Last week of summer, first week of school! Except I just realized today Labor Day means no school for anyone tomorrow, so we can fit in one more beach/fun day before we start a regular schedule.

Sunday:

Apparently this is the only photo I took on Sunday. I can’t even remember Sunday. Did Sunday even happen?

Monday:

Nothing like a nuclear power plant to add to my scenic beach photos

I love this beach

The most adorable ice cream and candy store in the world

Tuesday:

She changed her mind about the birds. NO BIRDS, MOMMY.

Sea lion show. My kids can name all the sea lions.

Grilled cheese of the day: Basil pesto, artichokes, tomatoes, mozzarella on Italian bread.

Wednesday:

In this episode, Spiderman joins S.H.I.E.L.D. I had to Google to find out if that was accurate (it is).

Evan’s favorite part of his new school: cool sinks.

Orientation is EXHAUSTING.

Thursday:

Ready to go!

The cat loves Caroline

This is her “WE’RE GETTING CHEESEBURGERS!” face

Friday:

Playing “Tick-tock croc eats Captain Hook!” while we wait for the bus

She is loving our outside play time while we wait for the bus. It makes me feel bad we never use our (very tiny) front yard.

What do you wear when it’s 80 degrees?

Saturday:

Craft store…

…pretzel burger…

…and Sherlock. PERFECT SATURDAY.

I’m so excited Evan likes school, the bus situation seems to be working out, and that when Caroline starts school on Tuesday I will be able to get back to a regular schedule for me too. I loved going to the gym last year, but totally failed during the summer. I need to get exercise back on my list of priorities, if only because I have to be in better shape to work as a photographer. Taking newborn photos is like doing 200 squats. I’m going to have buns of steel if people keep hiring me.

Technically it’s still summer, but someone forgot to tell Connecticut. And Virginia.

Sunday:

Life’s tough choices: cinnamon cider donuts or glazed cider donuts?

Giving directions in the maze

Brushing the princess’s hair

Monday:

Belle watching Belle

Being a princess is exhausting

Blue Icees are the best reward

Tuesday:

Pre-pre-school hugs

Purple dress with tiny pink foxes at Target. Go get one for your baby.

Building a dinosaur skeleton zoo, to keep dinosaurs skeletons for escaping

Wednesday:

Hello Hartford!

Doin’ sciencey stuff

Not swinging. Sitting. Because I was working. But she refused to get out (or put on pants).

Thursday:

I’ve been going to the clinic on base for 8 years and this was the first time I ever noticed the water tower. Observant!

Cooperative art

We pay $200 a year for an aquarium membership and they think the lobsters at the grocery store are just as good.

Friday:

Go on vacation? Nah, we’ll hang at this rest area and look at diggers.

Can’t you see I’m RELAXING? Knock it off with the pictures.

RELAAAAAAAAAAX

Saturday:

Man-time fishing on the lake

Jumper!

Golden child

I keep thinking there’s just one week left in August and I have way too much to do, but there are TWO weeks left in August…and I still have way too much to do. Well, no, not too much. I can never, ever get too much photography work and I’m super excited I have some shoots lined up already.

So excited I MIGHT have just ordered myself my dream camera. Now I have 6 months to pay for it. Please forgive me if there are a few extra sponsored posts next month – dreams are pretty expensive and I’m determined to finance mine on my own, without using the family (husband-earned) money.

Welcome to August in New England, where the weather cools down juuuuust enough to make life bearable, the days are still super long, and the kids can SENSE that I’m shipping them off to school soon so they start demanding the playground every day.

Sunday:

When you take gymnastics, every wall is a balance beam

The King of All Wild Things demands a rumpus.

Admiring herself in the table reflection. Vanity, thy name is Caroline.

Monday:

HI PIRANHAS! I LOVE YOU! YOU SO SPARKLY!

Want to see him wait patiently? Promise him grilled cheese.

Swinger

Tuesday:

I walked to the grocery store. The halfway point is the hospital where both kids were born.

MORE SWINGING!

Photographer (and model) in training

Wednesday:

Evan decorated her hair during a cat nap

Appropriate scooter attire

Creepy ass princess takes a bath

Thursday:

When you don’t have a photography studio, you improvise. Thank God for sliding glass doors.

Scooter pro already

Photography assistant for my evening maternity shoot

Friday:

She found the shirt she liked and wouldn’t even LOOK at anything else.

I got beat at Princess Chutes and Ladders by a 2 year old. It hurts.

Uh oh, I hear sirens…

Saturday:

TINY PRE-K SCHOOL UNIFORMS I CAN’T EVEN.

Photo editing while the kids watch a surprisingly not terrible fake Pixar movie about sea turtles.

Terribly grainy drive thru photo of the kids attempting the clapping part of the Cups song.

E’s hours are still killing him, but we managed to fit in some family time today, which was super fun. He even put up a curtain rod we’ve been meaning to put up for seven years. Maybe in another seven years we’ll fix the shower door that’s been broken since we moved in!  No, probably not. That clothes pin keeps it closed pretty well.

We’re down to mere weeks before Mineola elementary schools starts and it’s hard to believe. On the one hand, YAY SCHOOL! Our town offers public pre-k , so Evan will be going 5 mornings a week. On a bus. Apparently typical four year olds are better at public transportation than I am, since I barely managed to catch the bus in high school, let alone pre-K. On the other hand, 5 days a week is a lot of school. And it never really goes back – it gets worse. Next year he’ll have full day kindergarten, followed by 12 YEARS of school at least 180 days a year. It almost makes me want to keep Caroline home instead of sending her back to preschool.

