1. The Fourth of July Blackwelder Madness
We spend so much time together as a family for the 4th and it's my favorite time of year!! The farm was in the Madeira parade this year and the kids got to join in on the float. Wesley and June also ran the kids' Madeira Mile for the first time!! They were some of the fastest kids of the group. The Souths joined us for all of our celebrations. We spent the night at Scott's and enjoyed a ton of candy from the Indian Hill parade! Friends joined us for swimming and bbq at the farm. We didn't make it to fireworks that night because Wesley got hit with some roman candle shrapnel (no one is really that surprised that Dennis was in charge of the fireworks)!
2. A Mini Girl's Trip To Utah
We (Tracey and Ralph) bought a building in Madeira that we might possibly be turning into a farm store. In celebration of that, we went to Utah! We weren't able to have everyone come in such short notice, but I got lucky because Jake was on his 2 weeks of bonding so I was able to go. We hit all the fun and yummy things in Utah: Ballerina Farm, Costa Vida, Zupas, Lola's in Midway, Bolt Ranch in Kamas, Hearth and Hill, Maxwell's in PC, PC Main Street, and more. Next year I'd really love to take our family to SLC for the temple open house.
3. Jake's 2 Week Bonding
We're so lucky that Tri Health offers dads a 2 week bonding period to take (paidddd!) within the first six months of the baby's life. Jake was able to squeeze it in and his breaks always come at the perfect time. He and the kids knocked off soo many things from our summer bucket list. The kids are always curious when he's going to have an extended amount of time off again...
4. Brynn's 3rd Birthday
Brynn turned 3 on the 10th and I can hardly believe it! She went from baby to big girl so quickly in the past few months (after a quick regression when Ralphie was born). She was excited to receive a fuzzy pink and purple journal, a fun wooden house from Lovevery, some really cute stuffed animals, books, a trip to King Arthur's court, and more. Brynn is a spark in our family! She's loud and crazy and we hope she never changes!
5. Mimi Visited
My mom visited at the end of July and it was something the kids COULD. NOT. wait for! Highly anticipated mimi dates were the highlight of their summers. They spent individual dates with Mimi doing things only they wanted to do, and I know this is something that needs to happen more often with mom and dad! They also really enjoyed working on the fairy garden with her.
6. Lisette Visited
Lisette might've learned her lesson on never telling me she's bored ever again! She got to visit for a few days and it was the best. It was like having two moms here for a few days and we all really enjoyed it. She's pregnant and cute and we loved taking her to the little miami river at Nisbet park, 50W and Jeni's, swimming, Sharon Woods, and more. No way we were going to let her be bored!!
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