It’s really weird to go back to Monday because so much has happened this week, but hello Monday and Steven, Sammy & Amaya’s first baseball game. Go White Sox!

The kids did great. Steven didn’t love playing outfield but they all tried hard, listened to their coaches, ran, ran, ran and, most importantly, had fun. If I recall correctly, Amaya even got a hit.

Amaya on first.

Coach Mommy watching Steven at bat.

Bobes on Base

Penni and the kids had fun with Amaya’s face painting kit.

On Wednesday, Penni took SSA to Kensington Farm Center. It’s been ages since they were there and a perfect day for it. When they were in line to see the baby pigs, Steven got a compliment from someone who overheard him saying that they had to stay 6 feet away from everyone. It makes me happy that he understands and sad that he needs to.

Steven and Amaya have such fun together. They each have fun with Sammy, too, but it’s a different kind of fun. Less physical, perhaps.

At this game, I believe Sammy and Steven got hits. I should really write this stuff down. They struggle with the rules of the game when they’re in the field, but are definitely having fun with the game.

In an attempt to distance at the games, the kids sit with their parents when they’re not actively batting, on deck or in on the field. The first game was a little hit or miss but we (the coaches) got our act together for the 2nd game. Jason brought the perfect travel seat for a rotation of Cline kids.

I absolutely love this picture of Jason and Amaya.

Coach Mommy

Gabby, Penni and Penni’s boyfriend came to watch the kids play. It was so nice of them!

On Friday afternoon, after almost 6 months away, Steven, Sammy, Amaya and I hopped in the van and started making our way to New York. It’s been far too long and I’m so glad, when we said goodbye in February, that I didn’t know how long it would be. But nothing was going to stop us once it was safe enough to go. Not even our hesitance flying. If driving was what it would take, driving it would be.

Our trip to Petoskey was a good test for this trip. It helped us build a routine and learn what works for us. For example, Sammy said that we should stop every two hours because, then, it helps him feel like it’s a new trip every time he gets back in the car.

We left at 1:30pm and drove until 10pm making three stops along the way and covering 7 hours of the trip in the 8.5 hours of travel time. We hit up a service stop in OH, a McDonald’s in PA and then a gas station in PA. I wasn’t originally sure when I wanted to stop driving but my mom was on hand to help. I called her at 7:30pm to say I wanted to drive for another 150 miles and she found a hotel for me in just the right spot.

Made it to the hotel at 10pm!

Ready to get back on the road just after 9am. It was scheduled to be a 2.5 hr drive and it was the hardest part of the trip thanks, in large part, to all of the anticipation. Also because traffic between the George Washington Bridge and Throgs Neck were a nightmare.

Somewhere in New Jersey we saw a sign for a scenic overpass so we followed the sign to check it out. Totally worth it. I think it was the kids’ favorite part of the whole trip.

Taking pictures just like their mama.

WE MADE IT!! <3

After so many nights where she cried herself to sleep asking for Charlie, Amaya got her wish. I got my wish, too.

Cousins.

My heart is so happy.

Nana!

Not the usual pic with her grandkids but, perhaps, one of the most fulfilling.

My wonderful Savta.

Miraculously, the house across from Nana and Papa is an Airbnb that was available for us to rent this week. We’re trying to keep and appropriate measure of distance which includes not sharing a house but, honestly, this is a phenomenal second best to staying at Nana and Papa’s house.

The house even has a pool! We checked it out on Saturday afternoon. It was a little cold but Chase found the heater and it will be smooth sailing from here on out.

Post swim soak.

While we’re in NY, Jason took a quick weekend trip to Iowa to see family and remember the wonderful Aunt Bonnie. Grandpa Homey and Grandma Betsy now have Amaya Originals on display.

Today we went to the bay at Jones Beach. For those that know the area, it’s right by Jones Beach Theater. Small and clam, very different from the beach proper. When we arrived I wasn’t sure how long the kids would want to stay but after 4.5 hours we were practically dragging them out of the water. It was calm, warm and full of hermit crabs, minnows and other bits of sea life that thrilled SSA, Chase and Charlie. They spent hours upon hours looking for creatures and they were not disappointed.

Do you see those huge horseshoe crab shells at the bottom of the picture? Incredible. They even found some smaller living horseshoe crabs that spent the afternoon in a bucket of water with us until the kids released them back into the bay before we left.

Sammy was gifted a flag from Chase which he brought with him to see if it would blow in the wind. Another opportunity that did not disappoint.

There, in the distance, is Savta pulling Amaya on a boogey board.

We got back to the house around 4:30 and spent a couple of hours in the (now warm) pool. We also added a new friend to the mix thanks to Jason who picked up this llama before our Petoskey trip.

Amaya saw Chase diving and Charlie learning and was absolutely determined to join in. I can’t believe it. I want to say that she can’t surprise me but she totally does. She absolutely loves the water and keeps pushing herself to learn new skills. It’s amazing to watch.

A perfect day. <3

Have a great week!

It was a relatively quiet week. As time moves on, we’re more and more likely to enroll the kids in full time distance learning for the first semester of school. There are a tot of reasons. Safety for the kids and our family. The reality that there are bound to be closures through the fall and we can not support their distance learning while we work. We need to know that we have available child care and that’s not feasible on demand – especially if they’re at home due to an exposure at school.

As much as I’d like to see the kids back at school with their friends, in an environment they loved, school isn’t going to be what they’re used to. For Steven, Sammy and Amaya, desks placed 6 feet apart with little interaction between the kids isn’t what they miss. They miss what they know. Going back isn’t going to be that. But I truly can’t wait for that day. I accept the reality but my heart is gutted for what they’re missing.

These are impossible choices in unreal circumstances. We’ll all do our best this fall and hopefully this will be behind us soon.

On to the week…

Amaya’s blue tips lasted just a few days. Between showers, the pool and the lake it faded fast but it’s easy enough to redo.

(Like his mother) this child loves crab legs. He asked us to put them on the grocery list so that’s what he had for dinner on Monday night. It’s cool that he’s now in a place where he can crack them on his own.

We’re about a week away from finishing Avatar The Last Airbender. Steven has noticed that there’s a bunch of (PG) kissing between the teenage characters in the show. All of his reactions are perfectly 6 year old boy. (Amaya, on the other hand, sometimes pretends to swoon.)

Tuesday was a pool day with Penni. There seems to be inconsistency between the life guards regarding kids in the deep end with life jackets. We get “yes”, with guardians in the water with the kids, and we get “no”. Tuesday was the first “no” which was a blow for SSA but Penni got them through it.

