Prayers Needed...

I'm sorry for the delay in getting pictures posted. We have had a hard month. On November 11, I miscarried our (almost) 15wk old baby. Some of you knew I was pregnant but a majority of you did not. We were going to wait to make the announcement at Thanksgiving, but unfortunately he didn't make it that far. These past 4 weeks have been so incredibly draining emotionally and physically. John and I have been showered with support and prayers from family members and close friends. The pain and heartache for both of us is excruciating and unbearable sometimes, but I'm told it will pass in time.
Since both John and I were almost 100% certain that our baby was another boy, we have named him John Stephen after his dad (and grandfather) and his god-father (and uncle).
Please keep us in your prayers if you think of it.

CLASSIC

Day At The Aquarium

Birthday Toys...

We had an absolutely wonderful day today. Hayden slept in a little bit, woke up in a wonderful mood and didn't sleep more than 30 minutes of nap all day, but was completely happy. Mary Jo and Ann came for the day and we went to the Aquarium. Boy did Hayden LOVE that!!!!!! He touched the rays and stergions (spelling?). He loved seeing the ducks and fish swimming. (it is a fresh water aquarium). We came home....he snoozed for about 30 minutes, then we played and played and played. He had some special visitors (some young student friends) stop by with a surprise birthday present which was very very sweet of them. We ate a wonderful supper and had cupcakes for dessert. Hayden didn't like the cupcakes much. I didn't want him to miss out on some birthday sugar, so I got out a popsicle that he and shared. And he LOVED that!!!! Then...off to bed. Long day....wonderful day.....we truly couldn't have asked for anything better.

Then and Now...(Nov 2005, Nov 2006)

Hello Me

Hayden just sat there jabbering to his reflection in the TV.....

quite entertaining

Present from Nana and Bumpa

Before the birthday present and after the birthday present. I know I know.....his birthday isn't until November 4th, but I couldn't wait. I knew he'd get a kick out of this.

Non-toys are the best...

No matter how cool the toy is, it always seems that Hayden's interest focuses on all the simple NON-TOYS. The ketsup bottle for example.....a simple wash was all it needed and he is perfectly happy with it (for weeks!!!).
I think I get more excited about his new toys than he does and here he loves the pots and pans more. Go figure....

Apologies and updates...

I know, it has been WAY too long since our last post. And Hayden has grown and changed so so much. Life just got really really busy for us. We had a crazy summer with family reunions and parties. I suppose I just kinda forgot to post after a while. Sorry about that.
Well, life is great right now. We are well past our fall season and have been winterizing everything. Snow falls sporadically but doesn't seem to stay much. I am taking a full load of classes this semester and it feels great to be back into the swing of things. My hopes are to be finished with my undergrad by the summer and move right into a masters program in January 2008 (the fall start for the program I want is completely book). John is doing what he does...works and shoots archery. He is doing very well. He absolutely loves being a dad even though he may not show it too often outside the house. ;-) And Hayden.....
He is walking and talking and getting into everything he isn't supposed to and throwing fits and everything a 1 year old does. But he is a joy and a FUNNY kid. We have enrolled him in a daycare 2 times a week for 2 hours a day and he loves it!!!! He is so social and we figured he needs that interaction especially now as he's growing into a toddler. I am loving the arrangement as well as it gives me a few hours to get things done without worrying about him.
I guess that is it for now. I promise to be better at posting......

John babysits

I left to run some errands and came home to John getting the grill ready for supper and Hayden outside in his play saucer. The funny thing was Haydens attire (as you can see). John put the bandana on his head to keep it warm. Hayden lost a sock and John just found a different one. I love these pictures! (April 25th)

Buddies

Isabell latched onto Emily the entire time she was here. I just thought these pictures were too cute. (April 22nd)

Love The Nana!!!!

My mom was officially loved on and snotted on by Hayden. I love these pictures. (April 21st)

new toy

My friend Emily came for a long weekend and we ventured down to visit with my parents. Mom broke out the walker. It was Haydens first experience in a walker and he absolutely LOVED it! He has since spent hours upon hours in it. He thinks he is just the coolest kid on the block because he can move. It has been great. His balance is getting better...he sits up straighter...and he stays entertained longer. WHAO!!!!

