Berry-Pickin'!

Oh, today! Today was a blast! I'm glad it turned out so wonderful and fun, as I had originally planned to take these four kiddos berry-picking on Sunday afternoon. I called up the farm, however, and I learned that Saturday night's mega-rainfall had flooded the fields, and they were closed. The farm is closed on Mondays, and I wasn't available yesterday either, so I was bummed that I would have to wait until Tuesday - today, but at least the weather looked promising (clear, a cool 68°, low wind)...

until this morning, when it began raining. AGAIN. And it was a heavy rainfall for quite some time. I was lamenting while I worked that berry-picking just wouldn't work out this year (strawberry season is over in just a couple more days, the farm had told me on Sunday), and I was bummed. :-/

But by the time I left work, I was really thinking that maybe we could swing it anyway. It hadn't rained in a few hours' time, and the skies looked okay. So I set the plan back in action, and Aimée sent over her kids. We all headed to the fields, and ALL the kids were excited: A.J. and Jack because they were so stoked to share the secrets of the farm with Drew and Natalie (who'd never been there before), and the other two because they were getting to do something entirely new! And *I* was so giddy that the plan was working out that I became distracted once we made it to the farm myself! I was pointing out this and that, and I completely forgot to park, driving right into the farm entrance and walkways - OOPS!

And then we all set to work! The boys had their Berry baskets, and I had pulled a Medium Fruit basket for Drew, as well as a Collector's Club Gathering basket for Natalie. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I picked baskets with the same volume (as we learned later on in the weighing process), and that was pretty nifty. :-)

Jack was the most dedicated about filling his basket with berries. I'd promised the kids they could have lots of time to play in the farmyard once we were done (there's a cool zipline, lots of hidey-holes, lots of climbing structures, swings, playhouses, and more), and by golly, he wanted to be sure he got to do so! He finished filling his basket with berries first, and then he helped Natalie finish hers. Once she was done, the two of them split into "teams," with Natalie helping A.J. finish up, and Jack helping Drew to finish his basket.

Along the way, I took pictures. I took a handful as they began picking, and then I put the cam away. I then helped pick berries (and I might be the reason why we ALL finished as timely as we did! *wink*). When the kids were almost done, I pulled the camera out for some last-minute shots, too. Natalie was an absolute ham, always wanting me to, "take a picture of me like this, Miss Nicole!" I was happy to oblige, and it was just SO MUCH FUN!

While picking, we had some great conversations. I explained the meaning of "crop dusting" (yes, we talked about tooting - hey, there WERE kids involved in this adventure, remember?), and Natalie spoke of her holiday Barbie® collection. A.J. and Drew would retreat to the back of the fields and talk about "boy stuff," and Natalie would say, "Oh, they're just being boys again, Miss Nicole. Aren't boys funny?" A.J. cupped a berry in both of his hands and shouted, "Hey, mom! Look, I'm making a mini-Twilight cover - see?!" And all the kids pretended that the red berry juice staining their fingers was blood, and they'd chase each other across rows. And, of course, we all spoke in "Berry Talk" (remember 'Strawberry Shortcake,' the cartoon? "Berry" instead of "very," etc.)

I loved it. :-)

When all baskets were filled, we walked back up to the weigh station, and we were all surprised to learn that, though the baskets were very different shapes, each contained three pounds' worth of berries. We had picked TWELVE POUNDS altogether! The kids couldn't wait for me to pay for them so that they could begin snacking! Everyone chose a soda, and we settled near the play area for some yummies.

And oh, the berries are good. Heavenly! Warm, fresh, bursting with juicy deliciousness. They are tiny strawberries, to be sure, but they pack a wonderful punch. Andrew and Natalie each ate close to 1/4th of their baskets before I made them stop, warning them that their mom would kill me if I let them completely ruin their dinner appetites!

The kids decided to play a game of Hide-and-Seek, and of course, no one wanted to be the first "It." I volunteered to get the game going, but I told them I wouldn't close my eyes - I wasn't done eating berries, so I turned my back to the play area, and I mumbled numbers to 30 with bites of strawberries in my mouth. Finally, I set off to search for them, and wow! They were well-hidden! I found Natalie first, then Jack, then Drew. At long last, we had to call for A.J. to show himself, as none of us had been able to find him - he was that good! The kids all continued playing for a while longer, and I just enjoyed the cloudy sunshine, the fresh air, and the yummy berries.

Perfect.

And I have pictures to share, and how! I wish you could all experience the fun we had, but these pictures are the best I can offer you. :-)


Our great berry-picking team.


The fruits of our labor.



Jack was so very dedicated.


A.J. was deep in the fields.


Andrew was picking in the foreground, and then the other three all decided to run out to "the Motherload!" And off they went!


Natalie shows off her berry-juiced hand.


Drew is hard at work.


A.J.'s mini-'Twilight' cover.


Natalie - what a photo superstar!


Jack.


Drew and Natalie.
(I took this picture especially for their dad, as he is currently deployed.)


And the crazy, goofy crew poses at the signs as we leave the farm with our berries.
And if you want to see all of the pics, you can find them in a slideshow HERE. :-)