Tax Refunds

So, I thought I would post something not so "soapbox-ish" to read, but then I realized that I don't have any new pictures of the kids. What can I say, we've been boring lately. I would send you a picture of the sweetness lying in the nursery right now but I'm too afraid the camera would wake him up.

So instead I'll tell you about fun stuff. (Fun for me, anyways.)

We've finished our federal taxes and would have filed them already except I discovered that N's social was wrong on one of his W-2's. Now we're waiting for that. And it irks me cause I've got a lot of money coming back from the government and I'm ready to spend it! I've already spent it a million times over in my head. The last student loan is high on the list. That's a definite. Then the rest is a little more flexible. Disneyland crossed the radar for awhile and N made lots of inquiries into accomodations and such, but that's probably out the window. Then N made the observation that our car, although running fine, will not last forever, and we should probably start saving up for a new one. I liked this idea (even though the thought of losing my beloved car was heartbreaking - who knew I could ever actually love a car?) and we'll probably put a big chunk away for that.
Then there are the few things that would kind of be nice to have but I never have the money for them - like a new water softener, a steam cleaner for all of the lil kid things on the carpet, a paper shredder for my office, etc. But those are all boring and this is supposed to be about fun, so....

This is our yard, as seen from my bedroom window.

It's dirt.But it's also a very large yard for this area of the country. That's one of the big reasons why we chose this particular house.

And while winter is still in full-swing for most of you, here in the desert, spring has arrived. Weird, huh? There are people everywhere hauling wheelbarrows full of stone. And I think I just might like to join 'em.

I think landscaping my backyard is a great way to spend my tax return. And luckily so does N. Now we just have to decide what we want to do. We've been thinking about it ever since we moved here, but with M being born last summer, we didn't get a chance to do anything about it.

We're definitely putting in grass which is a big undertaking. How on earth are you supposed to install a drip-system? I didn't even know they existed before we moved here. Grass is just supposed to grow. Period. At least it does in places where I'd like to live. Whose idea was it to move to the desert anyways? Don't answer that.

So, once we figure out the grass, we're putting in trees and stone (you kind of have to in the desert) and a playground and extending the patio and... and... and...

I'm starting to wonder if all this is going to fit. I think I need a bigger yard.

Oh, and here's what some of my neighbors hve done with their yards.

Just gravel. Boring, but efficient.This will be pretty. Extended patio with what I'm guessing will be a bordered grassy area. And then the requisite rocks. Yeck.

So, what are you doing with your refund?