Owner Building a Home - Day 35 & 36 - {More} Framing, Concrete Prep and Trusses

DAY 35

Today started out with a thunderstorm.  It was severe enough that the power went out for about 1 1/2 hours so I lit candles then played Dutch Blitz with Pepe and RJ while the other kids played with their toys around the dining room table.  It was so cozy!

Since the storm disappeared after lunch, I headed out to the site.  Jay was there at about 1pm to meet the man delivering the trusses.  Yes, the most exciting part of yesterday was the delivery of the trusses!

Since it rained a little, the ground turned a little slick.  None of us miss the fact that he arrived on the only day in 2 weeks it has rained so the truck needed to be pulled in and pulled out by a large 4-wheel drive tractor.  Thankfully my in-laws live 1/4 mile away and my BIL was able to help out.  It is my in-law's tractor so we are thankful they let us use it. 

Once the truck was in and out, we went back to the work we started yesterday - I went back to framing, Jay went back to prepping the garage floor for concrete.  Since there had been a little rain in the morning, the humidity was ridiculously high and the high temperatures felt even hotter.  It was hot and muggy and yucky.  But we trudged on!  I even got to work into the early evening after Jay already took the kids home.  That time of the day is when it starts to get cooler and a lot more comfortable.  I wish I could be out there every evening.

DAY 36

Today was a continuation of yesterday with me continuing to frame the few remaining walls upstairs while Jay continued to work on the garage floor.  I was able to get a few more walls framed before Mr.W needed my help moving trusses (and, therefore, I still have about 3 walls left to do).  Today we started making the roof.  Remember I said that the roof had an 8/12 and a 12/12 pitch and that working on that pitch of a roof on a 2-storey house puts you rather high into the air.  Then imagine trying to shingle the bottom of the roof hanging out over the ground working backwards.  That is why we are creating the roof on the ground and craning it up in sections.  So, to start off the roof, Mr.W pounded stakes into the ground (the same stakes used to form the footing for the basement) and ran 2x10s and 2x6s along it to recreate the line of the walls.  With a chalk line snapped on one side, we know where straight is.  He then marked the locations of each of the trusses. 

Once that was done, Mr.W and Mr.E carried trusses to their spots and laid them down.  Imagine a row of dominoes that has been pushed over.  That is how they laid the trusses so that eventually you can just stand them up and they are where they need to be. 

I helped carry the trusses to the correct spot and held them in place with Mr.E while Mr.W nailed them in place.  Then we moved to the next one, did the same thing and kept going. 

It is really quite amazing how quickly the trusses "fall" into place when you are working on the ground.  Working up on the air adds a whole new set of challenges that we are avoiding this way.  By the end of the day, we have a little more than 1/2 the trusses in place.

While I was doing the fun job of moving the trusses, Jay continued with his boring job (his words, not mine) of tying rebar for the garage floor.  Pepe came to help him as did RJ for a while (until they went to grandma's).  It takes a lot of time to lay all that rebar in place.  Tomorrow he will add the pex pipe for the floor heat to be ready to pour at 3pm.  He was kinda jealous I got to help with the trusses but I am jealous of all the extra time he gets to spend on site when I am at home.  It balances out, at least for today!  :)

Baseball Season 2012

Life may be busy with house building but we still decided to put the kids in sports for the summer anyway.  The oldest 3 play baseball and really love it.  RJ is still in the Rally Cap program, which is an introductory program teaching the kids the basics of hitting, catching, throwing, running the bases, etc.  RJ has been in the program for 2 years already and this is her last year before she moves up a level.  She is the only girl in her age bracket so she is a little disappointed with that.  But, in typical RJ fashion, being with only boys on her team, she is pushed to hit harder and throw farther, showing the boys she can keep up with them.  It is what she does with her brothers all the time!