Back to baseball practice on Tuesday night. I’m earning my Assistance Coach title, for sure. No sitting on the sidelines for me (which is good and bad). SSA have their own gear now which was helpful. (Which reminds me that we need to figure out how Steven can wear his batting helmet with his glasses.)

Three 6 year olds and their decaf coffee lol. Amaya’s the real fan around here but I think the boys like the novelty of it. Plus they think Splenda is sugar and they want anything with sugar lol.

We had an issue on Friday with or plumbing. It seems to have involved Amaya’s treasured lovey, Hoppy. For a variety of reasons I’ll leave it at that but it did afford Steven the opportunity to track a plumber around the house. He was, not surprisingly, totally fascinated.

Snake! First time we’ve ever seen a snake on our property. The kids thought it was awesome.

Making clay = baking your toy.

With Hoppy gone, Amaya was so sad. It was really heartbreaking to see. She loves Hoppy. To help, I told her that from now on my childhood blankie could be both of ours. I also had a Hoppy replacement that had been hanging out in Amaya’s room for some time but New Hoppy was too soft and fluffy. On Thursday Amaya said she rubbed Hoppy in a certain way that helped her fall asleep. We talked about what made it feel good and it turned out that her favorite part of Hoppy was a piece that I had sewed a while back after she got a hole. I took New Hoppy and did some of the same stitching to create a similar feel and it worked!! Relief – for both of us!

Friday was the first lake day in a while. It gave Sammy a chance to try out his new flippers. He wanted them so he could swim faster and, wow, did they work. Penni said she had to rush to keep up with him once he got going. The flippers also help him keep his body in a better swimming position which will help him learn and gain confidence. Flippers are now on the way for Steven and Amaya, too.

Friday was our last practice and the kids did a trial game 6 vs. 6. During catching practice I hit Amaya right in the face with a ball but, after a few tears, she was back at it.

There’s Coach Mommy, with Steven up to bat. With Coach Pitch, the kids get 5 pitches each and then can hit off a tee. At two at bats, I think the Cline kids each had one pitch hit and one tee hit.

Check out Amaya at bat with some cheers from her brother.

Saturday pool day! We were only there for 2 hours because it was overcast and a little too cool for no sun, which worked well because it started raining not long after we got in the car.

Amaya had a major milestone at the pool. She swam across the length of the deep end unassisted! I had no idea she could do it. She said she knew she could. <3

Before she tried we practiced her breathing in the shallow end and she carried that with her. She needs to remember to keep kicking and to use her strokes so that her swimming is consistent from start to finish (necessary for the swim test) but she did it – four times!! I love her persistence.

“Mommy, you’re going to do ‘x, y, z’ for me. Got it?”

Saturday cooking lesson was using the griddle. Amaya and Sammy made us pancakes for dinner and did a great job. They’re getting better and better at cracking eggs.

Erin, of the Bitcherie, got married on Saturday evening! I’m so sad I couldn’t be there in person. (As Steven would say, “Stupid Coronavirus”.) But we did get to join via Zoom. Amaya, of course, got dressed for the occasion.

She really liked seeing herself on the tv.

Congratulations Erin and Tim! LNVE!

Today we resumed a Monopoly game that we started yesterday afternoon. It’s really nice family time and great skill building for the kids. Steven won for the THIRD time in a row!

The kids went with Jason to do the grocery shopping and Sammy came home with some flowers. <3

Cuddles with Daddy

The kids wrapped up the weekend with a quick tutorial on their stance for batting and fielding. The White Sox are ready for game 1 tomorrow!

These are back from early July, but I want to capture the kids’ stats from their 6 (and a half) year well check. Their pediatrician, Dr. Heinen, thinks that Amaya was measured a little short, either from slouching or something else, because she’s been so consistent in her curve and still looks tall. But, either way, they’re all growing well!

First Steven, then Sammy and then Amaya. Steven made a big jump on his height curve.

Have a great week!

As we continue our love affair with Star Wars, Amaya started the week sporting her new Ahsoka Tano t-shirt. We love Ahsoka.

We had one more meal from our Taste of Japan Raddish Kids kit that we hadn’t made yet – sushi! Penni took the kids to One World Market to get some seaweed so SSA and I could make some sushi for dinner.

We had so much fun and it was a really interesting process for all of us. We got supplies so the kids could make the sushi they’re used to eating. Cucumber avocado rolls for Amaya. Philadelphia rolls for the boys, made by Sammy, and California rolls for the boys, made by Steven.

They cut the vegetable and fish, put the rice on their mats and placed the ingredients. I added some support with the rolling and cutting the finished rolls. We’re used to inside out rolls, which wasn’t how the instructions were written, so I was happy that we figured out how to simply reverse the rice and seaweed to make the rolls the way we prefer.

Proud Cline kids!

Thumbs up!

Now that we made sushi once, I think we can keep working on our techqniue.

Caught these two cuddling while watching tv on Tuesday. <3

Blurry bedtime selfies with Bubba. He was having a blast trying to keep me out of the pictures.

Early Wednesday evening Amaya said she wanted to “cook something”. I had all of the ingredients for a cake so we went to town, with additional support from Steven. Spur-of-the moment fun is especially satisfying for me on weekdays. It’s nice to be able to say “yes” and break up my own week a bit.

I really do need to take time helping the kids learn to read measurements and get the right measuring tools on their own. They’re ready, but it’s just faster for me to say “put two of these in the bowl”.

Vanilla triplet layer cake with powdered sugar!

Steven and Sammy still love minecraft and they learn about the game via some videos they watch so they’ll come to us and say, “How do you make a portal?” or “How do you cook chicken”? Thank goodness for google.

Thursday’s lego challenge was to make a lego bee!

Stinging Penni

Still doing reading and math work a few times a week to help retain as much as possible of we learned in Kindergarten.

Summer dinners outside are the best.

On Friday we had our first coach-pitch baseball practice! (After missing the first practice on Tuesday night. Ooops.) Somehow, I’m assistant coach. It’s kind of annoying because I have to work hard at every practice and game instead of just sitting and enjoying but we’re 1/4 of the team and the kids are thrilled about my role so I think it will be worth it.

This year I thought to ask for a team that had at least one other girl and that one other girl happens to be someone who was on the kids’ soccer team in fall 2018. All of the kids on their team seem to be from their school but only one other that we met on Friday was in one of their classes.

They’re doing their best with social distancing. The coaches wear masks, the kids don’t. During games the kids will stay with their families when they’re not at-bat rather than sitting in a team dugout.

I was really impressed with Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s focus during practice. It was very hot but they weren’t phased and they participated well in all of the drills. It’s a big change from when they started soccer at 4.5 years old.

The first game is 8/3 and we have 2 games/week for 7 weeks.

