Visitors!

Cousin Alexa and Grandma Kit came down for a visit today...Alexa is great with Cassidy. I think she got out all her toys and everything that could attach to Cass was attached. Alexa kept both Cassidy and us adults throughly entertained! Grandma Kit got in her cuddle time as well with a happy and smiley Grandbaby.

Another Step

When we got back from Dayton, Jerry was here and working on the handrail around the loft. As of today he has the main frame done, with just the spacer blocks to go. It looks great, Jerry is a true craftsman.

Memorial Weekend Road Trip

This weekend we took advantage of Chad having 3 days off to make Cassidy's first trip to Dayton to see her Grandma and Gramps. We left Saturday morning, 4 am, the pick-up loaded with Cassidy's gear, our bags, and of course all 3 pups. I did my best, repacking and reorganizing, but it was still an impressive sight to see all of that little girl's gear. Thank goodness for the canopy...I don't think the Saturn would have had any room for us to sit! It was a beautiful trip across the mountains with sunshine and snow still in the peaks. Cass slept well all the way to Ellensburg where we woke her up for breakfast. Chad and I also ate, giving Cass a little more time out of her car seat and we were pulling out of Ellensburg before 9 o'clock. Cassidy wasn't sure she wanted to be strapped in again and fussed a little, but was back asleep before Yakima and slept all the way to the farm. She was great! When we arrived Mom and Dad met us with big smiles and "lemmie see the baby!".

We spent Saturday hanging around. Chad and Dad went to bring back the wagons, Mom and I played and loved on Cassidy and baked for the coffee hour at church the next day, then Dad and I went for a walk to check cows and water. It was so pretty there, every hillside a shade of green with the different crops. We had a neighbor, Ron, stop in to say hi and meet Cassidy.

If I didn't know better I'd think they were related!

Sunday was a busy day. Dad left early to help our friends Clay and Kathy gather their cows up and move them back to thier place. Chad, Mom, Cass, and I all went to church. It is a pretty small congregation and every one knew who we were, or maybe a more accurate statement would be who Cassidy was. We were very welcomed and had a nice time visiting with every one after the service during the coffee hour. And I have to say our muffins and cookies were a big hit! After church and lunch, we headed to Clay and Kathy's place to watch the branding of all thier calves. Dad was on Belle, the only mule in the bunch, and doing a great job handling some pretty wild calves. In this picture Cass is watching Gramps hold the rope tight on the calf he just caught so it could be branded and vaccinated. Cassidy also got to meet some more wonderful people who were more than happy to let her watch from their laps.

Gramps took a break to give her her first ride on a mule....

I'm not sure how I feel about her first ride being on a mule, but Belle is a good one to start off with. I'm thinking I'll just have to hurry up and get her on her horse Rocky before she thinks you only ride those things with the long ears and funny voices.

Artie and Judy came by Sunday night to meet Cassidy. They have been life long friends and I was so happy they got a chance to see her.

Even though Cass was running on almost 5 hours with out a nap, she did great and had lots of fun showing off how she likes to stand up and was giving out lots of smiles.

Monday was another beautiful day. While Chad was trying to get a little bit back on his his graveyard sleep schedule, Grandma watched Cass so Dad and I could go for a ride. There is something about riding in that wide open country that makes you feel amazing. You can get up on top of the rolling hills and see for miles across fields of different colors, the little town, and into the Blue Mountains. It's absolutely one of my all time favorite views.

After getting back and having lunch, Dad hooked up Belle and his new mule Kate to the wagonette and off we went on Cassidy's first wagon ride.

We stopped in at our neighbors, Mike and Sharon....after some cuddle time, Sharon decided she wanted to join the adventure.

We were out about an hour, and Cassidy seemed to really enjoy the ride, the breeze in her face and watching the mules from the front seat. The girls of course did great, Belle seems to have found another "golden girl" to be paired with. Cassidy did get a little tired though towards the end..I think it may have been the rocking motion and noise of the wagon that did her in....But she found her spot on Dad's shoulder, her thumb, and was perfectly content to take a little nap on the way back.

When we got back from the ride it was time to get packed up. We had dinner and then hit the road. Grandma did well, although we both had a hard time saying good bye. It's tough being so far away from such wonderful family...The only bright side is how much fun we have when we get to visit the farm!

