Thursday, May 27, 2010
New next door
I posted earlier this winter about a new house that had just begun to be constructed next door to us. It had been an overgrown, somewhat yucky lot prior to that, so we were excited when the construction began, and took occasional photos as things progressed.
It turned out to be the perfect kind of winter entertainment, and we could always count on a digger or a construction crew or a mixer truck to show up just when we were weren't sure what to do with ourselves. It's all finished now and supposedly has a sale pending, so we're wondering about our new neighbor. At the same time, I thought it might be fun to post some photos of the house's progression, literally from the ground up.
Here's the original empty lot (note that most of the fence has been stolen by random people by this point...):
Then, came the big digger:
Then the digger went to work, clearing and digging:
Soon, it had excavated a basement and the foundation crew came in:
The whole foundation thing was quite a process and involved a TON of work for the workers.
In the midst of all this, on a sad day for us, the digger left:
However, the cement mixer truck was not far behind. It was also the only piece of equipment operated by a woman in this entire process, which I found dismaying.
Soon, we had a brand-new basement and foundation next door:
Immediately, the framing began. These guys worked till after dark without lights. Not the safest way to work, in my opinion, but they must have had a deadline.
Then, up came the walls...
...and then, the huge truck with the roof trusses arrived, along with a huge crane to help put them up. It was pouring down rain all day, but no one wore any fall protection. Scary!
Here's a guy working on the roof in the rain:
Then, the siding began:
Soon, there was nothing left to do but the stairs...
...the fence...
...and, of course, the whole inside, which took months. Here's the finished product. We think it looks great and also hope we like our new neighbor. Here's hoping!
It turned out to be the perfect kind of winter entertainment, and we could always count on a digger or a construction crew or a mixer truck to show up just when we were weren't sure what to do with ourselves. It's all finished now and supposedly has a sale pending, so we're wondering about our new neighbor. At the same time, I thought it might be fun to post some photos of the house's progression, literally from the ground up.
Here's the original empty lot (note that most of the fence has been stolen by random people by this point...):
Then, came the big digger:
Then the digger went to work, clearing and digging:
Soon, it had excavated a basement and the foundation crew came in:
The whole foundation thing was quite a process and involved a TON of work for the workers.
In the midst of all this, on a sad day for us, the digger left:
However, the cement mixer truck was not far behind. It was also the only piece of equipment operated by a woman in this entire process, which I found dismaying.
Soon, we had a brand-new basement and foundation next door:
Immediately, the framing began. These guys worked till after dark without lights. Not the safest way to work, in my opinion, but they must have had a deadline.
Then, up came the walls...
...and then, the huge truck with the roof trusses arrived, along with a huge crane to help put them up. It was pouring down rain all day, but no one wore any fall protection. Scary!
Here's a guy working on the roof in the rain:
Then, the siding began:
Soon, there was nothing left to do but the stairs...
...the fence...
...and, of course, the whole inside, which took months. Here's the finished product. We think it looks great and also hope we like our new neighbor. Here's hoping!
Photos from yesterday
Here are some snapshots from yesterday's rainy day playdate. The older kids spent a long time pretending to be chefs, as the littler ones milled around them. Also, Tali just couldn't get enough of our friend, Alesha, which was very cute and gave me a nice break. It was a fun morning! )
(Plus, it was Wednesday, and every Wednesday ends well because it is DATE NIGHT! Thanks again, Apa!)
(Plus, it was Wednesday, and every Wednesday ends well because it is DATE NIGHT! Thanks again, Apa!)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Rainy day, every day
So, Portland hasn't gotten the message that, not only is it now spring, but that summer is right around the corner. Helloooooo, summer?? Are you out there?? Oh, right. You don't start here until July 4th. Guess I must have forgotten that for a few seconds, while watching it rain torrentially all morning outside my window. I was inside with my two children, who are nearly ages 2 and 3 (instead of 1 and 3, which seems much farther apart!), trying to figure out to do with another rainy day.
Today, the answer was: spontaneous playdate! We invited over some of our good friends from around the corner, who had the good fortune to be free, and much fun was had. Both the older boys now have balance bikes, so they rode all over our house. They were, at times, both helped and hindered by their younger siblings, and there were some difficult sharing incidents...but overall, everyone got along well and my friend, the other mom, and I were actually able to mostly have a conversation.
I remember hanging out with people who had kids before we did and wondering how they could even talk to each other through all the chaos. Now, 3.5 years into this little experiment, I know that you learn to tune out the noise and to stop it when it reaches ear-piercing levels...all while continuing your conversation in fits and starts.
Now the kids are napping and I'm debating an indoor or outdoor activity for the afternoon. Outside for the first farmer's market of the year, at which rain might also be present, or inside for some kids' music at a local pizza place? It's a classic Portland choice to have to make!
