Tuesday, August 17, 2010

He Must REALLY Love You

I have been pestering your dad ever since I saw the first few blades of grass sprouting in our back yard. Every trip to Menards or Home Depot would result in me dragging daddy over to the playset area. We would mull over options and costs. We would talk about when the absolute best time would be to start it. And then finally last weekend your dad bit the bullet and bought you little monkeys a playset. And not just any playset. Against his better judgement, and with my pleading, daddy got you the mutha of all playsets.

Even with grandpa as his assistant it still took all morning just unloading, unpacking, and sorting all of the materials.
You were a bit disappointed when you woke up from your naps thinking the playset would be done and this was all you saw:
But you were very good sports and repeatedly told daddy, "Good job, daddy! You're doing great!" I know he appreciated it. At the end of the day this was your playset:
The next morning daddy, after a not-so-good nights rest and many ibuprofen, got right back to work. Soon the playset had floors!
While you played,
and had fun, daddy sweat it out in the hot, humid, sticky, mosquito infested yard.
Daddy worked on it all that week even though he had come down with a nasty stomach virus. The minute he got home from work he would throw on his shorts and head outside.
He worked as fast as he could and wondered if it was all worth it. Would you kids even play on it as much as we hoped? I tried to assure him that it would indeed be worth it in the end, but then again, I wasn't the one doing all the work.
It took daddy all day just to put the slide together. Still he continued to work, determined to finish in time for the weekend and Grace's birthday party on Sunday. He even got up at 6 in the morning to work on it before church so it would be mostly complete when the guests arrived.
And he did it! All that work. And it was definitely worth it. It made the birthday party a perfect day. Everyone gathered outside to watch you and your cousins enjoy daddy's hard work. The humidity had given way to a beautiful warm day. And dozens and dozens of dragonflies zoomed around the backyard eating up all the mosquitoes making us feel like we were in some kind of fairyland.
Even after all of our guests left you and your neighborhood friends played for hours on the playset while daddy put on the finishing touches.
Yesterday as daddy sat outside on the back patio, drinking a beer and reading the newspaper, while you kids laughed and played on the playset he knew all of that hard work had payed off. You kids are in love with your playhouse. You thanked daddy over and over again for his hard work and made him cards to show your appreciation.
Someday, when you are older and perhaps have a family of your own, you will look back at that playset with fond memories of all the fun you had. And once again you will see and appreciate just how much your daddy loves you.

Job well done, daddy! Well done.

25 comments:

dawn klinge said...

Yes, those play sets take a lot of patience and love to put together. ;) I remember my husband doing the same thing, years ago. It looks great!

MamaB said...

Wow! What an awesome playset! Todd did a fantastic job and I'm sure the monkeys are going to be trekking out in the snow this winter for a kick ass snow ball fort!

Jill said...

What a gorgeous playset! I can't wait to get a house ... and build one of these.

May you get many years of play out of it!

Chrissy said...

This made me cry! That is true love. And that is the mutha of all playsets.

painted maypole said...

i want a playset.

;)

Kat said...

PM- Haha! That is what our neighbor boy said. He asked Todd if he would build him a playset too. I think Todd nearly had a heart attack setting this one up. He lost about 5 pounds this past week. Poor guy.

Vicky said...

That is a BIG project! Nicely done, indeed.

Kristen said...

Love it!! The best part of the whole thing....the super cute little pink swing on the end. Yay for Grace having her own perfect little part!

Kat said...

Kristen- That swing was one of her birthday presents. :) Gotta have some pink in there. ;)

sitting on the mood swing at the playground said...

That looks like a blast...it's huge! I think I've lived in apartments smaller than the playset.

tweetey30 said...

a very well done job daddy.. Thanks for sharing this Kat.. I have wanted a playset for the girls since we moved in but want a fence up first.. Other wise we will have all the kids in the neighborhood back there unsupervised..

Robyn said...

Awesome playset!!! I've been begging my hubby for one, but he isn't budging. Not even for a dinky one.

imbeingheldhostage said...

I'm sorry, you lost me after photo #2. Never put a half-nekked Todd photo on your post if you want me to read ;-) JK!

This post (minus obnoxious comment) will be awesome for the kids to read when they're older. It will confirm all of their "Daddy is my Hero" thoughts.

Kelly said...

First of all,he did an awesome job, and bless his heart for working through a stomach virus also!

Second, my dad built me a wooden playhouse when I was little and we had years of fun in it. I have never forgotten it and I'm sure your kids never will either!

Kat said...

Jeri- HAHA!! I know. My hubby is turning in Matthew McConaughey running around with his shirt off all the time. Not that I'm complaining. Cuz I'm not. But yes. It is a bit distracting. ;)

Kelly- See? Those are the kind of warm fuzzy feelings we are HOPING our kids will get from this playset years down the road (after MANY years of use). :)

Tonya said...

That is an awesome playset. It would be way too big for our yard which is bigger than our other one!

Magnolia Sun said...

Wow what a great job. I know the kids will have so much fun playing on it and I'm sure he will have more fun watching them.

Cassie said...

That looks like an awesome place to play!

Brenda L. Greenwald said...

I love the fact that you always bring such a warm sense of family to everyone's life! All I need to do is read your blog to know there are wonderful, loving families out there in the world, and I'm good for the day!

Cyndy Bush said...

What a great playset, and even better because it's made with love.

Jessa said...

Dad is awesome! I had always wished for my kids to have one, and it never happened because I never had a place to build one.

Stephanie said...

That looks FABULOUS! What a great dad he is! I bet the kids are in heaven :)

Riahli said...

Sweetness! :)

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

WTG, Daddy! That is awesome!

Emily said...

Sounds like they really have an AWESOME Daddy!

Words To Live By

Be grateful for each new day.
A new day that you have never lived before.
Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use usefully and profitably.
We can squander, neglect, or use them.
Life will be richer or poorer by the way we use today.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson