Still Working in the Backyard

Well it finally cooled off just enough that we could finally work in the backyard. We decided that would put in real grass in most of the yard and put rubber mulch under the kid area. So off to Star Nursery we go. One of the store owners actually walked around with Aaron telling him everything he needed to do for the grass and even drew us diagram. They are always really helpful and the prices are great. We bought all the supplies we needed and Aaron was off to work. As you have seen in previous pictures are backyard is full is big rocks and dirt. He probably took out several tons of rocks trying to get it ready. He first had to put in the valve box in for the sprinklers. I also wanted a water feature in the back yard so he installed a switch for the fountain and ran the wires back to were we wanted it. It looked so professional, I have been so impressed by his skills. Once he got all the piping down he had to create the edge around the grass and lay the top soil. Then it was time to lay the sod. He spent about two days getting the pipe work done and digging out the yard and only one day doing the top soil and sod. It was the fastest I have ever seen one person do this job. Of course Ashton was always out there trying to help his daddy, but I tried to keep him out of the way. The yard is really starting to look fantastic. Aaron worked so hard and Ashton and I are very grateful for his hard work. It looks beautiful so far. We just have a few more touches to add. More to come.

Installing the switch and box.

Laying the pipes.

The top soil.

The kid area finished ( I was actually in charge of this area and had to carry 40 bags of rubber mulch to backyard. It was worth it for how nice it turned out and no more dirt! Yay!)

Laying the sod (grass).

The final look!

Ashton's Fort

A few months ago we were looking at swing sets and trying to decide what we wanted to buy. All we really wanted was the ladder, rock wall, fort, and slide. I didn't really care if we had swings and every set just seemed to big to fit in our backyard. I found this neat fort and slide that was plastic from Step2. It looked perfect and was designed for smaller kids (ages ranging from 2-8). So I ordered it and once it arrived we were a little disappointed in the size. It doesn't help that Ashton is big for his age. So we went back to the store and started looking at other options. Aaron thought the quality of the swing sets was poor and decided he would build one himself. So off to Homedepot and Lowes we went to buy all the supplies we needed. I think it took Aaron about a month to build it because he worked so much that he could only do a few hours at a time. He designed the entire Fort by himself and built it with his own two hands. It turned out fantastic and Ashton loves it! Needless to say now he has two forts outside and he loves them both. Now we have a small one for smaller kids that come over and a big one for Ashton and the slightly older kids that come to play.

The First Fort We Bought

Aaron starting to build the new one

Ashton trying to help his daddy.

Ashton was so excited he jumped right on his new rock wall even though he was missing his pants.

Aaron still working hard

The final product (front view)

Final Product (right side view)


Final Product (left side view)