With our upcoming travels over the next week, we asked Santa if he could come by our house a little early this year. Last night, Cassidy helped us set out snacks for Santa and his reindeer. I suggested smarties for Santa, and Cassidy agreed (although she decided he would only want 1 package). For the reindeer, she chose 3 carrots. We placed them on a special green plate with a note, and when we woke up this morning, they were gone! Only 2 smarties and a last carrot nibble were left on the plate. They must have been in a hurry trying to get to all the houses that needed early deliveries. This morning, Cassie was almost too excited to go check out the tree to see what surprises might be there. She couldn't get herself down the hall, so Daddy carried her into the living room to take a peek (she was squealing and squeezing Daddy's neck with anticipation!). She was so excited to see the special presents that Santa had left for her and Gavin. We had so much fun opening gifts together and sifting through stockings.
Later on this afternoon, we went to visit with Santa in person. He was making a stop at a small, local grocer down the street from our house. Cassidy was pretty freaked out by seeing Santa in person. She just frowned at him for a few minutes, clutching onto Daddy for dear life. But then her friend Kristian walked right up to Santa to say hello, so she warmed up and eventually got on Santa's lap for a photo. Gavin joined her, and was fascinated by Santa's beard! Cassidy decorated a gingerbread man at a special station they had set up for kids, and then we went on our merry way.
In the days leading up to our early Christmas, we had some fun holiday festivities. Last weekend, Cassidy and Daddy decorated a gingerbread house together. At first, Cassidy was content to decorate, 
but then it dawned on her that these little decors were edible, and pretty tasty too. So from that point on, the focus shifted to eating the house. We had to place it on a high shelf for a few days just to keep it around. Thankfully, by now, everything has hardened to the point that those candies are there for all eternity, so now it graces the middle of our kitchen table.
This past week, Cassidy had her first Christmas program at school. It was adorable and hilarious. All the kids sang Christmas songs on the church altar, and then we celebrated afterwards with a potluck dinner and a special birthday cake for Baby Jesus. As for the singing, Cassidy joined right in for the first few minutes, doing all the hand motions and taking the cues from her teachers. But after a couple songs, her interest fell, and she stretched out on her belly and flopped her legs around while the rest of her class finished the program. Here are a couple short videos that highlight the fun:
And we can't forget to chat about Gavin, our little sweetie. He just had his 9-month check-up and is doing great. He weighs 19 lbs. (30th percentile) and is 29.5 inches tall (85th percentile). He is
cruising along furniture with ease and is starting to practice standing on his own for a moment or two at a time. He loves to play chase, and can crawl very fast! He thinks his sister is hilarious and he desperately wants to do whatever she's doing, and have whatever she's having. Thankfully Cassidy gets a kick out of it and really enjoys having Gavin around too. They are becoming great pals. Here are a couple videos of Gavin on his 9-month birthday:For the next couple days, we are going to enjoy some relaxation at home. We have some fun new toys to explore and some projects around the house that we'd like to tackle. Then on Tuesday we'll start our travels to visit with our extended families over the holiday. We can't wait to see everyone!
