An update on the house.... before we left for SC Ryan got the garage floor poured. I need to flip this picture - but thought Ryan was looking pretty good in his rubber boots and shorts!

Finishing up the garage floor!

What will be our back deck and covered patio underneath.

What the view will be out my kitchen window(minus the construction debris) - I love it!

And now what the view out my front door is - our trusses for the roof were dropped on the front yard this morning. Ryan is planning on taking the roof off our house this weekend as long as the weather cooperates and hopefully all of these will go back on quickly without any rain inbetween! Wish us luck!!

Charleston, South Carolina

We always love the last day of school around here and this year we were even more excited because we left the next morning at 6 a.m. for Charleston, South Carolina. A lot of Ryan's family went and we had a great time. The last time we went we had a 1 year old and a 2 year old so this time the traveling was so easy! We took a ton of pictures but here are a few of the highlights. Here are the three girls crabbing. Ryan's cousin, Raymond, took Morgan the last time we were there and that was her favorite thing about the trip. This time all three girls were able to catch a crab. You throw raw chicken out into the tide pools and grab the crab with a net when you feel them tugging. As we were walking to the crabbing spot the girls found full sand dollars along the beach - they were pretty excited about that as well.
All of us in front of the pineapple fountain in the Waterfront Park in downtown. This day we walked around downtown, went to the Market, walked along the Battery, saw Rainbow Row, and played in the water fountain for a few hours!

Went to Patriots Point and toured the aircraft carrier and a submarine. I would not handle working on a submarine.... We also went to Fort Moultrie from the Revolutionary War and a lighthouse.

This is a picture of Ryan at Charles Towne Landing (were the very first settlers came). It was a beautiful place, but had these signs all over. I thought they were a joke at first ...Ryan assured they were not a joke. Luckily we never met an alligator, just lots of turtles. We also went to the Aquarium (I forgot my camera that day). It was fun - we always love aquariums.

The rest of the week was spent on the beach. Ryan's mom got a condo and beach house for all of us to stay in. We had such a great time and love the ocean. The girls had a great time playing in the sand and the water, walking out onto the pier, and shopping on Folly Beach. We were sad to come home. Maddie's Birthday was yesterday and we were traveling all day so I had one present for her to open before we left (the outfit and crown) that she got to wear all day as we were in airports and airplanes. It was fun because she got so much attention! She was really, really shy, but kept the crown on so we figure she liked it! We have a hard time believing that she is five!!

The first wall up!! This is the part that is exciting to me because I can start seeing how it will come together! Dale and Alan (Ryan's brothers) spent the day with him helping and they called the Mecham boys in for lifting support a couple times!

We took the screen out of our bedroom window to make easier access to the addition for the girls otherwise they were climbing a ladder with quite a drop off to the side. They spent all evening playing store through the window last night!

The end of the day - The three outside walls are up!

Last weekend the basement walls went up! You can see some of the windows we put in and they will all be daylight. I love lots of windows!

Then during the week they got the floor on and today they (Ryan and Alan) are working on the main floor walls and the deck. Ryan is working on the house all day today and Monday so there should be lots more to show by next week! I am starting to get excited!
On other notes we are to the last week of school! This is always a time I look forward to! Maddie finished preschool this last week with a class fishing trip. Ryan took her and she caught the first fish in her class. She was pretty excited to bag up her fish and bring home her fish home for mom "because she is the only one that likes fish". I pulled some salmon out of the freezer, cooked it up and ate it while her poor little fish got buried in the bottom of our garbage! Thanks Maddie!!

Maddie had her preschool graduation. She did a great job! I am so excited to have her in Kindergarten and all of my girls with me at school next year. One of the major perks of my job (along with the three summer months off!)

Morgan had her program for Mrs. John's third grade class. She has loved school this year and is sad to move on. She and Hallie have been in the same class since Kindergarten and will not be in the same school next year so I thought we needed a picture of them with one of their favorite teachers!

The Last Week

The best part of the week was Kimber and Erik's wedding! We had a great time spending all day with them on Saturday for the wedding and the reception. We always love it when they come into town. Here is all of the Montoya family, obviously not looking at our camera!

Our cute girls on Temple Square. It was beautiful there with all of the spring flowers.

The foundation was poured on Monday of this week, they pulled the forms off on Monday night, the plumber came on Tuesday and the foundation was sprayed on Tuesday as well!

Today the backfill was started - which helps me a ton to figure out how the house is actually going to look. We also had our sewer pipe replaced today. Ryan came home for lunch with Ashlyn and was outside talking to the guys working on the sewer, Ashlyn went inside and used the bathroom not knowing what they were working on - well the guys got a little surprise outside....Sorry!

The part closest to the camera is going to be an outside patio off the basement, and the tall wall is the back of the garage. Just incase you cared!!!

Footings

It has been raining a lot and our house is slightly leaking where the carport was taken off so this was my inovative way to catch the water while Ryan was working - duct tape a picture to the window and wall!

The pump truck going over the house to get the cement to the footings. The girls thought this was pretty neat.

The footings are done. Even thought it rained pretty much all day, Ryan got them poured and all the forms off! Yeah - the foundation should be started today!

How the yard looked on Saturday - a bunch of trenches to replace the water

and sewer lines into the house. (This is picture is taken from the back door)

On Monday - 3 loads of gravel were brought in to fill up the old septic tank

(you can see the kids in the back on the dirt hills - a new favorite past-time!)

On Tuesday - The caution tape through Sandy's yard(our neighbor)

and the hole in the back is just about finished!

The mounds of dirt in the back - I was amazed at how much dirt

came out of the hole...kind of crazy.

And today - Ryan got the footings just about ready to go -

I think he is going to try to pour them this weekend.


We are making progress!!!