Summer Week Five

After things wound down from the Fourth of July celebrations, we went straight into packing mode. Justin and I have a vacation planned for just the two of us starting July 8th. That means that I had about two days to make sure that myself, both girls, and the dog were packed & ready to go!

We had our makeup swimming lessons and Justin was out of town for a couple days so that all added a new sense of hustle to our week. Fortunately, it all came together.

Watching Nora at swimming lessons!

The only thing other than our usual summer schedule was that the girls finally got their play set put in the backyard! So essentially, this post will be about the play set!

A while back, before we had even closed on our house, some of our best friends found someone giving away a play set in their neighborhood. We claimed it and moved it out of their yard and into Bob's until we had it finished up and also had a yard to put it in. It needed a bit of TLC and Justin and his dad really did a great job getting it in better shape for the girls.

Before 

{borrowed from Bob's Facebook}

They started by power washing the whole unit to clean up the wood and such. There were some boards that had some rot, so Justin replaced the parts that needed it. And the final touch was to give it a fresh coat of stain. We also realized after we already had it that it was not all going to fit into the yard, so we modified it a bit to fit into the yard.

Half-way power washed...

{borrowed from Bob's Facebook}

Looking better! 

{borrowed from Bob's Facebook}

When it was time to make the big transition into our yard, Justin had to do yet more work on the fence to get the opening big enough for the set to fit. He had to remove the entire fence on that side, which involved cutting some of the metal and then re-welding it together when it was all said and done. And to top it off, the gate hadn't been opened in years, if ever, and needed to be cut off at the bottom to even function! So, in it came and then it took another evening to get it all set up.

The girls watched as the play set started to make its way into the yard!

Thanks for the help Grandpa, Michael, & Pops!

Justin did a TON of work to get this play set in good condition and into the yard for the girls, but they love it! I know that we will get some good use out of this "tree house" as Janie calls it!

Happy as can be!

Looks like new!!!

Next week we will be in Seattle, then Vancouver after that. We are looking forward to an adult trip but will miss the girls! Check back for updates...