Cementing Continues

If Chris and his dad hadn't seen enough cement when they laid the foundation for the addition, but now the foundation for the old house has to be improved a bit before we can move forward with this section of phase II. There seems to be some harrowing acrobatics in order to get the next few courses put together.


Safety is number one thing with this addition but I don't think OHSA would approve of some of their techniques to moving the 12" block to their allocated spots on the wall. If the picture taking didn't have to be done I am not sure if I would have watched Tim's juggling of the blocks. On the other hand it was quite impressive to see their balancing act and I had to be close just in case 911 was needed.

The kids really wanted to help out also and Nick with his work gloves on help Tim mix the cement for the block and Tony tried with all his might to move the wheel, but poor little guy couldn't even get it to lift up.

Once the gruelling block work was finished, Chris got to focus on his underground plumbing in the basement. We are hoping for the basement to become the kids play area so Chris is putting a bathroom down there (great another bathroom I get to clean!!) and getting the water set up for his shop too. Unearthing the bad pipes wasn't easy even with the jack hammer, but the last part of it Chris did it by hand (sledge hammer). YUCK!

The Twins!!!

On Saturday April 17th, Amelia came over to our house for Jayna's first official sleepover at the house. This was a very much anticipated day for Jayna. She has watched Jasmine for years now have her friends come and go from the house. It all came to a head a few weeks ago she was very disappointed when Jasmine had a friend sleep over and Nick went to Grandma Jan's for his lonely time, and she was left all alone once again at home. This particular day Chris had to work late and everyone was having fun but her, so she got it into her head that she wanted her friend Mia to come over and play with her. Unfortunately talking to a very distraught 3 year old is like talking to a wall. She couldn't understand that we had to make plans first and to talk to Mia's mom. So for the next week leading up to the sleep over, Jayna couldn't stop talking about how her "friend" Mia was coming over to play at her house.


The day finally came for her and it was like Christmas all over again and she had to wait for Mia to come over. It was a long wait but before she knew it Timi was pulling into our driveway with Mia in the car. Mia was a bit shy after waking up from her nap and I wasn't sure what to expect, but she was a trooper. We got her stuff in the house and Timi showed her around upstairs, and before you could say Boo they were off playing.

It didn't take long before they were jumping on the trampoline and swing on the playset. Every once in awhile, Nick would see if he could play with the girls and Jayna would tell him, "she and Mia were playing and to leave them alone". This was a very important line because for so long she was on the other end of this line when Jasmine had friends over or Nick was playing with his stuff. She felt so proud to finally say these words to her siblings.

The girls played wonderfully and I didn't hear a peep out of them unless they were hungry or thirsty. That night Chris had a co-worker and his family over to eat dinner too so the house was a bit crowded. The party lasted way longer than I thought and before long we had two sleepy girls on the couch and Chris had to carry two little girls up to bed. Jayna was out like a light and Mia was sleepy but had to ask who was going to pick her up in the morning. I told her her mommy was going to and before I could even leave the room she was out. That was around 11:30 at night for the girls.

The next day was more of the same; jumping, running, swinging, eating, and playing. Mia brought her Easter outfit over and Jayna wanted to be twins, they were adorable together. Before long Grandma Vicki came over to get Mia and this is what she found...two tuckered out girls. Jayna had a blast and still wonders when Mia can sleep over next.

When Mom Is Away

Just thought everyone would like a glimpse of what happens when mom is away. While I was at a bridal shower, the kids got an extra treat from who I am not sure. Whether or not Chris gave them approval, here are the pictures Jasmine snapped of the kids doing their thing. This is the first time Tony got an ice cream cone all to himself and he did pretty good. The only evidence left was a puddle of ice cream on the table with the bottom of the cone.

At least they were sitting in their high chairs at the table!!!

Como Zoo

This was Tony's first trip to the zoo that he actually got to enjoy it. Last year we attempted to go see the farm babies at the Minnesota Zoo but that was just plain crazy so this year we took advantage of it being nice out and being down two kids. The zoo was really empty when we got there right at opening so finding a parking spot was really easy. Some of the animals were still sleeping but we still made it through the exhibits. Tony and Jayna were really excited to see the monkeys and most of them were right by the glass so they got a really good view of them.




As we made our way through the zoo, the animals were taking a back seat for Tony. His true love was on the other side of the animals. Instead of looking at the big cats exhibit, Tony took advantage of the walk way and saw his big cat, the "bobcat" as it drove by with workers. It took some coaxing to get him to keep moving.

Jayna was a trooper and loved to push the stroller with or without Tony in it. It was really nice not to have to worry if she was going to take out anyone. Once it gets nice out, we will have to hit Como Town and the carousel but until then we will have to settle for the sleepy animals and "bobcats". Maybe our next trip will be to the "bobcat" dealership.

House Update

Now that all the walls are down of the old house, progress is moving rapidly. Chris and his dad are working hard at getting the underground right and then roughing in for a half bathroom in the basement. It seems just like yesterday when we moved into this place and what a thrill it was to have my own washer and dryer. Okay I know that is the thrill of a brand new homeowner and that thrill wore off fast, but not before the glitches of home ownership set in.


