Awesome!

Amidst all the other fun this weekend, we also erected the coolest swingset ever in our backyard!

Jason and I had been toying with the idea of getting Charlie a swingset for a few months, but weren't sure if we had the space, etc.  When BaBa came to visit, our very persuasive little boy showed his BaBa just how much he loved to swing and slide and climb, and together she and Charlie convinced Mommy and Daddy that it was time.

Ever the planners, Jason and I did a lot of online shopping and narrowed our choices down to the Highlander from Sam's Club and another swingset from Lowe's, both of which met our core requirements;

1 - Smallest possible footprint possible to fit in our postage-stamp size backyard
2 - Swings
3 - Slide

I was leaning towards the Sam's Club option, because it had more bells and whistles for the price, a wood roof, rather than canvas, and we'd actually seen it in the store back in the Spring when I had tried to convince Jason to buy it (subtly of course, since Charlie was barely walking).

Last weekend we took a trip to Lowe's to check out their samples and were unimpressed with the quality, so we decided the Highlander was our swingset of choice.  Having been to Sam's recently, Jason knew that it was no longer on display, but we drove over for some groceries anyway.  Ever optimistic, we asked a staffer if they had any of the swingsets in the back, but were told that they had all been sent back to the distribution center.

Forty-five minutes and $200 later we were headed to the checkout when Jason suggested that we get a mammoth tub of animal crackers for Charlie.  Hoping to shorten the time in line, I ran off to find the animal crackers while Jason and Charlie headed to the front. 

After much wandering (who would have thought animal crackers would ever be in the bakery?!?!), I found the animal crackers and noticed a slide sitting atop 4 large boxes on a cart in the corner.  I walked over and saw that it was the Highlander.  Assuming that someone else had ordered it for in-store pick-up, I rushed to the front to trade places with Jason, so he could check out the quality. 

Jason quickly returned, looked at me like I was crazy and wondered aloud how I had missed the price tag attached to the slide or the one attached to the cart itself (what can I say -- I was still flustered by the animal crackers hunt!).  Then he told me that it was priced $200 less than online since there was no shipping required. 

We immediately tracked down a manager and all paraded through the store to the back corner.  Dave, the manager, confirmed that the Highlander was in fact for sale and he even took off another $90 just for the heck of it!  Jason, Charlie and I were on cloud nine!

Fast forward  six days to 8:30 AM Saturday morning and construction commenced.  Despite the dire predictions on the website (14 to 43 hours!), Jason, Bob, Garrett and Chad finished the swingset in 12 working hours, even with Charlie's help throughout the process (thank goodness for Donna and Amanda!).

We truly couldn't be more thrilled with the new swingset, but throughout the weekend I realized that our original three requirements weren't the half of it.  For the perfect swingset you actually need 19 things:

1 - The smallest possible footprint
2 - Swings
3 - A slide
4 - A picnic table
5 - Steps instead of ladders
6 - Beautiful weather
7 - A glider
8 - A telescope
9 - A steering wheel
10 - 308 pieces of wood (in 80 shapes and sizes) -- minus the three O3s without a home
11 - 1,884 pieces of hardware (in 34 shapes and sizes) -- minus the random few pieces left on the table
12 - 3 drills (with extra batteries)
13 - beer
14 - steak soup
15 - 4 dogs
16 - 12 free hours
17 - an incredibly GENEROUS and LOVING BaBa and PaPa
18 - the five BEST neighbors ever
19 - the MOST INCREDIBLE husband/daddy in the world

and let's not forget number 20, a fabulous and adorable one-year-old running around and getting in the way to remind everyone what it's all about (even when the very last step takes 10 times longer than expected because the silly spikes keep hitting rocks!).

This morning when I arrived home after dropping Charlie at school and admired the swingset towering over our backyard, I felt like the most blessed woman in the world.   For a long time I thought that Jason and I would miss out on the opportunity to have a swingset, but after less than 48 hours, I can't picture our backyard without it, and after almost 20 months, I can't picture our lives without Charlie.  God is so good!

Breaking down the boxes -- the fun way!

Here, Dad, let me get my screw driver

Working on the third floor

Showing Garrett how to use the ladder

Shooting the Rapids with Amanda

Need any help, Mr Bob?

First meal at the picnic table

Wake up, wake up -- look what's outside!

Daddy and Chad attaching the slide...almost done!

Mastering the climb

Fall Fun

Weekends are my favorite time!  I know that's not exactly a unique or earth-sharttering assertion, but it's definitely top of mind.  Both Jason and I had a hard time saying goodbye to Charlie this morning after an absolutely fantastic fall weekend.

We kicked off the fun with a trip to the West Farm corn maze on Friday evening with Bob and Donna.  Almost as exciting as the attraction, itself, is the fact that there is something fun to do waaaay up at the Jedburg Exit!

Jason worked from home Friday afternoon, so we were able to head over right around 5:30.  For $5 per adult, we spent over 3 hours playing, exploring, petting and laughing.  It could have turned bad early, though.  We made the mistake of letting Charlie play in the corn box first thing, and he didn't want to get out.  The only thing that quieted his screaming (yes, screaming), was the opportunity to run "free" in the hay bale maze.  He navigated it with only two wrong turns...I'm thinking he has his mom's sense of direction!

Next up, after the apple sling-shot, Charlie got to stick his hand in a goat's mouth...aka feed it.  (I truly cannot imagine going to a petting zoo prior to the invention of hand sanitizer, and I consider myself fairly middle of the road when it comes to germ fears).  Following the alternating adoration and fear of the goats, sheep, cow and chickens, we set off into the corn maze around 6:15 or 6:30.

Two hours, many, many, many wrong turns, string cheese, sunset and a short nap later, we exited the corn maze -- having punched our map at every single checkpoint, for which we earned a sticker, and some free food at Chili's -- not to mention the honor of being able to say we survived!  In addition, the stellar F.S.I investigators that we are, we deduced that it was the pig, in the tree house, with the corn launcher!

The fun continued Saturday afternoon with the Toy Box daycare Fall Festival.  Charlie got his first tattoo (a great big, hairy spider), went on a hayride with Raggedy Ann (aka Miss Jo-Jo), and ate a whole hotdog -- all during naptime, so Jason and I were quite impressed.

With everything else going on, Jason and I almost forgot about trick-or-treating Sunday night -- thank goodness Charlie had Chad to remind us.  Our little "Charlie Brown" picked up the routine by the second house, and was a trick-or-treating allstar.  We only hit houses of people we knew, realizing that most of the candy would end up around Jason's and my waistlines, not Charlie's, but that was plenty. 

By the end of Scrapbook Lane, Charlie was walking back to the wagon after giving a very quiet, "man-man" (thank you), and climbing back in all by himself, urging mom and dad to "Go", while we chatted with neighbors.  And by the end of Pavillion he was bidding farewell to each house with a "Happ-een" (Happy Halloween). 

One pack of Smartees later and Charlie was circling the kitchen/dining/living room loop at 90 miles per hour, then bouncing off the front door...so much for the whole idea of a "sugar-high" being a myth.  I can honestly say that this was my favorite Halloween ever!

And for Charlie's part, he learned two very important lessons this weekend:  one, do not get lost in the dark with Bob, Donna, Mom and Dad...we are useless when the sun goes down; two, Halloween really is all about the candy.

Hayride

Happy Halloween!

Charlie Brown

Check it out, there's candy in here!

Sugar High!