O Baby!: The Man Space...It's Finally Finished!

Remember how I keep referencing this secret man space that we have been working on for what seems like forever? And remember how I have been saying for the past few months that we were almost done? Well...this weekend we finally brought our BIG project to a close!! Okay, okay...I still have a few more things that I want to do - outdoor speakers, strung lights, a fun centerpiece, etc. But as for now...it is done!

Creating this outdoor living space has been a looong time in the making. First, Cody took our completely bare backyard and designed the whole plan all by himself. Then, we shopped around for the most perfect supplies and materials to do the job. Next, we started the deck and pergola building process...and the crushed granite pathway process...and the landscaping process too. After all of that, we had our sprinkler system continued into the backyard. And finally, we finished the deck and pergola off with a rich brown stain after allowing the wood to dry out. It was a lot of work, and we definitely had our ups and downs. But it is all worth it when we watch Hayes crawl around on the deck with a pile of toys or when we drag his highchair out there to eat dinner as a family.

Before I reveal the final product, I have to build the anticipation just a little bit more by showing you a picture of how our backyard looked when we first bought our house nearly three years ago. You see...our home was a foreclosure, and the yard had been neglected for far too long. This picture might be difficult for some of you to bare, but you have to see what we started with to truly appreciate just how far this space has come...