Strasburg sent out their Back To School email and I began to think about fall and all that it brings with it. Of course, around here, school starts back in August . . . way too early as far as I am concerned! Wait until after Labor Day . . . please???

The weather is still warm but a few early mornings have had a slightly different feel to them. There has been coolness in the air when I go to get the morning paper. I have noticed more people walking in the early mornings, now that the mornings are cooler.

Summer flowers are beginning to lose some of their appeal and I am thinking about fall plants for the patio and porch. Many of our local nurseries also grow pumpkins and plan annual fall activities. Children, teens and adults love the mazes made in the corn fields or some even use stacked bales of straw to create a maze. There are hay rides to the pumpkin patches, fresh apple cider, fall apples and other treats to make the fall season something special. Later in the fall there are still people who make sorghum molasses! Nothing better on a hot homemade biscuit as far as I am concerned!

Living in Kentucky, all four seasons are distinctively different. I look forward to them all and find myself eagerly anticipating what each season brings to us. Can’t wait to see the fall colors our trees have planned for us this year. Happy fall everyone!

Well, we did it…we made our third trip to Hawaii in just under a year! I wish I could say that since I’ve packed for that trip so many times, I have been able to pack less and do it more efficiently. But we still checked five bags and carried on three! I guess that’s just the way it is when you’re traveling with two toddlers!

This time we went to Kauai, and it is definitely my favorite of the four islands I have visited. Upon check-in at the hotel, Anna Kate was given a beautiful flower lei and told the woman who gave it to her, “Mahalo” (thank you) all on her own. We were a bit surprised she remembered that at her ripe old age of two-and-a-half! We spent a lot of time exploring the island and enjoying local restaurants. One restaurant was famous for its “Hula Pie”…chocolate cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge sauce. We ate there three times! One day we took a trip to Hanalei Bay to see the stretch of mountains for which the song “Puff, the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul and Mary was named. Another day we took a riverboat tour to see a beautiful grotto where ferns grow out of the rocks; Connor loved the boat ride! Waimea Canyon was another great place we got to visit. The kids chose that day to be especially fussy. For the sake of being honest, I’m including a photo of the kids in rare form on our little canyon adventure. Just don’t want anyone to think our trip was perfect! Ha!

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was when my husband drove us to a public beach that was packed and finally found us a parking spot. As is usually the case with my husband, he has some kind of internal GPS or maybe just luck! He parked the car and said, “I bet if we walk through that forest area, we will come out at our own private beach.” Skeptically, I gathered up all of our stuff, grabbed a kid and began trudging along behind him. Sure enough, when the trees parted, there was our own beach, not another soul in sight! There was even a beautiful freshwater inlet that the kids could play in. I don’t know how he does it!

I must say one of the things I most look forward to when we travel is naptime! I love it when the kids nap in the cool, dark hotel room in the middle of the afternoon. It’s so nice to be able to curl up with a book or go to sleep myself while my husband goes off snorkeling or surfing. He always tells me to go to the spa or do something, but really, I just love the time to rest without having to feel guilty that I’m not doing laundry or loading the dishwasher!

The last day we were there, I pressed the kids’ beautiful white Strasburg outfits for some photos on the beach right outside of our hotel room. They turned out to be my favorite pictures of the kids…ever!

It’s been hot! hot! hot! here in NYC and besides staying cooped up in the air conditioning, there aren’t too many ways to escape the oppressive heat and humidity. If you think it is hot out in the sun, you should venture down to the subway stations and experience a stuffy heat like never before- ooof! We have been sweating it out and enjoying tons of time outside because it is virtually impossible to stay home with an active toddler. One great way we have been staying cool is by frequenting our local playground and playing in the sprinklers.

When I was a child, we had a nice backyard where my Mom would set up a baby pool and we would play in it for hours. When we were a bit older, my family joined a swim club where we would spend most of the sweltering days. Back then, we didn’t have air conditioning in our home, so being outside even on the hottest days was cooler than being inside. While I cherish all these memories, I also love to see my daughter enjoying different experiences- ones that come from growing up in the big city.

We may not have a backyard with shade from an old elm tree, but we do have lots of fun right here. No matter where you live, hope you are finding ways to stay cool!