Center Creek Orchard

On Mon., Sept. 26, 2011, I had a fun day at daycare singing silly songs with my friends followed up by a fun night of singing silly songs at my 2nd Toddler & Twos class.  Before class Mom & I had dinner with Anna & Ava Oswald and at class the peek-a-boo we made this week was a squirrell!  Here's my master piece which was fun because we got to glue tissue paper on his tail!

Mom's parent time discussion for the week was What Makes a Toddler Tick?  She was impressed with me because I was brave when she left to go next door and didn't cry once.  I also did good drinking from a big boys cup and didn't spill at all!  My singing continued on Tues., Sept. 27th at daycare when the teachers got a kick out of my beeping.  Yep, during Wheels on the Bus I wanted to make sure everyone could hear my beeping and I was pretty excited to sing about vehicles so I was nice and loud.

On Thurs., Sept. 29th Mom was again impressed with me because I picked up her phone and when I saw the picture of me on it Mom asked me who it was and I said, "Hayden!"  First time Mom had heard me say my name.  Thursday was extra special because it was the first day of harvest and I even got to be part of it.  Mom & I met up with Grandpa Allen and rode in a brand new 2011 John Deere 6700S Combine which Grandpa was test driving from our dealer.  It was really nice with an extra large cab and even had a refridgerator under the buddy seat! 

 Here's Grandpa and I climbing in getting ready to cut some beans!

Here we are in the new cab and notice the awesome window we're able to watch how full we get.  The photo is a bit spotty because of everything flying in the air but a handsome bunch of guys!

On Friday, Sept. 30, 2011, fun harvest time continued as Grandma Anne drove up to spend the day with Grandma Judy, Mom & I.  We started our day by going to Center Creek Orchard which is just outside Fairmont, MN.  The Orchard is amazing and perfect for little kids.  They have goats which I was able to feed, a corn pile instead of a sandbox to play in, trikes/cars with a track to race around, a slide, a haytack maze, large story boards, bouncy gyms, and so much more!  Here are some of our favorite pictures:

 Here's the a"maz"ing cornpile with trucks, tools and tractors!  How could they go wrong?

Here's me playing with my new tractor friend in the corn.  I love that it had a front loader for the corn.

 Mom even though carrying my little brother took me down the slide a couple of times and I LOVED it.  I giggled the whole way down and kept wanting to go again and again.

 They had a how many pumpkins tall chart and I'm over 3 feet or about 2 giant pumpkins tall! 

After sampling some of the Orchard's apples, apple salsa, apple butter, etc we did some shopping in Fairmont and had dinner at the Sirlion House.  It was kind of fancy but I ate really well and didn't get anything on the floor!  Here's Grandma Judy, me & Grandma Anne.  We finished the night by stopping by Sterling Drug which has a giant Thomas the Train table and I had so much fun playing with all the trains I had a hard time leaving.  Thanks Grandmas for a fun day!

Thomas the Train!

On Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, I went with Grandma Judy and Mom to my little brother's doctor's appointment.  He had an excellent check-up with a strong heartbeat which we got to listen to and still measuring 3 weeks ahead.  I did get a little nervous when they were checking Mom out and sat next to her holding her hand the whole time.  During the visit both Mom and I got our Inactivated Influenza Vaccines for 2011-12 which I did not enjoy however Grandma and Mom said I was very brave.  After a quick lunch we met Dad and started towards Jesup, IA for Grandpa Pete's services.  We were blessed with lots of family and friends and so many memorial gifts of plants, flowers, etc.  Grandpa Pete was truly loved.

On Sat., Sept. 24, 2011, we said good-bye to Grandpa Pete with a private service at 9 a.m. for the family, then the funeral services and burial followed by a very nice lunch.  There were hundreds of people who attended and although it was a somber day it was also a day filled with love and remembering happy times.  After a very long 3.5 hours nap we met up with family and had a very nice dinner.  Again, we can't thank everyone enough for your prayers and being there for our family.

