Spring has Sprung!!

In August, we moved into our brand new house, a mere 35 days before our little Taylor was born. From the day we signed papers to the day she was born I was frantically trying to get the whole house put together in anticipation of her arrival. I painted and decorated like crazy. Even as I was going into labor and waiting for my brother-in-law to come and watch Amanda, the UPS guy delivered more items for me to decorate with - it was all coming together. Then came Taylor. . . and fall. . . and winter. . .

Now spring has sprung!! We have begun the process of landscaping the backyard (otherwise known as the giant sandbox- I even got Amanda a set of sand toys). We decided that instead of just throwing down some sod and calling it good, we've decided to make our backyard a bit of a sanctuary for our family. The plans include a retaining wall, a stone patio and walkway, a gas firepit, and lots and lots of plants.

I'm excited as we've begun putting our ideas into motion. My husband, along with the help of 2 1/2 year old Amanda, built the retaining wall in just a couple of days - and I have to say, it looks wonderful. Next comes the curbing, sprinklers, and grass. We'll see what we get done this week - it could be a really busy one for this family.

I plan to take some landscaping magazines with us on our trip next week to get some additional ideas. I'd love to have the "WOW" factor in my backyard. Any ideas?