Circus Pages!

On Thursday, April 25th Grandma Judy & Mommy picked us up for a special treat - the circus!  Circus Pages came to Fairmont, MN, so we attended the big top show.  Here's us before the show starts although I'm too busy watching them bring out the tigers/lions to turn around!

One of our favorite acts was the lion/tiger tamer with all the lions & tigers:

There were even white tigers (see on the left side end) and they did all sorts of tricks which was so fun to watch. 

During intermission they brought out two huge elephants which you could ride and yes, we did!  Here's me, Hudson and Mommy riding an elephant!  It was a little bumpy but pretty comfortable and we didn't get scared at all.  Elephants are such beautiful creatures!

My other favorite act was watching them ride dirt bikes in this giant sphere - it was so loud!  Here you can see one is upside down on top left and the other is riding on bottom right.  They were circling each other, doing high fives/hand-offs while driving!  They were awesome. 

During the circus we got to try cotton candy for the first time (not huge fans) and also see some friends there.  The show ended with the elephant act and they even held a sign to say, "Thank you" and "Goodbye"!  If you ever have a chance to check-out Circus Pages we highly recommend it!

We ended our evening with dinner and getting packed for the weekend.  On Friday, the 26th Mom headed to Ames, IA for her annual Young Alumni Council meetings while I went to Grandma/Grandpa Sergeant's and Hudson hung out with Daddy and Grandma/Grandpa Prestegard.  Fun for us to have some special, one-on-one time (*didn't mind the attention at all!).  On the way home Saturday afternoon Mom met me with Grandma Anne & Grandma Great Shirley for dinner at Applebee's in Mason City.  The best part of the dinner, according to Mom, was when the waitress came back to ask if we needed anything else Mom said no but I said, "the check please".  Hey, can't help it if I was ready to roll!  Fun, eventful weekend - can't wait to see what next week has in store!

Teddy Bears Gymnastics Meet!

On Tues., April 23rd Blue Earth Gymnastics hosted our year end show, the Teddy Bears Gymnastics Meet!  We showcased all the skills we've learned this past year including somersaults, balance beam, trampoline, mat time with obstacles, high bar and even intro cartwheels!  Here's our year end class altogether:  me, Aiden, Taylynn, Ava, Shea & Cyla:

Daddy, Mommy & Hudson came to watch so here's me showing off some of my skills: 

Trying out the high bar, although I'm kinda tall so more medium sized bar!

Doing the "bear crawl" across the balance beam - yes, we tend to "roar" too!

Doing some of my pencil jumps on the trampoline - was scared the first class and now a pro!

All graduated with t-shirts, treats, balloons and everything!

Here's me with a couple of our assistants:

Successfully graduated from Teddy Bears - what a fun program.  Will miss my Tuesday nights!

Introducing the Fab Four!

On Sunday, April 21st we got all loaded up, picked up Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard and went to Tracy, MN to meet our new cousin Elise!  Us four cousins were all together for the first time!  Yep, and we're kinda fabulous!  Here's the star of the day, baby Elise! 

We took lots of lunch & some goodies and as you can see below Hudson got his first Monster Cookie and couldn't wait!

We had a blast playing & running around, seeing Hannah's new grown-up room & their awesomely finished basement.  Here we are meeting baby Elise for the first time & learning to be "gentle".  We were so excited to give her the present we made and Hannah her big sister gift.  Here's us four with Auntie Jenni:

We had fun helping Mom/Dad roll-up diapers and homemade burp cloths (Mom made) into one giant cake.  I even went with Mom to help pick-out the cake toppers - the elephant was my favorite!  Here's the unwrapped, end result:

Here's me getting up close & giving kisses to baby Elise with Grandma Judy - she's so precious!!! 

All the Prestegard grand kids with proud Grandma Judy & Grandpa Allen:

Our family with baby Elise: 

The happy Larson family, now a family of four - the true fab four of this story!

Welcome Elise, we look forward to many play dates together and lots of amazing memories.  We love you & so happy to be part of your family.  XOXO, Hayden & Hudson

A Vogel Visit...

This week was teacher's appreciation week at Little Giants so we felt honored to participate in thanking the teachers/staff for all their hard work with lunches/treats.  On Thurs., April 18th the staff had a special road trip planned to see an education related speaker so I helped Mom put together this special popcorn / A&W treats for our "POP"ular & "A&W"esome teachers!  We love you Little Giants and truly thank you for all you do to take such good care of us.

On Sat., April 20th we had special visitors, Grandma Dawn & Grandpa Mark Vogel!  We had a blast playing, getting lots of hugs and even learning some wrestling moves (from Grandpa of course!).

