Jump! Jump!

We have had a new addition to our backyard for the last few weeks. We now have a trampoline. (We are getting the net to go around it-no need to have kids falling off the sides!) Every night after dinner the kids yell "Trampoline!" and off they go! (It has been great bribery to get them to eat their dinners too.) They head outside and jump themselves until they are exhausted. Hayden is still a little unsure of jumping when Maddie is jumping but they love to play 'Crack the Egg' with Josh.

I had always wanted a trampoline growing up. My parents always called them a 'Lawsuit waiting to happen'-so when we first moved back to Utah, our next door neighbors had a tramp. Ashley and I were so excited because this meant something to play on. We spent hours next door jumping up and down. And the best was when you put your swimming suit on (ah, the days of not being so self conscious!) and put the sprinkler underneath and play water games on the tramp. I even remember the time that Ashley and I went in the neighbor's backyard when they weren't home and were jumping on the tramp. They came home and I remember the Dad wasn't too happy to find the neighbor kids jumping unsupervised. They took us to our house and told our parents. They tried to explain that people get hurt on trampolines and that there should always be someone keeping an eye on us.

The next weekend...we were out jumping (supervised!!!) and I was jumping over a ball and jumped a little too soon and landed right on top of the ball-rolling my ankle. It was just before my birthday and I remember that it was the same birthday I got my ears pierced and my Dad had to carry me and my bandaged foot into the store to have it done. So when the chance to get a trampoline came around Josh and I were a little nervous. But we hope that by laying down rules with the kids early and by getting a net put around it that will work. Let's hope so. But hey-it is great at wearing kids out at the end of a long day!