They're a LOT easier to solder than ya think. You have a good quality temp controlled iron with a nice fine tip, I assume? I have a Weller WES50, which works fine.
I soldered every component on this board. 100% surface mount components except the header pins. It all works
**broken link removed**
The trick is to preflux your board. Then, with a bit of solder on the tip of your iron, "tack" a couple pins on the corners so the chip doesn't skate around. Then just go around it and just touch each pin. You may have to add a bit of solder to some chips.
If you bridge some, don't panic. It's easy to fix. Get out your solder wick and suck up the excess.
The little resistors and capacitors and LEDs are easy too. Same deal with the preflux. Then hold the component down with your fingernail (or an implement if you're shy of burned fingers) and tack one end with a tiny dab of solder on the iron. Then solder the other end.
You need good eyes (I don't have em - I just take glasses off, get close and squint a lot), lots of light, a good iron and a bit of patience.