Amaya taking pitches and Sammy practicing off the tee. (I ran the tee drill and, after two bats to the leg, had to continually reminding the kids not to swing until I backed away.)

Saturday was a pool day and this time Jason came! We got there at noon and were the only ones in the shallow end for hours. Jason stayed for an hour and a half and the kids and I stayed for almost another 3.5 hours after that. The pool has been such a gift this summer.

Sammy and Sally are becoming true buds. He’s so sweet with her that she’ll just lie in the hall and let him pet her. It makes my heart so happy.

Due to covid restrictions, the baseball league isn’t sharing equipment like they usually do so we needed to get our own bats and helmets and the kids also needed new, larger gloves. After some time at DSG with their dad, they’re ready to go. (Steven was excited to go to a “sports good store” again. 🙂 )

Blue tips for Amaya! (Not crooked, just how she was leaning.) I’ll dye her whole head if that’s what she prefers but I’m definitely partial to just a touch of color like this.

Steven is now 2 for 2 in family Monopoly games.

It was a relatively lazy day. We watched most of A New Hope, all of Empire and most of Return of the Jedi. SSA have come a long way from their first viewings. I had three helpers with dinner prep which really sped up the process. The kids insisted they don’t like asparagus and it was the hit of the meal. Amaya had four servings!

That’s it for us. Have a great week!

Well, we got back to Novi and Amaya pulled out her makeup. Clearly we’re still working on “less is more”.

Regardless of which sleeping friends come in and out of his life, Sammy’s heart remains true to Puppy, Luna and Celestia. He likes to be sure they have a good view of what’s happening when they’re not keeping him comfortable in bed.

Monday was a quiet, reset day. Lots of time at home for the kids to recuperate from our time up north. They did get a chance to go with Gabby to visit Chanel. Amaya even briefly pet her this time.

Mr. Creative wanted to make a Mandalorian helmet like Sabine wears. I think he did a great job! He wanted a Sabine t-shirt, too, which is hard to find. I was able to order one off Redbubble and it’s a 3 week wait which seems interminable in the Age of Amazon.

Owen is Sammy’s favorite friend from Kindergarten. “Owen says…” “Owen likes…” “Owen gets to…” On Tuesday morning his mom texted to say they were heading to the playground at Thornton Creek and they’d love to stop by for a socially distanced hello. The kids were so happy to see a friend. It’s been months. Sammy asked if he can have a Facetime play date with Owen sometime soon.

Penni took the kids to a park to scooter and trike ride on Tuesday morning. We’re still not comfortable with playgrounds. Maybe they’d work in the early morning hours but they get hectic by mid-day and there’s obviously not much distancing with all the kids running around. These are such difficult decisions to make. I’m so proud of the kids for handing it all with amazing maturity for 6 year olds. (6 1/2 tomorrow!)

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. (Except Steven lol.)

I spent most of Wednesday working outside so I got to see the kids in the sprinklers, playing hard. Amaya even got in there twice. That girl loooooooves water.

Why do we still have dress up clothes? See below. <3

I had to explain that we can only wear one pair of glasses at a time. (This is the last photo record of these green glasses. Steven and Penni independently report that he went inside and put them away in the case but the glasses are nowhere to be found. I told SSA that, if one of them finds the glasses, they’ll all earn $2 in the Bank of Mommy.)

Late afternoon snuggles with my Bubba.

We’re keeping up the routine of Sammy / Nana time whenever Sammy sleeps with me. They discovered they can partner to color pictures and Sammy has found some cool books for Nana to read to him. (Via the Caribu app.)

Thursday was a rainy day so, instead of geocaching outside, the kids created geocaches inside. They each hid a box and then made a map, or wrote directions, to find their treasures. Such a creative idea from Penni!

Pile on Daddy!! I was on the phone with my friend Erin and all I heard was screaming and laughing and more screaming and more laughing. Daddies are so much fun. <3

I had a board meeting on Friday morning and got some encouragement cuddles ahead of time. Amaya wanted to know if anyone was going to get fired and, if not, why was I nervous. Good question, Amaya!

Off the the lake on a beautiful, clear day.

Fav swim trunks still fit!

Friday evening, the kids and I met Jason at the Tiki Bar for dinner. Amaya put on her Sunday best. 🙂

“Keep this one, Mama.”

My best girl.

With Steven getting a Sabine t-shirt, Amaya and Sammy needed their own. Amaya has Ahsoka and Sammy’s got a Darth Vader shirt on the way. I think I need this Ahaoka shirt for myself!

Early on Saturday morning Grandma Sunshine and Annette came over for a visit. While a wasp nest was being removed, we took to the lawn.

Amaya really likes that she’s bigger than Steven. “It’s kind of like he’s my little brother because I’m bigger.” We’ll see how long Steven goes along with this lol.

Mama and Bubs – photo credit: Amaya

The kids spent a fair amount of time texting with Chase. Amaya asked me to take a picture of her to send to him and she added some flair.

The first ever Cline Kids selfie! Amaya was hysterical directing The Brothers.

We went to the pool for the afternoon. Our slot was 12- 3:30 but it was quiet when our session ended so anyone who wanted to was able to stay longer. The JCC also allowed for the purchase of summers pool passes so we got passes for Gabby and Penni to give them the option of taking the kids to the pool during the week.

Amaya upped her treading water record to 15 seconds and Steven, after many attempts, put his face in the water to blow bubbles. I’m so proud of him for trying. He was watching some younger kids swimming in the pool and I think it motivated him. He even spent some time in the shallow end without his life jacket on.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya had so much fun playing together in the pool. They came up with all kinds of games and just laughed and laughed and laughed together. It was awesome.

We’re almost done with Star Wars Rebels. 🙁 It’s been so much fun watching these Star Wars animated series. I asked my triplet moms for recommendations for a next series and Avatar: The Last Airbender seems like a great contender.

Today I had a productive day at home while the kids had a great day out with Jason. Ikea to start, to look for beds. Home for lunch. Dicks for new sneakers and some new outfits of choice. Home to show mommy. Then off to the grocery store together.

Here’s what Sammy picked out.

• 

And Amaya, who’s starting sports with coach-pitch baseball, eyed a sports bra that she had to have. I just can’t with this child.

She says she’s ready for sports in her workout clothes.

That’s it for us for the week. <3

For the kids and I, the holiday weekend continued into Monday. I was working, but it was a very quiet day so I was able to power through a lot and get in some extra time with Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

Since I had no meetings, when normally my whole day in meetings, I tried working downstairs in the sitting room. It gave me a bird’s eye view (and listen) while Penni read a chapter of their Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Book (The Answer-Backer Cure). But even on a quiet day, I ultimately needed to go somewhere that wasn’t so tempting for the kids. They like talking to their mama.

