We arrived in Wynnewood from Baltimore about 3 in the afternoon and settled in, then enjoyed a delicious dinner with Mom-mom, Doc, and Aunt Molly:

On Wednesday, we visited Aunt Molly at work at McDonald’s, where the staff celebrated her birthday (one day early) with a Ronald McDonald cake!

Then we went to the pool at Aronimink for some relief from the heat:

In the afternoon we played in an inflatable pool in the backyard, but I forgot to get pics.

Thursday, June 19, we celebrated Aunt Molly’s birthday!  In the morning Blaine, Mommy, Mom-Mom, Aunt Molly, and Uncle Fran went to the Narberth playground.  Blaine loved that the entire thing was one big sandbox, but the rest of us were bothered by the gnats, so we retreated into the library and happened to catch reading hour:

Then we went to Sabrina’s for brunch:

Meanwhile, Doc, Uncle Tim and Liz were busy picking up Tara from the breeders!  Blaine was in heaven.

That night we had Hunan for Molly’s birthday dinner:

After dinner, we went outside for the birthday pinata!

Blaine didn’t seem interested in wielding this plastic bat…

But he thought it was absolutely hilarious to watch Aunt Molly demolish the pinata:

And then smash her face into some whipped cream:

Blaine loved Aunt Molly’s actual birthday cake (ice cream):

On Friday, we (Blaine, Daddy, Mommy, Uncle Fran, Doc, Uncle Tim, Liz, Liz’s nephew Emmett) went to the Philadelphia Zoo in the morning.

Blaine had his first ever petting zoo experience: 

And he enjoyed the attention from this duck during snack:

The giraffes were a big hit, as always:

On Friday night, we celebrated Aunt Molly’s birthday again during a big party with all the extended Mahoney and Forsyth relatives. 

On Saturday, we went to the playground in the morning and then Mommy and Blaine flew home to Seattle (sans Daddy, who was going on to India).  Here’s Blaine in his first class seat, enjoying a pre-takeoff snack:  

It took about an hour and a half of effort (and intermittent crying), but I finally got Blaine to sleep in my arms for the last two hours of the flight.  Phew!It was worth it to see all the Westbrook and Mahoney relatives!  Can’t wait to see everyone again soon!

On Saturday, 6/14, we flew from Seattle to Great Falls for a visit with Gram and Grand-dad!  On Sunday we celebrated Father’s Day with a trip to see the falls:   

That night, Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Michael came over for Father’s Day dinner:

On Monday, we took a day trip to Charlottesville to visit Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather.  Blaine loved playing with their African animal figurines, looking at pictures, and eating cookies…

Back in Great Falls that afternoon, Gram let Blaine pick the first little tomato in her garden.  Blaine was so proud.

Here are a few other random shots from our visit:  

On Tuesday we drove to Philadelphia, and stopped in Baltimore to visit Aunt Suzanne and have lunch:

As promised, here are some “after” photos of our nearly complete landscaping project.  We still need to have the handrails installed, and get the new house steps painted to match, and give all the teeny plants some time to grow and look more natural, but otherwise we’re in good shape!

Here are a few pictures from our relaxing weekend.  On Saturday we had a delicious brunch at Coastal Kitchen in the morning and in the afternoon we watched California Chrome lose the Belmont. 🙁

On Sunday we went to the playground in the morning and in the afternoon we went to the zoo.  Here are some flamingos:

Blaine wanted to get past this fence to see the giraffes:

And here’s a hippo:

We went for pizza at Serious Pie on the way home – Blaine must be having a growth spurt because he just kept eating!

On 6/1 we went out to Magnuson Park for an event called “Touch a Truck”.  The name pretty much speaks for itself!  I think the trash truck was Blaine’s favorite:

The event was packed – we were shocked how many families came out for the chance to touch some trucks.