Raising a Berry Fiend

As I mentioned in my last post, last weekend we got word, via Mandy, that my favorite strawberry farm was having an early season U-pick session for a few short hours. The weather had been warm enough to ripen some berries, but then it had been monsooning (essentially!) for a few days, and the farm was worried that the ripened berries would rot before they were ready to open up officially for the U-pick season. I, being an avowed berry fiend, jumped at the chance to pick the first fresh strawberries of the season. We managed to fit it into a busy Saturday morning (Friends school yard sale, Waffle Shop breakfast, music class, and then strawberry picking!) and boy was it worth it.

The berries were delicious and the field we got to pick on wasn't nearly as overgrown as their fields sometimes have been in the past. It was FINALLY sunny (after a good week of rain and gray) so it was wonderful to be outside. We brought Sarah and Brad with us and then met up with Mandy, Scott and Noah. Hayden had been berry picking last year - but it was a bit of fiasco, trying to wear her on my back. This year, we let her walk around and she started off strong. Sarah and I ended up sharing a bucket and Hayden went back and forth between us, grabbing the berries we had picked and putting them in the bucket. A great system, if you ask me, especially when both Sarah and I, with growing baby bellies, were content to find a fruitful spot and stay there seated for a while, trying to pick as many berries as we could within arms reach. But Hayden didn't want to be the berry deliverer for long, so she went off with Daddy to check things out in a different part of the field. Notice I haven't mentioned letting her EAT any yet; I thought that might set a bad precedent.

Hayden acting as berry deliverer with Sarah.

Posing with the first fruits of our picking efforts.

Sure enough, when she returned from her adventure with Daddy, I introduced her to actually tasting the berries, and she was hooked. She kept asking for more and more. She would occasionally still act as berry deliverer, but her services were getting sloppy. At one point, she wanted to put the berries I gave her (at this point, feeling much more hard earned from bending over a baby belly) in Mandy's container. Or she would look at me quizzically asking without words, 'do I have to put this berry in a container, or can I just eat it?'

Can I eat this one please?

Ahh, strawberry goodness...

Even with Hayden's "help" at eating the berries, we managed a pretty good haul and eventually we were able to tear ourselves away from the temptation of finding just one more berry and go pay for our loot. As noted in my last entry, Hayden and Noah held hands on the way out for a bit and then had a great time being wheeled around the new store at the farm in a car shopping cart.

I think we pulled in 8-9 lbs of berries, which seems like a pretty good accomplishment for the first round of picking this season. We just finished the last of them on cereal and yogurt this morning. I made a delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie (thanks again for the recipe Mandy!) that Jason just couldn't get enough of.

The pie (if you couldn't tell). So tasty!

I also made strawberry bread that was tasty (Hayden had a piece and a half for snack yesterday and would have eaten more). Plus we all ate plenty straight up, as fresh berries should be enjoyed.

don't those berries look yummy!

All in all, it was a good first picking. Hayden enjoyed the process of picking (I think!) and she definitely enjoyed eating the berries. She gets sort of picky with food at times these days (oatmeal is always her breakfast request, but we don't always indulge her). I would offer strawberries and she'd say no all whiney and rejecting. But if I put one in front of her, while fixing the rest of the meal, chances are she'd end up gobbling it right up and asking for more. I guess she really IS my daughter, even if she doesn't look all that much like me. :) We will probably head out to pick again tomorrow - we need to replenish our stash. It'll be interesting to see how it goes with just me and Hayden doing the picking. As long as we can get enough for jam, and maybe a smoothie, I'll be happy.

Family shot, posing with our haul.

Hayden and Noah II

As you may know, Hayden and Noah spent a lot of time together from about the time Hayden was 3 months to when she was 10 months because Mandy and I swapped care, and shared a babysitter, to finish our dissertations. Once we both went off to "real" jobs, the kids went off to "real" daycare and they didn't get to spend quite as much time together. Luckily Noah still lived next door so we'd get to see them regularly, especially once the weather warmed up. But then Mandy, Scott and Noah moved, so finding time to hanging out has had to be a bit more intentional. However, we still find time to do stuff together, so the kids still get to play. We actually just saw them tonight, when we had our veggie exchange since we are sharing a CSA membership. (If you're interested, this time we had pea shoots, asparagus, chard, lettuce, spinach, basil, rosemary, radishes and strawberries in our box.) And lately we celebrated Memorial Day together and picked strawberries together.

I think the kids are at kind of a funny age for friendships. They both LOVE to get together (I believe both of them have done happy-dances at the mention of a get-together) but when they are actually in the same place, there isn't necessarily all that much interaction. Noah is usually busy finding something to do and Hayden is busy getting mad that Noah picked up something that she didn't know she wanted until he picked it up. But they do seem to enjoy each other's company and I'm sure they'll start to actually interact more as they both get older.

