A little thing I like to call "Freedom"

Let me begin this post by describing a typical trip outside. It starts in the house right after lunch; pack the bag-making sure there are sippy cups, snack, diapers, wipes, kleenex, burp cloth, sunglasses, sunscreen, hats and a telephone...oops don't forget the camera. We then need to change all diapers and put on shoes-so that's 3 diapers and 6 shoes-and now don't take off your shoes!!! Oops run outside to put toys out in the middle of the lawn. We then in a slow turtle-like walk walk down the stairs and outside. Immediately they all go a different direction. Quickly gather them and take them to the toys while they kick and scream. Finally we are at the toys and playing. Now it is a matter of keeping them "close" to each other. You must calculate how fast you can run so you can determine how far you will let each one get remembering you only have 2 hands. After an hour of chasing, we head back into the house very similar to the way we came out!!! Ugh...anyone else tired? And this is suppose to be relaxing, obviously not for me!
So to make going ouside a lot more fun for EVERYONE we decide to make a playarea in the backyard. Our backyard is huge and our frontyard is VERY close to the road, so as far as the kids know-we have no frontyard (see how long I can fool them). So we picked out a spot a while back. Unfortunately, the task of building the playarea was put behind some other tasks that needed to get done. So it has been in the planning stages for a while.
My dreams came true yesterday. My dear hubby and father-in-law took the day to build my "freedom" in the backyard. It took cutting down a VERY rotten Crab Apple tree, pounding some posts into the ground, putting fencing along and a door for it to be complete. After a full days worth of work it was finished.

I don't think I can accurately describe what this means to me. I don't dread taking the kids outside. The experience is fun for ALL! I can leave them play and go do something else (obviously with keeping an eye on them). I know that they are safe. Toys don't need to be hauled twice just for an outing. I can sit and watch them play rather then chasing them. Like I say, it is my freedom!

I cannot thank Jeremy and Vernon enough for what they have done for me! They could have easily worked on something else, but they didn't...so THANK YOU!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Love, Jen