Guilty

Cassidy is always trying to get into the refrigerator. She crawls so fast she can barely be caught when she sees the fridge door open. She's usually after the Chardonnay in the door and is mostly unsuccessful in actually getting it out, so I don't worry too much about leaving the door cracked in between trips to the counter while making her lunch. Today, though, she mastered a new skill: opening the crisper drawer. She had the bag of spinach out and open, and the drawer closed before I turned back. Oh well. She made a really fun mess on the floor and tried raw spinach for the first time (most of it was spit out, but some was swallowed). Every new day is filled with fun and games with Cassidy Dawn!Daddy's reaction upon arriving home.

He's the best mess cleaner-upper in town!

Christmas with our friends

This afternoon we had a wonderful meal together with our good friends Scott and Kate at their house. Cassidy had never been there so it was fun to watch her explore a new place. We exchanged gifts for Christmas as well. What a fun and relaxing afternoon. Thanks, Scott and Kate!

Opening presents with Kate

Inspecting an ornament on Kate's beautiful Christmas treeHazzard: ornaments, while being tossed and played with, may end up in your pigtailsSleeping off all the fun taken in at our Christmas party with Scott and Kate

Under the weather

It had to happen sometime. In 13 months of life, Cassidy hasn't been sick. No colds to speak of (other than a runny nose once for a few days), no ear infections, nothing. But this week some sort of stomach virus got her and kept her down for a good 5 days. We think we're on the tail end of it, thankfully, and look forward to having our busy, talkative, girl back to normal self soon. In the meantime, we've enjoyed some extra cuddle time, as witnessed here. Daddy is such a good snuggler, and her soft bear has been keeping her company faithfully.

The "Stroller"

It's official! Cassidy Dawn is a walking pumpkin! She took her first steps yesterday! Mommy and Daddy were both right there to see the big moment - so special for us. See the newest videos on youtube and watch her walking to Daddy.

Double Sleepover

Jake and Ruby came to visit for a two-night sleepover. They are both so wonderful and kind to Cassidy and she has such a great time with them! We are so blessed to be able to get together like this, and for Cassidy to have these kids in her life.

Cousin Fun

Cassidy was finally introduced to her Jensen cousins on Thanksgiving Day. She loved playing with Owen and Grant! Owen especially showed a special affection for her right away. They met that morning at Lutheran Village for the worship service that Grandpa led, and by dinner time, Owen was declaring that he wanted to take her home with him. When asked where she would sleep, he said, "my bed". His mom asked, "Where would you sleep, Owen?" to which he replied, "I would stay up all night and watch her." So sweet! He later shared his plans to, when he grows up, build a house for Baby Cassidy to live in. I suppose that at some point we'll have to explain to them that they can't get married when they grow up. *smile*

Here, we were trying to get a good picture of all the kids together. Owen's and Grant's smiles were great, but Cassidy was too busy studying her boy cousins to smile for the camera!Owen immediately wanted Cassidy to sit on his lap during worship. Cassidy was happy to oblige.
What a great family photo! From left to right, Peder holding Grant, Lynelle holding Owen, Jim, Nona, Sarah holding Cassidy, and Kurt.

Grandma's piano was a big hit all weekend. Owen played lots of songs, complete with impromptu lyrics sung, and Cassidy was usually right by his side.

Grant had a few tunes to share with us, too. Again, Cassidy was right there to offer encouragement and a musical ear.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We spent Thanksgiving with our Jensen family this year! We had so much fun with Grandpa and Grandma, and Peder, Lynelle, Owen and Grant. The night before Thanksgiving Day, we celebrated Cassidy's belated birthday. Along with a great new peekaboo night-night book, Cassidy received a very special gift: a handmade dolly that Grandma Jensen made many years ago and saved for the first granddaughter, and a doll-sized table and chairs that Uncle Peder made in high school shop class! Here, Cassidy is reading her new book with Grandma: Cassidy finishes reading her new book to Grandma, Grandpa and her new dolly.

How to survive your first flight

Step 1: Have Mommy hand you your new teddy bear. Say hello and talk to him for a little while. Step 2: Play with your new teddy bear. Throw him up in the air! Make the passengers around you smile and comment on how cute you are with your bear.
Step 3: Cuddle with your new teddy bear. Snuzzle him close to your face and blow raspberries on his face.

Step 4 (when the plane is making lots of loud noises and you're maybe just a little scared): Bury your face in your new teddy bear. When you open your eyes, look out the window and see that we're over Lake Michigan and on our way home!

