Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Welcome to Our Digs: The Backyard

For our family and friends a far, I thought it would be nice to do a virtual house tour blog post "series."  The area that has changed the most since we moved in is our backyard...and there is STILL a whole lotta work to be done.  So maybe this is a good place to park a backyard "to-do" list as well.  Yes, I shall do that.

Because everyone likes a little before and after action...I present to you the official BEFORE pictures:

Pre-pool demo (sorry, not the best pictures...we didn't want to get too attached to the monster body of water plus encroaching deck/awning combo that took up the entire backyard)



Let the demo begin!  Step 1:  Drain the pool.  Step 2:  Run around the bottom of pool like you're five years old (this is a very important step, naturally.)


Step 3:  Jack hammer it to smithereens.  And the pool deck.  And the diving board.  And the other deck/awning combo.  Oh, and rip off the solar panels from the roof that we don't need anymore to heat the pool.  Yes, it was demo galore at our house.



Let's call this next set of pictures, IN PROGRESS:

Ta-da...a pool removal permit, a jack-hammer and four days hard work = um, no more pool.



My boys were stoaked about their new backyard aka mud pit.  Me, not so much.  So despite the fact I wanted to hold out on doing anything back there until we had plans drawn up from a landscape designer, we knew we had to throw some sod down.  Because in my typical fashion, it's now 3-ish months since we've put down grass and we still haven't selected a designer.  So, yeah.  It was the right move.

So, we move on -- prepping to lay sod!


Insta-grass!


Sorry for the washed out picture...it's way too late at night for me to bother with color correction :)
We did a pretty poor job at taking any pictures of the side yards, fencing and trees -- and the most recent project we completed, (I mean, paid someone to come and do the work for us,) was to cut down several trees and perform some serious pruning and ripping out of bushes. Much to our neighbors delight, I might add, as tree debris no longer drops into their pool.  Seriously, we are the current title holders of the "Best Neighbors EVER."  It's awesome.  And it means they bring us stuff in appreciation, like wine. :)

Below is what our backyard looks like as of this past weekend.  I won't call these "afters" because we still have a LONG way to go:

View from out of the sliding glass door in the Den


And a few more shots, including side yards.







I wish we had some before shots with all the trees and bushes intact so you could fully appreciate what a HUGE difference it is now that they are gone/pruned.  The amount of sun we get now is amazing, and our options are opened up a bit more in terms of how we can utilize the terraced retaining walls (which at some point need to be completely redone.) 

But, okay, it still looks like a hot mess back there.  But we have PLANS.  Lots of plans.  Which include:
  1. Putting in new deck/stairs from sliding glass door off kitchen.
  2. Installing cohesive patio material (cement or stone or brick) throughout the non-grass void.
  3. Rebuilding the terraced retaining wall.  We would like to scale it back and use the raised area as a container garden that lines the yard.
  4. Have tree stumps drilled out.
  5. Add in new flowers and plants.
  6. New cohesive fencing around the yard perimeter.  Raise fence that faces street.  Fix the gate.
  7. Built in BBQ area, most likely off the deck/stairs area, under the kitchen window
  8. FIRE PIT!!
  9. Some type of covered area (trellis or cabana...still throwing ideas around on this)
  10. Small play area (swings + slide?)
  11. Shed for the side yard to store lawnmower, outdoor cushions, etc.
  12. Lighting:  uplights for landscaping and general outdoor lighting mounted on the house.
  13. Buy patio furniture and accessories.
  14. Hire a landscape designer to translate the above list into reality -- please forward your recommendations!!
  15. Convince my husband to sell one of his kidney's to finance the backyard of our dreams.
I actually can't believe we've only been living here for four months...it feels like an entire year has gone by.  It truly feels like home to us now, although there have been moments -- as recently as tonight-- where C asks us about the old house and says that he misses it.  Tonight was especially bittersweet as he was in near tears telling me that "I remember the outside mama, but I can't quite remember the inside...I really want to remember the inside."  He did this a few months after the move and I drove him past the old house, only for him to get quite upset he couldn't go inside. 

It's funny how you focus on preparing your children for the big things, like...a new sibling or a death of a loved one.  We knew the move to a new home would affect C from the perspective that it was "change", but admittedly overlooked that even at the young age of three had developed an actual emotional attachment.  I realize that he probably won't remember feeling this way in a few years, but it was a good reminder for me that kids notice the little things, too.

