Turret

Hello! I have had many questions on what the turret will be used for, so I thought I would just do a new post and fill you in. The basement of the turret will be our wine cellar. Then the main floor of it will be our library and our office is connected to that. We are going to have book shelves under the windows with a bench you can sit on to look out the windows. Then the upper level of the turret will be a sitting room with a steel floor. It will be made by Jeff at Innova with geomatric shapes cut out of it, but they will be small enough you can still walk around up there. We aren't sure if we will put furniture in there or not, we are still thinking about that one. The shapes will also allow light down to the library from the ceiling fan that will be in the peak of the turret ceiling. I will take many pictures of it as it gets done.

Beginning of 2nd Floor

They got part of the walls up on the 2nd floor Tuesday. It is killing Jeff that they haven't built the stairs so we can walk up there, but we will.
This is the side of the house and to the right is the turret.
Here is the other side of the house with Jeff down the hill taking the picture and the kids and I are on the clay pile. Jeff was able to climb the ladder the framing guys are using to get to the 2nd floor today when he was out there. He said the view is amazing. The kids and I went out to the farm today, so we will check it out hopefully tomorrow.

Family Party

Okay, so there are no pictures of the actual family at the party, but Greta's family is practically family to us, too. My brother's family wasn't able to make it because his youngest was sick, so my kids played with their friends at the family party. They had a blast and did not want to stop jumping. Here is Declan watching Kaylee go down the slide and me videotaping her. Jeff was videotaping the kids on the slide at the kid party and was able to do it easier because he is taller.
Jacob coming down slide and Isaac observing.
Isaac in between Becca and Kaylee. Before preschool, you would never see him doing this. He was afraid of girls, except these two because he has grown up with them. But he is getting more and more open with being around girls and talking to them. He sure is growing up.

Declan's Birthday Party

Declan got this dragon shirt from his aunt and uncle in Portland and absolutely loved it. They gave him a green one a couple years ago with a bit different design on it and he wears it all the time. Basically, if it is clean, it is on his body. Thank you, Brian and Nomi, he is way excited and has worn the shirt 3 times already.
Declan wanted a dinosaur theme for his birthday this year. We bought the cake toppers, but made the cake together. He had a good time helping mom make his cake.
You are looking at an air filled jumping thing we rented for the birthday parties. We had a kid one for Declan in the afternoon and a family one in the evening. Jeff and I firmly believe in getting tired all in one day and resting the next day. The Atlantis (a.k.a. jumping thing) was a huge hit for all the kids. Declan and Isaac are peaking out the entrance for me to take this picture.
Here is the crew that came to the kids party. I think they were all tired and had fun.

Turret Walls

The construction workers got he turret walls done last week. The walls look really tall because there are no trusses between floors on the turret. We are doing a steel decking floor on the upper level that will be supported with wood supports. You will have to see it to totally get it.
Isaac and Jeff in the turret. This room willl have a really cool view of the golf course with all the windows.

Class Trip

Declan's class walked to Grotto Park for their last afternoon of school. From his school, it was a 1/2 hour walk. The kids got a work-out just walking to the park. Jeff, Isaac, and I also walked with the class. Jeff was picking on me because for the walk to the park and back to the school, I had girls arguing who was going to hold my hand. Declan usually walks with his friends, but I had to have the 5 girls take turns holding my hand. He was telling me I must be the favorite class mom. I guess I have been with his class enough this year with trips and helping with reading groups that they all know me pretty well. Here Declan is in a baby swing, it was not easy helping him out of this either. Don't ask me why he and his friends all had to sit in it.
Isaac had fun at the park with the class and there was even a 1st grade boy who spent a long time pushing Isaac on the swing.
Declan is in the green, they were burying parts of their bodies.
I wanted a picture of Declan and Nycole because their birthdays are 4 days apart, but Sunnie and Lily had to join them. Nycole is in the pink stripes and is a good friend of Declan. I am also good friends with her mom, so they see each other often.

