Avast and Stuff

A little over a year ago, we cut down a couple of crappy elm trees in our yard. Branches were cut into firewood, but Libby requested that the trunks be left about six feet long. They were then stacked into a little pyramid in the yard that the kids were able to climb on. Last fall we put a slide (given to us and, eventually, a slide will be built into the side of the playhouse, if we ever get it done) on it, but it was such a shallow incline that the slide became a favorite place for mosquito larvae to breed a few days after a rain.

Then, over the last few weeks, Libby has been moving the logs to create something else. A pirate ship. After restacking the logs and attaching whatever scrap plywood we had left from the playhouse, she had created a serviceable platform. The additions of a few things from the yard gave it a bit more flare. Then they ran to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart doesn't carry pirate flags--in case anyone might need this information for future reference. But they did have the scarf they mounted like a flag. All in all, a pretty great play area for the kids to jump around on!

Norah, it's worth saying, has a cold or some nasty allergies or something right now, too. She kind of just sat there and moped (keeping in mind how well she suffers) most of the time.

I'm not sure if he had it out at this point or not, but the stick Gabe was using as a sword he was storing in his shorts. Stuck down through the waistband and coming out through the leg hole. It's also worth mentioning that he often doesn't get around to putting underwear on. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me, but what do I know.

I said, "Look piratey." This is what I got.

That's Norah's "classy pose."

And some video. I can't remember what they were doing now (because it's been almost twelve hours since it happened), but I'm sure it's worth sharing.