minneapolis...with a side of the respiratory flu

fair warning: this is going to be a doozy of a post. i feel like a broken record writing about our sickness on here week after week and this is going to be no different...except we were in a different state ;) 

i mentioned in my last post that on the morning of the 17th when we were packing up to go to the airport, azalea was laying on the couch with a fever. we gave her some tylenol and went on our way not realizing that she likely was coming down with the flu, but her excitement sort of masked it. traveling to minneapolis with the kids was a breeze, which i was so thankful for! i think we're finally in the "easy" traveling years with the kids. woo hoo! my brother picked us up at the airport and we went to my in-laws for dinner and to spend the night. they invited my brother to stay for dinner too. 

the next morning the kids didn't waste any time going out to play in the snow. azalea seemed to be in good spirits. i got some cute pictures of them in the backyard with grandpa durant. they were so excited about playing in the snow.  

my mom picked us up at lunch time and we headed to my grandma's husband bob's senior condo to help him celebrate his 93rd birthday! my aunt cindy came too and we had chicken pot pie and cupcakes and he opened a couple gifts. it was a sweet little impromptu party and i think he really enjoyed it. you would never guess this man is 93 - he seems 10 years younger! he's incredible :) 

when we got back to my in-laws, azalea spent pretty much the rest of the day on the couch. i took a solo walk to uptown and did a little shopping, which was so nice. they just opened a new "city target" there, so that was fun to visit. our nephew jack came over to play with the kids in the afternoon. then thatcher's sister cedar joined us for dinner after work. 

tuesday morning thatcher told us he was feeling really sick, which we were bummed to hear. i took the bus to pick up our rental car. in the afternoon, i went into my office for a few hours, but not the north loop office i've been going to for the last 11 years. my company moved into a new office in st. paul at the end of october and it was my first time getting to visit it. it felt a lot like our old office, which i thought was cool. but my favorite part? there's a fireplace in one of the conference rooms! i'm obsessed! i spent nearly my entire 5 hours sitting on the couch in front of it working. it was heaven! it was nice to catch up with everyone and meet a couple newbies. 

i drove back to thatcher's parents for dinner with cedar and jack again. azalea spent yet another day on the couch fighting her illness. speaking of illness, this night thatcher was needing to get to an urgent care, but he was so weak he ended up taking an uber. i felt so bad :( they diagnosed him with influenza A, gave him tamiflu for it, and sent him on his way. we started to realize this was probably what azalea had too (though a milder case). aaaaand my brother stayed home from work that day too, because he wasn't feeling well! eep!

wednesday morning we hung out with thatcher's parents at their house for a bit before heading over to my mom's and bringing all our stuff along to spend the rest of our nights there. i was excited and suprised to see she snuck a christmas tree into the house and put out all her decorations. i've mentioned before she doesn't always decorate for christmas because she is only home from florida for a short-while, but she knows how much i love christmas, so she went for it. so sweet of her. azalea was still a bit under the weather, but feeling better. after a bunch of board games, we decided to head to the southdale library because they have such an awesome kid's area.

 my mom hung out with the kids there while i ran to the grocery store to get some stuff for dinner and goodies for my get together with some girlfriends at the house in the evening. we ate pesto pasta with shrimp for dinner and then my friends started showing up at 7. i had wine, hot chocolate, and dessert set out. i invited 10-11 people and 8 were able to come, so that was exciting. you never know a few days before christmas! i did this same get together last year and just like last year, it was so much fun! everyone knew at least 1 other person there, if not more. they are girlfriends from all different parts of my life and through they might only know each other because i am a mutal friend, everyone always gets along so well and seems to genuinely have a great time together. i am so humbled that they were all willing to make time for me in their schedule on a work night, days before christmas, when they all had lots to do i'm sure! some even drove close to an hour to get there. amazing! here is a picture of the group, including the kids who had a blast bopping around and sneaking treats: 

thursday was ashford's 4th birthday! i can't believe it. i can't say i'm too sad to say goodbye to age 3. it's not my favorite. i know turning 4 won't be an instant improvement in the meltdown department, but it will come with time. meltdowns aside, i have the sweetest, funniest, most loving boy on the planet. here is a collage with pictures from the last 12 months: 

and here is a picture of the kids playing games with my mom: 

we didn't have much birthday-related stuff planned that day because we were having his family party the following night. we went to culver's for lunch with my mom and brother, which was delicious as always! and sooooo crowded (as always!). in the afternoon, the kids and i drove up to the city of new brighton to meet up with our friends carolina, naomi, and adella at an indoor playground. carolina and i have been friends since azalea and her older daughter were babies and she has time off during the week, so it's easy to meet up when we are in town. i couldn't believe my eyes when they walked through the door - carolina was rockin' the cutest baby bump. they are expecting a boy in march! she said she considered telling me a few months ago, but thought it would be more fun to surprise me - i loved it! the kids had a blast running around in the play area, but i could tell azalea was very tired as she kept coming over to rest. perhaps that wasn't the best planning on my part when she was still getting over being sick. we had dinner with my mom and then ashford and i watched trolls while my mom and azalea played some games. i kept feeling chilled all evening and chalked it up to the fact that it's winter in minnesota, but by the time i went to bed it was very clear, i was actually having the chills. noooooo. i slept horribly that night. no doubt about it, i was getting sick! 

friday morning i was supposed to have an early morning coffee date with 2 friends from high school, but i felt so crappy i had to cancel :( my mom let me go back to bed after being up for a short while in the morning. in the afternoon we went to thatcher's parents house so the kids could play there for a bit. they kindly let me take another nap because we were supposed to have ashford's family party at bob's building party room that night. since i wasn't prepping any of the food and planned not to get too close to anyone, i figured it would be safe for me to attend. we had a great turnout for it including my mom & brother, thatcher's family, my aunt & uncle and 2 cousins, my aunt who was visiting from georgia and our family friends who we always invite (honorary family - hehe). i ordered pizza luce for dinner, thatcher's dad made a cake, and we facetimed with thatcher for the happy birthday song. every one had a great time! 

ashford had so much fun, he was fast asleep by 8pm. sign of a great party or getting sick? you be the judge! 

saturday morning ashford woke up with a burning fever and he was bawling his eyes out. i felt like absolute garbage and my mom felt like she might be coming down with it too. azalea was good as new ;) saturday was also the day the kids and i were supposed to fly back to seattle in the afternoon. i returned our rental car and my friend liz was sweet enough to pick me up there and give me a ride home. we had planned to go out for breakfast, but i was so sick i couldn't do it. i called thatcher in the late morning and bawled my eyes out that i didn't think i could possibly get on a plane and travel back with the kids in this state. he calmly told me he would cancel our tickets and we would reschedule in a couple days when i was feeling capable of doing it. i was so hopeful we could be back to celebrate some of christmas with him, at least. by the afternoon my mom and i were both in rough shape! at one point every one was able to nap at the same time (thank god azalea is always up for a nap!). it was a long day in the house with my mom and i shuffling around draped in blankets, but we survived. needless to say there are no pictures of this glamorous day ;) 

i'm gonna hit pause here and save sunday and monday (christmas eve and christmas day) for it's own post. this is already long enough! hope you've enjoyed the misadventures of our trip :/ even though we were all sick, it was nice to be in misery together!