We left a little before 7pm and after such a busy weekend, Cassidy was asleep before we got off the gravel road. She did amazing and was such fun to introduce to all the great things at Grandma and Gramp's place. I can't wait to have her back there in October for hunting...She'll be so much bigger and will have even more things she can see and do for the first time on the farm.

Meeting Jack

Cassidy, Chad and I all got to welcome Jack into our lives today. He was born just this morning around 2am and weighed 7 lbs 7 oz. Jack is the lucky baby of Josh and Stacey, our good friends from Bellingham. They stopped by on thier way home from the hospital. He is absolutely beautiful and holding him reminds me of how small Cassidy once was! It is so amazing how much they change in such a short time. Jack is doing great and he has wonderful parents to support and love him. With he and Cass being so close in age, we have already slated the two together....Jack and Cassidy has a nice ring to it, don't ya think? I know there are many great adventures ahead with our two families!

Tummy Time Workout

Cassidy has been working hard reaching all her developmental milestones, and she has reached them all except for rolling over. So, being the competitive person I am, we are now on a daily exercise routine...Just kidding. But we are focusing a little more attention to the process of the roll. I'm sure she will pick it up soon, as you can tell she is really close, and she is definitely strong enough. It's amazing how fast she has developed her grasping skills and when she is sitting up now we don't have to help her balance too much, although she often gets engrossed in her toes and tips forward! She got a new seat today that is designed to help her sit up. She really likes it because she can see much better than in her bouncy chair. She sat and watched us make dinner for about a half hour. It was great watching her eyes track our movements, and funny to see what she would get fixed on, like the red dishcloth. I'm hopeful that she will continue to enjoy sitting in it while we get things done, although with the size of her thighs she may not fit in it for all that long! She definitely won't be able to wiggle out by herself.

Yard Work

It was a nice day around here today, working outside in the yard. Chad was setting up the truck winch to help him with a stump and "the girls" had Cassidy covered while I was painting and getting ready to help Chad. Cass always has some one, or some pup, watching out for her.

Family

We had a very nice Saturday up in Bellingham. Cassidy got to hang out with her Aunties, Uncles, Grandpa and Grandma, Great Grandpa, and Cousins. Chad got to test out his knee from surgery playing quarterback, then later 4 square and basketball. Amazingly he wasn't limping that night and is off to work tonight, feeling ready to take on the bad guys. Cassidy decided it was all too exciting for her and thanks to Brady letting her borrow his soft blanket and room was able to catch a little nap. It was a great day celebrating birthday's and Mother's Day, but most of all family.

Also, a funny story. Chad and I were changing Cass at Kit's before the party and we were talking to her. I said "OK" and I swear she said "OK" right back! Chad and I both looked at each other like, no way! Needless to say she hasn't said it since, but I think our little girl spoke her first word at 3 months, at least that's what we'll say!

Rainy Days

The last few days have been really rainy and we haven't been too productive around here. We have been working really hard with Cassidy though. She got her first life jacket (from Cabela's of course) and is now ready to go fishing and crabbing! I'm not sure what she thinks about it though...The pups and Chad have been exercising with Cassidy..You'll notice Chad demonstrating the proper leg positioning for Cass's future soccer moves. I of course have been hard at work on the most important thing...relishing in every moment with our beautiful girl and simply being Mom.

First Mother's Day

We had a very special day today celebrating our first Mother's Day together. We went into LaConner for a wonderful lunch. Cassidy did a great job in her first official lunch date and got many "what a cute baby" and smiles from the patrons. We went down to the channel and got our picture taken together. It was a little windy, but a beautiful day. Then back at home, I wanted to get a special picture for Grandma to show her Cassidy's first dress! Cass was very patient for all the pictures. Then she and I went for a long walk with the pups. It was a great day, one I'll always treasure.

To Grandma

Good Morning Grandma. Happy Mother's Day! I miss you.

Here are some smiles to make your day. I Love You!

Auntie Jess

12 Weeks Old

We had to document Cassidy's 12 week birthday 5/5. We are so blessed with our little girl making us a true family. I don't think our smiles could be more genuine.

Spa Girl

Cassidy loves her bath time...especially when the water splashes over her head. She is learning to kick her legs to splash and is holding her head up by herself...She has started taking showers with us as well, but we're not going to get a video of that!

Growing Girl

Our happy girl...Hitting her developmental milestones...she is doing really well and growing so fast! Check out that head control, thank goodness no more bobblehead!