The Backyard

I was fresh out of college working for the state of Utah. Eric was going to school full time and working part time spraying poo, true story. So what do we do- have our first home built of course. It was the perfect starter home in Lehi, UT. The home builders would finish the front yard, but the backyard was up to us. We didn't have a huge backyard but it was perfect as it opened up to this great wooded area with a walking path and stream. We had grand plans for how we were going to finish our backyard using railroad ties to tier our yard. But that never happened because one, neither of us are really big working-in-the-yard-types and secondly a year later Eric graduated, got a job and we got relocated to Durango, CO.

Our first home under construction--see the lovely wooded area behind it

I was 5 months pregnant with Lucas when we moved. We rented this big home on the side of a hill. Our backyard...well we didn't have one. We did have a huge deck off of the back of our house, followed by a huge steep hill (perfect for sledding down in the winter). On the 4th of July we would sit on our back porch and watch the fireworks. It was perfect...until Lucas started to get bigger and wanted to go out and play. We would end up going to the park a lot at the bottom of the very very steep hill...which was very apparent on the way back up.

Lucas in our backyard--i.e. the porch

So when we were once again going to get transferred, this time while I was 7 months pregnant with Alex, I had one major requirement, our next house had to have a fenced backyard. A real yard. When we told our Arizona realtor this he just kind of chuckled since pretty much all houses in Mesa have a fenced backyard. And not just any fence, but cinder block wall-i.e. Total privacy fences.

Our back yard in Mesa was beautiful with so many wonderful plants, which we killed many of, new fruit trees-which died in our first record cold winter there and a play set in sand-which the neighborhood cats used as a liter box. But really we loved our yard and the kids spent a lot of time outside playing, in the winter that is, much too hot in the summer.

Lucas and Alex in our Mesa backyard
(now you know why we used to call her Chubbers)

A couple of years later and it was time to move again. This time I was not pregnant though. We knew we once again wanted a good backyard. As a mother it is a gift straight from heaven to be able to just send your kids in the backyard to run off some energy and prevent you from having a breakdown. There were houses with pools, there were houses with beautiful lawns and play-sets and then there was our yard with a newly planted lawn. But once again our house opened to nothing, just a big church school way off in the distance. And we have taken full advantage of this yard. Growing long lush weeds, only to he killed off with weed killer along with all of the grass, just to try again a second time. To finally hiring someone to do it and to come take care of our yard for us.

Ahh yes the backyard- our ever loved nemesis.

Our lush grass before we killed it--the first time

This post inspired by Oswald Cuties Monday Mug's Theme
The Backyard

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