Surprise of a Lifetime

It's the time of year when we all thank our stars above and count our blessings for the incredible moments and people that surround us every day. And after this past weekend, I am beyond grateful.

Now, let me back it up just a little for you. Shortly after moving back to Cedar Rapids, I caught up with some of my best girlfriends...

It started just as dinner, and ended a little crazy, but the best part of the night was a booked trip for Trisha and I to New York. Yep! Little did the hubby's know, they were set for a weekend with the kids. Alone. Of course, there was a little planning on our end... when should we go, how long should we stay, what was too much to pay for airfare, can I get the time off work... oh, and should we tell Kendra we're coming?

The emails started flying, and her hubs was on board with the plan. We were booked for a weekend getaway in upstate New York, the spa reservations were in place, and Kendra knew nothing of it. C'mon, what could be more fun than your two college roommates showing up on your doorstep after not seeing each other for 4 years? Right, and so we waited for two months, patiently stirring plans, thinking it through and doing everything in our power to not have conversation with Mrs. Rossetti.

Finally, Friday morning came and I picked Trish up at 5 a.m. to board the plane. Still unsure what we'd do once we arrived in New York, we took advantage of the fact that it was just Trish and I. A day without two husbands and five kids. Done. We were ready to rent a car and live it up!

We waited in line at Budget Car Rental, and they set us up with a Ford Fiesta. Rolling high was not our biggest priority, so out we strolled to the parking lot, popped the trunk to gage the space for our shopping bags, and BAM! the ungodly stinch of rotten-old-lady-perfume rolled out of the car. It was terrible enough that Trish stompped right back inside to let them know a new car was a must.

We swapped it out for a new car that stunk just as bad, got lost on the expressway because we were too busy in coversation instead of focusing on the Navigation Winch, bought enough pairs of shoes that we considered paying to check an extra bag on the way home, searched for Fungus Fix for my toenail that popped off, enforced the zapping of coupons off our phones in every store, drank way too many Starbucks, got giddy and anxious, thought about picking up drinks and snacks on our way (but we were too late), still made time for a make-up touch-up, snapped a picture quick and went knocking on Kendra's front door at 5:15 p.m.

Roughly twelve hours after leaving our house that morning and there we were, ready to yell SURPRISE when she opened the door! We scurried our bodies as close to the front of the house as we could, so that we wouldn't be in sight from the picture window. And after the third door bell ring and fourth knock, no one was coming to let us in... We laughed a lot while standing out on her porch, before finally texting Lou to open up.
He came to our rescue and led us to the basement where Kendra was playing with her precious 2-year-old little man, Owen, whom we had yet to meet.  As we tip-toed down the basement stairs, she had her back to us, and no one said a word. Then, Trish tapped her shoulder, and we watched her reaction as she turned around....

It was pretty crazy to say the least! Poor girl didn't know what to say. She was stunned, and rightfully so. After 4 years of calling, texting, and facebooking, we were in her home 850 miles away, unannounced. And from there, the weekend continued full of laughs, memories, and moments that I will treasure for eternity.
Owen made friends with us quickly; he fed me grapes and helped us decide what to drink right away! And we even had the opportunity to attend his last soccer drill practice of the season.

We spent Saturday afternoon at Spa Del Monte taking in deep tissue massages, hot apple cider, fresh fruit, pop culture updates from US and People (which may not mean much to those of you without kids hanging on your side all evening long!), and amazing showers with five jet streams of hot water blasting all around my body (okay, so the shower was my favorite part!).

We shopped some more, because seriously, the selection of stores is much beyond the Cedar Rapids offerings. And then we dressed up and headed out for some amazing metropolitan cuisine at Next Door Bar and Grill, tasteful dessert at Good Luck, and a few glasses of wine out.

