Falling Up

Chilly air is met with hot puffs of air each morning as we open our door to these new fall mornings.  Such a morning is treated as a stranger, unfamiliar and with caution.  A slight shock still resounds when the cool morning slides its fingers around my neck and squeezes slightly.

 



Last weekend was Audrey's 4th birthday.  The cliche' of time flying resonates true, as birthday candles were lit and blown out, presents opened, and smiles distributed freely.  This was a birthday that reminds me why we celebrate our passage into a new year.  The happiness and joy of a child surrounded by family and friends both near and far support the importance of recognizing this cyclical evolution we call "life".  We are truly fortunate to have the love and strength of generations behind us, pushing us forward as a family towards our goals and dreams.



Now, as Autumn truly settles in for a long stay, we begin to blanket ourselves with layers of warm clothing and hats and coats.  The insects are nearly gone, all but a few.  The sun sets sooner, and the stars shine brighter at night outside the aura of the moon.  Sniffles and ear aches present themselves, only to be battled away with issues and chocolate milk and books and naps.



As the leaves turn, and the frost settles into my bones, I find comfort in thoughts of my children and my parents, and my wife.  The wheel of living continues to turn and I am ever grateful to be here with them and their love and grace.




 

Fall Happenings

Violet has four more teeth bursting through her gum line, and she still takes things in stride.  She is days away from walking, it seems.  She adores her big sister, Audrey, who is now embracing her new role as a preschooler.  Every day when I pick her up, she has new stories to tell and artwork to display on the fridge.  The two sisters interact lovingly together for the most part, although they have their differences from time to time.  There are moments when Audrey isn't ready to share her toys, or when Violet is a little too insistent on being part of everything.  For the most part, however, they find common ground and play and laugh a lot.  There is something special about an entire family laughing together.





Our family continues to grow and move forward with life.  Kim is training new personnel and having greater impacts on her company.  She also has her camera by her side at all times and learns more daily about the craft of digital photography.  I am working on finishing the first month of the school year, and doing my best to transition back into a work routine that involves 5am wake-up and an infinite amount of papers to grade.  My saving grace is the moment I see my daughters each day and hear their laughter and watch their smiling faces make their way to my embrace.

  

The Chicago Marathon is a month away, and the training is intense.  I feel bad for missing a run this week, but not terrible, as I am about to lace-up for 14 more miles momentarily.  There are two more weeks until the taper period, during which I continue to run lesser mileage while giving my legs time to heal and become as strong as possible before the 26.2 miles around the entire city of Chicago.  The up side to all of this is that I get to eat whatever I want!



The fall season is taking over, and the days are noticeably cooler.  While there is still sun and a nice breeze out, the leaves are beginning to turn their reds and browns.  Audrey will be four years old in a couple weeks, and really seems to understand the occasion this time!  She is excited about the party and does not miss an opportunity to hint at potential gifts she would like for her big day.  What an experience parenthood has been thus far.  I know I have mentioned this before, but it is moving too quickly at times.  I still remember Audrey as a little bundle of blankets and smiles, and now she is a little person with her own thoughts and opinions and humor!  I have to remind myself each day that I am fortunate to be a part of her life and enjoy the individual moments and savor them like small morsels of chocolate that melt too quickly yet leave behind a sweet impression.