Monday was an out-of-the-ordinary New York Monday as Steven, Sammy and Amaya settled into virtual school from our Airbnb. Sammy was the most out of sorts about it – not wanting to have to do school in NY – and I totally felt him as I got ready for a day of work. Sammy’s blues where chased way by Nana, though, who sat by his side for his first zoom lesson of the day. That’s not an everyday treat!

Amaya set up and ready in her school spot.

I told Steven I wanted a picture of him in his school spot before class started. He said, “I’ll look at my computer so it looks like I’m at school and you can take a secret picture like Penni does.” lol

Jr. Astronaut Sammy, ready to Zoom

At lunch, the kids had a special treat and went to Nana’s house to cook a Raddish Kids recipe. (La Leche Cake) We aren’t spending much time inside Nana and Papa’s house on these visits but decided we were all comfortable with a short, masked visit by the kids to do some baking together.

SSA love looking at the pictures on Nana’s fridge.

In the afternoon, Savta came over to visit with the kids during a break. With Penni, they negotiated that Savta could stay through a lesson as long as everyone was able to remain focused. Mission accomplished!

Finishing up the baking…

After school it was right to Chase and Charlies house for cousin time. Nana took the kids as soon as school was out and I met them there later in the evening. The weather was terrible so everyone was stuck inside. The kids loved seeing C & C play their video games. Which makes sense. Sammy can spend hours watching someone named “Zebra” play video games on his table, of course he’d like to watch Chase play live.

What’s the saying? The cousins that share screen time together…

I think Nana would want you to know that she quickly took of her face shield and mask, and held her breath, to take these pictures with her grandkids. <3

Sammy has a remote control robot that he brought all the way from MI to show Chase. Chase was suitably impressed. (Thank you, Chase.)

Tuesday was even smoother sailing into the school day. It’s pretty cool that SSA could dive right in to school in NY the same way they would in MI. (Thanks, in large part, to Penni and to the loads of gear we brought with us.)

Savta came back on Tuesday afternoon during a break and, again, had a chance to watch the kids afternoon classes. She even helped with some schoolwork.

Working on writing numbers by 10s.

After school on Tuesday it was back to Chase and Charlies house for the evening. The last step of Monday’s La Leche Cake was whipped cream ghosts which Sammy proudly took care of for everyone.

I mentioned last week that the kids and I were sharing a room for the week. They took turns rotating between air mattresses and sleeping with me and it worked out just fine. We all slept really well, which wasn’t what I expected.

Wednesday morning, Amaya and Steven got cozy watching some baking videos.

Back to school on Wednesday morning. We’ve got a routine!

Nana and Papa’s neighbors were really kind and offered to let Steven, Sammy and Amaya play in their backyard during the day if they wanted to get out so, on Wednesday, the kids went over there at lunch recess. So cool!

In the afternoon the Spanish work was light (work on counting to 20) so everyone took advantage of the beautiful day and Nana, Savta and Auntie took the kids to the Halls Pond playground. I was busy working but I see these pictures and it makes me so glad we took this trip. This is what it was about. <3

And then, in the afternoon, back to the Goldbergs and back to the trampoline.

The class has a Star of the Day and, as prep, everyone has to make a Seesaw video about themselves. Part of the video includes drawing and explaining (via audio) what they picked. I love these.

Amaya’s favorite food is ice cream. She also loves cookies, Charlie and Hoppy.

Steven’s favorite food is peas. (Not his daddy’s favorite food as a kid!) He also likes music, painting and pigs.

Sammy’s favorite food is pizza. He also likes cats, dogs and watching TV. (Sammy was star of the week on Thursday. He got to pick the Go Noodle activity, the class watched his video and they asked him questions about himself. He loved it.)

Thornton Creek uses the 7 Habits of Happy Kids as a social-emotional foundation of learning and it’s woven into weekly classwork starting in Kindergarten. The kids are writing about scenarios associated with each of the habits.

Steven loves Habit 4. He and Penni were disagreeing about something and when they came to a compromise Steven said, “That’s habit 4! It’s win-win!”

Steven’s answer to the question: “First play a game of kickball and then go on the slide.” Win-win!

Amaya loves working on the Habits but might need a tutorial on this one. “First would do art and then I would play gaga ball.” Win-win for Amaya! lol

The kids have two hours between Zoom classes on Thursdays. Usually that time also includes their music special but, since we were in NY and it was a beautiful day, Nana, Papa and Savta took the kids to Long Beach to play. So much fun.

The beach! It’s amazing that SSA got to visit the beach in NY in October.

Aaaaaaand, back to the Goldberg’s. 🙂

The NY Airbnb has a jet tub (hot tub, to the kids) so they had a long, FUN bath on Thursday night. We had to drag them out, and I don’t blame them! So. Many. Bubbles.

Before the fun started… (Interesting to me that they wanted to keep their underwear on to bathe together. Which is, of course, totally fine.)

Higher…

And higher!

Friday afternoon, after school, was a trip to pick pumpkins. It was on Amaya’s to-do list and were determined to make it happen. My mom found somewhere covered to go do their “picking” in the rain.

Friday night (our last night, booooooo) was back to the Airbnb for cousin time and then Shabbat.

Wrapping up the week, Amaya checked off the last of the activities on her list.

Accomplished: trampoline, tattoo, bake a cake, fashion show, IHOP, pick pumpkins, make up and nail polish.

Not accomplished: bracelets, sleep over, art, make pancakes.

Not bad!!

Saturday morning we packed up (for hours) and then stopped by Savta’s house before we hit the road for MI, by way of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

We made our way out of NY slowly, thanks to the usual Queens and Bronx traffic, and took our first break at Big Pocono Mountain State Park. It was so pretty. The fall colors are amazing. It was so much nicer than a rest stop pit stop.

While Steven was trying to get photos of race cars on the mountain (don’t ask), Amaya had a chance to facetime with her Daddy. 🙂

We drove until ~10:30pm and made it 6.5 hours of drive time in just over 10 hours. Not my best time but it was one of our more relaxing drives, split between the two of us, save a situation where Steven got car sick. Poor Bobes. 2/2 with puking on a MI/NY road trip.

This morning we headed out around 9am and were back home by 1:30pm. Safe and sound in the Land of Cheltenham!

I caught up on some work and the kids caught up on some Dad time. A highlight for them was looking through new ball cards of Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Very cool cards.

The boys also had a chance to carve the pumpkins they got in NY. High on their to-do list!

Now we’re settling in for the night so we can back to our regular Monday routine. It was a great, great week.

Monday started with a dentist appointment for SSA. The first in a year because we were thwarted by COVID in the spring. Jason took the kids and successfully got them through x-rays. Apparently all three have some movement in their bottom teeth with Steven’s the loosest of all. The tooth fairy may be visiting soon! Steven also seems resigned to the reality of braces at some point.

There was some drama over the weekend because we had wild turkeys in our backyard and Steven missed the chance to take pictures of them. Sure enough, the turkeys were back on Monday and Steven got his coveted photos.

Checking out a dead baby snake…

Monday was a gorgeous day and they enjoyed an afternoon trip to Three Cedars Farm with Gabby. Look at that sky! No filter!

I always get sad in September because summer is ending / over and every October I’m reminded that we still have some nice weather yet. It’s truly only miserably cold in MI for four or five months of the year lol.

Our Lego Lady. She loves her Lego Friends sets. I think it’s great that Lego has sets that appeal to all sorts of interests but they definitely seem flimsier and less substantive than the Lego City sets – which is only a big deal in that they seem to fall apart more easily. Amaya flew through this set in one afternoon. <3

Bubbalish, getting organized on a Tuesday morning.

When you have school at home and you have a break, paint those nails!

As a staying in bed prize, Sammy picked out this bubble thing which is totally Sammy. I got a 2nd so he’d have someone to play with. It doesn’t really rebound but he doesn’t care. He got the biggest kick running straight into me.

