The Race Against the Frost

It's been really cold this fall, and of course we were not finished planting and mulching our landscaping. It wouldn't have been so bad had we not already had all the plants sitting in our yard. It was either plant now or they die. It stopped raining for a couple of days, so Chad took advantage of the drying black dirt and planted the rest of the plants we had. Then it got cold again and started raining again. We finally got a nice, warmer, and sunny weekend! We ran to the nursery and got the mulch and the last few plants we needed to complete this landscaping project for the upcoming winter. Here's a view from the deck looking down to the new stairs and wall.

A view of the stairs.
Another view looking down from the deck over the new section we just planted and mulched. Chad still needs to finish that section on patio pavers.
The newest section of landscaping.
We went to a wedding the end of September. We had a great time. Ava has balloons tied to her piggies! She wanted to sleep with them, but had to settle with them tied around her bed posts.

Landscaping & Volleyball

Finally, we're starting to see some real progress on this landscaping thing. We are nowhere near finished, but for now it's pretty cool. Chad finished the deck! The upper deck has been finished for a while, but the stairs and the lower deck/landing is now in full use.

Chad put in our curvy stairs, added another retaining wall, and filled everything with black dirt. Now it's time to plant the rest of our plants before they all die. Unfortunately, it's been pretty darn cold and rainy lately and it's not happening this weekend.
Another shot at the back of the house.
Lydia joined volleyball this year in third grade. It is so much fun to watch and she seems to like it. The first game was a blast and she stayed pretty focused. Lyd even hit the ball a few times! (In 3rd grade the ball falls to the floor most of the time!)