A travelin' we will go...

You have to get shots of your baby in the airport the first time she flies! Here are Cassidy and Daddy in the airport in Traverse City.And now in O'Hare: Cassidy looked up at this dinosaur, but I'm pretty sure she didn't get the full scope of its monstrosity. Yes, this is a verrrrrry "tourist-y" shot.
Look close and you'll see what Kurt was most closely guarding...yep, it's Garrett's Popcorn (Chicago Mix). We're happy, happy folks. This stuff should have a warning: ADDICTIVE!

Party Girl

A whole year has gone by since Cassidy entered the world and we were ready to celebrate! Our garage was transformed into a "rec room" and we all had a great day: eating, laughing, catching up, playing croquet (high 50's in mid-November!), and watching football on the makeshift bigscreen. Here are some of the highlights:

Once again, Kayla wanted to sit in Baby Cassidy's highchair. As Sheri says, Kayla wants to be a baby again, and Cassidy wants so much to grow up and be big. What fun it will be to look back at photos like these over the years!

The birthday girl was content to mingle, crawl and play with her new toys and cousins all day long. You always have to wonder how a 1-year old will do at their party. Will all the extra people and activity overwhelm her? Will she have a meltdown at her own party? Not our girl! She had a blast and did so well all day long.
Kayla builds big towers!
Cassidy loves the blocks, too. Thanks, Scott and Kate!

Ruby is very sweet, always ready to entertain and make Cassidy laugh.

Cake time! Yes, three cakes. Was that necessary? No. But Mommy had so much fun planning and baking three different cakes to celebrate the big occasion: triple layer chocolate fudge cake, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and caramel apple cake. Yum!Cassidy enjoyed her carrot cake...that is, enjoyed smearing it around and making a mess. A new sled just for me! Thanks, Dawn, Josh, Jake and Ruby! We're looking forward to sledding parties this winter!

Opening a bristle blocks play set from Uncle Aaron, Aunt Sheri and cousin Kayla, already a favorite in our home.

Ruby was kind to show Cassidy how her new pop-up toy works.

Aunt Sheri gives great gifts and is good at helping open them, too.

Cassidy especially enjoyed eating her new Tinkerbell cell phone. Aunt Sheri, you sure know how to pick the most delectable toys!Big girl!

One quick shot with Daddy. The day was over way too soon!

Yes, Cassidy had a great first birthday party. And yes, she slept really well that night. One last shout-out to our pretty pumpkin: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CASSIDY DAWN!!!

Let's get this party started!

The official birthday party was Saturday afternoon, but Grandpa and Grandma Faust arrived on Thursday so we started having fun right away! Earlier that day, Cassidy had her 1-year check-up (and four shots!) and was deemed "perfect" by her pediatrician! Of course, we already knew that. Grandpa and Grandma were waiting for us when we got home and we had a great evening together. Cassidy was treated to some special birthday gifts, including puzzles, a book, and the softest teddy bear ever. But before opening your gift, you have to read your card:

Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma Faust!

The Birthday Girl

Cassidy is ONE YEAR OLD today! We are so excited...and, frankly, a little confused about how exactly we got here. Any parent will tell you how quickly the time goes by, especially the first year. And the changes! Never in life do we change and grow so much as in our first year of life. It's just taking some time to sink in. We did it! The four of us did it: Daddy, Mommy, Cassidy, and God. We made it through with flying colors! Cassidy Dawn is more wonderful, more beautiful, more amazing every day. We love you, birthday girl!!! Cassidy got two presents from us for her first birthday.

Here she is with her very first dolly.

Some very dear friends from church gave Cassidy this stuffed dog. He is fluffy and cute and she just loves him! The other gift from us was this little car. She can walk behind it and then it converts to a ride-on toy. Mostly she's content to just turn the whole thing over, inspect the wheels, and climb over it. Not all toys are destined to fulfill their original purpose. Ha!

A good read (and mighty fine snack)

This afternoon we celebrated Jake's 9th birthday in Lake Leelanau. Cassidy had a ball watching all the kids, playing with Copper the dog, and chasing a kitty. Dawn was kind to have a stack of books ready for Cassidy to look at, one of which she particularly enjoyed. It didn't last long, though. The sequence of events went like this:

What a fun book to read!

Mmmmm...and it feels so good on my new teeth...
Uh oh. I think they're trying to trick me into eating food again.

No, she didn't actually eat it. Happy birthday, Jake! We had a great time!