Daddy and I went downstairs to stair at the boxes. Somehow our L-shaped couch with the pull-up mattress was stuffed into four boxes. Sure, they were big boxes, but there were just four boxes.
Daddy spent the morning sorting through all the pieces and figuring out the steps. One thing we really liked about the couch was that it had slipcovers. When we pulled everything out of the boxes, I realized we had to iron all those slipcovers. At that moment, I wasn't so happy about that design element.
When the girls came home, they went downstairs to help Daddy. It didn't take long before Daddy suggested that the girls go upstairs to do their homework. It turned out that their "help" consisted of a bit of work, a bit of bickering and a bit of confusion.
They did help Daddy here and there during the couch construction. Sometimes they pushed pieces together so Daddy could screw together the two parts. Sometimes they stuffed pillows and put on the slipcovers. It took longer when they helped, but it was fun for them, despite the complaining.
Now when they take friends downstairs, they tell stories about putting the coach together. You would think they built a house given the way they talk about how hard it was and how many hours it took.
I smiled every time I saw the coach for a few days after it was finished. I also smiled because I realized that we were never going to move that coach. When we sell the house, the coach is going to be part of the deal.