sat on the floor helping the girl put a puzzle together. thought that would be easier than sitting at her little table but my legs went asleep while she was finding all the edge pieces. she's four and can squat there forever. i had to straighten one leg into the hallway and the dog immediately lay across it. got up slow so i didn't scatter the pieces with my boots. the boy wanted picking up then, warm and heavy against my shoulder. carried him around the kitchen a bit. no measuring or holding anything steady, just his hand grabbing the back of my shirt. stayed there till he wanted down.

trying to make a low shelf for the girl's room without buying another sheet of plywood. got enough scraps if the sides are two inches shorter than i first figured. measured her books and most fit, except one with a handle on top that sticks out. she says that one can lie down. fair enough. i keep picturing it as a little cabinet with everything lined up, she's picturing where the stuffed rabbit goes. drew it both ways on a scrap and she picked the one with the most open space. easier to build too. still need to check the spot by her bed before i cut. the drawing isn't the room.

wife showed her friend the staircase pictures on my phone. i had only handed it over to show where the kids had been playing, but she kept swiping and said here, look what he made. felt a little awkward standing there while they looked. her friend asked if all the curves were wood and i said yes, which didn't explain much. could have shown her how the pieces went together but they were already on another picture. good she liked it. later i checked which photos my wife had picked. there are a couple from before the railing went in that show the work better. might put those in a separate folder.