Labor Day weekend is usually one for resting and relaxing, but not at the Puplis household. We - and by "we" I mean Joe and a troop of wonderful volunteers - took advantage of the long weekend to complete a home project that was needing to be done.
Joe and my dad began work Thursday morning. There were 3 layers of shingles - which isn't even legal - that needed to come off before they could begin laying the new shingles.
Later in the day my brother Mike came to lend a hand. Here he shows off his "Quality Builders" shirt, which may very well be as old as our roof.
Claire - cute as a button - was no help at all.
Here she sits and watches the action while looking at books.
Thankfully, Friday, more help arrived.
Pictured above are Joe's longtime friend, Rob (on the left),
and his boss and chess buddy from school, Johan (on the right).
Joe's Uncle Ron and my dad tackle the gable, a tricky task.
Amazingly, the volunteers returned Saturday despite
the sweltering heat they were expecting.
I think the only reason they stayed was because we bribed them with food!
The women were busy preparing food and taking care of the kids.
Here they wait for the men to finish eating before they tidy up again.
But not only did they tidy up the inside, they worked hard outside as well.
Casey, finished with his work on the roof, helped his wife Laura, and my sister-in-law, Laura, clean up a monstrous pile of shingles.
Even the kids were helping. Gracie, Sylvia and Andrew were using a large magnet to find nails that had fallen on the ground.
Casey and Laura's son, Wesley, on the other hand, refused to lift a finger. I showed him some work to be done, but he gave me this look that said, "Who me?"
Joe's dad and Grandma Puplis stopped by for moral support,
and I was able to snap a quick picture of them.
Saturday afternoon, while the volunteers toiled under the sun to repair our roof, Laura and I took the kids to the zoo. While it's quite literally a walk through the park compared to what the men were doing, Laura and I found it still wasn't easy lugging around 5 kids on a hot day. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun.
The kids lined up to see some wildlife.
Henry enjoyed his stroll through the zoo.
Giddy up!
Claire, Gracie, and Andrew aboard the toy train.
To Henry, any animal with fur is a dog,
even the gorillas he's pointing to in this picture.
A quick stop at the petting zoo.
Claire's favorite animal - the bear.
Pretending to be scared of the bear.
Glad the kids are having fun, but do they notice
the mountain lion right in front of their faces?
Monday morning, Joe and my dad finished up the last bit of the roof.
What an accomplishment!
A BIG THANKS TO
My dad for taking on such a project - not because he enjoys roofing, but because he loves us.
My mom for providing food for the workers and for helping with the kids.
Joe's dad for providing yummy pizza for the work crew Saturday evening.
Joe's mom for watching the kids Thursday so I could help with the roof.
The Sternberg family. Mike - for sacrificing your weekend to help with our roof. Laura - for helping with the kids; I couldn't have done it without you. Sylvia, Gracie, and Andrew - for being such great cousins to Claire and Henry.
Uncle Ron - aka Mr. Roof - for helping tackle the tough tasks, and for being an all-around awesome uncle!
Casey, Laura and Wes Koopmans for always pitching in and lending a hand. You all are so gracious, sharing your time and abilities. We're so glad you now live in Grand Rapids!
John Youngs for adding so much liveliness to the day. How dull it would be without you here to banter with Uncle Ron.
Rob Kamrath for risking your life without health insurance to climb up on our roof and share your expertise.
Johan Linna for your unexpected but very welcome visit, your effort and your theological musings.
Abdul for your willingness to do the unpleasant work of loading up the shingles. We are glad to have had you here.
