Summer Catch-Up

Hello! I apologize for the long hiatus. Summer turned out to be a VERY busy time! I traveled much more than I thought I would, but that is always the case. Here are some highlights of the heart from the summer. The picture above was taken on a trek to McCormick's Creek State Park in July. Chase is about 10 months here.
We bought this awesome kid carrier that is like an internal frame backpack. Chase loves seeing life from a different perspective. He had a blast! The day we chose to hike was quite hot (but weren't they all this summer?), and Ryan definitely got a work out lugging an extra 17 or so pounds around. Rudy got to go, too. We had a lovely day.
This picture was taken under the waterfall at McCormick's Creek. This is the spot that Ryan took me when we got engaged. My heart swelled with those memories, and now as a family of three (plus Rudy), it was amazing to come back. It was definitely a, "life has come full circle" moment.
Chase is still a waterbug. This is also a picture from July. To no one's surprise, this kid is a HAM. He has many different faces. Note that he has four teeth. The two on the top are the left middle and next one over. The "fang" finally got a friend up top. This summer was definitely about teething. We soaked up a lot of family time. It was so nice to have Ryan home full time.
My sweet, blue-eyed baby from my dreams came true! My heart swells at this picture. 'nough said.

This is Chase in August, a day shy of 11 months. I struggled with wrapping my head and heart around him turning one year during August. It took a long time to believe that my little skinny baby was turning boy. In August, Chase and Ryan took a trip to Maryland by themselves to visit Ryan's brothers and family. They had lots of fun (but I can't find pics to put up). Chase did wonderfully and started sleeping the night by himself on this trip. This pattern has continued off and on. It was a huge relief to know that Chase sleeping for long stretches independently IS possible. At the same time, I have to make sure to get my extra snuggles in during the day, because part of my heart misses the baby on my chest. I've learned motherhood is one part triumph and one part heartache.
We also celebrated Oma's birthday with a surprise party. We had a blast and she was genuinely surprised. We invited a small group of her friends and each couple prepared a toast. I think she had a great time! Chase was well-loved on, too.
It was so nice for people to express their love for Oma. She was genuinely touched. Quick! Go tell someone that you love them and why! It was great fun.

Each couple brought a dessert to share, including a sour cherry pie (her favorite) and Christy's delectable chocolate chip zucchini cake (very memorable)! Funny story, Christy had a 9 and 0 cake from Grandma Porter's 90th birthday. So she turned the 9 upside down for a six.

I'm working on catching us up to the present day....until then!