Winter is Flying By

We've been enjoying visiting with relatives, and absorbing the boys exuberance. We were treated with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Godfrey in January. The boys had a great time, and we kept my dad busy with wiring projects. We had some excitement in the neighborhood when my parents were here, and woke up early one morning to a large fire in a duplex a few houses down from ours. Sadly, the house was a total loss, but thankfully all 6 people, 4 dogs, and 2 cats managed to escape.

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Bozeman, and had a nice time visiting Grandma Weaver, Aunt Ann, and Carol. The boys appeared to be fighting a cold (which I am now lucky enough to have), but were troopers on the drive and didn't let their cold get them down. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Winter Fair at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. The boys had their first experience with a petting zoo. Caulder loved the animals and was sure to give each one a hug, but Kessler was a little more reserved. He steered clear of most of the animals, except a 4 day old calf which was very soft and docile.

The Idaho State Capitol

Mat's been bugging me for a long time to write a blog about the Idaho State Capitol project. This is a $120 mil. project which includes the renovation of the historic capitol building as well as the construction of two underground wings that will house additional office space and meeting rooms. The wings were modeled after the Texas State Capitol. Many of you who have known me for a while know that this project is really my first baby. I was hired at my firm in 2000 to begin the project, and it's scheduled for completion in December of this year. I have worked for over 11,000 hours on this project. To put this in perspective, a typical project from start to finish consists of about 800 hours.

This project has been amazing, really a once in a lifetime experience. I have had the opportunity to work on everything from standard new construction methods to restoration and preservation of historic materials such as wood, sandstone, marble, and plaster. Many of the columns in the capitol appear to be marble, but are actually a material called scagliola. This is a special type of plaster that was originally developed in Italy. Now just a select few craftsmen around the world can produce scaglioa. Our consultants are from England. Many of the materials on the project have been shipped from various foreign countries. However, the sandstone on the building exterior is from a local quarry.

The first three years of the project consisted of surveying the building (we had very few original drawings) and drawing our plans. Then due to funding issues the project went on hold for almost three years. It picked back up again in 2006, and went underconstruction in 2007. My days now consist of about 6 hours of meetings and observing construction and 2 hours of office time. It's fun watching the building transform into a habitable space. I frequently climb 12 stories of scaffolding into the dome to view the restoration. I recently took Mat on a tour of the construction for the first time, and I think he was amazed at how much work is involved in the project. At the completion of the project the occupants and visitors will be able to see many pieces of history that have been covered damaged and concealer over the years. The building is also getting a major mechanical and electrical upgrade which will make a significant difference in comfort and utility cost. Enjoy the photos.

Winter hiking and cross country skiing

The weather could be better......meaning we could have more snow. But, we'll take what we can get. We've been getting out on the weekends to partake in some chilly winter hiking and cross country skiing. Check it out.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Kessler

Kess trying to climb up the slide

Kess and Grandma Mathews

Kess with his new blocks

Uncle Lucas and his new fishing waders

Caulder at the park

Caulder amongst the many gifts

Thank-you its just what I've always wanted

Singing Christmas carols

Bridger waiting to go out and play in the snow

Bridger opening presents

Walking off all the food

Kessleer, Caulder, and daddy

Sliding cars down the slide

Opening gifts

Let's dance!

Merry Christmas to all. We had a busy week full of family, fun, good food, good drink, good conversation, and snow! This was the second Christmas with our two little angles, and we had lots of fun making it memorable.

We started out the Holidays with a nice visit from Richard and Rachael Weaver. They braved the elements and ventured to Boise from Bozeman. The boys got to spend lots of time with their Bozeman Grandparents, which allowed mommy and daddy to do a little relaxing and finish up Christmas shopping. Our second visitor was Mat's Brother Lucas, who was spending part of his college break from the University of Montana with us. We have had great visit, and the boys really enjoy having their uncle around. Lucas will be in Boise through this weekend. Mat's brother Eric was also planning a very short visit earlier this week on his way up to Montana from Texas. Unfortunately, the weather caused the interstate to close down, and Eric was unable to make it. We're hoping to catch him on his way back down to Texas.

Christmas was very eventful. Mat and I assembled our first of many Santa gifts for the boys on Christmas eve, and the boys woke up to a large climbing fort complete with a ladder and slide on Christmas morning. Mat's mom and brother joined us Christmas morning to open gifts, and eat breakfast. The boys had lots of fun tearing into their presents. The wrapping paper and bows were a hit. Thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful gifts. We are so lucky to have such thoughtful families. We later took the boys on a trek through the snow to a near-by playground, and then concluded the day with a large Christmas dinner. We were full and exhausted by the end of the day, but wouldn't have changed a thing.

We hope the Holidays find everyone happy and healthy!

Winter fun