The great outdoors

I have always considered myself to be a rather outdoorsy kind of person.  From as far back as I can recall, I spent a lot of time outside.  Whether it was playing with my brothers, hanging out with friends, playing whichever sport was in season or going for walks, I loved being outside and was encourage by both of my parents to do so.  As I got older, my outdoor interests changed slightly but the amount of time out there didn't alter all that much.  Way more time was spent going for runs or walks and less time looking for toads (that was my number 1 favorite thing to do when I was a little girl and my mom still calls to tell me whenever she finds one in her gardens) but being outside was still a must for me.

When we purchased our home, we knew that location was a must.  Our home inspection was in February of 2009, a day in which we got over two feet of snow.  We had seen pictures of the yard from the listing online and we were able to walk around it but we had no idea what kinds of vegetation we were going to have and exactly what kind of yard it would be.  As the snow began to melt, we began to see signs of all different kinds of life.  Blueberries, blackberries, birch trees, rhododendrons, rose bushes, lilacs and more.  There are all kinds of animals, including a beaver who makes an appearance every once in awhile.  However, for the first years that we lived here, I was so-so on the yard.  It's nice but I can't say that I loved it.  We are fortunate to have this path in the back that leads to this neat memorial with a pond and beautiful stone benches.  We are unfortunate to have all of the mosquitos that come along with property near still water.  We purchased a bat house to hang to help regulate the mosquito population but nonetheless it gets buggy back there.

Fast forward 3 years and we have a 20 month old that just wants to be outside.  I mean every moment of everyday, he wants to be outside.  Rain, shine, light, dark, hot, cold, outside.  Tuns out, besides the bugs, we have a pretty perfect spot for a little boy who loves to run and explore.  We have been spending a lot of time in the backyard and I have kind of started to fall in love with it.  We still have some work to do but lately, it has been picturesque.  And now it holds memories for us.  Max's first birthday party was back there.  Family cookouts and gatherings with friends.  Late afternoons just being silly, rolling down the hill and running after one another.  It holds our future too, especially for Max, of many days and nights playing, hanging with family and friends and hopefully finding a toad or two.