Oh what a blustery day

It's a rainy spring day outside. Ainsley is down for her morning nap. (She now grabs her blanky and pacifier and goes to the stairs with her arms outstretched when she's ready for her nap and then waves goodbye when we put her in her crib. She's getting so big!) I have approximately 1 hour before I'll need to wake her up to head over to our musikgarten class, hurry home for lunch and do a last minute clean up before our playdate at 1. It's so nice to have some fun things on the docket for today.
Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, at least in the afternoon once it stopped raining. Ainsley and I went to the park in her new red wagon and spent the late afternoon hours in the backyard. I raked and pulled weeds, delighted in finding numerous sprouting bulbs of which I have NO clue the origin. I'm hoping for tulips. I really felt like I was in the secret garden. Ainsley on the other hand had a blast running around our, thankfully, fenced in yard exploring under the deck, in the bushes and of course the dirt. She was covered in it by the time Ian got home. She of course managed to eat some and rub a lot in her hair. I don't get wigged out about messes like that because she is clearly having so much fun exploring and investigating different textures and smells.
As an adult I still appreciate sensory experiences. While working at the elementary school my teacher and I used to fight over who got to monitor the kindergarteners in the sensory table. Especially if we had something extra fun like cornstarch and water in there. It's fun getting your hands messy and so relaxing to just play with sand or soft dirt. I am so looking forward to true spring when we can spend hours out back gardening and playing.
While in our yard I was trying to decide what we could do, on a tight budget, to spruce up the space for both Ainsley and Ian and I. I would love to get a little fire pit because I LOVE fires, but the practicality of making a fire eiher with Ainsley around or after she goes to bed seems unrealistic compounded by the fact that I will be huge and pregnant this summer and any extra heat will be unwelcomed makes that seem like a bad option. I know I want to plant a small vegetable garden. I'm thinking of sticking mainly to herbs and a few vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, that I use often. We have a great farmers market in Oak Park and I know I won't be able to restrain from going there each week to stock up so I don't want to go overboard. I'd also love to get something to get something for Ainsley to play with/on like a small sandbox or a playhouse. While we have a great park right up the road it's still not the same as having something in your own backyard. To complicate matters I would also like to build anything that we put back there. While neither Ian or I are particularly handy I love to make things plus the look of wood over plastic is always preferable to me. I'm thinking a home made sandbox next to a playhouse with a little table and chairs in it would be just the thing. Home Depot here we come!?

Okay, so I know this is a garden, but it'd work and it looks fairly simple to do, right? Two college graduates (one a PhD candidate) should be able to figure this out.

I'm hoping to plant some perennials around the border of the yard and Ian has his heart set on a small flowering tree. Keep in mind we are talking about an oversized Chicago lot here. Not much space to work with.

I am already seeing that in so many ways this is the perfect first house for Ian and I. We have always wanted an old home with character and charm, but I'm realizing this comes with some definite draw backs and disadvantages. I love our home for right now but must admit I already miss the sprawling backyard of my childhood with the wide open lot right across the street, neighbors more than spitting distance apart and an attached garage. Some day.

Right now I am just excited to get outdoors and extend our living space there. I Can't wait to get a grill and a table and chairs out there. I can just picture myself snoozing on a lawn chair while Ainsley snoozes this summer. It's going to be great! Now just to finish that raking...