Birdhouse Builders

Daniel has been asking for while now to do some "real building." We have some wood scraps, nails and hammers, but I'm not really too keen on the idea of just giving him a hammer and telling him to go for it. So, we asked Papa if he might plan a birdhouse building activity for us (the boys are also very interested in the birds and squirrels in the yard). Having spent yesterday morning at the zoo with Nana and Papa, that afternoon seemed the perfect time for this fun activity.

 Measuring. (When asked "what do you think we need to do next?" Matthew would always answer "Measure!")

 Sawing the wood.

 Drilling holes for the hinge screws. Working in the garage had the added bonus of bikes nearby to ride when the building action was slow, hence Matthew's helmet.

 Matthew takes a break to measure the cozy coupe.

 When this guy isn't giving us trouble, he sure is cute. :)

 Screwing in the hinges.

 Time to paint the roof! 

So impressed with Daniel's ability to use the saw by himself. He's growing up...*sniff.

 Uh-oh. This guy is up from his nap and ready to help.

 Using the tiny saw.

 The big saw and the drill were "too loud!"

 Nailing the pieces together.

 Adding some glue.

 Aaron starts working on his own project.

Everyone got to take turns hammering.

 Finally ready to paint the main part of the house.

 While the paint dried, we went to Spuds for some fish n' chips. Aaron really needed to wear his crown from his Burger King outing with Daddy.

 Home again and ready to nail the roof on!

 Matthew and Aaron decided to build a house out of the leftover scraps...

 ...and Daniel built a crossbow.   :/

All done! Thanks, Papa, for helping us build a house for the birds!

 PS. We were all sufficiently worn out after such a busy day--Matthew even fell asleep on the couch as we read bedtime stories.