Of course, our three days together passed by way too fast, but there is nothing that I'd change if I had the opportunity. It has made me realize that there is never a length of time too long to not rekindle. While I often find myself promising to never take for granted my husband, kids, and family, all too often I forget about those I don't get to see and talk to every day. This trip was proof of so much. The chance to be together, the way we picked up where we left off years ago, the comfort that we still have in being together, the lives that we want to share but feel we can't because of distance, and the realization that these two girls bring some of the deepest laughs to my soul.

And to think that it was all a surprise! In Trisha's words, "We are pretty cool."

Crappy quality, but I love the photo.

Ah, nuts!

It's been 2 1/2 years since we learned the hard way that Miss Alayna's little bod couldn't handle peanut butter. I remember sitting at my parents, on Memorial Day 2009, and watching her lips swell until they were touching her nose, eyes nearly close, and body slowly become covered with hives. We reacted quickly that day with Benadryl and prayed that nothing would swell on the inside of her precious mouth. The months following consisted of needle pricks and blood tests until we got the confirmation that she had an allergy to peanuts. It was hard to determine if she'd live with it for the rest of her many years, or how severe it really was. And after lots of reading and research, the suggestion was that we steer clear of any product of the nut family.

She has since had outbreaks of hives from amoxicyllin and other random items. And we've dealt with it until a couple weeks ago. I picked her up from school on Friday and once again she was covered in welts from her neck to her toes. Benadryl finally kicked in after an hour, and even then it took two doses to clear her up. The school and I investigated every piece of what she ate that day, and couldn't make the connection.

We decided then to have her fully examined by a local allergist. On Tuesday, we spent two hours determining what the best step was for her, and decided to perform a skin test. Look at this peanut just minding her own business while we talked about the situation.

Before pricking her with 44 different allergins to identify her sensitivity, the doctor warned us that many kiddos get pretty worked up during the process. So, I held her tight in my arms, and the test was quick. And what did she do? She GIGGLED!!! She thought the pricking on her back was someone tickling her! The nurse was shocked, and with just a few stickers and a blue sucker, she waited 20 minutes for the reactions to take place.

Happily for Jar and I, we learned that she is only allergic to peanuts. Whew! A relief really.
The Doc also fed us Peanut Allergy 101, which was eye-opening.

• Grocery items produced near peanuts are not clear for her.
• Just because a food is safe one day, doesn't mean that it's okay the next time you shop. Often brands will change the factory where food is produced to (or from) a peanut-free factory.
• Therefore, every label needs to be evaluated, every time you shop.
• Only 15% of children will grow out of a peanut allergy compared to 85% who grow out of other food allergies.
• Your immune system completely shifts every 7 years, so she should have a full skin test at least that often to be knowledgable of new allergy sensitivites.
• We should have an action plan at the school in case she comes in contact with peanuts.

So, we have our work cut out for us to keep her healthy. Like I've said before though, there are a million other diseases, sicknesses, problems, and scares that we could be dealing with. We are blessed that it's just peanuts.

Makin' Mama Happy

The other day, Jarin and his buddy Jon were arguing about at what age the kids would have cell phones. Jon guaranteed by 3rd grade it'd happen. No way! For Pete's sake, it was just this week that I finally, for the first time, have wireless internet in the house. And Cade will have a cell phone in three years? I'll be the first to admit that my kids whiz right through my phone screens and have games loaded before I would be able to. We are a techno-saavy world with loads of opportunities to connect through machines. And so maybe that is a perfect justification as to why I've been feeling disconnected since the move... until now that is.

So, I spent tonight catching up on Miss Kati Davis' blog, which she composes with the simplest of stories, highest of skill, deepest of truth, and best of laughs. Really, just click on the link to check it out. She puts this little family blog to shame, but hey, it's been rolling now for almost four years, so I might as well keep plugging away.{Plus, Kati did admit one day that she was inspired to start her own from reading this thing (and millions of others blogs, I'm sure.)} Anyway, the story goes that four years of writing includes the transition between three cities, three homes, completion of a master's degree, a few birthday celebrations, the birth of a child, and two jobs ... all that I've chosen to share. And in the end, the best stories have been those with pictures, videos, and memories. So, now that we're connected again, let's keep it rolling!

