The Depot

Our neighborhood is not the best neighborhood for biking. There are hills in every direction and you have to cross busy streets to get too far. There are also limited options for somewhere to ride to. The one place the kids love to bike to is the gas station, The Depot. They save their money and spend it on candy. This weekend I joined them on a ride and got to witness their ritual. They park their bikes, put their masks on and head straight for the candy. After they buy the candy they have a specific tree that they sit under while they eat all the candy. Love that they can create these traditions!   

Charlie introduced the group to Hi-Chews so each kid bought their own bag. At $3 per bag I'm not sure it was the wisest choice...

Will showed me how he turns a candy necklace into a candy bracelet so he can easily eat while he rides his bike. 

First Day of In-Person School

 

I wasn't sure if we would ever get here this year but we had our first in-person day of school! Woo-hoo! On September 28 Iowa City Schools started their hybrid program. Students were broken into A and B groups and they split the week each week. A group attends on Monday, Tuesday, and every other Wednesday. Masks are required all day long even at recess. Each of our kids has only about 10 kids in their classroom. Water fountains have been turned off so water bottles are required and kids are eating lunch in their classrooms. But, we are all just excited about the chance to get back into the building. 

All loaded up and heading to drop off!

Evy and her friends. She is super lucky to be in Group A with some very good friends! 

Charlie and her friends - so glad we lucked out with our group assignments. 

Evy is in 6th grade - the big kids in the school -so she was asked to hold up signs for the car line. 

My buddy heading off to kindergarten! He did so great! 

Will's teacher texted me this photo during his first morning. Having fun!

The Last Cruise

 

We took full advantage of the boat this summer and decided to make this one our last cruise - the temperatures are getting cool enough to require sweatshirts and our tow rope broke so we took that as a sign. After we got off the lake we had dinner at Fun Crest - the kids are constantly begging to stop there so it was a great way to wrap up the season. 

First Day of (Online) School

The COVID positivity rate in Johnson County spiked so our school district applied for and received a waiver from the state of Iowa to move school to 100% online. This all happened within 2 weeks of the first day so it was a bit of a surprise twist for us. The kids got up and got dressed just like a typical first day and I forced them to take the usual front step photos. Then, they went back in the house and logged onto their computers. Things were rough and just before Noon we lost power, so did the school and several other neighborhoods around ours. So, we threw in the towel and went out for lunch. My, oh my. What a first day!

First day of 4th grade!

First day of 6th grade!

First day of kindergarten!

Will's desk is the dining room table. 

Charlie is set up at the desk in the kitchen.

Current mood after losing power.

 

Bucket list (ish)

 

I didn't want to add the stress of a bucket list to our summer so we did what we could when we could. One of our favorite summer traditions is renting kayaks and canoes at Lake MacBride and rowing out to the spillway for a little adventure. Since school was delayed by two weeks we were able to fit it a little later than normal. 

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.