Spring in Our Yard

I wanted to share some photos of our garden now that the weather is warming up.  We decided to plant a vegetable garden this year.  A few weeks ago, we (or, I really should say, "Stephen and the girls") prepared a cute container.  Stephen built it with some lumber from Lowes.  Then he spray painted it white and let the girls paint pink flowers on it. The next weekend, Blake came over and helped spread soil in the box.  Last weekend, we had lots of family help with planting.
Last night, we noticed several things starting to grow and bloom already!

Our Spinach! I know it's hard to see, but there's a little green sprout right in the middle of the photo.  You can click on the photo and it will take you to another page where you can enlarge it on your screen.

Our flowering bush beside the front porch.  I think Jane said this may be a Rhododendron.  It's my favorite plant in our yard.  Most of the year, it's a pretty dark green bush.  In early spring, it blooms with beautiful bright pink flowers.  It's really a sight to see. I can't wait for these little buds to pop out in full bloom!

Our hydrangea.  I purchased this plant on just before Mother's Day a couple of years ago and we put it in the ground that Spring.  It has been blooming with big, pink flowers.  I'm excited to see what color will come out this year!  I love the pink, but blue would be nice, too.  I carried blue hydrangeas in my wedding bouquet!

Blueberries! 

Green leaves on our trees! Yes, we actually do get bare branches here.  The leaves usually fall anytime between December and January.  And they come back quickly! 

Paw Paw's gardenia bush.  This is a sweet little plant with lots of spunk.  Kind of like my Paw Paw!  When we were in Talladega for Paw Paw's funeral last June, we took clippings from several of his beautiful plants.  I dipped them in growth hormone and put them in containers with little Saran Wrap tents over them.  None of mine rooted.  Stephen, on the other hand, stuck this little guy in a pot with some old soil and put it under the air conditioning drip line beside the house.  He was surprised to see green leaves on it just a few weeks later.  Now, it appears to be thriving!  We will plant it in the yard soon.  Anyone have any tips on where to put it?  Bright sun? Shade?

Jalapeno in our container garden. 

Little flower that Elsie brought home from Happy Apple on Friday. 

We have some delicious herbs.  Here is a shot of the lavender.  That's rosemary in the background.  We also have spearmint for sweet tea! 

And these little flowers are enjoying Spring, too.  Last night, they played school on the front porch.  They drove their "trucks" (big wheels) to "school" loaded down with supplies then set up the school on the front porch.

That's a can of Off! 

Love! 

Setting up their school. 

So fun to be in bare feet outside in March! 

And when it got too dark to play outside, this is what I found them doing in the playroom.  Soccer! 

6!

We celebrated Mary Grace's 6th birthday with an "Under the Sea"-themed party on the actual big day!  Grandma and Paw Paw, Nana and Dr. Danks, Aunt Chatham and Uncle Johnathan, Bridget, and Momo all drove into town for the weekend.  They arrived on Friday night and we enjoyed a family-style spaghetti dinner together.  On Saturday morning, both girls had soccer games at 9 on adjoining fields.  The family set up in the middle of both and watched as Mary Grace and Elsie played and Stephen and I coached.  Both girls played excellent games.  Elsie scored anywhere between 6 and 8 goals.  She says it was 6, her Paw Paw says it was 8!  And Mary Grace plays a great defensive game. She really gets out there and goes after the ball!
We had the party on Saturday afternoon from 3 to 5.  There were about 12 little girls there.  We made bracelets, played pin the pearl in the oyster and pin the fin on the fish, ate undersea-themed treats (Goldfish Gorp, Treasure Island Trail Mix, Weeki Wachee Roll-Ups, Sand Dollars, and Star Fish) then enjoyed an Ariel cake.
After all of the girls and their mommies left, we enjoyed a low country boil.  It was sad to see everyone leave on Sunday but we are thankful for the fun visit!  Thanks to all their hard work, we had a great party and now have a large garden all planted!  We are hoping for spinach, tomatoes, squash, green beans, okra, blueberries, and several herbs later this summer.
After everyone left on Sunday, we had a suprise visit from some friends who stopped by for a couple of hours during a golf-cart ride around the neighborhood.  It was a nice visit and kept the melancholy away, especially for the girls, who got to play with these sweet little friends, Faith and Emma.
Here are some photos from Saturday: