BBQ Lunch?

So the guys finished the backyard on Friday and we had said we would have a BBQ lunch for them. I was thinking an actual lunch but since they were done early we got to have lunch at 10:15 in the morning. For the guys it is not that big of a deal since most of them are up at 5 or 6 in the morning but for my kids who just finished breakfast at 8:30am I thought there was no way they would want to eat. WRONG! Yes, I let my excited kids eat a full on cheeseburger at 10:15 in the morning. Nathan ate the whole thing while little Laura just really picked at hers. I don't even think she took another bite after this picture. They were so happy and excited to be a part of the finished celebration.

The Backyard - Day 5

Day 5 is Thursday and by the end of the day they are almost done. I am so pleased with how the whole thing matches and flows together. It is simple and basic and I can't wait to start being out there and enjoying the yard!

The Backyard - Day 2

Friday was Day 2 of the backyard project and it was the concrete day. I made blueberry muffins and had to quickly make another batch when I saw all the guys show up (there were about 12 in all). They were done relatively early this day (around 1pm) because once the concrete is poured they can't do anything else.

Part of the design includes some boulder moss rocks and they actually poured the concrete around them to simulate that they were already there. I really loved the look of these rocks at one of their other jobs.

The Backyard - Day 1

After 8 quotes from landscaping companies, I decided to go with Fore Seasons Landscape (you can check out their website here: http://www.foreseasonslandscape.com/). They will even be on DIY networks Yard Crashers this fall (they just finished taping the episode). They were great guys and I really felt comfortable with them and that they understood where I was coming from and were going to give me what I wanted for my yard.

The kids were beyond excited. They were up first thing 7am (which is unheard of for my kiddos) to watch the construction. Day 1 went by really fast and they did so much that first day. They had to have the whole yard framed up for the concrete work to be done on Friday so they worked fast.

The Backyard - Before

I have been waay overdue to post backyard photos. Things have been more than a little crazy around here. Well, nine years have come and gone in this house without a backyard. I finally decided that this was the time to take care of it. There really is no good time to spend an obscene amount of money on it, but I really didn't want to go through another spring and summer with three kids under six in the house. So here are the before pictures...