Getting Ready for Summer

We have tried to start working around the house & getting ready for summer, but sometimes it is hard to get stuff done with a 1 year old & 3 year old getting in your way, so we took advantage of grandparents while they were in town. Actually, Bryan's parents only live about 45 minutes away, but they drove over Saturday morning for Sadie's basketball game & afterwards they spent the day with the girls while we spent the day around the house. Our big garage always stays cleaned & organized, but somehow our 3rd car garage always becomes a wreck over the winter. We really got it organized last spring, but there were a lot of empty boxes & Christmas decorations kind of shoved in there that needed to be organized. I guess that's what happens when it gets cold - we get too lazy to keep it clean. We spent a couple of hours cleaning it out & afterwards we drove straight to donate what we didn't want. Now we can finally get out our bikes & the girls can park their pink car without hitting anything!

 

We've also been sprucing up the backyard. We have been shopping for pots a couple of times, so we finally went back  yesterday & bought a few:

 

 

We actually bought 4 - 2 sets that compliment each other in 2 different sizes. I know it's hard to tell in the pictures above, but I took them late in the day as the sun was setting, so the colors look different. That's what I really liked about the pots though - they have this iridescent shimmer that reflects different colors depending on how the light is hitting it. We haven't planted in them yet, but I think they are going to be really pretty this summer!

 

Speaking of pretty, our flower beds in the back are finally springing to life:

 

 

The first picture in Indian Hawthorns surrounding our master bedroom windows. We have pink ones blooming in the front & they are beautiful! But we decided to plant white in the back. We also lined the back fence with purple azaleas & they are blooming like crazy! I can't wait for them to get bigger! I realize all of the plants still look small, but we planted them in October, so they are finally getting the attention they need with rain & sunshine.

 

My final stop of the weekend was to IKEA. I have been griping about moving the high chair inside & outside because it's just inconvenient, so it dawned on me that I should just get an old one to keep outside. I looked online & called some resale shops & could not find one for less than $50. Seriously?! Finally a friend said that I could get a brand new one at IKEA for $19.99:

 

 

It is perfect. Small, cheap & plastic so I can just wipe it down. Sadie always wants to eat outside at her picnic table, so I figure we can eat outside more for breakfast & lunch and not just for dinner or when entertaining.

 

The water is definitely too cold to swim in yet, but it is exciting to see life finally forming back there!