Second Floor

Here are just a few pictures to give you an idea of how high the second floor is going to be.

Now that the basement is actually a usable basement the overall height of the house seems to be really high. It is hard to believe that our bedroom is going to look out that high. We are going to be as tall as the pine trees that line our driveway. We will be dwarfing Barb's house next to us and towering over the street as well. Too bad this wasn't a lake shore cabin with the view of the lake but the view is still amazing at this height.

I wasn't able to get the spectacular view picture because I was too chicken to walk the floor trusses like Chris does, but once I got up the ladder and actually had to jump up to weasel myself on top of the trusses my courage left me. He makes it look so easy but once you are actually up there looking down WOW it is farther than I thought. So yes I chickened out and Chris is a stud.

Nick's Soccer

Back in the beginning of May, Nick had started soccer through the NESA program that Maplewood offered. I thought that he needed another way to burn off some of the energy that he had and since hockey had finished he need to keep himself busy. I am excited that he loves soccer. I think it helps that he gets to be crazy busy with the drills they do and the scrimmaging that he gets to do too.

Nick gets excited on soccer days and has started to ask when the days are going to be too. I think he likes to stay busy as well. Sitting around the house does get boring and playing in the dirt can only be so fun.

This has rubbed off on him in other ways as well. Now he is looking forward to hockey season again (he is becoming more competitive) and wants to do more swimming lessons as well this summer. I like to see him having fun and Nick is a kid that thrives on group sports and being around other kids. Not that anyone has to be reminded on how much Nick like to talk and share his thoughts with others.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

With the help of a few friends and family, Chris has been able to this show on a roll. Erik lent a helping hand getting the decking down for the first floor.

Not to be out done Todd got the framing off to a good start with the building of the first wall. The start of the framing was exciting to see the walls take form, but also to put things into perspective again. It is hard to believe just a few months ago we were cramming six people into that house.

The first floor walls came together when Justin and Doug (Justin's brother-in-law) came down and rescued me from lifting walls up. Not that I wasn't going to give it a shot, but Chris was a lot safer with Justin and Doug's help. The final pieces were lifted into place and the debate of the second floor was in full gear, and the project was grounded to a halt.

Looking at four walls now is really neat and getting ready for the second floor, no matter how it is, is nice to see. The overall experience for this phase of the project....hmmmm....I will leave it up to Chris to speculate on that one.

Oh I almost forgot our fifth kid...Ben-O...always finding his way into our projects and giving us a helping hand when needed. Thanks Ben.

More Building

I think I have said it before but I will say it again...Chris is lucky that his little bobcat can handle the abuse that he gives it. This time the poor little bobcat came through moving the floor trusses around. The video is too long for this site but I will have to remember to get it onto the flip shared site if you want to take a look at it. The house is coming together fast, but I don't think it is fast enough for Chris.

The month is flying by (or by the time I get this posted flew by) and the weather has been either hit or miss and the long awaited floor trusses have finally made their way into place for the front of the house, and more of the back breaking work continues. When will it end?

Cinco de Mayo

I got the best birthday gift EVER!!!! It was so big that it got stopped by the police at the border and escorted to the house. It is what every woman wants on their birthday. Can you tell by the picture what it is? I am still amazed by the gift that it has taken me this long to blog about it. Actually I have taken this long to blog about it because I am waiting for them to be placed in their proper spot...at the top of the new construction. Now aren't roof trusses what ever gal wants for their birthday?

The kids loved to watch the big truck come down the road with its escort of cars and Tony let out a few squeals of delight as their were unloaded too.

Thank you Chris.

Cute Pictures

Just a few cute pictures to show everyone....

These are of the two helping me make cupcakes. Jayna was on a war path one day just insisting that we make cupcakes and now I see why she wanted to do just that.

and Tony got into the act as well.

Emma loves to fetch, but doesn't quite like the idea of sharing her toys. She is a collector.

Horse Expo

I took advantage of the kids love of horses (minus Nick's thoughts) and took them to the Horse Expo at the fair grounds. I took all four of them (not as bad as it may seem) to see the different exhibits and then to the rodeo at the end of the weekend.

Jasmine and Jayna loved seeing all the different horses and seeing the horses walking the streets. We had to watch where we stepped but Tony's eyes got big too when they walked by. Each kid got a few dollars to spend on what they wanted and Jayna wanted the hat you see below. Jasmine got yet another stuff horse to added to her family at home and guess what Nick got? FOOD!!!

I was grateful that there were trailers also there for sale and that kept Nick's attention. Once the rodeo started the kids settled into their spots, but the introductions seem to drag on and on. Tony was getting restless and fortunately the girls in front of us thought he was more cute than annoying. The opening horse runs caught Tony's attention for sure and he sat back to see the horses run through their formations.

The wild horses really got Tony's eyes wide and for a few moments Nick was excited too. I wasn't worried about Jasmine or Jayna they were glued to their seats with excitement. There were the traditional wild horses, roping the calves, ladies barrel racing and finally the wild bulls. The kids did a wonderful job at sitting in their seats and eating their popcorn. The popcorn may have been a mistake when Tony and Jayna had a little pulling match between themselves and popcorn went flying through the air, but once again the girls in front of us thought it was funny/cute to get showered with popcorn especially when Tony was saying hi.

The highlight of the show for Tony was when the Dodge truck came out with the barrels for the ladies barrel racing. He was on the edge of his seat pointing at the truck as it drove around the rink. I think he understood the idea of the ladies racing because he gets to see that almost everyday on one of Jasmine's many horse movies. It was almost like he understood what was happening.

They ended the show with a demonstration of what a stage coach would be like with the horses except the stage coach was being pulled by six of the largest breed of horses. It takes 2 hours to get them ready for the show. They are bigger than the Clydesdale horses and stand at 19 hands tall (over 6 feet tall). The kids really liked that part too.

So all in all the adventure was a success and I look forward to going back to it next year with the kids. It is really nice that the fair grounds aren't that busy so I recommend going on the Sunday rather than the Saturday for the crowds.