Super play structure

Saturday night was rough for Matthew, and Sunday was rough for everyone. We did have a nice visit with Nana and Papa today after Mass, but I didn't end up getting to take any pictures of the fun that was had. So, instead of getting into the details of the cranky parts of our day, I thought I would post about the fun new toy in our yard that was made possible by Nana and Papa.

If you've been reading this lately, you've heard mention and seen bits and pieces of the new play structure in our yard. We were a bit reluctant to add such a huge piece of equipment into our tiny yard, but with two super-active kiddos and one chomping-at-the-bit baby we finally gave in and said goodbye to our mostly empty yard and hello to hours of new fun for the boys. And, as it turns out, the structure really doesn't use up too much of the yard. In fact, it sits mostly on the back part of the yard that is usually just dirt since the neighbors' trees don't allow for any sunlight or rain to get in there. We'd been eying this model from Costco for awhile, planning on having it built before Chris left for Minnesota as a fun distraction for the boys, and it turns out we got it just in time: our Costco had the last one in the state (other than the floor model, which we would've had to take apart and reassemble ourselves). So, last weekend was set aside as a work weekend and the boys got to help Daddy, Papa, Uncle Ian, and Uncle Victor put together the structure. The four men worked till midnight the first day, and Daddy and Papa finished it up from 10-5 the next day. They must really love these boys to work so hard for them!

Matthew unpacks wood pieces while Daniel reads off the codes to Uncle Victor and Papa.

 Organizing the pieces.

 Uncle Ian, Daddy and Papa get some help from Jacob, Daniel and Matthew.

Sometime after 10 pm, the part one of the roof goes up.

It fits!

Back to work! Part two of the roof isn't going to build itself!

Day two: Daniel gets to try out the rings.

If you ask which part of the play structure is his favorite, he'll say the whole thing...but it's clear the rings/bar get more attention from Daniel than anything else right now.

 Finished! The boys check it out.

 Matthew loves to climb up top. Getting down is another story.

 Looking awfully ragamuffin-ish, the big boys enjoy their dinner in their new playhouse.

Great job, guys! Thank you Nana and Papa for this wonderful addition to the back yard. Hours of fun will be had here...

CON-NIP-TION FIT

CON-NIP-TION FIT [kuh-nip-shuhn fit] -noun: the sound you hear the moment your wife looks out the window and sees you doing this with your son.

See also: dog house.



Follow-up: it’s probably important to mention that…

1) No, it's not Photoshop’d. That's real.
2) Yes, my wife approved the post.
3) Yes, my wife made me promise never to do it again.
4) No, even though Daniel loved it, and my brother and I are extremely fit and adept athletes, this ultimately was not the wisest choice of activities with Daniel – so we won't be doing it again:)

Tough-guy attitude, Softie on the inside

Daniel's attitude has been....uh...."maturing" lately. Let's just say 'time out' is now a common word around the house. During this maturation process, some of Daniel's more aggressive tendencies have come out.

Here he is sporting the REI backpacl while giving us his "tough-guy" mountain climber look.

And Daniel's softer side: nothing like a manly bubble bath after a long day on the mountain...:)