You can see the pile of wood we started with (that Ryley is setting her doll up on); with Josh’s help we brought it all outside, chamfered a few corners, and briefly sanded all the wood down to soften the edges and remove any possible imperfections that might cause a sliver. Once that was all done, Grandpa and I stained / weathersealed all the pieces of wood and left it to dry overnight.
The next day was assembly day! Grandpa was especially gung-ho about this stage, he loves to see a project come to a successful close. ;0) Josh & Ryley were both helpful (!), they were excited to see the table take shape with their help. Josh was mainly in charge of handing us nuts, bolts, & screws plus hammering in and tightening the bolts; Ryley was in charge of mischief.
…We officially have a new picnic table for the kids! The size worked out quite nicely and being built of grandpa-approved construction and methods it’s strong enough for moms & dads too (and grandpas and grandmas)!
Jenn was also very gung-ho on the project as she found these little umbrellas at the Pottery Barn, she had grandma bring one down just for this purpose. I think the umbrella was really the catalyst for the entire idea, actually…
