Cassidy 1 and Cassidy 2

We went to the doctor on Monday, January 28th for the big 20-week ultrasound. I was a wreck in the waiting room - I got the bright idea to bring my iPod to try to distract myself from reality during the wait. Bad idea! I just sat on the couch and cried during most of the wait. Matt kept looking at me with this helpless look on his face, so I told him over and over that I was fine - just REALLY, REALLY nervous.

When we got into the ultrasound room, Michelle (the very best Sonographer in the world) said she'd try to get a shot of the goods right away so we wouldn't be in suspense any longer. Luckily, she moved pretty quickly to the really important stuff, and we were assured that all of the major stuff looks good. There are a few watch items, but it was great news overall and we were so relieved!
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The best news of all? It's another GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Matt and I have started to talk about names, and the winner so far is Cassidy 2. This baby acted just like Cassidy during the ultrasound... deja vu!! Our doctor has 4D ultrasound, but we got very few face shots. In every one, she's covering her face with her hands or arms (just like someone else did!). So until we really get serious about names, we're going to stick with Cassidy 1 and Cassidy 2!

Happy Birthday, Pop and Cassidy!

We had Pop and Cassidy's birthday party today, and our house was full of fun!! It was a Prince and Princess party (of course!), and it seemed like everyone had a great time. It's always so nice to have our family together, and what better reason to celebrate than Pop's 88th birthday and Cassidy's 3rd birthday?!? Cassidy is SO LUCKY to have such a loving and supportive network of family and friends-turned-family!! We are truly blessed.

The royal birthday cake from Coldstone Creamery (yum!) ->

Blowing out the candles (Pop let Cassidy do it) ->
Cassidy and Ella show off the face painter's hard work ->

Caleb has SpiderMan on his arm!! ->
The kids enjoy the Playdoh table ->
4 Generations!! ->

Snow Day!

Yesterday we woke up to the most wonderful surprise - snow!!! For the first time, Cassidy was able to truly enjoy the snow. It's snowed only a few times since Cassidy has been alive. We got a good amount of snow the day she was born, but I don't recall any the following year. Last year, we got a one-day dusting, and this year we got slightly more than last year... just enough to call it a snow day.

Lucky for us, church was cancelled so we got to enjoy the snow while it lasted!! As you can see, Cassidy's snow tolerance has increased considerably from last year to this year.

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January 2007 ->

January 2008 ->

Yes, she's wearing the same winter coat in both pictures. Remember her quirk of never outgrowing some of her clothes? That winter coat is the only one we've ever bought. It's a size 12 months, and this is her third winter in it. It still fits like a champ! I'd like to think we could get one more year out of it, but I have a feeling our luck may run out soon!!

Cassidy's First Visit To A Movie Theater!

Last Sunday, Cassidy got to visit a movie theater for the very first time! Big Idea (the creators of Veggie Tales) came out with a full-length feature film, so we decided the time was right for Cassidy to have her first movie theater experience. After church Sunday, we headed down to Harborview and saw "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything". Cassidy had a great time, and luckily there were no tears when the movie ended (we were a bit concerned after the Playhouse Disney Live show). She sat through the entire movie and barely budged!

One thing we found interesting - we didn't catch one reference to God in the entire movie. There was no Bible verse at the end (Qwerty didn't even make an appearance), and the story was not Biblically-based. I don't know why I wasn't expecting a secular show, but it definitely came as a surprise!! Overall, it was a great afternoon, and Cassidy earned herself another visit to the movies next time a good kid-flick comes out!!!

The Princess Has a Throne of Her Own!

Cassidy's Godparents gave her the most wonderful Christmas gift today... an actual princess throne that says her name!!! You should see her face light up when the throne says, "Introducing Princess Cassidy, the most charming princess in the land!"

Who could have predicted the chain of events that started when SunCoast went out of business at Chesapeake Square Mall the summer of 2006? We happened to be at the mall one of the last days they were open, and everything was 90% off. We bought a Disney Princess Christmas movie for $1, thinking Cassidy may like to have a princess movie one day... she was only 18 months old at the time. When Christmas rolled around 6 months later, we brought out that Christmas movie and she was hooked! A year later, we have a full-blown princess in our midst. It makes me wonder if that was one of the best dollars we ever spent, or the worst?!?

Daddy and Cassidy putting her royal throne together ->

The most charming princess in the land ->