Finally Fall

Fall is finally settling in here in Apex. We have had hints over the past three weeks of cooler temperatures only to be greeted with the occasional humid day in the mid 80's that we are all so tired of having. But the outlook for the next two weeks looks promising -- all 60's and 70's on the way. This week has finally brought us some much-needed rainfall as well. Central North Carolina is classified as extreme drought as we are nearly 10 inches below normal rainfall. This has triggered mandatory water restrictions in most of the state -- no sprinkler systems, very limited outdoor hand-watering, and even a press conference by our governor where he suggested residents turn the water off when they brush their teeth. Good suggestions, just not the sort of thing one expects to hear from the governor. But the drought is really serious as we have less than 100 days remaining in the reservoir which acts as this area's main water supply. Thus, the rainfall has been a very welcome occurrence.

We have begun to do some fall things with the kids. Last weekend we took the boys to a pumpkin patch out in the country. They were ecstatic as they got to pick out their pumpkins, feed the donkeys, and sit on the haystacks. The simple pleasures of being a kid....it's refreshing.

The boys are all ready for Halloween. They are going to dress up as firefighters, and already they grab the costumes out of the closet to parade around the house. Two of their favorite toys are the plastic fire trucks that they ride around on. So next Wednesday should be a fun night for them trick-or-treating.

Finally, both Owen & Gus are really into their Montessori school. They talk about their friends in their class and readily hop in the car when it's time to go to school. Last Friday when it rained for the first time in weeks the teachers opened the doors to the classroom to let the kids go outside and play in the rain. When Amy picked the boys up, all the kids were in a new change of clothes without shoes or socks and happy as could be. This week they have enjoyed the "mystery game" where they pick out a household object from a paper bag and describe what it is, how it is used, where it is found, etc. We have even duplicated that game at home which is a hit. Yesterday was shaving cream day, and we were told by the boys' teacher that Owen had a field day with that game.

Ah, to be a kid again -- feeding donkeys, picking out pumpkins, playing in the rain, and spraying each other with shaving cream.

Cheers!