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!

Surprise Renovations

Reviewing these photos, I suddenly and deeply remember why I've taken so long to post about our surprise renovations. It was a process, to say the least. Our washer and dryer are located in a large closet in the hallway on the 2nd floor. On March 9th, I noticed some water leaking in that closet and held off on doing laundry until our repairman could take a look at it. In the meantime, I gave the girls a bath in the huge master bath. When I drained the tub, all that water backed up in the closet, hallway, master bedroom, Liesel's bedroom and through the ceiling into the kitchen. Have I mentioned any and all crisis seems to happen in my life the same night as mutual? Yes, this happened right before I had to leave for mutual. 

Turns out we destroyed a couple of really nice towels trying to mop everything up which ended up being futile. As you can see, the water just gushed out into the carpet.

Whole chunks of tape were buckling and coming off the kitchen ceiling.

The ceiling had water dripping from multiple places as those nasty stains spread.

 The leak followed along the baseboards in the master...

 ...and in Liesel's room

 It's moments like this I'm incredibly grateful for good insurance (Amica) because I went from a panic attack to actually being excited about putting the house together. Our Claims Adjuster walked around like a fairy godmother breezily telling me what was covered (after our deductible, of course). The 2nd floor carpet was continuous? *BLING* They would replace every single room and not just the damaged parts. Some of the leak had gone down the kitchen walls? *BLING* Those would be repainted. 

A small section of the family room wall had to be removed? *BLING* That would be replaced and repainted! It appeared some water had gotten on the hardwood floors? *BLING* Those would eventually be sanded and restained.

The plumber had to take out a section of closet wall to double check the pipes? *BLING* That would be repaired and the whole closet repainted. Oh yes, I'm so grateful for good insurance!!!

The mitigation guys had sheet rock removed, high powered fans in place to thoroughly dry the subflooring, carpet removed and everything cleaned up in a matter of hours. We were so happy with their work, we wanted to stick with the same company for the restoration. In retrospect, I kind of regret that decision. The first Project Manager had turned in his 2 weeks notice so we never heard from him. Then the head honcho dude was out of town on Spring Break so we didn't hear from him either. We finally got a new Project Manager but he was dealing with a heavy work load from the last guy so it took a while to hear from him too.

In the meantime, I made a visit to the showroom to pick out paint colors, carpet, and grout. Previous owners had left 12" x 12" travertine tiles- the same stuff throughout much of the main floor. Instead of putting crappy vinyl flooring back into that closet, we were thrilled to make the house more cohesive while saving a bit of money. Of course, that savings was shot to shinola when we opted for the water-resistant padding for the new carpet. We weren't planning on replacing the carpet until the girls were older; potty trained and able to give deference to new, expensive flooring. However, the opportunity presented itself and we wanted to be smart since we won't be replacing the upstairs carpet for a very, very long time.

As I perused my options, I went straight for the most expensive stuff insurance allowed. The guy working the showroom told me about berber but I loved this thick, dense traditional carpet. As we talked, I kept petting it. Our old carpet was a very light grey with decades of built up stains. My options were only in brown tones so I chose the color that most closely corresponded with the stains we already had, reasoning any new stains would blend with the existing color a bit better.

Before visiting the showroom, I went to Ace Hardware and  grabbed absolutely every grey-beige-cream paint chip from the Benjamin Moore collection and then picked the one that most closely matched the cabinets. Previous owners had the kitchen walls painted a dark grey which was odd in a kitchen with brown toned granite counter-tops and beige-cream travertine floors. Cedar Key was the winner!

The family room had positively orange hardwood floors and walls painted a color that can only be described as sadness. Getting the hardwood floors taken care of was a major headache. Our Claims Adjuster (now on jury duty) didn't recall saying they would do anything with the hardwoods. Someone had to come out and look at them, then it had to be sent up to some supervisor, then approved by some committee before they would move forward on it. I was ready to tell them to just forget the floors, the hassle wasn't worth it when the approval finally came through. In keeping with the style and architecture of the house, I wanted the newly sanded floors to be ebony and the walls to be Traditional Yellow. Our contractors warned me the floors were maple which doesn't take stain well, and that ebony might turn out a little more on the grey side. Since grey is actually gaining serious popularity, I stuck with my guns and insisted on the ebony.

