Pregnancy Update

The picture is from last week, at 34 weeks pregnant. Tomorrow I hit 35 weeks. I haven't been taking pictures this time around like I did with River, but I realized I should be taking at least some. With Mr M home again it's a bit easier to make sure I get in some of the pictures. For comparison, here's the 32 and 36 week pics from River's pregnancy.

At this point, I'm done with my major building projects (the patio and the treehouse) and now just have a couple smaller projects left. I'll see how many of them I finish before the little guy makes his appearance, and finish them up when I have the time and energy after he's born.

My building projects have been keeping me physically active. Sunshine's pregnancy and delivery were such a bad experience and River's was so much better because of my increased and consistent activity levels, that it's important to me to stay active. I think this time around I've been over-compensating a bit. If being active is good, then being more active, is better, right? Not necessarily.

Not running the half was a good decision, as has backing off on my running. It's not been easy, but avoiding the treadmill has left me with the time and energy to build the patio and treehouse. Though running is my preferred exercise, there are other ways for me to get my exercise in, and construction is a good substitute.

My building projects haven't been part of my over-compensation- those have been because Mr M was out of town so I was the one who had to get them done, and they needed to get done before the baby was born so we could actually use them before we possibly sell the house next spring, though that's now up in the air as we move up our job hunt.

At 34 weeks, I'd only gained 8 pounds, which is awesome. Of course, my starting weight was heavier than with Sunshine or River, so I didn't need to gain a lot anyway. I gained about 25 when pregnant with Sunshine, but only 15 with River (I started heavier with him than with her). I'm curious to see what happens with my weight in the next 6 weeks.

My food issues have been fairly stable, though I still have to be careful about what I eat. I can eat small amounts of corn, rice, and potatoes, but too much of any of them causes problems. Dairy and eggs in small amounts are also ok. I experienced similar lessening of symptoms when I was pregnant with River, but the issues all came back once he was born, so I'm preparing myself for a similar situation when this little guy is born.

I feel like this pregnancy has sped by. I'm not sure if it's because I've been so busy (the other kiddos, projects, scouts, etc) or what, but it's hard to believe that I'm only 5 weeks from my due date. Maybe it's the sense of "so much to do, so little time" that has cropped up surrounding the job hunt/potential house sale and all that's entailed with those events.

Finished Treehouse

last week, I left the treehouse looking like this

I had gotten a lot of work done, but it still wasn't quite finished.

Monday and Tuesday I had other things to take care of, but I had set most of Wednesday aside to work on the treehouse. So naturally, it rained during the time I was available, and didn't rain during the times I was doing other things. And the same thing happened on Thursday.

It rained early Friday morning, but not the rest of the day, so while everything was a bit damp still, it wasn't soaking wet and it wasn't raining on our power tools. Sunshine and I did schoolwork in the morning, then I spent the afternoon working on the treehouse. I was concerned about over-doing it since I had the 5k the next morning and needed to be mobile, but I also really wanted to get the treehouse finished.

after several days of rainclouds, some real sunshine!

Friday I installed most of the balusters on the upper deck- I ran out, so I wasn't able to completely finish that part. The balusters required some bending and twisting on my part to screw them in place from the outside. I had thought I could do it while standing on a ladder, but I realized that just wouldn't work. The ground is not level and the ladder I planned on using wasn't tall enough for me to reach the upper portions of the railings. I could have used our other, taller ladder, but it weighs a lot more and since I was going to have to move it every couple of feet around the perimeter of the treehouse, I didn't want to mess with it. So I settled for bending and twisting from the upper deck rather than going up and down the ladder and moving it over and over. Either way it would have been time consuming, but I think it was a bit quicker doing it the way I did.

balusters almost all the way around the top, climbing ramp frame in place 

When I installed the railings I extended the height of the original 4x4 post a couple feet by securely screwing a 2x4 on the inside in multiple places to both the old and new 4x4's.

Friday I attached mending plates to the three sides not touching the 2x4 for added stability and security. It's very solid.

Once I ran out of balusters, I moved on to starting the upper climbing ramp that connects the upper and lower decks. I constructed it similar to the lower climbing ramp- 2x4 frame with decking attached to the face. I only got as far as building the frame before I was done for the day. The upper climbing ramp ended up being almost vertical, so it's really more of a climbing wall than a climbing ramp.

Saturday after the race we stopped by Lowe's to pick up the extra balusters I needed and the rope for the climbing ramp and wall.

