Endless Summer...

Or not :(

This is, in fact, the last week of summer and life as we know it before we have a school-aged child. How did this happen?!

Hank starts preschool next week and we will all need to adjust to our new schedule. Most importantly, he seems very excited to start his academic career, making requests to read his books about preschool on a regular basis. His teachers are coming tomorrow to introduce themselves so we'll see how that goes.

In preparation for the first day of school, Hank had his first hair cut yesterday. Yes, he is 2.5 and has not yet had his hair trimmed. He frankly didn't have much hair until this Spring and we decided to let it grow wild for the summer. The child has the most beautiful strawberry blonde ringlets on the planet. Or at least he did before they were hacked off yesterday. I have them in an envelope for safe keeping and can't wait for them the grow back. It was a necessary evil as his bangs were driving him crazy and he was beginning to look like an orthodox Jew. As you can see, Hank is not a fan of the salon.

The panic sets in...

Mommy and Vasti pretending that this was fun! 

Gust tries on a curl for fun.  

In the meantime, I am torn between wanting to soak up as much Hank as I can before he leaves me for school and being terrified at the prospect of taking care of both kids by myself. Gus is easy as pie at the moment but he still needs to be fed every 2hrs or so and Hank has quickly figured out that when I'm nursing I can't do much to stop his mischief making. We are compromising by having Heidi take Hank to some playdates a few days this week - I'm in the process of trying to figure out a couple of fun but manageable activities to do with the kiddos on my alone days. To all you moms who manage multiple children all by yourselves on a daily basis, I salute you!

We had our second shift of family helpers in town last week in the form of Nana and Papa Mailloux and Auntie Chanel. It was great to see them and we were grateful for their assistance with our little monkeys. Some pics below of some of our adventures with them...

Zoo time! 

Nana and Papa looking like a security detail. 

Not sure why the screaming is happening here,
but there were two cool lions just behind us when this was taken.

Hank enjoying a scalp massage from Auntie Chanel. 

The fountain at the Hirschorn Museum...Hank couldn't take his eyes off it. 

A monumental smooch! 

We have one last summer hurrah planned for Labour Day weekend - we have front row tickets to the Nats/Cardinals game on Friday night so tune-in to see us on the Tee-Vee! And Saturday we head out to St. Michaels, MD for a short family vacation on the Eastern Shore. Pool side lounging, movies, family dinners and trips to the ice cream shoppe are in store. Can't wait!

I leave you with a few cutie shots of the Kelly boys until next time.

Try to look like you like each other! Yeesh. 

An alien-looking Gus. 

Working hard on that pacifier. 

Gus 99% of the time.  Hope it lasts!