Sammy always talks to Nana via Caribu on his “sleep with Mommy” nights. They read a book and do activities together.

Their corroborative, digital coloring project – broccoli for Mommy.

Bedtime buds, while Sammy was with me.

The kids had some state testing this week and their class was divided into two groups so they didn’t have their normal 9am Zoom class. The weather was beautiful so Penni took the kids to the playground. We’ve got to take advantage of school-at-home when we can!

Sammy wrote out notes for a new “Small Moments” story. He had to document options for places, people and events to include.

His people ideas were Savta (SOFD), mom and dad. His place ideas were NY, Disneyland and Beach. He picked Savta, Mom and NY. (He wanted to be sure I knew that he didn’t pick daddy because daddy wasn’t in NY for this particular event.)

Another sample of Sammy’s writing in his book journal.

I believe this says, “I think that Lilly is kind because she helped Ginger and told Ginger she could be Lily’s flower girl.”

Amaya has been so excited for our trip to NY. She spent the past week or two drawing out a check list of activities to do with Charlie. Trampoline, tattoo (temporary), bracelets, bake a cake, sleepover (Not COVID approved), fashion show, art, takeout from IHOP, make pancakes, pumpkin picking, stress ball and make-up. I love everything about this. <3

My sleeping loves.

Thursday was swim class number 3! Tuesday with Gabby went great and they were totally ready for Thursday’s class. Amaya jumped right in again. Steven and Sammy have already made progress. Sammy put the bottom half of his face in the water and Steven put his whole head in the water! Amazing.

I got this smile from Amaya after she saw Steven put his head under. 🙂

Friday was buzzing with energy. We were leaving for NY right after their last class ended and the kids were thrumming. It was hard for me to concentrate all day, too, to be honest.

Here was their art project for Friday’s art class. I love how differently they each interpreted the same assignment. The source art was Van Gogh’s Mulberry Tree in Autumn.

Sammy’s

Amaya’s

Steven’s

I also love this drawing Sammy did of Piggy.

Off we go to NY! This time the kids have school and I have work so Penni is joining us on the trip to help with virtual school while I’m busy with (virtual) work.

My Bubba. He had a run-in with Steven at lunch “recess” and ended up with a scratch on his face. He wanted to be absolutely certain no one could see the scratch. Mission accomplished!

We got a later start than last time so we didn’t make it as far, but with two drivers, were able to drive until ~11pm. Unfortunately, when we got to our hotel they were out of clean rooms so we all sat in the lobby for an hour while they cleaned rooms for us. The kids were total troopers.

We got a decent night sleep before heading out again at 8:30am.

Morning cuddles for Steven and Amaya.

New York or bust!!

Ready, ready, ready! (Also, check out the gorgeous fall colors we saw all the way through Pennsylvania.)

Auntie was an addition to the car, as well, when we learned we’d get to see her on Saturday afternoon.

Pit stop at the same scenic overlook as last time. A new tradition, perhaps? Or, perhaps soon enough we’ll be back in the air for our trips to NY.

Amaya loves this “Little chicky” graffiti.

MADE IT!

I’ve shared the photo of the Amaya / Charlie pillow that I got for Amaya after our last trip. We got one for Charlie, too, and Amaya wanted to deliver it in person. Another mission accomplished.

Amaya said, “Last trip we had the pool and this trip we have the trampoline.” Truth. They looooooooove jumping on the trampoline.

After checking off “trampoline” on her list, Amaya and Charlie (and Sammy) moved on to “bake a cake”.

Since Penni has her own bedroom, SSA and I are roommates on this trip.

Today was overcast but warm so we made it a city day and headed into Manhattan for a visit to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Penni was taking a day to visit the city so we dropped her off in Times Square on the way.

The Intrepid! I haven’t been since I was a kid. Steven was so excited. He kept squeezing his fists saying, “eeeeeeeee!” over and over again.

Steven’s got to have a map. 🙂 This was an Israeli fighter jet.

Inside the command & navigation area.

Pretty cool.

The Intrepid also houses the Enterprise space shuttle. It was a prototype that took some flights within our atmosphere to test out certain functionality. It’s scale, though, and nearly identical to the shuttles that flew. (One difference is it didn’t have a working heat shield.) So it was awesome to see and now Amaya can add a 2nd space shuttle to her list after also seeing Endeavor when we were at the Los Angeles Science Museum.

Nana and Papa <3

The kids got souvenirs and Sammy picked this interactive astronaut helmet. Suits him perfectly!

The whole gang!

It was a great day! When we got back to LI we spent the afternoon at the Goldberg’s house, the kids trampolined and we got to visit with Savta a bit. Tomorrow is a school day and work day and then more family time.

Have a great week!

Now that the kids are back in school, we are focused on getting back to daily reading. Which we probably should have done during the summer, too, but we just didn’t have it in us. Now the basic goal (and school driven expectation) is that each of the kids reads for 10- 15 min/day. Totally doable. An online program they use for school – Raz Kids – supports independent reading but the kids can just click on a word if they don’t know it, which they generally do without trying to sound it out, so reading to us is definitely better for SSA at this point.

Jason, Penni, Gabby and I are a collective reading support team.

Morning decaf and a book.

Mo Willems books are perfect for Sammy and Amaya right now.

Steven, reading a book about his friends Q and U. (Reminds me of when Charlie’s Kindergarten class had a wedding for Q and U.)

On Mondays the kids share about their weekends. I overheard Steven saying, “We made up two new holidays – National Sports Day and National Dads Day. You have parties and get cake.”

Amaya wrote about her weekend: “I went to the pool this weekend. Have you gone to the pool? I passed the swim test.” (They needed dry erase boards this year and it was a great idea for small writing and math assignments.)

I was off on Monday for Yom Kippur. Since we didn’t have in person services I did an online Yizkor service in the morning and the kids skipped their last zoom class of the day for the online kids service.

At lunch we did some of the activities provided by the religious school. First we did an activity where we made a felt bullseye and stuck velcro on little balls. The idea was to think about how we try to hit the bullseye with our thoughts and actions but don’t always hit the mark. Even so we can see where we missed and try again.

There was also a craft where we used balloons and cups to make whales that could spew out puff balls. This was mostly to tie the activity back to the story of Jonah which didn’t totally resonate for me but SSA loved the whales.

Lord. Steven, Sammy and Amaya (mostly Sammy) wanted me to join their online gym class. I couldn’t refuse but, wow, I’m out of shape. We spent a good 20 minutes moving around the house like various animals. I think, here, we were crocodiles. It was harder than it looks!

Each week they do motions to this cute song about Tony Chestnut (Toe Knee Chest Nut). I will admit I got into it.

Tuesday Spanish (?) class cuddles.

Another mom texted me that some of the kids from class were going to a playground after school so Gabby took SSA to meet up with them. According to Penni they really needed to burn off some energy. We try to do “recess” and their PE activities but it’s not the same as running around with friends.

Crab Leg Tuesday with my Bubs. Amaya tried some, too, but hated them. At least she gave it another shot. Bonus – more for the two of us.

For a couple of weeks the kids have been working on an assignment to write a “Small Moment” story. They did a draft and, this week, had to turn it into a final version to submit to their teacher. Amaya was so focused. They had all week to work on it but she worked into the evening on Tuesday to get it done. The extra effort paid off, too! Later in the week anyone who was already finished was able to drop off a zoom class early. I liked seeing her self-motivation.

Even though we’re not at school, everyone got new Gator Gear.

A glimpse at what Amaya’s work area looks like during the day. (Plus some laundry.)

I see pictures like this of Amaya, on Messenger Kids with a friend, and automatically flash forward 10 years.

Thursday night was Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s long awaited swim class at Aqua Tots. I’m sure Amaya would want me to remind you that she’s in Level 5 and the brothers are in Level 3. And the brothers would probably want me to remind you that they don’t care. 😉

Amaya was ready. She walked right up to her entrance door like she owned the place. Which worked out well because the boys were more nervous – about where to go, about what would happen, etc. Amaya’s independence let me focus on them. They wanted to be sure they could see me through the glass. Amaya wanted to be sure I could see her through the glass.

I was so proud of he boys. Steven and Sammy both got out of their comfort zone, tried new things, and they both loved their lesson. The teacher was fantastic, too. I could see her working with them and following their cues about what they were and weren’t ready to do. I think they have a different instructor for their Tuesday class so hopefully she’s equally in tune.

Sammy liked the pool water but he really liked the shower water when they rinsed off after the pool, so he decided to start to rate and chart the water each time he swims. 🙂

Friday Bed Hair, Don’t Care.

Morning snuggles with my best girl.

We had two perfectly soft, ripe bananas that Amaya and Penni turned into bread and muffins. Very yummy!

When the kids are getting ready to zoom on the big screen things get a little wild.

Friday night shows and snuggles.

I forgot about the class playground meet-up so we had a nice lazy Saturday morning. Steven beat me at Go Fish a few times and then he beat me at Scrabble Junior.

Jason helped the kids with some Kiwi Co projects.

We went out Saturday afternoon for Linner. Or Dunch. Downtown Northville is continuing their outdoor dining and the couple of blocks where you can get a drink to go. The Northville skeletons are out and, while we’re really going to miss trick or treating at Street of Treats this year, it was still fun to see the skeletons. (Please let us be back to normal next fall. Please, please, please.)

Tiny (strong) beer.

Before bed, Steven led the way to decorate the house for Halloween.

Today was the 2nd and last day of in-person religious school for a while. 🙁 There having another session next week but we’ll be in NY (!!) so this was it for us. Between now and the end of the year there are a handful of zoom sessions but it’s not the same. The kids legitimately have fun with the in-person programming that’s put together.

Hot chocolate on the way home.

Sammy asked Jason to watch an episode of Emily’s Wonder Lab so they could try an experiment with a tea bag. It didn’t work, but we’ll try again eventually with a tea bag more like the one in the experiment. I don’t think ours opens up tall enough.

This girl is always ready to pose. <3

Before bed tonight the SSA held a dance party in the basement. They pretended to be JoJo Siwa (Amaya), Flash (Steven) and Iron Man (Sammy). Again and again they explained to me that I wasn’t famous – just a person in the audience. But people in the audience can dance, too.

There’s a lot of artwork and writing happening around these parts and I want to capture it.

For art class (I think), the kids drew dogs.

Scruffles is Steven’s canine alter ego.

Sammy drew Love Bug the Cute

Amaya’s drew a Lil pup.

According to Amaya, these are “symmetrical fish.”

Mrs. O’Neil read one of our favorites – Knuffle Bunny Too – and the kids had to write about losing something they love.

Steven is lying on the bottom of the bunk bed, thinking of Morminer who’s lost.

“Not so long ago I lost my favorite sleeping friend Morminer. I was so sad and I couldn’t sleep with her all night and I found it in the morning. I was so happy that I found Morminer. So happy Puppy was too.”

Amaya’s pictures tell the story from left to right. First she’s happy because she has Hoppy and then she’s sad because Hoppy is lost. Amaya was very proud of the tears.

“Hoppy is lost.” Short and to the point lol.

Sammy is thinking of the good times with Puppy.

“One day I forgot my special little puppy and I could not sleep.”

These are the “Small Moment” stories the kids are submitting this week. Amaya explained that a small moment story is a story about one specific thing that happens.

The Water Park, by Amaya J. Cline

“The bucket drops on us – splash! We are at Great Wolf Lodge.”

“Next we are in the deep end. My mom came in. Me, Mom, Steven, Sammy had so much fun.”

Last we were in the deep deep end. I was happy and it was a big place.” (Note that Amaya and I are in bikinis and the boys are in their life jackets.)

Steven’s Small Moment Story – “The Corn Maze in the Farm”

A very nice drawing of the corn maze map. “I went to a corn maze. Me, Amaya, May May and Mom and Sammy got lost 1 time. We went the right way a lot.”

“Next I kept going. We were almost there. It is fun.”

“We got there. It was fun. Really fun.”

Sammy wrote, “The day I left New York”.

“One day me and mom went to NY and we were leaving NY and I was sad at first. But it ended out ok.

“Then we were on the plane was in the sky.”

“We were home. The place I live home.” But the key to Sammy’s story is that, when you see the music notes it means they’re song lyrics and you sing that part. “The plaaaaace I liiiiiiive – home.”

And that’s it! Have a great week!

Monday morning, Steven woke to the sound of new construction vehicles outside. He was eager to get outside and take some pictures, which Penni made happen during their morning recess break.

SSA seem good about doing the scheduled gym activities set up by the PE teachers. They’re not always so thrilled to be caught on camera via stealthy selfie mode, though. 🙂

Steven has a Mo Willems art book that has resurfaced as a recent favorite. He uses Light Cat, a gift from Charlie, to light his way when he’s doing his art in the early morning hours (in our bed).

I’ve enjoyed seeing the artwork that the kids are doing “at” school. This week they made these elephants. In order it’s Amaya’s, Sammy’s and then Steven’s. Sammy’s critique of Steven’s elephant was that the background line, for perspective, was not supposed to go through the elephant.

The kids use white boards for school. I think they do equations and other work that they can do quickly, show their teacher if needed, and then erase. The kids also like drawing on their white boards during breaks.

Steven’s Tank House.

Amaya’s rainbow heart.

Steven told me what this is. A truck delivering something. Maybe construction materials for our street. But I can’t remember exactly and he’s busy watching our Roomba mop (Moppy) so it may live as a bit of a mystery.

The rule is that the kids have to sit up properly for their live, synchronous learning time but they have more flexibility during independent working time – as long as they stay focused and get their work done. I was able to sneak this picture when I came down to get a snack.

Ms. and Mr. Raspberry Hands.

During lunch one day, Steven had this comment about rice & beans: The way Amaya eats rice and beans is kind of like Q and U. Amaya will eat beans without rice but she’ll only eat rice with beans. You can have U without Q but you can’t have Q without U. So it’s sort of the same.

I love Amaya’s fashion choices. This is a tank top that she wears as a halter by putting her head through one of the arm holes.

We leave for NY on Friday, 10/9 and Amaya is already planning with Charlie. This is a visual reputation of activities she wants to do with Charlie in NY. Jump on the trampoline. Color-on temporary tattoos. Make bracelets. Bake cupcakes. I suspect her list will continue to grow.

SSA tend to fight Penni when she suggests they go outside for recess but always seem happy to be outside once they acquiesce. With all the time in the house, it’s not quite as optional as the presentation makes it seem.

Sweet chats with his Daddy.

Sometime this week Steven imagined the planet Moso. It’s in the Butt Cheek galaxy, 100,000 miles from Earth. When it’s day on Earth, it’s night on Moso. On Moso, there are no clouds but they do have rainbows. The nearest dwarf planet does have clouds, however. Moso is flat planet. You don’t have to worry if you visit because there are many signs warning you two minutes before you get to the end of the planet. Moso is more technologically advanced and have two space stations, unlike Earth’s one. One space station is for when Steven visits. The other is for the rest of the people of Moso. Moso has volcanoes but not lava volcanoes because there’s no lava at the center of Moso. Every day there’s something new to learn about this planet.

Sally has been so patient with the kids these days. (And vice versa.) They can sit and pet her for ages now. It’s awesome.

Thornton Creek Gators art!

Sleeping Sammy. He is still the best sleeper in the Cline family, and the least likely of the kids to call for us at bedtime. When it’s time to sleep, he sleeps.

On Friday night Steven was having a difficult time falling asleep so I cuddled with him and fell asleep myself. Best way to drift off… Love that Jason captured this.

On Saturday morning we had another class meet up at the TC playground. I think it will be a regular thing as long as the weather is nice enough. The kids played gaga again, and did lots of (needed) running around. I even put a ball in our trunk in case no one else brought one.