The boys are in one level up from Rally Cap, called the Rookies.  They are both on the same team, at our request, so we wouldn't have to drive around to too many different places since all 3 kids play baseball on the same night.  This is AJ's first year at this level and Pepe's second year.  Being one of the oldest on his team and the biggest in size, Payton is showing leadership and excelling at the game.  He is an excellent batter and can catch and throw with accuracy.  He enjoys playing various positions on the field but seems to like batcatcher the best!  Though most other kids struggle with keeping that equipment on (it is a little large in size for most of the kids, Adlai especially), it fits Payton perfectly!  He seldom lets a ball get past him and can return them to the pitcher with ease!  I love watching him play with excitement and passion out there. 

Since this is Adlai's first year at this level, this is his first year playing a game setting so he is still getting used to the basics, like running after he hits the ball.  At the Rally Cap level, he had a hitting station so he never ran after he hit the ball.  Now in Rookies, he actually has to run!  He is getting used to it and will do just fine.  He also has to get used to hitting from pitches instead of just from the tee.  But it is fun to watch him enjoying himself rather than playing begrudgingly, as he did with soccer.  He is not an athlete like his brother but being the youngest on the team, he will be pushed to rise to a higher level, which is good for him. 

I love to see our kids involved in some sort of sport and to play with a team, meeting new people, listening to other adults, and learning a new skill.  We don't have them in activities all year round since it would make us far too busy.  But, for now, the soccer and baseball season is just 2 months long and is very affordable, so this is the route we have taken for our kids.   This year RJ is playing both baseball and soccer, each only 1 day a week.  AJ and Pepe are only playing baseball which is twice a week.  Though we have had the boys in soccer in the past, AJ really did NOT like it so he is not continuing.  Pepe would enjoy soccer but it has conflicted with baseball in the past and with his sport-induced asthma, running for soccer caused a lot of coughing attacks.  Baseball is better for him physically and, though he complains about not being able to do both, once the season has started, he enjoys baseball thoroughly and doesn't miss soccer at all.  I am one of those noisy moms that yells out encouragements to the kids and insists on being at every game possible.  I want them to know I support them and am there for them every step along the way! 

Did you play sports as a kid?  How was that experience for you?  Maybe someday I will share about the one and only year I played basketball as a grade 8 girl!  Memorable, for sure!  :)

PS:  1 WEEK!!!!!

Happy Birthday Little Lady!

5 years ago today I remember asking Jay if the child I had just birthed was a boy or a girl. He said he thought it was a girl but he wanted to double check just to make sure - he didn't want to get my hopes up! Well, all girl she is and I am blessed beyond measure to have RJ in our lives! She is this beautiful bundle of energy, wrapped up in more confidence and determination than I know what to do with at times! She is the oldest daughter and as such displays oldest child characteristics in spite of being third in line. She is complex - sensitive but bold, "tomboyish" yet girly-girl!


She will accomplish things before her years as she blazes her own trail, never completely content to follow. She thrives on being with her friends or her siblings, feeling kind of lost on her own. I am so blessed to have her in my life as she brings so much beauty into my days. I look forward to all the great things the Lord will do in and through her as she continues to learn about Him, love Him and follow Him. RJ, I love you, my sweet 5 year-old girl and I am so humbled to be your mom! I look forward to many years of watching you grow and change, becoming the woman of God I know you will be. Happy 5th Birthday, sweetheart!

Learning to Read

RJ has shown incredible amounts of determination when it comes to schooling. She loves to be right in the thick of it. She loves to work on her books, complains the least (note that she does complain at times), and is absorbing rapidly all she is learning. This week we passed a milestone I suspected we would pass before she turned 5 - she read her first book! Granted it is a book filled with short single-vowel words and is only 58 words long but hey, she read a book! I caught it on video tape and I could not be more proud of her! Today she brought me another book and she read it as well. She does need a bit of help every now and then but she is doing so fantastic for only being 4! It just confirms my decision that homeschooling her at this early age was a good decision. According to school standards, she should only be starting kindergarten in September. I think she would be utterly bored by that point if she keeps excelling at the rate she is going. So, I say, way to go RJ! I am so proud of you! Learning to read is a huge milestone and it will take you many places in life!