We have been making some little updates to our yard as each season passes by. Whether it be an intentional design change by me or a fallen tree from a storm, the ebb and flow of the change in seasons has us continuing to enjoy and grow with our yard.
Last summer, on a whim, I told Brent how much the stairway plants drove me crazy. They were always growing into the stairs making it hard to carry a baby and all the things. It looked okay initially but the upkeep and deterrence grew frustrating. So right then and there, while I was holding our one month old, he started pulling them out. It was immediate gratification at its best!
An hour or so later we had wide open stairs and a view!
Now that the shrubs were gone, we now had two sections full of dirt and rock. Our hope is that the side on the left will fill in with grass (so far it is getting plenty of green weeds at least!). And on the right I wanted to fill it in with plants I could transplant from around the yard. I started with a few large ferns and other evergreen plants to fill in the majority of the space. Then I hoped that the spring and summer plants would fill in as they grow.
By the fall we still had quite a bit of dirt, but things were looking hopeful. I also painted our front door white adding to the curb appeal (though a curb that no one sees as it faces away from the road!).
It really opened up the view from our front patio and the view we can see from the kitchen.
Now a year later, we lost the small tree that was in the middle of the grass during a storm and things have started to grow in around the stairs. This is how it looks now.
Here is a closer up photo that we took for our son's baby book of us in front of the house where he was born. Brent had offered to mow the lawn before we took the photo but we were nearing naptime and I didn't want to bother. Now I wish I would have let him! But regardless, you can see how it is starting to get more green!
Some other little updates we have made is that I added this simple garden and border next to our green house. Since we don't have a garage, it is a storage space for us. Adding a few ferns and plants from around the property makes this see through shed a little nicer!
We also had a heavy cement table on our back patio that never got used. Brent recently moved it up into the garden for me. Now it is a focal point in the yard, allowing for more place space down below for the little ones.
Our biggest addition this spring was purchasing this Kid Kraft playhouse from Costco. I really liked the one they had last year so we decided to go for it this season as our kids are at a great age to enjoy it this summer. They seem to have some version of this at Costco each year, so keep your eye out if you are interested in a cute white one like this!
The kids loved helping put together the playhouse. Brent is definitely the more patient one when it comes to letting the kids help with grown up tasks! It ended up taking us about four hours to put together. Think Ikea type work and directions! I laid out all the pieces which were numbered so that Brent could follow the instructions more quickly. We lucked out and it was a beautiful day. Probably the warmest we have had all spring. Hoping for some sunnier days to come.
It was well worth all the work! It has been a hit all season long.
The playhouse is to the right of our house. We've spent the majority of our time playing on the other side of the house (and where you would see pictures). So having a reason to better use our entire yard has been nice.
Since we are now spending the majority of our time outside on the opposite side of the yard, I wanted to move things around to better serve us in this season. I decided to move our patio furniture on to the porch and move all the toys down closer to the playhouse. That way we could sit on the comfortable furniture on the porch and watch the kids play. Plus with the rain and never ending dropping pine needles, this keeps our cushions dry and clean.
I brought over our sand table and styled it with an umbrella and chairs. It now feels like an intentional outdoor space with different zones for playing and relaxing.
We have already enjoyed a few meals outdoors and it has been so much fun to take our afternoons outdoors. I am learning as we live here in the Pacific Northwest that I can rearrange our yard for the spring and summer and then put things back once winter comes around. Certain things need shelter from the weather at different parts of the year so being flexible with how we use our outdoor things will serve us better in each season.
I often want things to be permanent but then realize that life and seasons are always changing. What worked last year may not work this year. So by being open to spending a few hours tweaking things, I can enjoy our home even more as we enjoy the ever changing seasons of life.
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