This update comes to you from NY where I’m on a brief work trip. With the return to normalcy after a month of holiday prep and fun, the week felt long. But I was happy on Monday morning when the kids got on the school bus without complaint and jumped back into their routine.
We’re starting religious school on Sundays on 1/26 and, with that, came a synagogue membership. We joined Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, MI. It is one of the largest Reform congregations in the US with over 3,100 member families. I grew up in a Conservative congreation so it will be a change for me but it feels right. There are many, many families with interfaith marriages and they are progressive with regards to things like same-sex relationships. That kind of visibility and acceptance matters a lot to me. The temple has a ton of programming and an active community that I’m excited to be part of.
Religous school is Sundays from 9:30am- 12pm and runs 24 Sundays of the year. It would be nice if the round trip drive was a little shorter (for me lol) but it sound like a great, play based program.
To welcome us, a member dropped off a challa last Friday which SSA enjoyed for breakfast on Monday morning before heading to the bus.
Nothing like a little fun with daddy before bed.
Evening story time is often a pile-on, which I love, but it’s a special treat to get 1:1 reading time. (This was Amaya’s new library book which everyone wanted to hear and I ended up reading three times in a row.)
It makes me so happy when the kids are loving with each other. There’s a facebook group called “TRIPLETS” that’s open to anyone and adult triplets often share photos together. I know there’s so much I can’t control about it, but I do hope that Steven, Sammy and Amaya are connected and friends as adults.
I have a cute video I’d share, too, but YouTube has removed it for “inappropriate content”. Same with another video of the kids having a freeze-dance party at bedtime. Such salacious content!
Sammy has taken to sleeping between the wall and his beanbag. He falls asleep in a flash and seems to stay asleep so I’ve just been covering him up with a blanket before I got to bed. I’ll be able to add some of these pictures to the internet montages of “weird ways my kid sleeps”. 😉
Mama and Sal. Still my first best girl. Sammy and I had a talk the other day about how long cats live. He said he hopes she lives longer than most cats and I agree wholeheartedly. <3
We had family photos this weekend. I can’t get over how old Amaya looks. I paid her $1 her to wear this dress because “the color is brown, not yellow, and it’s ugly and I won’t even be able to look at the pictures”. She also wanted me to cut off the strings at the top but got comfortable with them when I told her we’d make a bow.
Another win for the day was collaborating on a hairstyle we were both happy with. And it didn’t even cost me!
Here are a couple of behind the scenes sneak peeks. No more red couch family photos! It’s the end of an era!
On Saturday the kids and I dove into this month’s Raddish Kids recipes. The theme was Swedish Eats and all of the recipes were Nordic which was really cool given that I just traveled to the region this summer and Jason is a viking. All the kids got into it, though Sammy was the only one willing to touch the raw meat and only for a few minutes before he got grossed out.
We made Nordin cinnamon rolls and Swedish meatballs. Both were delicious.
Sammy did an amazing job helping me with the gravy. We talked about how to stand safely at the stove and why we want to hold on to the pan handle while we stir. He’s going to be quite the (safe) little chef.
Serving the spoils of our labor!
This morning I head to NYC – early – for a work conference. I had a chance to see Amaya before I left which was an unexpected treat. I have a great view from my hotel room on 6th and 54th and sent some photos to Jason to share with the kids. Steven saw them and said, “Oh, she’s in the city?” <3 I love that so much.
Jason has an early work meeting on Mondays so Grandma Sunshine came to spend the night and the five-some went out for dinner at Outback followed by frozen yogurt. I wish I was with them but appreciate pictures so I can live vicariously.
Have a great week! We have a big one ahead – birthday lunch at school and Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s birthday party!
We spent most of this past week in NY, celebrating the New Year NY style. (Well, not quite NY style. No Times Square for this crew!)
We had a longer than usual wait to check out bags so the kids got their wiggles out while we waited. Getting those wiggles out helps with the sitting to come. 🙂
Steven and Sammy also made friends with an adorable cocker spaniel puppy. Goodness that was one cute pup. (Meanwhile, Amaya cowered behind me and made me promise that the dog wouldn’t come near her.)
Obligatory stop at McDonalds for happy meals. At this point, our routine is pretty much sealed in in stone. I’ve even, finally, memorized the kids’ orders.
There was a big debate over who’d sit next to the friendly stranger on the flight to NY. Sammy said it wasn’t fair that he always has to, which was a reasonable point, so I let the kids know that whoever sat across the aisle could sleep with me for two nights in NY and the other two kids would each sleep with me for one night. That was all it took for Steven to take his seat across from me. And he even had the bonus of a dog on the floor of the seat next to him!
Thank you, Aunt Sara, Uncle Dave and Charlie for coming to get us!
We made it to NY in time to celebrate the New Year! This is the first one where SSA really understand the changing of the year and they were very excited for it to be two thousand twenty.
Amaya made Charlie a matching shirt with her silk screen kit so they twinned for the night (and the next day).
Thanks to YouTube and Netflix we got to watch some celebrations found around the world and do our own countdown to midnight at 8pm. Charlie thought it was hysterical that her cousins thought it was actually midnight. 🙂
Cousin sleepover!
On Wednesday morning the kids came to me and told me they found something “suspicious”. There were poison jars upstairs. (These are decorative jars that do have a poison label with a skull and crossbones. They were in Savta’s house for years and she gave them to me a decade or two ago.) I explained that they were Savta’s which totally set them off. They spent the entire morning finding “clues” that implicated Savta as a witch. They couldn’t wait for her to arrive so she could explain herself. Verdict: She’s a good witch.
Since Nana can’t travel to MI for Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s birthday, she and Papa gave them their gifts this weekend. Amaya got beautiful hoop earrings – her first new earrings since her ears were pierced at 6 months old. She absolutely loves them. All week I caught her sneaking peaks in mirrors.
Aunt Sara and her cuddle bug.
We even had a visit from Dod Shuki and Auntie Anita on Wednesday. <3
A perk of my job is that I can work remotely, and that includes working from NY. On Thursday I spent the day working with Charlie, Steven, Sammy and Amaya spent a good portion of their day having a blast at Savta’s house. There’s always so much for them to do and see there.
Even Amaya’s doll had lunch.
Our big adventure was a visit to the Empire State Building on Friday. The kids are very aware of the Empire State Building and they visit for free until they’re 6 so this was the time to do it. Nana didn’t join us at the top but she did make the trip to the city with us.
Ready!!
A huge highlight for SSA was this area on the 80th floor where it looks like King Kong is reaching through the building. The set up was really cleverly done.
The good and the bad of our visit. The bad – it was so cloudy and foggy that there was zero visibility. Zero! The good of our visit was that the kids thought it was so cool to be in the clouds. And it really felt that way. We could even see waves of fog moving by us. We’ll have to hope our future trip to the Freedom Tower does offer some views, though.