Saturday afternoon was our last pool day of the season. Sadness. 🙁 Steven, Sammy and Amaya didn’t expect to get in another swim day, though, so they made the most of it and no one wanted to leave. I’m so glad the JCC found a way to make this work this summer. It was wonderful. Fortunately, the kids will keep swimming because swim lessons start on 10/1. Definitely not the same as free play time in the pool but hopefully they enjoy it and develop new skills.

Credit for this photo goes to Amaya. <3

We’re hanging on to summer but it’s definitely fall in the Land of Cheltenham.

I was upstairs relaxing, before going to pick up sushi, and heard the tell-tale sounds of an ice cream truck on our street. We’ve been to ice cream trucks in NY, by Chase and Charlie’s school, but never had the fun of running outside out house for ice cream. No way we were passing that up. Even I couldn’t resist getting a Chocolate Eclair ice cream bar. Those, and Strawberry Shortcakes, were my elementary school go-tos.

Another photo I’m so glad Jason captured.

Today, for reasons that make great sense in the minds of the Cline kids, was National Sports Day and National Dads Day. (Different from Father’s Day which isn’t national, you see. And on National Dads Day, dads don’t get to sleep late.) The kids celebrated with activity stations around the house. Sammy set up a book-making station. Amaya set up a puppet making station. Steven set up a ball card and Jedi dueling station. On National Dad’s Day you also eat cake. So there was cheesecake.

As always, Amaya made goody bags.

Making Puppets.

Jason’s story book deserves some space of it’s own in this week’s blog.

“Space Family Cline – by Daddy

Space Family Cline boards the rocket ship. Up, up and away for space, Family Cline! Space Family Cline appears to be weightless in orbit. That’s how it seems… but in reality, both they and the ship are falling around the earth at the same rate. To come back to early, Space Family Cline fires rockets to slow their horizontal speed. And so, instead of falling around the earth, the fall toward the earth… So they can come home to the land of… Cheltenham. <3″

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This afternoon the kids and I headed over the the Novi library for their first library cards. What a great age and time for this. Knowing that they won’t be able to check out books from their school library adds a ton of value to visits to our local library and they’re really into picking out books to read (and have read to them).

Outside of the library there’s a statue of two boys and a girl reading books. Immediately, SSA noticed the statue and said that it was “Just like them”. Amaya looks annoyed in this picture because Sammy was standing on the “wrong” side and they weren’t in the same BBG order as the statue.

New library card holders! They even got to write their names on their cards. Forever keepsakes, for sure.

A whole world opening to them…

Amaya saw this picture and said, “I look like a grown up.”

After the library we spent about an hour at a nearby playground. I haven’t been to this one with the kids in at least a year and, suddenly, it seems so much smaller. It’s still great for the kids but they fill the space so differently.

We wrapped up the day with chicken and potatoes ala Amaya and Sammy. Amaya washed, cut and seasoned the potatoes. I just added some salt and put them in the oven. Sammy prepped and seasoned the chicken all on his own, and to his own desire. Again, I just added salt (and cut the onions). We have amazing chefs.

I’ll leave you with a picture of our sweet Sally.

Have a great week!

Steven really wanted to go on a nature walk on Monday so Penni worked it out to make that part of their PE time. The each grabbed a baggie and set out to find what they could find – namely, a lot of acorns.

The rest of PE was spent with balancing / core strength exercises.

Monday afternoon, Steven and I set out for an eye doctor check in. He was excited because it was his first visit since moving to 4 hr/day patching and was hoping for good results – and he got them! Last visit, the best corrected vision in his right eye was 20/40 and this visit it was 20/30. His doctor is hoping we can get him to 20/20 but said she’d be very happy even if 20/25 is the best results we see. So it’s continued patching for Steven and another visit in 2 months to check in.

I don’t let Amaya play around with Steven’s patches. It’s not just the money wasted on patches, it’s that they’re a medical device for Steven. He doesn’t get to choose whether or not he wants to wear it so it doesn’t seem fair for Amaya to play games with the patches and then take them off on a whim. Whenever he goes to the eye doctor, Amaya asks Steven to bring him home a sample patch which he’s always happy to do. And then, for the 10 minutes she wears it, they’re patch buddies. (Sammy tried one on for less than a minute before realizing it’s not a great experience. I’ve tried one, too, and also thought it was terrible which makes me appreciate Steven’s effort even more.)

School is going well. Better than I thought, to be honest. The school still seems manageable and the blend of synchronous and asynchronous appears to work well to keep SSA engaged. There are harder days, for sure, where it’s a little more difficult to focus. And days where the kids just breeze through. I’m thankful for how well Penni is helping them navigate through this.

Tuesday night baseball. Our final week! I always tell myself I’ll remember how they do and then I forget. I believe Sammy got one hit and, when he got on base, he was so excited.

Bobes- getting ready to bat.

Amaya getting some mid-game batting tips from Jason. She tends to swing down at the ball and he was working with her on a more level swing.

A guy who got a great hit.

Daddy and Steven <3

Steven has a printed picture of me that he keeps on the wall next to his bed, along with a few other photos I’ve printed for him. (Of the corn maze map, of the construction vehicles on our street…) It got difficult for him to move the pictures every other week when swapping bunk bed spots with Sammy so we go him a binder, with inserts, to store his pictures. I grace the cover of Steven’s binder. Amaya wanted one, too, and the picture she chose for the cover is no surprise.

In the hallway by the garage door we have an organizing area for the kids’ school stuff. Last year it was labeled with days of the week for anything the kids had to bring back to school with them. This year, Penni asked for labels for reading, writing, math, science and social studies. These are Jason’s interpretations. 🙂

Busy with math. Sometimes the kids need a change of location.

Coach J with Sammy and Amaya at 1st, at our penultimate game. Sammy and Steven both got two hits in this game! Steven seems totally satisfied to hit off the tee but Sammy is elated when he hits off the coach’s pitch.

The class is starting to use their reading notebook where they write about books that Mrs. O’Neil reads to them.

Amaya: My favorite part was when Ray was surprised.

Steven: My favorite par was when bunny went into Ray’s hat and ray found bunny.

Sammy: My favorite part was Ray finds bunny!

SSA are writing “Small Moment” stories about something that happened in their life. This is page 3 of Sammy’s story about leaving NY: When we [went] on the plane. I was so sad and the plane was already in the air.

Friday night Facetime with Nana and Papa!

The final baseball game of the season. 🙁 We even had an umpire for this game. (Though we also decided not to play outs so the kids could all have a chance to run in their last game.) When Amaya was playing pitcher, she was able to field a ball and throw it to Alexa on first to get an out!

Trophy time! As Steven would say, “It’s kids baseball” and we don’t keep score – so trophies for everyone. They’re personalized for each child and glow in the dark – major keepsakes.

Players and coaches

My favorite White Sox <3

Saturday was Rosh Hashana, and with virtual services, we were able to go to our game and still celebrate the holiday. We watched Temple Israels children’s service – a nice, condensed 30 minutes – and also made our first challah. It was dense but definitely edible. We were very proud of ourselves.

Watching the last two episodes of The Legend of Korra. I got so into the show that I watched episodes on my own if I knew I couldn’t watch with the kids.

It was Steven’s night to pick a bedtime book and he picked “Go Dog. Go!” which he read all by himself. It’s a long book. I was really impressed with his interest and stamina.

This morning we all went to a really nice Rosh Hashana Tashlich program at Temple Israel. Families had to reserve a slot that ran in 30 minute increments. Each family sat at our own table where we did a few activities – wrote about our hopes for the new year, wrote about things we want to improve for the new year, and put our names on decorations for the temple’s sukkah. Afterward we were lead to the pond where we cast our (dissolvable) papers and threw in crackers in true tashlich fashion. Then, since we probably can’t gather for Sukkot, we visited the temple’s sukkah to add our decoration and there was an opportunity to learn how to shake a lulav and etrog. It was all so nicely done and I love that one of the rabbis greeted our family by name when we arrived.