-------------------------------------

October 1 we moved into a new, beautiful home. This is more than Jarin and I could have ever dreamed of. I really feel that the move was perfectly flawless, the house is spectacular, the kids have fit right into the neighborhood, and mom is loving it all. I remember growing up, my dad would say, "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." It's kinda telling. And I'm happy.

We're taking our time with hanging pictures and decorating, but furniture was first on the list. Me and the hubby took a day-long road trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart (which is about the only thing that NE is good for) and came home thousands in debt and nothing to show for it. Thankfully, the fillings for the home were delivered last Tuesday, and all fits well and looks appropriate. I'm proud to say that it only took 6 days for the kids to give the dining set a true Hansen welcome. The gorgeous table top is now gauged and scratched in numerous places. Good for them, table runners are in.

Then we were on to window treatments. Unfortunately, it's hard to pick out ugly blinds to cover beautiful natural light. But, thanks to the great people at MAKA Blind, I think we chose something that will be appealing. Only 3 more weeks until they arrive, and until then we're living with the acordian-syle, paper, temporary ones.

Stay tuned for more pictures. And as for tonight, it's a pretty good feeling to sit in bed, watch the news, eat jalepeno popper dip, and be connected. Ah, the luxury of our own home!

The End.

And it's a wrap.
Summer is coming to a close, we're putting a cover on the pool, packing our backpacks, and prepping for the football season. Wow. In the last six weeks, we have experienced so much fun together, and I can't be more thankful to have had the chance to transition with the kids.

As we enter into the final week of my time away from a full-time career, I have to smile when I see these pictures. It's been an awesome summer!

The kids have really become strong swimmers. They started with life jackets, afraid of being splashed, and now I witness them swim across the pool -- under water! -- with goggles and no life jacket! It's sure made me jump out of my chair more than a couple times!!

We made it out to one Kernels game, since we we've been back. It was a hot one, but the kids got a picture with Shucks, so it made it all worth it!

Miss Ella Bella (our little cousin) came to play with us one afternoon ... we rode bikes, went on wagon rides, washed the car (and every bike we could find in the garage!), took turns swinging, swam in the pool, and ate lots of yummy snacks together!

Then we were lucky enough to have our friends from Davenport come visit! They just relocated to the CR area too, and we are so excited to spend more time with Chase and Ella!

One of my most memorable moments from the last few weeks as been the musical talent shows that the kiddos have been performing. It's hysterical to watch Cade get so ingrained in the guitar. I'm sure it won't be long until the little dude will be wanting lessons! And Little Lou Lou... if she isn't the center of attention! Although she knows plenty of songs, she seems to sing nonsense each time. Check it out!

She might need to work a little on her footwork, though!

 

And to think that these pictures lead us to today. To the first week of school. Cade is in kindergarten now, and he's already asking if he can ride his bike to school. So much for the tough transition. He's been a champ. Mom on the other hand... it's tough. I think back to him being only 5 lbs, laying in the palm of my hand, crying with hope that he'd be okay. Now, look at him. Ready for all the amazing adventures ahead of him. He'll be amazing in this new chapter.

Teaching Moments

I typically consider myself to have pretty concrete parenting skills. But the fact is, I'm looking for advice with this post. So, for all you moms and dads with kids older than mine... help!

Issue #1... Cleaning up the Potty Mouth
We've hit the milestone with the kids, where they are repeating ev-er-y-thing we say. Seriously. Some of the cute things are when Cade exclaims with excitement, "oh man!!," "oh yeah!," "for real?," or "really?" But then he adopted some of (his father's) road rage as he was driving on the interstate with Nana, yelling, "damn semi!" Yep, he said it. And Nana did not know what to say! So, she kept driving, thinking that if she ignored it, he wouldn't catch on.

