Time for Birthday Presents

Katie Anne's birthday dream since before Christmas - no joke - has been a playground set for the backyard.  We drive past a few places that sell the wooden play sets almost every day on the way home from her preschool, and she always says, "There's my birthday playground!"  

However, Mommy and Daddy were not too keen on putting out major bucks (as in $2000) for a wooden play set for the backyard.  Beyond the fact that it is just too much money to spend on a play set for a barely three-year-old, we've got a fabulous big playground just over the hill in our neighborhood that we use all the time, and no backyard set could compete with that.

So, we told Katie Anne that those kinds of playgrounds were for restaurants and neighborhoods, and we started showing her the old-fashioned metal swing sets instead.  For a much better price of around $200, we could get a nice swing set for the backyard that would be just as fun for her as the big wooden set.  Katie Anne was completely fine with the change, and she's been poring over a Toys 'R Us booklet with the swing sets inside, thinking about which one would be best.  

While I was researching sets on the internet, I found a great deal at Walmart.com on a swing set/trampoline duo.  I just knew that Katie Anne would love this - she's jumped on my parents' neighbors' trampoline a few times, and she loved it.  This swing set seemed really nice, and the trampoline was small with lots of safety measures and a nice enclosure.  Plus, the best thing was the price - $250 for both!  So, we got a nice swing set with a slide and a cute trampoline for only $50 more than just a swing set would cost... and about $1750 less than the big playground she'd originally wanted!

While she was taking her nap on Easter Sunday, my parents helped Saunders and I put everything together.  It was hot out there, and the directions were quite confusing, but we divided and conquered and got both things put together just in the nick of time.  When Katie Anne woke up, she was a little overwhelmed by both presents and didn't quite know what to do.  After a few minutes, she got busy playing  - and stayed outside for over an hour jumping, swinging, and sliding.  It was hard to tear her away from her new toys to go to her birthday dinner!  I know we'll get tons of use and fun out of her birthday presents.

Here are some pictures of her playing on her new toys:

A little stunned by the sight...

Checking out the new trampoline with Daddy...

There she goes!

Trying out the different swings...

Sliding with her favorite toy Peach...

Cute birthday girl!