Busy Weekend

So Chase had his class Halloween party on Friday and then his first school dance on Friday evening. Jamie had a funeral to attend, so I took both kids to the dance. Cassie was her usual angelic self and Chase had a great time. As you can see, Chase will be Spider Man for Halloween, I'm Dr. Mom (unless I can make a Batgirl costume tomorrow) and Cassie is the cutest little ladybug, ever. Like most young men at a dance, he did not actually dance. He spent most of the evening chasing his friends, while I was introduced to the soundtrack of High School Musical and the dubious musical talents of Hannah Montana. Oh, the things we do for our children...

On Saturday, Chase and I made seven pies for the annual Emmanuel UCC Sausage Supper on Sunday. Well, six pies for the Sausage Supper and one pie for us to eat here at home. Grandma Mary Ann got a phone call about the expiration of Crisco (ftr, it DOES expire and if you try to make a pie shell w/expired Crisco, it smells dreadful). After a lengthy discussion w/Grandma Mary Ann, Chase helped me smash all the graham crackers in the house for a graham cracker crust. Chase's favorite part of the whole day was eating the key lime pie filling from the can. Yes, we made pies from a can. Considering my abysmal baking skills, that was a service to the consumers of my pies.

Yesterday was the annual Sausage Supper. Jamie started at 7am, the kids and I arrived at 10am, and Grandpa Jim and Grandma Mary Ann came and got the kids at 11am. Jamie and I worked until 7pm. It appears to have been a success. Chase had a great time w/his grandparents and both Grandma and Grandpa were impressed with Cassie, who took a four hour nap for them in her swing and was her usual sweet and easy self.

We're all looking forward to trick or treating on Halloween. Grandpa Bill is coming over for our annual tradition of a chili dinner, then he'll hand out candy at our place while we take the kiddos trick or treating. Cassie has her 4 month appt. the day after Halloween, and she's usually pretty unhappy after shots--I'll update when I'm able.

This is the sight that greeted me upon waking this morning.

Chase came into our bed at some point this morning (I suspect the storms woke him), and Woody snuggled up with Chase. They looked so cute, I had to snap a few pics. Woody was awake during the photo session, Chase slept through the entire thing.

Kindergarten is back in session and Chase is happy to be back in school. His best friend Dylan came over for a playdate on Tuesday afternoon (it was an early release day, they got out 3 hours early) and they had a blast together in the basement! He is very much looking forward to his first field trip tomorrow. We'll be going to the Pumpkin Patch. Grandpa Bill will be babysitting Cassie so I can go along on the trip.

Cassie seems to be going through a growth spurt, she's starting to take 6 ounce bottles now. She's still sleeping through the night, napping three times a day and the happiest baby ever! As you can see, her fingers are her current favorite toy, although her Fisher Price musical dog is a close second!

I'll post pics and details about the field trip soon!

Cassie's Baptism

Cassie's baptism went really well, and true to her angelic self, she didn't cry at all. At left is a picture of the Godparents (Aunt Nina and Aunt Lara), me, Cass, Jamie and Chase. She did beautifully and I think a good time was had by all afterwards at our house. The kids certainly had a good time in the playroom and Chase really enjoyed the chocolate fountain!

Aunt Mikki and Hayden came down for the baptism a day early. Uncle Bud and Brady stayed home because Brady has a cold. Chase and Hayden had a great time together and Hayden greatly enjoyed the Backyardigans "On Demand." All in all, it was a wonderful weekend!

Today wasn't what I expected...

We had an emergency trip to the ped b/c Chase's penis hurt. I don't have a penis (neither does the ped, but at least she's got a medical degree), so I was way out of my league. He said it burned when he peed. I figured it was a UTI, but his urine was clear and he was feeling better at the ped's office (as opposed to the abject hysterics 10 minutes prior at our house). So as not to completely waste a $25 co-pay, he got his flu vaccine while we were there. We did Flu Mist--the nasal vaccine instead of the shot. Chase loathes needles. We also made the appt. for Cassie's 4 month check up. I can't wait to see how much she weighs. She should double her birth weight by four months, so I expect her to be well over 16lbs 4oz by her November 1st appt.

Today wasn't a total waste though. I got most of my cleaning for the weekend done (I just have to clean floors tomorrow). And Cassie got her three month pictures taken. Chase is in a few of them, but the solo shot of him didn't turn out. Which is a shame, b/c he's normally so photogenic. Oh well, the pics of them together are super cute and the solo Cassie shots are better than last month's pictures. Tomorrow Chase has a bday party in the morning and I'm going to try to shop for Sunday while he's at the party. Then I just have to clean floors, straighten up outside, and do the prep work/cooking for Sunday. Hopefully I can get all that done before Mikki, Bud and the kids arrive.

I took some solo shots of Cassie myself this evening while she was hanging out in her Bumbo. Chase calls her his "chunky monkey" but I think she looks more like the Michelin Man. She's so adorable!

So the kids and I went to the zoo today...

We picked up Aunt Amy and saw Big Cat Country, zebras, all sorts of exotic things with horns that Chase thought Grandpa Jim would like to shoot, the bird house, the primates, and (my favorite) the River's Edge. Oh, and some black bears, sea lions, and prairie dogs. Chase also got to feed a giraffe leaves, which may have been one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Cassie slept through the entire trip, save for a bottle during Big Cat Country. Following the zoo, we hit McD's for a late lunch, took Aunt Amy home and headed to Jamie's office in Clayton. Of course, there are no pictures of any of this, b/c my camera was on the computer desk.

But Jamie got to show the kids off to his co-workers, assistant, and boss and Chase did some showing off of his own. Suffice to say, he has his mother's mouth. Which is not a good thing. Fortunately Jamie's boss has a sense of humor (and three kids of his own)...

We have a busy weekend ahead of us. I'll post pics of Cassie's baptism ASAP.

My mom always said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Hopefully Mikki remembers that since I blatantly ripped off her blog idea! I'm out of memory on Chase's website though, so rather than erase stuff to continue it, I'll just link it to this blog.

Right now Cassie is napping in her swing and Jamie is putting Chase to bed. Jamie spent the afternoon cleaning up our backyard in preparation for Cassie's christening next Sunday. We're going to have a bit of a crowd, with most of our nieces and nephews in attendence. Hopefully the weather will cooperate so they can play outside if they want. Chase is very much looking forward to seeing his cousins!

Chase had his last soccer game yesterday--he scored one goal and had two assists. He really likes soccer, but we're signing him up for tae kwon do this week. He REALLY wants to do that. Tomorrow begins the final week of his three week cycle break. It's been nice having him home, but I'm looking forward to his return to kindergarten. We have his first field trip on the 19th and Grandpa Bill will be babysitting Cassie so that I can go along on the trip. 21 kindergarteners at the pumpkin patch--that's going to be fun!

Chase still absolutely loves his little sister. She's easy to love though, Cassie is an absolute angel. She is the sweetest, most easy going baby, EVER! Last Monday she attended a funeral visitation for her Aunt Debbie's father and she behaved beautifully. The next night she went to Aunt Judy's surprise party (Chase got to hang out with Grandpa Bill) and was great. She is such a sweetie. She likes just about everything, save for car rides. She's not a real big fan of the car. Chase asked to move behind her though, and she seems to like car rides better since she can now see her big brother.

Woody is hanging in there. He's 13 1/2 now and having some minor bladder issues, but all things considered, I hope I'm as happy and healthy as he is when I'm 94 1/2 years old! He remains as patient and loving as ever, and still loves to snuggle on the couch.