My Ben.

He just turned 4 and has officially declared himself to be a Big Boy. I have to remind myself that he is right – 4 means he’s left the toddler years behind and he is ready for more. He had his 4-year check up with the pediatrician this morning, and even though he cried and kicked through the two shots, when it was over he reminded me that he is a Big Boy.

I really treasure time with my boy Ben. With so many kids in the house, it is a special treat that we have a few afternoons alone together every week. This afternoon, with the sun streaming through our large kitchen windows, Ben and I turned a leftover pie crust sitting in the fridge (we used the other one last week for pumpkin pie on Pi Day) into nine mini strawberry pies. He was so eager to slice the strawberries, stir the filling and roll out any extra dough. I couldn’t help but notice how capable he has become – he holds a knife so steady and balances so well on the little chair propping him up. He really is a Big Boy now.

Even if he likes making little pies.

Little Strawberry Pies

1 8″ pie crust (I like the refrigerated one from Immaculate Bakery)

3 cups sliced strawberries

1/4 cup sugar (I intentionally kept the sugar content low because I knew we’d be topping the pies with vanilla ice cream)

1/4 cup flour

a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter each section of a muffin tin. Cut 3 1/2″ rounds out of the pie crust. Gently place and press the rounds into the muffin tin. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir the strawberries, sugar, flour and lemon juice. Fill each pie crust with the berry mixture. Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and run a knife around the mini pies to loosen from the sides of the muffin tin. Let cool slightly and remove.

Serve topped with ice cream!