{ The Strawberry Patch }

One of our favorite things we have done while living here has been going to pick fresh strawberries from a farm not to far from our house. The kids love just picking the strawberries almost as much as eating them. We looked at our calendar and tried to find a time to fit it in among all the soccer practices, piano lessons, and end of school activities. Last Friday was a NO SCHOOL day, and presented itself as the perfect time to grab some friends and head to the farm. Aaron was on OB call the day before, which worked out perfect as he had the day off too. The kids have been looking forward to it for days, excited to spend a whole afternoon with their friends. We packed up some lunches and drinks, loaded our vans full, and headed an hour east to the strawberry patch.

I packed a fun farm style picnic with corn on the cob, pasta salad, apple juices, chicken waldorf sandwiches for the adults, PB sandwiches for the kids, and old fashioned candy taffy and lemon drops in a brown bag for a the drive home.

               

The strawberry patch  had a tent covered area with picnic tables that we set up our lunch at, got the kids settled, took lots of pictures, and by the time we finally sat down to eat our lunches the kids were almost done and requesting to go pick strawberries. Luckily, the Johnson’s had brought a spare Frisbee to entertain them until we could get down a little food and have some chat time.

Katie and Brianna

Ryan and Austin

Brooke and Emily

  

Megan and Erika

Abby

Luke

Lisa (happy not to be the one pregnant this time), Deirdre (8months pregnant), and Me (15 weeks pregnant)

 

                 

After endless pleas from the kids, we finally packed up our lunch stuff and headed to the fields to find some big juicy berries. The kids each grabbed a basket for picking and in a little train headed down the path.

“Hey guys! Wait for us!”

“Come on boys, we don’t need those guys anyways.”(I love this picture! So cute!)   “Follow me. I’ve been to this place before. I know where the big berries are.”

 

              

            

While the other kids went off with their friends to pick, Aaron and I followed Scott around watching him experience his first time picking berries for himself. He was a little unsure about eating one after we picked it, but once he tried it he was hooked. He would pick one, take a big bite, throw it down and then pick another one. All we had to do was follow his little trail of half eaten strawberries to find him. After only five minutes his face was covered with strawberry evidence. It was a good thing the lady in charge allowed us to eat some of the berries, we would have had a hard time getting past her with this messy face toddler otherwise.

Brooke, Erika, and Abby soon came back to show us their buckets of red strawberries they had collected. Brooke’s was filled to the top, Erika’s was half full-she was very particular about only picking the very biggest and reddest ones, and Abby had about three in hers. She was enjoying eating hers as well as searching for only the best ones worthy of her basket.

                                 

Abby and Erika decided to join us for awhile in search of more to fill their baskets. When we had come to the strawberry fields two years ago we had come a week earlier in the year. The kids were able to go down just half a row and fill up their baskets. This time, just a week later in the season we really had to search for some big berries.

              

Aaron and Scott took a break from picking for Aaron to throw Scott up in the air. Scott loves this at home, and is all giggles when Aaron did it today.

They then played our other favorite game with Scott-asking him questions like,”Where’s Scotty?” and waiting for him to think, point to himself, and them giggle at how funny he is. OR “Do you want to be tickled?” and watch him try to tickle his own little armpits or double over trying to hide his armpits from us. He is really fun at this age. He is definitely all giggles and all about putting on a show for us.

Scott 17 months

                 

                 

The weather turned from hot and sunny, to windy, and finally to overcast and very cloudy. We took as many pictures as the kids would allow, then headed back to the covered porch to join Deidre and Ashton who were resting there. Poor Deirdre, she is very pregnant and was such a trooper to roam out in the muddy fields with us chasing a toddler. She finally enjoyed watching us and enjoying some really yummy strawberry ice cream from the comfort of a rocking chair in the shade.

The kids rested on the rocking chairs while we had our strawberries weighed. We ended up getting three baskets worth which was just enough for us this year. I am not up to making too much jam, so just enough plump berries to eat, a few to freeze, and some to make smoothies seems just about perfect.

Austin 9 years

Abby 4 years 

Brianna 11 years and Matthew Johnson 11 months

    Our whole group (All 13 kids)

With red stained hands, mouths, and shirts; bellies full of ripe red strawberries, tired legs from walking up and down the rows, and three tired babies, there is really nothing left to do but go home after a fun day of picking. Thanks Johnson’s and Davis’ for such a fun afternoon.