From Tree to Table

We started with a large tree that was right up against our house/Patrick's room and was acting as a big stairway for all types of wildlife to gain access into our attic.

So, this happened (thanks Uncle Tim)...



Which led to this...

In summary...

After a few weeks of tree parts sitting around in our yard, we decided to put them to work.

We cut, measured and pencil lined...

Cut some more and paint lined...

And colored/painted...

Yes, it is sitting on our bed. I finished it during the kids' nap time one day.

Then drew a tic-tac-toe board on the other side and got to stainin'/weather proofin'...

I take full credit for the really creative design.

We made chairs for the kids out of leftover stumps and wood, too. Once the wood was cut, the kids were ready to stain their chairs...

Then we set it all up using the large base of the tree we cut as the table. If you look in the video, you'll notice a pond/sludge factory right under the tree. The previous homeowners had given up on it a few years before we moved in and we haven't done anything with is since we moved in last year...wait, 8 1/2 years ago. Yikes.

We decided to get rid of the "pond" and use the stones in and around it for the new outdoor game table area. The kids couldn't wait for us to finish putting it all together before trying out several dozen rounds of stones vs. acorns tic-tac-toe.

They're wet and barefoot because we're hill people they had just finished playing in the water table.

We stacked the stones then used some flat stones from around the pond for the floor and poured gravel in to fill in the gaps. Here's the finished product...

We'll probably get a few more decorative things for around the outside and have the kids paint a 'welcome' sign for it or something. We're also planning on taking some stones and painting them black with Xs and Os for the tic-tac-toe board (just in case we ever run out of pebbles and acorns).

(P.S. - If you're ever looking for a good gift for someone, the Black & Decker Matrix Drill is great. It, along with all its cool attachments, made things much easier for the project. It was really nice to be able to switch from drill to trim saw to sander to jig saw all in the same tool.)

This Girl

At age 3...

She is constantly moving and 99% of that movement is dance.






She's getting goofier as she grows. And I'm pretty sure she's going to be somewhat of a smarta$% (in a good way, of course.). When we were at Fernbank a month ago there were several older ladies
that passed us going into an exhibit.
They did not speak English but leaned over and pointed at her, making cooing noises and touching her head. One of them said "baby." Without hesitation she stared up at them and said sarcastically, "goo goo gah gah" and pretended she was a baby, then looked at me and half rolled her eyes. I couldn't help but laugh at my almost 3 year-old mocking foreigners. I should probably be more concerned...

The brother and sister silliness continues. They have a blast together. End of story.

The transition to a  big girl bed from a crib has gone well so far. Instead of calling for us when she wakes up, she now goes into Patrick's room to wake him up (bonus!)(Also, sorry Patch! Thanks for taking one for the team.). The first time it happened was on a Saturday morning. Toby and I woke up for a minute when we thought we heard a door close, then when things were quiet again fell back asleep for another 30 minutes. Eventually we found the kids snuggled up in Patrick's bed reading together. Toby and I high-fved each other and snuck out of the room to make breakfast and have a cup of coffee together. It was like a date! A 15 minute date, but a date nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

She's getting even more independent. It's not unusual for her to go off  to read books or play on her own. I think that's pretty typical of a 2-3 year old. What's not typical is the way she holds her own with older kids- be it in school, on a playground or a bounce house. She never wavers in her confidence and has yet to let a bigger kid push past her or boss her around. When we went rock climbing she insisted on doing everything herself. No matter how high, how dangerous or if she's done it or seen anyone do it before- she wants to do it on her own.

She's turning into a cuddle-bug. As long as its on her terms she will hug and kiss you all day long. Quite often she'll turn to one of us while we're reading or playing and say ever so softly, "I love you" and lean over for a kiss. And then my heart melts...

Madelyn makes us smile and shake our heads each and every day. I love that she likes fairies and princesses and dancing but also loves to get messy and play tackle with her brother. She's tough when she needs to be and stubborn when she wants to be. She's more confident in herself and abilities than I ever was and probably ever will be.

 I love that she could be singing a soft lullaby to her babydoll while wearing her "Tangled dress" one moment and catching bugs and climbing trees the next. I love that she loves to do each of those things equally. She's a Daddy's girl to the core and adores her brother more than anyone in the world. There is no way to convey how much we love her. And no way to measure how much joy she's added to our lives by being in it.