Keeping Portland Weird

Before we even landed in Portland, we were met with this spectacular view. That's Mount Hood in front and if you look carefully, right under the wing is Mount St. Helens way in the background. 

This might be the best view I've seen from a plane window... EVER!

 We were pleasantly surprised to find our rental minivan was new and had a dvd player in it! As luck would have it, I had some Target gift cards in my wallet, so we stocked up on a few new movies we didn't own yet. Given the hours and hours we spent in the car, it was downright dreamy, although we purposely turned it off during the particularly picturesque parts of our journey.

 I really try to avoid national food chains when I travel so weeks ago I researched a few places around Portland, ran them by Brent, and we settled on Por Que No for lunch. The food was yummy and the portions on the smaller side, which was really nice. We couldn't take leftovers with us and we didn't feel obligated to eat a huge meal to avoid waste.

A sign we're in the Pacific Northwest! Versions of this are all over.

The cherry on top of our time in Portland was meeting up with Whitney and Tim for the day. The girls are rather fond of Tim. They kind of mauled him when they spotted him and clamored for hugs and kisses.

Aunt Whitney is a favorite too. 

They also got to meet their sweet, new, golden retriever, Dakota. 

 We headed through the stunning Columbia River Gorge to Multnomah Falls. Because I was driving, I don't have any pictures of the gorge but it really was just stunning. There were so many people at the falls the closest parking lot was full so we ended up taking the scenic loop to another parking lot.

Thanks to Pinterest, I've been wanting to see these falls for quite a while. That bridge partway up is so charming!

Having Whitney and Tim along was handy not just to have ready photographers, but because we always have a good time!

I couldn't spend a lot of time on the actual bridge because the rushing water beneath my feet made my stomach turn. 

This hollowed out tree along the trail had just enough room for the girls!

Let's get a closer look at those sweet faces...

After getting good and sweaty hiking up the falls, we headed for some ice cream at Salt & Straw. Oh my YUM!!!! This place definitely lived up to the hype. I've heard the lines can be horribly long but we walked right up to the counter and even had plenty of time to sample tiny spoonfuls of flavors like honey lavender and pear & blue cheese. Here Sydney is savoring the double fold vanilla. I'm not usually a fan of vanilla but I could have happily snacked on that all day long!

 We tried a variety of flavors and hands down our favorite was Brigitta's choice- lemon blueberry. Instead of whining and being annoyed that everyone kept stealing a taste, Brigitta was really proud of the fact she'd discovered the family favorite. As we headed to the car, the line was winding out the door. Our timing could not have been more perfect!

The last thing I wanted to do in Portland was to stop by the temple. My last mission companion is from Portland and she would dreamily describe the beauties of the Portland temple. I thought it would be similar to the Chicago temple since the general shape is the same but I was surprised to find it's huge! The evergreen trees and all the flowers made the air smell divine.

Here's a picture from lds.org:

We didn't stop at the Visitor's Center for long but everyone needed to use the restroom so there was a bit of shuffling. The senior missionary couple in there was SO cute! There was a really cool display of Books of Mormon in all the available languages. If you waved it in front of a cabinet, it read Moroni 10: 3-5 in that language while the words appeared on a screen. Whitney told me the first language the Book of Mormon was translated into was Danish (I guessed Spanish). Now and again the tidbits Whitney learned while serving her mission in Palmyra, NY at the church history sites comes out and I love it. I was really struck with the Spirit and even though I hadn't planned it, I was so happy the girls could feel that familiar feeling despite being far from home. It was a good reminder for me that if I seek the gospel, I will always be "home".

The fountains on the temple grounds are so beautiful and of course the girls loved dipping their hands in the cool water. Dakota didn't mind getting a quick drink either.

The doors are so pretty! I'm crazy about those carved stars. I had to get a picture of Liesel in front of them.

Walking the grounds and letting the girls touch the temple was the perfect end to our day in Portland. I know we had a rather random mix of stuff in our itinerary, but Portland likes things weird, so it was oddly fitting.