I took SSA out for a quick lunch at the same restaurant that Jason and went to on Wednesday. They (obviously) loved it. I think this is going to be a favorite fair-weather spot for the Clines.

Steven, helping Amaya with the maze on her menu. 🙂

I mean…

We checked out the dock after lunch. It reminded the kids of a spot on Long Island where we often go after a day at the beach. They were interested in the difference between the wooden dock and this metal one. I think his one felt a bit more sturdy under their legs.

They wanted to sit and put their feet in the water but there was a beach just beside us (you can see people in the water in the top left of the photo) so we walked over there instead.

I’ve never been to this little beach before. It’s right off the road and doesn’t seem like much to look at but there are kayak and stand-up paddle board rentals and a really nice swimming area. It’s large and the water is pretty shallow well into the lake. The kids were able to walk a nice distance with water only up to their knees. Later I learned that it doesn’t even get beyond my own standing level until that far out buoy in the distance. (I wish you could all see how many attempts it took me to spell buoy.)

We only had a few minutes at the lake because I had to get back to work but the kids were so eager to swim. It was a beautiful day and the lake was warm so I decided I’d stop work just a little earlier than usual and the four of us would go back for an afternoon swim.

It was so nice! Such a beautiful afternoon. You can see how much space we had to ourselves to stay appropriately distances from other people. We swam together for an hour and then headed home.

A little shell collecting before heading to the car.

On Tuesday, Steven, Sammy and Amaya had their looooooong overdue 6 year well checks. I don’t like to do them in January because it’s a great time to pick up bugs at the doctor’s office and, by the time we were scheduled in late March, it was the height of COVID. So here we are.

All of the kids are growing well and doing great. No surprises.

Amaya bought a My Little Pony make up kit with her money, understanding that it is for home only. She was absolutely ecstatic when it arrived.

Her first look. She got less subtle as time went on so we’re going to have to work together on the theory of “less is more”.

This little shoulder pop pose reminds me of Alexis Rose.

Sammy and Amaya, discussing the best colors to use for her face.

Amaya spends a good chunk of her free time making loom bracelets with hair tie rubber bands. She got a kit from Uncle Austin for Hanukkah and it’s been a staple ever since. Well, the 11,000 rubber bands that had been neatly organized by color were dumped out on Wednesday and she was so, so sad about it. To help her feel better, Jason, Steven and Sammy worked with Amaya to organize just enough bands that she can keep at her bracelets for the time being. Jason reported that, while they were sorting, Amaya was nearly giddy. She kept saying “thanks guys” and once said, “I’m actually glad it got spilled!” How special is that?

On Thursday, the kids and I hopped in the van for the 4 hour drive to Petoskey. VACATION!!! I can’t believe it. Vacation. It’s so amazing. Just getting in the car to go felt incredible.

The kids hated the car ride but they actually did really well. We drove the 4 hours without having to stop and, despite a constant stream of “how much longer until we get there”, they didn’t complain.

Our Airbnb. When we went inside, the kids remarked that it smells like Grandma Sunshine’s house!

We arrived around 4pm and took about an hour to get settled and explore the house before heading out to dinner. The house is actually pretty large inside with some over the top decor that really captured the kids’ imaginations.

The backyard view is incredible. There’s this little private pond adjacent to wetlands and not a soul in sight.

We drove a few minutes down the road to Downtown Petoskey for dinner and were able to find a great little place with an outdoor patio. After dinner, Steven spotted a railroad track sign and was absolutely thrilled when I said we could check it out. Do you see that genuine smile on is face? (Yes, Amaya’s tossing a peace sign. That’s her new thing, plus duck lips.)

The tracks. Steven was truly in heaven.

After dinner the kids got treats from Kilwins. As expected, it took Steven forever to decide what he wanted. This poor boy is tortured when there are too many choices in front of him. Amaya and Sammy took one look at Superman ice cream and that was it.

Then we headed down to the pier where we found a stone beach to explore. SSA were hoping to find Petoskey Stones but no luck.They had fun, though!

We wrapped up the day by walking to the lighthouse. It was a special day. <3

Friday was over cast and we woke up to some pretty serious rain. The kids liked sitting on the covered porch watching it come down and I was really glad that they just rolled with the weather.

We had a lazy morning and didn’t leave the house until 11am. We head back to downtown Petoskey where we did some shopping and had lunch. Amaya immediately picked out a pretty blue necklace. The boys got some remote control animals.

Lunch! Thankfully we’ve been able to find restaurants with outdoor patios. To be honest, I thought there’d be more of them.

Our Airbnb is across the street from Spring Lake Park – a park with a path through wetlands. It was really cool. Quite & pretty. Steven asked me to read every sign we came across.

Along the way we found a Bike CPR station where cyclists can repair their bikes. The kids were really interested in the various tools. One of the books we read quite often is “Six Dots: The Story of a Young Louis Braille”. Braille was blinded after an accident with an awl in his father’s shop. Amaya saw this and said, “It looks like the tool that made Louis Braille go blind!”

Around 3:30pm we headed over to Petoskey State Park to check out the beach. The rain looked to be behind us and it was warm enough to give it a shot. The kids were so ready to get in the water. There were a decent amount of waves and one of them said, “This beach is like being in NY. I feel like Nana is here.”

So. Much. Sand.

We stayed at the beach until nearly 6, grabbed take out on the way home, and called it a night. (SSA were really happy that the tv here has Roku and they were able to watch Star Wars Rebels like they do at home.)

Saturday was gorgeous. We were out early and at the beach before 10am. After all of our morning prep, we forgot our cooler and the kids’ backpacks at home. The beach is only 5 minute from our house but I really wasn’t excited about the idea of getting everyone back in the car. By the time I realized, all of our other stuff was already unpacked. Fortunately, I had packed a backup set of towels for the kids and there was a concession stand for water, snacks and lunch.

It was an awesome day. We stayed at the beach for 6 hours and the kids alternated between playing in the sand and playing in the waves. The beach got more crowded as the day went on but everyone was still able to socially distance on the beach and in the water.

It’s not really Cline Kids at the beach if they’re not digging.

Amaya absolutely loves the water. When we’re past this pandemic, I think she’d be thrilled with swim lessons.

Post-swim selfie!

Petoskey Brewing is around the corner from our Airbnb so we headed there for dinner after we cleaned up.

We rounded out the night with a walk downtown and some more Kilwins. <3

Last day! Sadness. 🙁 Steven is just like me with end-of-vacation melancholy. He had to say goodbye to everything – his favorite building, favorite bench, the restaurants we ate at – all of it.

Rather than rush home, we headed back downtown in the morning to buy some Petoskey Stones after limited success finding them ourselves. From there, we went to play miniature golf. It was so much fun! The course was really cute and we all had fun counting each other’s strokes.

A hole-in-one smile.

This sums it up. <3 <3 <3

We had an uneventful drive home and now we’re back with Daddy and (sort of) ready for the week.

Have a great one!

Gabby got a puppy and, on Monday, the kids went to meet her. As expected, the boys were smitten. To our surprise, Amaya loved the the puppy, too. She even pet her! Amaya has started saying that maybe she doesn’t mind small dogs. The idea of getting a dog is occasionally appealing but neither Jason or I are excited about the work involved – for me, MI winters are an added disincentive.

On Tuesday, Penni took the kids to Maybury Park. They read up on the history and spent a lot of time catching bugs. In fact, Steven came home with a daddy long legs in an iced tea bottle. He was very attached to that poor little spider and it took a number of conversations before he was comfortable letting it free to live it’s life.

Steven, on his invisible lap top. Sammy: “You know there’s nothing there, right?”

Did I mention that we increased patching to 4 hours/day. Steven has been a total champ. I really hope we see meaningful progress when we go back to the ophthalmologist.

All three of us, in our “offices”.

After Star The Clone Wars Wars, we started Star Wars Rebels. I knew nothing about this animated series and I’m enjoying it as much as the kids. It takes place 14 years after Revenge of the Sith, 5 years before A New Hope, and follows some Rebels on their adventures and attempts to take down the empire. Steven’s favorite character is Sabine. This is is drawing of her, from memory. He got down significantly more details than I would have.

Beach day on Wednesday!

This is truly the life.

Jason and I have had a nice amount of kid-free together time this week. It started on Wednesday evening. Jason came home from work early and I was able to stop working early enough for us to have dinner out together. It turns out we live right by this restaurant on Walled Lake. I will definitely be back. We also had a nice day-date on Friday while Penni was with the kids. Breakfast, coffee & books, drinks and appetizers… it’s been a long time since we had that kind of day together here in MI. Honestly, it’s probably been 6+ years.

The men watching Star Wars Rebels.

Steven’s other two glasses came in so we ran to the shop on Thursday afternoon. With the mask and his eye patch you can barely see the guy! He’s excited because we had the lenses replaced in his favorite frames and we let him pick out two new pair. So now he has blue & orange, black & red, and black & green transitions. Hopefully his prescription lasts a while!

Jason got Amaya started on a two-wheeler. I don’t think we’d realize we need to bend so much to get them going. Our old bodies poop out fast!

A Jedi princess and her homemade lightsaber.

Friday was a scorcher. Penni took the kids to a new park to try geocaching but it was a bust so they ended up going out for ice cream instead. Nice trade off.

Amaya invented a game where you write numbers on small pieces of paper and cut out small yellow circles. You shuffle the deck and draw a card. You take the # of yellow circles corresponding with the # on your card. When all the dots are gone, the person with the most wins. She was pretty proud of herself.

My girl. <3

The JCC pool is open!! Reservations are required and there is a limit to the number of people that can attend at once. We reserved the 12- 3:30pm time slot on the 4th and were all so happy to be back!

Steven and Sammy spent most of the time in their life jackets even though they can stand easily in the shallow section of the pool. I think they liked the freedom and fearlessness it gave them. Amaya only wore her life jacket in the deep end (10.5 feet) and even then she took time to take it off and practice treading water. She needs to be able to tread for 30 seconds and swim a consistent stroke (any stroke) before she can jump off the diving board. (Which we learned when she jumped off the diving board in her life jacket.) It was quiet enough, with enough space per family, that I felt very comfortable the entire time we were there.

Steven’s made such leaps in the pool. Two years ago he’d barely go in and, when he did, he literally just hugged the wall. Last year he went in with his puddle jumper and always wanted a pool noodle, too. This year he has his life jacket but he did walk from one end of the pool to the other without it so, maybe before summer’s end, he’ll get more comfortable.

Amaya wants to swim so badly. She is pushing herself to learn to swim across the shallow end so she can do it across the deep end. I’ve always known her to persevere but I’ve never seen her push herself quite like this. It’s really cool to watch. I think she’ll probably need some lessons, though, to get her strokes down. She wastes a lot of energy without knowing how to use her body as effectively as she can.

Sammy wants to jump in the pool but he’s still building up the nerve. Maybe this summer. <3

Saturday evening the kids got to experience sparklers for the first time. They loved it. (I loved it.)

We had a very lazy morning in The Land of Cheltenham after a family sleepover in the living room last night.

Amaya and Steven played chess. I love the online game because it requires them to move pieces in the ways they’re intended so they can learn without adult supervision. It was cute to hear them talking about their moves with each other.

This month’s Raddish Kids kit is “Taste of Japan”. We made a Japanese noodle dish with carrots and cabbage and chicken teriyaki skewers. I’m starting to realize that I need to let the kids read the measurements themselves and find the right measuring cup/measuring spoon. They’re definitely ready and capable of more.

We ate a very early dinner and then the kids and I headed back to the pool for a late afternoon/early evening swim. By the time we were wrapping up, we practically had the place to ourselves.

SSA would have stayed in the pool for another hour if they could have.

That’s it for us. Have a great week!

I wasn’t sure I’d actually get to a blog today. We were out of the house for a good chunk of the day and then, in a flight of whimsy, the kids and I spent a couple of hours sorting our legos by color. I give it 3 days before it’s all undone but I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong.

To that end, legos are still all the rage including the near-daily competitions that’s run by the “first ready” child each day.

On Monday, the kids got out to Maybury Park but via different entrance we usually use which allowed for new sights and new geocaches. Penni said they were able to spend some time watching folks fish.

This week we (Penni) got the kids back into the habit of continuous learning. In an effort to help combat the summer slide, Mon through Thurs the kids are rotating through a sight word workbook and a reading comprehension workbook with (hopefully) daily reading.

Jason was off on Monday and Tuesday which left lots of opportunity for Steven to sort ball cards with his Daddy. He really loves it. Its so special to see him share the hobby with Jason.

Earlier than expected, we got the call that one of Stevens pair of glasses came in! We rushed off to the optometrist to pick up his awesome new “seeing sun glasses”. It makes me so happy that Steven has sun glasses now, with two more pair to come when the other glasses are ready.

I know I’m biased but I think this kid is adorable.

