The drainage in our upper level in our backyard has been really bad for a long time. Steve has wanted to tear up the yard and fix it so a month ago we began this huge project. 
This is what our yard looked like when we started the project. Steve rented a sod cutter to take out the grass that's why it looks so bad!
We worked on this project every Friday and Saturday for about a month. We hired a bunch of strong young men from our church to help us with this project. As there is no wide access to our back yard, they had to haul in and out everything by wheelbarrow. We rented a trailer, which had a power dump on it. We would fill the trailer with dirt and rocks and and then took it and dumped it at a site that took fill dirt. We hauled out 9 trailer loads of dirt - probably about 6-8 cubic yards of soil.
Each morning we started with a home cooked breakfast. Cynthia took awesome care of us - the breakfasts and lunches were great.
Brooklyn worked so hard - just as hard as the young men we hired! She is being paid with free room and board. :)
One day while we were working the fiber optic cable that carries our phone and Internet was damaged - no dial tone - oh, oh I believe the rototiller ran over it! Oops!
We rented all kinds of fun tools. This particular day it was pouring rain and there was mud everywhere!
Chris ran the jack hammer like a pro! Taking out the concrete pad that used to hold the basketball standard. We also took out the concrete around the red post in the background that used to hold up the gymnastics bar that was part of the play structure. Jack hammers rock!
Steve and Austin working the trench digger.
Steve taught these young men how to use all kinds of cool tools.
Steve laying the big pipe for our french drain. He also put in a drain to take the rain water from the rain gutter downspout off the patio.
Brooklyn and Austin filing up a wheel barrow of rocks for the french drain.
Here we are having a lunch break.
Steve and Austin leveling the yard. They look like a pair of work mules pulling this thing Steve made that helps to level out the yard!
One day we rented our very own mini cement truck so we could pour our cement mow strips.
It was so fun to pour the cement mow strips all on our own.
Steve did a great job making the forms and doing the finishing work.
Steve would wheelbarrow in the cement and then Brooklyn and I would shovel it into the forms. We had to work fast before the cement set up.
Brooklyn and Steve pouring a cement ramp by our side gate. Hopefully that will make it easier to get the lawnmower from the backyard to the front yard.
The next step was to pick out 4 large rocks to use in our landscaping.
This huge crane picked up our rocks that we had picked out and put them into our trailer. It was like a huge claw! So cool to watch.
Each of those rocks weighed from about 200 to 500 lbs. each. Here are Steve and Austin moving the first and largest rock into the backyard. It was quite intense moving those big rocks.
Getting ready to lay the sod.
Sod layers!
Laying the sod by the stepping stones to get to the pool. You may wonder, "Where are the pictures of Cynthia? Didn't she help?" Well, in addition to making sure we all stayed fed and hydrated, she worked on the backyard as well - picking up and returning the rented tools, trailers, etc., pouring the concrete, helping with picking out the plants and giving "feedback" or "quality control" directions on how everything was going. Yes, you may not see pictures of Cynthia here, but her finger print is on the project. Thanks Cynthia Kay.
We layed the sod yesterday and then planted a couple of trees and some grasses.
Finally our yard is looking like a backyard we can play in!
We still have to fix the fence on the right side of our house. But this humongous project is just about finished. And just in time for our summer BBQ and swim parties!
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