Strawberries

Last Sunday we were out on a family walk at the university gardens. I needed to nurse the baby, so I ducked into a seat under the grape arbor.

I attempted to keep Jonas occupied while I nursed by pointing out to him the little strawberry patch just outside the arbor.

Which reminded me that we had planned on going u-picking for strawberries this year. (You know--long term goals, we found out about it too late last year.)

So today we headed out. At the farm we got directions out to the patch.

"Over here?"

I could smell the strawberries, but all we could see were weeds!

Jeremy forayed out into the patch of weeds, and finally came across some berries!

Jonas thought it was great--his own little box of berries. Of course he wanted to eat each and every one. It was kind of like a page from Blueberries for Sal.

Well, call me old fashioned, but this was someone's farm so I really felt we should pay for the berries before eating them.

Jonas didn't agree, and threw himself to the ground in a crying fit when I took his box away.

Also, baby Wyatt, thought that the 20 minutes I spent nursing him before we had left was not long enough, and also was morally opposed to my having covered his head to protect it from the sunshine, so after 5-10 minutes of his crying while I carried him, Jeremy took him back to the van.

And despite Owen abandoning me sweating in the field in favor of a shady spot next to a flatbed trailer, we did eventually make it home with a quart of berries. We turned on the sprinkler in the backyard for the boys where they played--stopping occasionally for a berry.

We finished the end of the quart for dinner atop fresh whipped cream and waffles.

They were definitely delicious and worth the effort, but maybe we'll take the advice of the woman helping us at the farm and go back later in the week without so many "helpers" along.