I think my plan is to work back to front, bottom to top...so that means an update on the Den will be forthcoming!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

SMKS - 6/6/12 Edition

Scene {1}  Sitting around the dinner tonight, I ask C why he didn't finish his lunch at school today.

Me:  "Why didn't you finish your lunch today?"
C:  "Well, I wasn't that hungry."
Me:  "Why weren't you hungry?"
C:  (sigh) "NO MOM, I didn't say I wasn't hungry, I just wasn't THAT hungry." (eye roll)
Me:  "Oh.  Right then."

Scene {2}  Having bedtime snuggles in C's bed.  We are talking about his day.  Or trying to. (Note: C still wears a diaper at night...the kid insists in drinking a huge thing of milk right before bed and sleeps like a log aka doesn't wake up with the urge to pee yet.)

Me:  "What are you doing?"
C: (pulls hand out of diaper) "Trying to feel my pee."
Me:  "Ugh, please don't do that.  You've never done that before."
C:  "Why not?"
(yes...I should have known better at this point to keep this conversation going.  End of day exhaustion is known to lead to poor parental decision making.)
Me:  "Because it's yucky."
C:  "Why is it yucky?"
Me:  "Because it's dirty."
C:  "Why is it dirty?"
Me:  "Because it's full of bacteria."
C:  "What is bacteria?"
Me:  "It's like germs."
C:  (now entering spaz voice mode) "Ohhhhhhhhh like diarrheaaaaaa MAMAAAAAAA"
Me:  "Okay, time for bed."

Scene {3}  Saying our final goodnights

C:  "Good night mom...mom...mom mom mom hey MOM...hey, why do we have bones, mom?"
Me:  "Ok, goodnight!  Sweet dreams!  Love you!"

In summary:

1.  Have you figured out what "SMKS" yet?
2.  I'm super glad the timing of Scene {2} did not occur at the same time as Scene {1}.  Small miracles and all that.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Feast or Famine

Our weekends are typically low key.  After a busy week of early mornings and late evenings due to work and week night activities, we're generally ready to put to breaks on having any schedule by Friday night.

This weekend was an exception -- we had plans.  LOTS of plans.  Clearly, it's feast or famine around our house...either we have nothing on the schedule or every minute accounted for.  It kicked off on Friday night, with a lovely dinner with friends that included 1,567 trips back and forth from the table to find out who made who cry downstairs in the den.  I'm being serious when I say I'm pretty sure we burned off all the calories we consumed.  But the kids had a blast and really, its (always) worth the memories.

Saturday was basically a blur - starting off with being woken up at blurry o'clock by C, headed out at 7:30am for hockey clinic, trip to the store for picnic supplies, 11am park/picnic play date, back to the house for naps, then into the car to head to the Greek Festival....

...speaking of the Greek Festival - be still my heart:



So as we were weaving our way through the festival, we see C's futurewifeimeanfriend, the one and only Anna Maria, "helping" her Yia Yia sell raffle tickets.  Her Yia Yia spots C and she asks Anna Maria if she wants to go see him - she darts from the booth and they hug (me = DYINGG of the cuteness).  But it gets better.  Because then Yia Yia decides they are going to walk with us to the booth Anna Maria's parents are working.  Brace yourself people...C and Anna Maria then HOLD HANDS and start leading the way (me = officially dead.  Too.Much.Cuteness.)  Like, for a full 3 minutes. 

Then Yia Yia put the breaks on things and stuck her hand in between theirs, like any good Greek grandmother would :)

After a late Saturday night, we wound down on Sunday with a special treat for C- a "Skating with Sharkie" event. Which meant he could roller blade with the Sharks mascot, Sharkie.  Which meant that we knew he would be so excited.  Which meant he would put on his roller blades and pads and helmet with full intention of getting out there on the rink.  Which meant that he would take one look at every single one of the older kids and think (and then say) "There is NO WAY I'm getting out there with all those big kids who are going to knock me down."

And which, in fact, is what happened -- but not all was lost and he came home happy as a clam having received a signed picture of Sharkie and a handful of stickers.  It really takes very little to make a 3.5 year old day.

After naps, it was time for soccer clinic, with a special visit from Emeline to watch C and visit with the snack-monster N.  Then home for dinner and getting ready for the week ahead.

Although this weekend was busy - and at some points downright exhausting (like figuring out how to get 5 loads of laundry and grocery shopping done in between everything else), I feel so unbelievably grateful and appreciative for the life we have.  I never ever want to take what we have for granted.

I should be back to a more normal blog posting schedule this week -- house updates to come!