Easter with Isabell

Isabell is my niece... Stephen and Bethany's daughter. She is 2 1/2 years old and quite the socialite. She is going to be a great big sister soon (in July)

Best Bug

So this is how Hayden treats his best "bug". This toy is his absolute FAVORITE. He can't seem to get enough of the antennas.
Life has been good. I think Hayden is working on some teeth. He has been drooling like crazy...running random fevers...and everything (EVERYTHING) goes in his mouth! We have also successfully introduced other foods to him. His favorite is the rice cereal. Even over bananas and peaches - believe it or not. He also loves his veggies which is wonderful! He eats almost all of his carrots and peas every time. I think we are going to just stick with those four for now and in a week or so we'll try sweet potatoes and apples. Then I think we'll have all the bases covered for a while.
Tomorrow we are having Stephen, Betty, and Isabell over for the day. I hope everyone's Easter weekend is wonderful. Check in Monday for some fun pictures of Isabell and Hayden.

Hangin' With Dad

I love watching them together. They are like to peas in a pod......SO FUNNY! And Hayden loves his walks with Dad. So do I cuz I get some alone time and actually get a few things done!!!

Sock Anyone?

Over the weekend Hayden spent A LOT of time with his cousin Isabell. They played together and talked heart to heart and napped together and watched movies together. It was really cute. They bonded. We came home on Monday and he's shown NEW things. He talks much more and much louder. Surprise surprise. EVERYTHING goes in his mouth. I think Isabell has influenced him in more ways than one. I knew they'd get along. She makes a really good big cousin and soon to be big sister.

Sleeps...

So...I've been noticing more and more that Hayden has this thing with having his face covered when he sleeps. Isn't he cute?!!!

PEEK!

Mr. Crabby Pants

What a morning so far. Hayden isn't fussy but he isn't happy happy either...he's just BLAH. I can't get him to smile for anything!

John's Boy

This morning has been FULL of laughs. First of all, when Hayden woke up he just layed in bed for a while and started laughing. Like really laughing. I went in there and he has pulled his sock off and was wrapped up in his blankie and was trying so very hard to suck on his toes. Then a little while later after John got off to work and breakfast was eaten, I put Hayden on the floor to play. He has been rolling all over the place lately so I barracaded him in with one side being the couch. I was going about my business never leaving the room for more than a couple minutes. I ran upstairs to use the bathroom and came down to find Hayden half underneath the couch. How that happened I don't know. So I grabbed a cushion and propped it up against the couch so he couldn't do that again. I went into the kitchen and was unloading the dishwasher when I hear him squealing and laughing. I went to check it out and he had rolled back over to the cushion and it fell over on him so he was sandwiched between the floor and the cushion. He got a kick out of that. So, I adjusted him and played for a bit then went upstairs to grab a basket of laundry. I come down and he's got one sock off and thrown out of reach...the other sock just about off...and while he was working on the second sock he managed to just about pull his pants off (as you can see in the picture). He was just having a good old time. There you have it....
LIFE WITH HAYDEN (remember...he's John's boy) ;-)

Familiar scene...

Hi.
At about 1pm I left Hayden with John so that I could get some grocery shopping done alone. I came home to find this...the two of them sleeping soundly in front of the TV. Fitting. This is an all too familiar of a Sunday scene for me. When I was growing up this is all I saw on a Sunday afternoon: my father snoozing while "watching" football and my brothers often followed in his footsteps. Just thought this was a cute picture to share.
Have a great day everyone!!!

Very Mobile...

So Hayden's new thing is not only rolling over, but rolling over and over and over. And he LOVES it!!!!! It is absolutely amazing to watch him grow and change each day. He laughs so much more and he is starting to do funny things to get our attention. He loves to play with our faces and I think he tries to give us kisses because he grabs our cheeks and tries to suck our faces. It's kinda cute.
My favorite thing though is when John gets home from work. Hayden goes buzzurk. They play and play and play and roll and play and wrestle and play and sqeal and play. I love to watch that. Hayden is really starting to show us more and more his personality. It is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen....life.

Going Public

So this whole BLOG thing is completely new to me and I'm not sure what to think about it. I guess we'll see how this goes. My primary intention is to have a sight where family and friends can go to see pics. It's hard sometimes to get personal notes off to everyone and I'm constantly nagged for day-to-day pictures of Hayden. So here it is. The spot to go if you want to know about US.
Instead of sending emails all the time with the pictures, I'll just post every couple days. I think it will be easier like that.

I guess that's it. We'll see how this works!!!!!!!!!!