All ready to head out for the first day of school!This week Emilia went back to school and Mateo started for the first time. Emilia started at the school when she was Mateo's age and is now officially in their pre-school curriculum (a.k.a. the "Terrific Tiger" room). Mateo is a "Busy Butterfly," which seems very fitting. Both go two full days (i.e. 9am - 5pm) a week. Emilia was very excited to go back and really enjoyed her first week. Mateo did amazingly well, thanks in part, I think, to the fact that he's been going to the childcare center at our gym for an hour or two several days a week since he was three months old (and probably the fact that he's been to the school many, many times before). He headed straight for the toys when we arrived the first morning and didn't even seem to notice, much less mind, when I left. On the second day, unfortunately, he got sick and had to be picked up halfway through the day. If exposure to a classroom full of other snot-nosed toddlers doesn't build up a kid's immune system, I don't know what does.
Before
During
The start of school also seemed to warrant new haircuts, initially for Emilia, and then mid-way through the week for Mateo when the arrival of a good coupon (not to mention Agustin's comment that he would try cutting Mateo's bangs himself) convinced me it was time to get his first haircut. So Emilia is now sporting a cute and curly bob, and baby Mateo has become a big boy. His curly "wings" are gone, but there's still some curl in the back, so hopefully we haven't seen the last of it. I can't believe how quickly they are growing up!
After!
Holy crap! It's September! It's practically mid-September! I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun (and when you're crazy busy). I can't possibly begin to itemize all that we did (nor would I subject any of you to that), so I'll just say a few words and share some favorite photos. 
Most noteworthy in the second half of summer was that we had a pseudo exchange student during the month of August. Paula, a 16-year-old from Spain, gave us a taste of what it is like to have a teenager in the family. She is the daughter of one of Agustin's childhood friends, who also spent a few days with us before deciding we were (barely) trustworthy enough for him to leave his daughter behind. All in all, I think it was a good experience for everyone. We are always looking for ways to expose our kids to the wider world and different cultures, so this provided a great opportunity. Her presence forced us to spend a little more time having fun and relaxing, and a little less working (and when we were working, we did not miss the opportunity to teach her about getting her hands dirty, literally). She was also quite helpful with the kids and spent a few hours two mornings a week with them while I worked. And Paula not only improved her English, but also learned a little bit more about a place she previously hadn't even looked up on the map. 
If I had to summarize how we spent our time this summer, I'd say we spent it on the water. We were either at the pool at our gym or on the lake at my parents several days a week. Paula's presence and interest in tubing and skiing meant my mom and I had the third person necessary to go waterskiing whenever we wanted (typically while Mateo and Grandpa napped). Emilia tubed for the first time and continued to take to the water like a fish. She passed the swim test at our gym, which entails swimming the length of the pool (25 yards) unassisted. According to the lifeguard, she is the youngest one to pass (although I doubt the official-ness of this claim). Mateo also took to the water much more this summer than he had in the past. He'd go running into the zero-depth entry pool at our gym and keep going until he was over his head or fell over, and just calmly wait until someone pulled him up from underwater. Agustin, the kids' unofficial swim coach, is determined Mateo will break Emilia's record next summer and pass the swim test at age two. It's good to have goals, right?
