Day 2 of Construction Excitement...

We have hoped that once they broke ground on the house, each day we would see more getting done. That was the case yesterday as our hole got bigger and started to take shape:

View from the street from inside the car (I didn't want to get Alex out).

Better view from on the lot thanks to Matt.

Matt's view from his "basement". This is looking toward the street and the area to the right will be our storage area in the basement.

Our official sign at the site! And of course I noticed right off that our address is misspelled - ShepHerds Trace.

Lounging on the Ride Home...

Just a quick post with a picture of Alex in the car on the way home yesterday. Makes me laugh at how his leg is crossed and he is holding his drink. he is watching Dora the Explorer on the iPad and is totally content. Debbie hit the nail on the head when she said he looked like an old man drinking his coffee, reading the paper.

Sandy's Playhouse Update...

I mention Alex going to Sandy's a lot but yesterday she sent a picture of the full group so I had to share:

Going clockwise from Alex is Kenna (sort of hidden behind him), with Knox beside her, Riley beside him, Cole in the bouncer and Jonah in the front.

And yes Sandy has a baby named Cole. How funny is that. I thought it would help or totally confuse Alex about his name except he calls him Cold and argues if you try to correct him. One day he will figure it out!

Rental House Funnies...

We have said all along our stay in the rental house would be a fun little adventure. So far, it has really not been bad. It has been nice to have somewhere peaceful to do our morning runs in preparation for the Chase, the kids love seeing the horses and of course the short term lease and low rent helps too.

But as we suspected, there are some little quirks we have had to get used to. The first one we came across was the fun with the water pressure. Doug had warned us that it wasn't great so we were somewhat prepared. It is weak. Very weak. But we have figured out how to deal with it. It is fine for a shower for us, nothing spectacular but washes the soap off and gets the job done. When it is time for a bath for the kids, we have to start the water about 20 minutes before they get in so there is enough water in the tub. We actually started running Reagan's bath during dinner one night this week and it was ready by the time she finished eating. We also know we can't do more than one thing at a time that requires water, i.e. wash dishes, wash clothes, bathe, flush the toilet, etc. So we have a nice routine. Clothes get washed after the kids baths and the dishwasher is set on delay to run during the night while we are asleep. So far so good.

Cell phone service has been another thing to get used to. In parts of the house I can get a couple of bars but for the most part I don't have service. With wi-fi this won't be a problem when I need to check the internet but since Windstream messed up and still has not gotten our service hooked up we have been without internet. That hadn't been a big deal until last night when we had a fantasy football draft online. So Matt set up his phone to be a wireless hotspot (had to put it on the front porch to get a strong enough signal) and then connected the laptop to it. And we were all set! Internet is supposed to be hooked up tomorrow. Fingers crossed it actually happens. Of course that won't help with phone calls but now we know that we get really good service out in the driveway so as long as the weather is nice, we can go out there for calls. :) Once again making me think I need a pole to climb to use the phone like Green Acres.

We found another quirk last night when trying to fix the hall lights. I noticed the hall lights weren't working earlier this week. At first I thought it was a bad bulb but realized it was all 3 fixtures in the hall. Matt checked the fuse but it wasn't flipped. He tested a few just to be sure, but no solution there. So we thought maybe it was just an odd coincidence that they all went bad at the same time and he changed all 3 bulbs. Still no good. Matt then thought about maybe the wiring was messed up and one of the switches had to be one before they all worked, and low and behold a switch by our bedroom (one I had never noticed) has to be flipped before the other 2 switches work. And once again we have lights in our hall!

But my favorite quirk of all is the leaky dishwasher. The first time Matt tested the dishwasher he could tell it worked fine but it leaked like crazy at the bottom. So he figured the seal was bad and ordered a new one. In the meantime, I was closing it and noticed it didn't make a sound when I completely shut it, leading me to discover it had no latch, or rather the latch was broken. Being the detective that he is, Matt then put 2 and 2 together to finally solve the mystery of the giant black bungee cord that was hanging on the cabinet beside the dishwasher. It is the "latch" and once it is in place (stretched from one cabinet knob to another) the dishwasher only leaks a little bit. We took it a step further, adding a 4x4, creating more pressure and less leak. A disposable pan catches the small amount of water that manages to escape. How is this for funny:

But regardless of the quirks, you can't complain when you get to see sights like this every day:

One of our groups of horses on the farm with their babies.

Ground Has Been Broken!

Ever since we started the house building process on June 22 with signing a contract and reserving our lot, we have waited for the day when we could say the building has officially started. After each step it would be said, about 2 weeks until ground breaking. Each time those 2 weeks turned into 3 or something caused a delay. At one point we were told we could possibly see ground breaking around the middle to end of July. Not long into the process we realized things never went that smoothly or quickly with Ball Homes. On August 27th (yesterday) we finally had that monumental "Ground Breaking" day.

Now I feel like it is really real. Things are happening. My excitement is indescribable. Even my husband, who is notorious for being patient, not getting excited until the day of something, and staying so calm is even excited. We talk about the new house at least once every day. We visit the lot so often it is nuts considering up until yesterday it was just grass and nothing had changed at all.

