to & following directions.  On the 28th we introduced a new fine motor / eye-hand coordination skill which was dropping clothes pins in a 2 liter bottle and I did really well and really liked it.  Daycare likes to keep me on my toes.

This week at daycare we made flowers out of our hand prints to hang on the wall of our woods/meadow theme.  I choose the color blue and I think they turned out pretty good.

 By the forth & final class on Fri., July 29th I learned how to get in & out of the water safely both from the ramp, the sides and the stairs.  The stairs & railing were by far the most fun.  We also did life jacket safety in which I jumped in with it on and laid right back in the water to float.  They were a lot of fun.  We even got to go to the deep end diving board and jump off into the water with them on.  I didn't get scared at all but I think Mom was a little nervous.  Here's Mom & I practicing floating on my back in the life jacket.

 After our final class on Friday, July 29th we officially "graduated" and got congratulations certificates for both Level 1 & 2.  Here's a photo of my certificates:

 Now that I'm a professional swimmer I think I'm a pretty cool dude!

On the way home Thursday night I got to stop by Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard's and see my cousin Hannah & Auntie Jenni.  What a treat!  While we were there Grandpa let me help drive a John Deere 3010 tractor to grade the yard for their family party on Saturday and Grandma & Grandpa put up a new tire swing which Hannah & I got to test out!

 Weee!  Cousin fun!  Hannah was a great older cousin watching out for me and making sure I hung on tight.  As you can see below I was all smiles the higher we went.

On Fri., July 29th we met at Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard's for family photos.  Uncle Kyle, Auntie Jenni, Cousin Hannah and of course my Mom & Dad were all there.  Here are some of our favorites:

The whole gang!

 Me & my Ford truck which is just like Dad's!

 Dad, me & Mom (*with baby brother!).

 Grandma, Hannah, Grandpa & I (*with my truck).

All of us clowning around.

On Sat., July 30th we went back for a noon lunch & a fun filled afternoon at Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard's for their family party.  We had an excellent time and I got to try keg Rootbeer for the first time.  It was delicious!  I got to play lawn games with my extended cousins, well watch them play, swing more and of course explore the yard and equipment. 

I did get to ride the big kids John Deere trike which was a ton of fun.  Although I couldn't reach the pedals I did make it work and rode it all over.

 We finished the day with dinner at Pizza Hut in Blue Earth with all the family who was staying over and got to eat pizza & bread sticks.  What a fun family weekend!  Today, Sun., July 31st we had a relaxing day at home and finished getting my new big boy room painted & cleaned out as my furniture should come this week on Friday, Aug. 5th.  I can't wait to see the room all put together. 

 While playing at home I did show Dad how to line up trucks/tractors properly, one of my favorite things to do.  Dad thought it was funny when he put one out of alignment but don't worry I fixed it right away and sometimes would even let out a breath of frustration with him too!  Dad thought that part was even funnier.

Notice even my PJ's have trucks on them which I love and I even got to pick them out at the store.  Thanks everyone for a fun family filled weekend; I had a blast!

Faribault County Fair!

On Saturday, July 23rd Dad, Mom & I went to the Faribault County Fair for dinner, rides and to see all the animals.  We started off in the petting zoo and show animals and even went to the horse barn where I got to ride my first horse!  I didn't get scared or anything.  I've ridden ponies before but this guy was a lot taller.  Here are some of our favorite animal pictures:

 Getting to meet the pigs!

 I even got to pet some of them and they were pretty soft.  Dad told me that pigs are the smartest barn yard animal; I just liked the noises they made.

 I really liked getting to pet the baby goats and even got to pet a baby deer or fawn.

Here's me on my horse; just call me Cowboy Hayden!  After meeting the animals I got to try my first gyro which was pretty tasty but really enjoyed my grilled chicken wrap.   We also got to walk around and check out the tractors which was my favorite part and then did some clowning around.

 Exploring a little on my own; I preferred the green tractors.

 I've ridden in tractors however this was my first time in the rock box!

 Here's Dad & I checking out the fire trucks.

Even got to pose as the Faribault County Fair Clown!  We saw my Sweet Peas room teacher Ms. Megan at the fair and even got my first "drink" bracelet.  I thought it was kind of itchy so it didn't last long and besides I don't think Mom & Dad would have let me in the beer tent anyways!

