The Pond Pit

So...we've lived here for almost 2 years and it was finally time to figure out what to do with the pond hole in the backyard. We could either move our sandbox to it, get a load of dirt and fill it in, or dig more and put the tramp in the hole. We have always wanted to have an in ground trampoline, but knew it was a lot of work and  expensive. I finally was able to find someone that would dig the hole for pretty cheap. When he showed up he told us he needed a spot for the dirt and our beautiful Rose of Sharon bush had to go :( He said he could transplant it for us, which is what I always wanted to do anyway. So with one scoop he picked up the bush and planted it next to the house for me.

 It took him most of the afternoon to dig out the hole. He even taught me how to use the backhoe:

 We decided to not dig the hole straight down so we didn't need to build a retaining wall. Instead he dug the hold more bowl shaped and left a shelf around the top of it. That way we could take the legs of the tramp off and place the frame on top of cinder blocks. Sean and I spent the next week getting cinder blocks, leveling and spacing them, then cementing the stubs of the legs into them. It took quite a bit of time, but it has been SO much better for the kids. They LOVE it! We got it done just in time for Brooklyn's party. Btw, in this picture, you'll notice that there are no mounds of dirt next to the tramp. Sean and I spent 2 weeks hauling the dirt around to different spots of the yard. It took forever! And it was hot, hot, HOT! Thank goodness Sean was around to help so much or it never could've been done in time for the party.