We are even so crazy that we go visit and hang out in another McCormick II that is being built in another neighborhood. Comparing the differences in what they are doing to what we chose to do. Planning out our house while walking around someone else's house.

But very soon it will be our house that we will be walking around. Once the excavators get done moving dirt I am sure we will see the frames for the basement walls, then the rough in plumbing, then framing, roof, etc. Excitement, excitement, excitement!!

Funny story: I posted a picture of the hole that was dug yesterday on Facebook a very good family friend, Benny Turner, asked for our new address and he works for Harrods concrete. Turns out Harrods is helping with our house. Harrods does the concrete and rock for Ball and he told me that he was sending rock to our house today as a matter of fact. Fun stuff!

Here is a picture of the hole and you can see the area where the driveway will be. The sidewalk used to go straight across the lot in the front but they broke it up yesterday and dug up the grass where the driveway will go. Already excited to drive by after work and see if any more progress has been made today!

You can see 2 bright orange stakes in the picture as well. Those got put in late last week and was the first hint that something was about to happen.

A Beautiful Day at the Park(s)...

Saturday was a gorgeous day so I decided it would be nice to go down to the Farmer's Market and to the playground. Alex of course agreed so off we went. He loves playing outside but the park is at the top of his list.

Here he is at the top of a big slide at Big Spring Park:

Since daddy missed out on the park fun that morning due to a soccer meeting, he suggested going to another park after nap in Lexington. So off we went to Shilito Park for some more fun. This playground is much bigger, mostly wooden and has lots of good options for him. As to be expected, he had a blast.

After the park we attempted dinner at P.F. Changs. It wasn't one of his best outings because he wanted to play with the noodles more than eat them but I had to laugh when he tried to use chopsticks at first because daddy was using them.

He was concentrating so hard but never could quite get them figured out. Finally he gave up and just moved on with his hands and a fork for the chicken.

Good Manners...

Alex is without a doubt mischievous and some times just straight up mean but the one good trait he has developed is good manners. He is quick to say please and thank you and it is noticed by a lot of people. So that makes a momma and daddy happy and proud.

One day Sandy sent us a message saying that Alex was the first to finish his lunch and without being prompted said, "Sanny, scuse peas" which is his way of asking if he could please be excused. 

Sandy is without a doubt one of the main reasons he has such good manners. She does a great job teaching the kids manners and patience for which I am very grateful!

Another day she said they were sitting down to eat and Alex climbed into his chair, took a look at his plate full of food and popped a grape into his mouth (one of his favorite foods). Sandy quickly said, "Alex I need you to fold your hands for our prayer" and without missing a beat he took the grape back out of his mouth, laid it on his plate and folded his hands.

It's moments like those that give me hope he might turn out to be a good boy after all. Or when he runs up to Matt or I for a hug or kiss without being asked, it just melts your heart.

Yesterday we got to Sandy's and he was excited to go show Knox his ball so he started toward the playroom and before I could say anything he came back and said, "kiss mommy" so I got my hug and kiss before he went to play. He can be the sweetest little boy sometimes.

Say Cheese!!

Since a camera was constantly in Alex's face since the minute he was born he developed quite an aversion to cameras and most of the time avoids them or stops doing whatever he is doing the minute I pull one out. So when I got the camera the other night and he actually smiled and said "cheese" I was thrilled! We were eating dinner and I was trying to get him to show me the tomato he was gobbling down.

After 2 good "cheese" pictures I thought I would press my luck and get a video. I wanted him to say tomato because it is really cute the way he says "mato" but when I asked him what daddy was giving him, he says thank you instead. At least we have good manners. And of course he loves to say no, so you will see when I ask him if the tomato is good, he says no despite the fact that he has eaten about half of a big tomato already.

Food Stealer!

I am sure I have mentioned how Alex loves to eat whatever I am eating but now  he is taking it a step further and loves to eat whatever you tell him not to. Of course we use this to our advantage when he doesn't want to eat or drink something. Many times we have said, "Don't drink that medicine, it is mommy's!" And as soon as you sit it down, he grabs it and drinks it in one gulp. So you will hear things like that a lot during meal time at our house. He also likes to take a bite of something if you act like you are about to put it in your mouth. I caught this on video a couple of nights ago when Matt and Alex were having a snack before bed of pickles:

Farm Living is the Life For Us....

Well we are living on a farm officially for at least the next 6 months or so. We got everything moved into our rental home this weekend and spend our first 2 nights there Saturday night and last night. So far so good! The house itself isn't anything spectacular but the rent and lease is great and there is plenty of space for the 4 of us and the 2 cats.

The views and the "neighbors" are beyond fantastic and so far we have really enjoyed waking up with views like this:

Last night the kids saw the horses up by the fence near the house so we had to go say hi:

The horse that let Reagan pet her is named Rachel's Viva. They all had their names on their bridles but the other 2 didn't get close enough for me to see their name. They are such beautiful horses!

And of course there are the smaller four legged animals that reside on the farm as well. There are 3 dogs that run around but mainly stay up near the main house. Last weekend when we brought some stuff over, one of those four legged babies decided to come in and check us out and make her self at home in our office.

