We’re thrilled to announce that our camera winner is
#23, Mandy of House of Rose!
Thank you again to ThisLife for being such an amazing sponsor, and thank you for sharing your Memories Captured with us!
We’ll see you next month, July 16-20!
“It’s raining, mama.” He says, looking up through impossibly long lashes. His tiny fingers splayed to catch raindrops, his face tilted to do the same.
“You’re right, buddy.” I say. “It is.”
I slow, matching his stride, and am about to lace my hand with his when he runs ahead, imprinting his footsteps behind Jason’s and between the girls.’
All of my heartstrings on display.
My feet sink into damp earth, my sneakers and my knees and my fingertips muddy with each step. I don’t mind.
I note the wilt of the greenest leaves, heavy with raindrops pooled from this morning’s shower.
I lift one, peek beneath, find the sweet spot. Deep emerald kissed with sparkling jewels in shades of garnet, ruby, and the finest of merlots.
This moment is mine.
I zoom in on the pluck, the water droplets, the growing mountain of berries by my side.
And when I look up, zoom out, and refocus, I see my other treasures polka dotting this vast field.
They’re picking and laughing and eating. Their fingertips and their lips and even their cheeks tell their story.
Jason and I pick one row apart, each with our own basket to fill. A silent (friendly, mostly) competition.
Brody steps between us, his hands pressed together, overflowing with strawberries. “Look at these!” He says, tossing them into Jason’s basket.
They land in a perfect arc. We watch each berry fall in place between us, happy to bite back our Be carefuls and trade them in for Good job, buddies instead.
Later, after our bellies are (more than) berry filled, I face my children across our kitchen counter, much like Jason and I faced each other earlier that day.
“That? Was so much fun!” Kayli says. We nod our agreement.
I push the conversation further, slicing into our sated silence with demands of a Summer List.
And just like Brody’s scarlet rainbow, their words and thoughts and ideas land in that perfect arc, each one a soft landing between Jason and I.
Welcome summer, indeed.
***
Alison and I have an amazing sponsor this month! ThisLife is the best home online for all your photos and videos. It’s the best place to save all your captured memories in one place, from your camera, phone and social networks. You can even share an account with someone else (like your spouse). Their facial recognition capability is awesome AND they even have iPhone and iPad apps so you can take photos and store them on the go. If you haven’t already, do go sign up for a free beta invite to start using ThisLife.
ThisLife is generously sponsoring a Sony Bloggie video camera for one lucky linker! Why not you?
Our linky will be open June 18-22, the badge is in my sidebar, and you can find out more about Memories Captured here.
With that, let the linking and swooning begin!
Oh I so love this memory both the beauty of the moment and the promise of summer ahead. And those beautiful strawberries!
I love your pictures (and I suddenly have a big craving for some berries). I really love seeing the summer plans of each of your children. So many fun plans.
mmmhhhh, strawberries….
Love those pictures! And your writing? It’s always just what I need.
Ooh can I join you for your summer fun my friend? xo
What a perfect day! Mine would have ended with someone getting berries tossed in their eye.
Your Friend, m.
Can’t wait to link up! These pics? Awesome and looks like it was so much fun.
Your pics are gorgeous!
Such a sweet memory!
Strawberry picking is even sweeter than the berries than selves. Beautiful photos and beautiful words to go along with them…as always! xo
Now THOSE are some SWEET memories.
Strawberry picking is one of my most favorite things to do, after blueberry picking!! 
xo
Lovely, as always. What is the blue thing she’s holding the strawberries on? I’m only familiar with the buckets. What an AWESOME sponsor! And they’ve tossed in one amazing prize. Wow!
Love that all of you went picking together, and ending it with berry filled tummies is perfection.
I love those pictures! I would love to go strawberry picking, and so would my girls. We’re strawberry-aholics.
Love this Galit, the pictures and the words. Now I need to get it together and link up this week!
Love your pictures and your writing. Beautiful. I am going to look through some of my pics and will link up for the first time. So love this linky!!!
Summer bucket lists are my favorite! I love what y’all have included on yours!
Strawberry-picking is one of my fondest childhood memories. Beautiful pictures and great beginning to summer!
Strawberries and summer go together so well! I enjoyed getting to read about your time picking strawberries!
Strawberries. Family. Summer. Love.
All captured here.
Perfectly.
Yum.
What a beautiful memory that was made! Can’t wait to link up!
Great pictures, love how you included all your summer plans.
Oh I so wanted to pick strawberries this year, but we ran out of time. I love your memories and your pictures. And summer I can’t get enough of that!
This makes me long for summer to start. We keep getting teased with a nice day here and there, but it just hasn’t quite hit here in the Pacific Northwest (except during my marathon, go figure!).
Our strawberries are almost finished and our raspberries are just beginning. That makes for many red stained fingers.
This looks so fun. So delicious!!!
Oh how gorgeous and what a sweet memory. You truly have the sweetest family.
The words, the photos, the memory? Gorgeous.
I miss strawberry picking!
Such a fun activity to do together, and I love the bright red of the strawberries. Beautiful.
Such fun. And so, so summer. Loved this one, Galit!
Oh, I’m hoping we can go strawberry picking too! It’s such a fun thing to do.
I love these pictures! Almost as much as your words, but not quite. *winks* Your pen is hard competition, my friend. Beautiful post. I love summer!
Those are some beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing.
What I would do for some rain. We haven’t had any in so long.
Such lovely words and great photos. Berry picking looks like fun!
This looks like so much fun! I was just thinking the other day how I want to take the family out for some strawberry picking! I just love summer and all of the amazing possibilities it brings.
One of these days I’ll do a post and link up. Must get better with Picmonkey. I’m just learning how to use it. It’s AMAZING.
Welcome summer, indeed!!!! My favorite time of the year. Looks like yours is off to a great start
xo
How fun is that?! If strawberry picking doesn’t say summer, I don’t know what does!
I love going out in the garden with the kids and picking fresh produce. So great to see them excited about what is growing.
Looks like a fun summer at your house! I’ve never taken my girls to pick strawberries, but I think I need to. And we’ll be out of town this weekend for a fun summer wedding trip, but I have supplies to roast marshmallows when we get back – so maybe we can have a fun house like yours
Wow! That was beautiful. I felt as though I shared in that particular moment with you, as it happened. Beautiful writing and gorgeous children
Gorgeousness. Your words are so vibrant I can practically taste those juicy berries! Wonderful memory, thank you for the beautiful linkup! It’s o favorite of mine.
Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet. And not just the berries. Your darling family, as well. Love Brody’s scarlet rainbow and your words, of course, just as sweet, melt my heart.
Happy Summer!
What a gorgeous set of pictures and what looks like a perfect day. I read that Tracy went strawberry picking too recently. Clearly I am missing out and need to look into this more!
This makes me want summer weather! How fun.
Oh, this is the place to come when the heart yearns for loveliness.
… I see my other treasures polka dotting this vast field.
Swoon!
Strawberries are the very essence of summer. I can feel the fun and the sticky, warm summer delight through the computer screen.
You just reminded me that I was supposed to take the Dudes strawberry picking! Probably missed that now. Ahh, have to aim for peaches in the fall then. Great shots like always!
There really is nothing better than fun in the summer time with your kids. Strawberry picking – such a great family moment.