My oldest son has always been a doer.
He’s the kind of kid who needs to be making something, fixing something, or dreaming up his next project. For years, he has been building his own little town around my parents’ property—houses, a hotel, a bank… you name it.
Give him a hammer, a drill, some scrap wood, and a little time, and he’ll find something to create.
He’s also spent countless hours outside, tending to my mom’s flock of chickens and simply living life outdoors.
And honestly, this is the Tennessee life we dreamed about when we made the move from California.
More time outside. More space to explore. More freedom for our kids to get their hands dirty, use their imaginations, and just be kids.
So in his first summer as a teenager, it felt like he was ready for his next big project.
A real cabin in the woods.
Thankfully, he has a grandpa who is just as much of a doer as he is.
My dad has always been willing to jump into a project, and he was more than happy to help his grandson take this one on.
And so they began—with a dream, some tools, and a whole lot of determination.
From an Idea to a Cabin 💡🪜
The cabin they envisioned would be about 160 square feet, tucked back in the woods on my parents’ property.
What started as an idea quickly became a true collaborative effort.
There were countless hours spent working, numerous trips to Home Depot, and plenty of rides up and down the trail on the hill to get supplies and tools back and forth to their building site.
They didn’t have everything figured out from the beginning.
They just started.
They found window frames and flooring on Facebook Marketplace and figured out how to make the pieces work. They poured concrete, framed the walls, laid wood, sanded, stained, painted, insulated, and ran electricity.
They even figured out how to power the cabin using rechargeable batteries.
Piece by piece, the little cabin began to take shape.
And when the cabin itself was finally standing, they weren’t quite finished.
They built bunk beds to complete the space.
What started as a 13-year-old boy’s idea had become something real—something they had dreamed up, worked on, solved problems around, and built together.
More Than Building 🏠
Of course, the cabin is pretty cool.
But when I look at the pictures and think about everything that went into it, I can’t help but see something bigger than a little building in the woods.
I see a grandfather and grandson spending countless hours together.
I see my dad teaching him things that can’t necessarily be learned from a book or a classroom—how to work through a problem, how to use your hands, how to figure something out when you don’t have all the answers, and how to stick with something until it’s finished.
And I see a boy who has always loved to build getting the opportunity to create something alongside someone who loves him deeply.
Their bond has been strong since he was little, and I think this project has simply added another chapter to that relationship.
The Kind of Childhood I Hoped For Him 🤎
There is something especially meaningful about watching my son grow up this way.
When we moved from California to Tennessee, this was part of the life we dreamed about.
A little more dirt under their fingernails.
A little less screen time.
Time spent outside.
Room to roam.
Chickens in Grandma’s yard.
Projects with Grandpa.
And the freedom to imagine something and then actually try to build it.
It isn’t always easy to slow down enough to appreciate those things while we’re living them. But when I step back and look at my son standing in a cabin he helped build with his grandpa, I realize just how special this season really is.
What I Hope He Remembers 🙏
I hope someday, when my son is grown, he remembers this summer.
I hope he remembers the trips to Home Depot.
The long rides up the trail.
The tools.
The sawdust.
The problem-solving.
The hours spent working beside his grandpa.
I hope he remembers that when he had a big idea, his grandpa didn’t just tell him it was too much.
He said, "let’s build it."
And more than anything, I hope he sees the love behind it all.
The time my dad gave him. The effort. The patience. The countless hours. The money spent on materials and supplies. The willingness to keep showing up.
Not because he had to.
Because he loves him.
That is the part of this project I hope my son carries with him for the rest of his life.
The cabin may someday change. He’ll grow up, move away, and build a life of his own.
But I hope the memory of standing in those woods with his grandpa—building something with their own hands and turning a simple dream into something real—stays with him forever.
Because they may have built a cabin this summer.
But along the way, they were building something much more lasting. 🌿
