Ok...I guess I'll start walking now.

This little chickadee had been taking steps for a while now, but still continued to prefer crawling as her main way to get around. Not today, though! Suddenly she is up on her feet, although still a bit wobbly, walking all around the house. If she stumbled, she just got back up and kept going. Very cute to see such a petite little thing walking around, feeling very proud!

Before and After - Backyard Photos

Imagine a dry and dusty desert and you pretty much hit on what our yard used to look like (especially after Roundup was sprayed on the little existing grass we had and wiped it out!).

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Pretty desolate looking!

Parched!  Makes you want to ask for a drink of water...

There is nothing pretty about dead grass...

Then the glorious day arrived when the landscaper, Luis, arrived with his crew.  They worked HARD on two different days installing sprinklers, drains, and BEAUTIFUL GREEN GRASS!   They also put mulch on our slope and planted ground cover plants that will help with erosion and beautify the upper area of our yard. 

What a difference!

Unfortunately it takes a few weeks for the sod to "stick" so the kids haven't been able to play out there yet, but I am looking forward to spending a lot of time in the yard with our three high-energy children.  Or more realistically, I will be sending them outdoors when they are driving me crazy in the house!

There raised flower beds will be my next big project.  I am looking forward to planting some California natives and other drought resistant perennials.  The smaller planter at the end will be my herb garden.