We Bought A Trampoline

We have been saying no to getting a trampoline for years.

For many reasons.

Death.

Injury.

Eyesore.

Death.

Injury.

Kills the grass.

Takes up too much room in the yard.

Death.

Injury.

We had been noticing that when we sent the girls outside for some fresh air they seemed like they didn't know where to go. 

They don't play on our swing set anymore 

[sniff]

the one my dad made from scratch.

They needed a gathering spot.

I talked with some neighbors and found out that their college age kids still jump on their trampoline when they are home.

And not just jump

they HANG OUT on it.

Talk,

read,

even camp out over night on it.

Really??

Monte and I started to weigh the pros and the cons of purchasing a trampoline.

When we found out that friends were moving and needed to sell their trampoline and would arrange for the disassembly, assembly and moving of the thing

the pros won.

We bought a trampoline.

The girls are THRILLED!

In the short month we have had the trampoline, 

the girls have jumped until they are red in the face,

used it as a sun deck,

brought out pillows and had a reading party on it,

sat with each other and their friends and talked and talked and talked on it.

It is their new gathering spot!

Ellie had a friend over and they decided to blow bubbles while on the trampoline and the container ended up getting spilled.

I made her hose all the suds clean.

Monte and I hopped on it the first night we got it.

Monte wasn't so sure about jumping with me.

I told him it was fine and that we should face each other and join hands and jump together.

I know, but it seemed like the thing to do.

We could never get our timing right and he ended up nailing a hard landing that 

shot me in the air so high

that I could see what my neighbors were doing in their FRONT yards. 

It was one of those moments that was kinda slow and peaceful as I was sailing upwards

but then super fast and terrifying on the way down.

I landed with straight legs 

(bad, bad form)

and jarred my knees.

The girls watched the whole thing from the kitchen where they were supposed to be doing the dishes.

As it turns out, it looked even more ridiculous than I imagined.

Lessons learned:

•don't jump with someone WAY bigger than you

•don't land with straight legs!

(I limped the entire next day.)

After lunch on Sunday when I was cleaning up in the kitchen and the girls were upstairs changing,

look what we all saw out the window:

Monte found his new gathering spot too.