After a quick hayride, each kid got a small basket to fill up with any ripe berries they could find.

The trip actually got delayed a week because the strawberries weren’t ripe enough yet. There were still a lot of green berries, but it made the hunt for the red ones more fun. Plus, there were weird mutant ones in there too. Woah.

For Clara the strawberries were really secondary to getting to hang out with her pal Sam.

So it was fun to see their budding friendship with our own eyes.

I mean, c’mon. How cute are they?

They probably would’ve stayed out there all day had we not had a class picnic starting back at the farmhouse.

I’m not sure if this was a “this is so much fun!” and “I don’t want to leave!” face. Either way, it perfectly captured the trip.

And as if the berries weren’t enough, there was straw to play in. Maybe the next field trip could just be to a haystack…

We all enjoyed strawberry smoothies when we got home too. Yum.

As you may have read over on Young House Love, to culminate this year’s photos we again let Clara help design a custom “fabric” for her birthday picture. This time around it meant letting her paint directly on two yards of white cotton fabric.

And as usual, we wanted to share some of our favorite outtakes with you guys. Like this one, where we asked her how old she was going to be. Pretend you don’t see seven of those fingers.

Here’s her Home Alone pose.

There was also a nice amount of marveling at the glorious mess that she made on her shirt.

And a whole lotta swag.

I wish I could remember how exactly this pose happened. Whatever it was, I’m sure it was some mix between dancing and making a dramatic exit. Wait a minute, is this crunking?

We also convinced her to sit down for a few photos (there was no fear of a little paint on the pants at this point).

And apparently no fear of a little paint on the face either.

We also realized (too late) that it would have been cuter sans Crocs, so we snapped a few barefoot pictures at the end…

I know I’m biased but I’m pretty sure she’s the coolest kid on the planet.

 Happy third birthday beansie!

Atta girl.

Convo #1
Clara (out of nowhere while riding in the car): Mommy, can I push your buttons?!
(we looked all around and realized she was referring to our water cups from Wendy’s in the cup holder, and she wanted to push down the circles on the top of them for diet, cola, etc – so we handed mine back and she pushed them down).
Clara: Daddy, now can I push your buttons?!

Convo #2
Clara: My bottom doesn’t hurt because I didn’t fall down. But my dolly’s bottom hurts because she tripped on a dinosaur.

Convo #3
Clara (singing to a song that she was making up as she went along): Merry Christmas to your friendsssss! And you love yourselffffff.

Convo #4
Clara (out of nowhere while we were all eating dinner): Daddy, what’s cool about snakes?

Convo #5
Clara’s teacher: … and then our caterpillars are going to break out of their cocoons…
Clara: And that’s going to make a really loud noise! And it might scare me!

In my original post about Aquatober I noted that I have varying success every year I try to detox myself (and my wallet) on all of the soda I consume (it’s my liquid vice of choice). Some years I don’t make it the full month. Some years I make it a bit further. Well, this time I’m still going strong some six months later – minus a milkshake I made myself the other day.

I don’t say this because I want a bunch of virtual pats on the back or expect someone to round the corner with a trophy. I mention it because it taught me something new this year. It was the first time I ever mentioned it to anyone beyond my immediate friends or family. And suddenly I felt much more compelled to stick to it. Something about declaring it to the blogosphere made me more committed than ever to not slip up and apparently to not give up – even once November rolled around. It wasn’t like I expected a public shaming if I opted for a Coke one night (heck, it’s not like you’d know) but the enthusiasm you guys showed for it in your comments was apparently a strong motivator to me.

It’s funny because there haven’t been lots of visible rewards for being soda free for six months. Sure, there are probably some extra dollars in my bank account from weeks of just ordering water at restaurants. My dentist might like me a smidge better. But overall I haven’t noticed my energy being way up, my skin being more lustrous or whatever and I certainly haven’t dropped weight (although the book tour might be to blame thanks to all the cupcakes). I think the main satisfaction I’ve gotten is the confidence that I can muster up some willpower when I need to. I can stick to something and I can create a new habit. So I wanted to thank you for your role in that, whether you realized you were helping or not.

Oh, and I’m totally not making any promises about giving up soda for good from here on out. We’re about to enter those hot and humid summer months where all my body wants is something cold and distinctly not water tasting. Anyways, what’s keeping you guys motivated these days? Or, if you’ve ever given up soda, did you notice any big differences from the experience?

The funny thing is that getting this shot was anything but dreamy. Here’s how it went down (almost literally). She started off with a just-bloomed azalea in her hands. The ol’ spring theme was officially on overload.

It entertained her for a few shots. “Ooooh, pretty.”

And we actually almost called it a day when we got this shot of her politely sitting with it.

