TUMBLEWEEDS... in our backyard!?!?

Our backyard used to look AMAZING. We had some nice bushes, a path, grass, fenced in garden. Then we got Augusta. We couldn't keep up with the yard work or find the motivation to pick weeds every day {read we are not yard people}. Before we knew it Augusta had dug holes and the grass was dieing {we have crazy water restrictions with not joke fines}. I am telling you this so you don't judge me when you see the pictures below.

Our backyard was in some real need of special attention. Without realizing it, we hadn't picked up our yard in a long.long time. This is what I raked up Saturday.  You are seeing that right, the piles are mostly made up of huge ginormous tumbleweeds. How did we get tumble weeds in our backyard when we have a fence? I thought tumbleweeds only "grew" in the country! Wikipedia says tumbleweeds form in the desert. Yep our backyard is basically a desert so that makes sense. I am not kidding, we probably have 10 large trash bags full of backyard shiznaz. 

Pile 1

Pile 2

In our usual fashion, Preston and I put money on the line to motivate each other to pick up the backyard. Basically if you do not pick it up during your week you pay the other person $20 and it's your turn again. Bribing the other person to do your shift is totally legal!

Any ideas on what we should do with our backyard? We have 2 dogs that love to run and play and bark. We never spend time on the patio, but I am sure this is because we are looking at dirt. We also hope to rent this house out a couple years so we would like it to be easy for non motivated renters as well.

Preston is voting for fake grass.  I cringe inside.

This is what I imagine.

I just read that fake grass contains varying amounts of lead, which gives off a smell and is obviously extremely hazardous for you. It also gets hotter than regular grass and can be irritating to the skin. Okay, who in their right mind would put fake grass in their backyard?!? And how does fake grass work with dogs?? Thoughts?