We said goodbye to Whitney, Tim and Dakota and headed south to meet our friends at the beach house in Waldport.

Getting There from Here- A Guideline to Traveling with Children

Rule #1- Luck Favors the Prepared

Our trip to the Oregon coast, down through the Redwood National Park and finally to San Francisco was quite the challenge from a packing perspective. We had a variety of activities (sight seeing, hiking, church, swimming, etc.) in a variety of climates (cool, hot, rainy, dry, windy, etc.) and a variety of locales (city, forest, beach and hours upon hours of travel time in cars and planes). I've never been one to open a suitcase and just start throwing stuff in, but for this trip I had everything meticulously packed 3 days before we left. That's when the laundry was caught up and there were the greatest number of clothing possibilities. 

Every day had a complete outfit for each girls (including underwear and if needed, socks) which I rolled up (prevents wrinkles, minimizes space) and placed in the suitcase based on how soon it was needed. Every morning I handed each girl her roll of clothing for the day without digging around to find a top to match a bottom or to find clean underwear... it was all right there. After 5 days, I did a massive amount of laundry and redid the rolls. It worked beautifully. Their travel outfit was layers so they were warm enough taking off from O'Hare but able to shed a hoodie and cool off in just their tank top when we were in Portland.

My obsession with matching... and personalization laid bare.

As for the stuff... ya know, the toys and games and stuff everyone wants to bring along, I made it standard. Everyone had a travel pillow, a doll, headphones and a fidget spinner. We have two tablets and with our phones it was enough to keep everyone occupied during down time. Even though it felt like those pillows kicked around a lot, I'm really glad we had them. The girls napped so much better on the plane and in the car than they would have without them. It was also nice for them to have something that was just theirs as they shared beds and blankets throughout the trip.


Rule #2- Leave the House Spotless

If a vacation is amazing, returning home to a mess is just depressing. If a vacation is a complete bust, returning home to a mess is just plain cruel. And no matter what kind of a vacation it was, you will be tired. SO tired!!! When I'm traveling with the kids, I always find I need a "vacation from the vacation" once I'm home. Not having to worry about piles of dishes, mounds of dirty clothes, or sticky messes is pretty much the nicest thing I can do for myself.

Keeping the house clean during the summer when all the girls are home is kind of like trying to breath through a very long straw while deep sea diving. I mean, maybe it can be done, but it's nigh impossible. It took me a solid week to get the house into good order before departing for the airport. Once an area was successfully deep cleaned, it was off limits to the girls (and if I'm being honest, sometimes Brent, too). Eventually the girls shared our bathroom and I kept squeezing them into bed with each other. In a way it was good preparation for the tight quarters we would be working with as we traveled. The night before we left, they were bathed so not too much need for a bathroom and everyone had to sleep in Brigitta and Ireland's room. It warmed the cockles of my heart to find them the next morning all crammed into just one bed.

Still not sure how they managed this one. Ireland kicks like a catatonic ninja in her sleep and Liesel likes her space (as you can see).

We ran one last load of dishes right after dinner so we wouldn't walk out of the house with any water running. BAD idea if you are going away on vacation!


Rule #3 Dress the Kids in Matching Outfits

This one is a biggie for me. A lot of people think I dress the girls alike because it's charming or cute and that's definitely partly why I do it. But the real reason I do it is for safety. When the girls are in matching outfits, it 's easier for Brent and I to spot them in a crowd of people. Having them dressed alike also draws a lot of attention from others. Liesel is ADD and therefore easily distracted while Brigitta is a runner; It doesn't take long for someone to be lagging or lost. The matching outfits send an unspoken message that these kids are supposed to be together. Time and again complete strangers have helped us gather a wayward girl because they were so noticeable as a group. Any child predators would have to think twice about targeting one of the girls because they so clearly belong together and so many eyes are on them.

My favorite corridor of O'Hare.

