Christian's project

Ok, this is a bit ridiculous

As it turns out. I can not post every day...or even every month.

The house is moving along but no we are not quite finished yet. Things are going really well and we are sooo close to the finish line that I can feel it. The new room got carpet installed today and will be trimmed out this weekend. We will make the big shift either this weekend or early next week. One thing is for sure...I still have some painting to do.

The boys are doing great.
Christian just finished a fantastic season of football. He loved it. He was struggling playing for coaches with kids on the team. I can say this b/c we coach our kids. However, he got very frustrated and was feeling like he didn't want to play football. (a sport he truly loves) He got the opportunity to play for the school. He was thankful to be able to go out there work hard and earn his spot based on his own talent. He was one of the two team captains, the starting quarterback and earned a spot starting at defense as well. Overall, it was a fantastic experience for him and he is back to being passionate about the game. The lost the last game of the season and he was so upset he cried. He didn't even cry when the All Star Team took 3rd...One thing is for sure, he really laid his heart out there.

Jonah, my main man, is working so hard this year. Middle School has been such a positive for him and has really made him focus and be accountable to his grades. Kudos to him for his super hard work. He has also been playing football. He is so fun to watch out there. However, the best thing that happened to Jonah is he joined a competitive hip hop team. He is having a ball and getting excited about tearing it up at the school dances. Everywhere we go people know Jonah and it is purely because whereever he goes he spreads love, joy and enthusiasm...Gotta love that kid.

Max- I have to say my favorite part of the day is when he gives me smooches or cuddles in my lap. He is nine but he is still his mommy's little guy. He started playing soccer this year and has really enjoyed it. Soccer is not my favorite sport but I love watching him play and have a great time supporting him. Max has gotten a job as a dog sitter for the neighbor across the street. He loves animals and occasionally gets to babysit. Today he went to Sarahs house and sat down with their dog, 20 minutes goes by and he is still petting the dog. Sarah said "Max do you wanna at least take your backpack off?" It makes me wonder if our busy family should get the dogwhisperer his own pet. I don't know about that...

Anyway, life is good. I am blessed and I am excited for the new year. I can't wait to start living in my house instead of working on it....Who knows relaxation may be in my future.....

Ohhh, Blog there you are.

I haven't been on in so long I had forgotten I changed the format. Then I see all the rain drops and I must have been anticipating fall.

Today is the first day of school. Christian and Jonah are heading off to middle school while Max is still getting his Snooze on. I am nervous for Jonah but I think he will have a good time. I am remembering my favorite middle school days and I can't believe I have two middle schoolers. Where on earth has all the time gone. It doesn't feel that long ago since I met Chris and was smitten with his cute face.

Max is starting fourth grade. I am not too nervous for him. He usually works it out. However, he is soo shy that the first month or so is always interesting. He is so cute and excited. Annie is finally in his class. If he doesn't feel like talking no worries, she will do it for him. I wonder if she can take his tests for him too.

The house is being painted today which is exciting. I finally feel like we are almost done with this crazy thing and can begin living life again without the house drama. Chris and I woke up Sunday morning and read on the porch. It was one of the first times in a long time where I felt we were "living" in the house. That is a good feeling.

A week in Review

Well, I turned 34 which usually prompts my 34 favorite things but it is late. I will get to that later.
The house is really starting to come along. They sided half of the bottom...so I guess that is like 1/4 of the house. Who knows. Siding does definitely feel like progress.

Last night Chris and I went to Costco and I got a new computer. I am very excited to be up and running to my fullest potential. I loved my old laptop but it had seen better days and was kinda sad. I am amazed at how technologically advance I have become. In the last year I have gotten a new video camera, regular camera, a My Touch phone, a Nook and now a laptop. Woo hoo. I am a big girl now. For someone who hates gadgets, I kinda have a few. Now I just hope to put them to use. What I really want is to find some free time to finish the books I have started but never finished....However, I will have to stop reading if I hope to start writing.

