We Take Our Lumps

In Texas, the weather is awful in the summer.  I don’t lie about such things.  Awful doesn’t even cover it.  Getting up early to get some “outside time” in with the boys before we retreat to the shelter of air conditioning for the rest of the day is no way to spend the longest days of the year. 

That being said, fall is gorgeous.  Ok, we have nary the colorful leaves – yellow and brown is all we get, but the weather is hard to top.  Cool mornings in the 50s/60s and highs in the afternoons that climb into the mid-70s.  Bliss!  Of course it’s dark by 6:15pm, and the days are only going to get shorter.  But we love the days.  We spend most of the time on or around things with wheels.  Jasper rides his bike up and down the driveway, and Benjamin plays with the Jeep.  Some afternoons Jasper rides his bike to the park nearby and I push Benjamin in the stroller.  Of course, I can’t walk anymore.  Jasper is too quick on his bike.  No, I have to jog … just to keep up!  Ugh! 

      

One afternoon last week I ventured out (without Drew – which meant I had to hook it up by myself, which is no small task!) and took the boys on a quick bike ride with them in the trailer over to see Luke and Ellie.  They loved it!  We grieve that Drew is inside all day and not able to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine and the coolness of the autumn breeze.  He lives for Saturdays and Sundays with the boys (and me).  This last Saturday Drew and Jasper started a new athletic class: soccer!  The jury is out on if Jasper likes it, but we’ll see.  After class we spent the remainder of the morning outside and enjoyed lunch on the deck.  We later rode our bikes to another park after naptime.  It was a good Saturday. 

 

It looks like Benjamin is about to swipe something off Jasper’s plate, doesn’t it?  Not sure what he was eyeing. 

Who knows what Jasper is talking about here.  He carries on conversations that are way above his age level.  One day last month (early in October), I had just asked him what flavor of yogurt he wanted and was stirring up the yogurt and was going to pour half into a bowl.  He said to me, “Mom, I want the white bowl … with the red stripe … and the cow.”  Check out below to what he was referring.