Two kids were tuckered out by the time we got home. (I love how Amaya sleeps with her legs crossed.)
Chase had a fever the first part of the week so we were really excited to get to see him on Friday!
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Cuddles with Bobes
On Saturday morning, after our sleepover, Sammy and I worked together an a castle that we built to his detailed specifications.
We finished our trip to NY with a belated Hanukkah party with our Zargari cousins. This year, each child drew the name of another cousin for gift giving. It was a nice touch.
Amaya and Mike in a thumb war.
Present time!
Savta and the great grands.
Finally, some pre-bed games with Nana.
Steven was gifted more lego sets this weekend and dove right in. He’s getting better and better at following the instructions correctly. Amaya, too.
And we’re home to Daddy!!
We all had a very relaxing afternoon that culminated with various beauty salons and a some hard work on Steven’s part to turn Jason into a firefighter.
Hello from Michigan and our last night of Hanukkah. We had a fantastic week, bolstered by all of the days off and the kids’ winter break.
This first picture is from last weekend but I found it on the party organizer’s facebook page during the week and want to have it here in the blog.
Night 2: On Monday night we were lucky enough to have Ashley come spend some time with us. It’s so special that she and the kids still have a relationship.
Amaya’s gift was a screen art kit. She has been busy at work creating designs on shirt after shirt. We happened to have couple of blank shirts in the house which none of the kids wear (because they’re blank) so all 3 have new custom creations.
Steven got a working cash register and quickly set up shop.
Sammy got stilts! They’re still a work in progress but if he chooses to practice a bit he’ll get the hang of it.
Tuesday was a pajama day for everyone, including Gabby! Gabby brought the kids a truck load of wonderful gifts which they opened for night 3.
A few people gave me a head’s up that the most recent episode of Elena of Avalor was titled “Festival of Lights” and featured a royal Jewish family who gets stranded in Avalor on their way home to celebrate Hanukkah. We checked it out and the kids legitimately watched wide eyed. Representation matters, and it’s impactful. Steven recently asked why there’s so much more Christmas stuff than Hanukkah stuff. I think he understood and accepted my explanation (sheer numbers of people celebrating) but opportunities to see his holiday in a show he loves means something. And not just for Steven. In fact, the Cline kids are watching the episode again right now.
On Wednesday, Christmas Day, Elsa and her guard kindly took me to see Frozen II since I didn’t go when the kids saw it in NY. So nice of them!
While we were out, Sammy and Daddy had a fun afternoon together which included a full line up of activities – like making dream catchers.
And on to celebrating night 4! Steven, Sammy and Amaya are now quite proficient at lighting their menorahs and, this year, they even know the second blessing that we say each night.
Sammy was gifted this spin art set which is perfect for him. He doesn’t always love to spend time on the details of art but creating this way is right up his alley.
Amaya and Steven like writing love notes. Steven wanted to write one for Sally but didn’t know how to spell her name so he wrote “I love you cat”. <3
Speaking of Sally, she’s been fantastic with the kids lately. So patient and really letting them pet her. (Though Amaya is still pretty scared of her.) Every time Steven pets her he says, “I think she likes me!” Sammy even got her to eat a treat out of his hand.
On Night 5, Thursday, the kids were gifted beginner sewing sets. They’ve been a huge hit! SSA have always been interested when I sew and now they get a turn. I was particularly tickled when I asked if they knew who in our family was a great sewer and they said, “Poppy Steven”.
The kits come with blunted metal needles and patters with the holes already cut It was a slow start with lots of “the thread fell out” comments but practice makes better! Once these three can thread their own needles (Sammy is getting it) and tie their own knots, they’ll be totally independent.
The sewing continued right into Friday.
Sammy thought the pattern he originally started was bit too intricate so he stepped back to an easier option. It’s a clover but he thinks it’s broccoli which I like much more.
The first finished product, complete with stuffing! Amaya did everything but the nose stitching.
Friday afternoon we had another awesome visit from Ashley.
Night 6!
Saturday morning started with more sewing. Sammy worked on his broccoli and Amaya completed a reindeer.
For Hanukkah (night 7!), Nana and Papa got the kids a Raddish Kids subscription. It’s a cooking club and every month we get three new recipes. They also get their own apron, a new iron-on apron patch each month and cooking tools to use with that months’ recipes. This month’s theme was Holiday Traditions Around the World and the recipes were for latkes, gingerbread cookies and tamales. Yesterday we spent about 2 hours making the latkes and cookies.
Amaya did not like the smell of ginger, cloves or molasses.
Looking for where the recipe said “salt”.
Mixing ingredients for the latkes. It was my first time making the, too, and they were delicious.
Cutting cookies!
Eating latkes while the cookies baked.
Decorating cookies. I think this was their favorite part.
Steven
Sammy
Amaya
Sammy is a bit more free and easy with his sewing, as he is in life, and today his finished his broccoli. 🙂
There was a lot of legoing happening in the Land of Cheltenham today. Amaya built a Frozen jewelry box. Steven built an RV and a land speeder. I am still working on Hogwarts Castle, with helpers.
Cuddles with Sammy. He was totally into the Lions game.
Daddy/Amaya cuddles for his little girl with aching knees.
Amaya came home from NY with a cough and was still asleep at breakfast time on Monday morning. I didn’t have any meetings until 9am so I decided to let her sleep in. I bribed the boys (with Hershey kisses) to get on the 8am bus and woke her after the left. She was very surprised to hear that the brothers were already on their way to school!
I was glad to have a mom-friend to text to ask about parent drop-off because we’ve never done that before and I wasn’t sure what the process is for kindergartners. Their pick-up is different than the rest of the school so I thought it might be the same for drop-off. (It’s not.)
As I drove away from the school, I saw the boys getting off the bus! We’re the second stop which means a long morning ride but a short afternoon ride.
Amaya felt well enough after school for me to put some pink in her hair. <3
Story time!
Daddy time!
When your daughter makes you a Princess Tiana necklace you wear it out to the bar.
Sammy loves slime and got a few different slime kits from our Goldstein cousins. On Tuesday night, he and Amaya made some pink metallic slime.
Steven is loving the legos he was gifted.
The kids mentioned to Jason that lots of other kindergartners have scarves and thank goodness for that or we wouldn’t have though to get them scarves! Jason got the kids these awesome kid-sized options that they love.
I adore this picture of Amaya in her scarf and one of her new Star Wars dresses.
On Thursday I had the opportunity to volunteer at Steven and Sammy’s class holiday party. (Which was at the same time as Amaya’s.)
We got these wonderful gifts from the boys.