PS: I took some cute photos and will upload later, when Sacha brings our primary laptop back from work...
Today, the answer was: spontaneous playdate! We invited over some of our good friends from around the corner, who had the good fortune to be free, and much fun was had. Both the older boys now have balance bikes, so they rode all over our house. They were, at times, both helped and hindered by their younger siblings, and there were some difficult sharing incidents...but overall, everyone got along well and my friend, the other mom, and I were actually able to mostly have a conversation.
I remember hanging out with people who had kids before we did and wondering how they could even talk to each other through all the chaos. Now, 3.5 years into this little experiment, I know that you learn to tune out the noise and to stop it when it reaches ear-piercing levels...all while continuing your conversation in fits and starts.
Now the kids are napping and I'm debating an indoor or outdoor activity for the afternoon. Outside for the first farmer's market of the year, at which rain might also be present, or inside for some kids' music at a local pizza place? It's a classic Portland choice to have to make!
PS: I took some cute photos and will upload later, when Sacha brings our primary laptop back from work...
Monday, May 24, 2010
Still got it
I had a lot of fun this weekend. Sacha and her mom spent four days with the kids so that I could go down to the Bay Area to visit my best friends from college. And, since my parents live in the area, I got the double bonus of seeing them, too. It was a whirlwind of a weekend - one night with my parents, then two nights at a fun hotel overlooking the Bay Bridge, then a quick lunch on Sunday with my parents and then pretty soon I was back in the rainy northwest. I had a great time, though. It was so nice to catch up with friends who know me so well, especially after what a rough spring it's been for me, and to have fun in the city at the same time! We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, went to the California Academy of Sciences, and spent most of the rest of the time eating delicious food and laughing a lot. It was perfect.
So, I got home last night and this morning, as I was rushing around to get the kids out the door to go to music class, I looked outside and realized there was no car out there. A few moments of mental confusion later, I realized I had parked it by a MAX stop several miles away and then, when Apa so graciously picked me up from the airport last night, completely forgot to ask him to drop me by the car on the way home. So, instead of going to music class, we had a big adventure to retrieve our Civic!
We took a long walk to our nearest MAX station and then took two different trains and another longish walk to get the car. It actually wasn't too far from our house, just awkward to get to on public transit. The reason we always park there for airport runs is because it's right next to our first apartment building from when we moved here in 2004, and there are no time limits on parking in that area, which is pretty rare in a city. And, it's pretty close to a MAX stop that leads to the airport. Anyway, the kids were very patient about the whole thing and loved riding on two different trains.
Afterward, as a reward for excellent behavior on everyone's part, we all went to Grand Central Baking and indulged in bacon, eggs, bread, juice, and decaf espresso (that one was for me only, obviously). It's been awhile since we went on a spontaneous adventure and I was very pleased at how well it went. Let's keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow, when we have to take the very same Civic in to get looked at by the mechanic. It's been making a weird noise and clearly needs some kind of attention, but the whole thing will require another long walk and some interesting transportation juggling. Let's hope I've really still got it!
So, I got home last night and this morning, as I was rushing around to get the kids out the door to go to music class, I looked outside and realized there was no car out there. A few moments of mental confusion later, I realized I had parked it by a MAX stop several miles away and then, when Apa so graciously picked me up from the airport last night, completely forgot to ask him to drop me by the car on the way home. So, instead of going to music class, we had a big adventure to retrieve our Civic!
We took a long walk to our nearest MAX station and then took two different trains and another longish walk to get the car. It actually wasn't too far from our house, just awkward to get to on public transit. The reason we always park there for airport runs is because it's right next to our first apartment building from when we moved here in 2004, and there are no time limits on parking in that area, which is pretty rare in a city. And, it's pretty close to a MAX stop that leads to the airport. Anyway, the kids were very patient about the whole thing and loved riding on two different trains.
Afterward, as a reward for excellent behavior on everyone's part, we all went to Grand Central Baking and indulged in bacon, eggs, bread, juice, and decaf espresso (that one was for me only, obviously). It's been awhile since we went on a spontaneous adventure and I was very pleased at how well it went. Let's keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow, when we have to take the very same Civic in to get looked at by the mechanic. It's been making a weird noise and clearly needs some kind of attention, but the whole thing will require another long walk and some interesting transportation juggling. Let's hope I've really still got it!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Weekend with Bubby (Grandma)
I love you and hope you have a wonderful trip to Washington. We went to church and cried and in the room cried. Then I read a book. I felt better. Then I made a leaf print. I had fun at church.
-- Mateo
-----------------------
This is Sacha now.
