first picking adventure of the season

Today we picked our first two buckets of strawberries for the season. I love picking our own fruit. It's so rewarding. But it is also WORK. Oh my. I went with my friend Tricia... who has five kiddos, so between us we had 7 kids trying to pick two buckets for each family... Matthew wasn't as interested in picking this year. He wanted to play in the dirt or look at the bugs or walk down the aisle as far as he could before I noticed, passing by all these big juicy red berries!!! He picked about 10-15 himself maybe. Last year he basically filled the whole bucket himself. Oh well. We'll try again. Mark was very different this year. Last year slept both times we picked. Yah, um. not so much. And the stroller doesn't go down the aisle, not even the umbrella stroller, so hi. I was either holding him on my hip (not great for bending and picking berries) or I had him slung over halfway on my back (not great for the PAIN in my thighs and calves) or he was crying in front of me. If I plopped his bottom down in the dirt and hand him a berry to eat, he was fine. Happy. Clapping with his berries. If he didn't have the tasty fruit, he was crying/fussing/grabbing for me. Picking berries with a 20 pound leech is difficult. Picking berries with a 3 year old that "just doesn't feel like it" is annoying! BUT... the fruits of my labor (literally) are worth it!

Matthew watching a wagon

Matthew ready to pick (ha)!

Mark sampling our berries...

Mark sampling some more.

And enjoying the sampling.

And helping himself


Me and Mark (note the bucket is BEHIND him now)

This is how Matthew spent most of the morning.

And Mark enjoying the next one.

Matthew actually picking

Mark with more eating...
Matthew way back there looking at dirt.


and...

After washing them at home,
and finding some white chocolate chips...
this is what they looked like tonight for a moms event! Mmmmm!

If you'd like to see last year's picking adventures, you can click HERE for the other strawberries postings. Enjoy!