Berry Picking, Fair, and Mom Issues

 We went raspberry picking a few days ago at a place a little south of Orem, Around Mapleton I think? anyway- the weather was SO nice and the raspberries- though we had to forage a bit for them- tasted heavenly.

 There was a bit of a snaffeau with poison ivy... I was holding Lucy as we were walking through an overgrown path and I saw the ivy- and i thought NOOOOOO. So I wiped down the girls with baby wipes on the drive home and prayed.

Thankfully, only Eleanor has had a few spots- and they have hardly been itchy. Thank you thank you thank you. Can you imagine a toddler and a baby with poison ivy? yiiikes.

 The raspberries were lovely, but I don't know if I"ll ever go back.

 Sham and Joel invited us to the state Fair. It was pretty nice- I especially liked all the cows and sheep- though I didn't take any pictures of those... you know what they look like.

Sometimes I struggle between the spectrums of motherhood. I feel internal pressure to be a "playful mom" and a "living in the present soaking up every moment with my kids mom." But I also don't want to be a helicopter parent (for both selfish and non selfish reasons) and not let them have free time where they have to think of their own stuff to do. I read stuff online about kids not being bored enough now with tv and phones. Like an empty mind allows space for creativity and independence. Also, I don't want to play prince and princess, and the bed is a boat, and store every hour. Get away from me, kids. Let me do my thing. It's a struggle.

Sometimes when Ella comes home from preschool and I'm peppering her with questions, she'll say something like, I don't want to talk any more about school. I'm at home now. Or I'll ask her what sound an A makes- cause that's what she's learning- and she's like, No, I already did that with Ms Brit. Ha! Alright threenager.

Hopefully you can see this video- Lucy is getting better and better every day with walking. She's eating a coconut almond protein bar if you're curious... I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed by that. I don't think so? lots of protein...

Also, lately, I've had Ella "Practice" wearing pants. She hates them- something about the fabric between her legs bugs her. Ever since potty training back in March- ONLY DRESSES. which is fabulous. but now that its starting to get cold- and her preschool will go on nature walks even in the snow- I need to get her sensitive little legs prepped so I don't feel like the worst mom in school when Ella walks around in a dress and bare legs in the snow. We're up to about an hour of wearage and she's like, can i take off my pants now?????