San Diego

Catch up......

5 going on 15.....

Our little girl is growing up! Here are some highlights of the past few months:

Pre-school graduation!

Lagoon! (finally tall enough to ride 'The Bat')

Soccer

Dance recital....she was an apple in The Wizard of Oz! She didn't miss a single step.

LOTS of bike rides.

Silver Lake

Hayden's new friend!!

We FINALLY broke down and got Hayden a puppy! She is so excited to finally have her own dog and likes to help take care of him. Her dad is equally excited! (I don't know who needed a dog more.....Hayden or Brandon.) I have never raised a puppy to be an inside dog and it is definitely trying my patience....acutally, it is nearly putting me over the edge. I am sure that it will be worth it in the end! Brandon is very patient (too bad he can't be the one that works at home all day). This dog is very cute and has a cute personality! His name is Boston, he is a Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel/Poodle), he is currently about 10 weeks old. Hayden is very proud!

Hayden is 5!!!!!!!

Holy Cow! I can't believe my baby is 5. Honestly, I have been on an emotional roller coaster. The 5th birthday seemed HUGE---- no longer a baby, no longer a toddler, she has to go to Kindergarted in less than a year (eeek!-- I can't think about it).

She is such a great little girl and already an amazing person! She is definitely wise beyond her years and has the biggest and most tender heart. She wants everyone to be happy and worries if someone is upset. She worries WAY TOO MUCH for such a little girl but she is always looking out for everyone and it really consumes her when people are sad. She is such a sweetheart and it always amazes me the level of concern she has for everyone. What an inspiration she is to me. It is so humbling to be a parent and to watch your kids grow and mature and make decisions.

This is such a tender time of year for me as I reflect on the first few months of Hayden's life. It is amazing that she is still here on earth with us and it is hard to believe that she had such a rough start. We are so blessed to have had the preemie experience and it is so close to our hearts. What a miracle she is and what a perfect little person she has become!

Hayden is also HILARIOUS! I think I have mentioned before that she is a total PACK-Rat. She has several doll strollers and every one is packed to the brim with JUNK. She has all sorts of cars, tractors with trailers, wagons (basically.... anything with wheels) and they are ALL packed with JUNK. (JUNK= dishtowells, babies, stuffed animals, bracelets, papers, bags, blocks, crackers (yummy!), accessories from around the house, money, sticks, rocks, bark chips from under her play area, bobby pins, kleenex, the list goes on and on......I get the giggles all the time. (I'm giggling as I'm writing this and looking at her 'heap' of a double stroller!) I think she is so clever! She is obsessed with anything that has wheels and space for 'storage' (even the tiniest open space will work). Brandon and I are constantly finding new 'hidden' treasures and are also constantly looking for missing odds and ends.

She is THE BEST! I can't imagine life without her.....

We were lucky enough to be in Disneyland on her birthday. We went with Brad, Lindsay, Max, and Sadie. Hayden had so much fun hanging out with Max and Sadie. We had a great time

Silly kids! We had SO much fun--- Hayden had a great birthday at Disneyland!

The minute she woke up on her birthday, she asked us if she had grown more since she turned 5. I thought it was so cute! She kept asking us all day..... 'When is my birthday?' 'Who is coming to my birthday?' She thought she should have an actual party with ALL her friends and family. We kept explaining to her that her birthday was all day long and she was at Disneyland for her 'birthday.' She was finally able to go on the some of the rides that she wasn't tall enough for last year.... and she kept saying "Now that I am 5, I am taller, so now I can go on the BIG rides." It is so fun to see things from her perspective.

HALLOWEEN!!!

Is it November already? Yikes!!!

Who knew that Halloween could last one straight week????? .....one party after another!!!! I thought the costume would be worn out by the time we made it Trick-or-Treating!

Hayden was so excited to be a witch--- a "happy witch"!! She LOVED all of the crazy Halloween business this year and literally RAN from house to house. She didn't really care about eating the candy...she was more worried about having a HEAVY bucket. She thought she should fill it to the brim!! Mission accomplished----

Long overdue......

Is Summer over already? Whew......where does the time go? We had a great summer! Here are a few highlights:

The annual Riverton Rodeo-- Hayden waits for it all year!

Cardboard House

We made a house out of cardboard appliance boxes and then Hayden painted EVERYTHING!

Kilgore-- in the Indian Paintbrush!

The Tetons

Cucumber Boats --- what a fun dad!! (The long wire things you see---they are sparklers. Of course Brandon had to light them for the ultimate show while they floated in the bathtub full of water. )

American Fork Canyon---Campfire with the Gee's!

Hayden is back in pre-school and dance. She is so much fun and has the greatest sense of humor. She cracks up at anything and has the deepest, loudest laugh!

Hayden keeps us hopping and continually laughing. Her latest favorite words are 'interesting', 'disgusting', and 'humongous'. Whenever she is describing colors...she says 'it's pink-a-lish' or 'a little black-a-lish' or 'green-a-lish'--- maybe I should be correcting her, but I think it's the cutest thing. She is also obsessed with trees that have been cut down or that are leaning more than they should....she always says (in a sad voice)....'that poor tree.' We watched 'Cheaper by the Dozen' with her this past weekend and she was heart broken when the pet frog died. It was so sad-- she is so tender hearted and such a sweetheart. What a good girl!

We had the Primary Program this past Sunday. Hayden did a great job and even said her part IN THE MICROPHONE!!! She told us all week that she wasn't going to say it and that we could give it to someone else.

Life is good......crazy, but good!