The Last Door, Last Windows, and Basement Slab

A quick note: Mindy's boys were sick this week, so we apologize for no pictures of the little builders or Mindy. Two out of three are feeling better now, and they'll all be back next week. :)

Scott and the rest of his concrete crew showed up on Monday, and the basement floor is poured. It's very hard and very grey. Which, after 6 months of uneven gravel, is quite a novelty. We aren't quite used to it yet, but we're forging ahead anyway. The whirlygig is hanging from a board stretched across the stair hole in the picture below - Scott picked it up on Wednesday. Once the walls are placed in the basement, we'll sand the posts down and remove any traces of the concrete that splattered on them during the pour.
Andy and Chris' parents were out visiting this week, and Dad did a lot of sanding with us. We brought two more workbenches/shelves out to the house, and the bench made a good solid platform for Dad to reach the higher places.
Chris measured and cut the stairs to the basement. This set ended up with 14 steps, with an easy rise of 7 1/8". A switch to 13 steps would have meant a rise outside the code allowance. There will be a pressure treated "shoe" to keep the stringers off the concrete slab.
The second stringer. We sanded them down while they rested on the sawhorses, and prepared the space through the first floor deck.
Andy trimmed the hole a bit, and we moved the doors and windows out of the way. Again. The french doors are for Andy and Mindy's bedroom downstairs.

Andy and Dad cut the treads for the stairs, then drilled and screwed them in place. Apparently Dad didn't read the whole memo, so next time he'll be sure that his red t-shirt also has white trim. Man, it's tough to find good help these days.
The stairs from below. The rear window is installed also. The hole for that window was poured very crooked - we aren't sure why, since the rest of the foundation came out so well. Rest assured, the window is level and plumb. The framing below the window will all be covered up before we're done. I mentioned that the stringers will have a pressure treated "shoe" to keep them off the slab, but for now we just have a spacer in there.
We also put in the front windows, which were the last three to go in. They change the look of the house quite a bit. They also make it more awkward to hop in and out of the windows, which we are all prone to do.
The view from the North side. The rear egress window is in, as are the mudroom door and the kitchen door. All closed up!