Memorial Day was pretty fun because the two of them discovered the joy of being traced with chalk. I had traced Hayden's shadow earlier in the weekend, and when the chalk came out after dessert, she assumed the position I had told her was best for tracing. Noah quickly mimicked her stance so he wouldn't miss out on the fun.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much sun to create shadows, so eventually I convinced them both to lay down on the driveway so I could just trace their bodies. While both were a bit reluctant at first, once they saw how it worked, it was a big hit. We even managed to get them to lay down holding hands, and traced them that way. SO CUTE!!! Of course, our driveway did end up looking a little bit like a crime scene, but it started raining the next day so all evidence was quickly washed away.

Another recent interaction occurred when we all went strawberry picking last weekend. A BIG thanks to Mandy for the heads up on the early season U-Pick option. We got some DELICIOUS berries and the kids had a good time seeing each other. They shared strawberries with each other while we were picking, held hands on the way out of the fields and then had a blast being driven around in a car grocery cart in the new store at the farm. Jason wheeled them all around like crazy, and there was mad giggling going on.



Strawberries are actually a big hit with both of them. The last two delivery days for our farm share have involved strawberries and as we get the berries out to divide them, both kids ask if they can have some. I think Hayden even the GREEN part of a strawberry on the first day when I wasn't paying attention. Oh well.

Even if we no longer live next door and share child care, the kids will still get to see each other thanks to the farm share. And who knows what the summer will bring? They may start stealing chard out of the boxes and actually learn to interact!!!

Memorial Day

Even though it was only two weeks ago, it seems like Memorial Day was forever ago. I was thinking about it the other day and trying to remember what it was we did that weekend; nothing was coming to mind and then I remembered, we celebrated our 6th anniversary by heading to Altoona for shopping and Mexican while Brad and Sarah earned baby points. :) We also went to a movie and tried to eat a traditional State College dessert but were thwarted by the restaurant's lack of ice cream. Who runs out of ice cream?!!!!

Anyway, on the actual Monday of Memorial Day we did what we do best - have friends over to grill and hang out. In attendance were Sarah and Brad, Mandy, Scott and Noah, and Brittany and Megan. It was great! We had yummy food - grilled hot dogs, brats, chicken, pasta salad, snickers salad, potatoes ala chard, among other things. Noah and Hayden had a great time eating dinner at the kid table.
Hayden was especially fond of the grilled corn - she likes eating it off the cob better than having it sheared off. And Noah very meticulously ate at least two helpings of Sarah's Snickers salad (green apples, snickers, cool whip - delish!). I say meticulously because it is not easy to stab apples with a plastic fork and he did it very neatly.

After dinner, the kids explored the yard, including checking out our newly planted garden. We've got tomatoes (5 kinds, including at least 3 heirlooms!), beans (how do you stake beans?), lettuce, bell peppers and jalapeno peppers, plus herbs.

Once the adults finished dinner, we all moved to the front yard to hang out in the evening sunshine. Hayden and Noah were entertained by Brad's antics (look how hard she's laughing). I think it involved throwing a ball and having it bounce off body parts, but it could have been anything.
There was some mommy/child snuggling too. Mandy and Noah had the cuter picture so I'll post theirs. :)And then the big food finale - rhubarb dream bars served with vanilla ice cream. A great use for the first batch of rhubarb! I think they were a big hit. Even the kids got in on the action, sitting quietly to eat their dessert. Hayden actually avoided the rhubarb bar and just sucked down the ice cream. She then got up from the table and walked slowly around the circle of adults looking for anyone who had some ice cream left. No one really did - Mandy was the candidate with the greatest possibility since she had to get a refill after Noah accidently dumped his on the ground and she donated hers to him. But even Mandy had reached the bottom of her bowl; I think Hayden was VERY disappointed there were no seconds. She kept asking and even went over to the front door to see if someone would take her inside to get her more. She is REALLY into ice cream!



We had a really nice time hanging out with all our wonderful friends. Food was good, company was better, and the weather was lovely. Noah didn't even get confused about no longer living next door to us. (Although the kids did ask to go play "chase" around the cedar trees at one point). What a great Memorial Day!

Singing

I have a few posts I'm meaning to write, but until I find the time to do so (maybe tonight while Jason watches the hockey game), you'll have to just deal with a short little post with a video. Of course, this post will not quite be in chronological order, but oh well. You can deal.

Anyway, yesterday morning Hayden woke up in the best mood. Chatty, cheerful, smiles galore. Such a mood is not too unusual for Hayden, but this one was just an exceptionally fun mood - especially for a Monday! This was epitomized when she broke into song, completely unprompted during breakfast. I think maybe she was inspired by the sure-jell box, but I don't know why that would be. (I might sing once the actual jam is made, but not just for sure-jell.) And not only did she sing the entire alphabet song on her own, she even sang it again AND continued when I brought the camera out. Take note of the minor interruption where she points to the jam jars and says "What's that?" That question, along with "what doing?" and "where going?" and "why?" are repeated many, many, many times daily. Life with Hayden is pretty fun these days. :)

So please enjoy her ABC serenade and the bonus "baa, baa, black sheep"!!