Eventually... and I mean EVENTUALLY, when the work was all done, we were thrilled with the results. Everything felt brighter and happier. The repaint of the kitchen included wall repairs to the many holes left from previous owners. The carpet upstairs is a bit darker than I anticipated which only highlights how darkly painted the walls are. In the two bedrooms where we were able to repaint before the new carpet installation, it looks gorgeous and luxurious and walking on it is heaven. I have plans to tackle some more painting projects but for now it will just have to wait.

I purposely took this picture before it was too light outside to show how much brighter the whole room looks with that cheerful yellow color on the walls.

I couldn't wait to clean everything from top to bottom and get our lives back in order. Brigitta in particular struggled with the mayhem. She didn't want to walk on the subflooring upstairs so I was lugging her around every morning and night. Ireland's bed was in our room while the washer and dryer filled the spot for Ireland's bed in their room. The two oldest slept in the guest room downstairs which made me uncomfortable since I couldn't hear or see them easily. The girls knew all the guys from the reconstruction crew. They'd chat with them every morning, ask for their opinions on what they were wearing to school, invite them over for playdates... I'm telling you, the whole thing was a process. After months and months, it looked like we were in the clear when I did a load of laundry... and we had another leak.

Apparently a drain something-or-other hadn't been properly secured into another drain something-or-other so we went through round 2 of renovations. Fortunately, this wasn't nearly as major and was fixed within about a week. When I finally signed off on everything, I know the Project Manager and I were both happy to know we would no longer be seeing each other.

When we bought this house, we knew it needed a lot of love. Some parts of it just needed attention while others would need more of a monetary investment. I could see the possibilities, but I knew I'd have to be patient. Brent and I agreed we'd fix things up as our budget would allow so we've focused on things that don't cost any money. The insurance coverage from this major leak gave our home a huge boost that would have taken us years and years to do on our own. Although it didn't generate the fondest memories of my life, I'm grateful for the results!

Asthma- AGAIN!

Ireland was hit with a double virus (enterovirus and rhinovirus) that her asthma-prone body couldn't handle. She was seriously retracting and I could hear her wheezing from across the room. Even though we started her on steroids and neb treatments at home, we just couldn't get ahead of it, so off to the ER we went. Annie took the little girls while Brent rushed home to meet Liesel's bus. Looking back at these pictures, it appears pretty traumatic but in all honesty, this isn't our first time at the rodeo, unfortunately. 

I grabbed Ireland's medical binder and a soft blanket from home. Hospital blankets are kind of an oxymoron and I hoped the familiar smell would quell her nerves. This is the first time Ireland has had an IV and she handled it like a champ. As we moved from the ER to the Peds Unit, word of her bravery spread. No kidding, she was better at getting an IV than I ever was! They pumped her little body full of drugs. Damn I hate needles! Somehow seeing her courage made it even worse for me. Children really are so very resilient. I may be scarred for life, but Ireland was just fine.

After a couple of hours, we were off for x-rays. I thought the "street signs" were rather clever.

Our radiology tech was very cool. I loved his tattoos and thought they were so perfect for someone who works in a hospital. He graciously let me take a pic. Films showed a touch of pneumonia and since they didn't know if it was viral or bacterial, they put her on antibiotics just in case and she was put in isolation. Again, that sounds really dramatic but just means anyone coming into the room had to wear gloves and a mask.

It didn't take long for Ireland to get sick of the poking and prodding and constant questions (which were all the same). She was happy to have cable and the Disney Channel was basically her best friend for 3 days. I spent my time giving friends and family updates, writing down which Dr was on rotation and what medicines she was being given, ordering meals, keeping the room tidy, taping up pictures, closing the blinds when she seemed sleepy, cuddling with her while trying to avoid all the tubes... just being her mom really. The first night of sleep was anything but. Anytime Ireland rolled around (which she does A LOT), it would tug on the pulse oximeter and sound an alarm. If I didn't get to her fast enough, it would alert the nurse's station. She had to have neb treatments every couple of hours which the Dr insisted on even when I requested they skip one to let her rest.

Brent was able to stop by a couple of times so he could give her a blessing and boost her spirits. Thankfully he was there when they placed the second IV so I could step out of the room. Her initial IV had closed up so when they tried to flush the vein with saline solution, it created a huge lump in the crook of her little arm. That was probably the most painful part of the whole stay for her. Again, she handled it like a champ.

The mix of medications gave Ireland a UTI so we spent a fair amount of time in the bathroom. The poor girl was SO uncomfortable! I could tell she was getting frustrated with the tubes we had to manage. This sign on the back of the door made me laugh. Don't fall, and don't do the high jump or limbo either!

