Yet Another Backyard Project

One of the limitations of our current backyard is the mud/weed pit just beyond our patio. While Justin loved it for digging and playing in, it was an eyesore and highly impractical. Anytime we wanted to go up to the garden, take care of the chickens, or get to Justin's jungle gym we had to walk far off to either side of the mud pit and go up and around instead of having a straight shot. But never fear, because Dave of the "anything is possible" camp is here! We (by "we" I mostly mean Dave as my physical abilities will get more and more diminished over the next weeks and months) are going to extend the patio, build a short retaining wall, and build steps up to the garden. Sounds simple, right?!

Well, today was the first step in the project. Dave knows somebody from church who owns a small excavator tractor and he graciously came over and dug for us today. We went from having an uneven mud/weed pit to having a mostly level, roughly half-moon shaped mud pit. It may not look like much, but it's a crucial first step in the process. Justin, needless to say, had a blast all day being outside with "the guys" (a.k.a. Daddy and the friend from church) and watching the digging first hand. He was side by side with Dave and a shovel trying to match Dave dig for dig.

Here's the before and after shot:


At one point the wheelbarrow was stuck in the mud:

Justin helping to level out and remove excess dirt/mud:


Justin's dump truck got lots of use today as he used it to haul away his loads of dirt/mud


He's on his third pair of pants for the day, and his boots may never recover from the layers of mud, but what a day to be a boy! Here he's busy fighting off bad guys and was last seen throwing clumps of dirt at the invisible invaders.