Our story starts when Rhett and I met in California while we were both in college. I was a biology major and he was a mechanical engineering major. Rhett has always loved copmputers and 3D design, and he would surprise me with cute 3D printed figurines when we were first dating. He got into 3D design to make parts for his old 1962 F100. I loved science and teaching. While in college I was a calculus tutor for the athletic department and a biology TA.

When we decided to get married, Rhett made the tough decision to pause college and pursue a career in pipe-fitting. While the job payed really well and Rhett was quickly promoted because of his math skills, he didn't feel very mentally challenged. After graduation, I began working in a cancer research lab in Irvine.

After about a year we found out that we were pregnant. Even though we loved California, we decided to pack our bags and move to Oklahoma where the cost of living was lower. I stopped working and Rhett's work was able to transfer him. Then, we adapted to our new life in the midwest.

We decided it was best if I stayed home, and I loved life as a stay at home mom. However, there was a part of me that really needed a creative outlet. Rhett did too, so after our second baby, we decided to start making toys for our girls. Like most moms, I saw the beautiful nurseries on pinterest with the heirloom wooden toys and fashionable color schemes, and I wanted in. However, I had a really hard time finding the toys I really wanted. They were either made with questionable material, understimulating, or overstimulating. We both also really wanted to share our love of math and science with our girls. Finally, Rhett decided to buy a CNC so we could make our own designs.

Rhett was already pretty familiar with 3D design programs, so we were able to make our first puzzle pretty quickly, and the girls loved it. We had so much fun, that we decided to try to sell our toy. We posted it on Etsy, and waited. Nothing. We kept the post up, but we were a small shop with no reviews and only one item.

Then, we decided to try out another design. Rhett was fascinated with the spiral wishing wells that you sometimes find at the mall. The ones where the coins circle as the slope in the bowl gets more extreme. After seeing how much our girls loved the one at our Aquarium, he decided to design a wooden version. After a few prototypes, he made the Galaxy Ball Run. We posted it on Etsy, and waited, but this time we knew not to expect anything right away. However, after a little while we actually made our first sale! Ever since then, the Galaxy has been our biggest seller.

Over time, we made more and more toys and loved it. Our sales went up and we found out how to use social media to market our product. We also found out how to use toy-safe stains and finishes(that was a huge learning curve). As our company started to grow, Rhett decided that he didn't want to be a pipe-fitter anymore. He wanted a job where he could use his mind more. At first, he wanted to become a teacher, but we finally settled on software development because he was so good with computers. We decided to continue to grow our toy business so that we could use it for income while he was switching careers.

We also wanted to start making toys that were more life-like and naturally shaped, so I learned how to use blender and designed our flower stackers.

Overall, we loved making toys, and our company was doing really well. We had steady sales, new toys lined up to make, and our social media following was growing. Rhett decided to make the leap to software design, and immedietly landed a job at a small tech company near us. We thought it would take months for Rhett to learn enough to land a job, but it was surpising fast. Then, we had a tough decision to make. The toy company was meant to bridge the gap between jobs, but there ended up not being a gap. On top of that, Rhett had to spend large amounts of time in the evenning learning new skills for work. We also realized that while we liked making toys, our real love was designing toys. We were much better with 3D design than woodworking.

For now, we've decided to take a step back from manufacturing toys, while still refining our design skills. Our initial goal was to make unique STEM toys for our girls to enjoy, and we continue to acomplish that goal. Creating an entire company from scatch has taught us new skills we never thought we would have, and I'm so excited about what new opportunies there are in the future.