Both classes had a dreidel game station and I was in charge of overseeing it for Steven and Sammy’s room. I wasn’t sure if it would be popular but we had a full table for the entire party. In fact, a few times I had to ask kids to rotate out so others who were waiting could play. I don’t think the hershey kisses hurt the popularity. One boy said to me, “I know how to spin the dreidel because I practiced with the one you gave me.” [From my visit to the boys’ classroom last week.] What was fun was how quickly the kids learned what the symbols meant. By the end of the party, anytime someone would land on Gimel (you get the whole pot), they’d all yell, “GIMEL!!”
I had a chance to pop over to Amaya’s room before I left and some other moms also took some pictures for me.
Amaya and the ever-loved Abby B. (Amaya just saw this picture and said, ” Write this – Do you know why I love Abby B so much? Because she pushes me on the swings.”)
Musical chairs!
I’ve been sending dreidels to triplet moms around the country and one wanted to return the favor so she sent us chocolate advent calendars. Obviously SSA were thrilled.
Friday was the last day before winter break and it was also pajama day in kindergarten.
Steven was one of 2 kids in his classed picked to read at an all school assembly! That’s in front of more than 500 kids! He’s been practicing with his teacher for a week or two and was really excited. I didn’t get to hear much about it but he said that it was great and he read everything he was supposed to. Also that there are new speakers in the gym and he hopes everyone in the back could hear him. I’m so proud.
Here are his lines. Kiera is the other girl from his class who read. The other two kindergarten classes also had two readers apiece. (Plus Amaya who told us that she also read on stage lol.)
Amaya got a staying-in-bed prize on Saturday morning and picked press-on nails – because of course she did. It was very disconcerting to see.
Sammy’s prize was a rainbow play-doh maker.
Sammy and his friend Owen have a race after winter break which led to a lot of strength training and conditioning this weekend. According to Sammy, “Owen has been training for FOUR years. And one time he kicked down a tree. That’s how strong Owen is. I need to be able to kick down a tree to beat Owen.” So there were laps and more laps and even adventures on the treadmill for all 3 kids.
Saturday night we had our second annual trip to drive through the lights at the Wayne County Light Festival. SSA had their own cameras to use to record what they saw and I think they had even more fun this year. I hope it’s something they’re excited to do for a while to come.
Today is the first night of Hanukkah and Steven’s first activity of the day (after he and Sammy and Amaya let me sleep until eight) was to organize the gifts by person. He wanted to organize by wrapping paper style but Amaya had other ideas and this was a reasonable compromise.
More training. 🙂
This afternoon we went to a Chanukah Wonderland party in West Bloomfield put on by a local Chabad. When we got there one of the kids said, “All of these people celebrate Hanukkah?!?!” I was so glad we were there and that I could tell them, “Yes. All of these people celebrate Hanukkah, too!”
There were a number of different activities but the favorite was t-shirt decorating. True to fashion, Sammy spent about 5 minutes splattering paint on his and then he was off to the next thing while Steven and Amaya spent at least 45 minutes on their shirts.
Frosting face after decorating a donut (which she doesn’t like so she just licked off the frosting).
We lit the candles which is still one of my favorite traditions with Steven, Sammy and Amaya.
Here’s this year’s video for anyone who’s interested. The actual candle light starts at about 2:45.
And then presents! What a pile! Thank you to everyone in our family who’s helped make this such a special holiday season for the Clines. <3
Have a great week, a Happy Hanukkah and a Merry Christmas!
This week Amaya brought home an older weekend summary that feature her trip to see Frozen II. I love the representation of the movie and the 5 of them watching together.
As part of a school project, all of the kids need to share who their hero is, and why. As Steven, Sammy and Amaya demonstrated in their answers, simple kindergarten kindnesses have a big impact.
I think if we let her, Amaya would permanently move into our closet and appropriate it as her bedroom.
Steven has been asking for red pants. He likes to coordinate his clothing “blue day”, “orange day”, etc. and needed red pants for “red day”. He was a happy kid when these arrived.
I volunteered at the kids’ school three different times this past week. What a treat! First up was Amaya’s class on Tuesday morning. While Mrs. Shuart held small group reading workshops, I supervised and assisted the other kids at their activity stations. It was really cool to get a chance to see learning in action and get to know more of the kids in Amaya’s class. She was so happy to have me there.
At one point I was helping a girl who was distressed over a choice she made when illustrating her favorite part of Caps for Sale. As she started to cry, the boy sitting next to her said, “Try taking some deep breaths.” I know they’re working with the school social working on emotional regulation and it was neat to see one of the kids put that into action to help a classmate.
For a short time each day, everyone does independent reading of books they know well.
There’s even a computer station with interactive literacy games and follow-along digital books.
On Wednesday I visited Steven and Sammy’s classroom to do a lesson on Hanukkah. It started with an invite from Amaya’s teacher, Mrs. Shuart, and I was fortunate to be able to do the same lesson in both classes. Steven, Sammy and Amaya were so excited to have me join their class to talk about their holiday. I talked about the traditions we use to celebrate and then we did a craft that I prepared in advance. All three kids were so happy to know the answers to my questions and I was happy to hear how many other kids in the class also knew the answers! In Mrs. M’s class, some of their words of the week were things like “dreidel” and “menorah”.
Before I got started I snapped these two candid photos of Sammy engaged with his classmates. He was so comfortable in the classroom space and, while he was visibly happy I was there, it was also obvious that he didn’t need me.
Hard at work making menorahs!
Orderly and patterned, as I’d expect. 🙂
Full of color and variety, as expected. 🙂
When the craft was complete, Ms. M hung everyone’s work in the hall outside their classroom.
Four or five times/year the kids at Thornton Creek bring home artifacts from school for structured academic conversations. On Thursday Steven, Sammy and Amaya brought home binders of poems they’ve memorized along with their literacy notebooks. We spent time looking through the materials and giving the kids a chance to read to us and show us their work. I was particularly taken with this page in Steven’s book which says, “I am good at loving my mom.” (I am gud at love my mom.) <3
Reading together.
Friday I joined Amaya’s class for their Hanukkah lesson and activity and was met with equal enthusiasm. Mrs. Shuart even had a surprise for me prepared by the kids.
Straight from her class, Amaya and I hopped in the car and head to the airport for a weekend trip to NY! With all of the other travel I’ve done, it’s been 14 months since Amaya and I went away together! This was a quick in and out so we could go to our Goldstein cousin Hanukkah party and we were both so happy to get the time together.
This picture sums up my girl.
Waiting for our ride at LGA.
Charlie not only surprised Amaya by picking us up at the airport with Nana but she and Amaya had an amazing sleepover. They were so cute together. They did some art, played board games and then got comfy on the floor for bed. It reminded me of cousin sleepovers when I was a kid.
My favorite part was when I’d hear them making noise and I’d go upstairs and open the door to find them lying stiff as boards, trying not make a sound, only to hear them burst into giggles when I closed the door again.
Back in Michigan, the men had two nights of sleepovers together.
Amaya and Charlie got a kick out of trying on Nana’s old wigs. These pictures kill me!
