We got that darned play set up! The 500 page instruction booklet says, "two skilled craftsmen: Approximately 24 work hours". Ummmm I would not call Dean and I "skilled". We're not dumb, and we can read directions and stuff, but we are not skilled.
Angela's favorite PCA Brett was DYING to help us build this thing. So Saturday morning I picked him up in the sidecar (his first sidecar ride, which he loved...I think.) and we were working by 10:30. We did the very first 2 or 3 steps and had to re-do them a couple of times because boards were the wrong way. This caused some frustration, (and a bad word or two) and to be honest, I was really worried that this project was bigger than us! Once we figured out the quirks of the instruction book though, things went much more smoothly.
At 7:00 I came in the house to make dinner and realized I had totally forgotten a birthday party Angela was supposed to attend, that started at 5:00! It was a hotel pool party until 9:00 so we ran over there. The big pool had been closed due to a toileting accident by a little one, but the small pool with all the great water toys was open and Angela has a BLAST playing in there! And really, and hour and a half was her LIMIT anyway, so it turned out to be a perfect evening.
Sunday morning Brett was here at 7:00 a.m.! That boy is ruthless! He was so excited to see this thing going up that he gave up his only day to sleep in to come help with it. He was able to stay until noon before he had to leave for a family event. He didn't WANT to leave though. He was soooo excited. It didn't seem we had that much further to go. Dean and I took a break for a short rain, and worked until 8:00 pm last night. We got the last of the floorboards on, and the roof. Today while Angela's at school I promised to attach the slide. Then Tuesday Dean and I will finish up by attaching the swingset part that's still in the box.
We did make a modification to the struction, and still aren't sure it will work. We turned the swingset portion so instead of making one long structure it's now "L" shaped. I did remember that my video camera takes still pictures as well, so I took LOTS of them. Now, if only I can figure out how to get them on my computer. I seem to have lost my firewire for uploading from my camera.
Other fun for the weekend. Angela started Special Olympics bowling yesterday. She skipped two years due to her HUGE ventral hernia, but got to okay to bowl this year. We've bowled for fun a few times over the last year though. For Special Olympics, if you bowl with bumpers you can't bowl in the tournaments. In the past, the athletes who needed bumpers could bowl with everyone else, they just couldn't participate in the tournaments. But this year, because we have such a H-U-G-E team and not enough coaches, (really, I think it's too big and needs to be split.) the bumper bowlers can't participate. So...this is Angela's first year without bumpers.
It didn't go so well, and one mom was really annoying me. Her daughter, who is much older and can bowl without much instruction was paired up with Angela. She kept wondering out loud why they paired up the athletes the way they did (I reminded her that this coach is new to the team and doesn't know ALL the kids, so the first week it's inevitable.) and after Angela's 15th gutter ball that got stuck 1/2 way down the isle she asked me, "So at what point do "they" decide a kid should be bowling with bumpers? I said, "Ummm it's really not up to the coaches, but the parents. Angela's at the point where the bumpers aren't helping her learn how to get the ball where it needs to go. You know, if you don't want your daughter bowling with her, how about you talk to the coach instead of me?" She really irritated me. I totally understood her frustration, as her daughter (who seemed fine with it) was having to wait a lot. But at the same time, GOOD GRIEF..have some PATIENCE woman and know IT'S THE FIRST WEEK there is stuff to be ironed out!!!!
Angela was being a great sport, and not getting upset with all the gutter balls, and really by the second game was starting to understand she had to keep her eyes on the pins, and that where her arm (sideways) is where the ball would go. I think she and I will be doing some bowling on our own this week so she can get some more practice in.
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