Happy 2nd Birthday Cassidy!

Cassidy enjoyed cupcakes today at daycare! She really got into dancing to the Happy Birthday song! Yes, I am that person who bought the Happy Birthday shirt knowing my child is only going to wear it one time! But it is festive and we can pass it on to someone else for next year. :-)

Cassidy loved these flower hair bows because they double as rings and they are fun to throw.

My baby is now officially a toddler. The past year has been a whirlwind of adventure and growth. My favorite part of the day is still when I walk into daycare at 5:10pm and she looks up at me. Whatever she is doing, whoever she is playing with, becomes second and is discarded without a second thought as she pumps her little legs with her arms thrown out running full speed before crashing into me with a loud and cheerful "Mama!" And we hug in the middle of the floor; all noises of other little ones fading into silence. She tells me about her day. She talks about her friends. She squeals about what books she read or what music she danced to. She has my full attention and knows I am absorbing every detail she relates to me... When Cassidy had a febrile seizure about a month ago Matt and I were sure we were losing her in that moment. Overcome by helplessness and ignorance, we tried to stay calm and reassure one another as her little body became limp and she went in and out of conscience. We told ourselves this was not real as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. We held our breath and counted and watched her chest rise and fall while her body went rigid and utterly still. We took hold of hope as she relaxed enough to unclench her teeth and the paramedics arrived. Then we sat in awe as we listened to the ER doctors tell us how normal this is and how she is now prone to them and it was a good sign because it meant her body was fighting a fierce battle to control its temperature. Our mini-emergency made us a stronger family. It was a reminder to take nothing for granted and to savor each moment. The tantrums, the triumphs, the potty training, the owies, the tears, the giggles, the runny noses, the high fives, the Spanish number counting and silly song singing...every minute of every day is a blessing and it is an honor to be her mommy. There are countless reasons why I love my CassieGrace. I took cupcakes to her class today to celebrate and reason #581 is that she requested to eat her cupcake with a spoon so she wouldn't get her hands dirty!

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Family Weekend at Miss Halls

Cassidy is thriving in her new school. She is in a community that has space and access to intentionally and thoughtfully live out its values. While a return to on campus living was not in our plans, it has allowed us to be nearby as she dances along the edges of independence. Matt has a front row seat to daily life at the school, and was chauffering to Savvy's soccer game while I got to be the parent of a day student who is also a resident for the two day event. Friday night's concert was a mix of choral and instrumental pieces. SO much talent! It's the second time Cass has played Sir Duke in a concert and she seemed very happy with her performance. She knew we were, as evidenced by our cheering 🤗 On Saturday I got to be a student! I went to all of her classes for 20 minutes for a real lesson. I usually interact with her teachers in a social setting; eating meals together, attending events, going to the adult wellness stuff, random hallway conversations. Getting to see

Birthdays & Graduation & May fun

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Team Smith

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