Framing

It has been so fun and interesting watching our home be built. It seemed so much more real when the framing started going up. Here is the front of the house when framing just got started.

This is the same view of the front of the house with some of the plywood on.

Do you notice that tipped wall? It is one of the outside walls of the two story family room. We went to the house one day to check on the progress and saw the wall like this. Confusing, right? That can’t be safe. The next day we found out that as the workers were trying to stand it up in its place, one (or more) of them slipped (everything was so icy), causing the wall to fall on them and injure several of them! As far as we heard no one had to go to the hospital, but they were off work for a few days recovering. I think they ended up using a crane to place the two-story walls.

The ladder was the only way into the basement for a while. That made all of us nervous. It was SO cold this winter (well, so cold for Boise), making the ladder icy, and our hands week from being frozen.

This is the beginning of the master bedroom. I was grateful that Adam was willing to climb up to the second story and take pictures for me. There was only a ladder to climb for a while.

Another upstairs picture. It took a while for the stairs to go in. That was an exciting day – to actually walk through the bedrooms!

And a picture of the back of the house. On the right is the family room. On the left is the master bedroom above, and the kitchen and eating area below.

It has been so exciting to see our blueprints become real. Some of the spaces in the house have ended up being smaller than what I hoped/expected, while others are bigger. There are things that I have already come to love about the house that I hadn’t expected (like the big, open landing at the top of the stairs).

But so far, this is one of my favorite spots in the house – the stairs. They are open to the family room and kitchen. I love the location of them (right in the middle of the home). I love how open they are, and I love the window on the little landing that looks into the back yard.

And here is a picture while standing on that little landing, looking into the family room and eating area and kitchen. Eventually the stairs will have wood rails and wrought iron bars. I’m so excited!

It’s all about the house

 

That’s how our life feels right now. It’s all about building the new house, or trying to sell the one we are in. It’s very busy, but also fun picking out cabinets, flooring, doors, lights, etc.

We will be moving into our new home some time this month! But it has been a long process getting here. We had a very cold winter this year (like most people I know), so building was extra slow during that time.

First they dug for the basement.

The kids were digging for fossils in the dirt walls.

This is our neighbors basement. It’s two stories deep since they have a basketball court down there. (Not full court – just big enough for a 3 point line).

Then forms for the basement walls were put in place.

And then they filled them with concrete. I loved the huge crane they used to do this!

A couple days later the forms were taken off and we had a basement! It was so hard to believe looking at this space that there was going to be 2 bedrooms each with small walk-in closets; a full bathroom; a family room; a storage room and a game closet.

Pinewood Derbies

Emma and Ben are good at letting me know that I’m way behind on blogging. They have suggested that all I need to do is post every day until I’m caught up. So I’m going to give it a try, but I feel pretty confident about how well it’s going to work. :)

This year was our first time as parents to experience a Pinewood Derby. And we actually had two of them! Emma’s Girls Activity Days group decided to have one for the girls this year. The boys and girls were about two weeks apart, and Emma’s was first.

It was fun to see the difference in preparation and decoration between the girls and the boys. It made me laugh a little. The girls painted their own cars at one of their activities. Emma’s is the night time one. I think she had a great time.

Of course Ben chose a Lego theme for his car. I think that may be Lloyd and Jay in the seats.

And since we (I mean Adam) helped make two cars, I think he learned a lot about how to put them together. So next year Ben (and possibly Emma) can be even faster.

October Birthdays

Both Emma and Sydney have birthdays in October! As always, time goes by so fast and I can’t believe how quickly my kids are growing up! This year Sydney is 2! She loves typical 2-year-old-girl things: Elmo, any characters we saw at Disneyland (including Nemo), any of the characters she see’s on TV, and babies.

Sydney loves to play, read, sing and keep up with the big kids. She can also be very opinionated and a bit loud. We love so much having her in our family!

Emma turned 11 this year! She is such a sweet, wonderful girl! It amazes me how quickly she is growing up. At this time in her life she loves volleyball, art, reading, her friends, her little sister (and brothers too, of course), and so many other things.

Emma is such a fun, smart girl! She always tries to be kind, polite, and fair. And Adam and I are only a little excited (or maybe a ton) that she is so close to being able to babysit! Happy Birthday!

CA Part 4: The Finale!

I could break this last post into two parts, but I thought it best to just get it done. So I’m packing in a whole bunch of pictures in one.

After Disneyland and CA Adventure, we spent the next day going to the beach, driving down to Carlsbad, and doing other random things like eating at the Hibachi Steak House (yes the one in Anaheim Hills). And if you’ve ever been there, I apologize for making you drool thinking about it right now. Just like I am.

The kids had so much fun! They made sandcastles and played in the water – you know, the normal beach stuff.

The next day we went straight to LEGOLAND. The kids had a great time there. A lot of the rides were too big for Spencer, or too scary for the bigger kids. But there were so many amazing Lego sculptures/figures/buildings/etc!

I know it’s hard to see through the fence on this one, but I had to include it. I think both Spencer and my faces are excellent. That was a big, fast drop!

I’m pretty sure they would all love to go back again.

The next day we went to the San Diego Zoo. I remember always loving the zoo. Unfortunately I think everyone was a little too warn out, it was a little too crowded (we went on Saturday), and a little too hot. Even the animals seemed kind of slow. But we plugged along and had a good time.

That day after we left the zoo, we drove to Jody and Darrell’s house and stayed a couple of nights with them. It was so good to see everyone! I think it’s been a few years since we’ve been together. There is something so great about being with one of my sisters! Someone who can finish my sentences, or knows exactly what I mean, even when what I say comes out all wrong. The kids had so much fun playing together too! And since this picture they’ve added a new baby girl to their family! We miss you all!

So that’s the end of our amazing, long, fun, exhausting, exciting, great trip. The kids have been asking when we can do it again. :) We’ve let them know that if they’re willing to pay for it, we’re all in. Although Adam and I have been considering going back by ourselves some time – you know, actually ride some rollercoasters. (But don’t tell the kids.) :)

CA Part 3: California Adventure!

Overall I don’t think the kids had as much fun here as they did at Disneyland. Too many of the rides were too big and/or too fast for what they like.

We spent plenty of time in Bugs Land, and a little bit of time at the carnival rides. The kids all loved the Farris Wheel (I totally chickened out. But I did get 30 minutes of shopping/alone time while I waited.) :)

Lunch was in Downtown Disney at the Rain Forest Café. The kids LOVE that place.

Of course we had to go to the LEGO store. I think they would have been happy to spend a whole day there. And really, who could blame them – it is awesome! We wish we had a LEGO store closer to us. That pick-a-brick wall cannot be beat! Any CA friends want to fill up a few containers for us and ship them to ID? We’d buy you a large container for your trouble!

Then we were off to Cars Land! Well I think technically we went there on the 3rd day of our trip. I can’t remember exactly when we did what. Unfortunately it was a little too crowded to really be able to enjoy it. But from what we could tell, it was really cute and well done (of course).

First thing in the morning (1/2 before the park opened) we got in line for a fast pass for CA Racers (is that even the name of it?). We waited for 45 minutes for a fast pass! But it was totally worth it – I think we waited about 5 minutes in line, and the ride was great!

Even with the extra crowds (because of Cars Land), and the crazy heat and humidity, we all had a great time. The kids only have happy memories when we talk about our trip. I still have more to post. Hopefully I can get it done in one (since I’m so slow at it), but I’m guessing it will be two. :)