Christian plays in his last tourney this weekend. I am excited to go watch him play. I am also excited that this weekend marks the end of baseball for us. I love baseball but I am done and ready to move on. We are going on vacation soon so that will be a nice opportunity to get away from all the activities and find some relaxation.

Tanya took the boys to Alki today while I worked. I am so thankful to have her around. She is awesome. It certainly means a lot to finally have some family that helps me out. She goes over and beyond the call of duty for an auntie and my kids adore her. I don't know how I managed before she moved back home. Mostly I am thankful that someone really puts in the time and effort for my kids. I want them to grow up feeling like they have some sort of family roots...even if there mom is the black sheep.

I took a few pics of the house and will download them soon. I am so excited to get going with my new camera. My part time job has me working full time this week and next. Tomorrow is my 6th day working in a row...I feel like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl..hehehe. I just gotta put some time in next week then off to vaca...I can't wait for vacation Margaritas!!!!!!!

Moving along

Finally we made some progress. After months and months of dealing with a plumber that was terrible I finally hired a new one. He came out yesterday and finished the work in no time at all. It makes me wonder why I kept dealing with the first plumber for soooo long. Not to mention the fact he came out at 10pm one night to fix a problem. The HVAC was hooked up a couple of weeks ago and they said I should call the BBB and report the plumber because the state he left the water heater hook up was terrible. Two different HVAC guys reported that carbon binoxide was being leaked into my home daily!!!! I was soooo upset. That was the last straw for me. I called another plumber and all is done. WOO HOO for us. I am just thanful no one got sick or even worse.

The siding started this week. I am very excited. They are wrapping the house and putting the belly band on. I can't wait to see the final product. The last bits of everything is almost done. The decks are finished. The new overhang is done. Electrical is done all except the lights outside which can't be hooked up until the siding is finished. I am just waiting on siding, insulation and some drywall.....The end is near.

Overall this has been a pretty positive experience (minus the plumber). We are looking forward to enjoy our "new" house soon. Chris and I were talking the other night that even though the flood was terrible in the end the house looks great and it all worked out.

New Decks

Wow, it is hard to believe we are coming to an end and I have not been writing on this blog at all. As we speak they are finishing up the back deck and getting ready to begin the front. Concrete was poured last week. I will have a new driveway and lawn next week (I hope). They are hoping to be done the end of next week so siding can begin. Just a few last minute details, like hooking up my heat, lighting the garage and basement and insulating the floors. Chris and I are trying to find a carpenter to finish off the new "room" that was created above the garage. I have two or three bids coming in and I can't wait to get started. I am hoping to be done by the end of June but doubt everything will be done since I haven't hired a carpenter for the "addition".

The competition drove by this weekend to let me know how "slow" my contractor is going. I thought that was hilarious b/c I know plenty of people who started way before me and are still not %100 done. I actually would be if we didn't ask them to do a few extras for us.

Anyway, baseball is coming to a close. They boys are doing great and having fun. Regular season play is finished and we are in tourney time. Christian and Jonah are trying out for all stars. We will see how that goes.

All three boys just had their piano recital which was a ton of fun. Family came up to watch which was nice. Christian mentioned it made him nervous to have his grandparents there but he was glad they came.

I am counting down the days til I can put this construction in my past and focus on a stress free life. (good luck) Chris and I are doing great. We can't wait for vacation that is for sure.

I will post pictures this afternoon and try to keep my updates a little less few and far between.

Fast and Slow

I know I am terrible at keeping a daily blog. I will just admit it and move on.

Fast- some things in my life are going so fast it is hard to keep up. The kids schedule is moving along and this time of year I always wonder "why." Baseball is going great. Max's team is awesome. Jonah is having a fantastic time and Christian's team is looking real good.

Slow- Not that the house is really moving slow. However, the framing seems to be going on forever. I ordered windows and a garage door. The walls are up and the floor in the old garage (ceiling to new garage) is being built. They are out there working on it every day. I know they are going to put the house down on the new walls soon. Then they pour concrete, finally hook the heat back up and lots of other stuff. Oh yeah, siding.

I try really hard not to pay any attention to the time line at all because I think at this point it is inaccurate and also if I look at it, it may actually drive me crazy.

I had a fantastic Mother's Day. My husband and kids are great. I read a book all day why they made me yummy meals and did some things around the house. Max wrote me a poem, Christian gave me an abstract self portrait of himself and Jonah made me a ceramic coaster. Chris bought me a new cell phone and took me out for a night on the town.

I have a ton of house paperwork to get done. The red tape is killing me and may put me over the edge. Almost done, almost done.....almost done!

Happy Birthday Chris.

My Sweet Hubby turned 36.

His birthday was not as awesome as it should have been. He had to work all day, then we had baseball all evening. I ended up in the ER. However, I think I made up for it today with breakfast out and a cool present. I always like to mark birthdays with my favorite things so here goes.



A few of my favorite things about Chris:

Chrisisms- things Chris says to explain something.

Chris's blue eyes. Love them.

His love of music. Music has always been a huge part of our relationship.

I should have put God first but this is in the order I think of them. Chris has always made God and Church a part of our lives. He has taught with me, served, participated in the music ministry, volunteered and just served our family. I love that my kids are being raised by a man of faith and that his example shows them how to love and serve the Lord.

I love that Chris coaches in our community. Chris has been a coach for youth sports in the valley for many years. He never stops "coaching." He is always routing for his boys even if they are no longer on our team. He leads by example and in the crazy world of "sports" this is huge. He has never puffed up his chest and done the guy thing in a game. He does not brag, he does not boast. He lets his actions speak for themselves and really teaches the kids as much about sportsmanship as he does about sports.

I love that Chris works hard. It is rare to find someone with as much work ethic and drive as Chris. He is a perfectionist that just wants to do the best he can.

I love that Chris will dance with me. In the kitchen, at a party...anywhere.

I love that I am going to be married to him for the rest of my life cause life without him would suck pretty bad.

Happy birthday Chris.

Back at it again.

Well, Dell and the boys are back at it again. They have been back filling and prepping for my new walls. I didn't post yesterday because I felt terrible. Today I made it around to take pictures and video of all the happenings. By far the best video is Max running the tractor. Kenny took some time to teach Max how to work the arms and then he let him loose. Max has been waiting for days to get this opportunity.

I am starting to get a yard again. The back fill means the piles of dirt are going away. Jackie is working on fixing some rotten board he found so they can connect good stuff to good stuff. I have lots of fun pictures to share but not enough time. Christian has a concert tonight and we have two games and one practice. I am still not feeling great but who has time to be sick.

Baseball is in full swing. Max's team is doing great. Jonah and Christian are doing great too. Christian and Jonah both played tonight and did well. We had two games a practice and a concert. Life is busy. I included a pick of Chris and his team. They are very cute. Both C and J pitched tonight and both had hits. I love my boys. They are so cute. Max went to practice and then Heath (the other coach) took him to Mc Donalds. He loved it.

I will update as soon as I can. I am trying for everyday and keeping up with pics but it is really hard.

ummm, am I supposed to be posting everyday?

Ok, so I am failing miserably at this every day thing. In my defense we are very busy. I didn't get home from the board meeting until 10:30. We had two games a practice, piano lessons for everyone and a whole lot of house stuff. That was Wed. I don't really remember Tuesday so you will just have to believe me when I say I was busy.

Now for the house update. Things are going well. The foundation is finished. WOOO HOOO. Willy and Doug poured the stem walls today. They have been working all week to get the forms in place. They are very nice guys. Today was a beautiful day. After the pour Willy came and got Christian and I so he could show us the post and beam footings that will be exposed in the basement. There are four concrete plinths and he gave one to each of the boys and one for Chris and I to decorate. Around four in the afternoon we all went out and put hand prints and designed our piece. The boys had a ton of fun. I only had time to take pics of Max's but I will add the rest (promises promises).

