building with their great grandpa

My grandpa’s woodshop was one of my very favorite places growing up. I relished taking a broom and sweeping all the sawdust off the floor. I soaked in the smell. The sounds. The sights. I’m confident his workshop played a huge role in my affection for working with my hands today – Grandpa’s workshop and my dad’s ability to build/make anything.

Earlier this summer we began building and quilting classes with my grandparents. I wanted my kids to learn from their great grandparents things I could never teach them – things that actually far more than building and quilting.

I need to get more pictures of grandma and the girls with their finished quilts, so I’ll save that post for later. Today I wanted to share a few of my grandpa and the boys. We try to go over once a week, but we’ve missed a few weeks here and there. My boys (& girls) look forward to this time with great anticipation.

It is incredible to watch the boys now. They move about the workshop with ease and confidence. As I took these photos, I was beaming. I’ve grown up with my grandparents a regular and active part of my life. It is all I know. I easily forget that it is not the ‘norm’. My kids learning to build and quilt from their great grandparents seems just like an ordinary thing to me at first, but then I step back and realize how truly extraordinary it is. Watching moments like this – this is the good stuff in life. This is the stuff I want to chase.