We have been very busy landscaping and sprucing up the backyard and surrounding property. Up until last year we looked like we were a test site for missiles and could not have imagined the yard looking presentable let alone beautiful. It has been a huge undertaking and one that involved 80 dump truck loads of fill, over a 100 bags of dirt, and countless hours to get where we are. By no means are we ready for the cover of Better Homes and Gardens but we can now safely let the kids play outside without fear of losing them in a sinkhole.
One of the main areas that we are trying to focus on is the vegetable garden. This area is outlined using old split rail fencing that lines the driveway to the garage and behind that is a grove of trees which leads to a manmade pond on the edge of the horse pastures. One day I saw my Dad heading over the trees with one of our four bushwhackers and proceeded to clear a path to a little clearing amongst the birch trees. I watched in amazement as he drug along a large wooden platform and meticulously set this down in the centre, what was he up to? I quickly found out as as he painstakingly set up a tiny IKEA pup tent that we picked up at a thrift on top of the platform and my mom placed the finishing touches by setting out several plastic chairs.
Once this was all in place we sent my oldest out to his secret spot armed with his own camping gear and a bag of popcorn. I cannot tell you how long he stayed in that tent and probably would still be there had I not had to bribe him back to the house. The nice thing about this location is it's completely visible from the house but tucked away enough that he feels he has his privacy. When his best friend Spencer from across the street comes over they immediately retreat to this "secret" spot and spend the afternoon hiding away from us adults. Moments like this reinforce why we choose to live as a we do with my parents. Many people ask us (and them) how this could possibly work? and my response is "how could it not?" I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to live as we do with the best grandparents two little boys could ever have.