Pool Construction

This post will bore you, but I wanted to document it for my sake. Some of the pictures are out of order, so maybe you won't get confused. Construction started on May 26, 2011. They dug the hole and it looked something like this:

They came back the next day and set the steel. Leaving it looking like this for a LONG time:

On  June 1, 2011 they came and did the plumbing and on June 8, 2011 they came and poured the floor and back filled. (yes, I realize they only worked 1 or 2 days a week and I was not happy about that) You wonder how they got the concrete to the back of the house? See that big hose?

They pumped it in from the side of the house.

So now, it looks like this:

On June 21, 2011 they came and poured the concrete for the coping around the pool (which is where the rocks will be).

They laid the rock around the pool (the coping) on June 22 and June 23, 2011. Yes, you read right, we got 3 days of work out of these people this week! Leaving it to look like this:

We had to have ALOT of block brought in to build the retaining wall!

They started putting rebar down to pour concrete and it looked like this:

This is where I may confuse you. This next photo is a side view right after they had plumbed and backfilled.

And this is a picture of what it looked like after a big rain we had gotten and was right after they had plumbed and backfilled.

Now we are back on track. They came and put in the liner on July 7, 2011. Bryan pumped water from the branch to fill it. I was amazed. It took a little less that 2 hours to fill it! A 22,000 gallon pool!!!! So amazing to watch!

The pool was getting full...FAST!!!

This is what it looked like at the end of the day: 

They came and poured concrete around it on July 13, 2011:

Alot of concrete:

Off track again, we decided to let the boys swim after the water had cleared up. This was on July 11, 2011:

They love it! Sorry, the pics are blurry, my camera lens was fogging up! Alabama heat!!!

This was on July 15, 2011 after the concrete had dried.

This is part of the retaining wall that they poured concrete on. It is gonna have the same rocks as the coping around the pool on it:

And, this is what it looks like today:

They came and put the slide up and the handrails on pool on July 18, 2011.

We have a fence ordered that should be put up sometime within the next few weeks. Also, we have someone that is gonna put stacked rock on that huge retaining wall! The walls will be capped with the same rock that is around the pool. Also, the treads of the steps (in the retaining wall) will be rock. You can see the steps in the picture above in the corner.

Baseball and T-Ball Pics

Shelia, Bryan's sister, took baseball and t-ball pics for us one day. We had them made as a "team", but I always hate ordering from them. They are so expensive and not good quality at all! She did a great job. Now, I just have to sit down and order them!

                                              Look at that pose! 

Sweet face!

Jonah's "stance"

He was not very excited about getting his picture made!

Of course, we had to get a "brother" shot!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ONE!!! (if you'll look closely, Jonah is  trying his best not to crack up at Noah!)

Thanks, Shelia, for doing the pictures for us!

Training Wheels...Not!

This just tells you how behind I am on my blogging....Jonah learned to ride his bicycle without training wheels back in April. Somewhere around the 20th. And, he learned the same way Noah did...Papa! He taught Noah and Jonah both! I came home from taking Noah to get his allergy shots and Jonah was riding! He had fell one time! And it wasn't while he was riding either! It was when he was getting off the bicycle! Go figure! Anyway, he was as proud as can be! So was his Papa!

These were taken after we had got dressed for a t-ball game and we had a few spare minutes!

The boys both LOVE to ride scooters, so I think that really helped them with their balance! 

Summer So Far

Whew! We've had a busy summer so far! So busy that I haven't even blogged about our beach trip back at the first of June! This is Jonah and Noah showing off their shells!

Getting a little smile from them!

Our shadows. (not the pic I had hoped for)
Me, Noah, Bryan, and Jonah

Our footprints in the sand.
Bryan, me, Noah, and Jonah

Noah boogie boarding! Jonah was so funny. While Noah was riding the waves,  Jonah would just play by himself and I would hear him talking away...and sometimes even singing!

