Yard in Progress

We are making progress on our yard, it's a lot of work since it is about an acre of land and needed a lot of retaining... but we've got some fun things in the works and now that the grass is finally in, we can start to enjoy them.  Yes, there is still a lot of work to be done in the planter beds, which are still just full of dirt and a few trees, but that will come over time.

I'll start with the backyard (its my favorite part)... Here is a view off the back deck of the fire pit/trampoline area:

 And a view off the deck of the "Luge" (sledding hill)

 A few ground level views of the fire pit and trailhead steps:

 And the trampoline I've had since I was 16 is now a permanent fixture, it's an old friend but better quality (and bounce) than the ones they make these days...

My kids call this area the "race track", it makes a great spot for a croquet course...

I didn't want a vegetable garden that was too conspicuous, so we tucked it down in the bottom corner of the lot, and I also have lots of room in side planters for plenty of fruit trees, etc...

 Here are some views of the large area on the west side, a great area to set up our badminton/volleyball and games:

Here are some front views, still a lot of dirt to plant in, but we'll get there eventually.  I really think our landscaper did a great job with the design, I love the flow of the yard...

Here is the East side, another large grassy area to kick a ball around...

All in all, I am pretty excited about how it turned out, after two years with no yard to play in we are loving this!

Flashback to Christmas 2012

I know we just got done with Christmas 2013, but apparently I haven't really posted anything for this long... Here are some photos from Christmas 2012...

 

 On Christmas Eve we were invited to talk to the air traffic control center in Salt Lake City to talk to Santa on the phone as he made his journey across the globe.  Thanks to Scott Hawkes for sharing this special opportunity with us.