Brunch in Birmingham. (Amaya asked if we were in “Downtown City” which is what she calls Ann Arbor. 🙂

The Cline men watched the Lions game while I took Amaya to a play date with Maia. We’re so close to “drop off” play dates but Amaya isn’t quite comfortable yet. Maia has a big dog and Amaya wants me there in case it makes an appearance. (Maia’s mom is very sensitive to Amaya’s fear and keeps the dog well out of sight.)

The face of a 6 year old girl offered ice cream at her play date.

That was our week! We’re gearing up for week 3 of first grade, starting to plan for Halloween and excited to start swim lessons on October 1. Have a great week!

I think I’ll skip Monday and just get to the good stuff, except to say that we had a lovely Labor Day as a family with baseball practice at the school field and a Mommy/Cline Kid homemade dinner of sweet potato gnocchi.

I do want to get these photos of the kids with sweet Sal, though. Maybe it’s her age (16!) or their age, or both – but she’s so patient with the kids these days. It’s very meaningful for me to see. I flash back to the day Sally and I became family and I never could have imagined where the years would take us together.

The good stuff. The main event. FIRST GRADE.

While I can’t believe we’re here, it also feels a lot less emotional and overwhelming compared to the start of kindergarten. We’re all ready.

Our district started 100% virtual with an option to stay virtual through 1/29, which we chose. The kids teacher is Mrs. O’Neil and the class is all of the kids who are fully virtual for the first semester. It’s a large class – 26 kids – which I have issues with compared to the number of kids in the in-person classes (15) but their teacher is seasoned and seems totally on top of things.

Even though school is at home, we still took our traditional First Day of School photos. Shoes on and, two minutes later, shoes off. 🙂 It was raining and the kids loved seeing me standing out in the rain.

First day of 1st vs. first day of kindergarten. Such a difference!

Amaya wants to be a swimmer, a teacher and an artist when she grows up.

Steven wants to be an EMT, an artist and a chef when he grows up.

Sammy wants to work with animals when he grows up. Maybe on a farm or at a zoo or as a vet.

The blog isn’t going to turn into a million pictures of the kids sitting at their computers at home but there are a lot this week. Steven, Sammy and Amaya all took up the spots they claimed in the spring. Steven is on the sofa in the sitting room. Amaya is on the sofa in the family room. Sammy is at the kitchen table. It seems to work and they appear able to focus as needed on their zoom lessons. This fall there are four different scheduled whole-class zoom times. In between they do independent work related to the zoom lesson and also have additional small-group sessions with Mrs. O’Neil. Each day is also a humanities lesson – gym 2x week and one day each of music, art and Spanish. (Spanish was a new switch from French.)

Day 1 got off to a good start. The kids all had familiar faces in their class. It’s not the same as being there but they’re making it work.

Show and tell – something green.

Mrs. O’Neil does regular GoNoodle dance breaks with the kids. Seeing photos of Sammy in action makes me smile.

Wednesday dance break. 🙂

PE activities.

Wednesday was our one ballgame of the week. Amaya got in some amazing time with Sally before we left.

May May surprised the kids at the game! It was a good one. Sammy got a great hit and made it to first. Steven got to field the ball a bunch of times.

Class on Thursday – participation from Sammy. On his chair you’ll see his art work. They all did some Mo Willems pigeon art and write something they want in a word bubble.

Amaya wants a little sister. Sorry kiddo!

I think Sammy wants to finish the assignment without writing anything. 🙂

Steven wants to not have to go to school. Again, sorry kiddo. (Even though he says that, he seems to be very engaged in the work.)

Music class! Since the humanities classes aren’t live on camera, Penni is able to run them from our TV so the kids can participate together and get a little change of pace.

SSA have recess in the morning for 30 minutes and again as part of their 60 minute lunch break. Penni is getting the kids outside as often as possible. (It’s also an option if they have 30 minutes to work on an assignment and manage to finish it quickly.)

Steven live on Amaya’s screen. Fun view.

I’m in meetings, meetings, meetings all day but it’s a treat if I have a break that coincides with a break for the SSA. <3

Our housekeeper came on Friday so school moved to the basement. It actually seemed to work pretty well. I think it will be a welcome change of pace every other Friday. Gotta mix it up a little.

Math activities

They all had to write something they’re worried about.

Amaya is worried about coronavirus.

Steven is “worried of being alone”.

Sammy is “worried about puppy [his lovey] being lost.”

Sleeping kids this week.

SSA started their Saturday with decaf. As you do.

Our Saturday morning was an exciting outing. For the first time since March, SSA headed to a playground. But not any playground – their school playground. AND, they met up with 10 or so other kids from their 1st grade virtual class. It was amazing. They were so happy. All the kids wore masks and a few other parents mentioned that it was their first post-COVID visit to a playground, too.

Amaya and Maia are excited to be in class together again.

The kids started an impromptu game of Gaga. <3

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing. Crafts, legos and a visit to see the construction happening further down our street.

Today was a busy, busy day. We started off with Hebrew School – first week of the year. It’s a modified schedule this season. There are a few outside classes, shortened to an hour, and a handful on online session. It’s intended to be enough to keep kids engaged and connected but not so daunting online that the kids tap out. We’ll see how it goes.

Sammy had a bit of a tough reentry. Eventually he pushed through and we sat together for the latter part of the hour.

To help connect us to fall holiday season, the religious school gave us a big bag of activities to go. We dug in today with tote bag decorating, honey tasting and, with a kit from the Shofar Factory, sanded and polished shofars.

Apple stamping a tote bag

Learning how to finish our shofars – we sanded them and then finished them with mod podge. It’s also suggested we drill a bigger hole at the base but we’ll probably need Jason’s help for that.

After the shofars we made delicious honey cake muffins.

I thought we’d rest before afternoon plans but the kids watched an episode of Emily’s Wonder Lab that featured Ooblek and we had to try making some ourselves. It’s cool stuff. Pressure makes it act like a solid and low/no pressure makes it act like a liquid. The kids got such a kick out of trying to punch it. Lots and lots of fun to play with. A lot less fun to clean up.

Almost clean!

We rounded out the day with a trip to Maybury Farm to visit the Corn Maze with Megan, Taco and Rainbow Heart. It was so much fun! Amaya and Taco were adorable together. We made it through the maze in about half an hour and then had time to visit the farm. Everything is getting easier as the kids get older – which is no surprise but new for me to experience.

Have a great week!

The kids definitely made the most of their last week before school starts again. They had a fun adventure almost every day starting with the zoo on Monday. It’s been over a year since they visited and long overdue. It’s so nice that they’re old enough to go with nothing but a little extra sunscreen and their masks. A far cry from the days of triple strollers and diaper bags.They had a great day!

I’m told by the kids that this is not a wishing fountain.

In the kangaroo enclosure a Joey hopped right in front of Sammy.

Giraffes!!

The kids were not at all interested in a photo together but Steven and Amaya were totally game for solo pics. (Speaking of their individuality, I was filling out some info for their teacher and I was curious what Amaya thinks about being referred to as “the triplets”. I asked if she prefers when she and her brothers are called, “the triplets” or “Steven, Sammy and Amaya” and she said, “Definitely Steven, Sammy and Amaya.” I just asked Steven and he said, “I don’t care.” Sammy said the same. Which is an interesting connection to Amaya being the one who wanted her own class.)

Sammy exploring Jason’s Fantasy Football draft binder.

Penni sent me this picture and said, “I love that they take pictures and are sooooo invested in making them look they way they want.”

Sammy was wearing his Disneyland buttons which motivated Steven to sell his preference for Legoland. Eventually they agreed it was a matter of opinion.

On Tuesday afternoon, Penni took SSA to an orchard for some apple picking. They got lucky because Amaya was not a fan of the bees that live at the zoo and I was a little worried the orchard would be buzzing, but it wasn’t! Now we have a ton of hand picked apples to enjoy.