On Sunday, Sept. 25th Dad, Mom and I traveled to Boone, IA to meet up with Uncle Jeff and Cousin Jeremy to meet Thomas the Train!  We had a blast getting to play with trains, take a ride with Thomas and play in a giant bouncy jungle gym.  Here are some of our pictures:

Here's me playing with some of their train sets in their Imagination Station area.  You had to watch out for some of the other kids they would take your trains from you!

In the station area we also got our mapped stamped, got a Thomas the Train tatoo on my hand (*which I kept trying to wash off) and a Thomas coloring book.  It was a lot of fun just with a lot of people!

Next up we checked out their bouncy, blow-up jungle gym which I ran right for...

 Then got a little nervous and ran back!  Then I tried again and loved it so much I went back 3 more times!

 Here's me coming out at the very end...although once I saw Mom & Dad waiting for me I tried to turn around and run back in.  I wasn't ready to be done yet.

Here's me getting down; what fun times!

 Here's Mom, me & Dad meeting Sir Topham Hatt!  He was very nice and I even gave him a high five and big hug.

Here's Dad and I just before we boarded car #106 being pulled by Thomas the Train himself.  The watertower was pretty cool too.

 Here we are trying to find our sits - all aboard!

 Here I am sitting with Uncle Jeff and so excited as the train was about to start.  They played Thomas the Train music the entire time which I sang along with and even got to meet the conductor and see pictures of Thomas and Friends by one of the volunteers.  My favorite pass time was trying to pull the flags down!
 Here's Mom, Dad, Uncle Jeff and me in our seats.

See Thomas in the background?  Here's Thomas, Mom, me & Dad.  Thomas was really nice and did a great job pulling us along.  He is a really useful engine just like his books/show say.  We had such a fun day and hope to see Thomas again soon!

In Memory of Franklin Leo Schaefer

Early evening on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, my Great-Grandpa Franklin "Pete" Schaefer, my Mom's Mom's (Grandma Anne's) Dad, passed away at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN, after a lengthy illness.  We are glad that he is no longer suffering and know he's with the good Lord however miss him terribly.  The services for Grandpa Pete will be later this week and we thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers.  In memory of Grandpa Pete here's Grandma Shirley, Grandpa Pete and I when I was only 1 month old.

 Here we are when I was 10 months old. 

My Grandpa and I had a lot of fun and I could always count on him to talk to me about tractors, farming and his black, Angus cows.  I will miss you Grandpa - Love, your Ham bone

The following will be used at Grandpa's services and memorial:

God saw that he was getting tired

And a cure was not to be.

So He put His arms around him

And whispered, "Come with me."

With tearful eyes we prayed

And we watched him fade away.

Although we loved him dearly,

We could not make him stay.

A golden heart stopped beating.

Hard working hands were put to rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us,

He only takes the best.

Aeropalooza!

On Friday, Sept. 16th I went to daycare for part of the day, Dad even dropped me off! as Mom had to work.  I had a pretty good day and that evening Mom & Dad were impressed as I'm now consistently putting my cup and/or dishes in the sink when I'm done eating.  Mom had to laugh as one morning this past week I happen to put my cup in the bathroom sink rather than the kitchen but that only happened once!

On Sat., Sept. 17th Mom went in to work early to set-up for their big family & friends open house called Aeropalooza!  Dad and I had a dude morning and Dad thought I was pretty cute as apparently when we were getting dressed I pointed to Dad's tummy and said, "Baby" for the first time.  Dad said no baby is in Mom's tummy and so I pointed to my tummy and Dad said no Mom's tummy and apparently I looked a little confused.  Mom & Dad were pretty pumped I said baby finally though.  After we got ready we met up with Grandpa Allen, Grandma Judy and Great-Aunt Patti to attend Mom's work open house.

 When we got there I was excited to see fire trucks!  The Blue Earth Fire Department had a couple of trucks there with firefighters and everything.  I got my own hat which you can see above I didn't want to put on but Dad kept trying and I even got to ride in one of the fire trucks!