Main Floor with ceiling trusses

I am standing at the front entry and taking this picture. You are looking at the kitchen area with Jeff standing in front of the formal dining room. Isaac is standing in the sliding doors that will open to a deck.
These pictures didn't show up in the order I wanted them so bear with me. You are looking at the mud room area and a small bathroom at the end. We will enter from the garage into this mudroom.
The last picture shows this room faintly, but Isaac is standing in the spare bedroom.
Declan is showing you the guest bathroom. To the left of this photo is the front entry and to the right is the guest bedroom.

The front entry is now to the right and you are looking at the formal living room. We have a beautiful view from this direction, too.
Formal living room is to the right and this is our dining room. Where I am standing to take this photo, the kitchen is to my left.
This is our office and there aren't any walls on the library in the turret. The dining room is to the right of this picture. There will be a double sided fireplace in the wall to the left in the bigger opening. You can see a corner of the walls for the library on the floor in this picture. The turret will be our best view of the golf course. I hope this all makes sense and you can kinda see the lay out of the main floor. The ceiling trusses are done. We are guessing the library walls will be done tomorrow and they will be starting on the upper level either late tomorrow or next week. We are being told there will be a roof on our house next week. It is going really fast and getting more exciting to see it for real instead of on paper.

Main Floor is framed

This is looking at the south east corner of the house. The front of the house faces east. We are still able to stand on the clay piles because the road restrictions were just lifted at midnight last night. They will be taking out the clay piles and doing the back fill on Tuesday next week. You can see the yellow ladder leaning on the house, that is our front door. It will be nice to have the fake moat gone and just walk into the house.
Declan and I are in the front entry and you are looking at the hallway to the guest bathroom and guest bedroom.
We asked the framing guys if we could come up on the main floor and look around when they were working. The foreman was nice enough to give us a steel walkway next to the ladder to walk up. It is a bit freaky to say the least to walk your kids up that steel when you are not liking it in the first place. We were able to show our house off to 2 seperate couples in our new neighborhood last night. It was so fun!

Isaac's turn to the zoo

Isaac has been going with me all year on Declan's field trips. I don't think I missed any and Declan loves it when I come to them. Well, Isaac could not go to the zoo with Declan and me because he had to go to his last day of preschool. He was not happy with me and I felt horrible. So, I told him I would take him to the zoo the next day while Declan was in school. We had a picnic lunch there and had a great time. He was so happy and it made me really happy. Here he is by the monkeys.
I don't remember what birds are what color, but Isaac wing span is a small bird.
We also took a ride on the carousal. We took lots of pictures of our day and he told Declan and his dad all about our day when everyone was home for the evening. The cool thing about the zoo the last 2 days is we saw several birds sitting on their nests. We saw a black swan with eggs under her, a Peacock on her nest, a turkey on her nest, and then Isaac spotted a Mallard duck on her nest yesterday. He is my little Eagle eye, he notices things that I never even see. He spotted a tiny snapping turtle that I thought was a rock when I was walking. I think it just hatched and was trying to find water. It would be fun to go back to the zoo and see all the babies in a couple weeks.

Happy Birthday, Declan!

Declan turned 7 yesterday. He is holding his birthday cake candle and I guess there is a cat behind him on the stairs. OOPS! We are having his big birthday parties on Saturday. One party in the afternoon for his friends and then one in the evening for the family and our friends. We were going to take him out to supper on his birthday last night, but he wanted to do his last night of roller hockey instead. The birthday dinner is postponed until Sunday or Monday. He has been so excited for his birthday this year and has been counting down all month. I know I have said this before, but it is so neat when your kids are old enough to understand the day is all about them. Declan can read pretty well now and can read a calendar which made a huge difference for him this year. He has grown so much this year in 1st grade and I cannot belive this school year only has 1 more day.

Main Floor

Half of the walls on the main floor are done and the flooring is on the trusses. It is really starting to look huge and we have another level to go on top this one. You are looking, from left to right, at the spare bedroom window, small bathroom window, front door, and then living room window.
Here is the back side of the walls. You can kinda see the rest of this wall is done, they just didn't have time to put it up yet.
Here are the kids looking at me from the game room window and I am standing on the clay piles to take the photo.