After an afternoon at Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave’s house, we were ready to head to cousin Glori’s for Hanukkah fun.
Our cousins Hanukkah party is such a wonderful tradition. I love that we’ve all prioritized this time together.
A highlight of the night was the gingerbread house contest. All the kids had a blast.
There was an old lady who swallowed a dreidel…
Sailor (13) was amazing with Amaya and Charlie.
Goldstein Hanukkah!
Bright and early this morning Amaya and I were back at the airport.
While we traveled, Jason, Steven and Sammy prepped for the boys’ first Lions game!!
Steven made this sign to hold.
They got there early enough to get some pre-game food and the lay of the land.
I love everything about this. <3
Steven was lining up a football diagram that Jason drew for him early in the day.
And that was our week! It was jam packed and full of fun.
On Monday morning, Amaya told me she wanted hair like CC. That meant a bread on each side of her head like CC had worn the day before. She’s got bit love for CC. Hopefully we’ll see her again over the holiday break.
Early afternoon on Monday, Gabby let me know that she wasn’t feeling well and likely had strep. Jason and I couldn’t get home by 4pm but we agreed I’d get home as soon as possible and, in the meantime, she’d avoid preparing any food for the kids. Gabby was extra awesome and even wore a mask. It turns out that was a good thing because Gabby didn’t just have strep, she also had the flu and was down for the count all week. Poor Gabby!
I’m so fortunate to work close to home and have the flexibility to get the kids off the bus at 4pm when something like this comes up.
This came home with Amaya on Monday. She did have sushi over the weekend! I love the drawing of rolls and chopsticks.
SSA’s bus driver has an annual “Christmas picture” drawing contest. The kids were conflicted about whether or not they were even allowed to participate and, if so, if they should draw Christmas or Hanukkah. (“We can’t win because we don’t know how to draw Christmas pictures.” “We can’t win because no one will know what Hanukkah is.”) We had lots of good conversations about different traditions and that they’re certainly included so they decided to participate.
Steven wanted to draw a Christmas picture and, frankly, I’m impressed with what he came up with. He definitely knows how to draw Christmas pictures!
Amaya drew a menorah and, after seeing Steven’s drawing, supplemented with a “Christmas house”.
Sammy stuck with his menorah. He wasn’t feeling very confident in the quality of his drawing and doesn’t think he’ll win but we had a good talk about trying our best and how you know you won’t win if you don’t even try. I was proud of him for handing it in to Mr. Ed despite his nerves.
(I’m also hoping that next year, with the knowledge that not all of the kids on the bus celebrate Christmas but do have holiday traditions, Mr. Ed might choose slightly more inclusive language on the nature of the contest.)
I know I share a lot of pictures of the kids sleeping but it just totally cracks me up that they have these beds and choose to sleep on the floor every night. Though, for the past two nights, Sammy did choose his bed over his next for the first time in a while. Also, I’ll never tire of Amaya’s sleep mask from Charlie.
Whoo boy – Wednesday! First of all, we’ve decided to pick the kids up from school on Wednesdays to make it easier to get to dance class on time. It worked well, but it meant I had to be at the school in time to find a parking spot and wait at the kindergarten entrance for dismissal. There’s no pick-up line until 1st grade. I learned that the early bird gets the spot and showing up too late means parking in a nearby sub. Fortunately I got the last available spot.
We had quite the afternoon/evening. The kids had their dance classes which ended an hour before my tap class. To bridge the gap, we had dinner delivered to the dance studio. Then the kids hung out while I had my tap class. We were home by 7:45pm which isn’t terrible but made for a very long day for everyone. It was a fun adventure, though, and I loved seeing their little faces peeking in the window while I danced.
Sammy’s enthusiasm at the end of this short video is everything.
Sammy was having a tough time with something on Wednesday night before bed and Jason snapped this picture of me working through it with him. I’m so grateful to have photos of moments like this.
I was so excited to find this kid-nado shirt for Steven. Perfection!
Part interest in writing and part interest in not going to bed, Amaya has been writing us love notes at bedtime. She’s got my number with these. < 3
Just before Thanksgiving break, Sammy earned this Hero buck for holding the door for other students. (And he was recognized because Steven told a teacher that Sammy had done this good deed.) Sammy let us know that once/week all of the kids with Hero Bucks had their names called over the loud speaker and got to go to the library to meet Mr. Jewitt, the principal, to pick out a prize. This Thursday was Sammy’s turn and he was so excited to tell me about it.
Yes, more sleeping photos. 🙂 Next weekend Amaya and I are going back to NY for a Hanukkah party with our Goldstein cousins and she wanted a chance to sleep with Jason before we go. Once that happens, of course the boys want int, too. So Steven got to sleep with me on Friday night and Sammy will have his turn tonight.
Sammy decided he wanted a lightening bolt in his hair so, Saturday morning, we headed out to the barber. He was a little nervous but also determined and, ultimately, so pleased with the results.
Barber Steven hard at work.
Sammy’s barber did his cut and then passed him off to someone else who specializes in designs.
I’ve taken a lot of pictures of the side of his head this weekend since it’s the best way for him to see what it looks like. He was very happy this morning when he realized it still looks the same as yesterday.
Steven’s turn! Last time he was so scared that he had to sit on my lap but this time he was ready to go (provided no clippers were used). “Why would I be scared the second time?”
At Subway, Steven was signing a melody that he made up while we were waiting for our subs. An older gentleman asked what song it was and he said, “It’s just a song I made up!” Then this guy starts singing the same song and tries to convince Steven that he made it up himself when he was a kid. It was really sweet.
Like Steven last week, Sammy is getting lots of opportunities to pet sweet Sally. We just need to get Amaya to a point where she doesn’t run from Sally in terror.
My first best girl.
Last night Jason was cuddling sweetly with all 3 kids which devolved into this when I tried to get a photo.
Grandma Sunshine will be in DC for the week of Hanukkah so she and Aunt Annette came over today to celebrate the holidays. <3 <3 <3
Sammy: When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents?
Sammy, sporting his new dinosaur hat, showing his gelt to Jason.
Eagerly watching me open my gifts. (Legos!!)
Sammy was excited to show Grandma his Minecraft world.
Amaya got cozy with Aunt Annette.
Building Popsicle stick houses – compliments of supplies from Grandma.
Lastly, I had this conversation with Amaya:
Me: When I found out that one of my babies was a girl I had no idea my daughter would be as amazing as you are.
Amaya: If you had other kids you’d say that about them, too. Because they’d be your kids.
We don’t have any loose teeth in the Cline house yet but I wanted to be prepared for that first tooth fairy visit so we got these cute little pillows for Steven, Sammy and Amaya to use when they start to lose their teeth. Not that I’m in any rush. Not at all. I just like to be ready.