Tomorrow Jackie comes back to begin framing the walls. Chris says it the beginning of phase 3. We are unclear on how many phases there are but somehow saying it feels like progress.

Christian had a baseball game tonight which went not so good. Jonah had practice. We got home around 8pm and decided on an impromtu family basketball game. Chris and I against the kids. Chris and I won. Yeah it is true. I have mad basketball skills. I got the hops. (stop laughing).

We have a full weekend planned. Chris got us tickets to tomorrows Mariners game. Felix is pitching. Opening Day for Little League is this weekend. Kim and Payton (sister in law and niece) are coming for the night Saturday. Tristan's birthday is Sunday. Never a dull moment around here.

As always, I will keep up with the pics and progress just not as promptly as I originally promised.

Monday Monday

Wow!

Everyone back to school! Max and Jonah were a little sluggish getting out the door.

We had the footing inspection this morning and I was told it went well. After work I followed a concrete truck....low and behold it was heading to my house. With the footings signed off the boys could begin pouring the mud (That's what they call it. They really mean concrete.)
They worked hard and fast and had all the footing poured and curing in 3hours flat. They earned a cool beverage on the house. I think they enjoyed that.

I keep promising construction videos and I really mean it. I just need to confiscate Chris's computer.

Max has a baseball game tonight which I can't coach cause I am working. I put my trust in my Hubby and Coach Heath. I hope they do well tonight. I have a great group of boys. They work hard and are very cute. Max is really enjoying his team this year. I wish I was there. Alas, someone must circulate the books!

Pics and video coming around 9:30!

Foundation, Firewood, Socks, Lunch and a Clean House

The guys worked on getting the forms ready for the foundation to be poured on Monday. I finally was able to locate some wood and the delivered it bright and early this morning...Just in time for the beautiful sunny day. Figures.

My mom came up for a visit today, as I was too busy to drive my bottom down to Olympia. While the boys and I stacked firewood my mom helped clean my house. Woo Hoo. After spending the morning in my home on our very cold floors my mom declared it necessary for socks. (Never been a good sock mom) She took us out to lunch then we went to the Fred Meyer to buy socks. My family is sock crazy...they love warm toes. Now I just have to figure out how to fold them.

I spent some time going over elevations with the contractor, concrete guy and the survey guy. I don't know if we have it all worked out or not. Chris is going to have a meeting with them at 8am tomorrow before he heads off to work. Everyone is hell bent on getting it perfect which is fantastic. I appreciate all the hard work and time they are all putting in. I know the concrete guys are going to be out here working on getting the forms set tomorrow.

Chris is probably working all weekend. Christian has a couple of birthday parties and Jonah has plans on Sunday with his friend. Other than that, I am looking forward to a pretty mellow weekend. I only have relocating the rest of my plants and stacking wood on the schedule so that is pretty good. Oh wait, I think Christian has a game on Sunday...ugghhhh. Oh well, I am going to remain as mellow and calm as possible. We will see (hahaha)

Here are some photos from the week. Sorry to put them out all at once but the daily thing is killing me...

Holy WIND Batman!

OH MY GOODNESS...Last night was windy! The storm that raged outside my windows did more damage to my piece of mind than it did to the house. Chris told me I needed to stop sleeping so I could get some rest. My dreams were crazy last night.

The house is doing great. They are making the forms for the foundation. It is all work and no play for those guys. I believe they are going to pour on Monday. The work is so dramatic visually but I will post pics from the last couple of days soon. It is just hard to find time to sit in front of my computer these days.

We ran out of wood for the fireplace and I have been calling around for wood deliveries but no one has seasoned wood for right now. I am just going to have to go hunt down one of those wood trucks.

I took the boys into Seattle yesterday to get their passports. That took longer than I thought. We had lunch with Claire and then headed down to district court. The boys were cute. They had to raise their right hands and swear everything they new was accurate. The also signed their own documents which was adorable. I had to remind Max to sign his name as Addison. He signed it Addison Max Duvall. Super cute. Vacation can't come soon enough for me.

