The BIG DIG continues...

With each passing day, the piles of dirt get higher, but we're also one step closer to completion. We pray with the kids before bed at night, and last night Becca prayed that the workers would be able to do their job...'so they can get out of here'. The dirt and equipment would be a little boy's dream but Becca is not impressed. Every time we leave the house, we get dusty and dirty. Even though we leave our shoes by the front door, we still have a layer of dust on our wood floors.

Speaking of leaving the house... I had an interesting experience yesterday. I had to leave the house to pick up the kids from school at 12:15 (they get out of school at 12:30 on Wednesdays) and when I opened the front door, I had nowhere to go! There was a 6 foot trench dug in front of the door that extends about 3 feet out from the house... and all the guys went to lunch! I was pretty upset for a minute- how inconsiderate. I though about getting a runnning start and trying to jump it, but I thought better of it. I did, after all, sprain my ankle a week ago. Then I started looking around and found a 3 foot tall step ladder. I opened it and set it in the trench, climbed down onto it, then back up the other side. If anyone was watching, they'd have gotten a good laugh out of it. When I got back with the kids, they were back from lunch and very apologetic.

In an effort to keep us from falling in the muddy trench, they rigged up a ramp. I told Becca... image that we're Princesses living in a castle with a moat around us, and this is our drawbridge...to which, she rolled her eyes and said, 'so does that make dad the King?'. Louie was less excited about the ramp. He tiptoed onto it and asked what the weight limit was. He also is not a fan of heights, so I can't imagine he likes walking over a 6 foot deep pit on a narrow piece of plywood.

One other interesting moment- the contractor knocked on the door and said, 'I've found something interesting when I was digging in the backyard. I've never seen anything like it before'. Well, that can't be good. (I had images of them finding a body or something in my yard- too many episodes of CSI, I guess) It was a large sort-of clay cistern or something that's about 20 feet from the house. They aren't sure whether it's tied into our sewer or what. As we speak they're digging up more of the backyard trying to come to some conclusion. Meanwhile, the foundation is almost done being water-proofed. (Yeah!)

There are, actually, other things going on in our lives other than this big project. The kids are settling into their routine at Covenant School. Garrett and Hannah are looking at all kinds of things under the microscope... Garrett's response is, "How cool is that!?" and Hannah's response is "That's just nasty". I guess it depends on your perspective! Becca is preparing for her first spelling and vocabulary tests of the year. She also memorizes a scripture or scriptures each week and recites it at the end of the week in front of the class (I'm trying to memorize them along with her) This week's verse is from Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone". Hey... I think all the kids should memorize this one!

The Big Dig

Today is a big day for us. We're having our foundation drains replaced around our house. Five years ago when we moved back to Barboursville, we had several bad weeks of rain and ended up with a LOT water in our finished basement. We had some drains replaced around the foundation which fixed the problem- until this summer. We've had 4 'floods' during June and especially July. (This is a picture of the hall leading into Hannah's downstairs bedroom.) As frustrating as it's been- and it's been VERY frustrating- we're keeping it in perspective. It's just water, it's just carpet. So now, our only recourse is to take out our driveway and patio, replacing the drains around the remainder of the house.

Since we had water in the basement five years ago, we get anxious every time it storms... running down to look in the basement, 'just to check'. Within a week, we'll have a peace of mind that we haven't experienced in the last five years. Our contractor, Shane, is a super nice guy and has done this many times before, even for our neighbor. I've tried not to hover and to let him work, but it's really fascinating. To satisfy my curiosity, he's been explaining to me what he's doing and why. Here are some pictures of our mess.

With the promise of completion within the week, we're happy to have to deal with a few inconveniences, like mud. Our little dog, Ebony, has to be tied on a long tie-out in the backyard to keep her safely away from the equiptment. She's a little freaked out but I keep going outside to reassure her. Also, they had to remove all our landscaping. Over the last five years, I've planted several shrubs, roses and least year a beautiful Eastern Redbud tree. It had pretty blooms on it this spring. It's looking a little sad right now... they promise it'll survive the trauma... I hope so. I can't wait to see what the kids think of all this- all this work has transpired while they've been at school!

Back to School

Well, yesterday was the first day of school. I cannot believe it! Garrett is 16 years old and a junior in high school. Hannah is 15 years old and a sophomore. Becca is 10 years old and a 5th grader. It was just the other day we were picking out a backpack for them to start preschool! Now, Garrett and Hannah are going on double dates and studying to take their driver's tests while Becca traded in her cute purple tennis shoes for bright red chucks- after all, purple is for babies.

They do seem excited about the school year, though. Garrett says his favorite class is gong to be biology. They'll be doing a lot of hand-on labs like dissecting a variety of critters, visiting the Marshall University Med School to see a cadaver and identifying dozens of trees and song birds. Hannah is writing her first paper for English- yes, it is only the second day of school. She's playing volleyball and is thrilled to be taking journalism. Becca was so glad to hear that another girl was going to be in her class... there are far more boys than girls in there right now. She wants to be in a play at school and tryouts are September 16th.

Louie and I are doing great. I have no idea what to write about us... he works every day and I try to keep up with the kids every day. Actually, I'm hobbling after the kids this week. I was helping a friend move last weekend (wearing flip flops) when I tripped on some uneven flooring and hit the floor. I sprained my ankle- my deltoid tendon to be exact- but it's feeling a lot better today. The moral of the story is- flip flops are dangerous!

Last thing- I told the kids I was creating a family blog. I foolishly expected a bit of enthusiasm- instead I got "Mom, pleeeease don't put anything embarrassing on there!