Once Labor Day comes and goes, it always starts to feel like the fall season is upon us! But we made the most of the last days of sunshine leading up to the Labor Day holiday.Erik and I enjoyed an evening amongst adults 2 weeks ago when we attended a beautiful wedding for our friends Laura and Ryan Kraus. Since Laura and I have been friends since we were 8 years old, I found myself catching up with old friends and grade school classmates throughout the evening. It's really fun to reconnect with people you haven't seen in such a long time! We stayed out as a late as we could, staying for the grilled cheese sandwiches and cheeseburgers that were ushered onto the dancefloor at some late point in the evening. We both had such a good time and of course are so happy for Laura and Ryan. Grandma and Grandpa Reder drove in to baby-sit Cassidy for us, and they wore her out with lots of playtime! The next morning, Dad and Erik played a round of golf - Erik's trying to play as often as he can and Dad is always a willing partner, so it worked out well! We also got to wish Mom a happy birthday in person, just a week or so after the actual day.
The following weekend was Labor Day weekend, so we made the drive out to Rockford to enjoy the last weekend in the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's house along with the Hardings. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. The moment we arrived, Cassie worked her way over to the back window and started pointing at the pool. She is such a water baby! Anytime we put her down, she would crawl over to the back door and make noise until someone took her out to see the pool. Most times, she found her way into the pool (with supervision of course!). She would splash so much with her toes in the water that her outfit would be soaked, so at that point we usually just gave in and plunked her onto the steps to play with the squirt toys. She spent what seemed like hours taking each squirt toy one by one, placing it in a plastic bucket on the steps, and then dumping it out just to start all over again. She laughed and splashed and had the time of her life. And when it came time to relax, she would happily move into her yellow floatie, lounging while someone spun her around the water. Does it get any better???We also had fun celebrating Grandpa Reder's birthday while we were home. We opened gifts and had an ice cream cake. It's always fun to get family together for those great celebrations!
Labor Day weekend also brought about a frightening accident for another close family member. Grandpa Brown took a bad fall off his bike and was sent straight to the Emergency Room and the ICU thereafter. He is an expert biker and loves to ride fast, but unfortunately he took a sharp turn on some unstable pavement. He suffered 3 broken ribs, a broken scapula and collarbone as well as a punctured lung. He was lucky, as it turns out, because he fell right within view of a policeman who was able to call for an ambulance immediately. The quick work of the doctors and hospital staff really saved him from a much worse condition, as we learned later. He spent 4 days in the hospital, fighting through the pain and the frustration of being immoble in a hospital bed (so tough!), but he kept his spirits up high through it all and is now resting at home. It might be a little while before he is back out on the bike and the tennis courts, but he promises he'll be back there! And we don't doubt him for a second! Cassidy did her part in trying to cheer everyone up - she took her first 3 steps in Grandpa's hospital room! She's kept it hidden since then, but we can see that it won't be long before she's walking all over. We have the video camera ready...Speaking of videos, we took one last week of Cassidy's newest activity. She has stared to "say" the phrase "I don't know?!?" complete with hand motions for emphasis. She likes to hide little trinkets, such as the rubber duckie in this video who hides in a jar of rice (one of mommy's homemade toys, courtesy of Parents Magazine), and pretends she can't find him. Anyway, it cracks us up. Enjoy!
