Well, we're up and running; the pool, that is. Last night, Mark and I were out there under the floodlights until 11pm, cutting, fitting and gluing PVC. We collapsed, dirty, tired, discouraged and half high on PVC glue sometime after midnight. We let the whole mess dry and cure overnight, and then had to put some finishing touches on this morning, and FINALLY, around 2pm, we fired her up. We still have a few minor issues that need to be fixed, but we actually filtered pool water for almost 8 hours today, and it's already looking close to swimmable. Tomorrow we do some more repairs and vacuum the bottom, and maybe by Monday (predicted weather: 98 degrees), we can actually get in the pool!

Lest you think the only reason I started this blog is so I can whine and complain, I have to admit, despite all our little troubles lately, life is good. We're very busy, and don't have a lot of extra time for relaxation, but when we do get to sneak an hour or two of fun, we have a great time and are really starting to see how enjoyable life can be with two little guys. Hopefully, the rest of the summer will be major-repair-free (and that goes for everything from lawn mowers to swimming pools to mailboxes....) and we can enjoy these long, lazy days of fresh fruits and veggies, picnics, sunshine and warm weather, and seeing life's little everyday things through a child's eyes, making it all that more worthwhile. :-)