Looking at Delta planes. I hate flying so much and still can not wait to get on an airplane again.

Sammy, Steven and Amaya were playing a game where Sammy was the boss and he kept saying things like, “Let’s keep these people on task! We have to meet our goals!” I have no idea where he heard things like that lol!

The kids had baseball Tuesday and Wednesday this week. I had meetings all day on Tuesday so Gabby got the kids ready for their game and had them ready and in the van just after 6pm. We headed to Thornton Creek, got out of the car, and I realized that there were two teams on the field and neither was ours. So I double check the schedule and realized we had a game on a different field. We got back in the car and headed there. Through very poor planning on the part of whoever gave us the address, it took us another 15 minutes to figure out how to get to the field parking lot. But we made it and played for an hour before it started to rain on us. (Which didn’t cancel the game for a good while, which we spent in the field.) So Tuesday was rough. The highlight was Amaya’s monster hit at her first at-bat.

Wednesday’s game was a lot better and it was at 6pm! All the kids got hits. At least I think they all did. Amaya got at least one hit, maybe two. Sammy hit the ball twice but was tagged out at first both times. I think Steven got a hit but now I’m second guessing myself. I told Sammy he did a great job and he complained that he got tagged out twice. I told him that he’s still learning to play and hitting the pitched ball is a big important step. He said, “It’s also important to learn not to get tagged.”

On Thursday, before heading to the pool, Penni got the kids’ Schoology accounts set up on their chromebooks. We’re getting close!

Possibly the final JCC pool day of the season. With a possible exception on Wednesday, it’s unlikely to crack 80 degrees again this season and the pool is too cold to swim in the 70s. (For me, at least, and they expect me to get in the water with them when we go to the pool.) At least we’re less than 4 weeks from the start of swim lessons.

Two years ago, compared to this week.

Penni said that, after a rough morning together with fights over seats and cereal, peace was restored between the brothers with talks about She-Ra.

On Friday, Penni and Gabby took the kids to Greenfield Village. Another great day to round out their last full week of summer vacation. It’s so nice that Gabby and Penni like doing these activities together. It’s definitely special for the kids.

Jenga (which is Steven’s and he’s clear about that) has been a big hit lately. Sammy wanted me to take pictures of the game at every angle. He couldn’t believe how high it was.

Juuuuuuust before it tumbled.

On Friday night Jason and I went out for an early dinner in downtown Northville and, while we were there, I picked up our finished ceramics pieces. They came out great!

Amaya’s unicorn.

Steven’s tank.

My hedgehog. 🙂

Some serious Minecraft business. I love when they collaborate.

On Saturday morning we stayed home all day, in PJs, and relaxed together. Steven and Jason built a train city.

Amaya started on a Lego hospital that she got for her birthday and hadn’t opened yet.

Prepping for Fantasy Football

This morning we went out for a yummy family brunch at The Sardine Room. Jason wowed us all by killing 3 wasps that buzzed around our table.

Homemade Lego necklace!

The kids and I had a plan to go for a hike after brunch but Sammy and Amaya were worried about the rain so Steven and I headed out on our own. He talked the whole time and I smiled the whole time. It did rain but, thanks to the tree cover, we didn’t get wet. Steven determined our path and we spent about 45 minutes walking together. I’ve really missed the quality 1:1 time I got from traveling with the kids but, on the way home, Steven and I talked about how we don’t need an airplane or even a car to have special time together. (As long as we have our imaginations, “so we do need our brains”.)

We hiked around a pond that Steven named “picture pond” because every time he saw a “pond trail” he wandered down and asked for a picture. I probably have 7 or 8 different photos of him in front of thd pond.

For dinner tonight we dove into another Raddish Kids kit. This time it was roast chicken and vegetables, with roasted red skins, followed by apple cider donuts. Amaya was on chopping duty while Sammy prepared the chicken. A whole chicken!

He thought it was gross but necessary. I can agree with that. I was really proud of his work. He stuffed the chicken with salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and chopped garlic.

Donut time! Steven joined us for this one.

Proud kids!!

We wrapped up the day with The Legend of Korra and some downtime.

Have a great week! We’ve got Labor Day and then it’s off to FIRST GRADE!

The Cline men are very attached to their bathing suits. Sammy has a green octopus bathing suit which the only one he’ll wear and this is the third summer that Steven is wearing his Captain America bathing suit.

Monday was an at-home activity day. Sammy needed more “slime activator” which landed him a whole new slime kit that he was eager to dive into. No one loves slime or goo more thant his boy.

Amaya worked on a kit to make her own lip balm. Not the kind that you make in a tub but the kind that will harden in the fridge and can be kept in a twist tube like chapstick. Right up her alley.

With one of her lip balms. (Same dress, later in the week.)

I finished my ceramic piece on Sunday night and Amaya and Steven both got back to theirs on Monday. Amaya finished hers while Steven drew it out through the week working methodically on his layers. On Friday, Penni and the kids dropped the pieces off back at The Bees Knees to be fired.

If you’re taking a late summer walk, might as well dress for the occasion.

At baseball on Sunday the kids got a huge surprise – Ms. Shannon, the director of the JCC CDC, came to see the play. Can you believe it!?!? What a special woman and a special relationship she has with the kids. She even brought each of them their own bat bag.

Tuesday was a pool day for the kids and I got in some Sammy snuggles before they left. I’m not with the kids for the vast majority of the day while I work but I absolutely love the opportunities I have to pop down and see them. <3

I had plans with a friend on Tuesday night and literally built a shine to me as he went to bed. The way Steven expresses his love for me is truly a gift.

Sammy had one pair of socks he would wear and they weren’t just falling apart, they no longer had heels. He was able to articulate that he liked them because they had cute puppies on them and we were able to find new socks that meet his “cute puppies” requirement.

At their baseball game on Wednesday night, he asked anyone with a dog, “Do you like dogs?” and, if they said “yes”, he pulled up the bottom of his pants and said, “Look at my socks.” Lol

Amaya had a particularly good game with a hit and some solid fielding. Sammy got a hit, too. Steven only had one at-bat because it was a shorter game, and he needed to use the tee after missing the pitches. When he got to first base he told me, “One of the other players said ‘that’s embarrassing’ because I didn’t hit the ball but it’s not embarrassing. This is kids baseball. If it was grown-up baseball on TV, then it would be embarrassing.” I’m so glad he has that frame of mind about it – they’re kids who are still learning to play. (And soon that other kid will learn that professional players get out more often than not.)

On Thursday night, Amaya and Steven were both having trouble falling asleep. Amaya asked me for “one of the sleep things on my phone”. She meant mediations in my Calm app, and I found that the app has a section with kids’ bedtime stories. Such a great idea! I’m wondering if I should put them on more often, when all the kids are awake and still talking. Maybe it will quiet them earlier in the night and help them fall asleep sooner. Maybe I’ll try tonight.

Friday was a rainy day. Perfect for games in the playroom with Penni.

On Friday afternoon, as I was working, the kids decided to make me “special drinks”. That’s generally code for “nothing you’ll want to drink and we’re going to watch you with love and anticipation in our eyes as you take sip in front of us.” This time could have been worse. Mostly milk, cocoa power, sugar, sprinkles and honey, if the kids are to be beleived.

Homemade monopoly.

The boys got haircuts on Saturday morning. Photo credit for Sammy’s haircut photo goes to Amaya. I gave her my phone and said, “Take a picture of whatever’s going on downstairs.”

Mid-morning through lunch was a visit from Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette. They had blast playing games with balloons.

Sammy and his grandma <3

SSA went through their NY shells and gave some special spiral shells to Grandma and Annette.

Counting coins from grandma!

The highlight for me were these photos, and many more, of Jason when he was young. Loo at that little face!!

Amaya is still hot and cold with Sally. The night before she was nervous to be in bed with Sal but the rest of the weekend has been a complete turnaround. It makes my heart happy. (Face paint courtesy of Daddy!)

