'cuz you lub dem!

This handful of gorgeous strawberries was a peace offering from Jace. I had repeatedly told him to stay out of the mud and he had repeatedly chosen to ignore me. He is a smart boy, much smarter than he may appear at times, and he knows how much I love strawberries. So as to avoid a "time-out" he grabbed some berries and proceeded to explain that the mud all over his pants was really from picking strawberries "special for you mom, cuz you lub dem so, so much!" How can I be mad at that? It's true, I love strawberries! I love running out to pick a few to put on top of my morning cereal. I love to eat them when I take a break from playing with the kids in the backyard. (We just sit out in the sunshine and fill our bellies full of those juicy berries.) They are my reward when I've finished weeding the flower beds but my most favorite thing is strawberry freezer jam! It's like a scoop of decadent ice cream melting on top of a hot, buttered piece of toast! Divine!! When I was taking my first Lamaze class, the instructor asked us to picture one of our most favorite and strongest memories to focus on during labor. Mine included strawberries! It was a bright summer morning and Sarah and I were out to Grandma Steel's (in Plano) picking berries. I can still feel the sun on our heads, smell the musk of that gritty, black sand and see our hands covered in that sweet red juice! Oh yes, I lub dem!