When we got home, I changed and got working. I knew if I sat on the couch and rested, I wouldn't be getting up again. Which is totally what happened when we went inside after finishing up for the day- I could barely move, I was so tired and sore.

I secured the climbing wall in place, then screwed the deck planks in place. I also attached some decking pieces to the sides of the ramp, closing it off. I didn't want little boys trying to fit in that small space. The climbing holds I'd ordered were delivered while I was attaching the decking, which I thought was great timing. I thought I was going to have to wait a few more days to finish that part, but was able to finish it on Saturday.

because of the post on the right, the side piece extends up further on the left than the right, hence the uneven plank lengths on either side at different heights.

While I was working on the balusters and climbing ramp, Mr M attached the climbing ropes to the tops of the climbing ramp and climbing wall.

ropes in place

He then built a 2x4 frame for the slide and attached it to the treehouse frame. The frame adds stability to the slide, and makes it a bit safer. The top of the slide is attached to the treehouse with carriage bolts.

slide frame in progress

slide in place, needs to be cleaned still

While I was working on the balusters and the climbing ramp I also added lag bolts (in the corners) and carriage bolts (on the sides where I could attach nuts on the backside) to all the railing posts. When I originally installed them, I had screwed the posts in place so there was some play, which allowed me to make sure they were as straight as possible when installing the 2x4 railings. Once the railings were in, I would better secure the posts in place. Drilling holes through 4x4's is tough on our rechargeable drill batteries, so I spaced it out with my other tasks so I could recharge the batteries as needed. 

After I finished the climbing wall we started on the hand rails for the stairs.  The lower posts are just 2x4's lag bolted to the stair stringers and screwed to the decking treads for extra stability. The hand rails themselves are treated 2x2's cut to fit and screwed to the 2x4 lower posts and the 4x4 upper posts.

River wanted to help with the lag bolts, but he didn't want daddy helping him- he's pushing daddy's arm away

such a big helper!

That's phase 1 of our two level treehouse completed. It's not super fancy, but it's definitely useable. Mr M and I are super pleased with how it turned out and the kids are excited to play on it. And we still have six weeks till my due date, so I still have time to finish up some more projects. Though they're much smaller and less ambitious than the patio and the treehouse :)

Phase 2 involves several more details that will make the treehouse more fun and a bit fancier. 

• Build a small playhouse on the upper deck
• Build a plank floor below the upper deck, level with the ground (to cover the unevenness of the ground and  the tree roots)
• Landscape around the treehouse- delineate a "treehouse area", remove brush, level the ground as much as possible, and fill in with shredded bark or mulch to cut down on the mud mess
• Install a bucket on a pulley
• Install a swing for the little boys (we have one, just need to figure out where we'll put it)
• Install gates for the slide, lower ramp, and stairway
• Install a ziplane from the back deck to the treehouse if we can find safe attachment and loading areas.

Right now we have to wait till we have more money available for these projects (all that wood costs money), but hopefully we can get them done this fall when the weather cools. In the meantime, the kiddos can still get lots of use out of the treehouse.

When we buckled down and worked on it, we made massive progress in less than a month. Too bad it only took us 3 years to finally get going. 

Previous treehouse posts: Starting the Treehouse, Treehouse Progress part 1, Treehouse Progress part 2, Treehouse Progress part 3

June 5k Recap

before the race

I haven't run/spent time on the treadmill since my May 5k- I've just been too busy working on the patio and the treehouse. Backing off my treadmill time has helped my hip and glute pain tremendously. Working on the patio and treehouse brings its own set of aches and pains (all that bending and twisting while cutting wood, putting it place, and screwing it down), but has kept me active and moving.

with my friend B

I've run this race the last three years, so I know what to expect- you're either going uphill or downhill, and it's hot and muggy. My plan was to run the downhills and walk the uphills and hope I didn't overheat in the process, and that's pretty much how I ended up doing it.

