walks in the stroller to all sorts of destinations - local parks, neighborhood routes, walking paths and Old Orchard Mall (it's fantastic and also kind of dangerous to be within walking distance of all those great stores!). We're also having fun in our own backyard. We turn on the octopus bubble-blower almost every day (the hose is equally fun, but much colder!), and we have some pint-sized things on the deck for the kids to play with. Gavin is always either in the bjorn front carrier with me or in a bouncy chair on the deck, but Cassie roams all over. She rides her 
toy car, draws with chalk, colors at her mini-picnic table, or swings in her bucket swing. She also loves to dig in the dirt and pick up sticks. She's usually very messy by the time we come inside! We are re-grading the backyard and laying some sod within the next few weeks (it was pretty neglected in the few years prior to our move-in) so we'll be able to enjoy the backyard to the fullest this summer. It has not been warm enough yet for the baby pool, but as you can see from this photo, Cassidy is ready. We were just trying on her new suit to make sure it fit, and she was very sad to realize we were not actually going to a pool. To make it up to her, she got to "swim" in the bathtub with her suit on that night!
Gavin just had his 2-month doctor appointment and is doing very well. He weighs 13 lbs, 2 oz - 90th percentile for his age. He got 5 vaccinations - eeek! But he only cried for a minute or two, then he took 
his paci and fell right to sleep. He is sleeping one long stretch each day, usually about 6 hours. We try to time it to be from about 10:30pm - 4am, allowing us to only feel like we get up 1 time during the night - but many times he falls asleep much earlier, like 8pm, so then we'll be up twice on those nights. Outside of that long stretch, he eats about every 3 hours. We feel very fortunate - he is a peaceful baby and he just loves to smile! He has a wonderful crooked grin that just makes us laugh out loud. We think he's already practicing to be a little flirt! He loves to lay on his back in his jungle mat and bat at the hanging toys. He has started to "talk" to them too, making little coo sounds as he bats away. We have great "conversations" together when we hold him and make faces!Cassie is her usual self - a happy ball of energy! We have a standing playdate on Wednesday
mornings with some great friends that live nearby, and she always has fun exploring with her little buddies. And of course I love the interaction with the other moms - they are wonderful! Cassie is talking non-stop - she even has entire dialogues with herself where she plays both roles. She'll sit at her high-chair and say, "What's that? Raspberries! Try it, you might like it!" She's also learning her colors and numbers, so she'll say, "What color is that? It's green!" We recently brought home a box of toys from Grammy and Grandpa Brown's basement - toys that Erik played with as a kid! The wooden Brio train set is a huge hit - as is the plastic David Hasselhoff figurine that goes with Erik's "Kit Car." Cassie calls him David and he often joins us for outings. I find myself trying to explain to people, like the nurse at the doctor's office, why she is tagging a David Hasselhoff doll along with her, and it usually gets a good chuckle!We got some good news with regards to Cassidy's food allergies. She was initially tested at 10 months old (April 2008), and was found to be allergic to cow's milk and peanuts. Doctors suggest annual tests to see if allergies are outgrown. So, this April, we had her re-tested and found that her allergy numbers have dropped by half! She is still allergic to both foods and needs to continue a special diet to avoid them - but we're even more hopeful now that she will outgrow both allergies in the next couple of years. The final test would be to do a "food challenge" in a doctor's office - basically giving her small amounts of that food in a safe setting and making sure there is no reaction. We're going to see a new allergist soon to discuss when we might start to introduce milk in small amounts. More to come in the months ahead...
We've had some fun family visits lately. Aunt Shannon and our great 8-year old cousin Emily
came to visit us all the way from El Paso, TX. They were such great helpers and playmates! Not only did they keep little Cassie and Gavin occupied, but they even sent Erik and I out for pie one evening while they watched the kids (we're a 5-minute walk from Baker's Square, another dangerous and wonderful place to live near!) and they made us a pan of lasagna that we could have for dinner the following week. We had so much fun visiting with them and can't wait to see all the cousins at the beach this summer!
We also saw both sets of grandparents within the past couple weeks. Cassie and Gavin just love 
their visits with them! Gavin gets lots of love and attention (he gets held and cuddled for hours on end!) and Cassie has wonderful outdoor explorations. At Grandma and Grandpa Reder's house, we found a nest of robin eggs and helped 
water the newly-planted flowers. Cassie became very focused on covering Grandma's boxwoods with mulch until they were almost completely hidden from sight. At Grammy and Grandpa Brown's, Cassie and Gavin got to talk a walk to a park, swing on the swing in the backyard, and chase Cooper around everywhere! Cooper is such a good sport about it - he's very gentle and sweet.As I look at the summer calendar, things are already beginning to feel busy (but in a good way, since it's all fun things!). Cassie is starting swimming lessons on Saturdays and we have a Reder family trip to south Florida planned for July. My college roommates (who remain my best girlfriends!) are trying to get together for a reunion somewhere nearby so we can meet all the new little babies that have been added to our families - and of course so we can all catch up in person for a change. I just love those visits and always look so forward to them!
