Tom Sawyer and his Papa...

As you can tell by the pictures, my little Tom Sawyer helped his Papa and his dad build a fence this weekend. Did Tom Sawyer build a fence and then have to paint it or just have to paint it? I am not quite sure, so the Tom Sawyer reference might not really fit here. Anyway, Tobe, Isaac, and Tobe's dad put up a new fence this weekend. I know that our neighbors are rejoicing in their living rooms now that the Phillips' eyesore (AKA our old fence) is gone. In its place stands a beautiful, sparkling cedar fence whose gate will actually close and whose boards will not fall off randomly when the wind blows a mere three miles an hour.

Isaac's papa did a marvelous job on our fence. In fact, he has done a marvelous job on many things in our house. When we purchased our little casa in Grapevine, it was a "house with potential". Although built in the 1990's, the interior was decorated in blue and pink. The kitchen had a bright pepto pink wall. The carpet throughout the house was blue. The guest bathroom was done in pink bunnies. The best part of the house was that there were two rooms spared of the blue and pink--one was done in teal and navy blue plaid (yes, apparently that does exist) and the other was painted yellow with purple trim. (Neither room looks like this anymore and the blue carpet is history) Fortunately we have Tobe's dad who can do anything. Here is a list of things he has done in our house:
1.Helped paint
2.Fixed the fence numerous times
3.Installed an antenna because you can't get TV signals in Grapevine due to the airport
4.Laid tile in both bathrooms while we were in London on vacation
5.Laid tile in our entryway
6.Put up wainscoting in our kitchen
7.Wired our kitchen so I could have a TV in there to watch Food Network while cooking
8.Completely renovated Isaac's closet
9. Installed a new garage door opener
10. Replaced the bathroom faucets
11.Installed new light fixtures in the kitchen
12. Fixed the base of the hotwater heater
13.Laid the floor of our utility room
14.Steamcleaned the carpets before we moved in
15.Replaced both showerheads
16. Installed a ceiling fan in Isaac's room

A handy, generous father-in-law is a wonderful thing to have. We often call Tobe's dad and say, "Can you fix ______?" He always reassures us that he can resolve any house problem in a matter of minutes and offers to come over in the next few days to get it done. Whenever we sell this house we should probably give some of the profits to Tobe's dad. We hope that Isaac will take after his Papa and be handy around the house. If he does inherit such traits, you might come over in a few years and find Isaac under the kitchen sink fixing the garbage disposal while Tobe and I look on from the living room couch.