Tree Planting

Andrew and I have been wanting to plant a fourth tree in the backyard for awhile now.  We can't exactly remember the reason why we didn't go ahead and plant one when we planted the other three.  Finally 4 years later, a fourth tree was planted yesterday in the backyard.

Yesterday, Andrew, Jackson, Cullen and I loaded up into both cars and went to Home Depot.  The Home Depot trip was adventurous in itself.  I was chasing Jackson around the Garden Center while Andrew (with Cullen's help) loaded up 8 bags of topsoil and compost and the 10 gallon Crepe Myrtle on a cart.  After capturing Jackson and steering him back, Andrew asked me to grab another cart and start loading bags of mulch.  I loaded up 14 bags of mulch with Jackson 'supervising.'  Cullen was a big help to Andrew as well when he ran in between pallets of bags in which Andrew could't fit between.  While I'm loading the mulch, I hear Andrew coaxing Cullen out of his 'hiding space.'

After getting our carts loaded, we head to check out, but neither one of us can push the load of mulch.  It's just too heavy.  I'm dying laughing at the ridiculousness of this because we look like a comedy routine.  We finally checkout.  Two wonderful Home Depot employees help us load up our 2 sedan cars.  Yes, we were low riding all the way home.

Andrew and I brought everything into the backyard to start planting the tree.  Cullen, Jackson and both dogs decided to help.  Instead of helping to dig, my job became keeps the kids away from the shovel, till, and pick ax.  Cullen was definitely easier to manage.  Jackson kept jumping over the hole the entire time Andrew was digging.  I had to physically pull him away when the pick ax was being used.  The dogs barked, started digging in the dirt, dug in the dirt already shoveled out, and tried attacking the shovel and pick ax when being used.  It looked like a circus.

After about an hour, I cleaned the kids off the best I could and gave them lunch.  Andrew was able to finish up planting the tree while I had Jackson and Cullen inside.

Poor Andrew was outside for two hours and came in crazy sunburned on his arms and neck.  I told him there is this crazy thing called sunblock.  It's not new, but amazingly helpful for pale as sin people like him.  I don't think he found my comment quite as amusing as I did.

After all of that, the tree was successfully planted!  Thank you Andrew for your manual labor so I could have another tree in the backyard!