Weekend Fun

We took full advantage of a warm and gorgeous weekend and spent most of our waking moments outside. Saturday started with our usual weekend stroll through the fields in our village. We stopped and picked a whole lot more wild blackberries than we did last weekend. I don't think any of us had eaten this much blackberries in our lives, and Chase is about to max out on her quota. She will take a long blink before deciding whether or not to open her mouth for one if it's offered. The novelty hasn't quite worn off for me just yet. I grew up a city girl and being able to pick fruits along the walking path was just something I read about. I always romanticized a quiet life in the country and have to say that actually living in our little farming village is even more amazing that I could possibly imagine. I love that the first animals Chase gets to visit on an almost daily basis don't live in the zoo and our truly "organic" produces don't come from the store. Anyhow, we had planned to take the boys to the lake for a swim that afternoon but postponed it until Sunday after an eventful morning pretty much did we all in. This was our first visit to Ohmbachsee (Ohmbach Lake), although I've been wanting to take the boys there for a year now. It was a lot smaller than I had anticipated, perhaps because I was used to the size of Mott Lake on Ft. Bragg. Nonetheless, the boys had fun swimming and making new friends, and we all enjoyed our first picnic as a family. And, of course, more wild blackberries on the trail around the lake were a big plus :). We wrapped up Sunday with a Thai dinner at home and a quick visit to our favorite gelato shop in town. Wil told one of his coworkers about our weekend activities, and his reply was "what kind of fantasies are you guys living in?!?" Ha! I don't know about fantasies, but life certainly has been very good to us this year in our beloved village of Langmeil.

As for the update on Wil's back, there's not much to share at the moment. He had the first steroid injection on Tuesday, which caused him quite a bit of pain for the following few days and, as we expected, doesn't seem to do him much good so far. He's doing well and continues to stay active, but I definitely get a bit more paranoid when he makes funny faces when moving around. He's been getting calls from my darling parents, who are worried sick about him, just about every other day, even though I keep telling them that not much changes from day to day right now. And I find it most adorable that my sweet father, who never uttered a word in English when I was living at home, is now calling to talk to Wil himself. I knew my family loved him, but our trip home in June really solidified their relationship. I mean, my dad learned and practiced another language just so he could chat with his son-in-law! That is pretty awesome in my book.

Now, onto some pictures and videos--the reasons why you are really here anyway, right?
:)

Brutus and his charge.

Chase has recently rediscovered her bouncy seat and loves to climb in with a book to read.

See you at the pool!
Her first time in the baby pool that I got on ramsteinyardsales for $5.
And let's not forget this adorable swimsuit that cost me 50 cents at Vogelweh's baby flea market.
Showing Papa bubble blowing technique.

Loves to read AND make a mess.

Ohmbachsee!


In case anyone ever wonders what's beneath all of Brutus' poof. The answer: not much.
Someone's getting tired...
Seriously, Parents, let's talk about getting me to bed.

Sometimes in the the middle of winter, you'll be thanking me for making you skip that morning nap and spend this glorious day outside.

And, of course, a blackberry video:

Blackberries from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

This one was shot after we came home from Wil's tuesday appointment at the hospital. Perhaps you can tell that the anaesthesia was beginning to wear off? Chase is far too big for her bumbo chair now, but she's obsessed with climbing in and out of anything within her reach.

Bathroom Fun from UMA STEINHAUER on Vimeo.

Asking her to identify different body parts has become one of our favorite games to distract her from a long car ride, and she's really good at it. I'll see if I can get it on video tomorrow.