come on over and play!

I am finally doing a post on the playscape because it is 99% complete.  That's close enough.  Wow, this project was hoped to be finished in 2 weeks.  We should know better.  Now 3 months later, we can chuckle.  It is finished just in time for spring though and I already claim that - it is saving me!  I love kicking my kiddos out...into the backyard.  Haha.  Here's the story in pics of its construction.  I'm okay if I am the only person who finds this interesting.  I just want to remember how my guy worked hard and thoughtfully gave all of us this sweet gift.

It all started with this....kind of scary. It's a drawing of his idea for a simple playscape. No bought plans. He was going from scratch. I didn't know he had this in him. (Now that I know...I'm dreaming of him building me furniture. Sorry, honey.)

The first (and most tedious step) was staining and cutting all of the wood.  Each piece he cut and rounded off the edges, so the precious little ones would get less splinters.

We had a friend join us for a "staining party."  He told his wife, "I'm afraid that I'm going to go over there and there will be wood everywhere and one sheet of plans."  We laughed with him...because it was worse!  There was wood everywhere and no plans!  Well, there were plans...but they were homemade.  It was an adventure.  

I helped till up the grass.  Yes, I felt like Superwoman holding that grass tiller.  I'm tough.  Heehee.  We leveled the ground where the playscape would sit.  I helped him build the frame, by holding wood up for him.  Our marriage may have been refined a little in that stage. ;)

The rest of it seemed to go fast.  The slide was a big hit, until the swings were hung.  "Mommy, Daddy, will you swing me," is now constantly part of our day.

This shot is for him. Just because I take "girlie" pics all day doesn't mean I can't create a man-shot.

Do you hear the "hallelujah" chorus?  This feels like a big gift to me and, is definitely, the biggest Christmas gift we will ever give our kids.  Adam's grandad built him a huge swing set when he was young.  It meant a lot to him. He also enjoyed watching his dad build things in his workshop. (If it weren't for Tom's awesome tools this would have not been possible). I think those memories instilled in him the desire to build something fun for his kids.  I love to think about that little bit of legacy passed down through the generations too.