 Here's me sitting on Grandpa Allen's lap during my fire truck ride, it was kind of dark to take a picture, but the best part was we got to pull down on string that makes the horn go off.  I got to ride with Mom's work friend Kae and her family, George and Logan.  We had an excellent time.

 After the fire truck ride I got to explore the plant a bit and then met up with Mom for lunch.  We had brats and hot dogs, fruit, beans, chips, etc.  I even got to try a rootbeer float!  Here's me exploring with Grandma Judy and Grandpa Allen above.  After lunch we all went on a tour of the plant and I got to explore some more.

 Here's me in the Cable Build area trying to toot a horn which really wasn't a horn.  It's actually meant to hold cables but who knew?!

 I thought the giant spools of wire were really neat and I really wanted to spin them around and/or climb on them.  They were kind of heavy to move though.

 We did a lot of walking on the tour so I got a ride from Dad and held on tight to his ears!  Here's Dad, Mom and I listening during the tour.

 After the tour we played some of the kids games including the Duck Pond and Go Fish!  Here's me picking my lucky duck with Mom.  I won Play-Doh!

 Here's Mom's work friend Michelle helping me Go Fish and again I won!  This time I won some candy and fun flash cards.  I really just wanted to play in the water though.

Here's us taking a break in Mom's office; I worked up quite a thirst.  We had an excellent time and I was tired out and took a long nap when we were done.  I should mention Dad & Mom played in the Sweet Sixteen Bean Bag Tournament and did pretty good.  They didn't place but we cheered for them!

On Sun., Sept. 18th we had a relaxing day of church and family.  It was my Great, Great-Grandma Doris' birthday so after my nap we met everyone at St. Luke's to celebrate her special day.  We had fun having snacks (*I kept sneaking chips from the table), ice cream cake and singing.  Here's me with Grandma Doris playing tractors. 

 Here's me singing and dancing with Aunt Karol and Aunt Bonnie.

 I had fun hanging out and chilling with my Grandpa Allen.

Here's Great Grandpa Omar, Grandpa Allen, Great Grandma Alice, Great, Great Grandma Doris, Dad and I taking a five generations picture!  What a family!

On Monday, Sept. 19th I had a good day at daycare.  We got to paint with apples and sang fun apple / harvest songs in the Little Sprouts room.  Mom picked me up early from daycare to have dinner before our first Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) Toddlers & Twos class.  The class is for kids 12 - 35 months and is meant to have active parent/child time and then at the end of class parents leave for a bit to discuss specific toddler topics.  Mom thought it would be something fun for us to do while Dad is gone for harvest.  Our class goes from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each Monday night for 7 weeks.  Our first night was more of an introduction but we did make a "peek-a-boo" which is a fun animal that we put on a stick and use to peek-a-boo during song/circle time.  We made a red ladybug which I got to paint spots on.  I was excited to see some of my friends from daycare there and had a great time.  The best part was they had shelves upon shelves of trucks!  Here's me playing with one of the trucks; I can't wait for next week!

Today, Sept. 20th, at daycare we learned more about apples and harvest and found out what colors apples are...red, yellow, green, etc.  We even got to paint a few more!  I love painting and get a little sad when we have to stop.  Hopefully we'll paint more this week.

I Love the Vikings & I'm 22 Months Old!

This week marked my first week with the Little Sprouts Room!  I will be spending my Mondays and Tuesdays in there and Wednesdays and Thursdays in Tiny Tots for a bit longer.  I had a great first day on Mon., Sept. 12th in which we spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the sunny, warm weather and sang lots of fun songs.  Some are new to me like "Playing with Friends" and the "Nut Song" which is great as I love learning the new songs and the actions that often go with them.  They tell Mom I really enjoy story & song time each day and love to dance too!

Today, Tues., Sept. 13th I wore my Vikings pull-over to daycare and I kind of refused to take it off!  I didn't get too warm as the air outside was a little cooler today but they did make me take it off during nap time so I wouldn't get too hot.  I got a little upset over this so Mrs. Jean compromised with me and allowed me to nap with it!  They did help me put it back on right after nap time again!  I guess they didn't realize that Dad and I are super excited for our home opener this Sunday.  Go Vikings!

