All About Cassidy - 2 years, 4 months old!

Cassidy is a busy toddler these days! Here's a little glimpse into what life is like in her world right now...
Cassidy is starting to learn all about the world around her. She likes to practice using new words and ideas that she has come across. For instance, last week she wanted to watch a particular movie, but when we opened the case, the DVD was missing. "It must be lost!" I told her. This is a new idea to her, things being lost or going missing. Later that day, when she woke up from her nap, I walked into her room and she very seriously said, "Mommy! My stomach is missing!" Really, I asked? Where did it go? "It fell in the sink and floated away! It's lost!" I tickled her belly and told her thank goodness I had found it. She also likes to watch mommy put on make-up, and last week I found her in the bathroom "painting her face like mommy." There was eyeshadow all over her cheeks and chin. Hopefully mommy gets it on better than that.
She also does a lot of pretend play. Stuffed animals are a favorite part of her playtime. She talks to them, creates little stories with them (Oh no! Leopard got stuck in this chair! I will save you leopard. *new voice* Oh, thank you for saving me, Cassidy! *back to her voice* You're welcome leopard! *Hugs all around). She likes to have them join her for mealtimes, and she often makes "snacks" for them to eat together. In this picture, she made green bean salad for herself and Boo (her favorite cow stuffed animal, named after the cow at Wagner Farm). Later on, Gavin was invited to the meal and got to gnaw on a few green beans too. Cassidy also spends a lot of time singing, dancing, and playing hide-and-seek (her toddler version). It's fascinating to watch her wheels turning as she absorbs more and more each day.

A couple weeks back, Cassidy went on her first school field trip! We rode a big yellow school bus to the pumpkin patch. (That big yellow bus was half the fun!) I went along as a chaperon. It was a rainy day, but the kids didn't mind one bit, and we got to pet baby goats, feed the lambs, and watch baby chicks and piglets take their naps. We had apple cider donuts and each child got to pick out a small pumpkin to take home. The kids had a great time, and I thought it was pretty hilarious fun. We had 15 two-year olds and 20 three-year olds, all trying to walk together holding hands in the rain, with their puffy coats and boots, it was a riot! I give her teachers a lot of credit for their willingness to tackle it!

Speaking of school, Cassie does a lot of art projects at school that come home with her. We decided to create an art wall in the kitchen. She picks out the spot and we tape it up for display. We're running out of room, so we'll have to start trading old pictures out for new ones. They do lots of finger painting and work with glue sticks and scissors. She is also busy learning to recognize all the letters and numbers, and learning about new things like red lights/green lights, the helpers in her community, and how fruits and vegetables are grown.


Cassidy has become a helpful big sister. She happily gets diapers for Gavin and helps us feed him bottles and food. She shares her toys (most of the time! so far she is actually doing pretty well with this) and pushes him in the tree swing in the backyard.

On the horizon, we have things like potty training (no interest at the moment), weaning from the pacifier (I can't even imagine how this will go), and moving into a big girl bed (for now she loves her crib). Thanks to the stores getting holiday items onto the shelves well in advance, she is already very excited for Christmas. Erik and I were just saying last night that it will be even more fun this year as she gets into the spirit of it all. We count our blessings every day for our happy, healthy little girl.

And coming soon: All About Gavin at 8 months old!

Happy Halloween 2009

We had a fun Halloween today! This morning, the kids dressed in their costumes and we went to a Halloween festival at Wagner Farm. Inside the farm museum, they had a funhouse for small children that Cassie found pretty weird and spooky. They had outside activities too, but it was cold (only mid-forties and windy) so we only stayed outside long enough to say hello to our favorite cow, Boo, (she was napping in her stall), as well as the pigs (who happened to be napping as well). We picked up a spaghetti squash on our way out and came home for lunchtime and naps.
After naptime, we got costumes back on and got ready for trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Since this was Cassidy's first time trick-or-treating, she and Daddy went outside to practice at our house. She rang our doorbell and Gavin and I answered. She said "trick-or-treat", I gave her some candy in her pumpkin bucket, and then we practiced saying thank-you. Then, we were off. All four of us walked around to the houses together. The first house we went to was all decked out for Halloween with spooky music playing and a fake straw man with a scary face sitting on their porch. Cassidy was really unsure about this. She kept asking "What are these? What is that?" After getting her candy from that house, she spent the rest of the evening talking about that spooky music. We went to 7 or 8 houses on our street, and the kids were ready to head back home. We traded out the peanut-y treats for smarties and lollipops, and Cassie had a ball eating sweets the rest of the night. I was impressed that she even attempted any dinner (we made it through milk and applesauce and everything else was a no-go). We had twenty or so trick-or-treaters at our house, and Cassie thought it was fun to watch them walk up the sidewalk from her spot in the window, but she was not interested in greeting up close or passing out candy. When they would leave, she'd say "What were those guys? Who was that?" I'm not sure she really understands the whole costume concept!

Gavin spent the day in his warm, fuzzy monkey costume and did his best to gobble some treats. The closest he really got was a fistful of cheerios. Maybe next year, Gavin!

