The past month and ending to summer flew by. As we enter my favorite season of the year, where the leaves turn to vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds, the air turns crispy- like the perfect bite of an apple- and the blue skies are crystal clear, we plan to spend as much time outside as humanly possible before winter arrives. Whether it’s hiking through trees that look like they’re painted in watercolor or simply breathing in the cool, fresh air on the back deck, there’s something magical about embracing the beauty of our home state this time of year.

On an impromptu weekend trip down to Seward, we caught a perfectly sunny and calm day to play along the beach, collecting shells, fancy rocks and sea glass. We played at the park, tested out the local gelato, and enjoyed dinner at one of the local restaurants with friends. The airbnb for the night boasted a large, kid friendly outdoor area, so smores and bike rides were a must. None of the old bikes had training wheels, so the girls essentially taught themselves to ride around the big, gravel parking lot without any assistance, in a matter of about fifteen minutes.

We’ve definitely slacked this summer on the bike riding, and taking the time to become comfortable riding without the training assist. It is not easy trying to help all three at once, or even two at once with both parents- you are constantly hopping from one kid to the next, trying to keep the collisions and frustrations to a minimum and certainly a reason for the lack of progression in this area to date. Managing three at once is like a mix of running from one wobbly bike to the next while offering words of encouragement, untangling the occasional crash or wobble over and corresponding raging kid, and celebrating each triumphant moment with cheers. The thrill of watching them gain confidence and balance all at once is also a great feeling—though by the end of the moment, you’ve likely run a mini marathon, and probably need to find some bandaids!

Within a few minutes Reagan was circling the driveway, keeping her pace and confidence up across the dips and bumps, and Harper followed soon after. Emerie attempted a bit slower and more timidly than her sisters, but also caught on quickly until she tumbled and scraped up her hand. There are perks to all three learning so many skills at the same time (not just parental cardio!), because if the first kid can do it, confidence is boosted for the other two. That, and a little friendly competition.

Back at home in the following weeks, Craig removed the extra wheels from two of the three pedal bikes, and so far Harper and Reagan keep the momentum going, literally! They are improving at pushing off unassisted and not always asking for help. Emerie insists on training wheels, even after rocking it down in Seward, and we aren’t fighting it until she gets more confident. I wonder if her bifocal plays into some of her hesitation; that can’t be easy to balance with. We are taking short walks more frequently in the evening, both to wear them out and to let them practice. The discovery of downhill acceleration was quite a highlight one night too, and now we have are defined direction to go each time.

In addition to muscle powered machines, we tested out the new motor track by our house one sunny morning. It took several clear articulations to convince them going through the puddles and mud purposefully was okay, and even then they still hesitated. Everyone is also a bit timid to tackle big hills and splash through puddles, which meant the parents (ahem…Craig) had quite the unexpected cardio workout. Every time the terrain looked a little too daunting, an adult needed to run over to give a push, give them more throttle up a slope, or coax the wheels out of a mud puddle. After unsticking kids multiple times, we found they were far more excited to ride loops in the wet grass with their friends, over and over again, than test out the muddy hills. Sassy Emerie emerged as she constantly hollered at Oliver, you can’t catch me! He looked at her perplexed that they were even racing, which was pretty cute, and she found it hilarious. Harper rode the loop over and over again, and didn’t want to stop until she was wet up to her shoulders; Reagan enjoyed the loops and then wandered over to the playground equipment while her sisters continued to circle.

Another end of summer event greatly enjoyed by our household is the annual Trick or Treat in the Heat. This event occurs well before the normal Halloween and gives local kids the chance to participate while it’s less frigid and dark outside. The meaning behind the event is much more significant than just having fun, and relates to a young boy more than a decade ago who lost his fight to cancer, but not before his neighborhood came together and gave him an amazing September trick-or-treat experience. The even now fundraises thousands of dollars for cancer research and the Ronald McDonald house, which is really cool. This year we went all in on a family theme, with a “big” and “small” trio of Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus. Harper insisted a witch was her pick this year, which nicely supported the idea. Emerie was displeased that she couldn’t be Elsa for the 6th year in a row.

We watched the original Hocus Pocus movie for the first time, with hesitation at the beginning and investment by the middle, and Craig spun up the enthusiasm by endorsing one of the sisters himself, and convincing Cousin Tyler to do the same. One of the best parts of the entire evening? Watching people walking opposite as us smile sweetly upon seeing the girls all matched in their dresses and wigs, then seeing their eyes level with Craig’s fully gowned awesomeness, and bursting into a big chuckle. I probably witnessed that at least a dozen times, with many kudos from other dads.

The rain held off for the evening and it remained warm enough to leave coats in the car. Reagan called me her twin all night in our matching outfits, Emerie finally accepted being the bossy one was okay only because Craig was too, and Harper had the need for speed and kept trying to get ahead of the group for the best pick of candy. That might also relate to all the empty candy wrappers in her bag…

One other fun fall evening this week- we finally took the girls up to Flat Top for a hike around the base of the mountain, something we haven’t actually done with them before. There were many hollers of I can see EVERYTHING from up here and wow we are so high; and the occasional demand to know where our house and Miss Tawni’s house were below. The adventure started out sunny and warm, but ended in clouds and a brisk wind; thank goodness we brought hoodies with us. The girls scrambled up the hilly parts full of energy; apparently we should have proceeded further up the mountain, because they were still energetic on the return home. All three carried Ziploc baggies and filled them with treasures- you know, berries you can’t eat, colorful leaves, twigs, you name it. The discovery of edible Alaskan blueberries resulted in a few blue fingers and requests to go berry picking another day, something we haven’t actually done this year.

It is nice to get out and about and share a love of nature as a family. After a stressful month at work for both Craig and myself, getting out and releasing that stress is really helpful for our sanity, as a parent, a triplet parent, and a full time employee. Fall has arrived and that means more hikes, festivals, and enjoying the last month of warmth before the cold and all the beauty that comes with it returns for the year.

❤