Tax reFUNds

This is supposed to be the last picture of this post, but I don't feel like trying to fix it. :) This is the view right before you plunge down the slide. SO fun!!

Here's out little Spring Break project. Enjoy the progression.

Coming along nicely after two days. It took forever, by the way. But I must say I became quite competent at drilling and screwing and measuring and leveling and retrieving the correct parts. Almost every one of those screws were tightened by moi. I even drilled holes and put up and evenly spaced all those vertical little posts. You can pat me on the back next time you see me. And yes, Gary helped. . . a little.
Gary hurried and had it almost completely put together for Spencer's birthday. It was the funnest ever to have all the cousins actually have something to do at our house. :)
Isn't she a beaut!? Now, notice where the slide ends in relation to the top of our little mountain there. Yeah, we measured it out and everything before we even built the thing and figured 2 1/2 feet was plenty of space for kids to nicely slide down the slide, land on two feet and calmly walk away, leaving enough time for the next child to have their turn going down the slide on their little bum.

I don't know how I forgot this, but that is not how kids go down slides. They go head-first, knees-first, neck-first, hip-first, and ears-first, and usually not alone. And, the first time Spencer went down the slide (which he did nicely sitting on his bum) he flew off the end so fast, I had to catch him as he did a somersault over the top of the hill.

This was super fun for the older kids, who would put sleds and garbage bags at the bottom of the slide and fly down the hill, but poor Spencer stopped going down the slide, which used to be his favorite thing to do because it was, "Sceewey." It was scary for me too. So, since we couldn't move the 1,000 lb. beast back a few feet, this was our solution:
It's not totally finished in this pictures and we still have some work to do to make it all pretty and everything, but we went from having the most boring yard in the neighborhood to having the funnest slide in town. You've gotta come over. Yes you! It's so fun! The top slide sort of launches you onto the bottom one. I love it! Yes, we now have something to do in our backyard besides scooping dog poo. YAY!!