Strawberry Season!

My favorite season is upon us... strawberry season!  Not only because I'm not sure there's a more tasty treat than a freshly picked strawberry straight from the farm, but also because it seems to mark a season of warm days filled with sunshine and evenings spent outside together.  I particularly love the warm evenings together - wandering around the yard watering plants, watching the girls, playing ball together, relaxing in the hammock.  This time of year just lifts my spirits and I feel like you'll know exactly what I'm talking about!

There is a local farm that brings their strawberries in daily to a little red cart in town.  The strawberries literally melt in your mouth and taste so sweet (and this particular farm also does not use pesticides, which is wonderful).  I'm almost embarrassed to admit how many gallons we go through during strawberry season!

 

The hammock gets a lot of attention around here... I'm not sure how we lived without it for so long.  Not only during the evenings, but it's the perfect spot during the day to stop and take a snack break when the sunshine is beating down.  The huge old tree it sits under provides just the right amount of cool shade.

While there are so many delicious ways to eat strawberries, my very favorite is simply by themselves.  The strawberry season seems so short, and I savor these few weeks we can eat strawberries this sweet and ripe. 

Nevertheless, now that the days are so warm, the girls have been begging to make popsicles.  While both girls love to help me in the kitchen, Jillian is especially enjoying learning how to make certain things. Since she is eight now and so capable, I've been making more of an effort to give her independence in the kitchen.  (She's made Rosetta and I scrambled eggs almost every day this week for breakfast.  ;-) )  

"Is this how you do it, Sissy?"

 And so, this was our treat tonight... strawberry popsicles eaten in the back yard as we enjoyed every last bit of the warm evening light.  What a sweet strawberry season this is! 

April's Arrival

 Sunshine.  Freshly mowed grass.  Birds singing.  Blooming trees and shrubs.  Afternoons outside.  These are just some of my favorite things about Spring's arrival.  Most of all, I think I like the newness that comes in April.  Everything feels fresh and full of hope.  

One of my favorite memories was in April.  It was the arrival of our first daughter and I'll never forget stepping out of the hospital with a new, precious bundle in my arms and feeling the warm sunshine.  It was just one of those perfect moments and everything felt different in the best way.  My mom came to stay and we had the most wonderful month together.  We enjoyed what seemed like endless sunshine.  We walked, we talked, we admired all the hot pink blooming azaleas, but most of all, we cuddled and loved this precious sweet little baby that was all our own.

Now I find myself anticipating April's arrival all winter long.  When we're in the midst of a cold, dreary day, I remind myself that April is just around the corner.  And now it's here, and like every April before it, I remember why I love it so much.  Now our oldest daughter will soon be eight years old, but even though the years pass by, April still feels as sweet as ever.  

My camera seemed to stay put all this winter, but boy has it been busy the past couple weeks.  ;-)  I hope you don't mind me simply sharing some pictures (and memories) of our Spring so far. 

 

Hope you all have a lovely April weekend!  (And please do share your favorite things about April's arrival, too!)