July 2019

July kicked off with a 9th birthday celebration for Thad. He had several buddies over to shoot BB guns, play in the pool, play games, and eat pizza and pie. Jeff also had a fun surprise for the kids. He used liquid nitrogen to freeze marshmallows and Cheetos. When you eat them after they are frozen, you can breathe steam like a dragon. So cool!

Next, we headed to Wisconsin to spend time with family and friends. We enjoyed the 4th of July Parade and fireworks. It is always a blessing to celebrate our freedom, especially when we are with family and friends. We then had an opportunity to reunite with friends that Jeff and I used to work with at Rawhide. We have such a neat relationship that we can pick up right where we left off. It was crazy to see how big everyone's kids have gotten and meet the newest baby, Amelia. We also went to the beach for a day with friends, went to Bookworm Gardens, and enjoyed time in Uncle Doug's pool.

From there, we headed to Illinois for a surprise birthday bash for Jeff's oldest brother, Kevin. Family trickled in over the course of two days from all over for this special surprise. It was a great time of food, fun, and fellowship. We met for the first time, several of the youngest members of the Rice family. It is so fun to have babies in the family...that aren't ours!

On the way home, our Suburban broke down or had mechanical failures...three time. The day after we arrived home, our van had mechanical issues. The following week we began a crazy search for a more reliable vehicle. It was incredibly challenging to find the kind of vehicle we wanted in our budget. We finally found one and are hoping it will be a good vehicle for many years to come.

We were blessed to get to celebrate both Amos and Gabe's birthday's this month. It has been so wonderful to have them state side this summer. The kids have had a great time playing and the family fellowship has been sweet.

The kids also participated in a local VBS, finished the summer semester of swim, and did a Life Skills course at our church.

Meanwhile, Jeff continues the bathroom remodel and Leigh Ann continued to train for her new BSF position.

July has flown by in a whirlwind of activity. We are so thankful for the many wonderful new memories that we made along the way. We hope that you have enjoyed some time this summer catching up with family and friends. They definitely make life sweeter!

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