One last funny story for this post. I was at our old house boxing stuff up on Saturday when Matt and his brother Andy came back from dropping off some furniture at the rental. They both were laughing because while they were unloading the trailer they saw a Blue Glass Tours bus come down our drive and we discovered we are living on one of the farms included on the Horse Farms Tour. So this got me wondering why and I discovered a historical marker out by US 60 talking about the history of Buck Pond Farm:

Buck Pond was founded in 1783 by Col. Thomas Marshall. Buck Pond farm has been the home of many legendary racehorses, including two Kentucky Derby winners and countless other champions. Col. Marshall is the father of US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. A hero of the Battle of Brandywine, Marshall was appointed Surveyor General of the lands of Fayette County by good friend and President George Washington. The house at Buck Pond was completed in 1785 and around 1800 the elder Marshall turned Buck Pond over to his youngest son Dr. Louis Marshall and wife Agatha Smith. Six generations of the Marshall family called Buck Pond home under the Revolutionary Grant to Col. Thomas Marshall.

The first deed to the place was written after Dr. Louis Marshall’s death when the estate was purchased by Major Thomas C. McDowell. It was Major McDowell who first brought thoroughbred horses to Buck Pond. The pride of the McDowell stable was Alan-A-Dale, a son of 1895 Kentucky Derby winner Halma. Bred, owned and trained by McDowell, Alan-A-Dale went on to win the 1902 Kentucky Derby. Buck Pond was held by the McDowells until 1936 when the McDowell heirs sold the property to Joseph Kaye Nelson, a native of Woodford County. In 1952, it was then sold to Mr. and Mrs. Douglas M. Davis Jr. who renamed the place High Hope Farm. Davis, a very successful horseman bred and raised 1973 Travers Stakes winner Annihilate’Em at Buck Pond.

In 1973, Davis sold the farm to the Proskauer family who again called the farm Buck Pond. Susan Proskauer had escaped Nazi Germany by skiing over the Swiss Alps and after obtaining a Visa into the United States settled in New York. She began working as a dress designer designing under the name Susan Garber in which she enjoyed widespread success with her own line of ladies suits and dresses.Mrs. Proskauer took an avid interest in thoroughbreds and began acquiring breeding stock when relocating to Buck Pond. The Proskauers continued the rich history of breeding champion racehorses at Buck Pond Farm, including Horse of the Year and three time divisional champion Spectacular Bid as well as two-year-old champion Lord Avie. The great grass filly, Drumtop, who set 4 course records, Manitoulin, a stakes winner in Ireland and the U.S., and Group Plan, winner of nine races including the Jockey Club and Hawthorne Gold Cup were all bred and raised at Buck Pond. Other thoroughbred greats such as Margaret’s Number, Gamacene, Reboboy, Laomedante and Ancient Wisdom were bred and raised on the lush pastures of Buck Pond.

Doug and Karen Arnold purchased the magical 300 acres of Buck Pond in 1994 and the priority of breeding excellent racehorses continues with great success. G2 winner March Magic, one of Evansville Slew’s best sons along with Ruler’s Court, one of the leading juveniles of 2003, were both bred and raised at Buck Pond.


Who knew we lived on such a cool place??

I am sure I will have many more stories during this adventure for the next 6 months and I also hope to be posting updates of the build very soon as well. We should see them breaking ground any day now!

The Boy With Many Facial Expressions...

I am pretty sure I have mentioned before how Alex is famous for making so many crazy facial expressions. Well, without meaning to, I caught him on camera making some of these faces. Matt was out of town about 2 weeks ago and I wanted to send him a "good morning" video from Alex. This is what I got:

Of course daddy loved it and we have laughed about it several times now. He may be a handful but at least he keeps us laughing!!

The end of the video you can hear him say "what is that red" which is of course the record button on the phone, which he pushed and ended my video. :)

Smart Little Boy...

I am sure I am not biased at all when I say our little man is extremely smart. Of course I really have no idea what to compare him to and where he should be at this point but I am pretty impressed with how much he talks, the thoughts he comes up with on his own, and everything he has learned and retained. It usually only takes him hearing or seeing something once for him to remember it.

He knows all his colors, he can count to 14 and usually only leaves out 5, with 2 being forgotten occasionally. I have no idea why he goes to 14 but it is cute none the less.

What is most amazing to me though is how a 25 month old can relate things to other tidbits of information he has heard. For example, we were in Louisville the weekend before last for a 5k. He saw the river and wanted to touch the water. Mom and Kathy told him he couldn't because it was yucky and left it at that. The next day Matt asked him about the race and he told him he saw boats and water. But then he said, "water was yucky. It had poop in it!". We just had to laugh. I guess since we tell him poop is yucky, and then told him the water was yucky, it only made sense that we meant the water had poop in it. 

Another example of his relating things together was one night when Matt was going outside and told me he had to go put "his eye balls in". This means he is going to put his contacts in instead of wearing his glasses. I didn't think anything of it and didn't realize Alex had even heard him but the next thing we know Alex is handing Matt 2 bouncy balls mom had bought him that actually had eye balls in them. He said, "here dada, eye balls." Smart boy!!