I can't explain all the emotions I felt as they started digging. I was so excited and so nervous. It's not easy to see things being demolished and destroyed. I know things have the get bad before they can get better but it's not for the faint of heart this whole building thing. And this is only the beginning.
The dirt mound in the backyard is beginning. Trying to keep this little tree alive that we only just planted in the fall will prove to be a challenge. We ended up having to move it twice. Cody is a diligent waterer and so far it's doing well. He hikes daily through the dirt mounds (that get a lot bigger than this) to water. He does wear a different pair of shoes every time instead of dirtying up the same ones and that drives me crazy but beggars can't be choosers!
Meet Mike Archuleta (no relation to our singing missionary, David) and son, Johnny. We found these excavators on KSL and they were a really good deal. They took a really long time and there were quite a few little (and not so little) problems but we really really liked them. Really. Mike is 84 and as nice as they come. He wanted to save us money so badly, he was thinking about how he could rent concrete forms himself to do our foundation. He let us borrow his trailer to haul off trees and other debris, came any time of day to load up someone's vehicle if we found someone to take dirt off our hands, gave the kids a ride in the excavator bucket (see below) and invited us to come have the kids ride in his authentic pioneer wagon. He's not LDS but has been involved in scouts and been on many pioneer treks with "the good Mormon people". Johnny was always trying to look out for us as well. He worried his Dad wasn't following our instructions since he tended to forget things here and there (remember he's 84). They would squabble a bit like father and son do and it was kind of funny. They came back later in the process to backfill and compact the dirt but I don't think I got any pictures of that step.
Here the boys are introducing friends (Timothy and Tanya Westenskow) to our newest attraction, dirt piles. They were trying to put the slide from our play set down the middle of two of the mounds. Great fun for all. Well, almost all. (Mom has to constantly sweep dirt in the house)
The hole is done! Who wants to celebrate by climbing in a dirty excavator bucket and having a swing around before being let off inside? We had quite a few takers actually.
Me, I happily took pictures and let them have all the fun.
Here is Dallas with neighbors, Collin and Ryan Carter.
Check out Cameron's apprehension about what was about to happen. (With Timothy)
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