Strawberry picking . . . then and now!

We took a trip to our favorite berry-picking place yesterday - we've been going there for years to pick blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries . . . which was our goal for this trip.  (Of course, yesterday was probably the hottest day of the summer so far!  We got there when they opened at 9:00 - I'm so glad we didn't come later!)

 

I had the help of three amazing pickers!

Lael was my methodical picker . . . she chose a spot, picked all the berries in that area, then moved on to the next spot.

 This was Noah's first time picking berries. He had fun finding strawberries for a while, but then he decided that he'd rather be my "runner" - carrying my picked berries to the larger container so I could continue picking.

 (However, by the end of our time at the farm, he decided that the best job of all was that of "taste tester"!)

 Jaden was on the hunt for the biggest and best strawberries - and found some beautiful ones!

 

Just so you can see how long we've been coming here . . .

 

This was Jaden and Papa picking strawberries - back in June of 2010.

 Lael and Nana had fun filling their buckets too.

 We've definitely made the George Schmidt Berry Farm a favorite destination for whenever we have a craving for amazing produce!  

Although we can't live on a farm, at least we can visit one :)

Cool summer fun!

We've definitely had some hot days this summer . . . so we've tried to keep cool in any way possible.  One of our favorites - swimming!

On the 4th of July, we had fun swimming in "Mr. Hank and Mrs. Pat's" pool . . . as well as having a yummy cookout!

We also purchased a little inflatable pool for the backyard . . . we got it with Noah in mind, but all the kids have fun cooling off in it!

Daddy is a great lifeguard!  (Actually, he's more of a make-sure-Noah-doesn't-fall-out-of-the-pool-onto-the-concrete-path guard)!

Father's Day at Grandma and Grandpa's hous

Our kids always love going to Grandma and Grandpa's house - they especially love playing outside on the playground and riding bikes!

Jaden was checking out Grandpa's bike . . .

 The other great thing about going to Grandma and Grandpa's house is that usually there are cousins to play with!

Jaden and Abby bonded during some reading time.

 And the toys are more fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house too!

 Uncle Brock and Jaden had fun seeing the world from a different perspective!

 Uncle Brock captured some great pictures . . .

 Jaden invented the game of roofball - I'm not sure of all the rules, but it kept him busy for quite a while!

 Lael enjoyed playing with the little ones - although she was surprised how much work it was to pull them in the wagon!

Happy birthday, America!

We had a fabulous 4th of July!  (What a difference a year makes!)  Just thought I'd share some of our highlights . . .

The main event of the day - a church picnic!  What could be better than great food

(including Noah's first taste of watermelon - he ate two slices) . . .

 . . . water balloon tosses . . .

 . . . even though some people got VERY wet!

 A moonbounce is always a hit with the kids!  Jaden and Lael both enjoyed this activity, although Jaden came home sporting a few bumps to the cheeks from colliding with someone's elbow mid-bounce.

 And did I mention yummy desserts???

And not just any dessert - these desserts were all part of a bake-off competition.  Lael and Jaden both decided that they wanted to enter a dessert.  Lael made Brownie Bites, a scrumptious confection that combines my from-scratch brownie recipe with Reece's Peanut Butter Cup candies in a mini-cupcake . . . I'd show you a picture, but they were gone before I could take one!

Jaden chose to make Banana Split Dessert - which he renamed 4th of July Cake in honor of the occasion.  He had Mom's help in a supervisory and advisory capacity (and to do things like run appliances), but this was very much HIS dessert.  It was chosen as one of five winners based on presentation by those attending the picnic!

 But that wasn't all . . . Jaden's dessert came in FIRST PLACE - out of all those who entered!  He was pretty shocked at first . . . then really excited!

His Sunday School teacher came in second with a magnificent pineapple upside-down cake!  Here they are with their prize baskets . . . although Jaden was told that he would receive a more kid-appropriate prize soon! ;) 

However, he really liked his first place ribbon!

Not to be outdone by her little brother, Lael won the drawing for a digital scrapbook kit!  I think she and Mommy will enjoy that prize! 

And then what picnic would be complete without a swing ride for Noah? 

We came home exhausted . . . but in such a good way!   

Happy birthday, America!

The annual corn roast

One highlight of the summer is the annual corn roast that my mother-in-law's family has every year. It's great to see extended family that we don't see on a regular basis. And Brent and his brother have a standing corn-eating competition which dates back to their teen years when they actually ate more than two or three ears of corn at the corn roast. (Now they just gather up all the corn cobs of those sitting at their respective tables and claim that they ate that many ears of corn!)

Lael and Jaden love seeing their cousins (actually, they are children of Brent's cousins -- so that may make them all second cousins? I guess it doesn't really matter . . . it's easier to just say "cousins".) The kids had so much fun running around and playing together; it took alot to get them to stop and grab a picture:

It's summertime . . .

. . . and that means swimming whenever possible!

We had a fun-filled day at the pool yesterday with the kids from Treasure Seekers -- as well as a cookout.

Can you find Lael and Jaden in this picture? What a fun time spent with friends!

And even more special is the fact that your sibling is your best friend!