berries in brentwood.

today we went berry picking in Brentwood.
when i think of berry picking, i can't help but think of the Sound of Music-
you know, the part where the Captain is trying to figure out where his michevious lil stinkers have been...
and one of the kids tries to convince him they've been berry picking...except they tell him they were picking blueberries.....when it's too early to pick blueberries....so they try to cover up their lie by saying they were really strraaaahhhhwwberries...(you know, the cool British accent i'm talking about here)...it's just been so cold lately, that they turned blue.

giggle.

whilst picking strawberries, i tried to imagine the straaaahhhwwwberries being blue.
made me laugh.
anyway, Sound of Music must've been in my subconscious today because i even dressed Ellie just like little Gretl in the movie..you know, where she wears the little overalls and pig-tails.

yes, Ellie looked quite like Gretl today.
pretty cute.
and might i add, picking your own strawberries is the way to go, my friends.

tons and tons of delicious strawberries.
somehow way more delicious than Costco strawberries (which is saying a lot), let alone grocery store ones.
and it's a way fun activity to keep yourself busy.

and it's waaay cheaper.
seriously cheaper.
the only downside is this:
when you bring a 2 year old, all they want to do is plop themselves in the middle of the field, and devour every single one. so what if you haven't paid for them? they're there. and they want to be eaten. RIGHT THEN.
and there's only so much refuting and refusing you can do.

plus, isn't that the best part?
devouring your spoils?

i'd say the mess + dirt-covered face suggests we may have over-done it a bit.

and then you see this picture, and notice the creepy strawberry-blood on Ellie's neck, and realize we reeeeally overdid it.
they were just that delicious.

after the berry picking, we just had to head over to some nearby peach/nectarine groves and snatch up some of those goods, too.

Ellie insisted on holding the bucket at first.
that was, of course, until she realized it was very heavy and awkward to carry.

and she was very confused why we couldn't just put the ones on the ground in our bucket.
wasn't that easier?
well, yes, Ellie, it would have been easier.
and much more bug-filled, and seasoned with some nice dirt.
no thank-you.

but she was a good helper, and picked quite a few winners for us.

and even enjoyed doing it, too.

she loved running into her friend, Cale there.

just look how she adoringly looks at him.
is it just me, or does she have a "thing" for him?
seriously.
it's cute.
so, they checked out each other's buckets.

and did some fruit swappin.

until Ellie got distracted by the dirt.
and then she was lost forever.

why are kids so intrigued with dirt?
i don't get it.

one of my favorite parts was just finding her hiding behind random trees.
lots of times, she'd just be standing there.
and i'd wonder, what is going on in that little brain?

and then i'd see her giggle.
and i'd think,
she just thinks she's being sneaky.
i remember when i used to like being sneaky, too.
and the fact that i have a stash of cookies hidden in my pantry proves that i still like being sneaky too.

and then we of course had to partake of our new delicious spoils.

and they were just as sweet and juicy and delicious as they look.
and now my fingers,
they smell like peachy, nectariney, berry goodness.
and i've even washed 'em.
i hope they stay like this for a long time.

and now......... i'm beat.
so tired that i haven't moved from this couch for the last hour.
and i wonder when i will move again.

happy, happy happy summer memories.

{p.s. a big thank you Amy W., for putting all these fun summer activities together! you're the best :) }

xoxo