Let's go... OUTDOORS!

My parents, Nana and PopPop, really have just one job:  to spoil & love on their grandsons.  This past Christmas they showed how they continue to excel at this job by getting Van and Wes a huge back yard play set!  Now, we were fortunate to have a foot of snow drop on Christmas Eve this year, giving us a beautiful, white, sparkly holiday... but it also meant that there wouldn't be a play set erected until it all melted.  The whole thing was in two very large boxes in the garage waiting... waiting for the snow to melt... waiting for the weather to be above freezing... waiting for Josh to be healthy after a nasty bout of a head cold.   Well, these past few weeks has been just gorgeous, and Josh has been healthy enough to get out back and put up the play set at last!

Two boxes... sounds like a small thing to put a few boards together.  Right.  The instructions estimated 14hrs for assembly.  And the hardware alone was a sight to behold!  Because of the whole family being sick, it really didn't work out to enlist friends to come help, so it was just Josh over a period of about 4 days putting the play set together.  Van did his very best to help however he could though!  And really, he was a very good helper, handing boards and bolts whenever needed.  Wesley was great at testing strength and durability of parts as it was going up ;-)

After 4 nonconsecutive days and about 19hrs of work, the play set was ready to move out to the yard.  Our good friend, Ed, came by to help Josh move the main tower of the set from the patio down to its more permanent home.  It was heavy enough to require a mid-yard stop.  Again, Van the helper was waving them down to where he thought it should go.  

After it was in place Josh attached the swing arm and swings, the small climbing wall and of course the slide and the boys were on it like white on rice!  Every chance they get they are asking us, "Can we go play outside?!"  This is not something we hear much, especially in the winter here.  There are a few things to complete the project which will happen in spring:  a sandbox under the tower and finished landscaping under the rest (it's just dirt now).  The boys are totally siked about this new play set though!!  Nana & PopPop really hit a home run.

This is one of my favorite Sesame Street bits of late, and you could call it the theme around this house lately...