I ran (slowly) the first .7 miles down the hill, walked .7 miles back up the hill, ran .4 miles into some woods until I hit some hills and started walking again. From that point on, I walked most of the rest of the race, with little bits of running here and there, when I encountered a downhill. As I've said before this is a tough course with lots of hills. I had no intention of running the uphills and saved my energy for the downhills. Despite that, I still walked fast on the uphills (I can't help myself). All the walking I did in the last half left me with enough energy for a good sprint into the finish, passing 5 or 6 people along the way. Best finish line sprint I've ever had :)

walking back up that .7 mile hill

This year I finished in 41:19, which is a 13:24 minute/mile pace. My mile splits show just how much I slowed down as the race progressed- this was the result of walking rather than running.

mile 1: 12:25 minutes
mile 2: 13:38 minutes
mile 3: 14:38 minutes

This was my slowest finish yet for this race, but that doesn't bother me. I haven't run in a month and I'm 34 weeks pregnant. The fact that I'm running at all is huge. When I ran this race while pregnant with River, I wasn't as far along, and was able to finish faster, but not by much. Running while pushing a jogger slows me down but is still physically easier than running while pregnant.

2014 38:11, pushing River in the jogger
2013 40:02, pregnant with River (23 weeks)
2012 39:23, pushing Sunshine in the jogger

I had less ligament pain in my stomach this time than when I ran this race when pregnant with River (or some of the previous races this year), which I expected based on my experience doing the 4 mile race while 36 weeks pregnant with him- I had less pain then too. I think by this time the baby's big enough that there's not as much bouncing around to cause the ligament pain. I did have some discomfort that I originally thought was the baby bouncing on my bladder, but as I ran I had the thought that it might actually be him bouncing on my cervix. Good thing I don't have an incompetent cervix.....

Despite being a tough course, I keep coming back to this race for several reasons. It's super jogger-friendly (which is why I ran it the first time- Mr M was out of town and I wanted to run a race that would allow me push Sunshine in the jogger), and every year there's more people running the race while pushing joggers and strollers. In fact, one of the top-finishing guys was pushing a double jogger (super impressive!). This race also has such a great vibe- it's a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project and the support of local companies is impressive, as is the number of people who come out to run and walk the race.

I have just one more race before my due date- I'll be walking the 4th of July 5k that I ran last year. I'm going to have to restrain myself not to run the downhills and force myself to walk the whole thing. While I'll be 38 weeks pregnant, and technically full-term, I don't need to be inducing early labor. The 4th of July 5k will also be the first race towards my 40 by 40 goal. I think a 5k while 38 weeks pregnant is a great first race for a goal that involves a variety of races.

2015 races
June 5k           41:19      34 weeks pregnant
May 5k          40:05      29 weeks pregnant, pushed River in the jogger
April 5k         42:36      28 weeks pregnant, pushed River in the jogger
March 5k       35:32      22 weeks pregnant
February 5k  33:55       20 weeks pregnant
January 5k    33:25       12 weeks pregnant

How Our Homeschool Has Evolved This Year

We did Sunshine's annual evaluation to show evidence of progress last week, so I thought I'd share how the school year went. Below is the summary I typed up for our friend who does the evaluations.

Courses Studied

Grammar                                 Math                                                    PE

Reading                                   History & Geography                         Latin

Writing                                    Science                                                Japanese

Handwriting                            Art                                                       Religion

Spelling                                   Music

Grammar

A couple weeks into the school year we dropped First Language Lessons. It's a grammar workbook, but between Writing with Ease and Latin, there was a lot of overlap with grammar. It seemed like overkill and it was tedious, so out it went.

Reading

McGuffey’s Reader, Story of the World, Writing with Ease assignments, Life of Fred, pleasure reading.

Writing

We’re still working on finishing the 3rd grade Writing with Ease book, and I don't think we'll get all the way through it. Our school year doesn't end until the end of June, so we have a few more weeks, but neither of us is very motivated to finish it. It's gotten very repetitious and we both dread it, which is never a good sign. We'll be switching to a different curricula for 4th grade. She has also started writing stories with a friend.

Handwriting

Zaner-BloserHandwriting 3 workbook. Her handwriting, whether printing or cursive, is pretty messy though, so in 4th grade we'll start out by really focusing on improving her penmanship. I didn't focus on that nearly as much as I should have when she was learning to write, and now we're paying for it. Not a mistake I plan on making with the boys.

Spelling

SpellingWorkout C. It’s not horrible, but we’re no longer loving it. I recently subscribed to SpellingCity.com, but haven't used it much yet. We’ll make more use of it next year.

