Happy Father's Day

Brent is the father of 4 girls. This means he is universally adored. He's also subject to a panoply of emotions and not a tearless day goes by in this house. He is also given tiny kisses and hugs around the neck with the smallest of hands.
Being the father of girls means he finds bows in his suit pockets, and tiny socks--victims of static electricity--in his t-shirts. It means a steady budget for clothes and shoes that seemingly just clutter the house rather than get worn.
Being the father of girls means Brent gets unwanted sympathy from outsiders who think his life is tragic for not having a boy. These people must not know the joy of girls and therein lies the true tragedy.
Being the father of girls means Brent has deepening worry lines on his forehead and a growing silver streak on his temple. A mortgage, college tuitions, missions, weddings... those have to be worked out on the grand balance-sheet in his mind.
Being the father of girls means Brent is a jungle gym as his little ones beg for a ride to bed. When they have tired him for attention, he turns their whines into frantic giggles as he tickles them mercilessly.
Being the father of girls means after Brent has fulfilled his many obligations at work, he comes home to a very demanding toddler who at once orders him around yet plants him at the center of her universe.
Being the father of girls means Brent rarely enjoys a whole sacrament meeting in the chapel. Following the direction of Boyd K Packer, if he is not seated on the stand it is his duty to take care of fussy children.
Being the father of girls means Brent rarely hears of the admiration of others in our congregation as he grabs a girl in her fluffy dress and marches purposefully down the aisle... avoiding looks and being drowned out by a wailing, "Nooooooo DADDY!!!"
Being the father of girls means Brent is a dance dad. He helps wash the leotards and tights, pays for the classes and recital fees and then grins as he watches his girls plie and arabesque across a stage.
Being the father of girls means Brent wakes every morning to a tiny face and tiny hands probing to see if he is awake yet. He often pulls that little body into bed for some cuddle time and once she is sufficiently warm, wriggles right back out to start the day... long before Brent ever would willingly.
Being the father of girls means Brent is the protector of hearts. When they are damaged by hurt feelings, his is the first name on the girls' lips. He takes this role seriously and takes care to soothe them and make them feel loved.

Happy Father's Day to the man who is a wonderful father to our girls!

This Town

Recently I was talking with my sisters and Reagan noted it felt like she spent a lot of her time growing up in Iowa City planning on how to get out. I have to agree. Iowa City is is a quiet, quirky, little town. As Frank Sinatra said, "This town is a lonely town." I knew something exciting was going on somewhere out there and I wanted to find it rather than watching the corn grow. 

Over the years, I've lived in and visited many, many large cities in the US and even a handful abroad. Just like Dorothy, my experiences only made me appreciate my Midwest roots all the more. Perhaps that's why I've ultimately settled here, albeit near one of the largest cities in the US. I guess I want my foot in both worlds. It will be interesting which world my girls choose when the time comes. One thing is for sure, they LOVE visiting my hometown!

Almost as soon as we arrived, we made a beeline to the fantastic library and stocked up on books and DVDs to watch in the car. Usually I let the girls wear headphones so I can chat on Voxer or just soak up some silence and think. However, there is a series the IC Library carries on famous artists and I couldn't help but listen in to learn about Andy Warhol, Mary Cassatt and Leonardo DaVinci. They have a series on American Presidents so I boned up on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

Slurpies aren't really all that big of a deal, but when you know just where to go that has the best selection of flavors, it becomes kind of magical.

In our haste to pack and get out the door, we didn't grab any flip flops for the girls. Changing into Converse was too much after swimming lessons so we stopped by Walmart and everyone was able to choose their own. They have already worn these to death!

Catching up with old friends is such a gift. The older I get, the more I realize life knocks everyone around in different ways and I have SO much to learn! It's so nice to talk and laugh about things we share in common and see how people haven't changed.

After Ireland's visit to the hospital, her specialist moved some things around so he could see her while we were in town. There has been a lot of pressure to put her on a daily, preventative medication which I really don't want to do. We extensively reviewed her attacks in the past year and made some adjustments to her treatment plan going forward. It was a really great visit, and so nice to be reassured as a mom that I'm doing the right thing for her.

Between swimming lessons and running around, the girls were often exhausted into good afternoon naps. Sometimes, they just weren't.

A vigil for the Orlando victims in downtown Iowa City was rather heartwarming. There are still good people out there.

Sydney loved kicking off her flip flops when she realized how easily she could put them back on. Here she is straining to see some model trains at the Children's Museum. Love those little feet!

A dear friend reassembled a quilt made by my great-grandmother Birgitta Katrina Nielsen and while we were in town I was able to pick it up. I cried when she unfolded it. She has access to vintage fabrics and used a very careful hand in quilting it to preserve it as much as possible. This antique can now be passed down and hangs by Brigitta's bed.

Little shops in Iowa City understand a mother's plight with small children much better than say, downtown Chicago ever will. These signs make my heart sing.

No trip to Iowa City is complete without hunting for some Hawkeye gear. I saw this t-shirt and laughed since one of my good friends is a true Cornhusker. I considered sending her the picture but ultimately decided not to. I don't really hate anyone.

