Our F-R-E-E Playground!

Don't you just love free things?  I sure do -- it makes having something (that you really wanted anyway) all the more satisfying.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of ours mentioned wanting to get rid of this playset that was in the backyard of the house he and his wife just bought.  Dave and I had been talking recently about wanting to get just such a set for our kiddos, but they are so expensive.  We talked about the possibility of making one ourselves, but after adding up the cost of the wood and the purchase of things like the swings, we decided that it would be just as cost-effective to buy one.  So, when Dave heard that this friend of ours no longer wanted his, he offered to buy it from him.

A couple days after that, Dave got an email -- an offer to just have the playset, if Dave was willing to come, take it apart, and haul it away himself.  Hello!  Done.

So, last week, on Natalie's birthday in fact, Dave did just that.  And the next day, we put the thing together.

The kids were so excited.  They kept playing in the slide (you can see it in the background -- its green).  At one point, they were pretending that it was a boat and were rowing along.  And they really wanted to help.

Daniel started the helping game:

But Natalie quickly joined in.  Oh, and you'll notice that she's still wearing her Tangled costume.  Go Nat Nat for not being afraid to work with tools in a dress.

My dad came over to help set it up.  Dave said later that he would not have been able to put it together by himself.  Thank you Dad!

My amazing and handsome husband doing the dirty work:

After they set up most of it, we went inside for lunch.  Daniel does this cute thing where, when we announce that lunch is coming, he'll immediately go to sit in his chair, even if we haven't begun to prepare it.  I captured him as he waited for his food.

Sleepy boy!

One more:

It's been so nice to have this playground.  They've played on it every day since we've had it (except for a few rainy days here and there) and it never ceases to entertain them.  Such a huge blessing for us, because we probably couldn't have afforded to buy one any time soon.

I'll have to take some after pics of the completed playground (and the kiddos loving it!) and post them for you guys in a few days.

Thanks for reading!
Sarah