A New Swing Set!

In an effort to make the backyard look a little nicer, we took out some trees, brush, and other debris, and along with it, the old decaying swing set.  Now these boys LOVE to swing, so there was no question that it needed to be replaced with something, and since we can expect to be using it for the next 10+ years or so, we needed one that was up for the job.

Luckily for the boys, we found an awesome set.  Unluckily for Daddy and Grampy, it was a huge project to put together.  They spent 12 hours working on it on Memorial Day.  They made amazing progress, but even with all that time, there was still work to be done.  However, Dave finally finished it this weekend, and the boys are in love (and me too, if I'm being honest).

Unfortunately, it was so hot this weekend that playing on the swing set didn't seem all that appealing.  Instead, we played with a lot of water toys, and went swimming in the pools of anyone who invited us over.  The swimming part was pretty awesome because Mudgie's swim lessons were clearly worth while.  While he's not swimming completely independently yet, he is so much more comfortable in the water this year than he was last year, and as long as he has some kind of floatation device (tube, noodle, etc), he's good to go.  He even jumped off the side into the pool without anyone to catch him...it was a pretty huge accomplishment for him!

Aaron seems less bothered by the heat, and is therefore more likely to opt for the swings and other non-water toys than the pool.  He is such a little goofball, and will do anything that draws a laugh.  We were driving home last week when Aaron figured out that if he blows raspberries into his empty snack trap cup, it sounds like he's farting.  He had Mudgie practically falling out of his car seat they were both laughing so hard.

Which brings me to my final topic...brotherly love, and brotherly annoyance.  I feel like we are always walking that fine line between love and battles.  Mudgie can be incredibly generous and helpful when it comes to Aaron.  He'll help him with the tv or the iPad when needed.  He's much more likely to let Aaron have his way than Aaron is to yield to him, often without being asked.  However, the two of them know how to get the other worked up, and it is usually about the most ridiculous stuff that I find it incredibly annoying!  Things like calling each other made up words (Aaron has a habit of creating his own language) will turn into shouting matches, or changing the words of a song to involve the other one (another thing Aaron will regularly do) is another frequent catalyst.  And while Aaron is often the instigator of it all, Mudgie is often the one that makes it physical, and so they both end up crying and in trouble.  But then there are the moments when one of them get hurts, and the other is kind and concerned that you know there is real caring and love between them, and those are the moments that make the other ones worth it.