Regan was loving the back yard stump hole. Kaylee was freaking out that her Daddy was killing her tree. I had to repeatedly tell her it was just a tree hair cut.
I was freaking out having inner thoughts and visions of blood and mayhem. BUT our poor formerly only tree was way past due for a through trimming.
CrAzEy PaNtS!
All the dead is gone and ready for spring growth. Fingers crossed. It's very sad looking right now.
This is what we started with. Some plants that were far to large for the flower bed, and a couple of large stumps. Although you cannot really see them in this photo the stumps are large and ugly.
I spent most of Friday gutting the flower bed. LOTS of weeds and plants needed to be removed. And grass. We extended the bed. The old one ended were the little picket fence started, and there was a shrub planted in the grass. Such a pain to mow and edge. 
Saturday we went to the Home Depot TWICE! Four full carts people. FOUR! The first trip was without the children, the second time wel took the children and let them go nuts picking out some annuals. 
We filled every nook and cranny of the van with flowers. It smelled SO good. 
The yard turned into a hot mess for a few days. 
Jon and Josh worked well past sunset using the rented stump grinder to grind out the stumps. 
Kaylee helped me take all the yummy smelling pine mulch and put it in the flower bed. I told her it smelled like Christmas. Poor kid have never had a real pine tree, and was baffled by my statement.
This is the finished flower bed. We extended it out to the drive way, and made it several inches deeper. I also laid the old flower bed boarder on its side and made it level with the grass so I can mow right over it. No more edging!
"Hey! I used to stand here!"
We have SO much pine mulch just waiting to be used. PROJECTS!
Jon: Hey, do you want a pot?
Me: For that awkward porch corner? YES! (It only took me 30+ min to pick one.)
It is so nice walking out the door and being greeted with this lovely sight.
I decided in a cloud of drugs (post nerve cauterization) that it was past time for us to buy tree for the front yard. This last months home teaching message was that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. A.K.A don't put off the important stuff. So we have been talking lots about actually planting trees, and fixing up the front yard.
I insisted that I was not in TOO much pain, and that we HAD to go after dropping Kaylee off to just look at trees. And then once there I insisted we buy trees and schedule a delivery. And since Jon loves me and often humors me and my crazy ideas we bought a couple of trees.
We hit up subway for a mini lunch date with our favorite Batman, and then headed off to the nursery.
Regan had a blast running around looking for "Acorn Fields"
We got a Tipu and a Mesquite. Both fast growing desert trees.
He literally ran around for a hour. And then was DONE.
Poor kiddo just wanted his Mama to hold him. I was close to tears myself (way over did it…), and REALLY needed drugs and an ice pack. BUT this trip was worth it! We have trees coming and are now on a time crunch to get rid of the stumps and fix the flower bed and irrigation in the yard. Two weeks, we have two weeks!