'Eggs' and Insulation....now there's a combo for ya!

Waiting anxiously for the egg ( candy) hunt

So lots of fun things to report since my last post. We went as a family to the Bettendorf egg hunt Saturday morning. The weather was a bit chilly, but as everyone knows it was the BEST day that we had had in a long time so we loaded up and drove down the road to Crow Creek park for the festivities.  You can see there aren't that may eggs  ( a lot of labor to get the candy into the eggs) but the kids were happy to hunt for candy. They luckily had it sectioned off by ages. Kennon and Maddox got to hunt together in the 0 to 4 section. They both did pretty well.  Maddox had her moment of fear when they said GO and the crowd became loud and rushed onto the field but Eric was able to get her calmed down again and back into the 'game'. She does that in crowds.  Just a bit timid. The eggs we found out, after the fact as Maddox did get one, had coupons for free cones from DQ....note to self for next year :) LOL  

Monday I took KTK to the Children's Museum for a special solo trip ( thanks to the free passes from our buddies the Stegemanns' who moved up North).  It is Spring break this week for Bettendorf schools ( last week was Pleasant Valley break...our school district) so the museum is having special things each day. Monday the Niabi zoo brought animals and did a little presentation. We got to see 2 parrots, a box turtle, a skink ( I think....a lizard thing....), a python snake, an armadillo, and a bearcat. It was super fun and Kennon did really well till like the armadillo. The lady who was speaking was extremely interesting but completely oblivious to the fact that the average age of her crowd was 2!!!  10 minutes about a python is a bit much for a 2 year old.  But, after a break outside of the room KTK and I ran back in to see the cool bearcat.  Then we played a bit and headed to get Maddox from Church School.  We had one more pass to burn so I took Kennon back today and he had a ball. It was little less crowded today so he just leisurely ran from exhibit to exhibit and we had a nice time.  

This morning the insulation crew was here and gone by the time we got back from our busy morning.  Then the drywall delivery took place. I think the drywall gets put up between tomorrow and maybe into Friday.  Then the mudding and taping begins either Friday and/or into next week ( I don't have a good mental image of the construction calendar...but it is all layed out day by day specifically). Next week must be sanding and a 2nd coat of mud and then we have to have our paint colors picked out by next Friday April 5th as I think they start painting maybe the following week. PHEW....this project is flying by! I have to say Eric and I are getting SUUUPPPEERRR excited about it.  We can't wait for it to be done. It is going to be so sweet.  

Let's see what's new with the kiddos....they are both sleeping and napping really well this week, which is good because Eric and I both have colds. But, we are getting better especially with this nice warm sunny weather. Kennon is a talking fool and just this week is starting to string 2 to 3 words together unsolicited by Eric and I.  He says he wants an Elmo cake for his birthday and Maddox wants a Nemo for hers ( you know us....always talking about cake in some shape or fashion). However both of those words kinda sound the same when Kennon says them ( throw rainbow in there too....) so I'm not sure what we will actually end up with. But there WILL be cake of course for Kennon's party....and our new basement to show off :)

Work is crazy busy for me right now.  Upwards of 40 people waiting for physical therapy at a point last week. I have been picking up extra patients and worked last Saturday to help out ( and of course to make a little extra money for the basement).  Nice to have the option to do that. Hopefully by the time the warm weather gets here things will slow down as it will be time to play outside with the kids after I pick them up from Kcare, and maybe get in a run or two with the double BOB after work. Eric has been training hard for his half marathon coming up and I have decided that I MAY sign up for the quad city 1/2 on Mother's Day.  We will see how many long runs I can get in between now and then. We are certainly ready for Spring....as is everyone in the midwest. 

Have a great week and Happy Easter to all!! 

Before the festivities started Kennon became extremely interested in the blue grass in his bunny basket. It was strewn everywhere but kept him entertained.

Maddox and her famous head tilt pose.  I say 'gimme a pretty smile Maddox' and this is what I ALWAYS get. Some pictures I look at, I see me right away. This is one of them. Then others I don't think she looks like me at all.  

YES Jody....Hannah and Charlie's heads ARE bigger than my kids'. Although KTK's is fitting nicely now. Almost time to upgrade. 

Look Mom I found a frisbee

Maddox checkin' out her goodies. 

A nocturnal bearcat.  This 'little' guy sleeps during the day so he doesn't really have an outdoor exhibit at the zoo. They just wake him for special events like this one at the Children's Museum. He really looked like a cat with long whiskers and a long tail but with fur like a big ol' black furry bear. I've never seen one of these. Super cool. 

Ruby and Eduardo. Parrots from the Soloman Islands. 

KTK at the water table at the Children's Museum. Makin' the sound a boat makes....not sure what sound that is exactly. 

On the I74 bridge....sorry I just realized I forgot to edit/crop these pictures. 

Drivin' the John Deere Tractor

Giving a high FIVE to the Museum Fox that was there today

Back at the water table, day two  of the museum ( and yes he got a haircut today so his hair looks a bit different than the pictures from Monday)

Lowering in the 80 pound sheets of drywall....I don't envy them. But, at least it was a sunny day. 

They cut a 5 gallon bucket ( sorry Eric) in half and covered the edge of the egress window with it and used that as a guide to lower it down to the other guy standing in the basement.  They couldn't just carry the sheets down the steps inside the house as the sheets wound not make the 180 degree turn in the stairwell.  So this was the next best gig. 

60 sheets o' drywall

The insulation guys were here this morning, appropriately named 'Big Bear Insulation'  Hope it keeps us nice and warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Drywall stacked up to the left. 

The framer came back to put back in the egress window that had to be taken out to allow the sheets to fit through.  Unfortunately ( or fortunately however you want to look at it) the framer's crew broke the plastic frame of the original window  a couple of weeks ago when they were here framing so the picture above is the framer putting in a BRAND NEW WINDOW for us free of charge.  BONUS!  And yes....he does have a Cyclone's shirt on...but we still let him in. In fact his framing company is called Cyclone Framing. Our contractor, Ryan, graduated from ISU.