It was just a few months if not weeks after we moved in when the water started backing up in the basement. Chris was just brand new in the plumbing apprentice program so we were green at what to do. Shhh don't tell anyone but we called in a drainage company to auger out the main, but no fear 6 1/2 years later Chris is getting his revenge. He has completely taken up the basement floor to replace the section of pipe that was bad and this is what he found.





We knew roots were the problem, which is a problem with many old houses, but the reality of what the fix was/is laughable. You can see in the photo the hole in the pipe and their fix at the time was to pour cement around the pipe and the hole. Not the expert fix of today's standards so that pipe had to go as well as all the decrepit pipe going out to the main/street.


Once the plumbing is squared away, the rest of the block can be laid to get the old part level with the new and floor trusses are coming in roughly a week to Menards. The delivery of trusses from the store to house is on Chris's shoulders (another blog update ahead) and walls get to be constructed. The delivery date for rough trusses are scheduled for May 1st and I know Chris wants to do his best to be ready for them so they don't sit outside long.






I know the clean up of the tear down has been very tedious for Chris and his dad and they are anxious to get that part behind them. Phase 2 is speeding fast ahead.

Flip Share

Hi everyone,

Just passing on this website www.flipshare.com/login

email address: jessicacarvelli@yahoo.com
password: polaris

This is the easiest way to view the videos since it seems to take forever to upload on this site. Hope everyone gets a chance to see the action, there are a lot of video of the house coming down.

Easter Chaos

Spoken like a seasoned pro, Julie said it best, "CHAOS". There really isn't any other way to explain what Easter is like when the Carvelli kids are involved. There is just a little bit of a competitive streak in my kids and when the egg hunts start...beware and watch where you are walking.

Easter started a little early this year when Joel and Cara stopped down at the house and the "Easter Bunny" left eggs in our backyard. That was interesting since they were the little chocolate eggs. We made sure all the eggs were picked up otherwise Emma would surely get a treat. It was another nice day and we got the chance to see Elizabeth who is about 4 1/2 months old now. She is quite a cutie and guess who was the first to grab her out of her car seat? That is right "uncle" Chris. I think he is going to be our baby guy.

That got our kids in the mood for Easter and just in time since they were coming off of their Spring Break from school and getting a bit antsy. Like years past, Easter Sunday is a day of gather by both families. We started off at Lee & Justin's place where we had brunch and #1 of the egg hunts. The day was gorgeous again and it was difficult to keep the boys out of the yard. This year we got two more little guys at the house with Lee's friend Tracy and her boys too. You can only imagine the energy Zac and Nick had so we had to let them outside early but with specific instructions not to look for eggs.

We rounded them back into the house to get the baskets distributed for the egg hunt and they were overjoyed at the treats they got in them thanks to Lee. My kids especially since the Easter Bunny was a bit stingy this year at our house. As you can tell from the picture of Tony, he got his two favorite things...Cars and Food.

I think our families have the egg hunt rules down pretty good for these kids or if they didn't they learned fast enough. I am not sure if I have shared my own Easter memory that has scared me for life, but to keep it short it involved Justin stealing all the eggs during the hunt and left little me with none. So Lee did a splendid job dividing up the eggs according to color for the kids to find. Previous years the "Easter Bunny" has done a REALLY good job at hiding the eggs and Jasmine hadn't been able to find all of her eggs. They were usually found later in the summer so this year the bunny didn't go out in the dark or with a beer in hand so he could help the kids find them easier this year. Success, we found them all this year.

Once the festivities were done and the kids were wearing down, we headed off to the Carvelli side to continue the fun. It is wonderful to have all the kids together even if that adds to the chaos, and with both sides of the family there kids galore for my kids to play with in exchange they get to be the bad influences:-) After the initial shyness wore off, the kids were off playing with the many toys in the family room. If that wasn't enough, my kids were already on a sugar over load and hyping up the rest of the kids.

Soon enough dinner was ready and we were trying to get the kids to eat first. It felt a bit like a conveyor belt of plates coming through and kids sitting ready for their food. But we should all know that once the kids got to eat, the parents would have to shovel the food in their faces as fast as we could because the chaos didn't stop. We had plates flying through the air, wine tipping over on the food, and Nick taking the prize as he rushed through the kitchen only to be stopped by an upset stomach (too graphic for this blog). Wonderful entertainment for those who got to see it all unfold and like the memorable moment at the end of A Christmas Carol when tiny Tim says, "God bless us, every one!" We have Nick declaring, "this is the best Easter ever!!"

Not a dull moment when the Carvelli kids are involved, but don't let the cutie Mia or stylish Collin fool you. This great family photo below was one of about 50 we had to take to get everyone in the picture. From the looks of it Tessa is the only one cooperating for the camera. There might be a picture out there where all the kids are looking at the camera, but I will just have to wait and see if it ever surfaces.

At Grandma and Grandpa Carvellis egg hunt there is a silver egg to be found. Not to be confused with the golden egg in Willy Wonkas Chocolate factory but just at precious. For the last couple years, Nick has been the proud finder of that but this year the competition is growing ferocious now that Tony and Collin are getting into the act. Not to worry Nick, Tony is still distracted by all the fun stuff Grandpa Old Guy has in his back yard.