Fall is here!

The leaves are turning, and everything is cooling down. We're enjoying fall after such a hot and dry summer. AND.... Aden turned three on October 1! Yes - I can believe it's been three years.

Aden's growing out of the two-year-old temper issues (not totally, of course... he's only 3!) and now he's getting a bit of a sassy mouth. It's hard to keep a straight face sometimes when he says things like, "Yes, I WILL have two cookies!" in response to "No, you will not have two cookies. It's 6am." Mostly, he's incredibly loving and "I love you! I will miss you!" are more frequently heard than the sass! He's learning how to ride his new red bike with training wheels... he's still a little unsure of things, but doesn't give up too easily. His other favorite new toys are his magnet blocks, electric circuit board (with my supervision, of course), special car/truck thing, and sticks. He's really into sticks right now - you'll find him waving sticks in the air all of the time, oblivious to all creatures and humans around him. He's been listening to a lot of Pearl Jam and he's really nailing Ray Charles' Hit the Road Jack, I must say. He's almost in tune!!

I've been working a lot - I forget every year how difficult September is for school administrators until it faithfully rears it's ugly head after August. Adrenaline goes quickly, kids get comfortable even faster, new teachers get lost, veteran teachers question the inevitable changes trying to be implemented, parents of new 7th grade middle schoolers need their hands held, football begins, cliques form then break apart... at least we don't do ISTEP until the spring these days! Each September, I find myself perusing Indiana's Ph.D. programs, wondering what it'd be like to run a NPO, go into retail or consulting. Did you know that educational consultants were ranked among those who had the least amount of workplace stress? Any of us who have worked with them know why. Anyway, then a miracle occurs and September ends. Aden's birthday is a great beginning to fall, a new month and a positive outlook. Of course I love what I do, otherwise I'd be out the door. But now I can move on through October, enjoy the fall colors, cool weather, the end of football season (ha), and a nice, long fall break at the end of the month.

Aden is going to be an "orange monster" for Halloween. I'll post pictures after that. Cheers!