No tricks, all treats

It's Cassidy's first Halloween. What does that mean for a nearly-one-year-old? Dressing up as a Spartan Cheerleader, smiling like crazy, and squealing and laughing with delight as each kid comes to the door for candy (or, in our case, pretzels...yes, we're those people). It sure was fun to watch her enjoying herself!

GO STATE!

Does life get happier than this? We can't wait to find out!

Small Spaces

Do you have a small space in your home, in need of inspection? Cassidy would be happy to help! This girl finds any space large enough for only her to enter. I'm surprised she hasn't noticed this one until today, but when she did, she was thrilled! Yesterday she was playing in a new favorite small space, the narrow area between my side of the bed and my bedside table. She climbed around in there, reading books and magazines, squealing with delight, for about 15 minutes. She ended up under my bed, much to her surprise and disdain, when she lost her footing getting out of her small space. But it turned out to be an exciting discovery of another small space! Today she has been trying to get back under my bed. Silly pumpkin!

This is how you do it

Cassidy is an explorer! She's always very intrigued with the dishwasher. Today she demonstrated her new ability:

First, I'll climb up on this side...

Then I'll perch here and smile at mommy...
This looks like a good place to get down...

So I'll just climb out like this!

I made it! Phew! Now, on to rearranging mommy's pots and pans cabinet...

Mommy's Girl

Cassidy's newest favorite toys? Mommy's old measuring cups. With a mom that loves to cook as much as hers, should we expect anything different?!

Good morning, girls!

The Big Sleepover

Our day has been planned for weeks and we were all so excited to be reunited. We picked Kayla up in Gaylord late this morning and headed to a nearby pizzeria for lunch. Both girls were great; Kayla ate loads of breadsticks, meat, and broccoli pizza, and Cassidy sat contentedly in her highchair, smiling and laughing at her big cousin. But right near the end, Cassidy started rubbing her left eye. A lot. As we were getting ready to leave for home, it was looking pretty red, but I figured it was just from being rubbed because she was so tired. And then the crying (actually, howling/screaming) started. We got about 5 minutes out of Gaylord and I decided to pull the car over to get a look at my girl. I was shocked to find that her left eye was now VERY swollen, nearly shut, and bright red. The car did an about face and we were headed to Otsego Memorial, a hospital we've never been to, but the closest one. After a long ER wait, during which both girls played and were so well behaved (once Cassidy settled down and her eye sealed shut) we saw a doctor who quickly diagnosed Cassidy's eye with an allergic reaction (to what, we don't know) and prescribed some eye drops for her. We were very, very relieved. We finally made it home mid-afternoon and the girls played and played and played some more. Here they are in their new, matching Halloween shirts from Aunt Jo. The headbands we found at Meijer (Kayla picked them out). You'll probably notice Cassidy's left eye still quite swollen here.Then the girls moved on to playing with more toys.
Next up: bundling up for a walk. Kayla borrowed a hat and some mittens of Cassidy's. She was so excited about her colorful accessories!

My personal favorite picture from today: "I wuh woo, Baby Cassie!" Totally out of the blue from Kayla. Did she know I was standing by with the camera, hoping to catch a great picture?!

It rained all day, but finally stopped around 5:00 so we bundled up both girls and headed out. We got to the top of the hill and it started coming straight down again, so we turned around for home. We walked a total of about a half a block. The girls had fun, as did we, but it was a shoooorrrrt walk!
Here's Cassidy in her new winter coat (which I actually purchased at 85% off last winter!). She is our little eskimo baby with the fur hood.

We got home from our walk and let the girls roam and play again. I turned my back for a second and Kayla was gone. Where did I find her? In my room, in Cassidy's (really Kayla's old-) Tot Rider. She sure loves to be a "baby"!

I had fun cooking dinner for Kayla. I wanted to make her something really nutritious and delicious that she probably hadn't had before. She ate two heaping platefuls of seashell pasta with pumpkin-sage cream sauce and chicken! What a good eater! She wanted to eat in Baby Cassidy's highchair and Cassidy thought that was hilarious and played with Kayla's swinging feet the whole time. (Kayla protested but Cassidy just laughed and laughed.)

Before bed the girls played nicely with a puzzle together. For a few minutes. Then Kayla decided it was hers. That's just fine, Kayla. Cassidy is really good at sharing right now because she can't tell the difference. Another few months and we'll have some fights on our hands, but for today, you decide!

Cassidy was in bed, asleep, at 7:00. Kayla was in jammies soon after, and after a few books, was completely asleep by 7:30. Will Kurt and I make it to 8:00? Taking care of two little kids is FUN, but we're EXHAUSTED! Good night!

An autumn day we'll never forget

Today was just one of those magical days. We think Cassidy is cute, fun, expressive, inquisitive, and lovable every day. But today was a special day. All of her best qualities shone just a little brighter than usual. We had a great walk (and she had a second nap!) and followed that up with rolling in the leaves and just having fun outside. We wish lots of days could be like today. Here are some highlights of the afternoon. Who needs a professional photographer when you have a natural subject like this?!

Another day, another dress

Off to church we go!

Cassidy's First Haircut!

I have been debating this haircut for quite some time. Why the big dilemma? I'm not sure. Maybe it made me feel like she would be less of a baby if she started getting haircuts. Maybe it was hard to say goodbye to those little wisps of hair. Today though, it was time and I was ready. It didn't happen in a fancy salon, though those days will come. Mommy's scissors and comb would have to do this time. And if I do say so myself, it turned out pretty great. Doesn't our girl look so pretty?! The new 'do from behind, so you can really see those curls coming in:
And a side shot, for good measure:

Daddy wanted a picture to show some of the baby hairs.

We'll select a nice lock for her baby book.

Mommy's Birthday Week

The celebration continued all week!

Cassidy got a new puzzle for mommy's birthday. (That will only make sense to first-time parents!) We thought it would be a great one for her to play with because it's wooden but by the end of the first day, she had gnawed away most of the horse. We'll pull the puzzle out again when she's not teething.
Our great friends Scott and Kate brought dinner and cake over Thursday evening. As usual, Cassidy made fast friends with Scott.

Friday was a great day for all of us. Kurt and I needed to run errands in Traverse City and Dawn volunteered to take Cassidy back to their house for the day so that we could take our time and even enjoy a nice lunch together. It actually was the first time Kurt and I have been out alone, without Cassidy, since she was born. I guess 11 months is about time! Here are some pictures of how Cassidy spent her day with Jake and Ruby.

Mommy and Me

Today is mommy's birthday. The day started with a treasure hunt, and in the afternoon we went to the orchard to look at pumpkins and gorgeous fall color. Here we are! It only took about 20 shots to get both of us smiling and looking at the camera at the same time.

Fun in Port Huron

We made a quick trip to Port Huron this week, specifically to attend my cousin's wedding. Ironically, that was the one thing we didn't get to do. I (Sarah) ended up with an icky, achy flu-like illness that has knocked me out all weekend so we left early and missed the festivities. But before all of that, we enjoyed a day and a half of fun with Aaron, Sheri and Kayla, and Grandpa and Grandma F. Here are some of the highlights:

Kayla loved pushing Cassidy in her doll stroller, and Cassidy squealed in delight the whole way!Next up: beauty parlor play time!

The girls had fun playing on the stairs. We weren't sure how Cassidy would do with stairs because we don't have any at home, but her first try was a success and she was up those stairs in seconds! Cassidy's favorite toy at their house was the refrigerator magnets.

Grandpa always sneaks in lots of cuddle time with his girls.