Spring pregnancy, fun and the outdoors...

There's no better time to be pregnant than during the spring. Of course I'm sure every pregnant person has their own point of view, but how could you not love coming out of hibernation and into the warm sun.

Ok, here's the real truth, being cooped up in your home all winter with a 3 year-old and a 1 year-old could drive any sane person nutty. Now take into the fact that I'm pregnant, ahhhhhh!!! Seriously though, getting outdoors, going to the park, flying kites, blowing bubbles and playing in the sandbox are only a small fraction of all the fun Spring brings. My family and I enjoy having friends over, grilling steaks and veggies all while the kiddos are running around thawing out from their winter hibernation.

Last weekend I did something new to ring in Spring. I planted flowers! This is big for me because I kill everything that lives in soil. Friends have given me plants before and I welcome them with a "thanks" and say a silent prayer for the poor little plant soul being placed in my hands. Finally my mother exclaimed that it was time for me, a grown woman, to understand the basics of caring for plants, so she got me an ivy to jump start my training. It sits right next to my kitchen sink so I'm reminded to water it when the soil is dry. I've done pretty good at the watering part and it actually started growing so large that my mom had to come over to prune it. Since I passed my first challenge it was now time to embark on my biggest plant challenge. Planting flowers outside! My mom accompanied me to our local home improvement store and the nice little gardening employee helped me make my plant selections. We came across a beautiful plant with the perfect little red flower. That was the flower I wanted, so the employee helped me load up my cart. He then proceeded to tell me that I'll need to make sure to "dead-head" them for their blooms to come back. Ummmm, excuse me?? First, if you expect me to have the time to go around and snip the heads off these poor little flowers AND even trust me with scissors around any type of plant, well that wouldn't work for me. So the perfect little red flower plants had to go back on the shelf. Finally I did find my perfect plant and it had bright, vibrant blooms. I don't have to do anything except water. I've got the water thing down so I know I can do my part in keeping these plants alive, of course if they die this will not be my fault! We loaded up my cart and my nerves cringed when I swiped my card for close to $100 for all the plants. It's like paying for dirt, it doesn't feel right... Anyway, my mom and I got home and unloaded all of my beautiful plants. I said a little prayer for them all and started planting them in their new home. I learned a lot from my mom that day. She's one of those women that knows how to do everything! I also learned that my 3 year-old and I found something new for us to look forward to when Spring rolls around. We enjoyed getting our hands dirty, playing with the water hose and then sitting and enjoying the beauty of our new little flower friends.



One week later, I'm happy to report that they're still alive and beautiful. Even if the flowers don't make it through my torcher, we will still look forward to Spring every year and all the activities it brings as well as our new adventure of planting the perfect flowers.

Happy Spring Everybody! Kendra Odum- VP of Research and Development