Phase 2 - Construction (and a side note)

The basement project is moving along! I don't know what we would do without Dube's help.....spend more time and money for sure! Mike and Dube have been working almost everyday and have accomplished so much! It's awesome to go downstairs at the end of the day and see how far along we are coming. The walls are built, insulation is going up, recessed lighting has been installed, all the electrical has been brought up to code....Yeah!!!! Bennett loves to help but we have to go upstairs sometimes when it gets too dusty. We have a goal deadline of Nov. 24th (before Thanksgiving). Here are some picture updates.



Bennett has his gloves on and is ready to buy supplies at Menards!


Walls! No more paneling!




The insulation (plus drywall) will make a HUGE difference in sound insulation -- right now I can hear every word of a phone conversation when I'm upstairs and Mike is in the basement....this will quiet things down considerably!


We moved the door location for the water heater too.


My boys are working hard!



A Side Note

Bennett has his first pets - three goldfish! For $0.19 each I couldn't resist! We named them after B's favorite trains - Thomas, James and Percy.





We went to the mall today - B's first time at the Rivertown playground (I was a little unsure because of the flu season and all but they provide hand sanitizer) he had a blast running around with other kids. Then we went upstairs and just had to ride the carosel!


Saturday we carved a pumpkin....a boring face I know but we had fun and afterwards we baked the seeds for a snack!

Phase 1 - Basement Demolition

We are finally remodeling the 70's-inspired basement!!!!! We are trying to do as much as we can ourselves to save moolah and here's what we've done so far....


Mike has moved all the furniture/storage to the center of the room and torn down the paneling and insulation.




Bennett is always willing to lend a hand


We can see striaght into the storage room...the gun case is gone! yeah!


The laundry room...




If you know me, you know how much I wanted to help in tearing everything out...but my primary job is carrying a little girl not paneling so I had to settle for picture taking and cheering Mike on.


Take a trip to the dump...it helps to have an account at the county transfer station --- this dumpster rental was cheap!!!!


After all that hard work we needed to take relaxing walk outside.

Manistee River Camping

This is the third time the three of us have ventured out into the wilderness of the Manistee River. We planned to camp at one of the designated sites in the forest (not at a campground) however spent our first three hours looking for an unoccupied site!!! It was too nice of a fall day to expect empty sites. We ended up driving up a mountain (that was, ahem, closed) and camped at the top. We only got there 30 min before some hikers came through and stated something like, "darn! that spot's taken!" Had we been any later in arriving we would have been completely skunked and headed home to Rockford. As it was, we put up the tent, built a fire and settled in for dinner and a walk.


Bennett rode in the front as we bumped along two-track dirt roads looking for a camp site.


We stopped at the site we stayed at last year and although it was unoccupied, there were a couple of....hillbillies?....camped nearby with a loud radio...not ideal for peaceful camping. We had lunch and moved on.


Walking through the woods.


B walked for about 50ft then asked, "up?" We put him in the pack and hiked to a look-out.


We saw a blue heron in this creek..we love wildlife!


Arms out! Bennett was mimicking Mike.




B liked trying to touch every tree that we passed.


Our campsite. Car camping is by far the easiest thing to do when you have a little guy with you. You can take all the extras along that you wouldn't normally be able to carry. Plus, meal accommodations are usually better as we take a cooler and not just freeze-dried food.


Waiting for our soup to heat up.


Gathering firewood




A father/son walk in the woods


"Bye-bye sun."


Collecting acorns


Cozy pj's and rainboots!


We always need to read a book before bed.


Snuggled in. He looks cozy/comfy and I'm sure he was but he was also quite distracted by the tent and fire. Through the night he slept in three 3-hr shifts, waking up in between to jabber about how we were inside a tent.


We got up around 7a, had some breakfast - oatmeal and banana - and then packed up to head home.


Mike made me take a picture of the posts that we drove around....oops....I guess we didn't see them on our way in.... ;)



Misc. Pics

A little behind in time but this is a picture of my old-man belly at 21 weeks.



The boys testing B's new travel air-mattress. He has definitely outgrown a pack n play. This mattress is made for kids and is sunken in the middle to prevent him from rolling out -- he loved it!



Eating an apple from the front lawn...we made apple crisp later that afternoon. Yum!

Photo Update

Bennett is learning so quickly now, it's almost impossible to keep up! He picks up on so many of our words and phrases that I don't realize he's heard them until he spits them out days later. Some of his favorites are "bye, bye, sun" (to the sunset) "Igotcha" (I got ya!), "help, peace" (help please), and in the following picture....


"Wow! Big bite!"


His new "choo-choo!" train table and trains


Helping mom pick "cchini" and "sqaash" from the garden



Making zucchini bread - he especially liked to pour the ingredients and push the buttons on the blender.



We visited the John Ball Zoo a couple of weeks ago....here he is feeding the birds...




...challenging the sheep...


...riding the train...




...pointing out all the fish...


... and talking to the sharks, "doo-dah, doo-dah, doo-dah.....Ahhhhhh!!!" (think Jaws)


Helping dad transform his crib into a toddler bed!


His first night. This was 2 weeks ago and he has stayed in bed every night! A couple of mornings he has risen early -- 5:30 -- but we just gently redirect him back to bed and he lays down for another hour or so.


On the Whaler with Mike






Paige water skiing - one ski! She's awesome!


Tubing with Addy...


...and Jaxson


A boat ride at sunset





Watching the bubbles.

Summer is almost passed but we do have a few more plans -- camping in a couple of weeks -- and enjoying the last of the warm weather. I know it's been few and far between my postings, I feel badly more towards the new baby than anyone because there aren't nearly the journals or thoughts recorded as I have for Bennett. But, I'm told that's what happens. Time is moving quickly and we are doing our best to enjoy ourselves.


This Video is a little lengthy but Bennett is reading the alphabet!





Here he is reading his numbers



Baby Girl Ultrasound Video, 19weeks