Isaac the Berry Stomper

Last week I got the bright idea that we all needed to go to the nearby berry farm and pick a big flat of berries that we could then use to make pies, jam, ice cream and other yummy treats. I whined, cajoled and finally ordered everyone into the car so that they could all help with the picking. Miriya was at girls camp so she missed out on the fun. We got there and began picking in the strawberry patch. We all had our own box to put the berries in as we picked. My box was sitting on the ground next to me as I bent over the strawberry plants. I turned by back to reach around a plant and when I turned back Isaac had picked up a strawberry and thrown it on the ground. I saw him just in time to watch as he lifted up his leg in a giant step and squish the berry to pulp. Hey! I said, counting myself lucky that I found him after just one berry casulty. Go help Daddy or Taylor. OK, said Isaac and he merrily trotted off down the row. I looked up and saw that Tom and Taylor had their boxes in their hands. There shouldn't be any more berry stomping if the berries aren't on the ground, right? Hmmm, we are dealing with a 2 year old here! A few minutes later I got up and walked down the row to a new area for berry picking. On the way I passed Nick sleeping in his stroller. I also happened to notice that Tom had picked up a few small baskets in addition to his large box to put berries in. He had filled up 2 baskets and put them on the stroller and was now working on filling up his box. When I passed the stroller I saw both baskets on the ground and an enormous amount of berries squashed flat with tell tale Isaac footprints. Isaac was no where near the stroller so the time of the offense was unknown, but we are pretty sure the culprit was Isaac, especially after we saw his shoes covered with berry guts. Poor Tom, he had to start his berry picking all over. We were all a little more careful to guard our berries after that.

We picked strawberries and raspberries and made yummy jam. Both Taylor and Miriya helped make jam, so now they know how. For some reason they seemed suprised that I knew how to make jam. I guess it has been a while since I made any. Isaac won't have anything to do with the berries except squish them. They are poison on his tongue.