Earlier this year we talked about getting Nicholas a Little Tikes fort for the backyard. We went to look at them and were surprised how small they were. Although made of plastic they were about the size of a cardboard box that an appliance might come in, maybe 4 1/2 feet on all dimensions. They are cute but we were hoping to find something a little bigger that Nicholas wouldn't outgrow so quickly.
I mentioned to Stuart that my Dad had designed and built a playhouse for me when I was a little girl. I told him how much I loved it and spent countless hours in it playing with my friends. It was a great place to play. It was 8'x8' with a door, two windows that opened, a counter, and carpeting. He built a ladder so we could get up on the 2nd floor which was open except for a railing around the sides. It was fun but looking back, what I love most about my playhouse is that Dad put all of his time and effort into creating something really special for me. He could not have bought any playhouse that would have had such special memories for me.
Stuart got excited as I was talking about my playhouse and he decided that he wanted to do something special for Nicholas too. He wanted to build a fort for Nicholas. He designed it, researched building supplies and tools needed, and set to work. Along the way, Nicholas has been a great helper. He has made multiple trips with Daddy to Home Depot. On more than one occasion, he insisted on wearing his play safety goggles and Stuart's working gloves as they shopped through the store. He got many smiles and comments about how cute he was from the employees and other customers. He has helped with handing nails and screws to Stuart, using a hammer to put in nails, carrying supplies from the truck to the work site, and painting.
The fort is 8'x4' with a second floor and tarped roof. At first, Nicholas said he just wanted a fort, then he decided he wanted a castle where he could fight dragons. Finally he decided that he wanted a space ship. So now the fort has a space theme. He chose the colors gray, black, and red. The awesome astronaut picture and the border with astronauts on the moon are discards from our church's preschool. We found an inflatable space shuttle and astronaut that have made a home in the space ship. Nicholas also has a new black space helmet and lots of little astronauts and space ships hanging out around the second floor. On the under side of the tarp roof, there are glow in the dark stars, moon, and planets.
Until I ran across this video clip this morning, I had forgotten that for a while during the building process, the fort was also going to be a fire station. Here's a video of Nicholas pretending to get an emergency call to go put out a fire.
We are so glad that the fort/space ship is done. It was a wonderful family experience and we all contributed to the project in our own way. Stuart did a great job of building the fort. He was so impressive through out the whole process. I had a great time painting and decorating it. Nicholas, of course, was the inspiration and he helped us through it all. Hopefully the memory of the fort and the love and devotion that went into it will stay with Nicholas long after the fort is no longer standing.
1 comment:
Pure talent...that's all there is to it. Please tell Stuart that I think he is an amazing Daddy--he did more than build a fort for Nicholas. He paved the way for learning, memories, & someday, he planted the seed so Nicholas will build a fort for his son just as your Dad did for you, & now Stuart did for Nicholas.
You know they say you don't remember much unti you're about 5 or 6 years old. Only a few things stick out from when you're young. I bet you big bucks that helping Daddy build his fort/space ship will be one of those memories cemented in Nicholas' memory forever!
Post a Comment