Three Girls and a Tree

In 2009, we planted a Cleveland Pear tree in our backyard. The trunk was 2" around and it was only about two feet above the deck railing. It was hard to imagine this little spindly thing would ever provide any shade. But the tree (which we named Vincent because it reminds us of the trees in Van Gogh's The Poplars of Saint-Remy) has grown a surprising amount each year, and with its growth each year, the impressiveness of its spring flowers increases.

 This year, Emily and Addison fell in love with the "white flower tree" and we spent a lot of time watching the buds become blooms, and then watching and listening to the bees buzz from flower to flower. The tree helped me teach the girls about pollination, and now whenever Emily sees a bee near a flower, she proudly announces, "That bee is pollinatin' Mom!"

Getting ready to water our tree