Back yard progress!

Our large but desolate back yard is finally getting worked on again. It took till May to defrost and dry out enough for Mark to even be able to walk out there without getting slogged down in mud. We've lived here for two years now--when we moved, it was summer and we didn't 
(couldn't afford to) do anything to the yard. Last summer, Mark put in sprinklers and a patch of sod, built a gate and a couple of flower beds, and paid for half of the giant block wall our neighbors wanted. Then just in the last month, he's laid gravel, built another gate, and expanded our patio. It's so nice having a handy hubby!

 

 

Mark picked out this pretty red sandstone gravel, which is native to southern Utah. I love the color, but it leaves orange dust everywhere, and of course the kids have been digging around it like it's a sand pile. No bueno for shoes and laundry. Or my floors.

A shed is going to be built somewhere in the vicinity of that pile of boulders (that Mark has unearthed from our yard...trying to dig a simple hole is a joke).

 

He sketched a design for our new gate. He wanted it to look Japanese.

 

A couple weeks ago, I posted about the cement footings he poured for the posts. I am totally lost when it comes to carpentery. I know Mark has pretty much taught himself how to do gates via a handyman book.

 

 

 The kids are always so helpful...

 

Then he set to work to expand our patio with some pavers.

 

It was just a small concrete pad that was too dinky to be of much use for anything. Plus the grill took up 1/4 of the space. So he chiseled through the dirt and rocks surrounding it to prep for the pavers.

 

Then he laid a bed of gravel and put down some rectangular bricks and cinder capstones in a pattern he designed, followed by paving sand.

 

 Little Miss likes to get her hands dirty. I don't--that's why I stick to taking pictures.

 

Voilà!

 

He added a few extra squares so the grill would have its own spot, off to the side. Try to ignore my spray painting stains in the middle of the concrete....other than that, it looks fabulous!!

 

Thennnnn, we decided to paint the gates. White looked fine, but just a little odd with the Japanese silhouette. I picked Behr exterior paint in Sandwashed Driftwood (770D-6), which ended up looking more olive green than brown, but it's OK. It still harmonizes with the color of the house and surroundings.

 

(That side of the gate was already dry)

 

 

The best part of this is that Luke is corralled in on both sides! No more escape attempts from the back yard!

 

The icing on the cake is that we bought new sand for the sand box...it hasn't had sand in it since we lived in Albuquerque. SAD, I know! The kids are in heaven. They've never been so filthy. Between the sand and the gravel and the large amount of dirt that's still back there, they're needing twice as many baths. Luke ends up with sand in his diaper even though he's in a onesie, a shirt and shorts and everything.

 

Mark has the week off this week :D so we'll hopefully be able to fill in the gaps back here with some more gravel, mulch, edging, plant/flower beds, trees, bushes, a canopy, patio furniture, etc. Well, we probably won't get it ALL done this week. But we're excited to make progress! Thank you, husband!