Claire's Treehouse

After reading a previous post (3/24/06), my Dad called me one afternoon. He had an idea. Because I was coming home with the girls in about a week, he (Pop) had decided to build Claire her "treehouse for middle girls." It turned out to be one of the greatest experiences and memories the girls may ever have of visiting Kentucky. Mine, too.

We arrived at Gran and Pop's house on a Sunday. Bright and early on Monday morning I awoke to Emma, Claire and Olivia, sporting their newly gifted carpenter's belts and work clothes. About a day and a half later they, with a little help from Pop, had successfully completed construction on a very cool treehouse. My thought after seeing the finished product? "Wow! I sure do wish I was your grandkid!"

Now, the next test would be whether or not they would actually play in it. Would the bugs scare them away? Would the heat bring them in the house? To my great surprise, no. They had breakfast in the treehouse. They swung and played for hours on the multiple swings and seesaws that Pop built - and kept adding and adding and adding. They cried when they had to go inside. And after coming home from town they raced to be out there for just a few more minutes before bedtime. Needless to say, it was one of Pop's best ideas ever.

Our trip home to Kentucky was a great one. Now that we are beyond all of the baby stuff and the girls are all able to play together with the family, it is a lot more fun than I realized it could be. Not only did we build a treehouse, but they also went fishing and caught some "big ones." We had a birthday party for Pop at Nancy and Wayne's house. The girls got to meet their great, great aunt, Marion Frances. We had a tea party at Katie's house with Katie, Nancy and Gran. We visited Abuela and Mama and Titi Carol and Clay. We went to the Louisville Zoo and bet on horses at Churchill Downs. (Emma's horse came in third place) Isn't that a great thing for a mom and grandmother to teach the kids to do?

All in all it was a terrific time. But I guarantee that the biggest Kentucky attraction that will cause Emma, Claire and Olivia to want to get back to visit the family again as soon as possilbe is that treehouse waiting for them in Gran and Pop's back yard. Thanks, Dad!