Excuse me, sir? You forgot the eyeballs on our ice cream.

Phrases like this are a sure sign that it's the end of summer around here. In our college town, the students are back and are clearly in training.

There's a little ice cream dive called The Chocolate Moose that sells "torch cones". My kids instantly adored them because each cone comes with a pair of candy eyes. I instantly adored them because they are actually kids' sized and Brian instantly adored them because they are only 25 cents! (35 if you get a special chocolate or cherry dip.)

We took one of our trips there Friday night and the poor guy at the booth handed me two blind torches. So, I had to say, "Excuse me, sir? You forgot the eyeballs on our ice cream."

Brian loves Fall. And, I suppose if there were no change in seasons, I could never appreciate Summer as much. But, I LOVE summer.

I'll miss some of these Summer-only moments:

Popscicle faces and sprinkler races.
Will these girls always stay so sweet?
Go ahead. Guess what's in the coffee cup.
Ahhhh...paintin' the fence with Daddy. Don't you love a man who's brave enough to give a three year-old a paintbrush? (The back side of the fence, that is. The side no one can see. )
Old-fashioned rides at the county fair.
Hi-tech rides at the county fair. HA!  They did say this was their favorite. Something about it looking like an M & M.
Painting on the patio.  Their object was the swing set.  I wish I had photos of their abstract art. Then again, you may be glad I don't.
Working on landscaping in the bright, bright sunshine.  A perfect reason for a five year-old to use her parasol.
Landscaping in the 98 degree heat.  Really the ONLY reason a girl in her late 30s should ever wear pig tails.
Picnics on the front lawn. (Shirts optional.)
Banana pudding on the front porch with friends. (They always seem to know the perfect time to drop by on a Summer evening.)

So, now we say good-bye to sprinklers and picnics, swimsuits and fairs. Good-bye to Summer.

And, good-bye to ice cream with eyeballs.