But we decided to charge forward. At this point Clara was over the flower, so we swapped it out for this felt heart beanbag instead. She LOVED it.

She desperately tried to get it to stick to her shirt.

Much to our surprise she was successful. Victory, right?

Think again. It fell off seconds later and when she couldn’t recreate the magic moment, it was all downhill from there. Even when we tried to show her it would stay on a non-vertical part of her body, like her shoulder. Nope. Not having it.

We were fully in the throws of a tantrum. When a bean bag doesn’t stick to your shirt the natural reaction is to throw yourself to the ground right?

But at least in the aftermath (once she had calmed down), we captured this quiet moment that looks pretty and has a quintessential story of toddlerhood behind it.

Ah, memories.

Psst- For more on this project (and how we add the week to her shirt using photoshop) click here.

The silk outfit is actually something Quan brought back for Clara on her first visit when she had just been born. And this time she came home with a flower headdress to add to the ensemble. I was a little worried that Clara wouldn’t tolerate something that large on her head. But she was over the moon about being “dressed up like a princess!” Plus, there were tassels. I mean, c’mon. How could you resist?

So a big thanks to Quan for sharing a bit of culture from across the globe! And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go stop someone from trying to crown Burger…

But two days before the idea ever crossed my mind that participating in a race could end in tragedy, I did just that. Last Saturday I ran Richmond’s Monument Avenue 10k, which USA Today ranked right alongside the Boston Marathon itself. Me and 40,000 others ran 6.2 miles up and down our city’s most iconic street. It was my 12th consecutive time participating and I’d been looking forward to both running it, and sharing it with you guys here (just like last year).

As upset as Monday’s events have made me – both as a person, a runner and a fan of the city of Boston – I figured that maybe offering a reminder of the joy, camaraderie, and sense of accomplishment that can be felt on a race day might be a helpful (albeit small) attempt at bring something positive back. It’s amazing how much love there can be on a day when thousands of runners crowd a city’s streets.

Among the thousands of runners in Richmond that day were my family. Eight of us to be exact. There was my dad, who has run with me for 10 years now (though not literally next to me, since he’s a good deal faster). My sisters Carrie (pink shirt) and Katie (blue), the latter of whom (along with my brother-in-law Martin) traveled from New York City. My cousin Brenna and her son Tyler also traveled (from Northern Virginia) to run with us. And there in the middle is my 12-year-old niece Olivia, who was running it for the first time. We didn’t all start or finish together, but it was still very much a family event.

We also had family on the sidelines cheering us on. Sherry, my sister Emily, and my mom boldly volunteered to (got tricked into?) keep Clara and her three under age four cousins named Emanuel, John and Ben entertained while they waited patiently for the few seconds that each of us would trot on by. That’s dedication if you ask me.

And to my surprise when I approached all four kids were calmly sitting in their strollers, waving some cowbells, and probably wondering where everyone was going. Maybe we all heard an ice cream truck?

This look is the look of someone who has run nearly 4 miles and just got an incredible boost from seeing his wife and child smiling at him from the curb. PS: Note the crowd of runners approaching the turn around point on the other side of the street behind me.

That was also the moment I noticed, as Sherry captured later in this Instagram picture, that Clara had picked out a special outfit to cheer me on. Her “Rad Like Dad” shirt and a neon tutu to match my shirt which, by the way, she helped me pick out the night before. What a girl. Maybe someday she’ll run with me?

It was a really memorable day for our family. I’m so grateful to the people who cheered us on (whether I was related to them or not) and especially to the people who help to organize events like these. I wholeheartedly believe they do wonderful things for us as individuals, as athletes, and as communities. And hopeful they’ll be able to continue to work those wonders as we attempt to process and heal from this week’s tragedy.

PS: Runner’s World has compiled a list of ways you can help and show support for Boston if you’re interested.

Convo #1
Mommy: If you had an empty room all to yourself, what would you put in it?
Clara: Well… I’d put some gloves and some hats and some coats and… that’s all. That will be very cozy. 

Convo #2
Clara: These are my big girl undies. They have princesses on them.
Emanual (her four year old cousin): My daddy used to drive a porche.
Clara: I can drive a… princess carriage!

Convo #3
Mommy: Hey Clara, do you want to paint with me?
Clara: Yes sweetie! That’s a great beautiful idea!

Convo #4
Daddy: What does peanut butter taste like to you?
Clara: Maybe it tastes like a… tomato? No! A potato.

Convo #5
Clara (shouting, while chasing a few bigger kids down a rocky trail): THIS. IS. NOT. FUN!

And FYI – the “Mary” she’s talking to is Marian, our babysitter during our Charlotte book tour stop and Katie Bower is, well, Katie Bower. Apparently it was a conference call or something.