We delivered the toy fridge and spent last evening and this morning with Mike, Jenn, Caleb and Owen. It was a fun visit, and we staged some photos for manipulation before we left. You can see the results here. I think we’ll need a bigger place to gather for vacations — with all the additional children and grandchildren.
Jeff suggested that Sebastian might enjoy a puzzle box, and I’ve been learning what it takes to make one. I’m not there yet. Working from a plan I found online, I’m coming the conclusion that plans just scratch the surface. The plan suggested gluing up pieces cut from 1/4″ plywood. That sounded tedious, but easy enough. The plan also gave dimensions as multiples of the stock thickness (T), so it could be scaled for other stock sizes. My first attempt resulted in a two inch on a side cube — or what would have been a cube had I not destroyed it trying to assemble it. For my second attempt (below) I doubled the size of the cube but continued with 1/4″ plywood. I ignored the overall dimensions, using only dimensions from the edge that defined the guide rails and interlocking tabs. The result was a glue-up that was easy enough to work with, but that required a lot of corrections. And, after the corrections, the box would only assemble and disassemble with much fiddling — way too much fiddling for a six year old (or for a sixty-one year old, for that matter). My next attempt will be the same overall size from 3/4″ stock, and I’ll route the lips onto the edges rather than gluing up the sides. I’ll also route some slots to accept the central box base and sides to assure that it is properly located when attaching the front and back plates. With a little luck, I’ll be successful. If not, I’ll choose another project. In the meantime, I AM having fun.
I built this play fridge for Caleb and Owen — an addition to the kitchen set they received for Christmas. I hope they have as much fun playing with it as I had building it.
We tried in vain to capture Owen making volleyball returns and kicking the balloon — both of which he does very well. He’s still cute in the below video.
Owen’s Soccer and Volleyball Skills from Pa on Vimeo.
Here’s Ma’s video of our Mentos and Diet Pepsi experiment that Caleb described as “very dangerous” to Sebastian. Enjoy.
Mentos and Diet Pepsi from Pa on Vimeo.
Thanks so much, Sebastian, Anna-Marie, and Jeff. We’re keeping it out all year long!
And, for those who haven’t already seen Sebastian singing “Hippopotamus for Christmas”:
We just got home from a wonderful evening at Lyn and Bob’s. The family, sans Kris, Deborah, Nathan, Cooper, James, Jackie, Jeff, Anna-Marie and Sebastian, were in attendance. There was an art raffle (artwork by Amanda and Zach) to raise funds for a lamp for their clubhouse (basement closet), lots of great food, and the gift exchange. The children were much more a part of the festivities this year, and they seemed to genuinely enjoy seeing each other. Liam and Caleb became good buddies over games of tic-tac-toe. Ma made Liam cry by pretending to have stolen his plate of cheese and crackers.
click on picture to see more
We were visited by a dinosaur and a Transformer this weekend! The kids were in town for a family birthday party (Brandon and Julie’s Anna) and spent the night with us before returning home. It was fun time, and we can’t wait for the next visit.
Me: We can have a Wii Game Night!
Caleb: We can play Wii golf, or Wii baseball, but not boxing.
Me: Why not boxing?
Caleb: Because you’re an old lady and old ladies can’t box.
Me: Oh, it’s ON, boy-o!
(I took one boxing match and he took the other).
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Me: Phoebe really gave me a hard time today while you were at school. She hissed and growled at me. I don’t know why she doesn’t like me.
Caleb: Maybe she senses you’re not a good person.
Me: …
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Caleb, wiping the table after dinner: I get a quarter for doing this.
Me: But I helped, clearing the dishes and getting your paper towels; I should get ten cents out of that quarter.
Caleb: No, because it’s your job to cook and clean. That’s what you were hired to do.
Me: (chased the boy out of the house)
We’re spending some time with Caleb and Owen and enjoying every minute. Caleb’s class went to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday, and he came home to enthusiastically recount his adventure — including the much prized beads awarded for his team’s accomplishments navigating the corn maze. Owen has been entertaining us while brother’s away at school. While he willingly and creatively entertains himself, he’s always ready to play, work or converse with us. His fireman outfit for Halloween is getting daily use. He also performed some karaoke from one of his books.
Here are a few snapshots — mostly Owen, but Caleb will catch up soon.
More photos HERE.
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