Disregard that it’s been a long day for all of us. We got up at 5:30 this morning.

Disregard the five plus hours we spent in the car today, the four hours spent shopping at Ikea, and three restaurants in which we dined.

Disregard that Grace usually goes to bed at 7:30, and it’s already past 8.

Disregard the hour-long photo shoot for Christmas cards in which we smiled and posed in the misty rain.

Disregard those things because they don’t matter.

Grace is helping her daddy to build a shelf to hold her toys.

It started with Grace standing on the shelf box but quickly progressed to You need my help, Daddy?

Because he’s a good man and a great dad, he made her believe that he absolutely needed her help to build the cabinet.

At first, she was holding boards and pushing little wooden pegs into pre-drilled holes. Soon, she was holding screws. And then the apprentice became the master.

You can watch, Daddy. I turn the screws myself.

Just wait a minute, Daddy. I’ll fix it for you.

Be patient, Daddy. I’ll be right with you.

There is no appropriate response to that.

Happily submitted to Makes My Monday, Real Life, Do It Yourself Day,