On Monday night, Steven came downstairs with his hands behind his back, clearly holding something. It was a paper heart, and he told me that he didn’t want me to look at what it said on the front but that it was for Ms. M. (Earlier he’d yelled down from upstairs to ask me how to spell “Ms. M”.)
I’m sorry Steven but I had no choice but to peek in your backpack and see what you wrote. <3 I hope older you understands.
Steven and Sammy got their class t-shirts and were asked to wear them to school on Tuesday. Sammy’s favorite color!
They wore them for the Turkey Trot that we were going to miss because of the timing of our flight to NY. Amaya was thrilled that we wouldn’t be there. After our Fun Run, she thinks anything that involves running is “terrible” and “boring”. “All we’re going to do is run around the school.”
Tuesday, before the start of school and after we got the kids on the bus, Jason and I had our conference with Ms. M. I know I’ve mentioned that Ms. M is less communicative than Mrs. Shuart but the conference assuaged any concern I had about Ms. M’s engagement. She knew both of the boys so well and really sees them as individuals.
Both boys have great imaginations and are often ring leaders on they playground for imaginary play. They both have friends and are very independent from one another, often not even playing with each other on the playground.
She noted that Steven has tremendous enthusiasm for learning and doesn’t miss a detail. If she’s wearing her hair differently or keeps her glasses on, Steven is sure to notice and comment on it.
Sammy is making friends easily and can often get lost in his own world. She said she sometimes sees him staring off, singing quietly, in the middle of circle time. That’s our Sammy!
They’re both doing well academically, too, which is obviously great to hear.
Ms. M said that she’s working with the class on expressing more in their writing and, all year long, there has been a focus on drawing with 5 different colors and 5 different details. Below are examples from Steven and Sammy, featuring Grandma Sunshine. <3 (I’ll have to tell my colleagues that I go on work vacations lol.)
She’s working with Sammy on expressing more and with Steven on using spaces instead of periods between his letters.
We picked the kids up from school early and set off for the airport for Thanksgiving in NY. These kids are such experienced travelers and our season of frequent trips to NY is acclimating them even more. After all of these trips we have a set routine down that feels comfortable and familiar.
What a difference!! On this trip, Anna flew with me. We were in the last row of the plane because I’d been upgrade without any of the kids and the only way to get us back together was in the last row of the plane. Shortly into our flight the pilots realized the altimeter wasn’t working properly so we had to return to DTW and, miraculously, board another plane that was sitting at the next gate and available for us.
Our flight was on time!! (And I do still bring a single stroller. I use it to tote stuff around the airport – our coats, my backpack, happy meals, etc. The rule is that the kids can’t ride in it, though.)
Back to the laaaaaaaast row of the plane.
Steven took out his safety card to read along with the safety video. Oh! Before we left he told Jason he had a question for the pilots. He wanted to know how many doors were on the airplane. The pilots were busy so he asked a flight attendant instead who told him, “There are 8 doors on the plan but you can go count them for yourself.” Which of course he did and then verified in the safety card. When we got off the plane the flight attendant took time to ask him how many doors he counted.
As we descended, Steven watched out the window and kept saying things like, “wow!”, “a-mazing,” and “I can even see a bridge!” I forget that even though the kids have been flying since they were infants, as they get older the’ll appreciate different parts of the travel in new ways.
Like clockwork, Sammy falls asleep as we’re descending. It’s amazing how consistent he is. This flight, it was about 2 minutes before we touched down.
With a 5:45pm flight, we got to Nana and Papa’s house at a reasonable time. Before bed, Nana read to everyone.
On Wednesday morning I took the opportunity to join Nana at one of her doctor appointments. Steven was sad I was leaving so Amaya came over and said, “Steven, she’s Nana’s daughter and Nana might want her daughter to come with her, okay?” <3
While I worked at home, Nana took Steven, Sammy, Amaya, Charlie and Charlie’s friend Chloe to see Frozen II! Sammy said that it was perfect.
Dinner at the Goldbergs!
The boys loved watching Uncle Dave make a fire and also quickly acknowledged that it’s easier when you just flip a switch. (I hate the smell of gas fires, though. Our upstairs always gets stinky when we use the fireplace for any length of time.)
Uncle Dave let the boys take turns using the bellows to blow air on the fire.
Steven and Morminer. So consistent. To be fair, Sammy and Amaya love Puppy and Hoppy, too, they’re just harder to cuddle with an haven’t been anthropomorphized in quite the same way.
Charlie gave Amaya and eye mask which she took too immediately. I thought she’d be nervous to sleep with it on – I don’t like them – but she loves it.
We spent Thanksgiving morning at the Goldbergs. I like being in NY for Thanksgiving because the Macy’s parade isn’t on NBC by us. They air a Detroit parade and watching the Macy’s parade on CBS just isn’t the same as our NBC tradition – spurred by Saba Bob’s years of work on NBC’s coverage.
Charlie gave Amaya these large clip-on earrings that had previously been gifted to her by Savta. Amaya can’t get enough of them. I think they make her feel very grown up.
Playing word games and Minecraft.
Chase is so patient with his cousins.
Back at Nana’s house for dinner, Amaya wanted a tattoo to match her mama.
Nana is stocked up on legos for the kids.
Amaya did an amazing job reading Hop on Pop to Savta.
We had a small group for Thanksgiving dinner (a “feast” as Sammy called it) but it was delicious and special.
As a special treat, Auntie and Dod Shuki joined us for dessert. Auntie has a natural touch with the kids and Dod Shuki patiently and generously drew picture after picture for them.
Showing Auntie her special earrings.
Friday morning, in preparation of feast #2, the kids worked with Nana to make mini pumpkin pies. They really love to bake with Nana.
As a super, super special treat we went to Savta’s house for some pre-lunch ice cream. It’s impossible to say no to an offer like that. Everyone loves visiting Savta’s house – there’s so much to see and investigate.
Looking for secret compartments…
Chase scratched his cornea and Charlie wanted to make him a card so Amaya and Steven joined in.
As always, Nana gets a photo with all of her grandkids when we come to visit. This one is a winner.
Amaya wanted a picture just with Uncle Dave, Chase and Charlie.
Savta gave Steven a game of Go Fish so there were many, many of games of Go Fish through the weekend.
We had a bigger group for dinner on Friday, including the returns of Auntie for dessert.
Another tradition is a cousin sleepover. This time it was just Charlie so all 4 kids slept in the same room together.
And another tradition! Nana took the kids out for breakfast in the morning, this time to IHOP while I got to stay home an relax.
We had lunch out with Aunt Sara and Papa and then headed to the Nassau County Museum of Art. We went to the exhibit of children’s book art where they had a room for kids to do art. We spent about an hour there where everyone crafted, me included.
I absolutely love how the finished products show the kids’ unique styles. Steven worked studiously on a hotel with balconies while Sammy made an abstract masterpiece.
