Catching up

Hello, you poor, neglected, little blog. It's been over a month - by far the longest I've gone in the more than 2 years that we've been updating our family & friends here.

Hoping that I won't let that happen again!

We've had a crazy past month. First and foremost, we're finally able to share some big news - Esch is beginning law school this August at PSU Law. We've known for a long time, as he took the LSATs last year, applied in the fall, etc., but couldn't share until now that he's told Progressive. He's been with them, a really great company, since undergrad. 6 years? 7 years?

This means big changes are coming, of course. Physical changes: we're moving. Again. One year after we moved across the country from TX to PA. At least now it's only across the state!

My photography business has really been growing, which is keeping me extremely busy, but now I'll have to essentially start over in Carlisle, building a new client base. I think I'll miss the proximity to Philly, which is where a good deal of my business has come from, but we'll now be close to some large areas: Harrisburg, Hershey, etc.

We're moving in a great 4 bedroom house right in Carlisle, only 4 blocks from the law school, so Esch will probably get to walk or bike every day. We leave Macungie and move to Carlisle the weekend of July 30, so we are quite literally swamped until then. We'll be making weekly trips to the house to paint (with a LOT of help from our very generous Gula and Pop-Pop!) and can't wait to start a new chapter. It's nice to think that we'll be in this house for at least the 3 years of law school, which means that William will remember it. Texas, of course, will never even register as a memory for him, and our place here in Macungie will fade quickly.

He learned to crawl here, and to walk, and in the past few weeks has become a talking machine. I'll miss his little nursery - in the new house, he'll have a "big boy room." We figured that when we move, we might as well not set the crib back up, and move him directly into his special big boy bed.

We went to Hilton Head in June with Nanna and Grandpa, which deserves its own post. It was the best week. I can't wait to share the photos on the blog, but am waiting until a photo book that I made them of our time together arrives. Don't want to spoil the surprise of all the fun memories. It was a perfect week, and seeing William at the beach was something I've been imagining for a long, long time. It was even better than I'd pictured. He loved it.

More to come tomorrow, on his TWENTY MONTH birthday (!)... for now, some recent snapshots.

We got to spend the 4th of July weekend in Boalsburg for Taid's 80th birthday celebration. The morning of the big day, W hiked up Nain and Taid's driveway in his PJs to delivery the Birthday Boy's surprise balloons.

That afternoon the whole family went to Bedford Springs for a very special lunch - and I have to add that the resort is incredible! I'd love to go back to spend more time there. It was stunning.

Helping Taidy blow out his candles.

First experience with sparklers - having so much fun with his Great-Grandparents (whose names he can say! "Nainy" and "Taidy."