How do you take your concrete?

We have had major basement progress (finally!!). After a month of delays due to unexpected life events from on the the subcontractors, about a dozen people showed up to work here on Thursday. The door was revolving and I was thrilled. Unfortunately, everyone wanted to get at the concrete, the men who wanted to pour the replacement walk way were limited due to the men who were cutting egress windows, so they have to come back next week. Darn. We are anxious to get the front door usable again. So, there you have it. We had concrete cutters, concrete pourers and a plumber breaking up the basement floor (concrete) in order to replace many eroding pipes with PVC, as well as rough in the future bar, bathroom, and laundry room.

We are also nearing in on a backyard we had hoped for. The final sod was placed a few weeks ago and it has taken. There are a few brown spots that we will remedy in time, but we are loving the wide open space.

Dave went to Minneapolis today with a friend of his to catch a Twins game. I have heard from him a few times and know he is having a great time, a much deserved great time.

The kids and I are exhausted, but having a nice weekend. We went to a rodeo birthday party for Capri tonight, it was really pretty entertaining, Sully loved the horses. I was glad to get home and get them in to bed.

Before the window were cut and the ceiling came down. Looking East. 

The ceiling comes down, looking Northwest. 

Egress windows are cut, panoramic photo, one of the windows is covered.
Looking East. 

View from the front.

New concrete piece of sidewalk, I couldn't pass up this opportunity.
No small task alone with two little ones, but worth it. 

Back yard, before, from patio, looking West. 

Back yard, after, from upper deck.

GG at the rodeo.

Sully at the rodeo.

Dave, Jeff, and Steve at the Twins game. 

Wisconsin Dells with the fam.

We hit the road last Friday morning, the Olivers and my parents weren't too far behind. We headed straight East on 90 to the Wisconsin Dells. A long drive, yes, but we pushed through and managed to stop only once for an extended lunch, diaper change and a quick nursing session in Austin, MN. 

We arrived at the hotel which was every kid's dream, there were so many activities. Sully is just getting to an age where he can enjoy those kind of things. It will be fun to see how he does on future kid trips. There were tons of water slides, face painting, a coloring table, and even twice daily story time (the same story every time) where these animal characters talked and fake people came out of a tree house. The theme song 'The Rhythm of Nature" was so fitting, and after about 6-8 views, we were all humming it in our free time. We are still searching for the itunes version to gift to the Olivers, as Jeff admitted on several occasions that he found it very catchy. 

Our group went for dinner on Friday evening and we celebrated my dad's 74th birthday. We had Italian food and the kids hung in there for the first 90 minutes and then began melting down before our eyes. Dave and I made a swift exit and called it a night. We stayed in a condo which had this amazing view of I-90, needless to say, our deck wasn't the most pleasant place to unwind, but we used it anyway. After a few glasses of wine, the semis seemed to quiet down a bit. (We did eventually change rooms to a parking lot view, which was much more pleasant).

We spent the next several days doing touristy things in the morning and swimming after naps. We did a duck boat tour, a train ride, and went to a lumber jack show. All were very good and entertaining. Everything was so geared towards kids which made for a pleasant experience for Dave and I. Our water park adventures were also fun. Sully got the courage up to do a kid slide on his own which was awesome. He was so excited, when he would get the bottom, his first word was 'anow!!' (again), so back up he would go. He mastered it. Dave and I even partook in some of the fun. We took turns with Mag and Jeff so we could do some of the bigger slides. I kind of felt like a kid again, bringing back all of my methods for going as fast as I could. 

I would have to say the highlight of the trip for me was seeing Sully so happy, Greta was a trooper and rolled with the punches so well. I can't wait to see her on next year's trip. Sully had so much fun on the slides and hanging out with Isaac and Anna. He loves them both so much, and they are both SO good with him. He and Isaac got matching face paints both days. So sweet. Isaac makes sure Sully is happy and takes the time to give him all of his attention. Anna and Greta will be the same way, I'm sure. Lucky kids.

Sully and Isaac

Great Wolf Lodge

Celebrating 74 years with my dad. 

Family photo on the Duck Boat Tour. 

GG enjoying the pool. 

Sully sliding, having such a blast.

Turtle walking with turtle face paints. 

Train ride.

Mag and I with the kiddos. 

Lumberjacks and a Lumberjill. 

Sully getting up close and personal.

Double date with the Oliver family. 

GG is 9 months old.

It's hard to believe Greta is already nine months old. It has been a wild adjustment, but I think its safe to say we are adjusted.  She is finally strong enough to sit up in the tub, so bath time has taken a drastic change for the easier. They have fun together in there; she finds a toy, Sully steals it, Sully gets in trouble so replaces the toy he has stolen, we praise him, and then the viscous circle starts all over again. She is everywhere; crawling, pulling up, starting to wave and clap. She is so smiley and sweet 99% of the time. She already prefers Dave and I over any other person, which can be tiring at times, but overall, its a pretty great feeling. Her 9 month stats are as follows: height: 26 inches and weight: 16.6lbs. Both are about at the 15th percentile. She is not a big girl, but she is hanging on the growth chart, so we are happy with that.

I was also able to get out to dinner with an old childhood friend. It was great to see her. Those familiar people and familiar stories are so great to revisit. Looking forward to next year, Sharon!

Quick photo shoot. Greta is 9 mos, Sully is 2 year 2 mos. 

This was right after Sully gave her a kiss. She is
obsessed with his attention. 

Tubby time with two. 

Bum bums.

Me, Sharon and Maggie.