Fresh Strawberries

We missed strawberry picking season last year with Zoey being born but this year we wanted to make sure we had a chance to go. We LOVE strawberries. Really, we love all fruit but strawberries are one of our favorites. We drove to Gizdich Farm in Watsonville to pick some strawberries and sample their famous pies. The sign said sampling was okay but grazing was not. I'm pretty sure we all were grazing. We couldn't help ourselves. There is nothing like a strawberry right from the plant. The kids really enjoyed picking their own strawberries and took a lot of pride in it. We heard a lot of, "Mom, look at this one" or "Dad, I found a big one!". 

The drive to Gizdich was a very interesting one. You drive past a lot of strawberry fields with people picking strawberries as their job. Then you pull up to Gizdich with a lot full of luxury vehicles and women carrying Louis Vuitton purses.  It was a leisure activity for us. However, the real strawberry pickers looked like first generation immigrants and were hard at work on a Saturday. It really made think about my parents as they are first generation immigrants. My parents left a nice life in Korea with all their family to come to an unfamiliar country where they knew no one not even the language. They came here with nothing but 2 suitcases in hopes for better opportunities for their children. It is hard for me to fathom this kind of sacrifice. As a result, my sister, brother and I had a really nice upbringing. Thus far, I've had no real hardship in my life. My life has been pretty easy. I look at my children and they have it even easier. 

It made me wonder if I am teaching my children the things my parents taught me. I grew up seeing them struggle early on and saw them working hard their whole lives. They are still working hard. They always shared their hardships and experiences with us and the blessings they received from them. While I was at home, I noticed my father teaching my children some of the same things he taught me growing up. My son has a hard time staying at the table during meals and it was no different at my parent's house.  He doesn't like to eat and wants to go play after a few bites of food. I'm constantly trying to get him to return to the table. My parents have always had a rule that we do nothing at the table but enjoy our food. There are no toys, books or electronic devices at the table. My father had Paul sit at the table with us and talked to him about really being grateful for the food he was eating and showing respect to our Heavenly Father. He told him about growing up during the Korean War and not having enough food. Every time we sat down to eat my father reminded Paul of this.  It was something I was taught growing up but was not teaching my own kids. The other thing I remember my father teaching my children was the importance of greeting your elders. It is not enough to say the words. You need to stop what you were doing and look the person in the eyes while saying it. Paul was coloring as my dad was leaving for work one morning. He said bye but kept his eyes on his coloring. My dad had him stop coloring and look him in the eyes. I remember growing up I aways had to come to the door and greet my parents when they got home. It didn't matter if I was in the middle of a phone call, movie or studying, I had to get up and greet them. It was about respect. 

You love your kids so much that you want to make their lives as easy as possible. You don't want them to struggle and want to give them more than you had. It's nice to not have to struggle but I feel like I am doing a disservice to them by making things too easy for them.  Struggles and hardships builds character and I want my kids to have this character. The American Dream is real, I've personally witnessed it.  Life for each generation usually gets easier and easier but at what cost. It's easy to forget and take things for granted. Let's not forget what our ancestors sacrificed for us. We need to always remember and remind ourselves as well as our children of these things. I'm grateful my parents still remind me and they are now sharing these important lessons with my children. I need to be better about remembering. These were thoughts I was having as my children were playing on our iphones as we passed these strawberry pickers working away on a Saturday morning.  Sorry to go off on a tangent. Here are photos from our time at Gizdich. 

Zoey pounded the strawberries. 

Paul and his bucket of strawberries

Paige "grazing"

Evidence of grazing on Zoey's face and clothes

Evidence of grazing on Paige's face 

The strawberries we picked. Paul was so proud

The field we picked from

The field we picked from

Pies at Gizdich are amazing. We shared a couple of slices.  

Zoey likes to gravitate to the trash cans. 

Paige waiting for her turn on the tractor 

Paul and Paige. 

Zoey loved running through the haystacks

Paige 

Fresh apple juice! Also really good.  

My dirty baby. 

The kids loved jumping to dad. 

I found these on my camera. Paige had taken a picture of all her ponies individually:)

Ponies tucked into her bed.