A side benefit I've found of dressing the girls in matching outfits is people are generally kinder to us in regards to the girls. If Sydney has a melt-down, I'm not as likely to get the sidelong glances and pursed lips. I'm not entirely sure why, but I can tell you without a doubt it's true. It also makes me happy to see so many people smile when they spot the girls and count them up. "All girls?" "Any twins?" "What are their ages?" We connected with so many fellow travelers, which can be surprisingly rare in this day and age.

Rule #4 Manage Your Expectations.

Travel demands a lot of the average adult with changes in time zones, uncomfortable seats, waiting in long lines then rushing to get to where you need to go and just the general bureaucracy of it all. While a little one might be somewhat oblivious to all that, when they hit their breaking point, it's a point of no return.

A couple of weeks before we left, Brent and I worked different aspects of travel into our casual conversations with the girls. There's no way we could cover absolutely everything, but we didn't want to just throw them into the situation either. Not only did we remind them about what flying would be like, but we reminded them over and over we would be on the plane and in the car for a long, long, looong time.

Once we arrived at the airport, we had the older two take charge of finding security, departure gates, restrooms, baggage claim and even the rental counter. We spent some time in front of the Arrival/Departure screens and showed them how every airport has clocks to show local time. Liesel and Ireland relished the responsibility and it made them more aware of their surroundings as they read signs and navigated corridors.

Brent and I agreed to not fall into the trap we see so often on The Amazing Race where we waste time annoyed and/or screaming at each other when we needed to focus on the task at hand. That may sound silly- to agree to not fight- and maybe it's a fault in the way we handle traveling with kids, but agreeing beforehand to have each other's back made a difference when it came down to it.

Sydney on our layover at Dallas-Fort Worth. She insisted on having that hoodie up the whole time.

Rule #5 Do It

As complicated as it is to travel with children, I'm a strong believer in the benefits. Seeing new places, visiting friends and family, and exploring this amazing earth we live on is an education that can't be attained any other way. I spend so much of the time leading up to a vacation steeling myself for every scenario that can go awry that I tend to only think about surviving it to the best of my ability. Throughout the vacation as we make memories and then afterwards when we reminisce are moments that are just so precious to me.

Ireland is familiarizing herself with the safety information cards. Ha!

It's not easy, but it's well worth it!

Hometown

We've had another great visit to Iowa City this summer! Glancing back through photos, I'm kind of stunned with all we managed to cram into our days, but it was well worth it. 

The girls went to swimming lessons and Liesel saw a dramatic improvement. I'm guessing all the running she did for Girls on the Run helped increase her lung capacity, because there was a marked difference.

This was Sydney's first year of swimming lessons without Mom in the water and she just loved her classes. While the girls swam, I went outside and ran around the neighborhood and enjoyed a little time to myself.

Before heading to Utah to watch Matthew and Katrina's kids while they vacationed abroad, Mom and Dad were working on their Model A. They'd come across some glitches but were able to iron some of them out, so the girls got to have a little ride.

We visited the Iowa Children's Museum, where the girls tried their hand at working in the field of medicine.

This video cracks me up. Ireland would probably make an effective doctor, but I'm betting she'd get sued a lot.

For the record, I was trying to use some reverse psychology there because the girls always make a BIG to do about their shots. I was surprised to find Ireland had such little empathy about the whole thing when she was on the doctor side of it! Fail.

Then the girls tried their hand in the field of aeronautics. Brigitta crashed her flight simulator half a dozen times. She really kamikazed it too- diving straight for the ground like that was her goal in life!

Mom and Dad had raved about a restaurant called Cheddars and their salmon so we finally tried it.

We are big fans of salmon in this family... too bad it's so expensive!

We were able to stop by and visit with some cousins. Harley Belle is pretty much the sweetest girl on the planet and the girls adore her.

She's at an age where she could easily be too independent or too cool for these younger cousins but she's always right there with them.

 Harley is a doll, I tell you. My brother's property is such a cool place too. Sadly we missed him, but I'm so glad I could visit with my sister-in-law.

