…when there isn’t enough snow on the ground to sled and the pond that was once home to your ice rink melted then refroze with trenches and potholes all over it.

Pull out the popsicle sticks and glue gun, and tell the kids to have at it.

Everyone has a role. Peter is the architect, drawing out the plans

and explaining the plans to the others.

Derek is the glue-gun guy

and inspector.

Jake assembles.

Jeremy gives a running commentary of what’s going on, with a whole lot of imagination thrown in.

And when Ruthie isn’t busy dumping sticks, attempting destruction, and grabbing the glue gun (for the faint of heart: this gun was not plugged in)

she entertained with her wobbly walking and high-pitched squeals.

Whether you subscribe to the Birth Order philosophy or not, you have to admit that firstborn children tend to have similar character traits. They often are leaders, organized, a bit on the controlling side, go-getters.

Our firstborn shows these traits and one more: he’s a neat-nick; doesn’t like to be dirty. This fact was magnified the other day when all the boys were tasked with two things: pick up dog poop and move firewood onto the back porch.

I cringed as I watched the three younger boys holding bags and slinging doggy doo with their winter mittens and bare hands. I just imagined how dirty their mittens must be getting (I’m a firstborn too). I couldn’t help but chuckle when Jake joined them in the below-freezing temperatures with a pair of rubber gloves on his hands. He figured he might as well keep them on for task #2 because wood can be pretty dirty too.