Picking out their favorites…
I think it’s time to start visiting more art museums with the kids.
Today we headed back to MI. Boo and Yay! La Guardia was an absolute nightmare. I can’t believe how crowded it was a ticketing and security. Thee were so many people worried about missing flights. I think, today, my Clear membership more than paid for itself. We did have to stand on a 20 minute line for ticketing and the kids were fantastic, even as they were bored.
Visit to the cockpit
Hoooooooooome!!!
The kids (Amaya, especially) had a very special treat today. Their beloved camp counselor, CC, came to see them while she’s home for Thanksgiving break. Wow!! She stayed for 2.5 hours and they had a blast. She’s lovely and we’ll see if she can babysit when she’s home for her winter break.
Showing CC their menorahs while I put up Hanukkah decorations.
Mutual adoration.
Just a few other highlights.
Amaay did this on the airplane. In the left column are all the numbers 1- 10 in combinations that add to 11. (Yes, many are backwards. At the boys’ conference, Ms. M said that it’s developmentally appropriate to write numbers backwards.) Plus some other math and some seemingly Seuss inspired writing.
Steven petting Sally. “I think she likes me!” He was so happy.
And a video of some of our chaos.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year I’m grateful for the means to get to NY with the kids, the will to do it and a husband who’s so supportive of my travels to NY. <3
It’s reading, reading, reading around these parts whether it’s books we read to the kids or books they’re reading to us. Occasionally they bring home beginner books they made at school so I’m trying to do my part and be sure they get time to read them to me.
This child. She’s getting so old, so fast and, wow, does she love to write in her journal.
On Tuesday morning, Jason and I had Amaya’s Parent/Teacher conference with Mrs. Shuart. She’s doing great! Most important she’s fitting in, making friends and is a good listener. We’re so proud!
We reviewed some of Amaya’s writing skills and discussed goals for literacy and math for the balance of the year. Mrs. Shuart reinforced the importance of reading to and with the kids, and making sure it stays fun for them. She also reminded us that they should be trying to spell words themselves, and we should praise their attempts even when they’re not quite right. Or far from it. 🙂
Here’s an example from this week. (I have a hunch that she had some help with “apple”.)
It’s ice cream, corn, pickle, apple, strawberry, pear, brownie and fruit punch.
Mrs. Shuart doesn’t put much stock in the standardized tests but I’m sharing Amaya’s here anyway. You can see how she’s comparing to average, where she’s expected to end the year, and her percentiles – for both reading and math. These seem reasonable to me based on what I’ve seen from her.
On Tuesday night, this is how Jason found Sammy sleeping lololol. Why not, right?
I’m not sure how it happened, but Jason offered to let Amaya and Steven sleep with him for the night. Sammy was already asleep but I didn’t want Sammy to feel left out when he woke so I suggested I’d take him to sleep with me. After Steven’s small response of, “Wait? Sammy’s going to sleep with you?”, Sammy and Amaya ended up with Jason and Steven climbed in with me. In the morning, Sammy’s biggest concern was whether or not he’d still get a staying-in-bed star. (He did, of course.)
I went to Nashville for a conference after getting the kids on the bus on Monday morning. It was a half day, for conferences, so Grandma Sunshine came to get the kids off the bus. The app doesn’t seem to work on 1/2 days so she waited patiently outside until SSA arrived, with shouts of “Grandma Sunshine!” that could be heard from outside the bus.
Grandma Sunshine and Gabby took the kids back to school in the afternoon to shop at the school book fair. I loved book fairs so much when I was a kid!
A special treat at the conference was an opportunity to see Ms. Shannon and Ms. Lauren from the JCC! It was an early childhood conference (NAEYC) so they were there, as well, and even extended an invite for me to join a happy hour for Jewish early childhood educators. (Which I am not, but I’m definitely in the field.)
I didn’t mention that we had a continued issue with the van on Monday afternoon. Gabby went to take the kids to get frozen yogurt and the van wouldn’t start (again)! This was particularly problematic because I was scheduled to be away through Sunday and my car is the only other one with car seats. We lucked out because Jason was able to get it started and, when I took it to the shop, they fixed it right there in just 5 minutes. (Issue with the battery connection.) But the kids were still owed a yogurt trip so Gabby took them on Friday.
I had plans for a girls weekend in Columbus but our plans were canceled at the last minute but we didn’t want to throw off everyone else’s plans so a) Penni still came after dinner and b) Steven, Sammy and Amaya had a planned sleepover in the living room with Daddy and Grandma Sunshine.
The kids thought it was pretty cool that Penni and I have the same white noise fan app.
Late night story books with Grandma before bed.
With the night setting on my camera you can’t tell how dark it is downstairs, but I managed to snap this picture of my sleeping family before I went to bed. So sweet, and such a treat for Steven, Sammy and Amaya!
I slept in, which was awesome, and came down to kid deep into crafts. Sammy made this bracelet for Grandma!
Before Grandma left, the kids had a chance to do some experiments from their new chemistry set.
As weekends have been going, there were lots and lots of games played. Sometimes the kids really want solo games and other times they’re willing to share their time with each other. This weekend, Steven and Amaya even played a few games just the two of them!
Made a match!
I thought Sammy had a play date today, Sunday, but as I was napping on the couch on Saturday I heard the doorbell ring and just knew that it was Sammy’s friend arriving a day before we expected him. I was out of a dead sleep in a flash.
No big deal. Except that no one was dressed for company! I sent the boy upstairs to change out of their PJs asap and made it work in my sweats.
It’s interesting to see the kids with their friends. Sammy was excited to have Ben over but didn’t actually look to play with him all that much. Steven filled the void, which was helpful, but I think it’s going to be important for Sammy to have play dates without his siblings around – more so than it is for the other two. Being in the same class, Steven will know anyone Sammy wants to play with and Steven is so naturally outgoing that he sort of naturally dominates. Add to that Sammy’s introversion and Sammy’s play dates could end up a play date for Steven and Sammy’s friend.
Ben brought Bey Blades which were a huge hit.
While the boys finished their play date, Amaya and Jason spent time looking through her pre-k art book. It was so sweet.
We already had a babysitter set up so Jason and I took the opportunity to go out for dinner and see a movie. Highly recommend Knives Out!
We had a pre-thanksgiving lazy Sunday that started with cuddles from my Bubbalicious. (Who is so delicious.)
This is Steven’s version of a student and a snake at school. “Just because a person in my drawing has glasses doesn’t mean it’s me.”
We all legoed for a while. Well, Steven, Amaya and I.
Turned into perfect timing for Timehop! Amaya doesn’t think her year ago version was very good but I still remember loving her diving boards.
“Why does the tv say, ‘Love is in?'”
Steven thought the kids music was distracting him from his legos because he kept stopping to dance so he asked me to put on different music. Grown up music. Amaya saw this picture of Pink and said, “Wow, she’s a cool mom.” lol She sure is, Amaya.
