Lots of good stuff

We made it to Froberg's on Friday to pick some strawberries.  It was a totally different experience from last year.  I think we went Good Friday last year and so it was SUPER busy.  But this year, we arrived early and had lots of space to ourselves.  Last year, the berries were huge and ripe ones were easily found.  I don't think we travelled but about halfway down the row before our buckets were filled.  This year, there were lots of berries, but they were smaller and many were rotting on the plant.  It's been hotter earlier this year and it's been dry, dry, dry. 

 Last year John was really into picking and did a wonderful job of picking this good ones. This year he was just at good at getting the good ones, but he lost interest quickly.  In fact, he got more of a thrill out of running up and down the empty rows than he did picking the strawberries.  But he was still glad we went to pick is "favorite fruit."

Later that evening John got a package in the mail from Grandma and Paw Paw.  Even if we'd wanted to save it for Easter, there was no way John would have made it through the evening knowing there was a package with his name on it in the house.  So, we let him open it, mostly for our own peace of mind.  As you can see, it was an Easter basket in a box, complete with a cute little stuffed lamb, some candy, a card, a coloring book, and a little handheld game.

 In addition, there were a couple of eggs with some goodies.  Among the goodies, some money.

And taking after his father, he know exactly where his money belongs: the BANK!  In his case, it's one of his piggy banks.  Believe it or not, without any encouragement from us, he loves to put his money in his bank.  I know one day that will change, but for now, his little stash will continue to grow.

The rest of the weekend has been kinda low-key.  We did try out a new Mexican food restaurant last night.  It has a cool play area for the kids and great food, too.  And tonight, we went to have some family photos taken - by a professional!  I actually won a free mini-shoot from a newer photographer in the area that I met recently.  It was a bit awkward for me since I'm usually behind the camera, but the experience was an enjoyable one.  Can't wait to see how they turn out! 

The only other remarkable thing about the weekend is that John did not nap yesterday or today.  I think that made it 4 or 5 out of 7 days that he did NOT nap this week.  He can make it until bedtime on no nap, but sometimes it's not pleasant.  Typically, when he's beyond tired he just starts acting obnoxiously silly and won't listen to anything you say, which leads to unhappy parents.  And that turns into an emotional mess of a boy when all is said and done.  It can be painful for all involved.  We are still enforcing quiet time, but I guess I need to rethink our procedure to encourage the quiet part.  Maybe this week will be better.

-EBP-