The American Meteorological Society’s Glossary of Weather and Climate defines Indian summer as: “A time interval, in mid- or late autumn, of unseasonably warm weather, generally with clear skies, sunny but hazy days, and cool nights.”
It has been hot here for the past few days. Today it was in the low-90s. The boys and I spent the afternoon at the pool. It was bittersweet for me because it was so fun and beautiful and yet I knew this was very possibly the last real pool day of the season for us (it can’t possibly stay this warm for very much longer). The boys are so blissfully oblivious. They just engage with life in every moment and don’t think about what has been or what is to come. I know most all young children are like this. But to me, Kyle and Owen seem particularly so. I have noticed this about them since they were about 10 months old and taking their first steps. I remember being so struck by it then. And I still think of it almost daily as I watch them in the world.
A favorite current activity for the boys = sitting in Papi’s office listening to music very, very loud, and ‘playing along’ with various instruments (either on the floor, or –if the instruments are mobile enough– on Papi’s lap). Current favorite songs = 1] O Fortuna, for Chorus and Orchestra, by Carl Orff, and 2] Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, by KT Tunstall (from the album Eye to the Telescope)
Sunday morning, out for a walk, with Douglas James and Donald in their strollers.
Owen hits the ball (he’s getting good). Currently, golf continues to be Kyle’s sport of choice, but baseball is definitely Owen’s sport of choice.
Kyle mows the lawn. He is very serious about it.
A highlight of the weekend for the boys was that they got their first tattoo’s! Saturday at the football game the Lehigh Dance Club was giving out temporary Lehigh tattoo’s. Both Kyle and Owen got one — each on their right cheek. They loved it. We finally removed them before bed on Sunday night. 
Well, Saturday morning we had a very special experience with the Lehigh Marching Band. Turns out one of my students is the Drum Major (conductor) of the marching band. Whoa! When she found out how obsessed my kids are (well, let’s be real — how obsessed KYLE is) with the marching band, she was all over it. She invited us to come to the football game early on Saturday, and hang out in the field house with the marching band as they warmed up and lined up. Whoa! Of course, we took her up on it. I had told her that Kyle was especially obsessed with trumpets and trombones. When we arrived at the field house my student (the Drum Major) was waiting for us. She came right up and welcomed K & O. And then… suddenly, a trumpet player and a trombone player came strutting right up, with their instruments and everything. (my student had obviously lined this up for us in advance without us knowing it). Whoa! Kyle just stared at the trombone player with delirious wide eyes. He showed the boys the trombone, he played it for them, he let them touch it. The trumpet player even let Owen try on his marching band hat. Whoa! It was huge. Especially for Ky Ky. We watched and listened to the marching band tune up, warm up, line up, get psyched up, and start their tailgate marching. Then we followed them around the parking lots and watched/listened as they stopped along the way playing for drunken tailgaters. Whoa! It was fabulous. Ky Ky is now even more obsessed than ever.
Sheep, 2005
Lions, 2006
2007We had a very nice walk and found a quiet bench on the path. These boys really really love their mommy!
This morning we woke up to our first really cool day. It felt like Fall for the first time. Crisp, clear, and about 40 degrees. Today is the first time the boys are wearing long pants to school instead of shorts. K & O were so excited to bring a present to their teachers this Monday morning — yesterday while walking in the woods at the Castle Playground Park we collected acorns for Miss Kathy and Miss Diana (the nursery school classroom is called the “Acorn Room” so acorns were especially exciting to find). These photos were taken at 7:30 this morning. You can see Kyle holding a ziploc bag — filled with acorns. K & O were excited to go out on the deck to “feel the cold.” They discovered that they could see their breath. They loved blowing their breath into the air and “seeing it streaming!” (i.e., seeing it steaming!). And they were happy, too, to run inside to eat their warm waffles (Owen) and pancakes (Kyle) when Papi called “Breakfast time!”
This morning Ky Ky was playing one of his favorite drums. I could hear it but couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from. I went to check on him. This is what I found~~
Kyle is obsessed (as he is with many things) with Mac & Cheese.
Heather makes the boys lunch for school each day, but had not given him Mac & Cheese (despite repeated requests). However, when he came home yesterday describing in depth how another boy had Mac & Cheese, and it was clear he was enormously jealous, Heather had to act.
According to Kyle, the Mac & Cheese was “streaming” and they made it hot “in a little oven” and the “little oven is red.” He really really really really wants Mac & Cheese now because “I love it soooo much.”
Heather dutifully made the requested delicacy and put it in both boy’s lunches. When I dropped them off, I sidelined the teacher and told her about his m&c obsession – she knew about it. I told her that he had m&c for his lunch, and asked her how they heated it up – and that K had explained about the little red oven.
She smiled and said – we don’t have anyway to heat it up – the other little boy had brought it in a thermos!
Next item on the shopping list: Thermos.
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