Friday night we had plans to go to Kensington Metropark for a drive-in viewing of Frozen II. Sammy doesn’t like the movie so I planned to take Amaya and Steven while Sammy had a Sammy-Daddy night. He and Jason even made a list of what they’d do together. (Water balloons fight, water balloons catch, eat dinner out, eat cake, play Jenga, watch a Barbie movie, etc.)

The weather was terrible on Friday and the drive-in was canceled so we moved the fun to Saturday night. Amaya, Steven and I said goodnight to these guys and headed out on our own.

Rather than do a (late) alternative drive-in, we decided to check out Jurassic Quest. Steven and Amaya loved it. It took a little over 30 minutes to drive through the animatronic dinosaur experience and we listened to the audio tour along the way. The drive was slow enough that the kids were able to unbuckle and we thought to bring their tablets so they could take photos and videos.

With their souvenirs at bedtime – couldn’t leave out Sammy!

Today, after a family game of “San Diego Zoo”, the kids and I went for a hike at Maybury Park. They had so much fun on the trails at Cuyohoga National Park and we have trails right in our own backyard. We’ve gone for geocaching but never just for the fun of walking and exploring.

We spent a little over an hour on the trails. I think the highlight was finding centipedes. These kids are totally into insects.

Amaya spotted this insect and it created a great bug hunt for everyone.

Steven loved checking it out but, understandably, was not interested in touching.

They found a bug trapped in a spider web which led to a good conversation about hunter, prey and the animal life cycle. If we let the bug go, it gets to live but the spider doesn’t get to eat. If we leave it, the bug dies and the spider gets the meal it worked for.

We wrapped up the weekend with a Raddish Kids meal – chicken caesar wraps. Steven cut the lettuce, Amaya made the seasoning for the chicken and the caesar dressing, and Sammy prepped the chicken. Delicious!

Have a great week!

It was a much quieter week than last – no surprise. We missed two baseball games while we were gone but got right back into the swing of things on Monday.

I know there are many many photos of Amaya and Steven showing physical affection. That’s just who they are. Every now and the, though, Sammy’s up for it, too, and indulges Amaya.

See that ball coming toward Amaya. About 1 second later she hit it! The kids are doing really nicely. I’m hoping we can keep practicing & building skills through the year if they think they’ll want to play again in the spring. (Which makes me realize that I’m not sure when the baseball program splits into male / female teams and the girls shift to softball. I’m guessing we have another season after this but I’m not certain.)

On Tuesday Penni took the kids to botanical gardens. It was a gorgeous summer day – high seventies and sunny. Perfect for an outdoor adventure.

Afterward they got treats – donuts for the boys and ice cream for Amaya.

Through the Summer, Penni has continued to do some weekly learning activities with the kids – writing, reading and math. Not enough to make it feel burdensome but, hopefully, enough to help avoid the summer slide and set the kids up for a strong start to first grade. (Two weeks!)

Amaya created Ms. Taco. 🙂

Steven has a difficult time saying goodbye to me at night so we remedied that with a photo on the wall by his bed. We’ll see how long it helps. Somehow I suspect that an image isn’t going to be as meaningful to him as the real deal.

On Wednesday night the kids had a 8:30pm game at Ford Field in Northville. It was an hour long game that gave the kids a chance to play on a bigger field under the lights. It’s definitely a late night for 6 year olds but they seemed to really enjoy it.

Warm-up with Coach J – aka Mommy.

Sammy at bat.

Amaya’s home run pose? Not so much. She’s pointing at some gnats she wants to smash. 🙂

It appears the kids have created a nature preserve under our play set.

On Thursday afternoon, Steven and I visited a PMR doctor out of U of M (physical medicine and rehabilitation). Our pediatrician suggested it. Steven’s been in orthotics since was 15 months old – before he even started walking. He’s all had PT twice. Dr. Heinen thought it would be beneficial to see a specialist who focuses on the whole body, not just the parts and pieces his orthotist would look at.

This doctor was awesome. His style was incredible and he seemed super thorough. His conclusion is that Steven has mild low tone – which is consistent with what both of his physical therapists said and not anything that warrants PT – and he said that there’s no need for orthotics anymore. Yay!! At this point he doesn’t need the extra support, which is all they provide. Sneakers with high arches will do the trick. Steven said it was the best. day. ever!

Doctor: Do you bruise easily?
Steven: No, but bananas do.

Telling his daddy the good news about his orthotics.

Goodbye orthotics!!

Amaya spent many nights crying herself to sleep because she wanted Charlie. To help ease the blow of the end of our visit, I got Amaya a pillow with a picture of the two of them. We got one for Charlie, too, which Amaya wants to give to Charlie when we go back to NY.

On Friday, Penni and Gabby took the kids to the pool where Amaya PASSED THE DEEP END SWIM TEST! Earlier in the summer she said she was going to do it. She worked hard, she kept her eyes on her goal, and she did it!! I am so proud of our girl. It’s the first time I can think of one of the kids setting a personal goal of this nature and working hard to achieve it.

To pass, she had to swim across the pool and back using a semi-consistent swim stroke and then tread water for 30 seconds.

Now the diving board is all Amaya’s!

On Saturday, Sammy hung out with Jason building new art cabinets and Amaya, Steven and I went to the pool. I had my own opportunity to see Amaya jump and dive off the diving board. The kids even convinced me to practice my diving. “You can do it, mommy! I know you can!”

It was a big swim week for Steven, too. For the first time, he jumped in the pool! (“Say that it was in the shallow end and I was in my life jacket.”)

He was so nervous. He kept standing on the edge of the pool and trying to jump, but just jumping in place. Amaya showed him that he wouldn’t go under water if he jumped in. I got in the pool, too, and we put together a plan. First he jumped into my arms. Then I stepped back a bit but caught him as he went into the pool, lowering him slowly. Then I caught him but bought him into the water as quickly as if he’d jumped. And, then, he did it!

He started in the most shallow area and moved further down to where it got deeper, bit by bit, using the same routine. Amaya would do it first, then I would catch him, and then he’d do it one his own. He was, rightfully, very proud. Another goal met!

Dinner in downtown Northville again! The city has relaxed the open container rules as long as you’re drinking beverages from specific restaurants and in designated areas only. It’s a nice touch.

Blue hair, don’t care.

So nice with the road closed to vehicle traffic.

Cocktails-to-go!

Last night I agreed to stay in the kids’ room until they fell asleep. They all arranged themselves so they could see me as they fell asleep. (The only light that was on was a nightlight. The extra exposure feature on the iPhone is pretty awesome.)

This morning Steven made “two-person double puppets”. They were “feeling puppets” because each one had a different emotion – happy, calm, sad and angry.

Displaying one of the emotions on our puppets. I’m sure you can guess what emotions we were going for.

Steven spent a good part of the morning making smoothies for the family with his Melissa & Doug smoothie set. It surprising to me, and very cool, that he can still spend that long engaged in imaginary play. (That outfit is a jumpsuit of mine. We knotted it up and he wore it all day long. Ridiculous, and also adorable. All day Steven talked about how much he liked his red belly.)

Trading ball cards with Jason.

Making slime – no one I know loves making slime as much as Sammy does. It’s been a consistent interest of his for well over a year now. He’s probably gone through 7 or 8 different slime kits by now, plus homemade slime.

Through a confluence of events, I ended up in Plymouth with the kids on a treat-walk. We started at Starbucks where Steven got cake pops. Then we walked to the Cupcake Station where Sammy got a cupcake. We rounded it out at Kilwin’s where Amaya and I got ice cream.

We also stopped by a pottery shop in Northville – The Bee’s Knees – to pick up to-go pottery kits. Amaya got a unicorn, Steven got a tank and I got a hedgehog. (Sammy wasn’t interested.) They gave us all the supplies we need and we can bring the pieces back any time for them to fire for us. It was all done really well. You can complete the order online with a set time for curbside pick-up. I got really into it. Maybe I have another new hobby.