I can’t remember what was going on that brought Steven downstairs after bedtime on Tuesday night but there was something and I ate it up. Oh yeah! He had an itchy mosquito bite on his foot. He was such a silly sweet goofball and even though I hate how I look in these photos I’m sharing them anyway because Steven and I were in the moment with each other and I’m lucky to have a husband who captures these candids. Sometimes when I’m typing, I envision my adult children reading through the hard copy books I make of this blog and connecting with their childhood and with me. This blog really is a love letter to Steven, Sammy and Amaya and love letters have no room for vanity.

Sammy is so funny. He can be guarded so when he lets go it’s pure joy. He does these silly dances that he knows crack us up – and they do, every time.

And my girl at bedtime. Fast asleep in that precious sleep mask, homemade pillow by her side.

Wednesday was a beach day and the first chance to try out the new beach tent. Whoo hoo! It was a colder day, but the kids were (mostly) prepared with sweatshirts for when they came out of the water.

Thursday the kids got to a park by Penni’s house. I’m so glad that they’re able to spend so much time outside in this weird-not-normal summer.

When Jason gets me wings. <3

I’ve been trying to work outside as often as possible. Starting 7/8 I go back to the office 3 days/week which is going to be a huge adjustment after 3+ months at home, even as desperately as I want to return to a sense of normality.

Every now and then the kids sit patiently while I work. Here, Steven had my headset on and was working at his office on his invisible computer.

Friday was another great beach day for the kids and, this time, Gabby joined Penni and SSA. I am going to have to take a day off sometime soon to join them.

Have I mentioned the Caribu app? It allows you to read books along with another contact. On Friday night, Nana put Sammy to bed with some long distance story times. It was really special because Sammy is least likely to FaceTime with family but I think he liked that it was 1:1 time.

SSA are earning cash dollars for work around the house but, for their responsibilities with Sally, they have accounts at The Bank of Mommy. I’ve marked the Saturdays where they earn their money but they can also make withdrawals or earn money for other tasks. For spending we need to coordinate the totals with their piggy banks but this is the best way to be sure they actually earn the $ due to them on a weekly basis since I’m not usually flush with dollar bills. It also helps them learn about different ways of accounting for their money. This weekend they each earned 2 more dollars. Sammy and Steven have since spent theirs. 🙂

Saturday morning – back to ballcards!

Amaya spent a good amount of time on Saturday morning drawing this incredibly accurate picture of Morminer for Steven. I love it.

I made more progress on my roller coaster this week, with some help from Steven. It’s really cool. Lego builds take me longer in the summer because I’m not inside as often but I enjoy drawing this one out.

Bloody Nose Bobes. 🙁 He’s gotten a few of them this week and he’s a trooper.

On Saturday night Amaya and Steven were up late, thick as thieves, playing games. When I told them it was time to go to sleep, Amaya started sobbing for Steven. (Even though he’d be sleeping 2 feet away from her.) They hugged it out while she cried and Steven said, “I love you, sis.” Earlier, at bedtime, they drew pictures of each other in bed under their blankets.

Today we continued our brunch adventures with a trip to Birmingham. It was hot, but really nice. When we’re still limiting activities, this is a good way to get out and about.

Checking out construction vehicles in action.

A stop at Home Depot. It’s still crazy to me that this is life now. Can you believe it? I really, truly can’t. I mean, I traveled to North Carolina the first week of March. Now here we are.

Here we are… sorting those legos by color groups.

Finally, our Amaya Jean bought herself a face painting kit today and her daddy turned her into a bunny. She didn’t have any bunny ears so off she went to independently create some for herself. Our crafty girl. (That’s a carrot on her finger.)

Have a great week!

On the last day of school Ms. M had internet access issues so, to round out the year, she offered to meet up with the class at a local park for some formal “see you next years”. With precautions in place, Penni took the boys to see Ms. M. <3

They got their hugs and photos but didn’t stay long because most kids weren’t in masks and were playing together in a proximity we’re not comfortable yet. Penni had prepared SSA for the possibility that they’d be the only ones in masks and that we wouldn’t be able to say long but it was still hard for the kids to be among the only ones who weren’t allowed to play tag or play on the playground. So much of this is so hard. I wonder what they’ll remember about it and how it will be part of their childhood narrative. Hopefully the distancing is the extent of the impact for Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

Sammy doesn’t lean in if he doesn’t mean it. This picture says a lot to me.

Jason took this photo of Steven watching TV on Monday night and labeled it “Studly in a power repose.”

Pre-lake morning lightsaber battles with sticks. Doesn’t look like anyone will get whacked lol.

Last week the kids got to the lake twice, which is awesome. I’m so glad Penni likes being there as much as the kids do. Sammy is getting more confident in lake and Steven is trying hard to get the hang of moving himself through the water (in his puddle jumper).

Watching Charlie’s TikTok videos. SSA were enthralled.

Penni has been spending a lot of time with the kids giving them tools and tips on how to keep their room clean. With three kids, no beds and limited storage their stuff just sort of – spreads. This is a while into the process, making decisions about what to do with art.

Working outside on Wednesday, I had a visitor. Amaya was reading books online and decided to join me.

Freckles!

Thursday it was back to the beach.

A little Friday Amaya. She loves when her hair is “curly”. She’s looking older and older. I can’t get over it.

“Take a black and white picture with me, Mommy.”

This week we had two special readers on YouTube – Auntie and Savta reading Tacky books. The kids love Tacky the Penguin, especially Sammy.

Today we’ll finish Star The Clone Wars Wars (StCWW). It’s reall good. Season 7 takes place during Revenge of the Sith which is so cool. For good reason, the kids love Ahsoka. Here is some Ahsoka art by Steven and then Amaya.

Saturday we got down to Ann Arbor for bunch at Cafe Zola – one of our old time favorites. In fact, Jason and I had brunch there the day he proposed. I haven’t been in forever. Some of the main streets in downtown A2 are closed so restaurants can expand their seating area and it worked out perfectly.

Ugga Mugga

Jasons study of his sweety girl.

We stopped by Vault of Midnight and the kids very easily convinced us to shop local. 🙂

(Sammy is wearing a medical mask because his was flushed down the toilet at Cafe Zola. The poor boy was so upset. Fortunately we were able to buy a new mask from the restaurant for $1 and order a replacement for the mask that went down the drain.)

Purchase happy kiddos.

Sally is getting braver and braver. This weekend, Jason coached Sammy and Steven into their first ever flop-down with sweet Sally Cat. This is so special to me.

This is probably too long for most people to sit through but, goodness, it’s amazing for me to watch.

Since last night was summer solstice, we decided to let the kids stay up until after the sunset (9:15pm in Novi) and have a family sleepover in the living room. This gave us a chance to play outside from 6:30pm until almost 9pm. Very rare for us. There was a lot of bike riding. We event tried taking the training wheels off Sammy’s bike. He’s not quite ready for that but did let me raise them a bit so the bike is less balanced.

