We are so blessed to live in a neighborhood that has a park and playground. However, when they designed the playground they didn’t really think about South Georgia weather. The hot sun beating down on those slides all day means they are BEYOND hot. Like in March they are too hot to slide down. While we live close to the playground, we don’t live that close. It’s like a ten minute walk. Which isn’t a big deal…except when you have a new baby. Last summer I started looking into us getting our own playground. We discussed it and started to put aside money to save for it. I wasn’t in a hurry to get one, but then Kelly and I started talking about them and she found an AWESOME sale we just couldn’t pass up!!!
Growing up we had a playground in our back yard and when my parents divorced my dad got one at his house as well. He had a Rainbow one and I remember swinging and thinking about how one day my children would swing on those same swings. Of course, he actually ended up selling it before I had kids but the playground is still being used by some children right now! Since we are in what we think will be our “forever home” (although with as many kids as I want it may be cheaper for us to rebuild something bigger than have to add on to fit them all!) we knew it’d be worth the investment to get a solid playground. Something the kids can grow into and enjoy for years to come!
When I started researching them I was SHOCKED at the crazy high prices of Rainbow’s! I then found PlayNation and they are a direct competitor to Rainbow but with much more affordable options and more flexibility on the design. I knew the one I wanted but when Kelly told me about the sale I ended up changing my mind. The one we ended up with is more of a clubhouse feel than the original one I wanted (and it’s funny because Kelly ended up getting one with less of a clubhouse feel than she originally wanted!). Our local dealer wouldn’t match the price of the one I saw online and they were out of Atlanta. Luckily, Zach worked a prison up there and borrowed his dad’s truck and trailer to pick it up while he was in the area. It worked out perfectly (and yes, we ARE those type people who would totally drive 400 miles to pick up something in order to save delivery costs!).
We did NOT tell Kye about the playground. I had a feeling it’d be a storage shed type situation…the storage shed still isn’t completely finished. I didn’t want Kye all excited about something that may take awhile to be able to enjoy (Not only did we save some dough by Zach picking it up…he also ASSEMBLED the ENTIRE thing himself! Over 1,000 screws!!! Over 24 total hours of work!!!) Man, I wish I’d video taped it when we told him. He FREAKED OUT he was so, so, so excited. We made sure to tell him that it’s not HIS. That it’s for everyone in our family 🙂
Here it is!!!
Zach and I were both proud of Kye’s work ethic. He unloaded a TON of the wood all by himself and didn’t want to stop helping!
It was heavy!
Like father, like son 🙂
We got the playground in March and I was shocked how quickly Zach got to work on it. He was waaaaay more excited about it than I thought he would be! I think it helped that we had all the money saved up to pay for it so he wasn’t thinking about cost 😉 First section done!
More helping!
Rock wall up!
Swings up!!!
The playground came with two adult style swings and a swing with a bar on it that you can hold on to (I forget what it’s called?!?!). I found additional swings through Walmart.com. I got a toddler bucket swing (the one Kye is in), an infant swing (the one Britt is in) a tire swing, and a glider swing all together for under $200 which was a steal! With site to store free shipping we made out great! I still have enough left in the playground savings account to hopefully cover the mulch we need to buy 🙂
(this was the morning we got home from the wedding…no judging my awesome look)
Kye’s surgery was on April 2nd. I thought it was SO SWEET when Zach told me his goal was to have the playground finished the week of Kye’s surgery (so the week prior to Easter). I knew that was his way of showing he was a little nervous about the surgery too and that he wanted Kye to have something FUN to enjoy as he recovered. Such a wonderful Daddy! He worked his butt off and the whole thing was completed during that week.
About to add the slides!!!!
Crossing the bridge!
Our neighbor loves the playground I’m sure…since our house is on top of a huge hill he has a wonderful view of it…
No need for Neighborhood Watch now!
Sliding for the first time!
It’s DONE!
Here’s a video of Kye showing it all off to me!
I LOVE that we are ALL able to enjoy it as a family, so glad I bought the infant swing for Miss Britt!
Here’s a video of the kids swinging
He’s obsessed with swinging “so high”
Always watching his sister
Finished product!!! Who wants to come play???
My must haves for a playground were the wood roof on the main section and the tube slide (so it won’t be HOT!)
This jacket was Payton’s…Courtney gave me a bunch of hand-me-downs (which I LOVE!) and Kye really wanted to share this jacket with Britt for some reason?!?!
Here’s a video of him sorta climbing the rock wall
This is the back side of the playground…the front entrance is a rock wall (it came with a rope to help the kids climb up but Kye doesn’t need it and I feel like it will get yucky???) and the back entrance has the ladder. For awhile he would only do the ladder but now he pretty much always does the rock wall. I’m not a fan of the rope ladder. I don’t like heights and as a kid I actually “got stuck” at the top of our playground rope ladder. I seriously was so afraid of falling that my legs wouldn’t move!!! My dad had to come get me down (and I was like over the age of 9…feel free to laugh…). The playground we got was a box set so it came with it, otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen to have one!
I love the steering wheel inside too!
We have yet to use the picnic table under it, but I’m sure we will with summer coming. It also has a spot to fill with sand as a sand box but we’ll just be filling it with mulch. I do not like the idea of the kids being able to easily get into the sand. We have a plastic turtle sandbox by the house and I plan to keep it as a separate outdoor activity!
First time trying out the rope ladder!
Here’s a video of him enjoying the ladder and playground
He didn’t make it too far, but it’s good to have something to grow into!
I seriously can’t get over how fast Zach put it all together. He was so motivated and excited about it. I especially love that Kye got to help with the entire thing. He got to see what hard work is and understand that we have to work for the things we want! I asked Kye the other day what Zach does for work. His answer? “He builds my playground and the storage shed!” Kye tells EVERYONE “we got a playground!” and that his daddy built it. He’s so proud and it’s really sweet to see how much he appreciates it!!! He prays for it every single night 🙂
I’m also proud of Zach and I for saving up for this purchase. The “old Emily” would have begged and begged and figure out a way (with a no interest credit card special or something) to get the playground last summer. Instead I was patient and waited until we had the money and found the best possible deal. It is SO awesome to enjoy something and know that it’s fully paid for!!!
Kye uses this playground constantly. Obviously we don’t let him play unsupervised but it’s great that Zach can be doing yard work and Kye can be outside playing with his toys and enjoying the playground. It’s also great that I can take both kids out there for 10 or 15 min at a time (about as long as Brittlynn can last) and it’s not a hassle. We can be in pjs. I don’t have to have makeup on. We don’t have to walk down to the park or drive down there either. It’s in our backyard. I can’t wait to see our children grow up enjoying this playground. I love that it’s something that will be around for years and years to come 🙂
My work has been featured on Love What Matters, Today Parenting and Babywise.Life. I'm also honored to be a member of the Babywise Friendly Blog Network.
You can read more about our family on my About Me page. Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!
- Effective Parenting Tips to Discipline a 5 Year Old Child - September 24, 2024
- Happy 9th Birthday to My Daughter – Letter to Tess from Mom - August 26, 2024
- The Best Travel High Chair for Baby and Toddler - July 11, 2024
That is an AWESOME playset. We have one, but it's not nearly as nice or big as yours (it was handed down to us, so it was FREE). We still get tons of use out of it though, and since we're planning on several more children, we'll probably invest in a bigger/better one in a year or so. Seeing yours makes me antsy to get an new one 🙂
I will send Greg over there to inspect it! I'm sure Zach did a great job! It looks fun!