Under construction

There are major renovations taking place in our backyard, and what used to be a great place to play will one day be an even greater place to play. But in the interim, our yard is simply a giant mudpit, the result of excavating an enormous hill of dirt and rocks to make a level spot for a playset. In lieu of being able to use the backyard while the bobcat is back there moving mud around, Caleb is perfectly content to sit on the porch, lemonade in hand, and cheer the crew on. I'm fairly certain he fancies himself the supervisor of this construction site, and he loves to encourage his workers as they move mounds of earth and piles of pavers into place.

"Great job!" he'll cheer as the operator adds a load of dirt to the top of an ever-growing pile.

"Nice building that wall!" he'll say as the pallets are brought in and the stones begin to take shape.

The workers smile back at him, and occasionally ask for his opinion on where they should put the next rock. I'm afraid when the construction is completed, the swing set we install might be a let down compared to the fun he's been having.

Jacob has been clawing at the back door for days now, desperate to get back into the great outdoors. And once the mound of dirt was flattened out, and the rain stopped, that's just what we did. He would have driven that tiny dump truck through the enormous tracks in our yard for hours. But eventually he got so muddy that he could no longer safely navigate the squishy earth below his tiny feet, so he had to settle for a bubble bath instead. This did not go over well.

And Abby, my budding entomologist, finally got her wish. After watching and wondering about the fate of the six-legged critters she's so fond of, she was finally released to do some wildlife rescue. She spent the better portion of an hour combing through about 900 square feet of mud with her little fingers and removing all of the worms and insects she could find to a safer, undisturbed location on the opposite side of the yard.

I'm starting to rethink this whole swing set thing. Maybe we should just dig up the rest of the grass and let them play in the mud all summer.