Strawberry Picking

Yesterday, the girls and I went strawberry picking after Kid's Day Out. We have a couple local farms in the area that have "pick your own" strawberries each Spring season. The one I'm most familiar with is nearest the Farmers Market we frequent. 

Off we went to the strawberry field. We chatted the whole way about what the field would look like and what the process entailed. They were very excited the entire ride to the strawberry field.

Here are a few pictures from our big day!

Nyla girl loved picking the strawberries

I was a little concerned Naomi wouldn't get that she needed to pick the juicy, red and ripe strawberries but with a little guidance and reminding a couple times, she got it.

Nyla was extremely focused on her task of filling her bucket. She sat down quite a few times in some different spots and picked all around her. She was totally into it. Today, she asked to go back. No one was allowed to fill her bucket but her. :)  

Naomi did a great job filling her bucket. I filled mine pretty quick and helped her but only a little bit. 

Our haul! It was $13 per white bucket and the guy said he'd give me the green one, usually $4, if I just gave him $40, we'd call it even. I was down with that! 

I washed them all and put them on my pans in a single layer so the weight of the top ones wouldn't crush the bottom ones, if they stayed in the bucket. Today is baking day in my home. Tomorrow I'll post on a few items I made from only half the strawberries!

Do you have any local "pick your own" places that you go to each year?

Strawberry Picking

Saturday Nyla and I went strawberry picking! 

(Yes, I am growing strawberries in our yard but we're waiting for them to root properly and won't get any bounty until next season. It's sad, but I'm hoping this helps us having better years of harvest later on.) 

I've been wanting to go but I wasn't sure how she would do. I assumed that she would pop them in her mouth as we picked and obviously that is highly illegal. :) But she greatly surprised me and just carried her little bucket around and kept on picking. I was not allowed to carry the bucket. At. all. She was very insistent on that. ;) I had to give her some guidance to pick the completely red strawberries and had to remind her a couple times but all-in-all she did so great! I think we'll go back in a couple weeks and pick some more. 

Here are a few pictures from our morning together. 

(We also went to the Farmer's Market to pick up some fruits, veggies and grass-fed beef.)

She's so proud of herself carrying the little bucket.

She's doing a great job picking!

"No, I"ll hold the bucket, Mommy."
I definitely head that a few times.

Our haul!
We filled up our bucket close to three quarters full and he told me it was $8. I was shocked it was so little.
I bought another quart because we eat them like crazy around here! 

Nyla and I had a good morning together, so did Daddy and Naomi. They went for a mile walk around our neighborhood and were followed by a sweet puppy for some of the way. We all had a great morning together, but separate! ;)

Gratituesday: Zoo Fun

This weekend we traveled to the Memphis Zoo for a little Saturday morning fun. We have a membership that we get for Christmas every year and I really think it's one of the best gifts. It takes up no space in our home and it's a different experience each time we go. Nyla and Naomi love it more with every visit. I'm thankful for the chance to spend time with just our little family. We have no TV's, computers or cell phones interrupting our time together. It's just us!

Nyla and Mama waiting for the gates to open.

The giraffes; one of Nyla's favorites to see.

The "zeebies" are Nyla's favorites!

Up close and personal

The Bald Eagle

This wolf welcomed us into the Teton Trek exhibit

I'm grateful for the time we get to spend together when we go to the zoo. Not only do we get to spend time together but we get to enjoy God's creations. We may never go to Africa to see a giraffe or a zebra; it's nice to have a place to enjoy what God has made.

What is God doing in your life? 

Daniel's picture of the bumblebee

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
This post in linked to Gratituesday, September 17, 2012

Fun at the Zoo!

We just LOVE the Memphis Zoo! My parents got us a membership for Christmas when I was pregnant with Nyla and we're so glad they keep renewing it for us each Christmas. I love the gift of experience! (As my friend Rachel says over at Frugal and Simple). We love it because it's clutter free, which is what we're trying to do around here, and I'd much rather my girls have a bunch of experiences in learning and developing than a bunch of toys that barely get played with. So far the toys are winning out, which is fairly common at this age, and because I'm not sure what other "experiences" to ask for as gifts. Suggestions?

Any who, we went to the zoo last Saturday morning and had a great time. Nyla is at the age where she wants to walk the ENTIRE time and point to everything and see everything. It's great, we love it! She rode in the stroller on the way into the park, a little in the park and back out to the car. She was wore out on the way home and promptly fell asleep, as did Naomi.

Here are some pictures from our big day!

(One day I'll get brave and go by myself with 2 babies, one day.)

This is Nyla's "bird face." And this is why her nickname is "Bird."

She's sitting in the rocking chair at the "Farm" having a snack. And pointing to who knows what.

A horse friend at the Farm.

Daddy and Ny checking out the tigers. The white tiger is Daddy's favorite.
We are thankful we got to the Zoo right around opening time. When we got finished around 11:30 is was PACKED! Since we have a membership we have the luxury of doing a few exhibits at a time instead of having to pack it all in in one day. Thankful for that.

What kinds of experiences do you want for your kids or what have you done for them?