We found ourselves downtown a lot where we went to the library, bought caramel apples, played at the play land and ate at our favorite noodle place- Z'mariks. Even though we return to Iowa City regularly, there's always something new like this sweet bike rack:

Another newish place Brent and I tried a few visits back is Zombie Burger. I just had to go one more time before the girls and I headed back to Chicago.

 I opted for The Walking Ched which is a burger with deep fried mac n cheese as the buns. It was crazy good but is meant to be eaten by a small village, not one person. There's also a Centipeach shake I really love... and the girls did too. They saved me a lot of calories by drinking most of mine. Ha!

One afternoon during the witching hours when the girls were driving me crazy, I threw them in a car and went for a drive through Sharon Center. When Brent and I were apart while my parents served their mission, I used to do that a lot. Those lush, rolling hills always help me clear my head and give me strength somehow.

The girls had long overdue haircuts (Sydney's first!)...

...and just for fun, manicures too since they worked so hard during swimming.

The big reason we visited Iowa City was Ireland's annual check-in with her specialist. She's had some reprieve this past year with her asthma. There have actually been some attacks that only needed puffs of her inhaler rather than a regular course of her medicine as well.

She's getting better and better at managing her asthma by notifying me when she's starting to wheeze and avoiding allergens that trigger an attack. This visit was the quickest we've had yet, and I'm hoping that trend continues.

At the end of 2 weeks I was anxious to get home to Brent but I'm grateful for our time in my hometown! See you next summer Iowa City!

City Beautiful

While I was making plans for my annual trip to Iowa City with the girls, I struck up a bargain with Brent. Instead of coming home on the weekend, I'd take the girls to Nauvoo and then attend my home town ward for church on Sunday if he would go through his boxes of crap. With no kids around to mess up his system, and oodles of time, he'd have no excuse NOT to go through it all, right?

Actually, making sure the girls have a connection with Nauvoo is kind of important to me. I went a lot as a kid and of course, Brent and I were married there. I have ancestors who lived, and some who died, there. Getting Brent to cull through his boxes was just a side benefit for me.

We started out in the Visitor's Center to find out what was happening and to grab some free tickets. There are very few sunstones from the original Nauvoo temple that survived intact. Here is one:

There's another one in a Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

I loved watching the girls with the Christus.

 Have I mentioned my dad has seen the original in Denmark? Makes it just a bit extra special to me.

We stopped in the Monument to Women Garden and the girls had fun recreating some of the statues like Woman and Her Talents:

My personal favorite is this one of Joyful Moment:

 I'm obsessed with how those pigtails are flying!

 We took in a few tours like Scovil's Bakery where the girls got a gingerbread girl. 

Brigitta was really intent on that little cookie! When the arm broke off, she'd just lick it and smoosh it back on. Then the head came off and she did the same thing. She tucked it just inside the bodice of her dress to protect it and a couple hours later, finally gave in and ate the darn thing. 

We went to a play called Just Plain Anna Amanda which the girls loved.

See the gingerbread girl on Brigitta's lap? Ha!

The girls learned how to make rope:

Lost of twisting in that process!

We went on a wagon ride where we discovered Ireland, like me, is also allergic to horses.

Afterwards, Liesel begged me to take this picture of her petting one of the horses. We went into the car and I just about scratched my eyes out. Ireland was a little miserable there for a while too.

At the blacksmith shop, each of the girls picked out a "prairie diamond" which is basically a nail pounded into a ring. 

Oh man, Gita was kind of obsessed with that thing too. She loves jewelry and was SO happy to have a ring on her finger at the end of the day!

All the things I've mentioned so far are things I visited when I was a kid. There's something new called Pioneer Pastimes where the girls could dress up and play. This was hands down their favorite part of our trip to Nauvoo. They loved the costumes:

Getting to play house:

Playing with pioneer era tools like this milkmaid's yoke:

On the drive home they talked about Pioneer Pastimes more than anything else we'd seen. We are definitely going to have to do that one again.

Before heading out of town, we stopped by the temple grounds.

We headed back to Iowa City pretty exhausted from a very full day. Brent told me that night he'd thrown away a huge trash bag of old papers. Win-win!