A fabulous 3 day weekend...

We had a great Saturday night spent BBQing at our friends' house.   The kids played outside in the baby pool and on the swing set and had such a great time together.  It's so nice to be able to spend time with our friends and their kids. 

Sunday morning we got up and headed for our annual trip to Sea Isle City to celebrate Aunt Sis' birthday (Jim's aunt).  We got down first thing and the morning and the kids had fun coloring with markers with Aunt Sis and Aunt Judy.  After a bit, we walked down to the beach.  Cole was first into the water and it was rather chilly, but I happily accompanied him.  Summer decided that she would sit on the blanket with Daddy instead of running in the ocean with us.  We ran and splashed in the tiny waves and finally Summer was interested enough to join us. However she did not actually want to enter the water (she had already tested it out before sitting on the blanket).  She stood by the water's edge and handed me her water can to repeatedly fill up for her so that she could pour it into the hole she had found.  We were soon joined by Uncle Len, Aunt Kate, Jay, & Mom-mom.  Cole & Summer happily splashed and poured in the hole in the sand.  Do you remember when you could be entertained so easily for such a long period of time?!?  Cole would run to the water to fill up his bucket, Summer would hand hers to Mommy and then the water was poured in the hole and the whole process repeated, over and over again. 

We started getting hungry, so we headed back for the birthday lunch.  After lunch we had delicious strawberry shortcake and sang Happy Birthday to Sissy, as the kids call her.  They were so excited to blow out the candles, that you would have thought it was their birthday!

We headed back in the early evening so that I could visit with my Pop-pop who is not doing so well, so please keep him in your prayers.  

 Today when we woke up, I decided that I wanted to take the kids strawberry picking.  The season will be finished in a few weeks and I've been wanting to go.  Jim probably thought I was nuts, planning such an impromptu field trip for our morning but I guess he's learned never to be surprised with me.  We drove to Johnson's Farm which is about 30 minutes away and boy was it hot outside (about 90).  The kids were very excited when we told them because like me, they LOVE strawberries... Jimmy... not so much!  I was happy to see when we arrived that it was not crowded at all.  We took our hayride back to the strawberry fields and the kids each took their little basket in hand.  We gave them quick little demonstration of how to pick the berries and to only pick the RED ones.  Now mind you, I haven't been picking since I was a kid and Jim has never gone.  (I used to go with my Mom-mom, Mom, aunt, sisters, cousins.  It was a yearly tradition and we would get loads of them and make a huge batch of jam... maybe that will be my goal for next year).  The kids did great.  Summer would tell me as she dropped hers in the basket... "that's beautiful mommy!".  We didn't stay long, but they each filled their basket and I filled 2.  They were so proud and wanted to carry their basket out!  

It was a great morning... I've had a rough week watching my grandfather teeter at the end of his life and I just needed to do something to bring back those happy memories from my childhood.  Strawberry picking definitely fit the bill.  And the bonus is that the kids really enjoyed themselves and behaved so well.  The trotted up and down the rows and didn't squash any or try to eat them in the field.  And I actually think that my husband enjoyed himself as well doing something that he had never done.  It was so nice to bring an old tradition from my family, into our family. 

We ended the weekend with a BBQ at Jim's parents' and the kids had a great time playing in their baby pool.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.  I love you all!