The Backyard

*Before*

  Our yard was an expansive wasteland of gravel and boring-ness. I couldn't imagine another year of this. I kept my blinds closed when anyone was over so as not to display the mess.

I drew up some dream plans and we got a few quotes. Since we live on a pretty busy street, it's not really safe to let the kids 'go outside' to ride their bikes. I liked the idea of a path in the backyard for them to peddle around. We thought cement would be the best option, but it turned out that this packed granite is ideal. It's the same stuff that they use for driveways and it's great. It's pretty firm and will only get firmer with water and pressure. Jenna's already been out there making loops on her bike.

 We put in four large boulders which satisfy Adams need to "climb on rocks".

 We went the synthetic grass route and are thus far happy with it. It's soft, green, needs hardly any maintenance and is a perfect foundation for a kiddie pool.

   Behind the grass is pea gravel, which is our preferred alternative to wood chips or sand (yuck and yuck).

    I LOVE love Love the pavers. The color and pattern are perfect! We extended the patio on all sides- one side is for the grill and the other side is for the trash cans.

Dave's looking at patio chairs for his Father's Day present. He also would love a pergola someday in the far corner of the yard... we'll see. The next thing on my backyard wish list is a water feature or maybe a fire pit.