Nope....we can't believe it either...this summer went by way too quickly.  June was a wash-out, July was the biggest blur because of work and travel, and August was packed with so much, we forget what!  More days in the pool (lots of blonde/green hair from the chemicals!), beach and lake time, shopping for school clothes (and the inevitable fashion shows when we get home).

Aidan has spent a big portion of the month playing baseball.  He loves the sport all of a sudden, is begging to go to a Red Sox game (if only we could actually find seats to an upcoming one...). PLEASE let us know if you know of anyone selling good seats!  I know six would be hard to come by, so we'd settle for two so Jeff and Aidan can take in a game, just the boys! 

Kaelin had a blast at her friend Sam's birthday party this month. She is heartbroken that they'll be in different Kindergartens this year, but she's finally excited about heading off to the public school, taking the bus. She's even starting making her new teacher cards. Kaelin has also perfected her swimming technique (thanks to Keeley's teaching) and can now make it across the pool. She's also loving snorkling and has been living under the water these days!

Keeley finished up her theatre program with a bang and did awesome with her little sketches. She was really loud and articulate on stage.  The last day before the show, she was asked to pick up another part from a girl who hadn't yet learned her lines. The teacher was impressed by how quickly she learned and remembered her own lines. We were impressed with her acting debut!  Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures or video during the show, but have a video on order from the production company that taped it.  Lately she's been the queen of cannonballs in the pool "Cannonball Keeley!".  She and Kaelin now venture into the "deep end" by themselves (with a noodle still, but it's a big step for them!).

Ainsley has been all about dressing up this month and play acting herself.  She's such a character and loves to perform herself, singing and dancing as she goes about her daily routines.  Her morning wake-up routing consists of getting out of bed, opening up her door, getting back in bed and singing loudly, it's everyone's wake up call... (this morning "I love the beach, I looooove the BEEEEAAAACH!" at the top of her lungs, over and over and over again).  So many mornings, we wish we had the video camera upstairs to capture her. 

Keeley, Kaelin and I took our first trip to the American Girl Doll Boston store. The girls got dressed up and were very excited. They took their time picking out the perfect dolls dolls and outfits (Kaelin settled on the AMG "Julie" and Keeley chose a "Me" doll that looks like her).  We ended the night with dessert at the AGD cafe.  Everything they do since then involves their dolls, taking them everywhere.  They're also hooked on the AGD website and love playing all the games.  

So, here we are...the end of August...

Ainsley started pre-school last week.  Touch and go first day getting out of the car, having to literally pull her out ("I'm scared Mommy, I'm scared, don't leave me!"). She was welcoming the idea of school, but thought that Aidan, Kaelin and Keeley were going with her. Heartbreaking those first two days (but you know I've been through this 3 times before and I know as much as anyone that 60 seconds after I leave, she'll be fine, but it still hurt!)  By day three she was hopping out of the car by herself, throwing her hair back and saying loudly "Bye Mommy, see you later!"  She's fitting in great and having a blast. Aidan started the week later (same school, but the newbies started first to get acclimated).  He of course did fine and is back into his routine.  Learning some new faces and names and is doing great.  They both go to school during the afternoon session for three hours, so are a bit sleepy late in the day, but it makes for an easy bedtime routine with them both being very ready by 7pm.

Hope you enjoy the nearly 150+ pictures from the month. Sorry, many similar pictures this month. Time is lacking and it is much easier to put them all up than go through the pictures and be more selective or attempt to organize them in different folders. Hope they don't take forever and a day to download for you!

BTW--as a side note...yes, that is Keeley in Halloween gear in the August pictures.  She has been BEGGING us to get the Halloween box down from the attic. Our little holiday girl (surely takes after Nana Banana!)  I've been begging her back to please stop talking halloween until at least school starts, but she's been drawing holiday pictures every day, making ghosting bags for the neighbors (right before halloween the kids in the neighborhood do a ding dong ditch sort of thing but leave scary bags of stuff and goodies at the front door....So, soon enough we'll be the first in the area to put out our pumpkins and halloween stuff!  But, I WILL get through the first week of school for Keeley and Kaelin before then!!

Beautiful summer weather recently!  Low eighties, not humid, perfect.  The kids are having a blast every day in the pool, riding bikes, going for walks, going to the park, sheep pasture, playing in the sandbox, on the swingset, and finding bugs, worms, butterflies, frogs, and attempting to keep them as pets (mostly Kaelin and Aidan in the last category!  Kaelin had a couple of odd looking bumps on her face the other day and I was convinced it was from her kissing the frogs she finds (really...)...luckily the bumps went away and I've advised her to stop kissing frogs, there will undoubtedly be too many of those when she gets older!!). Ainsley is a little water bug, always wanting to be in the pool, but she has no fear at all which is really scary, she wants to jump in on her own all the time, so we have to watch her like a hawk.  Keeley is heading into her last week of the kid's theatre program at the Orpheum Theatre.  She was interested in the program because the play they were going to do is "High School Musical", but the small kids (Keeley's group K-2) are focusing on some short  Aesop's Fables plays and will be "extras" in the bigger play.  We parents were told at the beginning to have the talk with our kids about not everyone getting the parts they want, but despite that Keeley was initially disappointed with her mouse part in one of the plays ("mice are yucky and disgusting" she cried).  She's fine with it now and is really doing an awesome job. Her instructor always comments how well she knows her lines (they have to study them every night), how smart she is and how she takes direction so well.  We're looking forward to the presentation this Friday.  We went to the beach last weekend, our first opportunity this summer so far. The kids loved it, but there was way too much yucky red seaweed/algae. The kids didn't mind but we'll be skipping Newport next weekend and probably head to the Cape.  We were thinking about a quick trip to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard one of these weekends, but as we quickly approach last August, we don't want to deal with the Obama crowds on the Islands.  Maybe we'll just have to buy a boat like Aidan has been begging us for so we travel around as we please...