Our trip to the Midwest deviated a bit from what we had in mind for the week. The turn being that Mike got pretty sick starting on Tuesday morning with what in hindsight seems to be the flu significantly worsened by his diabetes (it's a lot harder to keep one's blood sugar in check when sick). We decided to extend our trip by a day to give him more time to recover, but he's still not there. That whole ordeal really put a damper on the week, especially for Mike. I was at least glad to have help from Tom and Sharon while he was laid up for a few days.
Of course we still made the most of our time in the Badger State. We didn't site any
Buckies, but we spied plenty of deer, watched a bunny brunching out the back window and were chased inside when a bat emerged from the umbrella that was being un-cranked on the back deck and kept swooping back toward us. We would have spent more time outdoors, but the weather, as in most parts around the country apparently, was unseasonably hot and humid. We reached a heat index in the 110's some days, and my gosh, it felt that. You'd open the door and be hit with the steaming, oppressive air, which immediately fogged glasses and camera lenses. Some mornings before temps turned unbearable, the kids joined Grandma in her flower garden and around the nice, spacious yard, ripe for exploring.
We were mostly held hostage indoors, though, taking advantage of the overhauling AC (another plus that we were at a house with central air during this heat-wave!). And the slew of vintage games stashed from the Ryan boys' childhoods:
Cootie,
Bed Bugs and
Crackers in My Bed being the kids' favorites. And Jenga, more for building than playing.
This little imp has been especially funny/devious this trip. She's getting more animated and interested in joining in on the shenanigans of her brother and sister. And talking A LOT. She was also up between 5:15 and 6 every morning, I think-- never adjusted to the time-difference, I suppose.
Plugging her ears at the dinner table, which was, to her credit, a pretty rowdy place.
With the exception of Mike being sick, we all really enjoyed our time at Grandma and Grandpa's house-- and in Iowa last weekend for the Ryan Family Reunion (maybe I'll put up some pictures of that and our time spent in the hotel pool once I can find the pictures from Mike's mom's camera-- I failed to take many), where we also visited with Uncle Willie and his girlfriend, Ashley, whom we met for the first time. The kids were especially taken with her. Good thing they're coming to Pittsburgh next month!
Our trip back yesterday went better than we could have hoped. And now we're infested with ants- hundreds of them), an unfortunate discovery I made when I got a mouth full of them. Shiver. Other than that and my completely overgrown and wilting garden, thanks to the dry heat, I think I can safely say, we're all glad to be back home and to a somewhat normal routine again.
