Fank You, Daddy, for my new pwayset!

In June, we bought a playset for the boys.  We’d spent some time last year at Menards comparing different sets, and this year we did it…the boys have their playset!  We waited until it was on sale, and then it rung up at about $100 under the advertised sale price.  Wahoo!  We won’t complain!

First of all, let me just say that when a box reads “ready to assemble” it doesn’t really mean that it’s ready to assemble.  It means you don’t have to cut the wood.  You still have to mark and drill about 8,042 holes.  Poor Keith!

Keith is an excellent handyman, and he’s a perfectionist.  He made sure every little detail was completed exactly as it should be.  He worked on this playset for short bits of time, whenever he could grab half an hour.  He’s the kind of guy who hates to have a project hanging over his head, so it drove him crazy to have this project take weeks to complete.

Finally, he was able to complete it (with a little, uh, help from Alex…) on the day we returned home from our trip to Indianapolis.  He could devote a big chunk of time to finishing it.

As soon as Keith put on the swings, Alex was ecstatic.  He ran out to the swings saying (entirely unprompted), “Fank you, Daddy, for my new pwayset!” 

Here’s his first ride:

He still giggles with joy EVERY time we set him on the swing.  He requests, “Swing me higher!” or “Swing me high enough to touch the house!”  (Which is hilarious when you consider the distance between the playset and the house!)

We added a baby swing for Max about a week later, and he just sits in his swing saying, “wheee, eeee, eee” with a smile or a contented look on his face.

Alex has learned to safely climb the ladder, although I still watch him like a hawk. 

This little boy, who was very nervous around slides, is now going down the slide on his own.

He loves to play in the tower, look through the (lens-free) telescope, and thinks it’s great fun when Mama or Daddy join him in the tower.

What we have is more than enough, but I like that this gives us gift ideas for the next few years.  When we no longer need a baby swing, we can always consider a glider as a birthday present.  I think Alex would really get a kick out of adding a steering wheel in the tower, too, so that’s another future gift idea…and it doesn’t take up room in our house, always a plus!

Look very carefully, and you’ll see a little head peeking out by the top of the slide…   

I know that, in time, some of the novelty will wear off.  Still, though, this was a GREAT investment for two energetic little boys…and a little green friend!   (Look closely…)

Yes, Daddy…as Alex says, THANK YOU for our new playset!  It even makes Mama happy!