Both kids are fast asleep and Erik and I had take-out pizza for dinner. Such a fun day!

The Leaves Are Falling!

This is our first autumn in the suburbs. I forgot what it is like to be surrounded by so many trees - they are so beautiful this time of year. The leaves are everywhere! This is a picture of our backyard. We just mowed the lawn 4 days ago and saw nothing but green grass. Today we woke up to a yellow yard! Wilmette has leaf pick-up on scheduled days each fall. So, each time you rake, you drag your leaf pile over to the curb and wait for the pick-up date. Our street's first pick-up is this coming weekend; I have never seen so many leaves piled upon curbs. It looks like huge jump piles everywhere you drive around here! Cassie had her first leaf-pile-jumping experience this year, and enjoyed it immensely. She also thought it was pretty funny to cover Gavin with leaves. Gavin tried his best to have some leaves for a snack, but mommy kept ruining his plans.

The past few weeks have been pretty relaxed around here. We've been enjoying quiet weekends with just the four of us, doing whatever sounds fun each day. Cassidy is excited for Halloween, although I don't think she has any idea what's in store. She just thinks it sounds like a fun party, so why not be excited?!? I'm anxious to see what she thinks about the whole trick-or-treating experience - both greeting kids at our house and trying to go to the neighbor's houses. Should be funny! She is going as a ladybug and Gavin is going as a monkey.

In 2 weeks, Erik and I are taking our first trip away since our kids arrived! We're going to Austin for a long weekend. Our good friends Mike & Megan are getting married and we are excited to be there for the wedding! Grammy and Grandpa Brown, both happy retirees now, will be taking the kids for the weekend while we are away. I know I will miss my little babies like crazy but it will be wonderful to have a break and enjoy some warm sunshine with good friends.

Halloween pictures coming soon! Happy trick-or-treating to you all!

The Brown County Tradition Continues!

For the past couple of years, my 3 best friends from college and I (and our growing families) plan an annual get-together in Brown County, IN. Since we live in 4 different Midwest states, this ends up being a nice middle point for everyone and it's the perfect environment for a large reunion. We rent a large log cabin and take turns preparing huge, wonderful meals. This year we had 8 adults, 4 toddlers, 3 infants and 1 baby on the way (Jamie is due in late November!). The hilarious chaos just evolves all on its own. The toddlers' favorite pastime was to pull all the cushions off the couches and make a jumbo jump pile - does it get any better when you're 2??? The 3 infant boys spent their time chatting on tummy mats. And the 8 of us, all friends for 10+ years, have the best time just catching up in person, enjoying some wine, and laughing a LOT! Next year's cabin is already reserved, when we'll be an even larger group of 16! We can't wait.

Reder Family Reunion!

In mid-September, we had a Reder family reunion! Since the Reders are spread out between the Chicago area and the Cincinnati area, we decided to meet in between the two at my sister's home in Lafayette, IN. We had a casual afternoon with burgers and brats on the grill. It was wonderful to see everyone again - aunts, uncles, cousins, etc! Growing up, we spent every Christmas together at my Grandma Reder's house in Cincinnati, and I have very fond memories of those fun holiday trips. These days, as families grow and schedules seem to get busier each year, we don't get to see one another nearly as often. But we all enjoyed the day and would love to try and make it an annual event.

Off to School

Cassie started pre-school this year! She goes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It is a wonderful little school with 2 classrooms - one for the 2/3 year olds (the "bunnies") and one for the 3/4 year olds (the "bears"). She has 3 wonderful teachers and is in a classroom with about 12 other kids her age. Luckily, her buddy Kristian is at the same school, so she looks forward to seeing him there on schooldays. They focus on educational play, and also an introduction to God with Bible stories and saying prayers before snacktime. Her favorite part is circle time, when they read books aloud and sing songs, and she gets to hold her circle buddy (stuffed animal). Meanwhile, Gavin and Mommy get to enjoy quiet time at home, when he gets my full attention and a nice uninterrupted morning nap!

Labor Day 2009

We had some really fun outings over Labor Day weekend. We joined Grammy and Grandpa Brown and Aunt Mel for a day at The Morton Arboretum. They have a huge childrens' garden there that is wonderful! It includes a fairy garden, wading ponds, jungle gyms and slides, as well as a giant tree house with fun wobbly bridges. The arboretum is one of Grammy Brown's favorite spots, and she had been looking forward to taking Cassidy there since the day she was born! We all had a great time. Afterwards, we had a nice lunch in their Ginko Cafe.

The next day, we went to Edward's Apple Orchard with Grandma and Grandpa Reder and the Harding Family. We love their apple cider and cider donuts! They have a mini petting zoo, tractors, and a play area with lots of things to climb. This year, Cassie went for a pony ride all by herself. (My mom, my sister and I kept nudging Erik to stay within arm's length - I was sure she was going to slide right off the saddle with every wobbly step that pony took.) They went around in a circle with 5 or 6 other ponies. She loved every minute of it and gave us a huge smile each time she passed by. Gavin enjoyed the day from the stroller point of view, and was his usual happy self!