A Back Yard.....FINALLY!

Saturday it happened!!!  After 2 and 1/2 years in this house, we FINALLY got grass in our back yard.  I can't even tell you how excited I was!  It seems like we've prepped the ground SO MANY TIMES (which really isn't even the case, the ground has NEVER been completely ready for grass until last week....but we've killed the weeds and used the rota-tiller on the back yard 2 or 3 times thinking we'd do grass just after that.....and then it never happened).  Anyway.  With the back yard, it always felt like SOMETHING would stand in the way and make it so it wouldn't happen.  THEN this week it RAINED.  When Parker called and ordered the sod on Thursday, they told him there was a chance they wouldn't be able to cut it because the ground would be too wet from all the rain this week.  When he told me this, I was pretty down.  I thought for sure, this would be "the thing" that would happen this time to keep me from getting my yard.  But I kept my hopes up (trying at the same time to keep them from getting TOO high, just incase they get dashed to pieces for the ump-teenth time)....and wouldn't you know, the sun was out all day Friday to dry up all that moisture and then when Saturday came, so did the delivery of our grass.  :)

I have to give credit where it's due.  This would have NEVER happened if it weren't for the help of Parker's parents, Paul and Claudia.  They were here last week with the rota-tiller, and 4-wheelers digging up weeds, and pushing around dirt, and fixing sprinkler lines so that the ground would be ready in time.  And last week IT WAS HOT.  I think the high reached 84 that day, and they were outside with Parker the entire time.  Everyone got sunburnt and was exhausted, but if it hadn't been for them we would have never been able to get this done so quickly.

 Thank goodness the temperature was much more moderate this weekend.  I think the high on Saturday was 62....so it was perfect.  We had lots of people come out and help too.  Travis Turner, one of our very good friends was there to help as well as the Missionaries who are assigned to our stake.  And even our neighbor who is just on the other side of the fence from us, saw us working and walked over to help us out for a while.  I deeply regret that we don't even know his name.  A silly mistake to make, but will soon be rectified when we walk over to their place to deliver a thank-you card.  With all the helping hands it only took about an hour and a half.

 Caleb had been suffering from a stomach-ache all day.  Friday night at the ward auction, he threw up his dinner and made a lovely mess for Parker and I to clean up.  He threw up a couple more times that evening and then Saturday I was sure it would continue, but he just had lots of stomach cramps and burps.  Anyway, he was pretty excited about the grass too, and even mustered up enough strength to un-roll some grass on his own.  I thought it was adorable.  He tried to move it around a bit too, to make it fit nicely like a puzzle.....but it was too heavy.  All-in-all I think the sweetest moment was getting to take a picture of him sitting on that grass.  Oh the joy!

 

We still have other work to be done.  We left space for flower beds all along the side of the house, and so, naturally, they're still nothing more than beds of weeds that will need attention.  And the east side of the yard (where Travis's boat is parked) is also full of weeds.  We intend to cover the ground with gravel and put in a double-gate so we'll have extra parking space behind the fence incase a time ever comes that we need to park something (like Travis's boat) or maybe a trailer or a couple 4-wheelers, or whatever.  And then the WEST side of the yard is also missing grass because it's the future home of our garden.  We want to have raised beds, and we'll be trying to get THAT put in before too long as well. 

Can I just tell you how much I love that picture of Parker?  For some reason, I feel like it captures "the essence of Parker" and I just love it.  Below is a photo I took after all of our work LAST WEEKEND, and then below that is the finished product.  It's so surreal!  I actually like to open my back windows now because there's a pleasant view!  And there's a tiny bit of excitement every time the sprinklers come on to water that grass.  We won't be able to go out and walk on it for 10-14 days, during which time it's to be watered HEAVILY...but I still get excited just seeing it there.

Once the 2 weeks are over, Parker and Caleb are going to have a campout in the back yard.  We're REALLY looking forward to that day.