Preschool Plants

Way back in May the girls brought home a couple sprouts planted in a plastic cup. (Oh, dear. These kids are going to expect me to keep these plants alive) As part of their learning experience, it was probably important to let them watch the extraordinary process of seed to plant.

Crap.

If these little sprouts die, the twins were going to be so crushed, this was a reality in which I was acutely aware. That is a lot of pressure! (especially when you've sent as many plants to their doom as I have)

This is a shot of the tiny sprouts. Here is what they looked like a couple weeks after bringing them home... fretting about them daily.

Of course the girls' interest in these tiny plants never waned. And miraculously enough, they actually did ok! There was a week there when one of them was taking a serious dive, turning yellow with brown splotches, BUT I NURSED IT BACK TO HEALTH! (where is my Nobel Prize?!)

I was beginning to wonder just what kind of plant I was growing on the kitchen window sill. How much work was this going to be? I crossed my fingers that the teacher had not been too ambitious- like vegetables or something. They started to grow some buds, and as we watched them grow I was crossing my fingers that we had not just inherited a tomato plant that would die within seconds of leaving the safety of our kitchen.

Luckily, the pampered plants flowered into lovely little marigolds. The orange and red are stunning, and two little girls could not be more giddy about the new developments:

Squirt's is a late bloomer. We're trying really hard to be patient...

Good thing sisters share...

This morning it was decided that the flowers had outgrown their plastic cups, and needed to find a larger home. Having been up all night with a baby and loud fireworks, (worst holiday tradition EVER) I jumped at the chance of a low-key activity that did not require me to change out of my pajamas. 

Let's see how long I can keep these beauties going.