Today is Picture Day at school and the kids chose extra cute outfits to wear for the occasion. Tookie was rocking a grey and black hoodie and Ariana had a sweet pink ensemble to match her backpack.
They were both very excited and luckily both had their pictures taken in the early morning, because unfortunately Ariana got sent home sick! She has had a cough all week and has missed three days already, and did a good job of hiding her cough from me this morning but her teacher wasn’t fooled and sent her to the nurse. Now she has to wait until the cough is gone completely AND she takes a negative coronavirus test, just in case.
Ariana was happy though, because she was able to be a part of picture day and get to see her friends for a little while. She probably won’t be able to go back until Monday! Arthas had the same cough as her for a day or two before her, and he is still going strong with no signs of stopping either. Poor little darlings – it’s even worse because she is feeling much better other than an occasional cough.
This morning we were in for another surprise… it was COLD! Not just a little chill in the air, but fully cold out. Alistair was in shorts of all things! We all had to huddle together for warmth against the autumn chill. It’s quite sad, because even yesterday every day has been summery and warm in the early mornings. I guess the switch has suddenly flicked, and we have to say goodbye to summer.
The trees and grass are all still green, except one orangey maple across the street from us. Long Island summers tend to last a lot longer than up north in Maine, but I guess even down here the beginning of October is the cut-off. We are all pretty bummed, I wish this summer could last forever, or at least late summer when it’s been beautiful weather almost every day.
When we weren’t hugging together for warmth, we were jumping around and dancing to try to keep our body heat up. Of course I had to get these cute pictures of both Alistair and Ariana in their Picture Day outfits. I can’t claim credit for either one as both of them insist on dressing themselves, and have very particular ideas about the kind of fashion they want to wear! Alistair surprisingly loves dress up and looking sharp, he always has.
I’ve often thought Alistair will be a fashion designer when he grows up because he puts together the most interesting and creative combinations both during dress up and with his outfits. Ariana also knows exactly what she wants and is not afraid to get creative with her combinations, like the pop of yellow in her socks today – she had no problem taking fashion risks and loves to feel pretty! I’m so proud of how stylish and independent they both are.
At least the cooler weather means we can throw ourselves into autumn activities and fun, like apple and pumpkin picking and baking warm spiced muffins. We can still go to the beach, as long as we are wrapped up in sweaters, though the kids will probably still try to jump into the water! In Maine we used to enjoy autumn walks on the beach, and even wintertime ones, so maybe we can try that again this year as we live within walking distance to the shore.
Today, however, we did not wrap up warmly and were firmly huddled together until the bus came. Luckily we don’t have to wait long for it, Alistair especially might have frozen stiff! Lesson learned though, it’s long sleeves, long pants, and sweaters every day from now on! At least we made it to the very end of September before having to let summer slip away.
While I shudder to think that winter is right around the corner, I intend to enjoy as much of a long autumn as possible, and there is lots to look forward to like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the early holiday season. It doesn’t snow very much down here, and late autumn extends into December so hopefully we will have a long time to enjoy my favorite season of all.
