Rafael finally got to do something that he has been itching to do since we moved in…plant a tree. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he wanted to plant a tree so badly. “Our backyard is a forest preserve!” I thought. But there was something about planting a tree on our property that made it feel uniquely his. So, in celebration of moving in one year ago, we set out on an arbor adventure.

We (by we, I mean Rafael did the labor while I watched) tore out an old sandbox, which ended up being the perfect spot for some new life. We went to our local garden center and picked out a variegated Norwegian maple. We learned as much as we could remember from the expert at the store (did you know trees should be planted in a square hole – never round?!) we went home to put it in the ground.

It was really important to Rafael that the tree be planted the same year as our daughter is born. It’s “her” tree now. The fact that it’s a Norwegian is a nod to Grandma C. I love that this tree will be the marker of memories in our backyard for many years to come.