Once we got into the warm sunroom full of butterflies, Cassie was able to come face-to-face with them at every turn. She was pointing every which way and using her babbles to tell us all about what she saw. It was a big hit. She even spent some time eying the literature - flipping through all the pictures of butterflies like a studious little zoologist. She would have loved to catch one and give it a big, squishy hug, I'm sure, but thankfully they're much quicker than her tiny hands.
This museum also has an educational water play area called "river works," 
and she had fun splashing her hands around in that as well. It was quite the place! Afterward, we walked over to the Lincoln Park Zoo and visited the sea lions and a few other highlights - by now, it was time to head home for naptime. She had such a fun time with Grammy and Grandpa Brown (and continues to be very curious about Grandpa's sling and hand-exercise ball that's attached to it - she and her dog-cousin Cooper both want to get their hands/paws/mouths on that in any way possible!).
The following weekend, we drove up to Poplar Grove to spend the morning at Edward's Apple Orchard with Grandpa and Grandma Reder and the Harding Family. It's a nearly-annual tradition to take a trip to Edward's, since it's not far from Rockford and it has the most amazing warm apple cider donuts around! We paired those donuts with some tasty apple cider, then visited the petting zoo - which was definitely the highlight for Cassidy. She meandered from fence to fence, literally squealing with excitement when the pigs would force their little snouts through the wires and lick her outstretched palm. She absolutely loved it and probably could've stayed all day, despite that pleasant barn smell...
Next up, Cassie got to take her turn at the tractor wheel and pose for some quick family shots.
We ended the outing with some shopping at their general store, which has all sorts of festive home decorations and lots of homemade jams, jellies, candies, etc. My particular favorite is their fudge, which they make on the premises - it's chocolate heaven! I can't leave without a batch (or two, or sometimes three - who's counting?).We drove back to Rockford and spent the rest of the weekend relaxing with family. Grandpa Reder is somewhat of a clock enthusiast, and he has a particular clock in the kitchen that Cassidy has come to love. It's an antique German cuckoo clock that belonged to my grandparents. At the top, it has a tiny bird that pops out of a little door and says "cuckoo!" every 30 minutes. And of course on the hour, it cuckoos out the appropriate number of times, and then when that's done, a set of dancers set themselves in motion along with some music. Cassidy claps and squeals, and sometimes just stares in amazement. It's gotten to the point that no matter what she's involved in (watching a favorite show, building block towers, playing piano, whatever the case may be) she drops everything to run into the kitchen and catch a glimpse of those wonderful dancers! It keeps us all laughing, and as mom pointed out during our last visit, my Grandpa and Grandpa Reder would've gotten such a kick out of it all. Besides the cuckoo excitment, Cassie also got to spend lots of quality time playing games and reading books with everyone. She enjoys sitting in Grandma's lap to read stories together.
We miss seeing the Burkholders of course, who are living down in sunny El Paso - we can't wait to see you all at Christmastime!Next up came Halloween 2008! Our Monday playgroup had a costume party, so Cassidy got dressed in her flower outfit and played alongside a kitty (Molly) and a monkey (Gordon), among others. We chose a flower this year because one afternoon when we were out costume-shopping, I picked up the flower outfit and held it up to Cassidy in a mirror. Right away she said "flowa!", and since that was one of the first times she had used that word, we decided it had to be the one. It continues to be a favorite word that we hear pretty often! On Halloween night, we joined our courtyard neighbors for the annual Halloween Potluck Party, where we all bring out food and drinks and greet the trick-or-treaters with candy. Cassidy had a blast playing with the neighbors' ride-on toys and chasing after the dogs that were out to play. She didn't have any candy this year, with her various allergies and teeth that have yet to arrive, but judging by the way she was eying that candy bowl, we might have a sweet tooth on our hands (wonder where she'd get that from???).
The day after Halloween, we headed down to Pompano Beach, FL for a great beach vacation. More to come on that in my next post!