Today we had our carpets cleaned so when we got home Mom asked me what happened to all our furniture & this was the look on my face when I answered, "uh-oh!"  She thought it was pretty cute.   How I've grown from last year when I was just sitting up and starting to crawl when we had our carpets done!  Here's me a little over 1 year ago...what a difference!

Then I had fun running all over without any furniture in my way...

After dinner & bath time Dad & I enjoyed the furniture free living room with some wrestling!

 When Dad & I play one of the things Dad loves to do to me to watch my reaction is to pull my waist down just below part of my diaper so it looks like I have saggy pants. This really bugs me and then Dad giggles while I keep trying to pull my pants back up like in the picture above. Poor me!

 Today I turned 22 months old!  Here are some of my changes over the past month:

• My vocabulary continues to grow including words like "car", "airplane", "don't know", "close", "down", "up", "open", etc.
• I now take showers in addition to baths as I feel more independent & more of a big boy.  I also wash & dry my hands before I eat and/or when I need to clean-up.   
• I play really well with Legos and blocks now; stacking them, building with them and I still love knocking them down!
• I follow 2-part instructions really well like "hand me your cup or plate", "turn on/off something like the lights/TV", "shut or open the door", "help pick-up toys", etc.
• I'm getting really good at completing puzzles and I am very curious how things work.  I love taking things apart and inspecting them to learn all I can.
• I'm doing better at eating with my spoon & fork and even tackling soft items like yogurt & applesauce and make my mouth more than I miss!
• I'm taking naps in my big boy bed, I am settling down better at night since my tubes surgery and barely wake-up during the night in pain anymore.  I also haven't had an ear infection since!  We have my next check-up in October so we'll know if a true success however so far so good.

A lot of big events have happened this past month between transitioning to my new room to having tubes surgery to moving up to the next room at daycare it seems like I'm not slowing down a bit!  Dad & Mom are so proud of how I'm growing and maturing it will be fun to see what happens this next month.

Iowa State Victory & a New Swing Set!

On Fri., Sept. 9th Mom & I played all morning outside, had an awesome lunch and then headed to Waterloo, IA during my nap time to meet Grandma Anne for dinner & some babysitting time.  Before dinner we ran a couple of errands & I got to ride Dino as well as some other fun animals and I loved it!  Here's me & Dino:

After dinner Grandpa Scott got done with his event so we got to play and open their 25th Anniversary present which I helped with. The best part was we played with the tissue paper and had a great time!

Tickle time!

 On Sat., Sept. 10th Mom & Grandpa left early to tailgate & watch the ISU vs IA game in Ames, IA so I spent the day with Grandma Anne.  We went to the park, played with lots of toys, even some toys that were Mom's when she was little and I finally said the word "airplane"!  The best part was that ISU won 44 to 41 in triple overtime.  Mom said the game was amazing.  Here are some of her pictures of the game:

Here's Mom, Uncle Jared & Aunt Ashley and Grandpa Scott before the game started:

Here's before the game started with their new North end video board!

 Here's after the win everyone rushed the field to congratulate the team & Coach Rhoads as well as celebrate & be there for the presentation of the CyHawk trophy.  Uncle Jared & Aunt Ashley were down there too!

After the game Grandma & I met Mom & Grandpa for dinner off of 35 & for to "hand off" for the rides home.  Then Mom & I headed for home and when we got there Dad had a special treat for me...a sandbox and new play accessories for my play set!  After church we played in it all morning and then after nap played in it again all afternoon.  Here are some pictures of my new toy - thanks Dad!

 Filling up my dump truck with Dad's help.

 So much fun!

I thought I'd also give you a quick update on my transition to my big boy room.  I've started taking naps in my new bed and haven't fallen out and have actually stayed in it until Mom comes & gets me out.  So far so good.  Here are a couple of pictures of me during my nap today:

 Notice we have a side rail which does help me to stay in bed too.

Soon we'll try sleeping through the night but for now we'll keep working on nap time.  Have a great week!