Math

Finished the Math Skills workbook I had purchased from Target last spring while continuing to read Life of Fred E-H. We were going to start Singapore math, but I started researching right-brained learners and went a different direction. I found a how-to-teach right-brained math workbook, but it was really geared for kindergartners, which I felt would be taking things a bit too far back for Sunshine (there are some other books designed to follow it that I need to give a try). I found a good discount on CTCMath.com, and decided to give that a try. It's an online course with videos that explain the day's concept(s), followed by problems that the child works through to show mastery of the topic. A subscription allows the child access to all levels of math, so cost doesn't interfere with reviewing or working ahead. We began by doing the comprehensive tests, starting with kindergarten. This gave me an idea of what she had actually assimilated, and what she was missing. We didn't really need to go that far back, but it was encouraging for her to see how far she's come. Math is not her favorite subject and she struggles with it, so boosting her self-confidence is good. We'll continue using CTC Math and Life of Fred in 4th grade.

She is showing interest in creating her own video games, so she did a little coding. She needs to learn more before she can make her own video game, so we'll do more with that next year.

History and Geography

We still love Story of the World, but Sunshine was starting to dread the end of the section questions (really dread them- they were stressing her out), so we stopped doing those and at the end of each section she had to tell me two things she liked/thought were interesting and one thing she didn't like. We continued with the map work that was included, but didn't do the activities except at history club. We listened to and read book 3, but also listened to book 4 in the car.

Story of the World is definitely a series that I'll be using with the boys. There's no way you can get all the details into 4 books, but Susan Weiss Bauer does a great job of giving an overview of what happened, and doesn't just focus on Europe and America (like the history classes I remember taking in school). Listening to all 4 books this year (we managed to cycle through them all this year) really highlighted how much events in one part of the world can affect events somewhere else. There's just so much I never learned, despite taking all the required history classes in public school and several history classes in college. Sunshine learned the song "The Foggy Dew" in her Irish music class this year and we looked up the background of it to find out what it was talking about. Turns out it was about the Easter Uprising of 1916, when the Irish attacked the English in an effort to gain independence. After listening to book 4, it became very clear just why the Irish had such animosity towards the English. I knew about the potato famine, but I hadn't realized the extent of the devastation, nor the role of the English in ordering the Irish to keep shipping what food they did produce out of Ireland and to England. Not only did their potato crops fail, but they couldn't even keep the grain they produced. No wonder so many starved to death.

Science

I haven’t liked the recommendations in the Well-Trained Mind- they haven’t worked well for us this year or last (the biology recommendations from the year before worked well, though). We did random experiments from a couple kits that I ordered. We watched videos on Free School youtube channel and DiscoveryEducation. Discovery Education is a subscription website that we recently subscribed to (discounted, of course) and haven’t done a lot with yet, but will in the coming year. She really likes learning about the stars and planets, so we’ve been focusing on that lately.

Art

Various projects, some that I directed, some that she came up with herself. I intended to have her do more, but it didn’t quite happen. We also started using the blog All Things Bright and Beautiful, which has weekly art and music posts, but haven’t done a lot with it. Sunshine mostly experimented with paints and pastels, with a bit of multimedia thrown in.

Sunshine watched a clip on Van Gogh on FreeSchool and decided to paint her own version.

We discussed using his techniques (mainly the iconic swirls), but changing colors or objects being painted, after which she came up with this interpretation.

Music

Continued weekly fiddle lessons, also started playing with the advanced group at the Irish Music School she attends. 

PE

--- Dance- fall semester, but not spring- dance was Thursday evenings and with my Scout responsibilities the scheduling was too crazy for us.

--- Soccer- fall semester, not spring- we were all too burned out on it. It was so nice to take a break this spring.

--- Sunshine has also completed several 5k races this past school year. While she doesn't enjoy them, there are a couple races that we do as a family that she walks with Daddy while I run. One of these days she'll start enjoying running....

Latin

We started Latin this year, using Prima Latina. I liked Prima Latina, but it was a bit dry. There's no illustrations or anything to make things more interesting in the workbook, but the cd did help. When we finished Prima Latina, I bought Song School Latin, but we never quite got started on it. We'll use them in 4th grade. I've heard good things about them and am hopeful that Sunshine will retain the info better. Transparent Language (we have access through our local library) has a Latin course that we will also be trying out.

Japanese

Rosetta Stone, but didn't use it a lot because of computer issues. We need to get Sunshine her own laptop so she's not using mine or one that’s in danger of dying any second. Our homeschool version of Rosetta Stone does allow it to be installed on multiple computers, but I don't want to waste an installation on the crappy laptop she's been using.

Religion

Listened to audiobooks of scriptures and church history, attended a twice-monthly class at church for girls her age.

