By: Paul Morrone
It’s hard to believe we’re already into September. The boys are now 6 (Ryan) and 8 (Kyle), which means they continue to have the stamina of a full-blown adult, the appetite of a teenager and a schedule that requires a full-time assistant to keep up with. First and third grade are officially underway, and after a summer of loose schedules, late nights and sleeping in, we’re all getting reacquainted with alarm clocks, homework and the general chaos that comes with the school year.
The transition from summer to fall always feels a little abrupt. One week we’re letting the kids stay up late, bouncing between camps, play dates and trips to the beach, and the next we’re packing lunches, checking backpacks and trying to remember what day everyone has practice. As much as we enjoy the slower pace of summer, there’s something nice about getting back into a routine, even if Jill and I are once again spending a significant portion of our week serving as glorified chauffeurs.
Baseball wrapped up the summer with Kyle’s Branford Seabreeze team finishing the season with an exciting late-game charge, capped off by a walk-off double for the win. Both boys have now officially moved on to the next round of fall activities, which means the calendar is already filling up faster than we’d like to admit. Kyle is carrying his golf swing into the fall, while both boys are getting ready for another season of sports and whatever other activities we’ve apparently agreed to. The good news is that they love being active. The bad news is that they love being active.
We’ve also managed to squeeze in plenty of time close to home over the past few months. Outside of short trips to the Boston area and Watch Hill, we’ve spent most of the summer enjoying the Connecticut shoreline, which continues to be one of our favorite places to be this time of year. As usual, we’ve saved most of our bigger travel plans for the cooler months. We’re already looking forward to our family trip to Anna Maria Island in October and a visit with family in St. Pete for Thanksgiving. Somehow, those dates no longer feel very far away. Now that September is here, the signs of fall are everywhere. The kids are back in school, football is back on TV, the leaves will be changing before we know it, and we’re gearing up for another season of UCONN basketball. The calendar is getting busier, the mornings are getting earlier and the summer sandals are slowly making their way back into the closet. For now, we’re enjoying the last few warm days, settling into the rhythm of fall and trying to appreciate this stage of life while it’s happening, even when that means spending a Saturday morning standing on the sidelines of a baseball field.
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