Strawberry Picking

Picking fresh strawberries from the field with my little family is on my must-do bucket list every summer. I look forward to this day all year long. Andi and I started our strawberry picking tradition when Tory was just 9 months old and we've continued to visit the same strawberry patch near our lake cabin every year since then.

Reflecting on our very first visit seriously brought tears to my eyes. Back then, I imagined a day Tory would be old enough to pick berries alongside us, and now that day is here. Where does the time go?! Having our baby boy Aden join in our annual tradition this year is sweeter than my biggest dreams. It's so awesome to see how much our family has changed and grown in three short years while some things - like visiting this little strawberry patch - remain the same.

Life was busy in the weeks leading into Fourth of July, I guess, because we usually visit the strawberry patch in late June but didn't make it this year. Fortunately, we stayed at the cabin on the Monday and Tuesday following the holiday weekend, so it was the perfect time to go strawberry picking before they closed for the season. This year, we invited our cabin friends Josh and Krista and their daughters Hannah and Kate to go along with us. Both of the babies were asleep in their car seats when we arrived, so we were quite the scene carrying infant seats into the fields with us. The owner insisted on driving us to the picking site in her golf cart even though it wasn't very far to walk.

Once we arrived in the field, we set in to start picking. Tory knew exactly what to do and started picking berries (and eating them, too). We had to remind her a few times to stay in the rows and avoid walking on the plants themselves - oops!

Tory and Hannah picking strawberries

Soon, my sleepy boy woke up and wanted in on the berry picking action. I was a bit bummed Aden is too small to eat strawberries this year. He's just starting to show interest in solid foods and I think strawberries are a "watch-out" for him given his sensitivity to things. Anyway, no "first strawberry" experience for him this year, but he did enjoy watching us pick from his infant seat and pulling the leaves off the plants he could reach. Next year, buddy!

No visit to the strawberry patch is complete without a group photo. Look at us ... our little family of FOUR!

And one of our entire group -- Josh, Krista, Hannah and Kate included.

So many fun memories! Seriously, this is what life is all about.

Love.