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Some final thoughts:

In February as I researched more about how to teach a right-brained child, I came across TJEd. I'd read about it before, but it never appealed to me. This time though, as I read more about it, I realized it would probably work well with Sunshine, so we’ll be incorporating more ideas from it next year. I have a lot of reading to do this summer though to make sure I know how to make it all work.

I still like the Well-Trained Mind, but some of the recommendations just aren't working for Sunshine, so we're adapting- hence the TJEd ideas that will be put in play next year. I plan on using the recommendations from the Well-Trained Mind with the boys when they start school, but will probably switch grammar curricula at the beginning of 3rd grade rather than waiting till 4th. We’ll see how they do with the rest of the recommendations.

As Sunshine gets older and we identify her strengths and weaknesses the curriculum we use is evolving. I don't see this as a bad thing. The Well-Trained Mind recommendations gave us a good start, and we will continue to use the recommendations that work for us. But part of why we homeschool is to be able to tailor the coursework to what Sunshine needs/is interested in/works for her. So there's no reason in sticking with a book we both hate just because it was recommended by someone. I've thought a lot about this the past couple months and find it very interesting to look back at the evolution of our school. When we started kindergarten it never occurred to me that within just a couple years we'd be making so many changes. Again, that's not a bad thing, just unanticipated. It has also helped me be aware of what to look for when the boys start school so we can make changes earlier rather than later. There's no point prolonging the agony when something isn't working, so I'll be much more open to finding alternatives when/as needed.

Treehouse Progress, Part 3

The last treehouse post picture was this one.

Last week I managed to make really good progress on the treehouse. Monday I finished adding the top plate to the railings, then finished adding the rest of the balusters.

Then I built the lower climbing ramp and attached it to the frame. It has a 2x4 frame with decking boards screwed on top, then I screwed balusters over the decking joints as hand and toe holds. The balusters ended up being just the right length and worked great. The frame rests on some pavers that I dug into the ground for stability and protection from the dirt.

I didn't build handrails for the stairs initially, so I had to go back and figure out how to add them in. This was my first dry run, to see if it would work and look good. I was not happy with it though, so I still need to figure out an alternative.

After the work I put in Monday, the lower deck was pretty much done. I need to finish a couple small details, but the only big thing left was figuring out the stair rails. While I contemplated those, I moved on to the next phase of the project: the upper deck.

Unfortunately, Tuesday and Wednesday I was too tired to work. I need to work on stopping before I'm done so that I still have energy to work on other days. My problem is that I have a hard time stopping when I'm close to being done- I just want to get it finished.

Thursday I cut and notched all the 4x4 posts and installed four of them for the upper deck railing. I didn't take a picture because the four posts just weren't that visible.

Friday I installed the other 4x4 posts. Then I cut and attached all the 2x4s between the posts for the railings.

the upper deck is finally progressing!

Saturday I was just too tired to do any more work. Too many hours working on the treehouse Friday, followed by a late night at the Cub Scout family campout, and an early morning cleaning the church were too much for me. The heat and humidity were both worse last week and it didn't make it easy to work outside- I am definitely slowing down. Which makes it all the more important that I finish this up as soon as possible, because pretty soon I'm just not going to want to spend time outside, sweating over projects.

I'm really pleased with how it's turning out and can't wait to see the finished result.

Renaissance Fair

Sunshine and a friend walking the labyrinth

Saturday we went to the local Renaissance Fair.

Sunshine and I went to a much larger one in Colorado with one of my sisters about 7 years ago, and Sunshine and I went to this particular faire a few years ago with some friends (I thought I posted about it, but I can't find the post, so I guess I didn't).

The fair in Colorado was quite impressive: elephant rides, full-on jousting in a full-size arena, lots of vendors, and so on. The fair here is much smaller, and while they have jousting, it's in a much smaller arena and not nearly as impressive. It was still lots of fun, though.

 The queen's procession

River riding in style

This fair is pretty good about having educational demonstrations. One that we all thought was quite interesting was the weaving loom. The lady in the background very patiently explained to each new observer how to weave using the loom. She even let them give it a try. Sunshine thought it was very cool.

We also made sure to stop by the rag doll making booth. Last time we came to the fair she made one, and she was quite excited that they were still doing it this time around.

River was a bit bored while waiting for Sunshine to finish her rag doll. I love the foot up on his knee.