Almost. But not really, since going to doctor’s appointments alone is an indulgence I can’t live without anymore. Although I haven’t officially registered her at all, so I hope there’s a spot at her current program. File that under Things I Always Forget To Take Care Of In A Timely Manner, although that file might be kind of full since Find Out When Evan’s Classroom Orientation Is, Buy School Uniforms, Get A Copy Of The School Supply List, and Update Both Kids’ Health Forms are already in there.

I learned a lot of lessons in the last year at preschool: Never underestimate a child’s talent for getting paint on the ONE outfit you like best. Putting a note in a backpack does not mean the teacher will get it, ever. And label everything. LABEL. EVERYTHING.

Last year I relied on my shoddy memory and the availability of a Sharpie to label all the kids’ stuff. We lost a lot of cups. I also got a lot of “Just a reminder! Smiley Face!” notes home when I forgot, and nothing makes me feel worse than Smiley Face! notes from the teachers. Might as well write “Failing As A Mother! Smiley Face!” on them.

This year, I’m getting a little help from Stuck on You. They have a huge selection of products you can personalize – not just labels, but pretty much anything you can imagine. They sent me a family starter pack (with 2 kids, everything gets shared) and it is faaaaantastic.

Shoe labels that stick in the heels – this picture was taken right after I stuck them in. I wasn’t 100% convinced they were going to stay but after a week of hard wear (including leaving them out in the rain) they still look exactly like that.

Mini/pencil labels on our sippies spotted out in the wild! This one has been through the dishwasher several times already.

Perfect for summer school lunches!

Iron in clothing labels. LOOOOOOOVE. Once I got the hang on it (stick a towel under the jacket/shirt so you can press down nice and hard) it took 5 minutes to knock out every fall coat and sweatshirt. BOOM.

These have been in for a week. Notice how you can still read them?! Amazing. PLUSALSO, they use non-toxic eco-friendly inks.

These are some well-labeled children right here: lunches, cups, folders, shoes, and sweatshirts.

If I was really smart, I’d order another set with my phone number on it and stick them on all Caroline’s favorite toys and dolls, so when she leaves them at the beach/aquarium/mall/playground/library there’s a chance we could get them back.

She likes that idea.

Sigh. This is what happens when I say “Make a cute face!” It has nothing to do with labels, except that I’m labeling her a weirdo.

The gingers say “What are you waiting for?! These labels are the coolest!”

To help you get ready for school, Stuck On You has two $20 gift certificates to give to my readers! Just leave a comment telling me what you’re doing to get ready for the school year to enter for a chance to win. And definitely go check out their site, they’ve got everything from place mats to puzzles. You’ll be stuck on them (ba-dum-ching!)

Disclaimer: Stuck On You gave me a family pack of labels so I could try them out. No other compensation was provided and I swear I really, really love these labels. One entry per family. Two winners will be chosen using Random.org on August 14th and contacted via email so please use a real one.

DO ALL THE SUMMER BEFORE IT’S GONE.

Sunday:

I put away the changing pad (that I’ve used maybe twice ever) since I don’t have any babies anymore.

Fresh neighborhood eggs are a game of IS THERE A CHICKEN FETUS IN THIS OR NO?

Best spot ever for senior pictures? Probably.

Monday:

Tired.

Mess.

Tired.

Tuesday:

I WILL MISS YOU WHILE I AM AT SCHOOL BABY SISTER EVEN THOUGH WE ARE GOING TO SAME SCHOOL.

Mommy the donkey is my best friend!

Cloud or portal opened to another dimension by a tesseract?

Wednesday:

Our last gymnastics class. She’ll have to use her super strength somewhere else.

Our duck pond has an endless supply of adorable baby ducks and I cannot stop taking pictures of them.

Waiting patiently for her grilled cheese.

Thursday:

NO PICTURES PLEASE.

Tinker Bell rests in the tasting room of the winery. Being a fairy is hard work.

My sister and her boyfriend are EXCELLENT child watchers. I like them.

Friday:

The princess generously bestows bacon upon her people.

Beach baby

THREE GINGERS.

Saturday:

Yard sale. Most of it’s on the curb now, it was not a smashing success. But at least it’s all out of my house.

Second day of the princess dress. I peeled it off her to wash it because 2 year olds are gross.

Watching more Watch Us Edit videos from Clickin Moms and it’s still blowing my mind.

It was a surprisingly good week, even if I continue to make poor choices in regards to my own bedtime. 11 pm has become midnight has become 1 am, which means I’m getting like 5 hours of sleep which means I am chronically tired which is my OWN FAULT and yet I keep doing it. I am not very good at learning my lesson. I’m also so, so excited about Ginger Snaps Pictures (website! facebook! in progress, so don’t judge too harshly) and the photography classes/workshops/critiques I’ve signed up for I CAN’T go to bed any earlier. I need those post-kid hours. Although I have managed to thoroughly wear them out several days this week so they took naps – NAPS! – and slept a full 12 hours at night.

This week will be almost as full as last week, which is my favorite kind of week. Even if I am tired.