New House - Week 8

This week The construction crew is pouring our basement. If we are lucky they may begin framing before the weekend!



Anna and Sophia in the basement just before the concrete is poured.



Sophia inspecting the plumb line.



Baby in a Basement



The first truck of concrete. It took three to complete the basement floor.



The first of the concrete is down!



Wow, that guy has a long tool!



The completed basement floor!

Childrens Museum at Union Terminal

On Saturday we took the girls and Mom to Union Terminal in Cincinnati. On this 95 degree summer day the museum was the perfect choice. We all were extremely impressed with the childrens museum - it certainly lives up to it' top 10 rank in the US!



The Fam in front of Union Terminal



Anna LOVED the "Energy Zone" - an area with multiple stations that offer chances to analyze which path a ball must take to reach its destination, and what simple machines or energy forces help get it there. Educational, but most importantly... freakin cool!



There are lots of career role-playing areas of the museum. In this section Anna played in a Veternarian's office.



The toddler area was also great. It offers interactive features that are designed for the little, little ones. Sophia's favorite part was the mirror.



Anna playing at the Water Works exhibit.

Summer visit to Ohio

We spent a long weekend in Ohio to visit with family. Anna enjoyed being spoiled by her "Ohio Grands" while Sophia played with her cousin Liam.


Mom, Jim, Liam, Anna, and Sophia enjoying a summer evening in the swing.



Sophia and Liam



Sophia and Anna



Liam, Anna, and Sophia



Mom, Liam, and Sophia hanging out before bedtime.

Summer Dance Camp - African

During the second week of summer dance camp at Studio Arts for Dancers, they focused on Modern - specifically, African dance and art. Anna thought that Modern was more difficult than Ballet, but she enjoyed it very much. At the end of the week they held a program to demonstrate the dances they learned and the crafts they made.




Anna and Mikah



Anna second from right.



Laura, Lisa, and Anna-Kate (behind the mask).

Building the House - Week 6

There was not a lot of progress this week due to rain nearly everyday. They did manage to paint the waterproofing onto the exterior of the basement walls.



We stopped by to take a couple of photos on our way to Knoxville - probably a bad idea. It is impossible for Anna to visit the site without getting muddy.

Norris Day, 2008

We had a great 4th of July and Norris Day this year! In typical form we overcommited ourselves in every way possible. We were up late the night before decorating Anna's bike for the parade. Why so much fuss? Easy... this was Sophia's first Norris Day and Anna's first year to race in the Fun Run. Very significant year, indeed. Enjoy the photos!




Sophia wore the same dress and hat that Anna did for her first 4th of July.



Sophia in front of our house.



Anna is ready for the bike race. Watch out for the kid with no shirt!






Anna and friend Tori ran the 1 mile "fun run" for the first time this year. I ran with them so I could say that I had some amount of exercise for the day. About half way through the race Anna got tired of waiting for Tori and I so she went on at her own pace - quickly fading out of site and placing 2nd in her age group. If she hadn't tried to stay with us for the first half she could easily have won. I will start her on two-a-days next week!





Look at that form!






Look at the concentration on the faces of this team. Time to throw down!




We lost in the first round. :-(

Building The House - Week Five

If you have been paying attention you know that just last Friday the concrete company assembled the forms for our foundation. Just two business days later we are amazed that they have poured the concrete and already removed the forms! So that's just three full days it takes the foundation crew to set up, pour, and leave. Amazing. I must say that walking around inside the 8" solid concrete walls gave me a bit of a Tim Allen manly-man feeling. ARGHH!



View from the front of the house



View from back of the house



Cross section view of the back wall of the house



View from inside the basement level of the house

More updates to follow. Happy 4th of July!

Craig

Dollywood Fun

On Sunday we decided to take the girls to Dollywood. Guess what? You don't have to like country music to enjoy this park! It isn't a huge park, but has enough rides and attractions to keep the kids entertained for an entire summer (so we bought season passes!). The water rides were Anna's favorites today.


Anna and me on River Rampage. First ride of the day and yes, we were wet to the bone.



Anna and Laura cruisin.