Playset and Lots of Talking

For Caleb's birthday, we went together with Mom and Mr. L. to buy Caleb a backyard playset. We also put all of the money that he got for his birthday into the purchase. The shipment of 2 giant boxes arrived the week after Caleb turned 2. Rudy and I spent over an hour sorting and counting screws, bolts, washers and other assorted hardware to make sure it was all there and easily accessible. Last Sunday, we sorted out all of the lumber and labeled it to make sure we knew what was what and to make sure that all of the parts were accounted for and we could find them. There were 2 boards that needed to be replaced, so Rudy called and got those shipped out to us. We started putting the pieces together bit by bit and by Thursday, we had a slide, a glider and a rockwall/ladder. On Friday night, we hit it hard and started working to get the playset functional by this afternoon. We spent all day yesterday working on it and all morning today. When Caleb went down for his nap at noon, we had the fort built and everything else assembled. It just needed to be pieced together. When he woke up from his nap, he had a fully functional playset, complete with 2 swings, a glider, a slide, a picnic table, a dirtbox (supposed to be a sandbox, but we're not going to put sand in it), a rockwall and a fort! He loves it! He can even climb the ladder by himself. He spent the entire afternoon and evening playing outside today. Grandma Voise came over for dinner tonight and we all enjoyed watching Caleb play.

Caleb has become so independent lately and it's fun to just sit back and watch what he does. We're starting to hear more and more "I do it" and "Sha-Sha's turn." (He's still calling himself Sha-Sha and we have NO IDEA why.) He also likes to tell us "Mama's turn" or "Daddy's turn." My personal favorite is, "Good job, Mama!" I get praised for the strangest things - and sometimes for nothing at all. I could get used to that. :) On Friday, when I picked him up from daycare, I had trouble getting the car to start. Just as I was getting frustrated with it, Caleb piped up from the backseat with, "Uh-oh, car stuck." Then, when it finally started, he said, "There ya' go!" I cracked up laughing as I pulled out of the driveway.

Just when you think a 2-year-old is going to be the death of you...they do something to light up your life.