I thought, okay, not bad. He's five. And truthfully, there are a million other four-letter words that he could have said. And to be honest, on the side, Rhonda and I even giggled about it. But then there was Alayna reading books with Grandma one night this week. It was a Max and Ruby hide-and-seek book where she was to flip the flaps in search of one of the characters. As I was chatting it up with Papa in the next room, I hear her shouting, "frickin girl! where is that frickin girl!?!?!" Now, this time my ears perked. She's three and full of naughtiness, but I was not expecting that!

Issue #2... Explaining Appropriate Personal Touching
It doesn't matter where we are, what we're doing, or who we're with... the boy is touching, feeling, and playing with his thing-a-ma-jig ALL THE TIME!!! It's awful, as a mom. I've asked him quietly, ignored it (then it just happens for a longer period of time), slapped his hand away, given him the look, and frankly asked 'what's wrong?'.

And, there is a part of me telling him that it's okay to touch in private, but not when others can see him. Really!?! What am I saying?!?! He's five!! Dad has tried the conversations, and redirected him; Papa has noticed and abruptly tells him to stop. But it's like habit now! Some times I think it's just nerves. Ugh.
I guess it's not so bad that Alayna just bites her finger nails, after all.

We Did 7 in '11

Okay, so most of us did 7 in '11... and then others (don't worry Jar, I won't mention any names) totally bailed! It was my third year running the BIX, and must say, I was happy with the run time. Last year, I killed it in 68 minutes, but the cool air and light rain made a difference for sure. This year I came in 3 minutes behind, but at 71 minutes in 100 degree weather, I'll take it!

We started Friday night with a slumber party at the empty house before the big move. It included painting nails, girl talk, and even a couple beers.

 The best part, is that this run was with my two cousins, aunt, and sis... talk about a little Skala-butt-kickin!

And it was the first big run for my sis and I together. When we hit the midpoint, we joined hands and turned the corner together. A pretty neat sensation to tackle this accomplishment hand in hand. It's not just seven miles... it's seven horrendous miles of hills.

This was me, running at mile 5, about ready to die. Maybe I was excited about the guy running behind me?

After the race, we enjoyed a little chilled brewski. (Thanks ma!) And, for fun, check out the redneck koozie I had...

When we returned to the house, we met up with the RAGBRAI riders! Congrats to those boys too, riding over 100 miles in the heat. Talk about a stoked crew!

And a super loud shout-out goes to the pops. Just three months ago he received a new hip, learned to not only walk again, but ride. Pretty impressive. We were extremely proud of him.

SAHM: Week 1

Wednesday was my first day as a Cedar Rapidian again. It was a little unnerving packing my mama-mini and unloading it at the 'rents. But as I was making trip after trip to the basement to rearrange closets and the shared bedroom of the kiddos, I noticed a saying on my parents wall. I've read it before, but I never truly embraced it until that moment...

Thanks mom and dad for allowing my family a stopping point. This transition shouldn't last long, but it'll definitely help in making sure that our future decisions are thoroughly considered. For now though, I'm living it up!

I posted on Facebook yesterday that I could really get used to this whole SAHM thing. Seriously, it's awesome. Every day, I am waking up my babies at 8:30, letting them stretch out across the bed. We eat breakfast together at our own pace and then head out for the day... always doing something cheap and adventurous. (Remember, I'm technically not employed full-time until Sept 6th.)

The fun started Thursday night when we had tickets to the Jason Aldean concert at the Jones County Fair (thanks again mom and pop). I rolled up my jean shorts and added some super cute cowgirl boots, and spent the night with my awesome sis and her hubs, screaming My Kinda Party!

I love this girl!!

The beer line was long, so we stocked up...

 Okay, so it completely down poured on us, but I was the happiest, wettest cowgirl there, I swear!

Friday morning began with McDonald's in the car... Alayna ate the large fry!

