break in utah.

Jon spent two weeks in California for work, and instead of confirming my suspicions that I'd fail excellently at being a single parent, I loaded Theo into our car and we drove up to stay with my parents in Utah.  It was a nice break and it was fun to see Theo explore in a new environment.  Here are some snaps taken from our time up there:

STAY AWAY FROM THE GRASS

did not hear as much piano banging from theo as i'd expected

ate (dove face-first into) about half of granpa's ice cream

I got to re-live my summer chore of picking raspberries from the garden.  This time around there weren't buckets and buckets to be picked (my back was thankful for that) but there were bees, so that was new.  As I was picking I was thinking about all of the raspberry-picking-wisdom I've come up with.  You want to know my tips for picking raspberries?  Of course you do.

1. Don't pick the berries until they are dark.  Like, they almost look purple dark.  It can be hard to tell in direct sunlight, but the darker the berry the better.
2. Get into the bushes.  Berry clusters are everywhere so be thorough.  It's sad to discover you missed one after they are already shriveled up.
3. The prickly needles are everywhere except the leaves and the berries.  Lift a branch to check for berries using the leaves and you won't get poked.
4. The berries should just pop off.  If you're pulling and the whole branch is coming toward you, the berry isn't ready.
5.  Pick up the ones that fall on the ground!  They are too precious to waste.  A little dirt won't hurt.


I also checked the chicken coop for eggs nearly every day, which is a new chore that wasn't around when we all lived back in PA.  I have a slight fear of birds (and the chickens were molting so they looked soooo insanely freaky), but I have come to love and covet the fresh eggs my parents get every day, so braving the chicken army was worth it.  (Seriously, they could turn on you at any time.)


Anyway, now the three of us are back home together again.  Jon and I were looking forward to a glorious reunion between Theo and his dad, just like the one that happens every afternoon when Jon comes home from work and walks through the door.  But like, times a million.  So even though Jon came home Friday night, he and I planned for him to sneak outside the next morning just after Theo woke up and then Jon would come in through the door and Theo would shriek with delight and they would hug and it would be the teariest, heart-meltiest thing ever.  Right?

Wrong.  It was much more traumatic than that, by which I mean Jon was traumatized by the experience of Theo being the opposite of crazy-happy-excited and needing to warm up to Jon before allowing his dad to hold him.  Luckily they were pals by the end of the night and all was right in the house.  Whew.

Jon has vowed never to leave us again, haha.