Our Newest Addition

This summer we thought it might be nice to turn our plastic kiddie pool into a sand box for Silas, just fill it up with sand from Home Depot and let him use it more often instead of just the days it is hot enough to have the pool filled up. So, last week on Jordan's day off we got to work on our task. Of course by "we" I mean Jordan did all of the work and I tried to keep Silas out of his way and entertained until the job was done. This was actually hard work for me too, because of course once we had cleared out our area and set the pool up, Jordan felt like it was not aesthetically pleasing to have a blue pool filled with sand in our little back yard. So...two trips to Home Depot later, he is constructing a real sand box. I have to give him credit, in our miniature yard he has done a FABULOUS job of making the most of the space. So we were inspired by the sunshine and warmth of the day and improved on our already impressive little space.
Jordan actually let Silas hammer in nails. He started with the tack hammer, to lessen possible injury. But of course Silas wanted Dad's hammer...so Jordan patiently assisted in a lesson.Once the box was constructed, Silas got the vision and could not contain himself waiting for the sand. He jumped up and down in the box while Jordan hauled 12 bags of sand from his truck to the back yard.
Once the sand starting going in, Silas stayed in the box and played with his trucks even while Jordan was dumping in the bags and sending the sand dust all over.
This happy little boy did NOT want dinner or bed time that day...just the sand box!
So over the last few days, he has asked for the sandbox rain or shine. If we are out running errands he will say to me "Mom, I go home now and play in sandbox?" or when he gets up from his nap "Time for the sandbox, Mom?". This morning it was raining and not above 50 degrees. He put on his rain boots and rain jacket with hood and went out to make sand castles. Amazing.

I am so thankful for Silas' sense of adventure and creativity, and so thankful for my husband who always does projects to the highest standard and spoils his family. Of course we have already had to clean sand out of our little fountain twice, and when we did fill up the pool with water it quickly became a beach at the bottom, and I have sand grains on my kitchen floor pretty much all the time now and have already nearly doubled my laundry loads, but it is TOTALLY worth it for the joy it brings Silas. And I am already invisoning many afternoons of laying out in my lawn chair while Silas happily moves from the putting green to the sand box to the pool and back again. Thanks Jordan!