Excavation Baby!!

There is an enormous amount of dirt and rock in my yard as the gentelmen are excavating and preping for a new foundation. The comings and goings are enough to make my head spin. Hard to keep track. Yesterday, we worked on relocating some footings for my deck. I called to order more wood but can't find anyone with dry wood this time of year. Running out of wood fast so that is a problem I need to solve.

I believe they are going to begin pouring foundation late this week or early next. I still have not read my timeline to see how long this madness is to go on because I figure what difference does it make. If I have no expectations, I can't get cranky they are taking too long.

I took the boys to "How to Train a Dragon" yesterday. It was so cute. Today we are heading into Seattle for lunch with Chris and to apply for passports. Have Passport...Will Travel. The boys have baseball this evening and Chris is still working a ton. It is amazing how he balances family, work, house work, baseball etc. etc.

I have pictures but no time to upload them. Will get to that later.
See ya soon...

Happy Easter....

Work on the house did not stop because it was a Saturday. They were out with the excavator on prepping for the new foundation. The boys and I cleaned house and then ditched for the weekend. We headed out to Aunt Tanya's house.

Tanya and I went to Easter Vigil Mass which was really nice.
Easter morning was lovely. Tori and Tristan were supper cuddly and gave their auntie some great good morning love. We had an Easter Egg Hunt, baskets and then headed off to mass with the kids and hubbys. Tristan was adorable in Mass.

After we had a fantastic rib dinner. Thanks Trav. We rented the big boys some scarry movies which I tried to sleep through...no such luck. Tanya and I sent the kids and the Daddy's to bed so we could do photos and watch girl movies...However, we are watching the worst movie ever made...maybe not the worst but it sure is depressing. We are staying another night with Tanya. She is going to watch the boys so I can work tomorrow without having to worry about the boys in the construction zone. Yep she is up for Auntie of the year!

I will head home in between shifts tomorrow and see where we are at on the house. I hope everyone had a great Easter. I am so blessed and thankful to have such amazing people around me. It was a great way to spend a beautiful holiday.

Buttoning Down The Hatch.

It is 1:15 and all work at my house has stopped for the day due to a high wind storm warning. Del and the boys were out there bracing the pilings for strong winds. I am not going to lie....I am a little bit nervous. I just can't wait til the day where I don't have to worry about my stinkin house anymore. I am tired of being so stressed out all the time. As I am writing this the sun has peaked out a little bit and that is good news. The high winds are expected in the next couple of hours and then we should be fine. Afterall, what am I going to do about it anyway.

I am so glad we booked a vacation because I really need white sand beaches, sun, relaxation and of course a nice cold margarita.

Tomorrow is Easter Vigil so the boys and I are going to Aunt Tanya's house. Chris has to work but will meet up with us in the evening. We will stay the night and do Easter with them. I love Easter and am so happy to have time to reflect on all of the positives going on right now. The truth is God has blessed me more than I could ever hope for. I am married to an awesome man. He works so hard for our family and is truly dedicated to me. I have three fantastic little boys who make me laugh constantly. I have my super awesome BFF's who put up with me and save me constantly. At the end of the day...I couldn't be more blessed.

Too Late To Blog....

J

Man oh Man, it is definatley too late to be blogging. Busy day with work, house, family and of course some baseball. I am still up trying to download pics and movies on my lame computer. Who wants to talk Chris into buying me a new laptop? I have been at this for far too long. It would help if I read the user manual on my new video camera, but who needs to do that? Chris kept me up late last night watching Texas Chain Saw Massacre....not a favorite of mine. Now I am paying for it dearly.

As for the house, well....It looks like the guys showed up after I left for work today. When I came home they were hard at work cutting concrete and removing my old foundation. Del came up to check on all the walls, doors, tiles etc to make sure there wasn't any damage in the house raise. Christian and Del ended up playing a duo on the piano which was super cute.

