Almost Done

Our backyard is almost done and I love looking out the windows and seeing green grass and some plants instead of dirt. I have to give a big 'shout out' to my husband for ALL his hard work. With the exception of help loading cement and top soil (thank you to friends and family for help w/those things) to the backyard he has done it all himself. I told him he should have kept a count of how many wheelbarrow loads he made to the back yard w/blocks for the wall, dirt for the hill, sand for the sandbox, wood chips, and sod. I have been pregnant the whole time he has worked on it so I had a good excuse not to help. :) He has never once complained, but just got things done. Sometimes working at night w/flood lights and sometimes working with some little "helpers". So a big THANK YOU to my husband!!!!!
With the beautiful weather we have had this week it has been so much fun to go in the backyard and play. We are still trying to decide on an outdoor play set/swing set, some more plants, and what to do with a few spots.
Here are some pictures of the process:

Rented a Bobcat to pull back some of the dirt from the hill.
Luke loved riding along for a few minutes.

Picking away at the hill to get it ready for a retaining wall.

Katelyn watching the workers smooth out the concrete for the patio. You can see a little of the retaining wall in the background.

Enjoying the new patio.


Top soil is down, another little retaining wall, and plants and dirt are starting to go in on the hill. All those orange buckets are what Kevin would use to haul dirt up to the top of the hill.

Sod is in and most of the plants are in on the hill. We still want to put some trees and bushes at the top, but have not decided what exactly to put in yet. The wood chips Katelyn is playing in are where we are going to put a play set.

The grass has done really well and looks so pretty. I hope we can get it to stay that way. :)
To the right of the patio, when you are facing the yard, Kevin put in a sandbox that has gotten a lot of use already. We just need to teach Katelyn not to throw the sand.

In Honor of Valentine's Day (A day early)

I have seen this on several other blogs and thought it was kind of fun. I can't remember if I have been tagged to do it, but I'm going to anyway.

About my Valentine...

What is his name? Kevin

How long have you been together? We will be married for six years at the end of March. We dated for 9 months before getting married, with a short break at about the 3rd or 4th month of dating. :{ (I take full responsibility for that break. It was hard, but now looking back it was something I needed to do.)

How old is he? 34

Who eats more? I probably do right now being pregnant, but that has got to change as soon as this baby comes. :) We both have a major weakness for chocolate and sweets. He can usually eat more in that department, although I can put up some pretty good competition.

Who said I love you first? He did. He knew pretty fast. I was a little scared so it took me awhile to say it back. Poor guy. I can't believe how patient he was with me, but I am sure grateful.

Who is taller? He is.

Who sings better? He does. He has a great voice. I love to hear him play the piano and sing.

Who does the laundry? I usually do the laundry. He will put a load in every once in awhile and will help me fold the clothes on occasion.

Who pays the bills? He earns the money, but I make sure the bills are paid on time.

Who sleeps on the right side? If you are in the bed, he sleeps on the right side

Who mows the lawn? He does, but I wouldn't mind doing it every once in awhile. I grew up helping my brothers mow the lawn so it would not be a big deal to me.

Who cooks? I usually do, but he can cook really well. He is usually the one to make breakfast if we have pancakes, waffles, or french toast on the weekends. And he can make some great chocolate chip cookies.

Who drives? He usually does the driving. I prefer it that way, even though I think he would like me to drive every once in awhile.

Who is more stubborn? I would have to say I am definitely more stubborn.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me first.

Who has more friends? I would say we are pretty equal on this one.

Who has more siblings? He does. He has 8 siblings and I have 5.

Who wears the pants? I think it depends on the situation, but I'm sure he would say that I wear the pants. But I think we work pretty well together.

I tag whoever thinks this would be fun to do on their blog. (I'm not sure why some of my answers are in bold. I tried fixing it but it wouldn't change to normal.)