Where They Are Now

Now that I'm back from vacation, I wanted to post an update on my kids' daycare! I'm sure everyone remembers the horrible flooding we had back in June that destroyed so many homes and businesses in the communities around here. Though it has been quite a few months, things are far from normal, and in many places will never be the same again. It's sad to know that so many families are still struggling, particularly in the Cedar Rapids area. Close to us, the community of Rochester was heavily affected by the flooding, and you may recall photos I posted of my children's daycare underwater. I realize I should have given an update long ago about what happened after that, so I apologize for my lateness!

After the fruitless attempts at sandbagging, many volunteers showed up to first help move belongings from homes, then clean up the mess afterwards. Some houses have since been torn down, and a few roads remain closed. As it became apparent that the battle against the flood was lost and the family who runs the daycare would be displaced, everyone began trying to come up with solutions for them. Someone found them a place to stay until they were cleared to return home, which they fortunately were able to do recently, since the main floor of the home was not as heavily damaged. The daycare/preschool, however, was housed in the basement, and it was clear they would be unable to return for several months. After working out the details, arrangements were made for the daycare to move temporarily to the fellowship hall at our church. It has worked out wonderfully! They have been there since June, about a week after the flood, and we're excited that they will soon be returning to their newly remodeled daycare in Rochester in October! Everyone has adapted really well, and last week I had the privilege of spending an hour observing and photographing the kids during their day--something I had never done before, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity! I loved seeing my kids interacting with the other kids and participating in the preschool setting. I also really regret not thinking to photograph either of them on their first day at daycare (shame on me!), or getting any photos of them in their daycare setting before it was flooded, so I'm glad to have captured this experience in their lives.

The kids used to have a large carpeted room with a couch and shelves of toys to play with, so this has taken some getting used to. A rug was put down on the linoleum so the kids would have at least some sort of carpeted area to play in, and some of their old toys have been lined up along the wall.


One thing about linoleum, though, is it makes for good "ballroom dancing"...my daughters are big into Cinderella dancing with her prince, so during dress-up time they take advantage of the pretty dresses and have themselves a ball :)


So cute! Better watch that clock, Cinderella!


My nephew recently began attending here as well, when a few kids left for Kindergarten last month


Here I found him hiding in the shoe area where the kids leave their shoes and change to slippers. He and the other younger boy seem to love all the little nooks and crannies in this big room.


My oldest daughter "feeding" the "kitties", who have taken up residence under the table. Gotta love their imaginations!


This day was the birthday of one of the other kids, so they are enjoying the cupcakes brought as a special treat


Look at that messy face!


In addition to being the fellowship hall, this room also serves as a Sunday School room and the area where Children's Church is held, so there is a portable dividing wall that gets moved around to serve each purpose, and each area is decorated for something different. It's a busy place!

One thing that has been really important is keeping the routines. Preschool is held during the morning hours, with "sharing time" every Wednesday. My kids love sharing time, and I can see why. For my daughter's turn, she chose to share her doll and new "baby" bottles.


Rochester has an annual event, Snapper City Daze, that they held this year in spite of what they went through a few months ago. The daycare kids participated in the coloring contest, and my oldest daughter won! :) So I took her to Wal-Mart last week to spend her prize money, which she used to buy the new bottles for her doll. Here is her winning picture:

Hard to see on a small photo, but the turtles are sandbagging an outhouse.

The great thing about sharing time is all the kids get a turn with the items being shared. It was so cute to watch!




The younger one's turn to share.




The kids' teacher, Steph, had the kids do their "Row Row Row Your Boat" action song for me. I loved watching this! First they got together with a partner and sang while they rocked back and forth pretending to row...


Then they all tipped over into the lake and pretended to swim to shore! So fun! I wished I had a video camera with me instead of a camera.


Worksheet time, and time for mom to leave. It was exciting to see how well the kids were doing in this setting, and watch the interactions between the kids and with their teacher. I hope I get a chance to do this again sometime--in the new setting, when things will finally head back to "normal".


I think the most amazing thing that has come out of this situation is the resilience of those affected, and the eagerness of friends and neighbors to help. Thinking about the days before, during and after the flood never fails to make me teary-eyed, but it's hard to stay sad when you see where they are now--surviving, doing well, and looking to the good things ahead! Throughout the whole ordeal, this family has been very strong and kept a positive attitude about getting through it and moving forward. I'm very happy to know them and to have seen how well they handled everything that happened. I only hope that if we are ever faced with a disaster like this, we would be able to cope so well!