And it begins.

Our big yard renovation has begun!  We have waited since we moved in to be able to do this and here we are 18 months later.  Travis has taken this whole week off and our family and church are helping with labor and some of the finances.  Our church all pitched in and paid for the retaining wall blocks and some plants.  That was a huge relief off our shoulders as things have gotten very tight in our finances. On Monday Steve, Chuck, and Travis got started with tilling the front and back along with the mow strips and built the retaining wall!  Chuck brought one of his dogs with him named Stardust and she was our yard mascot.  The kids got quite the kick out of Stardust and they were allowed to dig anywhere in the yard that they wanted which was , according to Claire, "The best thing ever!"  We still have to take out the horrible "dirt" (Which is actually just gravel) and get the top soil in, get river rock in the mow strips, grade the yard, plant plants, make planter boxes, build another retaining wall around the deck, and seed the new lawn.  It's a long list but I think we can get it done this week and weekend.  It will be so nice to have a yard the kids can play in and we can use for growing veggies and just relaxing in.  At this point we are ahead of schedule but hope to be in that position all week!