Yard Improvement: Part One

We finally got our tax return and finally had the extra funds to get a lawn mower, etc. Our yards are a wreck thanks to the previous tenants. I have to admit that after Arizona cactus and rock landscaping, facing a bunch of trees that actually shed leaves is overwhelming. Once the weather warmed up, the grass started to grow and so did the weeds. We had approximately 2 million dead leaves and 20,000 branches to pick up, among other things.

We spent about 4 hours just working on the front yard. The front, not the side. We're on a corner lot and the side yard goes pretty far down the street. We still have a lot of work ahead of us!

Connor actually did help a bit. He raked with Daddy:

 

 

Connor kept calling his rake a "boy toy" which we found hilarious

He helped me stuff leaves, sticks and other debris (I actually found a peanut still in it's shell) into bags and then dragged the bag to the front of the house:

Big Muscles!

Josie isn't used to all of us being right outside for so many hours. We heard what sounded like distressed meows and ran to look in the window and saw this:

Is Josie actually lonely?

After raking and mowing and trimming and pulling weeds, things looked better.

 
Trees and bushes are flowering and I love them!

We still have much more work to do! Good thing we're getting lots of Spring showers these days...at least we don't need to water the lawn yet. :)

I just have to add that I was so impressed with Connor's great behavior yesterday. We obviously don't have a fenced in front yard and Connor mostly plays out in back where it's safely fenced in. The time we have spent in front has been a training time for Connor to stay within the proper boundaries. He was awesome about it yesterday and didn't get bored or complain or get into mischief. No dashing down the street or across the street. I didn't realize until later how stress-free it was for us and how nice it felt. I miss having a baby at times, but most of the time it's great to see how much easier it is to have a child that's trained in not toddling off or putting dirt in his mouth. :)