Kimble Khronicles: Birthday Surprise!

Our sweet Charlotte recently turned 4!

For the past 2 years, Justin and I've been contemplating getting her something to play with in our backyard. We thought A LOT about a swing set and were astounded at how much the wooden play sets cost. I'm talking jaw-dropping prices! I even searched Craig's List and sent Justin on multiple trips to houses to view used ones. He always came back empty handed. It just never felt right.

We have a few friends that have swing sets in their backyards and Charlotte loves playing on them when she visits and we have a great park that is just a walk away. So, that led us thinking to getting something different. Something that's just as fun but different than what other friends have.

And, that led to a PLAYHOUSE!

With just a few google searches, we found a local guy - David Verrret - Backyard Mansions. He builds them as a hobby and has built many for local charities including Dallas CASA.

He came over one Saturday to meet with us and we immediately knew he was our guy. Not only were we all on the same page and equally excited, he has 4 kids who all attended or are attending Texas Tech! Got to love a Raider fan!

We told our parents about our plan for her and they graciously offered to contribute to the playhouse! A lovely surprise for us and very special for Charlotte to have such loving and generous grandparents.

Because this is David's hobby, he builds when he's not at work -- evenings and weekends. It takes him about 6 weeks to complete a house. He starts in his workshop and completely builds the structure, interior included - minus the flooring. We got to pick the design of the house, paint colors, and he even matched our house's window trim to the playhouse so that it would have just that little something extra.

Once finished in his shop, he has a special way of disassembling it and loading in a moving truck for delivery. He started on the Friday morning before her birthday and ended mid day Saturday.

Since this was a surprise for Charlotte - we didn't want her to see anything, so I asked her teachers if she could attend school that day. They graciously agreed and she had a blast. Friday is always our day to stay at home in the mornings relax a bit from the week but this Friday, we were out early! I took her to get donuts and then off to school. She was very happy to go to school because they study science that day and she got to make quartz crystals -- We maybe should attend on Fridays more often!

Below are pictures of the building process and Charlotte's first time to play in the finished house.