More back yard progress!

Well, a month after we got those two huge piles of gravel delivered, it's finally off our driveway. It's not all in its final resting place, but it's more or less there. Our goal of covering up all the bare dirt in the back yard is getting close!

 

Luke felt it necessary to climb up on top of the pile and then side down on his belly or back.

I guess it wasn't such a great idea...

 

Mark started calling him Pig Pen (you know...the kid from Charlie Brown cartoons who has his own dust cloud)

 

Giving the fire hydrant some love...

 

Eating some rocks...

 

Taking a slurp from the drip line

 

Last load!

OOOOOO! AAAHHH!

 Mark had to do a lot of prep work first, moving in the sprinklers after the curbing was done, and cutting away the extra sod...

 Putting down weed barrier...

 

and some flexible borders

Then while he was at it, I had him replace this:

 The ropes on our swings were so weathered that they scratched the kids all the time

They're MUCH better now.

Then on Saturday, we were at Target and found this canopy on 70% clearance and could not pass it up. We had to lay the right front and middle seats down to fit it in the car and Madelyn had to be bungeed in the back for the ride home (she loved it).

Those KIDS would not stay OFF that LADDER!!! Little monkeys!!

 

 

Not bad for $89 bucks, eh? We love it! Our back yard will now have a little shade. We're going to get some drapes for the west side of it to block the setting sun.

Now we have to build a flower bed along the side of the house

 

...and do something about this. (sigh)

 

I planted some pumpkin and sunflower seeds (with my Activity Days girls) so hopefully there will soon be giant vines there, and then after harvest we'll finish landscaping that corner. Don't laugh at my pitiful little mounds. I didn't see the sense in tilling the entire yard when only a few splotches of good soil were necessary...

Our back yard is now the most popular place to be on the block--the pea gravel is soft on the kids' feet (we paid extra for smooth rock that had been tumbled) and our Little Miss and Mister are out there all day long! Yay!!