Steven still loves that tricycle of his.

Filling the gas tank.

We rounded out the night with a game we picked up at Vault of Midnight.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya were so excited for Father’s Day. They started their presents weeks ago.

Almost a month ago, Amaya came to me and said she found a craft to make on Crafty Carol. She needed a ceramic mug and paint markers. I got her the supplies and she was off.

I love everything about this mug. <3

The boys were inspired by Amaya and made plates for Daddy.

A gift from all of us.

The kids threw Jason an underwear themed party lol. I mean, is that the funnies thing? There were signs all over and the kids taped all of their underwear to their signs and the walls. They also just wore underwear. Amaya had a station where you draw pictures of underwear. Steven had a lego station. Sammy had a book-making station.

This afternoon, Steven, Sammy & Amaya grabbed a bunch of ingredients (chocolate syrup, splenda, honey, chocolate kisses, gummy candy, etc.) and made some special treats for Jason. I told him I was glad it was Father’s Day. The kids put so much effort into their creations and god bless Jason, he tried some.

• 

Yup. 🤢

I hate to leave you with that image but that’s what I’ve got. I hope all the dads out there had a great day. We love you!

We’re back in the swing of piano, minus Sammy who’s just about “Zoom’d” out. And I get it. Learning virtually just isn’t the same, especially when you’re 6. The fatigue hit dance class too, though, to be honest I don’t think the virtual classes ever did it for SSA. Since we didn’t have a recital this weekend, classes have continued with the hope of some kind of recorded performance in the next few weeks – even if it’s cobbled together with recordings from people’s homes. But Steven, Sammy and Amaya are D-O-N-E and I’m not pushing. They’ve been total troopers all spring and online dance isn’t what they signed up for. Frankly, I didn’t make it to a single online class for Adult Tap. I had the best of intentions but, similarly, it’s not what I signed up for.

First kid ready for school still gets to design the lego contest of the day. Here, Steven is judging Sammy’s submission on how pretty it is.

Sammy is my Super Mario Run buddy. I have the game on both of my phones – one profile for Sammy and one for me (+ Steven and Amaya). It’s a big moment when you don’t understand something and your 6 year old explains it to you, which happens regularly in SMR (and Minecraft).

My boys.

When I took Steven to the eye doctor two weeks ago, Amaya asked if I could bring home a sample patch for her since I don’t let her play with Steven’s for fun. We did, and both finally remembered. Amaya does love to be patch twins with her brother, but also appreciates that she can take it off whenever she wants. (Which is a big reason why she generally can’t wear Steven’s. He doesn’t have that luxury.) On that, I’m not sure I mentioned that the eye doctor has suggested he wear his patch closer to 4 hrs/day rather than 2. She thinks it will reduce the time that he needs it. So we’re going for it and Steven is doing a great job!

Sweet sleeping Bobes and Morminer.

As part of school wind down, the kids each made videos about their favorite parts of kindergarten. I have no idea what any of them said (reminder to ask Penni) but Penni snapped this picture of Sammy watching his video playback for the class. <3

Penni coined this “princess and the pea”.

Penni had the great idea to do a “This summer I want to” writing assignment. God, I’ve got to get these kids to NY in August. We’re currently scheduled to visit 8/28- 9/6 and I’m holding out hope it can happen. (Believe it or not, the house across the street from my mom and Gene is an Airbnb that’s available so I booked it for the week as a precaution in case it’s still too soon for us to stay with them. And if flying still isn’t safe enough, I’m prepared to drive.)

Steven: “This summer I want to go to the beach and the JCC to swim and get cupcakes for the firefighters.”

He means the beach in NY but he is going to the beach at the lake every week. The JCC pool still isn’t open and I got an email last week that they don’t have a date yet because they don’t have a plan that they feel meets the county’s safety requirements. As for cupcakes, we’ll make that happen for sure even if we have to leave them at the door.

Amaya: “This summer I want to swim, JCC, and go to NYC, go to Charlie.”

Sammy: “This summer I want to swim, visit Nana, visit Savta!”

It’s hard because Amaya can talk on facetime for hours but it’s not quite Sammy’s jam so it’s a little harder for him to stay connected. Plus, Savta doesn’t have wifi and voice calls really don’t do the trick. (Mom – can you do more story time recordings with Savta? I can send some Tacky books. They’re Sammy’s favorites.)

Jason bought a kiwano melon for the kids to try. Steven wouldn’t touch it. Sammy didn’t like it. Amaya ate most of it on her own.

Crocs didn’t fit so Amaya upgraded. “Charlie has slides, too!”

Handsome Bubba.

Thursday was the LAST day of Kindergarten. I was pretty emotional about it and I think I’d have been just as emotional if the kids had been physically at school all this time. It was such a year of growing. On the one hand, it feels like yesterday that these big kids got on the school bus for the first time. On the other hand – actually, there’s really no other hand. Even with all of the learning and growning it still feels like yesterday.

I still can’t believe how the year ended but I’m grateful for the experiences SSA had at Thornton Creek and how hard everyone worked to maintain those connections and the learning from a distance. Now we have rising first graders! Holy cow.

Final zoom lessons!! (Though Steven and Sammy’s teacher lost power in a storm the night before and couldn’t join the luau via video so she’s trying to put together a different end-of-year option for Monday.)

Gabby and Penni conspired together to throw Steven, Sammy and Amaya one heck of a kindergarten graduation party. There were decorations, diplomas, gifts and a ton of food. It was so thoughtful and meant a lot to the kids (to all of us).

You can always count on Amaya to pause and pose. 🙂

Class of 2032! First graders!

Friday beach day! I told Penni I’ll take a day off soon and join them.

Amaya and Sammy were mesmerized by a remote control plane.

Cooking skills are paying off! We didn’t have shredded cheese for Taco Night so Sammy suggested using the cheese grater to shred cheese sticks. Clever boy.

This boy. I wish I could remember what we were talking about. It was after bedtime and I had a feeling that he needed a little extra TLC so I brought him downstairs and let him fall asleep on my lap.

Saturday morning research with Daddy.

Steven has a new glasses prescription and I originally planned to order his frames online but it just wasn’t working well so Steven and I took a trip to an optometrist to get new glasses – with transitions lenses so he can finally have sunglasses.

Steven convinced me to let him get three pair, instead of two. He opted for new lenses in his current pair of frames because he loves them so much and couldn’t decide between black/green and black/red – so we went with both + blue and green transition color lenses in his blue and green glasses. He’s earned them with all of that patching.

FIRST RESTAURANT IN THREE MONTHS!! We had to wear masks when we weren’t seated at our table and our server had a mask on the entire time but, other than that, it felt like business as usual. I hope it keeps up. Normalcy was so nice.