 

After lunch we went on our first 4 wheeling ride of the year with all the men!  Yep, as you can see there's Hudson driving with Daddy and Grandpa Mark and I are behind.  We had a full load but it was  a blast!  Hudson even got a little upset when we had to quit. 

The 4 wheeling men (notice Hudson doesn't want to pause for a pic as he's ready to drive - he's such a little thrill seeker!):

Here's the grandkids with the grandparents as we went on an after dinner walk:

What a fun way to spend a Saturday; thanks Grandma & Grandpa Vogel for a fun visit.

Get your motor running...

"...head out on the highway.

Looking for adventure &

whatever comes our way!"

 

Mom kept signing The Cult's "Born to be Wild" this weekend as with the not so great weather (*not complaining as no snow!) we had lots of indoor rather than outdoor fun.  And we were running "WILD"!  Hudson "drove" his first trike this weekend & of course I taught him the ropes.  He thought he was big man getting on & off the trikes by himself and scooting around.  It was really cute!  We also made lots of tents, connected them together and even took up the whole living room.  It was so much fun crawling all around.  We also had a special treat having play dates with Addison & the Hansen family.  We had so much fun playing indoor basketball, "cooking" and just running around.  What a fun, lazy spring weekend!

 

Here's us hitting the road for another adventure together; the Prestegard Biker Boys!

Wishing everyone a fun filled week!

XOXO, Hayden & Hudson

Hudson's 1st Word!

Today Hudson said his first non-Mama & Dada word...drum roll please..."trac - ter" or tractor!  Yep, following in big brothers footsteps and said tractor as his first word.  Of course the scenery helped as after my first "school" or LG conferences we got to stop by the shop & get a  tractor ride from both Grandpa Allen & from Daddy!  After our tractor ride from Grandpa Hudson kept saying tractor.  It was so cool because whenever someone would say it he would say it back.  Way to go Hudson!

 

Here's us Prestegard men sitting tractor pretty:

Oh, and my conferences with Ms. Betsy went really well too.  I do really well with cognitive development & literacy (*love to read, look at books, listen to books, etc.), problem solving (*puzzles, matching games, pointing out differences, etc.) and large motor skills (*jumping, throwing a ball, balancing, etc.).  As all 3 year olds I need to continue to work on social skills like taking turns, understanding personal space, etc. and work on small motor skills like cutting with scissors and string beads, etc.  Overall, they said I'm an eager, outgoing, happy-go-lucky little kid.  A good review!  Wheeww...glad that's now over with; well, til next year!

Introducing Our Cousin: Elise Madilyn Larson!

We are so excited to share our joy of our new baby cousin, Elise Madilyn Larson!  Born today, April 10th at 7:17 a.m. weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 21 inches long.  Mom & baby are doing great as are Dad & big sister, Hannah!  We are beyond thrilled for the Larson family and we praise the good Lord for blessing us with Elise.  We can't wait to meet her.  Congrats to Jenni, Kyle & Hannah and welcome to the world Elise!

 

Here's big sis Hannah & baby Elise:

Love, Hayden & Hudson

A Week Filled with Silliness & Strep Throat!

Spring is finally here (*wishful thinking to keep snow away) and we celebrated at DC by having a Week Filled with Silliness!  Yep, each day was themed by wearing something silly/out of the ordinary and we did fun & of course, silly games, songs, etc.  On Mon., April 1st we had Hat Day, Tues., April 2nd Beach Day (*shorts, hats, flip-flops & all), Wed., Pajama Day (*yep, wore my Superman P.J's with cape) and Thurs., Backward/Silliness Day (*like wearing all my clothes backwards with silly flare like Halloween socks & an Easter tie)!  We had so much fun.  Our upcoming April DC learning themes, in addition to Silly Week, will include Circus Week (*yep, painting clown faces to learning about animals, etc), Rain Showers, Animals on the Farm and Field Farm (*getting ready to plant).  So much to learn!

 

The first full week of spring also marked me, Mom & then Hudson getting strep throat.  Hit Easter night and continued until Saturday, April 6th.  Not the most ideal week however with good medicine & lots of rest we were soon on the mend.  With Mom sick we had a fun boys week with Daddy - even getting to eat out & have ice cream.  Mom was missing out.  Daddy even took me to gymnastics Tuesday night which was really cool.  Just happy though everyone is feeling better.

 

We are happy to report another milestone for Hudson - his first pair of real rubber sole shoes!  Here he is in his new kicks by See Kai Run (*called Navy - Stevie's); he's learning to walk in them but it's fun listening to him tap the soles on the hardwood floors - he likes the noise!  What a big boy!

