Charlie Turns 9!

COVID cases in Johnson County have exploded since the University of Iowa students have returned to campus this week so 5 months into this pandemic we are still having to take precautions. We rented an inflatable waterslide and let Charlie invite a few friends over for her party. 

Hand Sanitizer as a centerpiece. So 2020. 

My cousin got married on Charlie's birthday so we did a quick trip to Keosauqua. Grandma made it worth her while with brownies and we ordered Misty's for dinner. 

9 YEAR OLD BIRTHDAY INTERVIEW

Q: What is your favorite color?

A: Blue and Purple.

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: Pancheros or Chick Fil-A.

Q: Who is your best friend?

A: Julia

Q: What is your favorite thing to do?

A: Watch YouTube, make bracelets, dance.

Q: What is your favorite song?

A: No Excuses by Meghan Trainor or Savage Love by Jason Derulo.

Q: What is your favorite treat?

A: 3 Muskateers or Gobstoppers

Q: What is your favorite drink?

A: Starbucks Pink Drink

Q: What is your favorite show or movie?

A: Cheer Squad on Netflix. A Second Chance.

Q: What is your favorite toy?

A: I don't really use toys a lot. Dolls?

Q: What is your favorite thing to do with your family?

A: Watching Movies with Mommy popcorn and going to Grandma's with everybody.

Q: Where is your favorite place to go?

A: My friend's houses, Starbucks, and Grandma's. 

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: Dog Man

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: A dance teacher.

Q: Are there any other things you want to tell me about being nine? 

What are you excited about?
A:  Sometimes you have to be 9 and up so when you're older you can do more.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about school?
A: Math and Recess.*
*At the time of this interview, Charlie had not been in school for 5 months due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Derecho

Derecho: a line of intense, widespread, and fast-moving windstorms and sometimes thunderstorms that moves across a great distance and is characterized by damaging winds. The term "Derecho" was coined by a professor at The University of Iowa in the late 1800s. 

Well, 2020 delivers another blow. Monday was a nice sunny day. We were under an advisory for intense storms but nothing out of the usual. By 11:30 a.m. the weather sirens were going off. The kids and I were in the kitchen making lunch and by 12:15 I instructed them to head to the basement. The wind was strong and the power went out. We stayed in the basement for about 45 minutes and when we emerged from the basement we found that a tree in our front yard was snapped, a small section of shingles had blown off our roof and leaves were down everywhere. Turns out our damage was minimal compared to those in the Cedar Rapids area. We would later learn that the storm was the equivalent of a category 2 hurricane with 112 MPH wind gusts. We were without power for about 16 hours but many people have continued to be without power for more than a week. There have been gas and ice shortages and a severe lack of assistance to those in Cedar Rapids. Scott's parent's house sustained considerable damage. 

Shingles and downed tree in our front yard. 

A downed tree in our backyard. 

Will "helping" hatchet a tree at Grammy and Papa's. 

Papa giving the girls a lift. 

Gas line, 7 cars deep at Costco. 

Damage to our marina. Our boat had no damage but the dock next to ours lost its roof. 

A tree came through Grammy and Papa's roof. 

Insulation all over the house. 

 

Family Date Night

Family date night is one of my favorite summer activities! Everyone gets dressed up and we go downtown for dinner. This year we had to make a few concessions for COVID: dining outside and wearing masks when walking around town. But, a fun night out nonetheless!  

Iowa Chop House

Adventureland

COVID parenting. Ugh. Never quite sure what the right call is. Evy was invited to Adventureland with a group of friends. I wasn't sure but we decided to go for it. I think it was good for the kids to get to spend time together having fun - that has certainly been on short supply the past few months. 

Evy's crew of friends. They were allowed to go through the park on their own. A first for them. 

Charlie and I hung with the younger siblings and moms. 

Charlie talked me into going on the Tornado. YIKES!

Money well spent (eye roll) on carnival prizes. 

After the other families left Charlie, Evy and I hung around and did a few more rides and ate some more junk! What a fun day for the girls! 

 

That's a Wrap on T-Ball

Will and the Chihuahuas wrapped up their season with another win! Ok, so no one kept score so there wasn't actually a winner. Will did a great job smacking the ball of the T. He was also able to field and throw the ball great. I was the assistant coach for the season and got a kick out of all the kids. Nice work Chihuahuas! 

 

Trip to Guttenberg

Scott and the kids had a fun trip to Guttenberg. There was lots of eating and water sports and fun!