Strawberry Fields Forever

Woo-hoo, what a fun outing!

We have been to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls twice before, for the fun pumpkin patch and fest they have every fall, but we have never been in the spring!

It's a bit of a drive - a little over an hour - so I was kind of nervous about that. Plus the forecast was super rainy. Then we hit a bad wreck and came to a dead stop for quite some time. We almost turned around.

But despite the inauspicious start, it was a great trip and I'm so glad we went.

Oh, the Berry Bounce. This is litereally Em's idea of heaven. It was just her and her buddy L on it so they got to stay as long as their little hearts desired until they both came off saying "I tie-yowd."

These two melt my heart.

I forgot my camera and only had my crappy phone pics, but this one made me laugh too much to not share.

And this one. A split second before she fell down.

Then off to pick berries. I've gone blueberry picking for many years so I thought it'd be similar, but it was quite different. The bushes are very low to the ground so you have to crouch. And the good berries are heavy, thus dragging the plant to the ground, where the berries sit and get mushy and moldy on one side. It was much easier to find mushy berries than good ones. But we found some!

L was eating faster than his mama could pick! That kid cracks me up.

Em was only mildly interested. It didn't help that a few feet away there were a ton of goats and horses and barnyard animals. She was so fascinated by those.

She kept running away to look at the goats and I'd have to chase her down. If you haven't seen in her a while, that kid is FAST.

Oh, the goats. Why is she so fascinated by them? Also, we are in a major climbing phase and she would legit get to the top of this fence and start swinging a leg over. I am not loving this.

Despite her lack of interest, we still got about five pounds of yummy strawberries. I was surprised how quickly they were going bad, so we turned them into freezer jam. Never made that before! A yummy way to use up all those fresh berries.

If you haven't been out to Sweet Berry Farms for strawberry picking, I recommend it!

New favorite pic ever. Thanks, Liz!

If you go:

• good walking shoes, preferably old ones. It can get pretty muddy, and you will definitely get berry juice all over them.
• TAKE CASH!! I didn't. Oops. The Berry Bounce was $2.50 and then the strawberries (you pay for the box) were, I think, $2.50 per pound. They also have a little barrel train and refreshments. So cash is a must.
• bring a LOT of water. And a snack or lunch! They have great picnic tables to take a break at and eat. 
  
• bring sunscreen/long sleeves/hats. Most of the fields are way out in the sun and even though it wasn't a super hot day, it gets warm pretty quickly in the fields.
• mamas, I recommend a stroller! Kiddos need a break and you need a place to stash all that stuff I just told you to bring.
• Check Sweet Berry Farms Facebook page before you go to make sure they are open and get a feel for the day's weather.