Jonah was supposed to umpire his first game tonight but it got rained out so he played in Christian's game instead. Christian only hit and sat the bench so we could protect his finger. Jonah went out there and worked hard playing with the big boys. The other coach commented on how good he was. (there were several mom's mentioning how cute he was too...I got that on video). One of my favorite things about Jonah is his love and joy....he is absolutely adorable. He got a hit and a walk and no one steals bases like he does.

Chris loaded the house with fire wood and helped me clean. Thank goodness! It is hard to find time to do it all and right now and I really wish we had a house keeper....especially with the mud. Life is life and I will forever be stuck with the cleaning responsibility...thank goodness I have a hubby to help.

I am not sure what is in store for tomorrow. I think they are ripping out more of the foundation and bringing rock in. I work all day and Sarah is going to watch the boys so they don't fall out of the house. I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend with my cousin...Wooo hooo. Tanya and I are hoping to sneak out for some girl time. In the mean time, I will work hard a posting daily progress. This is more of a commitment than I realized but I am determined to keep it up.

The Duvall High Rise..

We are home. The extra night in the hotel was not necesarry but it was good. The boys were all cuddled up and loved hangin' in the pool. We ordered room service for dessert....it was fantastic. Christian stayed at Alex's house again. He loved it. We missed him. He did not miss us.

Today was crazy. I barely got the boys to school in time. I stopped by for a quick conversation with the plumber and then I headed out for a Library meeting. It was a very LONG meeting about tons of boring computer things....Its hard to focus on new computer systems being implemented in the library when I am really thinking about making sure the washing machine gets hooked up.

When I got to the house they were hard at work finishing plumbing, prepping for more demo and making me my beautiful temporary deck, stairs and entry. One more ways DB Davis has outdone themselves. No one in town has a temporary entry like this. They are super FAB!! They added extra railings to make sure little kids that come by have something to hang on to. They also fully stocked my wood pile for the fireplace before we went up. I got the fire going and it is finally getting warm in here. Chad and Tim took a few minutes to help me get my internet working again.

I was late to pick up all my kids today. Guess I am not getting that mom of the year award. I just couldn't get everything together for baseball and piano. I did make it to my practice barely in time. I was able to watch Jonah's game from my field. He is adorable. We just finished a nice family dinner and are all getting ready for bed. We are adjusting to the new height of our homes and are enjoying the views. Can't wait for the next step in this whole crazy thing...I need to remember tomorrow is Holy Thursday and somehow I have to get my family to church. I am looking forward to spending Easter weekend with Tanya. She is becoming Catholic and I am her sponsor. We are planning on staying most of the weekend with her family. I am looking forward to some girl time.

WOW! The house is up very high....

Well another huge day at the office....

The day started out at the hotel. The boys loved it and wanted to head to the pool first thing. Instead they got ready for school and we made it back to Snoqualmie in time for the bus. I stopped by the house for a minute before taking Christian to the ortho for his finger. The doctor cleared him for all activities...

As for the rest of the day...I showed up at the house in the early afternoon. As usual the guys were hard at work. They were raising and stacking, raising and stacking. They are all very nice and funny. Eventually, they all agreed the house was high enough. A carpenter showed up to build me a temporary entrance to the house. In the mean time they rigged up a ladder so I could go up in the house. Yeah....the ladder was sweet and very useful but I decided to high tale it back to the hotel instead of braving that ladder. Actually, the truth is the plumber had a couple hours left to go before we were up and running and I thought sitting in a hot tub at the hotel sounded better.

Everyday before the guys leave they try to clear me a "clean" path back to the house. This is adorable. As you can see in the picture, mother nature has different plans for my clean path but the effort they put into finding safe clean ways into the house for the boys and I is sweet. The boss man jumped around on the house and the ladder to prove how safe it was. It was crackin me up. I am thankful that these guys not only work hard on my house but they work equally hard at taking care of my family. Yeah for them.

I will post again tomorrow on the next phase of progress...Oh yeah, I need to post video too. Coming soon, I promise.