A Door in the House!

At the time I took these pictures, we were about two weeks behind schedule.
All we wanted was to see SOME progress!

This was progress...the workers came to backfill the dirt. Since they dig the whole larger than the basement, they have to fill the area on the outside of the wall with dirt...backfill.
Well, they didn't backfill this area by the bushes.
I don't know why.

As you can tell, they basically pushed mud around while backfilling.
This was also the night that they pulled out our temporary power line AND cut our phone lines.
So much for progress!!

The next day there was a little more progress.
The workers cut the door that will go from the new basement to the existing basement.
Progress!

It was starting to look good!
Unfortunately, the left side of the wall is not backfilled at all.

The framers started their work.
They framed some of the basement and started to put the floor boards in!
Progress!!

But, since the entire area wasn't backfilled, they were having a terrible time getting the lumber in the corners and basically working in the area.

What took them three days, should have only taken them one day.
So they went on strike.
Yep.
The framers wanted better working conditions. they wanted the house completely backfilled and a power area that could handle their tools.
Progress stopped.
So after a couple of days...the remaining backfill was completed and the framers were back at it!
Progress once again.

It's true..it's the little things that make you happy!!

An Amazing Race!

Jason was asked by a friend to participate with him in a local Amazing Race!
Jason was all over this!
The two of them talked a little smack before they saw their competition.

Once the contestants took off, we were given a list of the stops, so off the boys and I went to chase down the Amazing Racers.

We missed Jas at the first two stops (they were SO fast!! It had NOTHING to do with me being directionally challenged!) We finally caught up with them at the cafe where they had to eat a HUGE pancake in order to receive their next clue.

The best part was that the cafe was air conditioned!!

The worst part was the pancake came HOT of the griddle, which made it a bit challenging to eat. I thought the BIGGER challenge was going to be the running after eating that gut bomb!

Off to the aquatic center to go down the water slide and then off the diving board.
When Jason left here, they were in third place.  Impressive!!

The boys and I got to the repelling station before any racers had arrived. We were waiting and suddenly Jason and his friend came through...in FIRST place!!
 NO WAY!!

Jason volunteered to do the repelling.
At this point, I think I heard Jason say, "oh. not comfortable."

There he is at the top. Jason has never repelled before so the boys and I cheered him on! It was a change to have the boys yelling, "YOU CAN DO IT!!"

It took a bit for Jason to finally take the fist step, due to nerves.
Later he told me he kept thinking, "If I fall, my kids are at the bottom. That is not good."
"Good positive thinking," I told him.

But  once he got going, there was no stopping him!
It was fun to see and hear the boys cheering on their dad!

After the repelling, it was a 3 mile run to the bowling alley.
Teams could choose to bowl 75 pins or three strikes.
The boys choose three strikes.
Jas teammate threw a strike the first frame!!
Then...it took about 20 more frames to get three strikes.

Here are the kiddos watching the bowling part of the Amazing race!

At the finish line.
Yep, they finished in first place!
The only team to finish under 4 hours (3:45) which was their goal.
AMAZING!!!

What wasn't amazing, was the way Jason walked for two days after the race! 

We Have a Basement!

When the workers came to pour cement, they were welcomed by mud and more mud.
So they started to pump out what water they could...and they stood around to watch water pump.

 

Eventually, the plumbers were able to install our sewer lines and our sump pump.

These are the lines to the new bathroom.

Due to the mud and trucks getting stuck in our yard, the workers already knew that they wouldn't be able to bring the dump truck of rock to the basement. So plan B. The dump truck dumped the rock in the yard by the lane. Then this bobcat would bring a load over to the basement and dump the gravel into the wheelbarrows. SLOW work!

Then the workers would attempt to wheel the wheel barrow...through the THICK MUD and dump the gravel around the basement. It was nearly impossible and ,again, SLOW work.

Eventually they got a" layer" of rock around the entire basement.Notice how they tried to "scoop" mud over the walls?  They didn't quite make it at times!

It wasn't a pretty sight!

The next day, we followed our cement truck back to our house.
I know..I am a rebel. You shouldn't follow large machines into work sites!!

After finishing the gravel work, they covered the entire basement with plastic. Interesting!

I didn't get to watch the actual pouring of the cement...had to go to work!

So when I got home, we had a beautiful new cement floor!

A perfectly smooth floor that looks like the walls have s@#* on them!

When Jason got home from work, he immediately went to the basement!

The boys planned out the man cave...what a happy night for ones with testosterone!!

House Update...

We are further along then the pictures are showing, but thought I would update the house addition...in order...so this was about two weeks ago. Before our Internet and phone lines were cut.

Anyway...here is a view of our yard. No, a meteor did not land in our yard.  It's just an absolute mess...and the smell. GROSS!!! Standing water does not do good things for air aroma!

The basement walls are up!

A shot looking at the North side of the house.

Thought you would enjoy how much water was standing, at one point, in our basement!!
The reason there is a "moat" around the house, it that the hole is actually dug larger than the basement walls, so the workers can work on both sides of the wall.
Check out the pond through the basement window!

More water...at this time, there wasn't a basement floor. It rained and rained and rained, so the water just pooled in the walls. We did have to pump it out...

This is how I often see the boys checking out what is going on!!

Jason couldn't WAIT to get in the basement. He put on his waders and headed in. Yuck. All I could think of was the movie Poltergeist and hoped that nothing floated to the top!!

I really think at this point if we put a top on the basement and called it good, Jason would be happy!
Good news...since these photos were taken, there is a cement floor and there is NO water!!
It wasn't "easy" getting there, but it is getting better every day...cross my fingers!!

We are Back!!

We have internet back and I have my new computer back!
(Happy Dance!)
My goal is to get caught up with blogging...
BUT I can't get my pictures to download from my phone!
Ugh!!

So I played around on my new computers camera...while Sam watched in the background.

I was trying to figure out the camera...

Such intense concentration on my part!

Not paying attention to what was going on around me!

 

 

Then I noticed my sidekick!!

A Few Things We Have Accomplished this Summer!

Sorry about the lack of blogging, but we have been Internet "free" for over a week.
I am not happy about being Internet "free."
Finally got our Internet re-connected after a week of Century Link telling us they would be here and then not show...not show THREE different times!! One evening we talked to SEVEN different people! Their customer service needs a revamp!

Anyway...

Thought I would share a few happenings of the summer so far...there are more, but I can't figure out why my pictures won't download! 
UGH!!
Sometimes I wish for simpler times!!


We have gone to the library.
Jack was all about the reading program for about two weeks.
Do I know my boy or what!

Sam's new favorite sandwich..ham and Doritos.
And peaches make him gag?

We've had a sleep over in the living room.

Jack went to Lego club...Sam couldn't help but "hang out" with him to keep him company!

Oh yea...our addition.
That's about 10 blog posts!
A few highlights:
Mud and more mud.
Two trucks have been stuck in our yard.
The basement was poured.
They TRIED to back fill, but too muddy, so haven't finished that project.
Back filler cut our phone lines and Internet lines for the second time.
Construction workers started framing.
It rained SO hard and our new sump pump wasn't plugged in, so we panicked that the water was going to run back into our existing basement!
We finally got that sump pump going while standing outside during the severe thunderstorm warning!
Framers came back for the second day.
Unfortunately, their power tools are too powerful for our electric lines, so the breakers keep tripping and they can't work well/safely around the house without it being back filled, so they went on "strike" for a day.
They came back the next day and left early
 Conditions still aren't "workable."
 

And some days we do nothing.

Hope your summer and Internet exploring and e-mailing is going well for you!!