Miss Greenthumb

How to plant flowers, toddler style:

First, help Mommy dig the weeds out the neglected flower bed. Make sure Mommy gives you your own shovel.

Next, tap the sides of the garbage just like Mommy. Dump a little dirt in as well. If any weeds make their way into the garbage, carefully fish them out and put them back in the flower bed.

(Oh, and keep your sun hat on your head. Not sure how it helps the flowers, but Mommy will insist on it. A princess hat works best. But remember to pull it off every so often to make sure Mommy sees the princesses. Be sure to put it back on when she gives you the "Mommy look".)

Next, remove any dirt that may get on your shovel. Also, flail your arms and whine if any dirt gets on your arms or shirt. This helps the dirt come off when Mommy stops her gardening to brush it off.

The next part, actually putting the little marigolds from Walmart into the dirt, is a little boring. Take a break to chase the dog around the yard. Make sure you have a tennis ball and a gardening glove to throw into the blow up pool so the dog can jump in after them. For an even bigger effect, fill the pool with water before hand. Wish I had thought of that, but maybe next time.

Pay careful attention for Mommy to get water from the faucet to water the flowers. Drop what you are doing and run full speed. Grab the bucket and insist on doing it yourself. But don't bang the flowers with it or Mommy will take it away. If this occurs, throw a fit.

Go back to the faucet for a refill. Remember to get some for the dog, too. She also likes to play in water.

Finally, splash in the water and have fun.

And enjoy all the hard work Mommy did so you can have beautiful flowers to look at and take care of this summer. (And pray you didn't inherit your Mommy's brown thumb. Not sure about that since her thumb nor mine is brown, but I heard her say that before.)

Lastly, explain to Daddy that, yes, it was necessary to plant flowers this year so that you can learn to take care of the beautiful flowers that God gave us.