 Of course we had to ride the carousel and the cars before we left.

It was close to 90 degrees so we only stayed for a couple of hours and we cooled off on the way home by stopping by Dairy Queen to get some ice cream which I ate right up. We had a great time.

On Sun., July 24th Dad, Mom & I played at the park in the morning and I showed them how much I love the merry-go-round. After my nap Mom & I went to Mankato to pick out my big boy bed! We looked at several styles and I even got to jump on a few however settled on a Signature Design by Ashley Furniture the twin over twin bunk bed. We got to pick out mattresses and my chest dresser too. Hopefully it will be delivered in the next couple of weeks so we can finish putting my new big boy room together. I can't wait to show you the progress. I think I was so excited for my new room I had a hard time settling down for bed Sunday night. Dad & Mom said it sounded like I was having a party as I kept singing, giggling and jumping around in my crib when I was suppose to be sleeping. Eventually I did settle down but took some coaxing.

Today, Monday, July 25th we got to go to the big kids’ park again and I got to play in the "big" sandbox the entire time with the digger you sit on and use your arms as well as play with the trucks in the sandbox. It was so much fun. Up this week are my swim lessons so wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed we don't have any contamination in the pool!

Dad Time!

On Wed., July 20th Mom was gone over night for work so Dad and I had "dude time".  We had a lot of fun.  Dad picked me up from daycare and I got to go with him to check crops, explore the yard and drive a tractor!  I even walked up and down our equipment for inspection & I patted each tire to make sure in good condition.  Dad was impressed.  For dinner Dad and I grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and Dad was so proud he took a picture that we sent to Mom to show off.  Here it is and notice I even got to eat pickles which were delicious:

Also on the 20th we painted turtle shells for our forest theme at daycare and even wore them around the room.  I have to say most of us didn't enjoy wearing them but had fun getting dirty with the green paint.  Here's my shell (*notice both my arms are torn when I riped it off!):

On the 21st at daycare we got to go to the big kids playground and use the big equipment.  I've been working on climbing up the small slide on our toddler playground and after yesterday have mastered the big slide.  Mrs. Jean told Mom she wished she could have seen the look of delight on my face when I got to the bottom of the slide & ran back to do it all over again many times!  I can't wait until we get to go back again.

While Mom was gone Dad & I did some shopping and got the largest container of cheese balls one has ever seen.  It is about as tall as me and Dad thought it would be pretty funny to send Mom some text pictures of us eating them.  Here are a couple (*I think Mom prefers me to eat healthier food but these were good!):

 So yummy!

Man, I love "dude time" with my Dad!

Family Fun & Another Ear Infection...

On Sat., July 16th I had a great morning outside with Mom & Dad.  We played in the water table, rode cars/trikes and I even drove my first skid loader with Dad!  I was a little bummed when my drive time was over but by 11 a.m. the heat wave that was header our way was starting to hit.  Soon after we got inside and had lunch Grandma Anne stopped by!  We played up until nap time and when I woke up Grandpa Scott, Uncle Byron & Uncle Jared had joined in the fun.  They were all in Albert Lea so made a quick side trip to see us.  What a fun treat!  Grandma Anne even brought me some fun stuff back from China like shoes and silk P.J.'s (*which I'll grow into) and a cool hand painted sign of my name.  I almost missed them because I took a 3.5 hour nap!  I woke up with the sniffles today which Dad & Mom thought was a cold but I'll explain that more in a bit.

That evening we went to Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard's for Prestegard / Larson family pictures.  It was a beautiful out and I even got to take some pictures with my new red truck.  After we were all done we ate an awesome supper Grandma made and played outside.  I'll try to post some of our pictures when we get them back; they turned out really good and Mom & Dad were so proud of me because I actually smiled!  Mandy with Mcreations of Blue Earth, who usually takes my pictures, was our photographer and I think she was proud of me too!

On Sun., July 17th we went to church and then hung around home all day.  I had some trouble sleeping and still had some sniffles so we kept it low key.  On Mon., July 18th night I had a really hard time sleeping through the night so first thing this morning Mom made an appointment to see the doctor.  Even though I hadn't had a temperature or anything she thought I might have an ear infection (*in the middle of a heat wave no less!).  So at 4:15 p.m. the doctor confirmed that yep, I had a left ear infection and had to go on medicine again.  We were hoping that we'd make it until fall before we had to go further with my ear troubles however the doctor said it was now time to meet with the ENT (*ears, nose and throat doctor).  I go see the ENT on August 19th so I'll keep you posted what our next steps are.  I do go back to the doctor next week to see if the medicine is working and the good news was the doctor approved me for swim lessons next week as long as I wear these special ear plugs and promise to not dunk my head for long periods of time.  I agreed!

I should mention that I got to spend some time in the Sprout room yesterday and today as I begin to transition and spend time with the next age group.  I won't move up until late fall however it's fun to make older friends and explore their activities and room.  Of course I found the trucks right away in the Sprout room which no one was surprised!  Their unit for the month of July is the ocean which I got to use stickers and color my own ocean yesterday.  I even got to reach into the ocean bag and pull out different sea animals like an octopus, whale, fish & walrus!  Here's my ocean.

"L.B." now stands for Little Brother!

So today was the big day we got to see L.B. for the first time.  Dad, Mom & I went to the doctor's together and we even had the same ultrasound tech, Dana, that Mom & Dad had with me!  When L.B. came up on the screen Dana pointed to the monitor and asked me if I knew what it was and of course I said, "tractor" which made everyone laugh.  You can't blame me those ultrasound pictures are hard to read.  The good news is L.B. looked healthy with all ten fingers & toes, no clef palate, everything measured right and is actually measuring about a week ahead.  As of today L.B. is in the 99% at 11 oz (*at this time typically about 6 oz) and is a boy!  Dad & Mom thought it was cute that L.B. didn't hide anything similiar to my ultrasound and they could actually tell before Dana could tell us.  Guess it wasn't an option to keep a surprise.  Here are some pictures of my new Little Brother:

 L.B. was looking at Mom's spine the whole time and even when Dana tried to get him to move for a profile picture no luck.  He even kept his hands up in front of his face for most of the ultrasound & by the end he had one arm behind his head which made it look like he was lounging!  Here he is looking at us (*head to the right) and the chest (*to the left) with a small spot which is the heart.

Here are L.B.'s feet with the toes to the right and the heels to the left.  Pretty cute!  After the ultrasound we met with the doctor which confirmed everything lookd good and confirmed the due date to now be December 13, 2011.  We've been given a few different dates however Dr. Morris said Dec. 13th is now official.  Mark your calendars!

Once we were done we all went to lunch and got ice cream to celebrate.  Dad & I also got our hair cut and I decided to keep mine really short for the summer.  Just like Dad's.  I even got a big brother gift of a Ford, red pick-up that is hauling a 4 wheeler (*again, just like Dad's!) and I love it!  Tonight we got to go out to dinner with the Grunden's in Mankato because we had to pick up some outfits for family pictures that we're having tomorrow & I must say I'm going to look good!  I can't wait to see my cousin Hannah; it will be fun.

20 Months & My 1st Festag!

On Wed., July 13th I turned 20 months!  T-minus 4 months until my 2nd birthday, can you believe it?!  Here's what I've been up to this past month:

• Running!  My balance is better than ever and I'm always on the move and usually really quickly.  I'm a lot better walking up and down stairs, usually standing & holding the rail or a hand, and love being independent.  Although if asked I will hold hands when going somewhere although I won't hold two hands just one!  I don't mind when Dad & Mom swing me though if I do have to hold two.
• I'm using a fork and spoon more and more regularly and eating at a table at daycare all the time now.  I'm usually a good eater however now getting into the stage where I'm hungry one meal and what seems like I hardly eat anything another.  I love summer months as I get to try a lot of fruit, currently love watermelon (*which I didn't like last summer), pineapple slices, strawberries, blueberry pancakes, etc.  The only thing I haven't liked so far have been olives.  Dad said he loves them so we'll keep trying.
• I'm getting better at naming body parts, pointing to a picture and saying what it is and I even use other words than tractor or truck if I'm in the mood!  We're still working on "car" right now.
• My dexterity is getting better too.  I can throw balls overhand, put objects in the right shape hole consistently and learning how to line up puzzle pieces to the right hole.  I play more independently and LOVE being outside no mater what we are doing.  I like to walk around and explore, especially equipment & I always pat the tires to make sure in good working condition which Dad appreciates, love the sandbox, the slide, anything with water and I even drive my car & fill it up with gas from the gas tank.  Dad appreciates that I park my car each night before I go in which I did all on my own.  The other night when the car rolled out of the spot I put it I even gave a frustrated grunt and pushed it right back!  Mom giggled a bit.
• My favorite place in the whole world besides home is "the shop".  Whenever we pull up to "the shop" I immediately sit right up, smile, let out a squeal, scream and clap my hands in excitement.  I get so excited to see all the equipment and check things out.  No matter if we were there the day before I do it each time! 
• Socially I interact more with the kids around me and when we've gone to the pool I've even made friends and played with the basketball with them.  I don't mind sharing, except a little hesitant when it comes to trucks/tractors, and I usually give hugs & high fives to my friends.  I now say "Hi" and "Bye-Bye" when we arrive and/or leave places like the store and enjoy flirting with the ladies.