Sunshine and Mr M also tried on some of the armor. Good thing they don't need to fight in it, since neither of them got pieces that were a good fit. And even if they did fit, I can't imagine them being very comfortable.

The last stop was an "attack" on a town by an invading force. Sunshine is in the white shirt by the red and white diagonal sign- she's getting ready to throw styrofoam stones at the invaders. The kids were successful in repelling the attackers and saving their town :)

Enjoying Our Outdoor Living Spaces

After finishing the patio and building the deck furniture, I mentioned that I thought we'd be spending more time outside, enjoying our outdoor living spaces. That's already proved to be the case.

My dad was here for a short visit last week, and while he was here we sat out on the patio and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the sound of the birds.

Our property is beautiful this time of year.

We've eaten several popsicles at the table. Though I have to say, River has not quite figured out the whole popsicle thing and makes a big mess. Which is, of course, why we're eating popsicles outside and not inside the house.

We bought a little rigid plastic kiddie pool and have used it several times down on the patio. Our weather hasn't been quite as hot lately, so the cold well water hasn't been super enjoyable for River, but Sunshine has been enjoying it. Sunshine and Mr M wanted a bigger pool, but I wanted something easy to fill and drain and not requiring any extra steps, like inflating walls. Because lets face it, if there's too many steps involved, I'm way less likely to say yes when Sunshine asks if they can play in the water.

All our trees mean we can't leave a pool filled with water- there's way too much crud and tree poop that would end up in it and have to be cleaned out before every use. Filling it with clean water every time is a lot easier, and filling a small pool minimizes water wasted.

Sunshine determined to enjoy the little pool, River unsure about joining her in the cold water, me soaking my feet.

Sunshine trying to convince River to try the water, but you can tell by his arms that he's not excited about the idea.

Mr M dumped a couple pots of hot water in the pool, so River ventured in, but still wasn't sure about the whole thing. He'll be much more willing when the weather heats up.

While the pool isn't big enough to do more than get wet in, it's better than nothing and I'm sure we'll get a lot of use out of it this summer, especially once the baby's born and we stop making trips to pools and lakes. There's no way I'm taking River to a pool or lake with a newborn to take care of as well- River loves water way too much for that to be a good idea. It's also nice to have a place to set the pool that's up out of the grass and mud, and the patio chairs are conveniently close for adult relaxation and supervision.

Treehouse Progress, Part 2

in the last treehouse post we got the treehouse to this point

Monday we made {yet another} trip to Lowes and bought more materials. That afternoon I installed most of the decking after adding some more bolts to the posts and more joist nails to the joists (I'd run out of both on Saturday). I also propped the slide and stair stringers up, trying to decide on where to put them. The angled 2x4's between the upper and lower decks is the beginning of the climbing wall that I'll be building.

River photobombed the treehouse :) 

the stair stringers are upside down in this picture

After another trip to Lowes Wednesday, I finished the decking and installed two of the 4x4 posts for the railings. If you look closely, you can see the ratchet straps holding the back right post straight. Once I got the 2x4 railing pieces attached, I was able to remove the straps. They were very helpful in keeping everything square as I built.

Thursday I finished installing the 4x4 posts, figured out where the stairs were going to go, and attached the 2x4 railing pieces.

the stair stringers are now oriented properly

Friday I was able to get a lot done. With Mr M home, he was on kiddo duty while I worked. I have a vision of where the treehouse is going, Mr M needs to not be kneeling and putting pressure on his toe,  and he can make doctor appointments and look for a job while watching the kiddos, so I had a good block of time to work on the treehouse.

I secured the stairs (they were just toenailed in before) to the frame and dug in the concrete blocks that support the bottoms of the stair stringers. Then I cut and added the stair treads. It's so nice to be able to walk up the stairs instead of climbing up a precariously balanced step stool. I also started adding the balusters to the 2x4 railing pieces. Those are relatively easy to do, but time consuming since I have to clamp each one in place top and bottom to make sure the balusters don't move while I'm screwing them to the 2x4s.

stairs done, some of the balusters added in

There's two openings on the side of the treehouse with the slide. One is for the slide, the other is for the lower climbing ramp that I haven't built yet. I added 2x4s across the top of the railing posts that frame those openings for increased stability.

I intended to finish the balusters Saturday afternoon, but I was too tired by the time we got home from the Renaissance Fair (more on that in a day or two), so this is as far as I got last week. It's starting to look like a real treehouse :)