Hole in the ground

When people come home after being away on a trip, generally they expect to find some things that need attention around their home: flower gardens that need weeding, pets that need a little extra TLC after being without their family for awhile, mail that needs sorting through, a lawn that needs mowing.  When Matt and the boys and I pulled into our driveway last week after returning from our vacation, we found more than just that, though.  A section of our front lawn was torn up, our fence gate had gone missing, a bunch of our hosta plants had been ripped out from along the side of the house, and there was dust and dirt absolutely everywhere.  Immediately our vehicle was filled with the sounds of gasping and shrieking, but not in shock or fear like you might expect.  We screeched and hooted and laughed and clapped our hands with joy, because behind our missing gate, we knew we would find this:

Matt and I made the decision this spring to have an inground pool put in our yard.  For the past two summers, we've set up a temporary above-ground pool for the boys to enjoy, and after seeing how much use it got (because we spend a lot of our summer at home), we knew that a permanent pool would be a worthwhile investment.  When we made arrangements with a local pool company for installation, it appeared that the start date might coincide with the time we were away, so throughout our trip, every now and then one of the four of us would say, "I wonder if they're working on our pool...".  I braced the boys on the way home for the possibility that our yard would still look as it did when we left (you never know what kind of obstacles or delays might be encountered in these kinds of projects and I didn't want them to be disappointed) but the sight of our grass-less side yard and gaping fence as we drove up to the house did not disappoint at all. 

We are so excited for the pool to be completed and for all of the summer fun it will allow us to enjoy right here at home in the years to come.  It's hard for Noah and Will to wait now that the pool is officially in the ground; both of them have sat on the swings in our yard wistfully staring at the empty pool several times in the past few days, and I can almost see the future crystal blue water shimmering in their eyes.  (Soon, boys, soon!)  New sod is going in early next week, and the liner is supposed to be installed on Wednesday (sadly, too late for the cousins who are arriving later this afternoon to visit for a few days to enjoy).  The second half of our summer will be spent splashing and playing together in the cool water and soaking up the sun poolside in our own backyard.  I'll admit, it's hard for me to wait, too.