Home improvement project

We decided to take advantage of the nice weather today and completed a home improvement project we had in mind. After one year in the house and putting the dog out in the back yard multiple times a day, the grass at the bottom of the stairs was looking pretty sad. Darby hits the grass, turns, and runs out to the yard and there's a dead spot where she takes off. We decided to tear out the grass and put in some pavers.

In the off-chance of being a little 4-H-y, here's some photos of the process (sorry, forgot to take a before photo). We measured, took out the grass (and used the good stuff to fill in bad spots around the yard), took out some dirt so the pavers would be flush with the ground, and then worked up the dirt to help even it out.
We laid sand underneath the pavers to help level them out. I was actually really impressed with our measuring job--they fit in perfectly; we even had to jump on a few to have them fall into place. The leveling was the worst part; it was a lot of adding and removing small amounts of sand, making sure they didn't wobble and that they were more or less level along the top (we chose a cobblestone pattern so it was somewhat forgiving one exact height). I'm also glad we went with big pavers; it looks like a lot of little bricks, but there were only 9 pavers total.

We then filled in the cracks with sand, watered it so it would settle, and the project was complete! The pavers will probably settle more as we walk on them and as rain washes the sand down into the cracks. I hope they stay level!

View from the deck looking down. Note Darby had to periodically check out the situation. Later in the day she was laying on the new paver pad--I think she likes the heat the bricks absorb from the sun. And looking up from the yard. The grass slopes here as it comes off the house, so it doesn't look level up against the deck steps, but trust me, between the pavers and the grass and from paver to paver is all bare-foot approved. Level enough that your feet would never know and I think that's the most important point of view. Next outdoor project is the flowerbeds! I hope the weather stays this wonderful!