The Taylor Five

For some reason, the kids think carrying and stacking firewood is great fun.  So they’ve had LOTS of opportunities for fun this week during a record cold spell.  They have carried wood to our side porch at least once a day, and the only complaints come when I tell them they’ve stacked enough and they should go play.  “Just two more, Mommy!  PLEASE?!”  Strange children.  (But that is my goal, after all.)

This cold spell has quickly depleted the convenient woodpile next to the house, and today it was time to hit the backup pile in the back yard, not so conveniently located by the fence at the bottom of a hill.  With snowy weather and even colder temperatures looming, I set to work with the kids.

We loaded up the big plastic kids’ wagon, which is a surprisingly good substitute for a wheelbarrow.  Especially when the wheelbarrow tire is flat.  It was still a job to pull it back up the hill when it was full of firewood.

After the first trip, I left the kids to unload the wood on the porch while I checked on something inside.  When I came back out, Marianne and Wilson had finished stacking the wood and were tackling the second trip, hill or no hill.

Turn the empty wagon around…

Head to the back yard…

ALL the way to the back fence…

Choose the biggest log to show off your huge muscles…

Pile it on the wagon…

Remind your sister of what the job is…

Push the tarp back…

And start on the woodpile…

Marianne can do some carrying, too, as long as it isn’t too heavy…

Wilson declares the wagon full…

And starts back up the hill…

He pulls…

She pushes…

Look at that cooperation.

It makes a mother proud.

That’s why I had to post every picture I took.  Hey, I have to take what I can get.

And here’s the best part “because we get to RUN!”

(Clearly, Finch has his own idea of fun.)

And unload it all again…

That makes a kid proud!