Breaking Ground

Hello!

There is SO much more that goes into building on raw land than I ever imagined. Everything from the wells, permits, surveying, electricity, sewer...lots and lots of details. I decided to enjoy the process, no matter how long it takes and how many bumps we hit. Speaking of bumps, we excavated two boulders the size of the dining room table today!

I also LOVE anything to do with interior design and I have poured my creative talents into my home and family. That's what the blog will be about; from city to country life, and if you know me, you know it will be quite an interesting adjustment.

This week, we staked off where we want the house. The contractor and his crew came out and prepped the land for excavating. 

A herd of deer live in the area and so does a mommy moose and her teenage calf. 

Aunt Rylee's house!

Audra visiting Aunt Rylee and the puppies

James started excavating on Friday! It was so fun to watch him dig and the kids are loving the big dirt pile. I might let Taft soak up some soil and maybe it'll help his itchy skin! You never know.  

It is taking a looooong time to excavate! 8 1/2 feet deep and after a solid day, he was about three feet down. Today he dug the dining room and kitchen area all the way down but that's only about a quarter of what he has to do still.  Concrete is coming in less than three weeks, so he still has some time, as long as the weather stays decent. He has to leave for work off and on. We miss him when he's gone :(

Connor follows James and his uncle everywhere. He will often leave with them at sunrise and we won't see them except for a lunch break until dinner time. It has helped with homeschooling...Connor likes to talk a lot ;) He always comes home in desperate need of a hot soapy shower. He has fallen asleep in the tractor a few times. But no matter how tired and dirty, he still won't come home without James. 

The kids decided to bring a white board and play whiteboard baseball (don't ask) in the grass. Then some bugs bugged them and they changed their minds. I told them they better become friends with the bugs.

No the bulldozer isn't running...but it does look like fun to be scooped up.

I really miss my parents and Natalie. It helps to know that they might be following us out here soon. So, the move has been bittersweet. Isn't that how life is? Some good mixed with bad. After a few days of being really sad and missing my Sunday dinners with them, I decided to let myself be happy and look forward to when they can come too.

In the words of Ron Weasley, "So, you're going to suffer...but you're going to be cheerful about it..." Sorry I couldn't help putting a Harry Potter quote in here.

In the meantime, James' family is wonderful. Everyone gets along well and the kids are loving having cousins in the canyon to play with. It's beautiful up here and the farmers are just starting to plant so all the fields and hills for miles and miles are chocolate brown with a little film of green starting to show on top. The other day while driving home from baseball, the Tetons looked like bright, white temples with a blue backdrop. It was such a perfect evening and the drive home was so peaceful.

Some have asked, how the basement is? Well, it's not too bad. My brother in law built us two bunk beds and we've got everyone stacked in here nice and tidy. I have a desk/homeschool area, and my mother in law put a huge sectional down here so we can read and relax. Living down here has made me wonder if we need much more space than this...or all that junk in the trailer parked outside. I'm not sure I want to open that thing and unload so much stuff. Do we really need it? No probably not.