{WHW}: MDW recap

Once again I was MIA at the start of this week coming off of the long weekend, so I'm recapping our trip to PA today instead!

Highlights:

~waking up Friday morning to no alarm and no traffic to fight because we drove up to PA the night before

~Ran out for a little over an hour with MG while Ella napped, knowing she was in good hands with my MIL

~Surprised our youngest niece at school during her recess by showing up with Ella in tow! She was a little disappointed to not be leaving with us though 

~Went over to my SIL's house in the afternoon to hang for a while. MG took Ella into the pool, and I got to spend some time with my MIL, SIL and our friend, drinking wine on the deck and watching the kids play.

~Saturday turned insanely humid, but the thunderstorms stayed at bay thankfully, allowing us to get in some nice outdoor time on the deck during the day with baby who ended up having a nakie water time outside playing with a bowl of water and measuring cups. Literally for over an hour she was so entertained and we were dying at the cuteness.

~We actually went to an open house for new construction houses up near my in-laws house. We've toyed with the idea of moving up to PA in the future...and we kind of wanted to tease ourselves into seeing what we could get up there. I will say, it was motivating, and it's sparked more moving conversations for us.

~We went out to dinner that night with my MIL and FIL and Ella was acting like a crazy person. She barely ate much other than sweet potato fries (not that I can blame her) and she was super fussy. I managed to snap a moment of happiness from her before we left though.

~Because of her crankiness and my FIL's jet lag from getting back from Greece at midnight the night before, we decided to just go back to my in-law's house instead of going to my sister's house to hang for a bit.

Ella was SO hard to put down that night. Her cough had gotten worse, and she was just super clingy, crying...not like her.

~Sunday morning we woke up to a coughing baby and took her to urgent care during an insane storm/downpour, just to make sure nothing was in her chest. Turns out she had her first ear infection. Luckily we were able to get antibiotics right there.

~The weather was crummy all day so we pretty much stayed in until after Ella's afternoon nap (which I had to hold her for), and then headed to my niece's graduation party. Luckily it wasn't raining anymore, just humid and misting, and the party went off without a hitch. The girls there loved Ella and played with her so I could get some adult time in before heading home around 8 for bedtime.

Center of Attention

Ella and her uncle--she looks SO tiny in his arms because he's a BIG guy!

~We'd planned to go back to the party once my in-laws came home but Ella was struggling to sleep again, and coughed so hard she threw up, so we decided to just call it a night and stay in.

~Monday we woke up, ate breakfast, MG helped his dad move some furniture at his office, I packed up our stuff and the car, and we hit the road home around 9:30 and got home a little after noon.

~We tried out a new InstantPot recipe (taco pasta--could also be called Chili Mac) which was delicious, and MG found a copycat version of the Chuy's jalapeno ranch dip so he made that as well, which was amazing!

We also took some time to reflect on those who have lost their lives in service to our country so that we can have the freedoms that we have today. Memorial day weekend is more than just cookouts and time off of work, and our family is so thankful for the service members currently serving, those in the past, and especially those who are no longer with us.

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