We had a very exciting weekend. Alayna was in California and Bubby came down on Wednesday night to help with the kids and spend time with us. She watched them all day on Friday, helped out in my classroom and was fabulous.
Natalia playing with some old toys that her bubby had when she was a kid!
Natalia in Mateo's sweater after taking a full body plant in a puddle during stomping time!
Mateo built a huge tower taller than himself!
Also, Mateo learned how to ride his balance bike (a bike with no pedals - Mateo would like me to add). We spent a lot of time outside riding in the rain and in the short periods of sunshine.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Several more things, for want of a better title
1. I am very proud of myself, because I just finished a big project for our family reunion in June. Everyone is planning to bring something to share with everyone else and, assuming the postal service continues to operate, we will have ours finished in plenty of time. I've been putting this off forever, so I am extremely relieved to have it nearly done. Whew! I'm not saying more because I think most of our blog readers are family members (and friends, of course!) and I don't want to ruin the surprise.
2. Our poppies are blooming in our front yard. They are my favorites of all our flowers, and they come out ever so briefly every spring. I've continued to have a rough time emotionally over the past few weeks and these poppies make me happy, nonetheless, whenever I see them. Keep blooming, guys!
3. Mateo had to make an insect for a preschool show and tell thing last week. It was a joint effort, although most of the effort was mine! He did help with everything he could, though. We made a centipede. The kids were supposed to present their insects in Spanish to their little groups. I asked his teacher later how that went and she said, "well, it went really well for him because he is bilingual." The fact that his Spanish immersion school teacher said that is a testament to just how consistent Sacha has been with him for his whole life. And, here he is with the big centipede!
3. We had Sunday dinner at Apa's new apartment this weekend. It was awesome. It's up at the top of a building across the river and you can see all kinds of stuff. The kids have the run of the place and there are no nearby neighbors that we have to worry about in terms of noise volume. He made us lamb/pork/beef burgers and coleslaw and then we went on merrily home for bedtime. It was great. Here are the kids and Sacha searching for Miss Kitty, Apa's cat, under the couch.
4. We went to a new place today for an impromptu adventure with some friends. It's a botanical garden outside the city, kind of near where Talia was born. We managed to take the little tour during the one hour of the whole day when it was sunny, so that was good timing. I just have to throw in a few photos of the kids, because they are so cute. The three big boys were actually holding hands at one point. And, the one of all the boys and Talia together is priceless. Can you tell naptime was imminent?
5. Finally, we hit a new milestone yesterday. Mateo and I both needed haircuts, so I took the three of us to the place where we all get our coiffing done. I wasn't sure how it would go, but we managed to get Mateo's hair and my hair both cut within about half an hour and no one had a meltdown. I'm sure the lollipops they have on hand helped a lot, but still, the kids did great. You can see Mateo's new 'do in the photos above.
2. Our poppies are blooming in our front yard. They are my favorites of all our flowers, and they come out ever so briefly every spring. I've continued to have a rough time emotionally over the past few weeks and these poppies make me happy, nonetheless, whenever I see them. Keep blooming, guys!
3. Mateo had to make an insect for a preschool show and tell thing last week. It was a joint effort, although most of the effort was mine! He did help with everything he could, though. We made a centipede. The kids were supposed to present their insects in Spanish to their little groups. I asked his teacher later how that went and she said, "well, it went really well for him because he is bilingual." The fact that his Spanish immersion school teacher said that is a testament to just how consistent Sacha has been with him for his whole life. And, here he is with the big centipede!
3. We had Sunday dinner at Apa's new apartment this weekend. It was awesome. It's up at the top of a building across the river and you can see all kinds of stuff. The kids have the run of the place and there are no nearby neighbors that we have to worry about in terms of noise volume. He made us lamb/pork/beef burgers and coleslaw and then we went on merrily home for bedtime. It was great. Here are the kids and Sacha searching for Miss Kitty, Apa's cat, under the couch.
4. We went to a new place today for an impromptu adventure with some friends. It's a botanical garden outside the city, kind of near where Talia was born. We managed to take the little tour during the one hour of the whole day when it was sunny, so that was good timing. I just have to throw in a few photos of the kids, because they are so cute. The three big boys were actually holding hands at one point. And, the one of all the boys and Talia together is priceless. Can you tell naptime was imminent?
5. Finally, we hit a new milestone yesterday. Mateo and I both needed haircuts, so I took the three of us to the place where we all get our coiffing done. I wasn't sure how it would go, but we managed to get Mateo's hair and my hair both cut within about half an hour and no one had a meltdown. I'm sure the lollipops they have on hand helped a lot, but still, the kids did great. You can see Mateo's new 'do in the photos above.
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