More framing and sick kiddos

Well, thankfully, it didn't rain today or much over the weekend, so the framers can keep working. As you can see in the picture, the upstairs walls are almost up on the outside. Then they will do the inside walls, the boards that enclose the outside walls, and then they will start setting trusses in the next two days. Mark, the builder, said they should be done framing by the end of next week. Pretty cool how quickly things move, but frustrating when you are dependant on the weather. Thankfully, we won't have to worry about the weather too much longer. Both kids have colds. We went to the doctor today because Brady was running a fever of 103 over the weekend and coughing and has a very runny nose! Bree was up last night tugging at her ears, so she got to make a trip to the doctor as well. Thankfully, she doesn't have any ear infections right now. Brady is going to be on breathing treatments for the next few days, but doesn't need any other medicine, so that is a blessing! We are walking in the March of Dimes on Saturday for our good friend Nolan, and his parents, Nick and Jacky Sklenar. If you want to see what it is about, check out our site at www.marchforbabies.org/hrkruger. You can also make a donation to sponsor our walk if you want. Nolan has a great story and if you would ever like to see the amazing video his parents did of him, email me and I will be happy to give you the link, just make sure you have kleenex ready because it is powerful!

The walls are going up!

We got to go watch some more cement trucks again today. Brady likes watching them, and was really into playing in the dirt. He was having fun throwing stuff in the mud puddles, so needless to say, he is getting a bath today. He was also excited to see where his bedroom and Bree's bedroom are going to be. They poured the driveway today, since it wasn't dry enough yesterday, and the are also working on the framing. The basement has a basic frame for the walls and they were almost done putting the floor trusses on when we were there this morning. It was a great day to go because Mike didn't have to be at work until 10:15 since his morning meeting was cancelled. So, he got to go with us and watch. Bree was even intent on watching the big trucks, probably for the noise. She is still crawling, and has figured out she can pretty much get anywhere she wants, but it takes her a LONG time. She is our little turtle right now, but I am sure that will change, unless she is anything like her mother! Brady is doing great with the potty training! He didn't have any accidents yesterday, except when he went out with Daddy for ice cream and to watch the trains. Today, he has done pretty well, also. He did have an accident when we went to watch the cement trucks, so I think he doesn't understand that he needs to go to the potty at other places than our apartment. We are going to have to work on that. He is still going poop on the potty as well, so that is awesome! One less poopy diaper to worry about. The bottom picture is of the west side of the house, where Brady and Bree will have their rooms. Check out the latest house pictures by clicking on the link.

House and other stuff

Well, the guys were actually able to work on the house today. When we went at noon, they had poured the garage floor, cut the curb for the driveway, and were preparing to pour the driveway, which will be poured tomorrow, hopefully. They were also working in the basement on framing. Mark (the builder) said he hoped to have walls by the end of this week and then start the trusses next week. We have to get a decision made on the front door so we can get it ordered. He will also be ordering the windows sometime this week. Things are moving right along, as long as the rain stays away. It looks like we are going to have some thunderstorms tonight and maybe more throughout the week, so that could put a kink in the plan. I guess you just have to be flexible when you are depending on weather, especially in Iowa! On another note, Brady has been going to the potty on the big boy potty. He has actually done better with the poop aspect than with the potty, which is backwards from what most people say, but at least I don't have to clean his poopy diapers anymore! Last night, he said, "Look mommy, I there's fruit snacks in there!" Thankfully, he didn't try to eat the "fruit snacks!" I know I haven't said much about Bree, but she is doing great. She crawled across the room today. I was bribing her with baby snacks. This is amazing, since she hasn't really crawled before this. She crawled a few steps last week, but hasn't since then. It has actually been a busy day around here! I better go take a nap after all that. :) Check out the video on the dropshots link. It is of Bree crawling. I will try to get more on there soon. Sorry, no new pictures today.

Rain, rain, go away!

Well, April in Iowa...need I say more. Due to the rain, no work is being accomplished on the house. On a side note, Brady has been having gas issues, and today, he told me, "I have a gas station in my tummy!" Kids say the funniest things! It looks like there is going to be more rain tomorrow, so hopefully, we will be able to see more progress on Monday. :)

Basement Floors

We officially have floors in the basement, now. It was pretty cool to watch the concrete pump working. Brady decided he was afraid of the trucks this time. We were a little bit closer this time, so it was a little louder. They got rid of all the dirt that was piled up, using it to backfill the garage and around the house. It is cool that you can see the house on both sides now. Nothing really too exciting other than the floors. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so we will probably be on hold again, but the plan is to pour the garage this afternoon, and then, start framing, hopefully Friday.

Brady's heaven

We went back to watch more work today, and Brady was in heaven. He put his new boots on, and was walking in the mud, of course. He loves watching the skid loader work. Every time it would dump the dirt into the hole, he would say, "Uh-oh! There it goes again!" I guess his facial expressions must have been pretty funny because the guy driving the skid-loader was laughing each time he dumped the dirt. Nothing really to report. They should be pouring concrete tomorrow morning and the framing materials are being delivered tomorrow night, so we are moving right along!

Back at it

After a lot of rain, the workers were able to get back to work. They have put the underground plumbing in and are now working on back-fill and grading and tiling around the house. Basically, they are getting everything ready so they can pour the basement floors, garage floor, and driveway on Wednesday, hopefully. As of right now, the weather looks like it will hold out until Thursday, so they should be able to get things poured. When the kids and I went down to see it today, there was a lot of water in the basement that Mark, the contractor, said they were trying to get pumped out so they could get things rolling again. Needless to say, with a 2 and a half year-old boy, we got a little muddy. We actually decided to buy boots for him today that we can keep in the car so his shoes will not get muddy in the future. I didn't take any pictures of him muddy, but he wasn't that bad, just his shoes. I kept ahold of his hand the whole time, so he didn't get into the things he was trying to get into.

on hold

As I am sure you can imagine, construction has been on hold this week, since Monday due to weather. You gotta love April in Iowa! April showers bring May flowers, right?! Anyway, we are working on the plans for cabinets and meet with the plumb supply company tomorrow to pick out our tubs and faucets. It is fun to pick all this stuff out! Hopefully next week we will get to see more concrete trucks when the basement floor gets poured, and then, it is on to the frame!

basement walls

Things are moving right along. We now have basement walls. Brady was so excited to see our house when we came back from Winfield yesterday. He saw the big hole, and today, he got to see the concrete trucks pouring concrete into the pump and then being poured into the forms to make the walls. I will be attending an appointment tomorrow with our contractor to start making decisions on cabinets. Mike has an interview for a possible new employee, so he won't be able to make the appointment, but will meet with us on Wednesday at another place in Ames to look at more cabinets. We also will be meeting with the plumbing supply people on Friday to make some decisions on that stuff. It gets more real for us as we start making these decisions. Hopefully, I will be able to get some pictures up soon.

It has begun!

So, our digging has begun. I have spent a few hours watching and met Mike during his lunch at the property. They are still digging the hole, which they hope to finish digging today. The concrete crew is there and is starting to put the footings down, and they hope to pour concrete in the next few days. I have spent the day running to different places to get brochures to look at over the weekend, so we can start making interior decisions next week. Wow! It goes pretty quickly once you actually have to start making decisions about the finer details. Brady, unfortunately, didn't get to see the excavator (his favorite machine) in action, but I took a lot of pictures and some video for him to see. He is very excited to build our house and see the equipment, so it is a bummer that he isn't going to see this part, but he will be back on Sunday and I am sure ready to "help!"

A new adventure

So, if you haven't heard lately, we are building a house. Check back later for pictures. We are starting the building process tomorrow, Friday, so look for more posts as we go through the process and pictures of the adventure!