Drew the Builder

It's about time I write this brag post about Drew and a lot of
what we have been up to all winter/spring Drew is super talented, but also extremely diligent, optimistic, dedicated, hard working, smart, I could go on.  I'll let the pictures prove it :).
 I'm one lucky girl!

THE BIKE BUILDER

New Years eve I look outside totally stunned to find these on the porch! Only one thing comes in these kind of boxes from Nashbar...

 Drew surprised me with a cyclocross bike! I love it!  Cycling saves me during pregnancies too.  It is the only time in the 9 months I can feel light and fast (well, fast on the downhill that is :).  I've also found it to be the best thing, after yoga, for the hips. I now am able to pull the kids around in their trailer so much easier and faster then on my mountain bike.  Road bike feel, speed, and weight with lightly treaded tires for trail or road riding.  Best of both worlds. Drew put it all together that night.  Happy New Year 2014!

THE BED BUILDER

 

I wasn't able to take photos of all of the work that Drew put in before the assembly.  It was a lot.  Planning, measuring, buying, cutting, etc.

We will be putting some kind of finish on it eventually, but I love the natural wood.  Drew picked out and placed each piece with artistic care to let all of those beautiful knots show.  You may notice the height.  Yes, it is tall on purpose.  It fits big bins and food storage buckets under it with ease.  And, conveniently, buckets make for great step ladders! :)

This bunk came from IKEA, but if you've ever gotten furniture from them, you know the "assembly" chould, more accurately, called "building".  The kids love it!

THE GARDEN BOX BUILDER

 Drew's sister Chelsi came for a visit the weekend we put these together-totally saved us! We used pressure treated lumber for these so it would last a lot longer-but these boards are HEAVY! Being 4 ft tall though keeps little feet off plants and helps 9 month pregnant mamas garden without bending over hardly at all!

THE "BIKE BARN" BUILDER

Empty corner under the front of the house...

 A few DEEP holes...

 A few 2x4s...

  A gate...

 Some paint and lattice...walla!  The first time-EVER-that our bikes are sleeping outside of our house, it feels good!

THE FUTURE BUILDERS BUILDER

Just like his daddy.  Alvin loves to build things and does for hours, out of whatever materials he can find.  The other day he took a stick and began to drill holes in the dirt with it-sound effects and all.

THE PATH BUILDER(s) :)

 I will take some credit with Drew on the paths.  After a lot of planning and a TON of digging, we are finally seeing them come together! Front yard path, by our stairs.

Back yard path.  This one is still in progress, but coming along.  Between the house and the path is going to be filled in with rock.

 Drew defiantly gets the credit for this wall and gutter solution.  The gutter, which previously trialed out on top of the dirt, under this deck, is now buried deep underground.

We were very blessed in all the digging about in this yard to find all of this flagstone rock--which, we discovered, is pretty expensive to buy.  Hard work pays off.

THE COOP BUILDER

 The beginning of April we jumped in and got these girls (we are hoping they are all girls anyway!)

 Very lucky girls, because, as you can tell from the rest of this post, when Drew builds something he builds it right.

 Complete with an insulated roof.

 Front window.

 Side doors for easy cleaning.

 Egg gathering back door.

Window vents (circles).

 Ladder.

And all the trimming.