Like much of the country, Chicago has enjoyed several days of unseasonably warm weather.  We flirted with the 80s all weekend and for much of this week, and I couldn’t be happier about it.  After a rainy and chilly September, this mid-fall respite reminds me that spring will indeed come again.

My husband works six long days a week, so Sundays are an especially important family day for all of us.  With the nice weather, we were tempted to jump in the car and drive somewhere to make the most of it, but instead we decided to stay right here in our bustling city.  We took the kids for a long walk, cheered on runners racing in the Chicago marathon, ate lunch at a neighborhood spot.  It was nice to be  tourists in our own town for a day.

Evie and Mack were especially delighted to dip their toes in the fountain at Millennium Park one more time. It is a favorite summer activity of theirs, one they had likely forgotten about until we walked up to it again on Sunday.  The sparkling water begged them to take off their shoes and splash for a while.

Fortunately, I had a jar of bubbles floating around the basket of our stroller, so the kids spent time chasing them in the sun. Such simple joy!

For me, the change of seasons is always a subtle reminder of the passing of time. Fall is perhaps one of the most abrupt seasonal changes (especially for midwesterners!) – long days are swapped for long nights, flip-flops are traded in for boots, routines shift as kids return to school and the laziness of summer fades.  On Sunday, I watched my two babies run around like the kids they actually are, and I couldn’t have felt more proud and humbled.

I am so grateful to God for giving us these beautiful, unexpected days.  Such a gift!