The Swing Set

Right around Lauren's birthday, waaaay back in April, Mike and Connie bought a swing set for the kids. We were all super excited! But since then, between vacations, work and every day life, we have not had any time to put it together. Mike, Tim, Connie and I decided to remedy that today. Connie would be the kid wrangler and Mike and I would start putting things together. Tim would join us on the construction when he got home from work. I think we started around 1 pm.

We tried to be very organized from the very beginning, laying out all the pieces according to the list and making sure that every nut and bolt was where it was supposed to be. By 2 pm I think we finally started working on the slide. It was slooooow going. Plus it was HOT.

By the time Tim got home we had assembled the slide and the cross bar for the swings. I'm so glad he was able to come home and help but wow, we don't do work very well together. Sorry honey! (and Mike and Connie!)

There were a few setbacks along the way. A few holes that were supposed to be pre-drilled weren't even marked, which added at least an extra half an hour while we figured out how to fix it. At one point we had to take two entire sections apart because they main posts were upside down. When we got to the point of putting the platform on, we realized that it wasn't level at all. We thought we could work it out and didn't worry about it. (Can you see where this is going?)

Upside down!

Fast forward to putting the railings on the side and we come to a complete standstill. Tim thinks we should just keep going and deal with the unevenness. I want to see if we can correct it at all. Mike decides to sit down and wait it out. (He's good at that.) Eventually I complained enough convinced Tim that trying to fix it was better than leaving it all wonky. We loosened some bolts, took out a few screws, and it was almost completely level in 5 minutes. I'm so glad we did it because it really looks better. (And who doesn't like being right?) ;)

Brenden...the boss.

Finally, we put the two separate pieces together, attached the slide, and our two very anxious children were able to play on it. Brenden had to try out all the different elements...the slide, the trapeze, and the swing. Lauren went down the slide once and then ran back to the swing and said, "Please!?" I think we know her favorite.

By 8 pm we were done. Seven hours, a lot of heat, a few arguments (totally Tim and I...sigh) and several extra nuts and bolts later, we have a wonderful swing set. I know the kids will be begging to go play on it as soon as their feet hit the floor in the morning.

Thank you so much Mike and Connie! We love it!