Also on Wed., July 13th after daycare Mom and I picked up Dad and Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard and we all went to Minnesota Lake, MN for the Festag Giant Twilight Parade.  We had a picnic as we waited for the parade to start at 7 p.m.  The parade was amazing and lasted about 1 hour and 40 mins!  Again, we got so much candy we didn't know what to do with it all.  I even got to eat a Mr. Freeze for dessert..  Here are some of our favorites from the parade:

Truck!

The first clown I've ever met; he gave me candy!  Notice I also go a really nice inflatable baseball!

 I got to meet Ms. Minnesota!

 We got to see the Shriner's and their fun cars!

 Me & my Grandma & Grandpa.  I was too busy watching the tractors coming our way to smile.

The world's largest riffle that actually fires!

 After the parade we checked out the games & rides.  I got to pick 3 duckies and won a white & black striped tiger!  Although I enjoyed playing in the water more than winning and got drenched!

I was getting tired but didn't mind going for a night time drive.  I loved that the headlights really worked too!

We ended the evening with a carousel ride with Grandma & Grandpa and than a fun ride home singing "The Wheels on the Tractor", "Row Row Row Your Boat", etc.  We had a great night!  Today, July 14th, we continued our "Into the Woods" and "Over the Meadow" theme in daycare and tried squirrel food (*pistachios) and I liked them!  This month we've learned to use a paint brush and paints to paint owls & bears.  We learned about the animals in the woods and even crawled like bears in and out of the cave Mrs. Jean made for us.  We even dug for bugs!  Yep, we found ladybugs under "the log" in our sensory table and got to explore and touch different types of bark.  We continue to work on fine motor skills such as holding pencils/crayons/paint brushes and even tear paper to strengthen our hands.  We have a lot of fun.  Today I also started saying the words to "Ba Ba Black Sheep" with Mom which we've been working on.  Tomorrow we have the baby's ultrasound so can't wait to tell you all about it!

My 1st Farmer's Day!

On Friday, July 8th I got to hang out with Grandma Prestegard all morning because Mom had to work.  I sure had a lot of fun and got to explore outside, the garden, the shop, etc.  We even sang the Wheels on the Tractor (*I prefer tractor to bus) and I now do the motions too!  After my nap we loaded up the car and Dad, Mom & I all went to Jesup, IA to see Grandma & Grandpa Vogel for Farmer's Day weekend.  It is their local summer celebration with a parade, rides, good food, etc.  On the way down we stopped for dinner at Perkins and I had my own meal that I ate all of and even some of Mom & Dad's.  I am a growing boy!  My pancakes even had sprinkles on them and I had 3 whole sausage links all by myself.  I think Dad & Mom were pretty impressed.  We got to play a little bit when we got there and I got to play with Spock, Grandma & Grandpa's cat, who I love and he even lets me pull his tail!  Then we went to bed to prepare for a big Saturday full of fun.

On Sat., July 9th after breakfast we got ready to leave for the parade which started at 10 a.m.  Great Grandma & Grandpa Kress met us and here we are all (*minus Grandpa Vogel who's taking the picture) waiting for the parade to start.

