I’m currently sitting at my computer in a cardigan, leggings, and insulated slippers. On Sunday, it looked like this. My husband and I made it out for a quick bike ride while our sitter watched the kids, and even though I sweated through most of it, I’m glad I did. It’s that change of season time when Fall is promising cool weather, pretty colors, and warm drinks, but Summer is still kicking back in every day about 3pm to remind us what we’re leaving behind.

The boys and I are feeling the emotional shift of time too, as we adjust to new schedules, and hit new milestones. It’s no one’s birthday, but everyone feels older. I had definitely been getting tired of the heat, the afternoons in the high 90s when we just wanted to hunker down inside and read books, eagerly awaiting the change. But the change is on us, and now I can’t help but look back with longing at those hot, sultry times, the sun prickling on my skin, the promise of care-free days and shorter to-do lists, when we all felt lighter. The weight of Fall, of the school season, of more clothes, is draping itself over our shoulders, and I hunch forward, embracing it and hiding from it simultaneously.