Rocket Man

I found a new fair entry category this year. It was Mommy and Me and is supposed to encourage family crafting time. Since that just happens to be one of my favorite times, I decided to enter Joseph in the Birdhouse Division.

We went to Michael's to check out their pre-made birdhouses. Now before you get your panties in a wad, this is not cheating. The description for our division was birdhouse decorating. Jeez...do you actually think I'd cheat?

Picking out a birdhouse turned out to be a very detailed process. Joseph rejected nearly every model until finally, in desperation, I spotted a pointy-topped, rocketship shaped wooden structure on the top shelf. Pulling it down, I asked Joseph, "What do you think about this one?"

"YES!" He excitedly grabbed the birdhouse and led the way to the sticker section. If it weren't for the Fourth of July stickers, his birdhouse would have been decorated with fish and ducks.

We got home, set ourselves up at the counter and started painting. We taped off the different color sections and then picked out the colors he wanted to paint.

Now before you start labeling me OCD for taping off the rocket ship, I'll have you know my son is the OCD one. He got frustrated when his paint went in the wrong place. To avoid frustration and make the project as fun as possible, I taped.

After the paint dried, Boppa and G helped him decorate with his stickers. It turned out to be a beautiful rocket. Joseph was so proud of it, he wanted to sleep with it in his room.

When we went to turn it into the fair office, we ran into a snag. He didn't want to part with his rocket. He was quite upset at the very idea that we would be turning in. So upset that the rocket never got turned in. It's now sitting - in turn - on our coffee table and Joseph's night stand. It's also inhabited, not by birds, but little green men.

But what a fun project! And that, after all, was the whole point.