The girls have been home all week for Spring Break and poor Peter has had to try and take care of all three kids all day and still try and get some work done. He did say that all the children were very well behaved all week and though he wasn't as productive as normally is he did quite a bit more done than he anticipated. I figured since I have Fridays off I would take them all away to give Daddy a nice quiet day at home.
Back when I was about 13 my best friend, Christina, and I went to England together. We were there for a 2 or 3 weeks and did many things in that time but one thing that really sticks out in my mind is picking fresh strawberries, cherries and raspberries. I just remember thinking it was so cool and I had never done anything like it. I have wanted to find a nice field near by that had Pick your own berries so I did a little research and found one in De Leon Springs about 30 minutes away. My friend Becky was excited
to come along with her three little ones and try this new experience too. We drove to the farm at about 9:15 but they had just sprayed the strawberries and we couldn't pick them until the were dry. One of the guys there asked if we wanted to take a hay ride and see some animals, of course we said yes to this. While we waited
for him to get the tracker with the hay trailer we walked through the little store and into a room they use to wash the oranges they pick from the trees. They had this really cool device that soaks the oranges, kind of tumbles them, sprays them, and and then shines them on a conveyer belt. It was really clever and something I never even thought about. They were working on a bunch of oranges just
as we walked in so the kids got watch the whole process. When it was time for the hay ride, Javan was hesitant but I picked him up and sat him in the middle of the hay and once the ride started he was happy. We rode by a big lake and saw the pretty water and trees, then to the billy goats who came to the fence to see us when the farmer called them. He told us all about them and then we headed to the bald eagle nest. The eagles had just had two babies who were perched on a branch next to the nest, the
farmer said they hadn't flown yet but probably could if they tried. He told us about how they don't get their white heads and tails until they are about 2 years old. We then went through the Orange Blossom groves and it smelled SOOOO good. As we were coming back around we saw a wild turkey take off through the groves. He was really cool and fun to watch. We circled back around to the store area and then unloaded the trailer of all the children. The strawberries still weren't dry so we drove down the road
a little bit to a park so the kids could play and babies could eat and get diaper changes. We got back to the strawberries in time to pick them and each of the kids grabbed a container to fill up. Now, in England the fields were just that, a field of rows of strawberry bushes growing from the ground, here they utilized their space a bit better and used hanging planters that spun and stacked plants on top of each other. The girls had no problem picking the berries and filling their bins and Javan followed me to fill up ours. At first every time I would pick on and put it in the container he would take it out and eat it.
This happened a couple times before I caught on (I was busy looking for the ripest berries to pick) and then I showed him how to pick and put them in the bin. He did a good job of that and helped a bit and then decided to go back to eating them or just de-stemming them all by pulling off all the leaves. The girls ended up filling two containers each and I had the one that Javan helped with. They were $3 each which isn't a good price but the experience and fun we had was more than worth it so I didn't mind paying for it.
I also bought a jar of their Orange Blossom Honey and am excited about trying it. After we were all strawberried up we loaded the cars again and headed to Freedom Playground in Deland, that is this huge maze of wooden structures with all different activities. We ate our picnic lunch first and then the kids played for a long time. Javan ran around the boards and then ended on the swings which he
thoroughly enjoy and then after all the fun we decided to head home. We made one last stop to a nearby Sensory Garden where I had gone once before the but girls weren't with me. They grow plants that are for your smell, feel, and seeing senses and tell you what to do at different signs. I knew the girls would enjoy it so we stopped quickly and then headed home. After all the fun we all were in desperate need of showers and we are going over to Becky's tonight for dinner.
So far the day has really been a great one and I enjoyed every bit of it. All the children were well behaved and I know they really had a great time. I love to be able to do stuff like this with them I just hope they remember it when they get older so they can share it with their babies too.
Due to heavy thunder storms and lasting rain we decided to cancel Life Group tonight so no one would have to load up the kids and drive in the 
weather. It was weird to have a Thursday night without anything going on. After dinner Abbi asked if I wanted to play Uno with her. After a couple hands Daddy joined us too (Bresa was taking her time eating). We played a few games and then Daddy helped Abbi read a whole book. She did a great job and will be reading chapter books in no time!
