We’ve been cherishing these last days of summer. One final trip to the County Fair. A drive in movie. Picking flowers at the local pick your own farm. All the tomatoes and peaches and watermelon.

Technically, we’ll be celebrating summer for another 3 weeks. But kids are already back to school, or going back in the next week or so. Daylight is fading earlier in the afternoon.  A rapidly approaching autumn is becoming more apparent: falling leaves, chilly mornings; even nature smells and sounds different this time of year. I love this time of year, when one foot is solidly planted in summer, the other in fall.

We leave on Friday for our final trip before the school year starts. We’re headed to the Outer Banks with a group of college friends we’ve been gathering with since 2011. This year will be the first that children outnumber the adults, so wish us luck! We’ll be in Kill Devil Hills (if you’re familiar with the area, please share any and all recommendations, especially for cute boutiques or coffee shops), soaking up as much sun and sand as possible. I look forward to this vacation every year (we missed last year’s because Jojo’s due date was smack in the middle), and cannot wait to introduce baby to the beach!

What are you doing to savor summer? Have you been tempted to drag out your cooler weather clothes or have you resisted thus far?

One of our favorite things to do with kids over the summer and early fall months is trips to the drive in. The closest drive in theater to us in Purcellville is the Family Drive In, near Winchester in Stephens City. Have you been there? It’s so charming and nostalgic. They allow you to bring in outside food ($5 per car for bringing in food), but rely heavily on their concession stand. We usually bring in snacks – like a cheeseboard – and then buy hotdogs, fries, and drinks! Then, we stuff the van with blankets and pillows and make an event out of it. What kids don’t love making cozy beds on the grass and watching a movie under the stars?

I highly recommend taking your family out to the drive in to celebrate the passage of summer! We won’t be in the area Labor Day weekend, but you should check out their Dusk till Dawn Movie Marathon; it sounds SO fun!

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