We finally got a swingset!!!

Ever since Ashton was really little he has LOVED swinging. So to have his very own swings in his yard is heaven to him!

Rather than complain about our backyard any longer, we decided we'd finally do something about it to make it fun. We've always said the one thing we'd change about our house is the yard. The back faces west so in the heat of the summer with no shade, we can't really go back there. So a couple years ago we planted a few trees (that are finally actually giving us some shade on our patio this year!). Then the other issue is that our back yard is a hill. Fun in the winter when it turns into the neighborhood sledding hill, but in the summer it's always been impossible to put anything back there (unless we wanted it to roll into our neighbors' yard!) Really it hasn't mattered too much until this year when Ashton wants to be outside playing constantly. So our plan has been to level out a spot in the back corner... ...where our original plan was to put a big playset or something. Well after thinking about it and realizing that we had room to put a small swingset to the side of our patio and still have that leveled out spot to put something else, we went ahead and got the swingset and are still deciding what we'll put in the other spot when it gets finished. We still have to build a little retaining wall and either put grass back in or woodchips (stay tuned for that finished project). For now Ashton and Gunnar are LOVING the new swingset. Lars stayed up late Friday night setting it up... ...and Ashton woke up early Saturday and was out swinging on it even in the rain by 8:00 am and he hardly got off of it all day. He had just learned to pump himself the day before, so he was loving practicing his new skill! On Sunday after church we went and got Gunnar a baby swing for it and he loves it too. Hopefully the newness won't wear off too soon...it's great entertainment for now!

And I love that I can see Ashton and his friends playing right outside my kitchen windows...