The girls worked really hard during swimming lessons and will level up for next year. The most significant difference was definitely Sydney. I couldn't make her sit on the bleachers with me one more year but the only class for her age is a Parent Tot. I begrudgingly squeezed into a swimsuit but was amazed how quickly she caught on to holding onto the side of the pool, then inching up and down, climbing out, kicking, floating on her back and learning to jump safely to me. She went from knowing pretty much nothing to some rudimentary skills that may save her life. Pictures aren't allowed at swimming lessons, but we pretty much lived in our suits for those two weeks.

As we left town, we stopped at Scratch to pick up some cupcakes. Heading back to Illinois the girls had many new fond memories to kick off their summer. As Sinatra says, "This town is an all-right town."

Safety Village

I have to say that Safety Village has only gotten better since Liesel was in it two years ago. I had hopes she and Ireland would do it together but alas, last year it coincided with our SNCP trip to Mt. Rushmore. Liesel is too old now, so Ireland was going solo. Not necessarily a bad thing, especially when you are constantly surrounded by 3 sisters! I had to smile when we found out she would be in the green group just like Liesel was. Do you think her name had anything to do with it?

During graduation, Ireland was one of the last to receive her certificate from the police officer. Every parent had dutifully and quietly snapped their photo then sat back down. Just before I snapped this photo I said, "Say, 'I'll never commit a crime!'" I caught the policeman off guard and he truly laughed. 

She makes a pretty adorable fire chief. The halls were filled with all kinds of rescue personnel and it warmed the cockles of my heart every time Ireland gave one of them a high five.

One drawback of Safety Village is how Ireland has become a back-seat driver. She's constantly asking me how fast I'm going to ensure I'm obeying the speed limit. 

The village itself is SO adorable! Everything in miniature just for these kids. Turns out Iowa City's Safety Village was based off of one here in Illinois. Kind of ironic that I go back to Iowa City for this one... but it's nice to throw in some time in my hometown too. 

If memory serves, Liesel had only teenagers teaching her and it was clear those boisterous kids could overwhelm them pretty easily. This year there were a lot of adults in the mix so it felt much more orderly.

The day the Life Flight helicopter was parked on the front lawn of the school, I again found myself wishing I could enroll myself in Safety Village. Ireland tells me the ambulance was her favorite because they got to handle lots of medical instruments and see how they work. They teach the kids all kinds of cute songs about safety.

I'm happy to have another successful graduate of Safety Village!

Tiny Dancers

I actually had no intention of putting the girls back into dance just yet. However, a good friend has a daughter just between Liesel and Ireland's age, and she invited them to join her class for free one week. It was curtains after that, because the girls really wanted to take dance and I really wanted to get them back in tights and tutus. Brent took a bit of convincing, of course, but he ultimately relented.

The studio isn't the fanciest, but recitals are on Saturdays rather than Sundays which is perfect for our family. The owner really has a passion for working with special needs kids. The "physical therapy" numbers are actually the most touching-- you can hear many people sniffling back tears when they finish. Something about seeing little ones so proudly moving around the stage in their walkers and leg braces just brings the value of dance to a whole new level. I'm happy to support a studio with that kind of vision.

Brigitta's number was to Beauty and the Beast's "Tale As Old As Time" and she was crazy excited about her costume!!! The fluffy tutu, the gloves, the tiara... this one pretty much checked every box of Brigitta's dream dance costume. I can't help but admit- she was pretty stinkin' cute!

Brigitta had the good fortune of getting one-on-one classes from the owner. She adores Miss Chrissy! She also managed to snag "Mini Dancespiration of the Year". I wish I had video of how her sisters lit up at hearing she'd won and it melted my heart to see them so supportive of her. 

The part where the girls follow their teacher to the other side of the stage reminds me of baby ducks following their mama.

Ireland's number was to The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" and she worked particularly hard in her ballet class. She's a people pleaser, that one, and she always wanted her teacher to be happy with her effort.

Ireland also had fun being in class with her friends. There was a flurry of girly chatter and lots of mirror time on photo day. Aye mi, I hope this all fosters a healthy body image in my girls. I hope they find joy in how beautiful their bodies are and pride in what they can do!

Liesel's number was to... wait for it... Frozen's "Let it Go" and would you check out that costume? The day those things arrived in the studio and we had the girls try them on, they did NOT want to take them off! Liesel is all legs and knobby knees these days, and I love how her slim limbs look under that fluffy tutu. Liesel particularly had fun posing for pictures with that cape.

Ever the chatterbox, Liesel loved being in class with the girl who roped us into it in the first place. I really love the other dance moms and looked forward to chatting with them while the girls plied and chassed on dance night.

On the day of the recital, grandparents had the opportunity to send the girls a message backstage and they came on these sweet pinwheel flowers. I've never seen another studio do this, but it was such a fantastic way for them to be a part of the big day even though they couldn't make it.

For all of his grumbling about over-scheduling and fees and the inconvenience of it all, you could not wipe the smile off of Brent's face when he saw his daughters hit the stage. That man was one proud dance dad who scooped his girls up and showered them with roses. I thought I was their #1 fan, but I think he has me beat. 

I'm so glad the girls are back in dance!