On Sun., April 7th since I was good during church/Sunday school and because I've been completely "dry" all weekend, a first - yeah for potty training! - I got to put my farm gear on & go to the shop with Dad.  As a bonus Grandpa was there too so I got to go on equipment rides with both!  Here's me, Daddy's Lil' Helper:

Today, April 9th, was a big milestone for me - we went to Discovery Place Preschool Open House & I got signed up for fall preschool classes!  Although Little Giants is pre-school & does an amazing job - we couldn't be happier or more blessed with our childcare - for a change of pace I'll be attending preschool at our local elementary 1 day a week for a couple hours this fall.  I'm super excited and it is kind of familiar as I'll be in the same classroom we've been going to ECFE in.  Although I think Mom & Dad were slightly overwhelmed with the idea of me being old enough to sign-up for preschool but don't worry I held there hands and am comforting them!

 

Up next our soon-to-be cousin, Baby Larson, is due April 10th so hopefully our next update we'll be sharing some wonderful baby news!  Until then have a wonderful week!

Tiny Tots!

Today marked Hudson's first full-time day in the Tiny Tots room.  He's been visiting every so often but officially moved into the room full time today!  We wanted to capture what his room looks like for you so you can see where he's going every day.  The biggest changes in this room is 1) no babies!  Yep, you have to be 15 months & older, 2) no highchairs!  Yep, here they eat & do projects at the big boy & girl tables...although Hudson not quite ready for the table they'll accommodate him but will start doing crafts here and 3) no cribs.  He will be with all the big kids on a cot in the nap time area.  At first he'll utilize a Pac n' Play but will slowly transition to a cot.  What a big boy!

 

Here's the front entrance into the room...

Here's the back entrance and you can see his lockers at the end...yep, Hudson has his very own locker now!

Another side view so we could get in the changing table...still changing diapers in this room yet but so many new, challenging fun toys to play with.  Above you can see the crawling tube and below the play kitchen to the puppet show to miniature slide & jumping pad.  Hudson will be a busy boy!

Congrats Hudson on graduating from Sweet Peas infant room to the Tiny Tots pre-toddler room.  We are so excited for you & proud of you!  Good luck little brother!

Sayings of a 3 & a 1/4 year old!

Hayden & Hudson's Mama here wanting to share some Hayden's more recent fun/silly sayings...the things that little kids think of & say!  They are too honest, too cute and we must record so we can remember years to come.  Hayden, you make us laugh every day and continually surprise us & make us reflect.  You are such a blessing and a pure pleasure to have in our lives!  We thank God everyday for giving us you (*& of course your brother Hudson)!

Here are some of the more recent & favorite sayings from our 3 & a 1/4 year old:

• Potty training leads to lots of interesting sayings & our world seems to currently revolve around potty breaks.  We do have to admit we love when Hayden has a success, proclaims "I did it" and then gives us the biggest hug & smile there is (*pants or no pants)!
• March 11th - After another Sunday snowstorm we tackled snowdrifts on the way to & from DC/work.  Both ways the boys giggled & got more excited with each drift our daring mini-van hit.  Hayden kept saying things like, "Mama, go faster", "Mama, that's a BIG one", "Again, again!"
• March 21st - Hayden was sitting in my lap and we just finished reading a story and he grabbed my arms, put them around him and said, "I'm safe". 
• March 25th - Hayden was playing with some farm equipment and got out his mini & large skid loaders.  He said I could be the mini-skid loader and he'd be the big one.  I then asked him if he was the king of the skid loaders and Hayden promptly corrected me and said, "No, I'm the DADDY of the skid loaders."  As of course a Daddy is higher up & better than some lousy king!
• March 25th - It was about bath/bed time and we asked Hayden if he wanted to do something and he said, "No, I gotta go hop in the shower".  Proceeded to turn on the shower & get ready for his own big boy shower!
• March 26th - On the way home from DC I asked Hayden what he did today and he told me he had to go to the doctor.  I asked him what was wrong and he told me "I'm sick, I see Dr. Ethan.  I'm better now."  Of course Ethan is his best bud at DC and found out later that apparently they had played "hospital", Hayden was a "firefighter" and needed help from Dr. Ethan.  Kids & their imaginations!
• March 31st - On the way to church we had Sirius '90's on 9 channel on and a Fat Boy Slim song started to play which prompted Hayden to boogie in his car seat and say, "Rock it Daddy!" and then, "Shake it Mommy".  We were crying with laughter as we were rockin' & shakin' it and don't worry if we slowed down or stopped Hayden had us going again until the song stopped!