The theme for this year's Farmer's Day was Rocking the Town and it sure was a beautiful sunny day and what a parade! It last about 1 hour and I got so much stuff. I thought parades only handed out candy but in addition to a gallon baggie of candy we also go ice cream, freezie pops, 2 different blow-up guitars, a little piggy eraser I found out wasn't candy, freebies, can coolies, and the list goes on. It was a little overwhelming.  Here's Dad & I saluting our Flag with some awesome WWII and after tanks.  It was pretty cool!  Do you like my junior park ranger hat Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard brought back for me from their trip to Colorado?  It kept me cool & my ears from getting burnt.  I even kept it on however Mom thinks it's because there is a strap to assist with that!

Of course my favorite parts of the parade included the trucks and tractors.  Here's a cool John Deere pulling a snowmobile grooming machine which makes the trails snowmobilers use.  I hope snowmobile just like Dad and go riding on the trails too.

 

The parade featured a lot of floats to the theme however my favorite was the farm town float that had miniature tractors on it.   It was even pulled by a red "truck" just like Dad's. 

 Did you know that mufflers could drive?  Neither did we!

 The paint job on this was amazing and of course we had to take a picture of the Navy side for Grandpa Mark as he was in the Navy.  What an awesome battleship picture.

 There was a lot of music in the parade including bands, drum lines and the Shriner's!  I enjoyed clapping and even stomped my feet a bit to dance with the music.  Here's Mom & I enjoying the Shriner's.

The best part of parades is waving; here is a kola bear I was really excited to see and when he waved at me I always waved back.  I wish I could have hung out with him afterwards but they said he was off to do other parades.  Poor bear he must have been hot!

After the parade we had a really good lunch at the Legion where we got to see Great Grandma & Grandpa Vogel, Uncle Kurt and Mom's cousins Katie, Autumn & Andrea.  I had a great time flirting with them and even got to run around with Grandpa Mark.  Afterwards I took a big nap while Grandma & Grandpa and Dad went to the tractor pull.  There is even a little kids petal tractor pull that I hope to enter when I'm a bit older but not quite there yet!

After my nap we all went downtown to the rides.  I got to go on Truckin USA and drive my own "truck"!  I was a little unsure at first but about halfway through I had my arm out the window and was waving at everyone.  The second time I rode it I even went right up to the cab, climbed in & shut the door behind me.  I'm almost a pro!

Then I got to ride the Merry-Go-Round with Grandma Dawn & my horse didn't buck once.

Then Mom, Dad & I rode my first ever Ferris Wheel!  I wasn't too sure at first however sitting in the middle with their arms around me made me feel much better and I was even brave enough to wave a little at Grandma & Grandpa as we went by!

 

Grandpa showed me all around the rides and tried to take me on a giant moving pirate ship however the gentleman running the ride thought maybe next year.  It did look pretty fun though.

I loved driving the boats it was a little slower than the trucks but very much fun.  I rode with some new friends I had made at lunch which made it extra special. 

When Dad, Grandpa & I rode the Ferris Wheel together the gentleman working the ride even asked Dad & Grandpa if they were interested in helping to take down the rides that night as they needed some extra hands.  Dad said he could have been a "Carney" however declined as Mom & him had a movie date while Grandma & Grandpa babysat me. 

After the rides we got to visit the petting zoo which I loved the cow; he was very gentle.  I think that was Dad's favorite too.

The donkey was neat however I loved rattling the fences and wished I could have climbed on them.

The lamas were really soft.  The baby one was Mom's favorite.

After the petting zoo we rode a couple more rides, had a great picnic dinner and then had a super special treat by going to 4 Queens for my very first and very own vanilla shake.  I sat like a big kid in the booth and drank it all by myself!  We then visited with Great Grandma & Grandpa Vogel until bed time and then I was out!  What a fun, memorable day.  On Sunday we had to head home which I was little disappointed as the excitement was over. 

On Monday, July 11th for our woodland unit we got to eat what bears eat, berries!  We read "Jamberry", colored the above berry picture and ate berries at snack which were "Beary-delicious"!  As I've become better at listening and following directions I did my first day without a high chair at daycare today too!  I sat at the table for lunch and did an awesome job.  I even sat until everyone was done with their meals and Dad & Mom were really proud of me.  We're going to keep working on it and work on a booster seat at home.  Wish me luck!