The Masked Clines

It’s an amazing weekend, weather wise. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon on the deck, and Steven made the most of it.

Photo credit: Amaya

(Successfully) soaking out a splinter.

I think a benefit of how skiddish Sally was for so long is that, now that she lets them, the kids really appreciate any chance to get close. SSA are interested in earning money so I’ve officially put them in charge of Sally’s food and water. We have two water bowls and one food bowl so it’s an even split. If they take care of it all week, they earn a dollar.

No beds for anyone and, now, for all intents and purposes Steven has moved back in with Sammy and Amaya. Sammy complains they’re too loud at night, which we’re managing, and tablets help ensure they let each other sleep in the morning.

Speaking of tablets – enjoying the day…

Sammy, counting money for a helicopter he bought.

We had an early dinner and then I took the kids for ice cream. Steven has never liked ice cream but he wanted to try it as part of a cookie sandwich. Success!

The Cline 5 wrapped up the day with a bike/scooter/car ride through the neighborhood.

Have a great week!

On Monday, Steven and I got out of dodge thanks to an eye doctor appointment. He’s doing well, but she wants us to try to patch for closer to 4 hours a day and update his glasses prescription. Steven’s on board with wearing his patch for longer because it (hopefully) means he can be done with it entirely, sooner.

It was his first outing with a mask, which was required by the office. It’s so weird. So, so weird. (For me, too. I don’t really go anywhere so I’m not wearing masks often.) He did really well with it, though.

My men, cuddling for Star The Clone Wars Wars. <3 <3 <3

Penni thoughtfully gave Amaya some new blue nail polish since she knows it’s Amaya’s favorite color. First thing Tuesday morning, Amaya wanted a manicure.

It’s a such a small thing but the kids could watch “Mowey” for ages. That little lawn cutting robot goes back and forth and back and forth and they’re mesmerized.

On Tuesday, Gabby came a little earlier than usual and she and Penni took the kids for soft serve. Lots of precautions & sanitizing and we had three happy kids. Gabby even brought a brownie for Steven because she knows he doesn’t like ice cream.

Mr. Bucket Head.

On Wednesday morning, Amaya drew Elephant and Piggie during her morning zoom lesson. Art at school and Amaya is sold.

We’re winding down the school year but there are still some days with a little more work than others. Sammy has moments where it’s harder for him to concentrate on his own but a little extra support does the trick. I think the zoom classes are a bit easier for him than the self-directed work.

Watching a seasonal play set mulch delivery.

Honest to goodness, if you gave Sammy a hose, a bucket and a bottle of dawn dish soap he’d be good for days.

Thursday night, all three Cline kids fell asleep together. I love that, when they sleep with us, their entire menagerie comes along.

For Friday’s zoom class, Amaya had to share a talent with her classmates. She decided to show how she makes bracelets. It still amazes me to see the kids in action with their peers. They’re growing up so fast. I look at them and I truly can’t believe it.

Friday was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for another lake day. This time they brought puddle jumpers and Penni brought her bathing suit. The water always makes me nervous but Penni used to be a life guard and has skills + common sense. I really wish we could get the kids swimming on their own this summer but I’m afraid that, with camp canceled and distancing still in place, it’s not in the cards. Amaya was so close at the end of last summer and Sammy is showing a lot of interest.

“A chocolate bath bomb.”

Amaya’s really been missing Charlie lately. She got very accustomed to seeing her big cousin and this break is definitely longer than expected. She was so sad last night so Steven told her, “You can see her after corona.” And Sammy asked, “Mommy, when coronavirus is over can we have an extra long trip to Nana’s house?” 100% kiddo.

They all wanted to sleep together last night. Beanbags, sleep mats, doll beds and a ton of sleeping friends and this is what you get lol.

Today, after months apart, we had a long awaited visit from Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette. We stayed outside and wore masks when in particularly close proximity but it was definitely worth it.

Amaya was showing Annette the LOL Surprise beauty kit she purchased with her own money. She is nothing if not consistent in her interests.

LOL Surprise red nail polish.

Sammy, in particular, got a lot of Grandma cuddle time.

“Take a picture of me with Steven and print it for me.”

I bribed them into posing for me. Huge kids.

Where does she even learn to pose like this?

Celestia and Luna are constant sleeping friends for Sammy and have been for, I think, almost a year and a half now. Last night, at dinner, we played My Little Pony 20 questions and it made me so happy to know the ponies are still part of our lives. They were a staple for so long and I know kids out grow things but Daniel Tiger and My Little Pony are going to have a special place in my heart forever.

Amaya finished her card for Charlie. (Nana/Aunt Sara – don’t show her this picture.) I loved that, as she was writing, she said, “How do you spell ‘Say hi to Chase for me.'” The picture is of Charlie on her gymnastic bar.

Last night Amaya and Steven decided to earn 2 stars instead of sleeping with a parent. I think they believe this room is organized chaos but all I see is chaos. (Mom – I totally get it now. If I get a time machine, one of my first stops will be to clean my childhood bedroom. Sorry.)

We received another Raddish Kids kit so today is a day of cooking for Mommy and SSA. This kit is the Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) which Amaya calls the Frozen II kit. We started off this morning with an oven baked fluffy peach pancake..

After a COVID-19 scooter hiatus (to avoid ERs), Jason and I let the kids back out on their scooters. The boys were happy but Amaya was ecstatic. I predict a lot of scooter time in her future.

When I picked up the kids’ stuff I was supposed to drop off their library books, which I forgot to do. So, today, we took at trip to Mrs.Brucker’s house (the librarian) to drop them off in a bin on her porch. I had Amaya and Steven’s books exactly where they should be, thanks to the school organization system Jason put in place in February.

“Since are faces are the same size I look like a grown up.”

The men were busy with lawn work this afternoon. It’s interesting to me that Amaya had no interest and generally has less interest than the boys. Steven and Sammy, however, were so excited to get to work with their dad.

Two more new recipes this afternoon. First, we made Smores Pie. It’s in the fridge overnight and we’ll finish it up tomorrow. This was a Steven and Amaya creation. Sammy was happy to just watch.

Amaya and I made our Earth Burgers. Vegetarian and tasty! She did it all and seemed really proud of herself. She suffered a slight burn at the stove which we’re treating with ice, but doesn’t seem too bothered by it. (Which is awesome b/c I had a slight burn this morning and complained about it for two hours.)

This wee we finish up kindergarten. I can’t believe it – both that it’s over and how the last 1/3 of kindergarten took shape. I’m so proud of Steven, Sammy and Amaya. <3

Have a great week!