And then we cruised down I-80 to Adventureland. For those of you who haven't enjoyed the excitement to be found in Iowa, you should really check it out. It is a steal of $25 per person to get in, and with a three- and five-year old, we aren't looking for Disney or Six Flags. This year was a big milestone as Alayna topped 36" and could pretty much do all kids rides and even some other favorites, like the log ride. (Did I mention that she was even free admission at three?!) Cade surpassed the 42" mark and attacked anything his heart desired. Roller coaster after roller coaster, he was going upside down and in circles so fast, it made me puke to watch it. Honestly, the camera couldn't even capture him sitting next to his dad!

The Malone family joined us too (not pictured, obviously.) They are pretty much part of the Skala clan, so it was fun that they could come. Clyder and Blake couldn't make it because of work schedules and our last-minute planning, but it was a fabulously hot day. It also happened to be Mr. Skala's 56th birthday, so we tried to do a little celebrating for the old man. Unfortunately, this is all we had for a birthday cake....

But with a candle in it, and a special delivery from the Little Miss Aly herself, he was very appreciative!

Within just a few days, you can see how spoiled we've been with family. This week, Jar is in Chicago, so it's just me and the kids. We've explored the splash pad, the park, and the swimming pool, made cookies, did a little shopping, and spent some time riding bikes.

I can't get enough of these two and their giggles. I'm truly blessed with how well they play together.

I've also gotten in some totally refreshing runs in preparation for the BIX this weekend. And, we've ran errands, made phone calls to find preschools/daycares, registered for kindergarten, changed addresses, and many other time-consuming tasks that add up when you move.

#1 on my list has been getting DVR for my parents. I can't take this recording on VHS tapes much longer. And last night, mom seriously pulled out the TV Guide. No, I don't mean by hitting the Guide button... I mean, she had the folded, weekly listing hidden in the basket beside the chair. I guess this SAHM deal leaves room to help those in need of a little updating too!

The Whirlwind of Life

In mid-April I sat on my front porch in anxiety for what was to come. I was putting in my notice at work, debating what type of work I would do in Cedar Rapids, reading up on the do's and dont's of for-sale-by-owner, and pulling my kids out of school. We committed to 90 days of this FSBO crap, and that's tough. We spent every weekend at the house cleaning everything from ceiling fans to baseboards, staging it perfectly, and manning our own open houses.

Finally we decided to take a night off to visit some friends in Illinois. We packed the kids and headed out Saturday afternoon, bikes and all. Jenni and Chad lined up a sitter and the four of us enjoyed a little bit of small town Ogelsby. There's no exaggeration there.... Literally, I would venture to guess that I was 13 or younger last time I saw cigarettes in a vending machine!

In the midst of it all, we got the call that someone wanted to see the house at 10 am on Sunday morning. As much as I wanted to inform them that we scheduled the open at 2 pm that day to allow for a wild Saturday night, we did agree to meet them at the house. The morning came quickly, and while Chad ran off to work, Jarin failed to realize our van keys were inside his truck.

I believe this was the moment when our whirlwind began. By the time we got access to our car, we were already 20 min behind schedule. Thankfully, we had two babies who were patient for 1.5 hours in the car, and appreciated Teddy Grahams for breakfast! I had 7 minutes to spare as we pulled in the driveway and the main level still needed vacuumed.

Whew! Time was up and the doorbell rang. A sweet couple walked in with their realtor. Since I am positive that the Coors Light aroma was holding on strong, I allowed the realtor to show her clients through the home. And 35 minutes later they were finally heading back out the door.

Within hours, we were receiving a call to inquire whether we'd be open to paying commission fees. Are you kidding? Our final FSBO open house after more than 12 weeks.... you're darn right we'd entertain that! Thankfully my husband is much more level-headed and answered appropriately. That was last Sunday.... yes, only nine days ago.

Fast forward through an 8-time-volley of offers, a final signed offer only two hours before our FSBO contract expired, two really great job interviews, a farewell party at work that was absolutely perfect, multiple trips to the nasty WalMart, and more than 40 hours of packing boxes, and you have me at today. Exhausted.