At breakfast time, Sammy was frustrated with a decision I made and he hit me. Jason worked with him on ways to apologize and they agreed on writing it down. Sammy brought him this red paper and asked if Jason would cut it into a heart after he wrote his apology.
I really thought I was going to melt. What a sweet boy.
In case anyone is wondering, I do give a lot of thought to what I choose to write about here. I want to respect my kids privacy as I write about them each week. The best I can figure as a filter is to think about whether or not it’s a story I’d be comfortable with if it was shared about me at their age. With something like this, if I’m lucky enough that Sammy reads it as an adult, I hope he’d take away my view of his sweet, sweet heart.
With outdoor recess twice a day, SSA are hearty in the cold weather. Relatively speaking, it was gorgeous out today and they spent a solid hour playing together outside.
The kids and I made a quick trip to Kroger to pick up supplies for dinner and had a great time cooking chicken teriyaki tacos together. They sliced almost all of the vegetables for the meal and chopped up pineapple. I truly believe they enjoyed the meal even more because of how hard they worked to help prep it.
Delicious!!
That’s it for this week. A very Happy Thanksgiving to all. Have a great week!
This is one of those weeks where it’s hard to believe that Monday was just a week ago. So much has happened between then and now!
Amaya earned a staying-in-bed prize on Monday morning and picked this fuzzy Elsa journal which she started writing in immediately with a pictorial log of the family’s allergies.
Much earlier than I expected, we have our first snow. Sadness for me, but the kids were excited. Sunday night, in anticipation, Jason ran out to get snow boots. Thank goodness!
The kids were so cute in their snow gear. My friend Heather got these monogram hats for the kids three years ago. I can’t believe Amaya can still wear hers.
What I expected to be a sprinkling of snow absolutely nailed us. Gabby texted me at 3:30pm to say that she was stuck in snow traffic and worried she’d miss the bus so I grabbed everything and ran out the door of my office fast. My normal 12 minute commute home took me almost half an hour but, fortunately, the buses were running late, too. [Side note: I just learned that the plural of “bus” is not “busses”.] And it’s a good thing I went home because an hour later poor Gabby was still stuck in one lane of traffic.
There was so much snow to trudge through in our winter wonderland.
Obviously I had to let the kids go out to play. Sammy and Amaya wanted to traverse the back yard and Steven had his eyes set on clearing off the deck.
Here’s a small sampling of Amaya’s allergy log.
Mommy: Codeine
Grandma Sunshine: Medical Tape
Nana: Cats
Nana (again): People coughing on her. Which isn’t quite an allergy but definitely something for her to avoid.
Daddy: Dog poop. Again, not an allergy but there’s definitely an aversion lol.
Steven: Amoxicillin
Our wacky kids still don’t sleep in their beds. It’s the floor or beanbags for all 3. (Aunt Sara & Uncle Dave – those 1st birthday presents are getting good use!) Steven has also taken to sleeping under my childhood blankie which is so, so special – even as I remind him that it’s still mine.
Amaya sleeping with her daddy. She looks pretty angelic here.
Tuesday was a snow day with no school so I worked from home until Gabby got out of class. To pass time before they binged Descendants 1 and 2, the kids took turns circling gift ideas in the Amazon gift catalog. This is the first time they’ve gotten to do that and it was fun to see what they’re each interested in.
Steven was very proud of this extremely large number he wrote and wanted to know if “it’s cinfinity or past cinfinity.”
We still have work to do on the concept of infinity. 🙂
I have this copy of Leo the Late Bloomer from my childhood and it’s a favorite book to read to SSA. Steven decided to draw his own version of the story.
We were stuck with snow all week long. Can you see those bags the kids are carrying? They’re supposed to bring snow pants back and forth to school every day. What the heck!?! I sent notes to the kids’ teachers letting them know we have extras at home so Amaya’s teacher kept her’s there but the boys are still going back and forth with them each day plus backpacks and, on days when they need snow boots, a change of shoes. It’s a lot for them to carry and a lot to remember to take off the bus each day. They’re getting the hang of it though!
On Friday night I took Steven and Sammy to a mother/son dance in Northville. It was much smaller than the one we went to in Novi last spring and, like much in Northville, it had the feel of a very small town event. Parks and Recs-esque. It was a good time, though, with enough to keep everyone occupied. We had pizza, face (arm) painting, dancing, balloons and minute-to-win-it games.
I had to provide directions of what to draw and Sammy had to draw the picture on the plate on his head without looking. I think this was my favorite activity. Sammy was super into the games while Steven was happy to run around and play with balloons for most of the night.
Steven, at the end of the night, talking to the community center employee he befriended.
On Saturday morning, as we got ready for a family weekend at Great Wolf Lodge, Amaya convined me to let her wear make up. Lipstick, blush, eye shadow and mascara. “I look like I’m ten.” She was so happy.
We made the drive to Sandusky and, when the kids saw the water park for the first time, Steven said, “Wow. It’s even better than I thought it would be.”
Hitting the water park!
For the most part, the kids were pretty timid. Steven didn’t really stray past the little cubs area. Sammy and Amaya both tried the bigger pool and Sammy tried out one small slide. I think he’d have loved the bigger water slide but he was nervous and couldn’t pull the trigger. (And, of course, ended up sobbing at bed time that he didn’t go on he big one.”)
Only Sammy was willing to give the fort a try. In fact, when it was down to the two of us at the water park, he hunkered down while I tried out two of the water slides connected to the fort. (I love, love, love water slides. I can’t wait until they’re older and willing to give them a shot.)
Snack break! “Is my tongue red?” (Side note: While he was eating his ice pop we were talking about New York and I asked if he knew which room was my bedroom when I was a kid. “The one that Poppy Steven made?” It’s so meaningful to me that the kids can call up references to Poppy Steven like that. <3)
Despite his fear of the water slides, Sammy is remains my adventure buddy. We stayed at the water park nearly an hour after everyone else left. We rode the lazy river and I got my shot at some slides.
Dinner for the wolf cubs.
Sammy loves ordering Shirley Temples.
A meet-and-greet with Oliver for Steven and Amaya followed by a knighting ceremony.
We finished up in the arcade where we spent $60 for about 45 minutes of game play and $5 worth of prizes. Worth it!
The water park didn’t open until 10am (WHAT???) so Steven, Sammy and Amaya entertained themselves by jumping and jumping and jumping on the beds.
Great Wolf Lodge has this money grab where they sell expensive wands that kids can use to go on quests. The wands can activate different elements throughout the hotel. Sammy really wanted to go on a quest so, while Amaya and Steven shopped in the gift shop with Jason, Sammy and I went on our quest.
We wrapped up the morning with another stop at the water park.
Amaya loves to swim. We really need to get her proficient. (All 3, actually, even if just for safety.)
