{ 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.

{ A View From My Blanket }

The other day it was a nice, warm, breezy 70’s degrees out, and our backyard meadow was beckoning us from inside to come out and enjoy it’s barefoot grass and cool shade. Without much convincing we grabbed our two “crazy quilts”, some books, and settled down in a comfortable spot. Brooke read to us, Erika gathered leaves, and Scott and Abby explored the backyard, coming back occasionally to tell us of their finds.    

I lay on those two quilts, eyes closed, enjoying a few minutes of peaceful outdoor chatter from the birds and bees busily humming around us. My thoughts turned to my Grandma-the maker of the quilts we were now lounging on. Today is her birthday- she is 91 years old. 91 years of living life to it’s fullest. 91 years of hard work.91 years of being a mother to 5 children, 20 grandchildren, and over 20 great-grandchildren. 91 years of faithfully sending out birthday, anniversary, and Christmas cards to everyone. 91 years of sewing. 91 years of serving others. 91 years of watching and working to make the ground she called home blossom with flowers, vegetables, and crops. 91 years of making our life happy.

I wonder in 59 more years when I am 91 if I will still have the time to come and lay out on my blankets and enjoy a springtime nap. I wonder how my view from my blanket will be then? I will maybe remember when my body only hurt temporarily from the aches of pregnancy, and not from just my older lived in body it now owned. I will probably have a book next to me somewhere on that blanket, now with all the time in the world to read. I know  I will still love to kick off my flip flops and walk around barefoot in the grass. I am sure I will close my eyes, and this time think of these very faces that now run around me. I will remember a simpler time when all I had to do was just hold them close, give them hugs and kisses, and love them all day long. A view from my blanket I will love to remember at any age.

{ Little Things Make Me Happy }

I love the little things in my house that make me smile every time I look at them. They make my house home for me. I have very few accessories in my house that I love year after year. I usually “outgrow them, my style changes, and I pass them along to someone else who can love them better than I can.

These little glass vases are the exception. I just LOVE them! I love that I can use them in every season in so many different ways and I never get bored with them. I always love when spring and summer come around because I get back to putting real flowers in them again. This time with my very favorite- pink tulips. It makes me smile every time I walk into the room and see them!

 

{ Forever Day Desserts }

Here are the yummy Forever Day desserts we made. They are actually really similar to another recipe I posted before that was made with bananas. The kids enjoy the chocolate version much better I think. And served of course in my cute little glass dishes that I love. The best $1.97 I ever spent. Here is the recipe if you want to try it out.

Ingredients:
1 box Oreo cookies crushed
2 small box chocolate instant pudding mix (3.4oz size)
1 8oz carton of whipped topping
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar or 1/2 cup regular sugar ( I was out & it substituted just fine)
8 oz. fat free cream cheese

1/2tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Cooking Instructions:
Prepare pudding according to package directions; fold in whipped topping. Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese in another mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until smooth. Fold into the pudding mixture. Use small(9oz) cups and layer pudding mixture, Oreos, pudding mixture, and whipped topping. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

{ Forever Day }

One of my best friend's Amy has this amazing Aunt Gail. I have yet to meet her, but get second hand from Amy all the wonderful advice, encouragement, and fun family ideas to use in our own home. Forever Day is one of those ideas. On their Wedding Anniversary they celebrate as a family the day they became a forever family.
I loved that idea, and thought this year we would try it out. On Friday nigh,t Aaron and I were able to go out by ourselves to celebrate-a good dinner at Houlihans, some shopping, and a stop at Barnes and Noble. That made today, our actually 13th anniversary, a family time-Forever Day.
The kids were so excited we had let them in on our fun. We started out to day with a nice homemade breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon courtesy of Aaron and Brianna. We are usually cold cereal and toast kind of people so it really is a treat to have a hot breakfast at our home. I was spoiled with a vase full of my favorite flowers-tulips, and then off to dinner as a family we went. As we were driving to dinner we were talking about how 13 years ago, mommy and daddy were kissing at the alter and they were all up in heaven shouting for joy, hugging, high fiving, and so excited that we could now finally be a family. They were plotting who would come down first, what fun we would all have, and watched us eating wedding cake without them.
They said, "Yeah, Scott was so excited and said,' now only 10 1/2 more years until I can come!'" We thought that kids #6,7,and someday 8, must have been the most patient to have to wait to come to our family. We joked with Brooke that she must have had everything in order up there, and that things must have been all chaotic when she was born. She wholeheartedly agreed and said,"Yes, I had it all planned, and everyone was suppose to come down to earth in alphabetical order!" So cute, even in heaven she was organizing and planning away!
We went to eat at Ryan's Steakhouse-not my first choice for dining, but when your pregnant and need food NOW, a buffet seems to be the way to go. We then went to Chucke Cheese, and spent $20 for tokens and we were instant celebrities in our children's eyes. They had fun playing games, getting tickets, and plotting out the prizes they would get. We suggested they give Aaron and I all their tickets and buy us something since it is our anniversary, but we had no takers for that.
We rounded out the night with yummy chocolate desserts at home. Austin is so cute to always ask before he eats something-Did you take a picture of this yet? Leave it to him to stroke my ego once in a while. I will have to post the picture later when I take it.
We are so amazed that 13 years had come and gone already. We look at our kids and are just in awe at how blessed we are.

