transformation

besides the gross lack of closets, my major complaint about this house has always been the backyard. in a dream world, I would be able to wash dishes in my kitchen sink while gazing out the window watching the boys frolic in the fenced in backyard. reality check: the only way to get to our backyard is to go out a door on the side of the house.  our kitchen window looks out to the street. a double garage, added many years after the house was built, takes up a good portion of the yard. the walkway and dog kennel that cuts into the yard makes it difficult (at best) to set up a good ball game. so much for my dream world?!

imagine my excitement when nana and papa arrived at miles' birthday party with a brand new swing set in tow! I'm pretty sure this one was as much for mommy as it was for the three year old. good-bye enormous dog kennel, hello human play space! as an added bonus, we are using the left over materials to fence off the property line at the rear of our yard...thereby cutting off access to the river rushing behind our house. that one's for mommy too.

I hired a team of guys to come disassemble the fencing and assemble the swing set. they were fantastic employees. let me know if you need some skilled craftsmen. you can rent the trio any weekend you'd like.

ok, fine.  my little brother and lovely husband put their heads together to get the job done in a timely manner. I bribed them with dinner and cold beverages.

the little guys turned out to be much better spectators than workers.

miles wanted so badly to get his hands dirty.

but that lasted about as long as any three-year-old attention span lasts and he quickly decided to take a rest...

little brother took up residence in the sandbox...big shock.

gotta wash down all that sand

by the time the sun was dipping below the horizon, we had our very own swing set in our very own backyard. crazy.

as is always the case...the box is more fun than the gift!


p.s. for the record...there are 3...count 'em...THREE...closets in our entire house. 'nuf said.