We rounded out the night at Shiro for sushi and some rounds of “Two truths and a lie”. It was fun to hear what the kids came up with. One of Sammy’s lies was “soy sauce takes like swamp water” lol. One of Steven’s was “I didn’t go into Nana and Papa’s house when I was in NY.” (He did, masked, to use the bathroom.) One of Amaya’s, after a previous related lie of Jason’s, was “three hundred pounds of chopsticks weigh more than 300 pounds of Daddy”.

It was a great week. Now were on to our two week countdown to school!

It was an amazing week in New York. It was actually hard to believe that we hadn’t visited in 6 months. Everything felt so normal, including our stay at the Airbnb across the street from Nana and Papa.

Having the pool was amazing. The kids were in it every day and they all dramatically improved their swimming skills while we were there. Besides Amaya diving, the boys both got comfortable putting their face in the water which is huge. Steven was willing to sit on Chase’s shoulders in the pool and Sammy let Chase toss him forward, with a enough force to go under. It was such a successful swim week that we signed the kids up for lessons at AquaTots starting 10/1. Steven and Sammy are grouped together in a class where the focus is swim safety and Amaya is two levels ahead in a class that will focus on developing proper strokes.

We had 6 full days in NY (plus half of two Saturdays) and made it to the beach four of the six days. This was the first year that we didn’t have the cabana at Nickerson but, at the kids’ age, it wasn’t even needed.

All three kids went in the ocean, hunted for shells and dug holes on the beach. Amaya loved jumping over the waves. They all tried boogie boards, too. On this trip, it was Sammy who was the most hesitant in the ocean but he created his own fun in the sand.

Checking out the surf with Savta.

Shell hunts and games with Nana

Auntie and Dod Shuki were able to come by a few times to see the kids and dip their feet in the pool. It was perfect.

Photo credit: Dod Shuki

Tuesday was overcast, but warm, and it was the day all 3 Clines tried out the boogie boards. On Monday Amaya rode into the waves but, on Tuesday, the kids learned how to ride the waves into shore.

Sammy tried it – didn’t love it. But he tried!

Steven had an absolute blast. I think he was actually surprised at how much fun he had.

Ready for a shell hunt. (We brought home many, many shells.)

Waiting for a wave to fill a hole I dug. It was fun when I was a kid and it’s fun at 44.

Amaya loves Charlie so much. I love watching them together. Charlie engages so well with all three kids and does a great job including the boys. On Tuesday Charlie ran a calisthenics class on the beach which included push ups and races.

Thank you, Nana, for walking a mile each way to take the girls to the bathroom!

Back in the pool!

We ordered Chinese food and each of the kids got fortune cookies. Sammy said he was excited to see what his “luck ticket” said. I shall forever call fortune cookie fortunes “luck tickets.”

This was Steven’s fortune – It’s fun being a kid. Sammy said that it’s not true but Steven insisted that it’s 100% true because adults have to go to work and take care of kids and can’t play as much. He still has it and I said I’d take a picture so we could print a new one if he loses it.

Wednesday was our NYC day. Papa wasn’t joining us so we got in some cuddles first.

The big plan for the day was to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was HOT out but we did it and, despite the heat, the kids thought it was really cool. So did I, actually. I don’t think I ever walked over the Brooklyn Bridge prior to this.

We drove into Manhattan and parked by South Street Seaport and then walked to the middle of the bridge and back. Steven was particularly excited by the view of the Statue of Liberty.

It was so hot that, multiple times, I dripped water on the kids’ heads.

It wasn’t quite as empty as the photos make it appear but I do think the heat helped keep the crowds down.

Lunch!

The whole gang.

We rounded out our visit with a trip to Pier 17. Amaya and Sammy were happy to run around. Steven was very interested in learning about boats that are also museums.

It was a really nice (hot) day that ended with more time in the pool.

Thursday morning, Rachel came to visit for some socially distanced breakfast bagels. It was a real treat for me on this trip! I still can’t believe we’re taking pictures together in masks.

Thursday was our quiet day. Chase, Charlie and SSA played with legos for a long time and then took turns cooking with Nana – which mostly turned into Amaya cooking with Nana.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya (or some combo of the three) had been asking about Poppy Steven’s grave so I offered to take them. One of the kids asked if we’d see his bones which was particularly interesting to me because Chase asked the same thing when he was about their age. Chase and Charlie made the trip, too, so it was all five of my father’s grandchildren together at his grave. We didn’t stay long, but we talked about his parents (Nanny Sylvia and Poppy Irving) who are buried in the same spot, and talked a little bit about Poppy Steven.

It was so meaningful to me that they were interested in going and that my father has a presence in their lives. (Of course, when we were home later, Steven said, “Wait a minute. Poppy Steven is our grandfather? So there’s still some work to do on familial relationships. 🙂 )

Uncle Dave! Uncle Dave!

My three little fish!

Rowing with lacrosse sticks.

Steven, floating on his back. I know he’s in a life jacket but he wouldn’t even do this prior to our trip to NY. He and Sammy have come so far.

Friday was our last full day and our final beach day. We got a gorgeous one.

On Friday SSA spent more time hunting for “rare” shells than they did in the water and they had lots of people willing to look with them – Savta, Nana, Uncle Dave and, of course, their cousins.

Around 3pm high tide came in fast – as fast as I’ve ever seen. It created this little marshy area in front of where the waves were crashing and Sammy was all about it. He spent a good chunk of time watching and cheering as Chase and Charlie rode their boogie boards.

Trio

Watching his cousins

You’ve got to be a kid to just plop down in the sand like that, without a care.

Like every other day, we spent late afternoon / early evening in the pool.

Last night! This is what happens when you go for a selfie with the kids in the middle of She-Ra.

On Saturday morning Chase, Charlie and Aunt Sara came over and the kids all swam in the pool for a couple of hours while I finished packing and Nana took her stuff (toys, art supplies, food) back to her house.

Amaya also had time for a visit with Papa. I think the pool helped distract the kids from the fact that they didn’t spend time inside Nana and Papa’s house this visit.

Off we go!! The goal was to drive 7 hours of the 10 hour trip on Saturday. We left at 1pm and got to our hotel at 10:30pm. It was a long day full of long rest stop visits but the kids were total troopers the whole time.

Running around at a Pennsylvania rest stop. Sammy ran and ran and ran.

This girl.

Steven had an issue with nausea on the way to NY and it reared its head again on the way home. This time the poor kid actually got sick. He’s such a trooper. Once we got him cleaned up you’d never know. I gave him some benadryl and, for future trips, we’ll go with benadryl and sea bands.

Made it to the hotel! Steven and Sammy fell asleep abound an hour before we arrived and Amaya slept the last 15 minutes of our trip.

Steven: What’s this blue thing?
Amaya: I think it’s a surf board.

I picked our hotel location so we could have a final vacation adventure this morning. Before we set out for home we visited Brandywine Falls at Cuyahoga National Park. It was awesome. We spent about an hour walking around. It was so beautiful. The kids loved the trails but we weren’t in proper foot gear and needed to get home. It makes me think they’re ready for more trails, though, and I’m making a mental note to take them to the trails at Kensington Metropark.

Early afternoon we got home! The big deal in the house is the new bedroom decor for the kids – beds!! Jason worked his butt off to get this ready while we were gone. <3 Sammy will start on top and Steven will start on the bottom bunk and they’ll change every other week. Amaya’s bed has a trundle that she’s reserved for Charlie. Good bye beanbags on the floor!

After the kids got settled Jason said, “I was thinking I’d take the kids-” and I said “yes” before he could even finish his thought lol. They all went to Ikea to look for an art supply cart.

We wrapped up our evening with a family dinner together in Northville. (Amaya is tired. Perhaps that’s obvious.)

And that’s it! We had an amazing week in NY and we’re all happy to be home together. <3