Ok. I know you are probably wondering why I have this picture of my husband sneaking around in the bushes...well, one night the wind got horrible and it woke both of us up and we went out on the balcony to check things out. It was coming a bad storm, and the wind was SO BAD!! We could hardly walk against it! We just started throwing things in the living room..cushions, swimsuits, towels, etc. (I know all of you hang out these kinds of things when you're at the beach, right?) The next morning when we were getting ready to go to the beach, I couldn't find my swim bottoms (and don't let that freak you out..it's a tankini..not a bikini!) Anywho, I searched and searched...no bottoms. I came prepared, though, and just wore another swimsuit. We checked the parking lot, poolside, beach...no bottoms. So, that evening when we were coming in from eating (still daylight) I saw something laying on the ground at the other condo next to us. I told Bryan it looked like swim bottoms. So, he drove over and checked, and sure enough...MY BOTTOMS!!! Now this has happened before, on a different trip, only when we got out of our car, I saw Jonah's swim trunks on the ground. They too had blown away and we didn't even know it! Needless to say, I made sure everything was inside before we went to bed at night for the rest of the trip!

After coming home from the beach, some days we go to the lake to cool off...

And other days we go to Papa and Mema's pool. (yes there is an extra kid in this picture. it is John Paschal and he lives next to Mema and comes to play and swim with us some)
The Three Musketeers! 

Noah jamming out with his Subskate!

This is probably the only time I have got Jonah to wear his floaties! He thinks he is such a big man, and likes to swim without them! He really does well without them, though! Both of my boys are like fish! 

And just so you can see how the pool is coming along......this is what it looks like so far.

All of these blocks are for the retaining wall! I plan on dedicating one whole post to the "pool project" later.....if it ever gets finished! It seems like it's taking FOREVER!!! 

There you have it! Our summer so far! 

Sir, Can I See Your License?

Before you have a stroke, he was sitting between my legs the whole time! On Saturday, Jonah and I went over the the boat storage to see Bryan and Noah. Noah, Jonah, and I decided to go over to Grannies house and Noah begged to drive. Since he has driven the golf cart and the rhino I thought, well, it is pretty much the same thing. So, I let him sit between my legs and do the gas, brakes, and steering all himself! No worries...it was only on the long, gravel road and no highways involved! He really did a great job! He wanted to use his right and left foot, but I put my foot on his left one so he could only use the right one! (gotta teach them right...right?)

He's so proud of himself!

It is hard to believe that in less than 8 short years he will be driving all by himself! Where does the time go???

Sweet Boys

It's been a while since I posted, but I promise I have alot to post and will do my best to do a couple this week. For now, these sweet pictures of the boys will have to do until then! I got an app on my phone that I'm sure most of you have already, but I hadn't seen it before. I love the way it makes the pictures different colors!!

                                  Jonah being mischievious!      

Noah and his cool do!

Jonah dressed up like a police man one day.

Noah showing off his guns!

(too bad this isn't our pool  =(  )

Bunnies, Bicycles, and Boo-Boo's

Memorial Day started off with a bang! I was sitting on the couch drinking coffee and I see our dog, Biscuit, chasing something in the yard. I go out on the back porch and hear whatever it is squealing!!! I thought it was a chipmunk, but when he put it down, it hopped!! I ran back inside, out the front door (because we still don't have steps on the back porch since the pool is still being put in!) and to the little rabbits rescue! It was so tiny! It wasn't hurt (yet)! I scooped it up and took it to show the boys. Now mind you, in this picture, Noah, is holding it. These are his little hands-not mine! This proves just how small it is! It just fit in the palm of my hand! It was the sweetest, cutest thing I've ever seen!

We ended up letting it go. I took it back to the pasture and put it there so maybe its mama could find it. Bryan kept telling me it wouldn't live if we kept it! Now, I'm not sure, I never went back to check on the poor thing, but I hope  it is ok. (maybe I don't need to know!) I made sure to put it under some limbs, so that a certain dog couldn't get to it again!

Onto other festivities of the day.....we went down to the lake for the day and cooked out and swam. The boys took their bicycles and would take them up the hill and ride back down. Noah would pop a wheelie, and what do you know, Jonah would, too. Now, Jonah has done it plenty of times before, but this time, he fell! I didn't see it, but Bryan did and went to his rescue.

This is not at the lake, but it gives you an idea of the wheelies that were taking place!
Noah doing a wheelie:

Jonah doing a wheelie:

And Jonah's face after the wheelie:

Looks proud doesn't he???

My sister said that maybe I shouldn't take him out in public for a few days, for fear that DHR might pay me a visit! Haha!! If DHR ever paid me a visit, they'd probably give me some kind of medal ;)
And he wanted me not to forget his knee:

I also purchased some Mederma (scar treatment) for all these cuts and scrapes! That stuff is expensive, but if Jonah keeps going at the rate he has these past couple of weeks, it is gonna be worth every penny!