One of the (many) things on our list of house to-do projects was to completely overhaul our backyard. We felt really lucky to have a good amount of land, but with that land came a backyard that was not very accessible to do much of anything. Especially with a toddler & a dog. Our two biggest problems were that it wasn’t level (instead pretty steep) & also, that we didn’t have a fence. Both have always been things that we didn’t love, but over time (plus a growing girl who loves the outdoors & gets faster everyday), it’s gotten pretty unbearable.
Like this mama may just go crazy if we don’t figure something out ASAP kind of unbearable.
As soon as we decided to have Waverly’s party at our house a few months ago, my husband decided that he was going to put a retaining wall in our backyard to make it level. As usual, it turned into a much bigger (& more expensive) project than we ever thought it would be. The bad news is that it wasn’t completely done by Waverly’s party so we actually didn’t go back there at all. The good news is that he ended up doing a fence with it & this fall, we will be able to go out in our new (enclosed) backyard again!
We are (all four of us) pretty damn excited, it’s kind of a life-changer. 🙂
I really am so proud of my husband for pulling this off, he has worked pretty much everyday after his own workday plus weekends to make this happen for us. I hate complaining since I know there are single & military moms out there who do this (plus much more) all of the time, but honestly, it was emotionally challenging for all of us. Waverly really had a hard time understanding why daddy wasn’t around as much & also, had quite a few breakdowns over why she couldn’t go play outside. Most days, I would just try to find activities somewhere besides the house (for as long as possible), to try to keep everyone’s sanity.
The plan is to seed once the weather gets cooler so that we will have grass, so we do have a little more waiting before it’s completely ready for dog & toddler toes. It’s basically a big pile of mid right now, but we do see an end in sight & it feels good!! This week, I decided to let Waverly & Bogger play out there for a “mud-date”, it went against pretty much all of my good mom judgment but I felt that they both deserved it after waiting for so long. 🙂
They both were so excited, running free back & forth from fence to fence. Waverly kept repeating “daddy work hard!” & “daddy did this!”. As for me, I just sat back & watched, which was quite possibly the best thing ever. I’m usually chasing after Waverly from running to the front, unwrapping Bogger’s leash surrounding her from the pole, or most often, freaking out over how many more times she is going to fall down the hill.
So yep, total life-changer & we are feeling the bliss! 🙂
We hope your week is going well & that you have some lovely “little things” your way, too! As always, I am looking forward to reading them. See
this post if you need a reminder on how to link-up & also, remember the “little things” logo is on my sidebar if you are interested. 🙂
That last photo!! So sweet! 🙂 I find it hard to get anything done around here with a toddler, by the time Adam gets home in the evening the last thing I want is to lose him to yard work or other projects, so all that stuff usually builds up around here! Good for you guys for getting that fence up, it looks great and it'll be totally worth it!! 🙂
The fence looks amazing! Yay for handy husbands! It will be your own little paradise once you get that grass in! 🙂
Oh I dream about having outside space again, theres just no way we can think about such glorious things as fences in London!! I adore Waverly's swimsuit, super cute. And what a talented hubby you've got there!!!!! xx
oh man THAT is awesome. We have similar backyard situation with a canal on two sides and no fence, but Aria doesn't tend to go far away from me when we go out back…yet. She's never taken off for the front or decided to investigate the canal. Maybe it is a personality thing, but if she did I would definitely be emptying the sanity tank running after her the whole time. This is a great solution. Like night and day! Contained outdoors! Next you can get a fizzy drink and a chair.
What a cute bathing suit – so glad she got to play freely in the mud with the dog, cute pictures!
Adorable photos. 🙂 Best mama ever for letting her (and the dog) play in the mud!!!!
She looks like she is having the time of her life in the pictures! 🙂 Such a good mama. I'm pretty jealous of the fenced area since we are constantly chasing our little man everywhere around our house. It looks great so far!
Love it! I know you guys will just love having this outdoor space. Can't wait to see more updates on it!:)
Wow, impressive that Joe did that all by himself! That last picture of WM is too adorable and makes the whole process worth it for that sheer excitement!
Yay for you! It makes such a difference! Also, her little swimsuit is killing me. Too cute!!!
best swimsuit ever!! Wish it came in my size! And now you'll have your husband back 🙂
Her face is just the sweetest! I'm sure she was saying, "Hallelujah!" Yay for outside time again!
Love her bathing suit! A great backyard is so key with little ones (and furry ones!) Enjoy!!
A mud playdate sounds like the perfect reward for a patient toddler and dog!
That fence looks absolutely amazing!! And your daughter's style is perfect. 🙂
You guys are going to get so much use out of that yard now!!
It looks great 🙂
Awesome! That backyard will be an amazing outlet for y'all. Dirt and play just go together anyway, right!? We had the same dilemma with our yard—though not as big as y'alls, I'd imagine—and my husband created a playground for the quads in a level area he made and then added a fence around it so I don't have to chase them around the back yard keeping them out of giant piles of dog poop or from falling into a thorny rose bush. Sanity saver! They love it and we've added baby pools for the summer time.
Here's what it looked like halfway thru, I need to do a new post since it was finished! http://bellsandkilts.blogspot.com/2014/05/quad-squad-backyard-improv.html
LOVE that idea!!! Such a sanity saver, doesn't it make the biggest difference?!
How awesome to have a husband who can swing such a project! We dream of the day when we can have a backyard!
yeah! a backyard is great — and a fence is KEY! i recently read a study that said toddlers who were put in a playground without a fence just stayed in one place, but that if they playground had a fence they'd roam all around and explore, the fence gave them security and confidence. interesting, huh?