Chahinkapa Zoo

I went with Declan's 1st grade class to the zoo in Wahpeton yesterday. I was in charge of 5 kids, who you see above, for the day. The 1/2 hour bus ride to Wahpeton wasn't the most fun with about 60 kids all talking at the same time. For some reason I remember the seats in a bus being bigger when I was riding it to school everyday. I swear they shrunk the seats in buses in the last 15 years. I know you are laughing at me right now, but I don't fit in them so good anymore. Declan is the monkey face on the bottom in this picture.
These kids, Sunnie, Alli, Declan, Brady, and Morgan loved having their picture taken by things at the zoo. They were a great bunch of kids to have all day. We walked the entire zoo twice and they played at the huge playground for a long time. There is also a restored carousel at the zoo for those of you who don't live around here. It is a big thing to go to the zoo and then ride this. The 1st grade teachers used the money from the class sponsors to buy zoo tickets and carousel. It was a neat thing for the 150 kids to be able to do this on their last week of school.

Basement is Framed

In Monday, the guys got the basement framed and the trusses on the ceiling of the basement or the floor of the main floor. It doesn't matter really how you say it, they are just done! The kids and I are standing in the hockey room. It is going to be a room with walls of a special plastic and a net where they can beat the crap out of the walls and not ruin a thing. They are very excited they will have a room to play hockey in and I won't outlaw hockey in the house anymore.
Here is the trusses.
Here is a view of the walk-out part of the basement. The first opening will be the sliding patio doors and the other smaller opening is the window to the game room.

Isaac's Preschool Program

Isaac's preschool class had their program yesterday. He is such a performer and had a great time. His best friend, Noah is standing next to him. The other two boys in his class that he plays with were hiding because they were really shy. Isaac is holding his umbrella for the rain song.
This is the itsy bitsy spider song, but Isaac didn't have his sun come out for some reason.
Each child was an animal in this little skit and Isaac was the giraffe. He was so excited for this day and to be the giraffe. He woke up yesterday really early and told me he was too excited to sleep. He was too tired last night to go to Soccer though. Go figure. Here he is saying Goodnight Gorilla.
I asked Isaac for a picture of him doing a preschool project and this is what I got. I am thinking this will be used later in life to show him how silly he was. The program was so cute and we loved every minute of it. We did a movie of it, but I didn't put any movies on this blog today. I have several friends who still have to have a dial up internet connection and they could not download the movies from Declan's program. I will just use pictures.

Basement Floor

Our heated basement floor is completed. They are starting the framing today (5/16) and will start putting in the floor trusses on Monday. It is going to start taking shape now. Isaac is standing in the turret trying to figure out what the 2 hoses and white pipe is for. We are having a small sink in the wine cellar for washing out bottles and wine glasses. We wanted to run the water from the floor and not from the ceiling.
If you take a picture of one kid by something, you will have to take one of the other kid, too.

In-Floor Heating

I have not been neglecting my house pictures. They have been getting the basement floor area ready for the heating system the past couple days. It didn't change much with their prep work and taking pictures would not have helped. The tubing or plumbing or whatever it is called for the in-floor heating is in place as off last night (5/13). The bright blue color you see is the styrofoam they have to place under the tubing/plumbing/whatever. They are pouring the concrete floors today and they will be moving on to the next project. Our builder told us he plans to have the house framed by June 1st. I cannot wait!
You can see where everything hooks into on the back wall. Doesn't take up much space, does it? It will be so cool to have warm basement floors. Our feet freeze in our basement all the time here.

Declan playing soccer

Declan is doing soccer again this spring and is on the same team he was last fall. If you sign up for the fall session, you are automatically signed up for spring. But you can sign up a new kid in the spring like we did for Isaac. I guess last fall they had 130 kids in soccer and this spring they had another 100 kids sign up. What a good thing for the soccer association.
Declan is kicking in the ball during a scrimmage with another team.
The goal is actually the orange cones next to him. Imagine that, Declan likes to be a soccer goalie, too. He sure loves being goalie in hockey and soccer. I had the camera zoomed in on him and called his name, he smiled for me. He usually gives me a mad look so this is a rare picture for me. Man, he is growing too fast!