Parenthood is tough.  No doubt about it.  It’s messy and exhausting.  At times it can be gross and hectic.  However, it is days like yesterday that make it worthwhile.

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It was just a normal Saturday with incredibly pleasant weather for an Alabama summer.  We spent the morning at  the U-pick blueberry farm near our house.  This was a new experience for all of us, but picking blueberries will now be one of our summer traditions.  It was so relaxing– middle of nowhere, horses in the background, us with a bucket.    It took a little over an hour to pick a gallon’s worth of blueberries.  We spent the drive home talking about all the yummy things we were going to bake.

The weather was so beautiful that it actually inspired Ken to wash and clean his car.  Something I think I have known him to do maybe twice in our marriage (and I think both times it was because we were trying to sell them).  He invited Edie to join him which gave me  some unexpected free time to relax inside and clean something.  Every now and then, I would poke my head outside to see how it was coming.  I think once I came out and Edie was actually washing something.  Most of the time she was just running around, squealing with delight at being sprayed with the hose.

Later after naptime, Edie and I baked a cake with our fresh blueberries.  I love baking with my girl.  It’s one of my favorite things to do with her, and I would do it more often if it didn’t produce such huge caloric intakes afterwards.  But there are times when you just have to bake, and fresh blueberries is one of them.

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After supper we all piled onto the couch and watched cartoons while stuffing ourselves with cake.  Later as I was tucking her in and telling her goodnight, I couldn’t help but think that it was for days like these that I wanted children; days spent doing nothing more than enjoying a beautiful Saturday together.