But totally stoked! I am sitting now, not on my porch, but in my living room, gazing around these empty walls and remembering all the fun we've had here in the last 4 years. After August 19th, it'll be for someone else to enjoy. And I will be happily placed in Cedar Rapids, near all of our family, with a kindergartener and preschooler, and a husband who loves his job. And me, I will be the new Program Director at Big Brothers Big Sisters, in a whole new whirlwind of life.

It's amazing how it always works out.

FSBO 101

The process of relocating was an idea we had about three months ago and boy it feels like an eternity since that brainiac idea surfaced! We started thinking that we had all the time in the world... we were 110% committed to for-sale-by-owner... we priced the house high (giving wiggle room to come down)... we hooked up with skogman.com and iahomesforsale.com to scope out our dream house in Cedar Rapids... we talked to someone about getting approved for our next mortgage... I passed up my first job offer... I put off researching a preschool for Alayna...

Now, 67 days later we are sitting on our FSBO home, being as stubborn as a man who needs directions. We've reduced the price twice, have had 12 open houses with about 6 families and 2 realtors through the house, buried the St. Joseph statue and prayed like heck, met with a realtor for staging and pricing questions, and **deepbreath** still haven't sold this dang house! I swear, FSBO is the toughest job in America! It feels like complete defeat!

I've learned a lot though. It takes more than removing family portraits from your wall and cleaning the bath tubs. It's time consuming! I've worked like crazy to get in with relocation offices at corporate headquarters, contact realtors, and place ads in the newspaper. And all those little fees keep adding up! We've taken new pictures of the house to keep them fresh, ensured that we always have some kind of "red-sticker" on the web site to draw attention, and aligned our open houses with realtor opens in the neighborhood. Not having a MLS number makes selling challenging, but it would also save us $17,000... so how long does a girl try to hold out?

I quit my job on July 15th, and I can't really explain what it feels like to not have the next phase planned out. It's different than when I was 23 and taking a leap of faith to the big metropolitan, renting a 600 square foot apartment with my boyfriend, and living the dream of not having real responsibility. Now, we've crossed into our 30's, have two children, a house we can't sell, and lack a j-o-b.

So, we're getting roomies, going back to 2-bedroom, 1-bath living quarters, mooching off mom and pop Skala for a couple months. It sounds all so demoralizing, doesn't it? While I'm feeling guilty and full of pity for ourselves, deep inside I'm kind of looking forward to hanging out with mom, letting the kids become overly attached, making dinner every night (got nothing else going on!), and planning our days as a big, happy family. I wonder if my parents are just as eager to have us there? As for Jarin, he has scheduled all of his out-of-state client visits for August, if that says anything.

Wish us luck!

Celebrating 7 years

Seven years ago I remember waking at my mom's house to the tune, "go-ing to the cha-pel and we're... gonna get ma-a-ar-ried!" It was raining that morning, and I had a horse and carriage lined up. Of course, it turned out amazing. I loved my hair, the dress was perfect, my church was peaceful, everyone showed up as planned, and the memories have lasted forever. They are engrained in my mind. Every moment of that day, from grasping my father's arm, to the tears that gently fell as I stood at the alter staring at my soon-to-be husband. And then it was over. The ceremony concluded and we were pronounced man and wife. Okay, for all of you who attended, I understand that it was a long hour of ceremonial Catholic mass.... but in my head it all happened so perfectly. And looking back, seven years later, that was such a short fragment of time to springboard the next chapter of our lives.

Then is was time to celebrate!

To my amazing husband... after just seven years, I feel like you've been a part of my heart forever. You have encouraged me, motivated me and believed in me, and for that I'll be forever grateful. I'll never forget the night before our wedding, when you told me "I'm excited for tomorrow, but I'm even more excited for the next 50 years."

Only 42 more to go, babe!