Family Reunion & Daddy Day

Hi there!
Sorry I've been missing in action the last couple of weeks. Mommy's memory is going downhill in a hurry (she blames it on the pregnancy, but Dad and I both know she is forgetful); she left the camera at Grandma's house last weekend and just got it back a couple of days ago.
There's been a lot going on! As mentioned, we traveled up to Goshen to see Grandma over Daddy Day weekend. We arrived Thursday night. Friday morning Grandma, Mommy, and I went exploring around the Middlebury/Shipshewana area. We had breakfast at the Essenhaus (I loved the french toast stick dippers, even though Mom told me that I was missing out on the mush) and then went to see cheese being made. I sampled dozens of cheeses in cubes just my size. Then, on to Shipshewana. I got to see where my Grandpa Roger used to teach and also sample some more delicious stuff at Yoder's. I had cheese, sausage, carmel corn puffs, and cheese curds! Grandma also took me on my very first carousel ride. I had fun going up and down on the "neigh".

Later that afternoon, Uncle Tyler, Aunt Nessa, and Cadence, Kyrie, Brayson, and Brannen came over to play. What a blast! We gobbled up some of Nelson's Pit Chicken and then finished off the evening with some of Goshen's finest ice cream from The Chief. Our belly's were stuffed!
Saturday was our big Brenneman family Reunion at Grandma's. I spent the day playing with all of my cousins, swimming, splashing, and running around the yard. It was great to see the family again!

Sunday was Daddy Day...which Mom and I have agreed should be way more often than once a year. Daddy is such a super guy; Mommy and I are so blessed to have him! We spent the day relaxing after church, eating some more delicious food that Grandma and Aunt Nessa prepared, and telling Daddy how much we love him. When we arrived back to our house I was completely exhausted and sad to see our nice long weekend come to a close. I love going to Grandma's house and I love long weekends with Daddy!

On Monday, the fun continued when Daddy's softball team began their summer season. I love to watch daddy play "bball" (as I call it) and swing the bat. Uncle E and Andrew also play on the team, so I get to see them and Emmy and Rilei. As if that weren't good enough, lots of Mommy and Daddy's friends play on the team, so I get to see their kids. That night I hung out with Brayden and Josh...and yes, the Mustard Seeds won their opener!

Later in the week, I got a surprise visit from Daddy's cousin, Carrie. She is full of energy-even enough to keep up with me! So, she took me on a walk, played with me on the swingset and slide, chased me around, and read to me. Mom and Dad went out to dinner and missed all the fun here with us. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm back to sliding and playing normally again. My count on Friday was 159. That is officially in the normal range (though I should be between 250-300) so I am all better! I have another test in 2 weeks and if all is the same or higher then I won't get tested for a month. Yea for a full recovery!
This weekend we got together with friends from church for a picnic. My buddy Emer was there, and so were lots of other friends from the nursery. It was nice to get out and run off some energy with everybody.

Well, that has been my last two weeks in a nutshell. I'll talk to you next week. Enjoy your 4th of July!

Splash Park!

Between rain storms, we were blessed with some beautiful sunshine and high temperatures. For a kid that hasn't been able to spend nearly as much time outside as I would like the last couple of months, I was really excited for these summer time moments and some much needed outdoor time.  We filled up the pool and spent a couple of hours in it on Thursday. I had such a good time just filling up my bucket and dumping it back in the pool. My Mom got some reading and relaxing in, too. On Friday, my buddy Emerson and I headed to a splash park to have some fun. This place was great! It had tons of giant water squirters and even a (slightly dangerous) stony creek for us to walk through (though our Mom's were on pins and needles for our many trips up and down the "stream"). After a couple of hours of splashing and some lunch, Mom and I headed to the doctor's office to get my weekly blood test. This time, it was up to 116! We also found out that because I have had 4 weeks straight of increasing numbers that I don't have to have another test for 2 weeks. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers! I have been battling this blood problem for almost 2 months now and it appears that I have made it over the hump and am officially on the recovery! Yea!
Here are some splash park pictures for you to enjoy.

Won't you join me next time?

Boys and their buddies...

 This week, Daddy and I both had visits from our best buddies. Emerson came to see me and we took a walk around the neighborhood and played for a bit. We like to chase each other around and laugh a lot. Daddy's good buddy, Jared, and his wife Gabby came to see us for the weekend. Daddy and Jared taught me all about "friendly competition". They played, what seemed like, 20 games of cornhole on Saturday, because Jared wanted to keep going until he beat Daddy. I hope Emer and I do fun stuff like that when we're grown ups!