The first day the Bubbers king stepped into my parents’ backyard during our family reunion a couple weeks ago, he immediately locked eyes with something that greatly intrigued him.

Something that posed a physical challenge (especially for a young tot developing balance).

So, naturally, this something had to be defeated.

Pronto.

No matter what the cost to life.

Or limb.

Or clothing.

And without an ounce of fanfare, he finally reached the top and stood up.

And lost no time in exploring the wonders of a home made play set designed, constructed and built by my amazing Father.

And then, when it was time to go down this challenging ramp,

The Bubbers king kicked it in reverse.

And mopped his way back down.

Then he took off to eat a few wood chips and climb the nearest chair.

But it wasn’t long before we realized our son was unusually sticky.

And once we realized why, we took him inside and pulled out a trusty can of paint thinner.

“Okay, Little Man,” we said as we washed off his arms, “No more dragging your belly through tree sap, okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed, and took off to play with his nearest adorable cousin.

The next day, he found another ramp constructed by my amazing Father.

Only this time, it led to the top of the zipline.

And I kept my eyes peeled for even the slightest attempt at belly crawling through gobs of tree sap.

But the Bubbers king stayed true to his word.

And his cute Daddy stayed right behind to safeguard against the host of dangerous possibilities one faces when climbing a ramp to a zipline.

(Aren’t they so cute in this picture?  I love their matching outfits, identical footsteps and handsome Father-Son resemblance).

(p.s. If you look closely in the corner–you can see my brother, Brett, being The Evil Robot and stuffing captured grand kids “in jail” under the deck.  Next to being chased by Uncle Brett as The Velociraptor, this is the grand kids’ favorite game!)

But the Bubbers king got to the top without a single hitch!

And after resting for .45 seconds, he was up and off again down the ramp.

Where he was enthusiastically greeted by Jacob–one of his top notch cousins (who had recently freed all the captives from jail).

Then Bubbers was off to conquer his old nemesis again–but this time his cute Daddy helped him.

And they enjoyed some Father-Son time in the secret club house.

Making secret club house faces.

And memories.

**

Pictures by: Heidi and Brett’s wife (thank you!!)