Sammy and I stayed longer again, this time in the lazy river and then the family hot tub. It was such nice together time with my Bubbalicious.
We made it home around 3:30pm, I think, which was just enough time to decompress & relax a bit before bedtime. We rounded out our day with the chemistry set that came as part of Grandma Sunshine’s STEM subscription. The kids were so engaged.
On Sunday evening Amaya made this for her teacher, Mrs. Shuart, and gave it to her on Monday morning. I’m so happy that the kids are having such a positive experience in kindergarten and love their teachers.
Sweatpants have made all the difference for Amaya in terms of cold weather mornings. She loves leggings but they’re just not warm enough for her at this time of year. Like mother, like daughter. We hate the cold.
From Steven: “Mommy, how do you spell ‘mummy’?” You can tell he’s gotten into reading the early reader pattern books like, “I see a ____”.
The kids didn’t have school on Tuesday so Jason took the day off to stay home with them. The boys worked on a school project where they cut out paper turkeys and then disguised them as something else. Sammy decided to disguise his as a tree and Steven chose a puppy (named Spot).
Sammy’s Tree Turkey.
Steven’s Puppy Turkey
In the afternoon, Gabby took SSA to her house where they met her mom and got to look through Gabby’s old dance scrapbooks. Two of them, I’m told!
Amaya made this picture for Gabby to put in her “dance book”. <3
Wednesday was Wacky Wednesday at school. It’s hard to see it here but Sammy is wearing 5 shirts and 3 pair of pants. Steven is wearing two shirts, two pair of pants and so many socks that we couldn’t get his orthotics on. He also has 7 or 8 firefighter hats. Amaya went for some hair dye to mark the day.
When it was time to take a picture they got in this order and Sammy realized they weren’t in their usual line up but Steven suggested sitting in the wrong order would be “extra wacky”.
I’m kind of obsessed with how poised Amaya is here.
Wednesday morning the kids had dentist appointments. I think I missed the last two but expected everything to go smoothly, especially since there were no x-rays planned. WRONG. So very wrong
Amaya cried the minute the hygienist came out. Steven started crying shortly after. Thank goodness for Sammy who calmly and easily walked off with his hygienist without any concerns. We brought Amaya and Steven over to see how simple the cleaning was but they weren’t having it. In the end, it took long (LONG) conversations with two different dentists, and a seat on my lap to start off, to get it done. Afterward, they both admitted that it wasn’t actually painful or scary so hopefully they remember that for next time.
As always, Dr. Maxwell reminded us that Steven and Amaya have crowded mouths – Steven especially – and we should prepare for some orthodonture work once their top four teeth come in. She said that the boys’ teeth aren’t showing any sign of movement but she wouldn’t be surprised if Amaya loses her center bottom teeth in the coming months. I’m sure going to miss their baby teeth when that day comes.
Snow. 🙁
In my desperation at the dentist, I offered presents for getting their teeth cleaned. Both Steven and Amaya picked Lego sets. Steven got a Mars shuttle and Amaya got Emma’s Art Stand.
For months, Sammy has been saying that he wants a car that drives on the wall. He saw one in a commercial a while back. It was on his list for Hanukkah but he used the trip to the dentist as a chance to get it earlier. It’s pretty darn cool.
Friday was Spirit Wear Day. The boys wore their Gator Gear and Amaya wore a cool t-shirt her class made. It’s a forever keepsake.
Friday night was our first annual Gator Gala at Thornton Creek. It’s the PTA’s biggest fundraiser and big deal around the school. They have food and treats, tons of games to play, face painting, a bounce house, a live animal show and tons of other things to do. Gabby came with us and stayed until Jason arrived a little before 7pm.
Starting out with slushies
Face painting and henna tattoos
Hot Shot Hockey in Steven & Sammy’s classroom, where I had a volunteer shift.
Steven, Sammy and I went to a really cool animal show. We saw a chinchilla, owl, wallaby and I helped hold a 10 ft boa constrictor. I volunteered at Sammy’s request and then realized what I got myself into. The boys were enthralled through the entire show.
Photo booth!!
I snagged some pictures in Steven and Sammy’s room while I was volunteering in there. It was cool to be able to see the room layout and the touches of personalization (which seem much more extensive in Kindergarten rooms than older grade rooms).
Sammy wasn’t kidding about busy Fridays!
Room jobs! It looks like this week Steven will be the greeter and Sammy will be tech expert.
For a while now the kids have been asking when they’d get to jump in fall leaves. I saw our neighbor, Mr. Dave, blowing leaves in his yard and he offered to consolidate them between our yards. Jason got out his blower and added to the pile for some fun leaf jumping.
I recorded The Little Mermaid live and it was a perfect lazy Saturday afternoon activity. I’m still so happy with our new sofa!
Sally is getting more and more comfortable with the kids. She’s around the house more often and SSA are getting more and more opportunities to pet her, especially Steven and Sammy who want to.
I took the kids to CVS to get some wine and art supplies (as you do) and ended up with a van that wouldn’t start. Daddy to the rescue! The kids enjoyed going through all of the scenarios we’d deal with if Jason couldn’t get there. Sleep in the car. Call a tow truck. Call the police. Walk home. Freeze to death. (Not my suggestion!)
Steven, Sammy and Amaya still earns stars for staying in bed until their green light goes on in the morning. Last night Sammy worried about having bad dreams and was willing to give up a star to sleep with Jason. It’s truly impossible to say no to this child when he wants to sleep with you.
Amaya had a play date today with her friend Maia. At first she was insistent that The Brothers couldn’t be nearby but I think she quickly realized that was futile. Everyone was amped up and it was more chaotic than the typical Sunday afternoon at home but it’s fun to see the kids play with friends.
Sammy took some videos of the group that he’s sharing with Jason here.
The Cline men building roller coasters
I let the kids play with some of my bigger Lego sets every now and then. I mean, what’s the point of building them to always sit on a shelf, right? I think the Dark Tower is going to be a new favorite.
Just a few more little anecdotes.
Amaya sat down with pen and paper and asked how to spell words. As Steven ran circles around our kitchen island he’d yell out “i-ts”, “s-o”, “a-t”! So I call this a collaborative effort with some lifting from me on “riding”, “her” and “scooter”.
Thanks to Steven, these are officially known as Muffin Bottoms. <3
This weekend the kids and I worked on Thankful Wreaths. We cut out the leaves and they all decided what they’re thankful for. I love them.
Amaya: CC, Abby B, My Teacher, My Cousins, Holidays, My Parents, Construction Workers, Family
Sammy: My Family, My Toys, Savta, My Friends
Steven: Daddy, EMTs, Police, Construction Workers, Fire Fighters, Mommy
And, finally, here’s 0:30 of Steven, Sammy and Amaya burning off energy before bed. I think this went on for 20 minutes.
