Life Update: Backyard Renovation Progress and Next Steps

We’re slowly refreshing our backyard with new planters and prepping a DIY fire pit area to host s’mores nights — all while enjoying summer dresses and sandals!

Life Update with a Dog

This summer we finally added a puppy to our family. After years of pleading from our daughters, we brought home an adorable Cavapoo. Our girls are 12 and 8, which feels like the perfect age for them to help care for a dog under our supervision. They’ve taken to the responsibility beautifully.

A Cavapoo is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle. Our pup is hypoallergenic, doesn’t shed much, and should remain small to medium when fully grown — a great fit for our household and lifestyle.

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Her name is Winnie and she’s 15 weeks old. From the first night home she settled well in her crate, and potty training is progressing nicely. We try to stay consistent with routines and frequent outdoor breaks, which seems to be helping.

Backyard Updates

I read up on puppy training, but I didn’t expect to spend so much time outdoors during this stage. Potty breaks quickly became the new reason to be outside all day — and we don’t mind.

We decided to remove the trampoline the girls had outgrown so the yard wouldn’t turn into a mud pit while the puppy explores. That cleared a nice open area, which we realized would be ideal for a fire pit and seating zone.

I’ll post a full DIY tutorial for the fire pit once we finish the setup, including the seating arrangement and safety tips. For now, we’re imagining s’mores nights under string lights, with the girls in their favorite summer outfits.

To freshen up the space, I added planters along the retaining wall and in a few other spots to conceal less attractive elements and bring more greenery into the yard. As the budget allows, we’ll add more seating and lighting — one project at a time.

Summer Outfits for the Girls

My daughters are becoming choosier about their clothes, so I’ve been on the lookout for styles they both love. We shopped at Walmart and found several cute dresses and sandals that they were happy to model in a backyard photoshoot.

I especially like Walmart’s Wonder Nation line for girls — it balances style with affordable prices. My older daughter, who’s nearly a teen, adores an eyelet dress that’s become a favorite among her friends; she’s excited to wear it to church this summer. The sandals we found are casual but the pink tone adds a playful summer pop.

Eyelet is a classic summer fabric — feminine, airy, and perfect for dressing up casual looks. Meanwhile, my younger daughter gravitates toward styles that feel a little more grown-up, and she loved a striped one-shoulder dress from the girls’ section.

I picked up a comfortable maxi dress for myself that fits true to size, includes pockets, and has wider straps — an easy grab-and-go piece for summer. It comes in multiple colors, which is always a bonus.

Below is a small collage of the girls’ recent Walmart haul — the pieces they’ve been most excited about this season.

The rest of our summer has been a mix of swim team practices and family time at the lake and pool. With both girls on the swim team, we spend many afternoons at the pool — it’s been a fun and active season for our family.

We’re almost ready to finish the fire pit area; we’re simply waiting for a few chairs to arrive and then I’ll carve out time to assemble everything and hang the string lights. I’ll share the complete backyard reveal and DIY fire pit instructions once it’s all in place.

I’m excited to share more updates soon — how is your summer going?