First Beach Trip and First Steps

In August, Ryan went on his first beach vacation to the Outer Banks.  He turned 11 months old at the beach, and had a great week :)  He was joined by Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Papa, Uncle Scott, Aunt Kristina, Nonny, and Duke.  Scott and Kristina had gotten engaged right before the trip, so there was lots to celebrate!  Congratulations Uncle Scott and Aunt Kristina!!  Here are our beach pics.

 The boys check out the walkway when we arrive at the beach house.

At 11 months, Ryan is an expert at walking holding onto someone's hand or even just someone's finger.  He is still working on getting up the confidence to let go.  During our beach trip, he spent hours just walking the beach holding someone's hand.  We all had a little back pain by the end of the week!  He did, however, let go accidentally and take a few steps on his own a couple of times.  It will be a fun memory of our first beach vacation :)

Here's Ryan walking with Nana- looks like a man on a mission!

Ryan woke up very very early at the beach every day.  Mommy has now seen more sunrises over the ocean than she could ever want.  Luckily there was lots of help on those early mornings.  Here's Ryan and Nana enjoying the peaceful views one morning.

Ryan was very attached to his Papa John during this beach trip.  They took many walks around the beach and had fun playing in the sand, flying kites, and exchanging hats.  Papa John was the only one to witness Ryan's first steps!  They were inseparable, so we have lots of pictures of the pair.

Here's Daddy and Papa enjoying the sea kayaks on a beautiful (early) morning.  They were surrounded by dolphins and pelicans.

It's a bird, it's a plane, no- it's superman Ryan with superman Scott!

When Ryan wasn't walking, he was having fun in the sand.

The bocci ball crew:

More walking with Mommy!

A rare breakdown:

Each evening, we would enjoy a drink on the beach and Ryan was obsessed with the beer bottles!  Where are this child's parents??

Family pics:

Still walking...

Duke had a great time at the beach too:

Cleaning up after a day at the beach was always an adventure.  Luckily, Ryan enjoyed the outdoor shower.

Back at the house, Ryan enjoyed playing Quidditch:

Summer Weekends

We've had a lot of fun this summer with weekend outings and just hanging out at home.  Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

Ryan and Daddy at Blue Mountain Brewery.  What a pair!

Ryan and Duke are still evolving their relationship :)  Ryan thinks Duke is lots of fun.  He has learned to throw Duke his ball, and Duke is very gentle with Ryan when they play.  Now that Ryan drops lots of food, I think they are becoming better friends!

The kiddie pool is popular at our house!  Daddy has his hands full with this crowd.  Ryan and Duke had a great time though.

Here's Ryan enjoying one of his favorite foods- yogurt! Mostly he enjoys making a big mess :)  The second picture is another great view of Ryan's crazy hair.  You can also see his many teeth.

Naked baby time!  Ryan likes to run around right before his bath.  He's also a big help with laundry these days because he loves to push the baskets around.

Polo

Ryan, Mommy, and Daddy went to a polo match at King Family Vineyards a few weeks ago.  We had a great time!  It was beautiful weather, good wine, and lots of fun watching the horses.  Here are some pictures of our adventure. 

This picture really captures Ryan's crazy hairstyle (or lack thereof).  Mommy is just hoping it needs to grow longer so it will settle down :)  For now, it sticks straight up and seems to match Ryan's lively personality.

Ryan was not so sure about these horses.  They are so much bigger than his friend Duke!

Beautiful mountain views!

Practicing walking with Daddy.  Ryan is about 10 months in this photo.  He was enjoying walking while holding our hands. 

Who needs toys when you have an empty ice bucket and cups?

Summer Fun

Ryan is having a fun summer so far.  We have a pool in our neighborhood, so we like to try and go every weekend if we can.  Mommy and Daddy are glad Ryan likes the pool because it means they get to spend more time there too!

A few weeks ago, Ryan went to Smith Mountain Lake to visit his great-grandaddy.  Grandaddy was retiring from the church where he has been a minister for many years.  Ryan enjoyed the lake and visiting with lots of family.

At the lake, Ryan finally got to meet his big cousin Ryan Douglass.  Here are some pictures of Ryan Douglass holding Ryan Douglass Chiu :) 

  Back at home, here's Ryan enjoying his Sunday paper on a lazy summer morning:

Ryan continued his tour of Charlottesville wineries during a fun Saturday afternoon with Katherine and Conor on 4th of July weekend.  Here we are outside Pippen Hill Farm.

Here's Daddy showing his exceptional parenting skills:

Finally, here's Ryan with his favorite appliance- the dishwasher!  He loves it! 

Father's Day

Last month, Ryan helped Daddy celebrate his first Father's Day.  It was a great day visiting some new wineries in the area. 

Ryan loves to play with Mommy's sunglasses.  We love this picture- it just puts a smile on your face!

 Here's Ryan with Daddy enjoying the beautiful day:

Ryan with Mommy: