Pickin' "Qawlberries"

    Ant decided to take this past Friday off so we could take the boys strawberry picking. A tradition that my family started when I was little and we went every year, sometimes multiple times, since I can remember. I have sweet memories of jumping on the tractor with my brothers, sugar cup in hand, ready to eat strawberries like it was no body's business.  I also remember my Nanny and Great Aunt June taking lawn chairs out, sitting in the middle of the field and just eating away. I wonder why the Berry Farm all of a sudden started charging to go pick!? ;) This is such a sweet tradition for me and one I wanted to start with my boys! 

    We went early that morning in hopes of beating the heat and the crowds. We were successful on beating the heat, but not so much the crowds. We decided we were going to make the best of it and when we went to hop on the tractor Alexander had a mini melt down. He was TERRIFIED of this  huge thing we called a "tractor" b/c in his all his stories tractors did not look like this one! We finally convinced him to get on and after waiting a few minutes we were riding the tractor down a bumpy road excited about what was in store.

  Alexander decided picking was for the birds and literally ate the entire time we were on the patch...when I say he ate....that meant stem, leaves and all. Finally I just started picking them for him b/c he was to busy eating to pull the stems off. Thankfully Dadda did all the picking for us while we sat and ate. And all Alexander could get out between bites was, "Mmmmm  these qawlberries are soooo good mommy. These are so good. MMMMM." And there it was. The innocence in his face that  I remember as a child, eating away, like it was the best thing I ever tasted in my life and not worried at all that if I didn't put any in my bucket, that I wouldn't have any to take home.  He enjoyed every.single.moment.....until we told him it was time to get back on the tractor so we could go home.

  All in all, it was a perfect family morning. I was totally SHOCKED at how much Camden enjoyed it too. He rode on my back in the ergo, smiled at all the strangers, kicked during the tractor ride with excitement and giggled at his brother while he watched him stuff his face. 

  I hope one day my boys can look back on this tradition and treasure it as much as I do. It is simply a blissful time of picking, eating and enjoying each others company. <3

                                    2010 Alexander 10.5 months old

2011

                Camden's first trip ;) He ate LOTS of strawberries!