Strawberry Picking

For the last few years we have made it a little tradition to go strawberry picking with my Mom and Dad and then we make jam together. It is lots of fun and Ristow has really enjoyed it.
When I was little my brother and I would go strawberry picking with Mom and our Aunt Betty. I have so many found memories of picking strawberries and begging to eat "just one more". They were experiences that I cherish and I am thrilled to be able to share that with my kids.

We are lucky enough to live in an area where there are numerous pick your own farms within an hour of us. We went this weekend and just barely made the end of strawberry season around here. But we picked a few baskets full and enjoyed the time together.

I filled my basket pretty quickly and moved along the row fast enough to keep my basket just out of reach of the toddler on my heels reaching for another strawberry. Jessica loved that the strawberries just kept magically appearing in my basket and would grab one and run away, shoving it into her mouth. It was only much later on that I realized she had been eating the berries stem an all. That should make for interesting digestion ;)

Ristow on the other hand picked only about 15 strawberries total. He is very particular about which berries are worthy of picking or not, so he would rather just have a few GREAT ones than a basket of mediocre ones.

Tomorrow morning is Jam morning at Mom's but at the rate my kids are eating these berries, there may only be enough for one container of jam ;) At least they are enjoying them!

Jessica

Jess will be 18 months in just a few days and I am truly amazed at how much so has grown, changed and developed. She is so smart and so stubborn, so independent and so cute all at the same time. She challenges me in my patience yet warms my heart. She fights with passion to get her own way and yet conforms to the shape of my lap and relaxes into my arms for a snuggle.
She is beautiful and bold, energetic and exhausting all in a glance. I am thankful that I am blessed to be her Mom and walk along side her as she grows into the person God has created her to be.
So far the last 18 months have been an eye opener and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Moving on Up

Today was Ristow's Kindergarten graduation. He was styling in his Tony Hawk shirt and black tie, which of course he picked out. (Luckily I talked him out of the striped sport jacket to wear over it ;)
It was a wonderful program. The kids sang a few songs and then got their certificates. Ristow kept chanting "Shake, then take" over and over the last few days so that he wouldn't mess up when he had to shake the principals hand and accept his certificate. He did great.



I am so very proud of Ristow. He has worked hard this year and really made it a great one! Next comes 1st grade and now he walks with his head a little higher when you mention him as a first grader. He is so cute. I am so thankful for his teacher who took extra time to challenge him and had extra patience with his out of the box thinking ;) It was a great fit and a great year!



I picked him up early as a reward and he got to pick where we went to lunch. Of course he picked McDonald's, since we hardly ever go there and you get a toy! Then for dinner, Poppy took him out to eat at the Cowboy restaurant (Logan's). Quite a day of celebration!

The End Times or The 13 year Cicadas, whichever you prefer

The other day I heard someone at the store say "Oh my gosh, I saw one of those Cicadas today!"

To which I wanted to reply "You should come to my house, we've got thousands!"

Yes, this is the year of the Cicada. For the 10yrs we have lived in Nashville I have been hearing about the 13 year Cicada. Well, finally it is here.

Yesterday we walked out to the bus stop and you could not walk across the yard without hearing a crunch every step. Ristow tip-toed and danced his way to the bus stop trying to avoid the Cicadas and their shells. He has had a bug phobia ever since he was two and we took him to a butterfly garden, when a giant rainforest-esque butterfly the size of his head, flew in his face.

Jessica on the other hand has been totally into the Cicadas. She wants to play with, inspect and step on the crazy things. She picked one up by the wings at the bus stop and loved watching it buzz around in her hand. I on the other hand eventually swatted it out of her hand because it was grossing me out ;)

It is so noisy around our house and as you drive down the road. They fill the trees and are everywhere. Not sure how long they are going to be gracing us with their presence but for now I battle between Ristow not wanting to even go outside and Jessica begging at the door to be let out and explore.

And of course because of living in the bible belt there are those who swear that our Cicadas are a sure sign of the end times. Well, I say whether it is the end times coming or just another year with lots of crazy bugs. We love each other the best we can in the meantime tip-toe through the Cicadas!