• Brianna for being brave and responsible and wanting to lead the way by coming to our family first.
• Austin for being the oldest son and showing the example of faith and a righteousness and a gentle way with his sisters.
• Brooke for leaving behind all the order and perfect planning there was in Heaven to come to our home where things are not always that orderly.
• Erika for her abundance of joy and tender I love you's.
• Abby for her sweet innocence and desire to do good.
• Scott for all the love he brings to our home. He is the unifier for our home.
• Baby#7 for being patient for so long to come to us
• And someday Baby #8 who will make us complete.

What great blessings this life has for us. I am so blessed to have such a caring, loving, considerate husband who showers me with love. I am lucky he is my best friend who listens when I need to talk, and offers advice and strengthens my faith when I feel weak.What a great 13 years it has been. Maybe by year 15, we will have all the members of our family here in earth with us, and we will be able to spend our first Forever Day together as a great reunion we haven't had in 15 years. What a special day that will be.

{ Excuse Note From My Doctor for Not Blogging }

So, in a former life of mine I am just sure I had way more energy and get up and go that I would have been faithfully blogging the last couple months of my life. Two birthdays would be beautifully documented, Spring Break and all it's fun, Easter celebrations, General Conference weekend, a Women's Conference at church, and endless day to day activities that have filled our life with such joy.

Instead, though it brings us much excitement, I have just been plain sick. In a good way of course! I am pregnant with Starbuck baby #7 and we couldn't be more happy. The kids are just besides themselves, and are constantly debating whether it will be a boy or a girl.  I am now almost 14weeks, so I am hoping some of that energy from days past will happily return to me soon. Until then, unfortunately blogging takes a back seat and you'll just have to imagine all the great things we're doing right now.

Naughty Little Monkey..

One of Scott’s favorite things to do is to go to the pantry and bring me all sorts of snacks to eat. Unfortunately, my easy access shelf of cold cereal, pretzels, chips, and goldfish for the older kids also becomes the easy access shelf for my little monkey too. He will bring me the big carton of goldfish, grunt and grunt until I get out a handful and put it on the bench for him, and then toddle off happy as can be.

Well, evidently I am not the best listening mom and wasn’t timely enough in listening to his pleas for a bedtime snack, so he has decided that he needed to take matters into his own hands. He took out the fishes, climbed up on the table with the whole box, and continued to turn the box completely upside-down and unload the entire new, full, box. I turned to look and all I could see was hundreds of little orange fishes pouring out and quickly filling my kitchen table. Though I was impressed with the actual quantity of goldfish that do come in a large box, my first thought was actually ..where in the world is my camera at a time like this! All hope of actually stopping the pouring was already gone from my mind. I needed to catch this picture with the fishes in mid stride! I ran for my camera knowing all the excitement would too soon be over, and happened to snap a couple pictures before he started crushing all of them.

I think it’s time for this little monkey to head to bed! After a quick snack of course. Oh, and helping mommy put the fishes all back in the box.

Austin’s Blue and Gold Banquet

Tonight Austin had his annual Blue and Gold banquet for Cub Scouts. In celebration of the 100 Years of Scouting, each boy made a birthday cake and decorated it for dessert. Austin chose a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and did a fun yellow spider web design on his. It was delicious to eat! You are a great cook Austin and a great Cub Scout!