Getting Beautified

Our poor home had been neglected for a lot of years after moving in.  Back in 2010, five years in, we started fixing bigger things such as replacing old carpet and getting rid of old furniture that wasn't safe for a young child (or falling apart) and purchasing new stuff.  It was time.  It's been pretty slow going from then on.  Aaron had wanted to put up a privacy fence since that time, but one thing led to another and we found ourselves putting our money elsewhere.  Well, my husband's wish is finally coming true this year.  We are buckling down and making more much needed improvements on the home.  The fence is a great investment for us.  Having an autistic child, it's an awesome feeling being able to keep him contained in one area instead of having to watch his every move.  He has escaped to the front of the house, which scares us to death.  We can't see him, he can get out in the road, and so much more!  Some other reasons for getting a fence are...

1. We have a dog.  I'm sure Peyton gets tired of being confined to a tie-out all the time.  I know he'll love the freedom.
2. We want it for safety.  We have a big playset in our backyard that has been open to the public for as long as I can remember.  This could be a liability.  If someone were to climb and get hurt this could fall on us.  I certainly don't want to be sued.  Thankfully, we've been very lucky up until this point.
3. This is making my husband super happy (outside of the labor intensive work that goes into it all).  He has been wanting this for so long for our family.  He works hard, so he deserves to have something he's been wanting for nine years!
4. We have to have a fence before we can have a pool, according to our city ordinance.  Pools can be a lot of work to maintain (thanks to expert pool owners in my family, we'll be set), but with Liam still being obsessed with water, and being as close to "normal" while being in said water, it's perfect for him and great for us.  There's nothing better than having your own private oasis in your own backyard with no crowds or a gazillion kids bombing you as you're creeping into cold water to worry about.

A deck, among other things, will come next year if all goes well.  We're taking a break from all the hard work we've done.  Thanks, Heather, for the pool!  You did our family a huge favor, and the boys are going to LOVE it!!  It took us awhile to decide on these bigger improvements, but it will all be worth it in the end.  We're hoping to have everything finished (weather permitting) by mid-late June.  Aaaaaaamen!

Oh, and we extended our patio that we did last year.  Round one of installation was a 13x8.  Round two is now an 18x10.  Much better for us.  We also had dirt put in before the fence went up.  We had to level out our yard in order to put the pool in.  They didn't do what we asked.  I'm going to chalk it up to either forgetting our conversation or miscommunication.  We asked that they level out our yard on the right side, not put a mound of dirt in the yard to accommodate the pool only.  We're working with it and think it's going to work out just fine. We're so excited!!

Our neighbor friends came over to help with the fence (and play with Liam, of course.)

And then Liam being his adorable self during the process.

Peyton's new throne.

Oh, and drinking from an actual glass/cup for a few weeks or so now.  This wouldn't be a big thing for other kids, but it is for Liam.  Being autistic, he gets attached to things very easily.  In this case it would be his sippie cup.  

Big things are happening at the House Of Z, including slowly paying off a couple of debts (YES!).  Can't wait to share more of this project and other fun things!