Our Back Yard

 This post has been a long time coming! 2 years ago, I said to Mike, "Let's knock down the deck and put in a patio." This one sentence would turn into a major backyard renovation before I knew it. 

Our deck was such a headache. We kept having issues with it rotting and we'd replace the rotting wood in the spring/summer, and another spot would pop up the following spring after the damage over the winter. It was very very frustrating. I kept throwing around the idea of a patio instead of a deck and it always sat on the "someday" list. 

Then came spring 2023 and we were throwing my sister a baby shower in June. I then said the time is now! Let's knock down the deck and lay some pavers. Welllllll..... this job turned into much more than we could handle. 

Here is our patio today! It's perfect for our family of 8 and we now have more than enough room when we entertain! It's just gorgeous and more than we ever imagined!! 

Let me take you back. Below is Mike in April of 2023.

This is pretty much the best before picture I can find. On a whim Mike started knocking down the railings and took down the stairs. There was no turning back now...

Andddd then it sat like this. For months. We did not get it done in time for the baby shower. Honestly it wouldn't have mattered. It was freezing and raining the day of Lexi's baby shower. But that's a story for another day. I got a few astronomical quotes for a patio the same size as our deck, which we turned down and finally we hired my sister in laws brother, Justin to do it for us. And I'm so thankful we did! This backyard is all Justin. I gave him a small idea of what I wanted, and he ran with it and made it even better! What started out as "laying some pavers" turned into knocking down a ton of trees, 2 retaining walls, 2 patios, gorgeous flower beds (complete with my favorite flowers, hydrangeas), landscaping, stairs, replacing some shingles, lots and lots of lighting, irrigation and a gorgeous firepit! Oh, and we threw an above ground pool in there too! We have big dreams of someday doing an inground pool, not sure if we'll ever get there but for now this above ground is great for the kids.

Before.... After!

This after picture is so us! There's stuff everywhere. Towels, toys, drinks. I just snapped this one night while we were outside enjoying our backyard. No perfectly styled pictures here! LOL!

Remember how I said it turned into a major backyard renovation? Well, in the midst of doing the patio we decided to throw in a propane firepit. Go big or go home?! I guess that was our motto with this yard! 

When we decided to do this, I felt a little silly. Not going to lie. I kept saying we aren't fancy enough for this. But honestly, it's the best part of the yard! We use it ALL THE TIME!

We finally got our irrigation system up and running and the only thing that's left is to grow some grass in the back yard and re-mulch the beds/swing set area! I'll make sure to share even more after pictures once we are completely done! 

This post is long overdue. I just had to remind myself to do it! I wanted to get outside and take more pictures, but I had all these in my phone and none of the plants are in full bloom right now, so I figured I'll use what I have. Like I said I'll share more when we are completely done. This backyard is a great reminder to me, and anyone else, that Rome was not built in a day. But it was so so worth it! I know we will enjoy it for years to come!!

And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you...that's 3 posts 3 days in a row!!

Have the best weekend and Happy Mother's Day! I'll be home with my crew trying to relax and probably having a high noon at that firepit! 

xoxo,

Kristen