Mission Impossible!!

Warning: This post is extremely long so that those responsible can relive the epic that was the swingset assembly.

The Culprits:
The Mission - to turn this:

Into this: complete with ladder, slide, swings and picnic table

The Matus gang ordered the best gift ever for our girls when they were here a few weeks ago - a swingset. The plan was that it would arrive right around the time my parents and grandma were here so my dad would be forced to help me put the thing together. But, thanks to major stupidity on the part of Walmart, it looked like my dad might escape the task. However, the company Coral reordered from was super quick and look what showed up at our door on Friday. 200 lbs of fun in a box.
The Nova's were immediately curious:

"When mom said we were getting a swingset I thought it would be much more fun than this!"

Step 1 - Carrying the loot to the backyard

Step 2 - Measure...

...Count...

...and label all the pieces.

Step 3 - Make great-grandma carry and stack all the lumber.

The building begins...

We have a slide...

"Nova" - from the greek word for "supervisor"

Dad using his head...

Daddy's little helper...

Something starting to take shape...

Are we really only on page 3?

Everyone got into the project...

Taking shape...

Wait a minute...did the die-hard Buckeye family really buy us a blue and yellow swingset?

Progress being made...

"This thing is going to be pretty cool...if you guys ever get finished."

"You know, with 5 hours extra work, 2 trips to Lowe's and skipping a couple meals we could get rid of that stupid picnic table and make this thing cool"

Starting to look like the picture in the directions...

"Nova" - from the Greek word for "supervisor"

"Wasn't it light out when we started this?"

It finally made it off the porch and into the yard.

Is it level?

In the homestretch...

No one will be able to tell if it's a half inch off center but WE'LL know...

Juneau takes a test run on the rockwall ladder...

...and a trial slide.

Check out those modifications! Nobody needed that picnic table anyways!

Juneau takes the inaugural swing

We truly almost couldn't get Nova to get out of the swing for Juneau's next turn. This is in the middle of a 20 minute ride.

After 1 more trip to Lowe's, the finals holes were drilled, the final screws turned, the final bolts tightened...and it turned out just like the picture...

...except with some valuable upgrades.

I have no idea how many total man-hours it took although I know we worked on it for parts of 3 days. Even though we gave my sister a ton of grief that she was responsible for bringing this project into our lives, I had a great time and I dare say my dad would say the same. This project was especially meaningful for me because I'll always remember it as the first big project that my dad and I did since I became an adult and we could work really as peers. It made for an enjoyable end to a great week with my parents and grandma in town.

In the end, though it was alot of work, the end result will be Juneau and Nova enjoying hours of swinging...

...and slide races.

Thanks Aunt Coral, Uncle Ed and cousins Alex, Lyndsey and Brent for the BEST present EVER!!