Basement Photo Update

Big excavator loading all the cement into the dump truck
The huge construction equipment makes my little house look soooo tiny
This is Chad the driver of the big digger with Tim and Spencer.
There was a little down time while we waited for the dump trucks to return from their dumps.
The boys thought it was awesome to sit up in the cab with the driver.
We mentioned in another post that we hit water when we were digging. Here's the water; you can see it running into the home toward the top of the picture.
We had to fill the hole with gravel, then sand, then compact it down with the digger so we could have a 6 ft. crawlspace there instead of the 9 ft. basement ceiling we had planned.
Timmy loves to be right in the middle of it all
This isn't even the deep hole, but he looks like he's sure small.
Now filling the trucks with dirt
Digging for the footings in the front yard
The cousins came to watch the digger, too.
What is it about tractors that captivate the male species so well?
All the spectators
How romantic- me, my man, and a yard full of dirt. *sigh*
Wearing our fancy clothes
Down in the hole after it was dug, before the footings
See the little pipe sticking out the side of the hole? Guess what it is. MY SEWER LINE!! It has been 2 weeks, 3 days with no sewer. But who's counting...
The pumper truck to pump the cement into the footing forms
the forms
I was amazed at how tall those trucks rise
The cement trucks- there were 2 for the first set of footings, and 8 for the foundation walls.
Another great action shot taken by me- the cement plopping into the forms.
There was a crew of 4 doing the footings: one man to control the pumper truck, another one moving the hose the cement came from, one guy pushing the gravel down, and another floating, or smoothing the top. It was very cool to watch. I video recorded some of it, but need assistance from my tech support team (Troy) to upload them.
Putting up the foundation froms in the crawlspace
The rat maze
Up on top of the 9 ft. forms
Timmy in the Cat they used to backfill the backyard portion of the foundation
Spencer in the driver's seat of the Cat
The was the coolest thing. In order to get the Cat into the backyard, the big digger lifted it up and over the foundation walls, and set it down on the other side. It was amazing to watch. I was slightly worried about the weakest link in the chain, but, it held up just fine.
Up, up, and away
Just like a mommy picking up her baby- effortless!


Timmy was getting a little squeaky, so he greased his nose
Here's the front of our house- digger, dump truck, port-a-potty, all the makings of a proper construction zone
Loading up to leave- This huge one doesn't even use a ramp to get up onto the trailer
the future stairway for the outdoor basement entrance
The whole hole. This is the view from my roof.

This is why we can't flush the toilet, or use the sink, or the dishwasher, or the shower, or the washing machine. It would empty into our big hole and that would be more mess than any of us want to deal with.

Gone fishing in a Laundry Basket

We may not have a boat, but we can cave just as much fun in the kitchen. Timmy's imagination is really blossoming and Spencer is always game to go along for the ride.
The air pump is the fishing pole.
It is in a constant state of motion, so you won't ever see a clear picture of it.
They thought is was funny that I was standing in the water in my socks. Spencer laughs whenever Timmy does, even though he has no idea what is so funny.

After they finished fishing, they dragged the "Boat" onto the "sand" (carpet) and climbed up to the table to eat their fish. Yum!

Happy First Birthday, Spencer!

I can hardly believe our baby is turning 1! We had a carefree day. He woke up at Grandma and Pa's house early (so I am told) and lounged in their bed until they were ready to get up. Then Grandma and Emily went to clean the church, and Pa watched the boys. I guess Timmy didn't want to share his toys with Spencer, so he found some scissors in the drawer, located Spencer's beautifully wrapped gifts. Grandma had tied a Tonka Truck on top with the ribbons. Tim began cutting ribbons until that truck came off. He gave it to Spencer so he wouldn't have to share his toy anymore. The funniest part about it was that Pa was unaware that any of it had happened until Grandma came home and asked him about the mess. It still makes me laugh when I think about it.

Here is the front and back of the invitations I made for Spencer's Party next weekend. I can't believe I had time to make them. They were fun. Timmy helped put the white glue and the dirt in the dump truck. If you know where the "job site" is, consider yourself invited. I was protecting our identity.
When we arrived at the house, the kids were in the sand box with Emily. Will all the dirt at our house, I am surprised that they still love the sand at Grandma's house. After digging in the sand and swinging on the swings, we went inside the house and ate breakfast, then Spencer opened his present (which has been loosened by his brother). It was about 6 darling summer shorts/shirt sets and one that they said was for camping this summer- it has long sleeves and pants.

"Push me higher! Underdoggie!"
You can see the truck Tim cut off the package on the counter
He really liked ripping off the paper!
He already wants to be on the move, like his brother. Whe is such a little boy!
Spencer in disguise, well, removing the disguise.
Then we went for a walk around their neighborhood. Timmy found some old roller skates in the basement and wanted to try them out. Troy also wanted to look at a house that was being built by one of Brad's friends. It was nice to see how they were framing so Troy could have a visual. (it's been almost 15 years since he last helped frame a house.)


Timmy was hilarious on the roller skates. He was very wobbly at first, but in a short while had figured out how to maneuver himself. By the time we had been at the construction site a few minutes, he was climbing up a fairly steep hill alone because he wanted to sit in the little tractor at the top of the hill. He made it to the top!

There's something you don't see everyday: a tractor driver wearing roller skates!

Three generations of boys