September in the Park

The blog has gone mighty quiet recently, I know. This back-up camera just has me down. When I remember to bring it, it always seems to be out of batteries, which it seems to eat with the same enthusiasm and gusto with which Adele eats pizza. We have also been busier than average, lately. 

We ended with an unoccupied afternoon yesterday, so it seemed a good time to let the kids have a go at bike practice. 

This boy here is a very busy little individual. He's just had so much available to him now that he's in elementary school, and, as he told me, "I just want to do everything!" So, in addition to church on Sundays and Kindergarten 8:30-3:30 M-F, this is his schedule:
Mondays: After-School Running Club ("So I can be Miles the Miler!")
Tuesdays: After-School Chinese Club
Thursdays: Music/Piano lessons at the Blacksburg Music School
Saturdays: Dance Class
Sundays: Choristers (Children's Choir)

He's pretty much me in high school.

*So Miles took a free open-house class (meets just after Adele's "Tutus" class gets out) a couple of weeks ago, and when he came out from it, beaming, they took me aside and said, "Have we told you about the special discount we have for brothers?"

I chewed on the offer for a little while, but before I left the director said to me, "Just bring him back. Don't worry about enrolling him. I'll loan him shoes. We need boys, and none of our classes are full this semester."

So now he's in dance. His sister isn't thrilled, but I'm finding free classes hard to turn down. And so was he! He loves it.

I did try to take pictures of my two dancers this Saturday but, guess what, the camera batteries were dead.

Fall has finally taken a firm hold around here. Miles went from his second dance lesson to his first Hokies game last week (Adele and I were not up for this; Adele needed to nap, and I needed to not be at a football game). He apparently loved it, and reported excitedly upon doing the wave and the performance of the marching band. Bonus: he slept really really well. 

Anyway, back to Sunday in the Duck Pond. The smooth water and familiar gray skies are so soothing. I speak grey skies fluently; it's the upstate New York upbringing. 

There was a turtle. Geese took off dramatically every now and then from no apparent cause. Dogs trotted by gaily to delight the kids. It's always a good scene. 

This girl took her first few pedals on her tricycle by herself. Once she'd accomplished this, she beamed with pride, ordered Papa to watch her, did it again, and then was done riding for the rest of the day. I did a lot of carrying and pushing of the tricycle yesterday.

This guy was all over the place. Like in other aspects of life. 

I made Adele a deal: she could take a picture of me if I got to take a picture of her tricycling. 

This was her best shot.

...And this was mine. Oh, Miles, budging into her video. He's such a firstborn.

He gets a video of his own, above.

I am... under a cloud. I just still can't adjust to getting up at 6:30 (which is still later than I ought to get up), somehow. I fought through a really evil flu thing last week and this week... the cloud still hasn't lifted. I do hope for some energy and wellness to seize me soon. Alive is a tall order this week.

I find Indian Summer very tiring. The colors of fall are beginning to show, however, which is always a welcome sign. I can almost hear the Great Pumpkin Waltz in the air. Come, Fall, do not delay!