By the second and third day, Ireland was a pro at working her own nasal cannula. The last time she was hospitalized, she kept knocking it out so we had to settle for putting a mask near her face to get her the oxygen she needed. This might sound silly, but I was crazy proud she mastered it. I was hoping we could go home after the first night but her saturation levels kept dropping below 90% so we had to settle for very slowly weaning her off. She slept the second night without any oxygen and was able to keep her saturation levels up.

They covered up her second IV with gauze and we joked it was her Michael Jackson glove. My ultra-Michael-Jackson-fan sister Reagan said he wore it to symbolize the suffering of children... something like that.

The two times Brent visited, he brought fresh clothes and underwear for us, food, toys, books, pictures and well-wishes from the girls. He brought Brigitta's cape. He said she asked him to take it to Ireland so it would give her super powers to be healed. When I later told Whitney, she said she had actually gotten the pattern from a woman who makes these capes for the Seattle Children's Hospital. It was so perfect because it covered up her little bum where the gown opened. Here she was looking out the window (she was SO ready to go home!) and the air conditioning was blowing the cape a bit. She really is my little hero for her wonderful attitude during our time in the hospital!

At one point the wiry but cheerful chaplain stopped by to say a prayer with us. He prayed for Ireland, he prayed for me, he prayed for the doctors and he prayed for healing. I loved listening to his accent and when he finished I asked where he was from and he said Nigeria. As luck would have it, I was reading a book my mother edited while they served their mission in South Africa so we talked about that and the beauties of Africa. When the chaplain heard they were missionaries, he lit up and told me during his prayer he felt he should pray for "this missionary mom" but stopped himself. As he left our room, he shook his finger at me and laughed, "I KNEW you were a missionary!"

We were completely inundated with well-wishes for little Ireland. Although it wasn't an ideal situation, it really brought out how very loved and adored this little girl is. The Rogers sent her a pink puppy which she immediately dubbed "Pinkie" and goes with her just about everywhere. As I posted these pictures on Instagram and in text messages, I received so many sweet comments in return. When Sunday rolled around, we kept Ireland home. She was doing just fine-she literally skipped out of the hospital-but we wanted to be sure. We had already planned to have a Sunday Sundae party with a few friends that evening and honestly, we needed to bring some laughter and joy back into the house so we went ahead with it. Ireland's friend Brook snuck upstairs, gave Ireland this note from their Sunday School teachers the Miccolises and gave her a mini-lesson so she wouldn't miss out. By the end of the night, most of the kids had made their way onto her bed and were happily chatting away.

Phew! I'm so glad this latest episode is over. I'm grateful asthma is something Ireland will eventually grow out of and that it's so easily treatable. I'm grateful for Ireland's positive attitude and her strength. I'm grateful for such loving and supportive friends and family- especially those who watched the other girls and brought a meal so Brent could come when we needed him. If it had to happen, I'm glad it happened the way it did. We are seriously so blessed.

Mulching

 Thanks to the generosity of a local member, the youth do a mulching project to raise funds for girls camp, scout camp, high adventures and activities throughout the year. Of course we wanted to support the youth but I was also dying to build up the flowerbeds in front of the house. They were so worn down, the tarps were badly exposed, staying on top of the weeds was getting more and more cumbersome and they just looked sad. When the 5 yards of mulch was dumped in our driveway, I couldn't wait to get started and spent two whole days moving and spreading mulch.

Originally we had huge, overgrown bushes which were ugly, obscured the house and just attracted creatures and trapped dead leaves against the house. I decided to cut them down and see if they could survive as small, decorative bushes. If they did, great, that's what I wanted. If not, I had no qualms about ripping them out and replacing them with something else.

We had enough mulch to not only fill the bed, but to build it up quite a bit so the foundation is completely covered!

The spiders are gone and believe it or not, those bushes have already come back quite nicely. There are a few weeds here and there in the flowerbeds but I can take care of them in an afternoon, nothing like before. 

The mulch also helps to keep the suckers growing at the base of our trees down. I know there is still some dirt on the pathway in the picture below, but trust me it looks SO much better than it did! I could barely move for a few days from all the shoveling, heavy lifting and stooping I did. The little girls were thrilled to get extra playtime outside while I worked.

Our plan is to mulch the backyard next year and then alternate front and back yards after that. I'm so excited with what a difference the mulch made this year, I can't wait to tackle our jungle of a backyard next year!