Southern Summer Love

I grew up watching fruit and vegetables grow. My grandpa and grandma had a huge garden, where they grew apples, plums, peaches, pears, cherries, potatoes, onions, currant berries, raspberries and, of course, strawberries! Every summer I ate so much strawberries - my stomach hurt. Grandma, my mama, grandpa and my dad labored day and night to wash it, rinse it, dry it, saturate'em in sugar and make strawberry jam with whole berries in it. Oh if memories in our brains could bring smells back! So come winter, every morning and evening we had tea with strawberry jam on bread.
And now that I am a mom, I would love for my children to experience some of what I saw and enjoyed so much - seeing the berry flowers bloom, grow, turning into berries. I want them to experience the pure delight of picking them and eating them right of the bush. I googled "strawberry farms" in our area and tada!...4 of them! Bingo. Off we went.

yummy goodness :)

Lucas was so excited! he was so loud about the strawberries he found and the whole farm new - my kid loves some strawberries

Sofia figured out that she can simply sit down and eat right off the bush..Daddy let her too

 for every berry he picked he ate one..or more..but hey, who's counting?! :D

"I dont understand. Why do we have to go? Can I stay?" 

 Happy, happy boy!

 we are coming back

It was an amazing afternoon; so fun to remember my own childhood, to remember the smells..but what I am mostly thankful for is the joy in my children's eyes, the delight at God's creation, the loud screams of excitement, the sweet juice running down their faces, the "look, Mom, look, Mom, look I found another red one." Thank you God. Thank you for my own memories. Thank you for my grandparents. Thank you for strawberries. Thank you for the smells...