Jilliann is two

This was the cupcake table at her birthday party in the park (she's very interested in the pretzels with M&Ms). Lots of friends came and it was a blast. She got some wonderful gifts and played in the grass, dancing to the ice cream truck songs. The big slide did not intimidate her and the merry-go-round was a hit with all the kids.
You can tell she's two! She no longer wants to hold my hand while going down the steps and she goes up the steps sometimes just as we adults do, with the one step at a time. She likes to play by herself sometimes and lets us know by waving and saying, "Bye, Mama. Bye, Papa." In gymnastics, she's learning some of the difficult tasks and listening to the teacher better. And, yes, she also throws those "terrible twos" tantrums! She's official. :)

U-pick etiquette

I love U-picking strawberries (and especially blueberries because you get to stand up) and we had such a nice time picking today in not-too-cold and not-too-hot weather with Jilliann being a little saint. Michigan offers a lot of u-pick opportunities. My mom and I went out and the babe loved every bit of wandering the fields, being careful to not step on the plants. It was a very enjoyable time for all, but I still feel compelled to write about U-pick etiquette because certain bad manners could bring a dark cloud upon your u-picking if you let it get to you. So, here's my U-pick etiquette. Please feel free to add to the list.
1. If it's not your empty quart carton, think twice before taking it. Just give a shout out and ask if it belongs to anyone, because it's a long walk back up to the barn to get another one.
2. Follow the rules about where to pick. The farmers know best and if you mess up their system, you mess up the system for everyone.
3. Use those little yellow flags that they give you to mark the place that you stopped at. That way, someone else won't be searching around for a good starting point. They'll know that you stopped there and so they'll start after the spot that you picked clean.
4. Please be conscious of those around you and don't yell a whole conversation about the problems with your neighbors across the whole field....go over to your friend and pick right next to them if you'd like to talk. Some people enjoy getting lost in the field, listening to the birds and that perfect pop that sounds when a ripened berry is pulled off the vine and forgetting all of those caddy problems you're yapping about!
5. Most important of all, the unwritten rule: Don't start picking "upwind" from someone else. If you see me moving up a row and you start picking further up that row, you're taking all those berries I'm planning on filling my quarts with. There's plenty to go around, just walk a few aisles down.
:) That's my post. Jason is surely laughing about what a rule follower I am....so much that I post my own rules. Yeah, it's true, J, I know. Good thing you're around to break all the rules so Jilliann gets a balanced view on the rules of life. Hee hee. Sorry, but I just had to add that in!