Bump, Set, Spike

Ryan's cousin Katy plays Volleyball for The University of Indianapolis. It just so happened that she had a game scheduled in Fort Wayne! We were so excited to see her play. Katy is an excellent athlete, so it didn't surprise us at all that even as a Freshman she got some playing time. Way to go Katy!

Katy's Fan Club

The star athlete and her biggest fan

Ryan's Uncle Jeff & Derek could barely hold in their enthusiasm (c'mon guys, we won!)

Derek with his Grandma Deb

Katy in action. She is the blonde far left.

way to go #5

Congratulations, Isaac and Kari

This past weekend we attended my cousin Isaac's wedding in Michigan City. It was such a lovely day. I was a little nervous wondering how Derek would handle such a long day. We were gone for 12 and a half hours, and 5 of those hours were spent driving. Our little boy could not have done any better!!! We were so proud of him. He did not fuss one time, he absolutely ate up the social scene of the reception, and yes, he was the cutest baby there. ;)

Isaac and Kari had the most beautiful reception. It was so fancy, and everyone had a great time. Unfortunately we weren't even able to snap a photo of the new Mr. & Mrs. because we never got a chance to be close enough. There were around 400 people there!

Derek with his Pop Pop

Derek having a ball with his Mop Mop & Pop Pop

Family Pic

Fresh flowers and chocolates at the reception

with my Favorite

The Fort Wayne group

Derek with his Great Grandpa Wally, Great Grandma Phyllis

Father of the Groom and his Sister (my Mom)

Mother of the Groom (so pretty!) and her Sis-in-Law

Poolside

82 degrees and sunny. What's the best way to wrap up the month of July? Let's go swimming! So we did. Derek and I joined our friend Melissa at her parent's pool for the afternoon. I was so excited to take Derek to see how he would respond to the cooler water. Considering how much he likes his baths I was pretty confident he would enjoy the pool as well. He absolutely loved it! He squealed with joy, kicked his legs with excitement, and broke Michael Phelps' world record in the breast stroke. (not to brag or anything.) Sunscreen and sunglasses -- we're ready to go

Derek's first dip in the pool

Taking our time to dry off


Worn out by the time we got home

And He's Off!

Derek is crawling now! He took his first crawl on his 8 month birthday. Ryan was here to witness it while I was out celebrating a friend's birthday. I was almost in tears when I learned I had missed it. And I was only gone for about an hour and a half! Oh well, there will be many more firsts that hopefully I will get to experience.

I asked Ryan if Derek seemed excited or if he felt a sense of accomplishment as he discovered his mobility. Ryan said his demeanor during the firt crawl was focused and determined just as his facial expressions portray in the pictures. Too cute!

A visit from the Eddy's

Derek's Grandpa Gary and Grandma Debby came to visit last weekend. We were thankful they were able to make the trip even with Gary recovering from back surgery. Derek had an enjoyable visit with them, and boy was he spoiled rotten! Bonding time with Grandma and Grandpa
Derek loves to play with Daddy's old cell phone. (Don't worry--we took the battery out.)

Derek loving his new walker that Grandma Deb and Grandpa Gary got him.

Engagement

Fee-Fee got engaged! Congratulations Matt and Emily!The future Mr. and Mrs. shortly after they made the announcement
Ba-LING! What a beautiful ring.

Derek just being cute.

The phone call to Arizona to share the news with Jake, Kim and kids

Family picture (minus 5)

Chicago Celebration

Ryan whisked me away to Chicago for a weekend to celebrate my birthday! He had everything so well planned out and lots of detailed surprises. He made me feel so special and loved. It was the best weekend, and we made so many wonderful memories! What a way to welcome me into my 3rd decade!The soundtrack to the Broadway show we were going to see along with Americanos to start our road trip off right.
Surprise! We took a detour on the way to Chicago to see the house where Michael Jackson grew up. Now I can check something off my bucket list. ;)

Such a tiny house for such a large family.

Suprise! Ryan planned to have our good friends meet us in Chicago!! I was completely surprised and so excited to get to spend the weekend with such valued people.

Zach, Ryan, Carlo

Angela and Daren at dinner in Chi-town

Cheeeese!

with my favorite

Having a ball

A view from our friends' condo