Choo Choo!

Hayden absolutely loves trains. During the Christmas season there are many places near us where we are able to see train gardens. Hayden will watch the trains for hours! Here are some pics of him enjoying the Choo Choo's....

While I was out of town for the weekend, Eric took Hayden to the B&O railroad museum in Baltimore. He even got to ride a mini train.










































He had so much fun with daddy, I took him to the B&O museum in Ellicott City. The real train passed by twice while we were there and he ran back and forth yelling "train come back". It was the highlight of his week.

























































Checking out the Train Garden at the Marley Station Mall in Glen Bunie














Hayden received an early Christmas gift from Nana & Papu.....his very own train! He was super excited to wake up from his nap to a new train under the tree. Here are a couple pics and a video of a very excited little boy! He calls it the Polar Express. :) (pause the background music when watching the video)

Meeting Kyle

I traveled to Atlanta in early December to see one of my best friends Stephanie and meet her new baby Kyle! We had a great time just hanging with Kyle and we also fit in a girls night out while I was there. Kyle is such a cutie and I miss him already. I look forward to going back to Atlanta in February with Eric for the guys to do a Tough Mudder race! Here are a couple pics from the trip....

Me, Kyle, & Steph



















Steph & Ang - I can see why people ask if we are twins in this pic

Thanksgiving 2011

Hayden and I traveled to Fredericksburg, VA to spend Thanksgiving with my sister's family. Grammy & Pops were there and we had a great dinner. We missed daddy but were grateful he was off the rest of the weekend!

Out for a walk with Pops after dinner



















Being silly with Sarah



















Sarah, Ryan, and Hayden














Cuddling with Grammy

Halloween Fun!

This year for Halloween we had lots of fun events to attend. First Hayden was able to wear his costume to school for his class Halloween party. His school also had a fall festival we were able to go to including a bouncy house and pony rides! Hayden had his first trick or treating experience as well. It took him a little while to get the courage up to go outside but was excited for all the candy once he realized what it was all about. He also enjoyed giving candy out to the neighborhood kids. I have to say I think he was the cutest pirate I've ever seen! Here are some of my favorite pics....

Pirate Hayden. Aarrgh!



















Walking into school with Daddy



















Pirate on a pony














My first trick or treat



















Giving out candy

Visit to the South

In October we made a trip down south to visit Eric's family. Eric's parents recently moved back to Georgia/Alabama from Germany and had just finished settling into their new home. We were able to spend lots of time with the family. We enjoyed many family dinners, a trip to the local pumpkin patch, and shopping with Nana! Hayden was happy to have so much time with Nana and Papu and loved playing with his cousins, Emma, Alyse, and Aaden. Here are some pics from the trip....


Playin Ball with Emma



















Fun with my cousins at the pumpkin patch!














Family Dinner at Mel & George's - Karen, George, Aimee, Aaron, Wayne, Tammy, Ang, & Eric














Last night in Georgia - playing outside the restaurant














I'll miss you Aaden!



















There's my plane!

Farm Week

Last week we visited 4 different farms in 8 days! I guess we went a little fall crazy. :) Eric was able to come with us to one but the rest were just Hayden and mommy. Hayden had lots of fun but I think we were both pretty tired at the end of the week. Here are some of my favorite pics from each location.

First stop was Weber's Cider Mill Farm. We really forced this trip as it was the only day Eric could go with us for a while. It was chilly and rainy but we had fun. We did the hay maze and slide (more like a slip and slide in the rain) and Hayden went through his first haunted barn....with his girlfriend Peyton. :)







































































Our next trip was to Kinder Farm. We go here quite often as its free and usually pretty quiet. Hayden loves to watch and pet the animals and play on the large playground nearby.






































Next we went to Clark's Elliok Farm. Hayden had his first horse ride and cow train ride (with mommy).




























The last farm of the week was in Frederickburg, VA. We went to visit my sister for the day. We saw my nephew Ryan play baseball and then went to Belvedere Plantation in the afternoon. Hayden's highlight was the hay barn. He loved jumping off the hay with his cousin Sarah! Pops also came for a day of fun with the grandkids. :)

Hayden's 1st Day of School

Hayden had his first day of school in early September. We found a great co-op school in Columbia where he will go 2 days a week. I get to be in the classroom about once a month as the co-op parent to help out the teachers. I also have the job of being class photographer so I get to take pictures in the classroom and for special events. Hayden had a few tears his first couple drop offs but now runs in to hug the teachers and quickly says "bye Ma" as my cue to leave. He really seems to like it which makes us very happy. Here are some photos from his first day....

Our Summer in Pictures

Summer has come to an end and it was a great one! We stayed busy with trips to see family, visitors and playdates. Here are some of the many photos we captured over the summer....

















Hayden cooling off outside with daddy














My friend Stephanie is expecting a little boy in early October. I co-hosted a baby shower for her with our friend Candice in July. We had lots of fun celebrating baby Kyle!


















Aunt Jessi came in for a weekend visit in August. Hayden definitely has a sweet spot for Jess. :)


















We headed down to Grammy and Pops house to celebrate my dad's birthday in August. We finally had our first Maryland hard crabs of the summer!















Hayden swinging with his cousins.











Our friends Mere and Greg also came for a visit in August. Two of our friends, Kim and Rebecca, had just had baby boys so we had a playdate to get everyone together the day before the hurricane. Here we are toasting to the new babies, Gavin and Logan. Greg said "so this is what happens at playdates?" :)


















Another trip to Grammy & Pops'. Hayden loves to play in their backyard and try out the different wheels in the garage. By next summer he'll be cruisin.


















Hayden recently moved into a toddler bed! I love this pic of Hayden helping daddy put the new bed together. We knew it was time when he made a few crib jumps during naptime. He actually transitioned pretty well. Such a big boy!

Hayden's 1st Baseball Game

We took Hayden to his first baseball game tonight. The Bowie Baysox had a free military night so we thought it would be a great chance to see how he liked it. It started late due to rain so we only stayed for a little bit of the game but Hayden had fun looking at the field, eating icecream, and playing at the Kidzone.