The Ultimate (T)odd Job.

After many hyper-vigilant days of checking craigslist way too many times every couple of hours, we scored a used playground, and Todd spent all day Saturday dismantling it and packing the pieces into a rental truck.

It needs to be washed and stained, and several pieces of rotted wood need to be replaced, but we got a deluxe swing-set for about ten percent of what it cost the original owner. Marley had no idea that we were plotting such happiness for her, and when Todd backed the truck up in the driveway on Saturday afternoon, the green plastic slide helped make our big reveal a success.

Of course, it's going to be a ridiculously big job for my handyman Todd to accomplish. And after all the prep work involved, he's actually got to put it together. When I lifted a random piece of wood from the back of the truck, I told him that it made me nervous, and asked him if he remembered where it went. "I do today!" he replied cheerfully. "I don't know about next week!"

You'll figure it out, Todd. And look, Marley and Rudy are already having so much fun on their playground, even while it's in dirty, faded pieces on the side of our lawn. Rudy can't believe her good fortune. Imagine how happy she'll be when she can actually swing on that glider?