Strawberry Picking

A short drive away from our apartment, there is a place where you can pick your own strawberries.  It is the same place we took the girls to pick out pumpkins in October, as Mayzie reminded me when we pulled up.  (I thought it rather impressive for a girl who isn't even 3 yet.)  We found our row and started picking.  Andy did most of the actual picking, with a minor assist by me.  Annika found some really succulent and ripe berries, and ate every single one of them she could stuff in her mouth.  Mayzie preferred to sit between the rows and play with the straw when she wasn't splayed across my back as I was crouched down next to a strawberry plant.  In case you were wondering, yes, it was uncomfortable.  Then there was the all girl trip to the bathroom that naturally took no less than 20 minutes.  So thanks Andy!  All together we picked almost 10 pounds of berries.  Half are now frozen, and the other half are reserved for strawberries and shortcake.  Any recipes out there?  
Andy and Annika with our loot
The pipe slide at the farm

It was a beauty, fun, frustration, and frenzy filled day, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  All of it, that is what I will miss when this fleeting moment passes.  This moment when they are almost 3 and 5.  This last summer before anyone is on a real school schedule.  This last summer of being together with me and my girls all day long.  I want to drink it in while I can.  I don't want to miss these moments, especially not the frustrating ones, because those are the ones when I learn the most.  I want to appreciate them while they are happening.  On the flip-side, I'll also be grateful to never have to sing songs with all the lyrics replaced by the words "poop" or "fart"; this phase can disappear fast please.  It was a great day, and I want to it as a whole bounded memory of the good, the bad, and everything in between.  
This is why I write, for days like this one that I want to stick in my brain forever. It isn't necessary to document  every mundane detail, but finding exuberance in the everyday and the special moments simultaneously is something to remember.  
I <3 linking up with my friends at #iPPP

P.S. Greta, I'm totally getting back on my #500in2013 train asap.  Don't lose faith!