We really did have a beach week, this week. The weather was perfect for us and we were able to spend 6 full days down at the ocean. Aiding us, was the fact that every year it gets easier with Steven, Sammy and Amaya. Not easy – they’re still three 5 year olds – but so, so much easier. It actually makes it difficult for me to believe that I did this with three two year olds. Or even three year olds!

On Monday morning, Chase and Charlie came over early followed by a quick visit from Auntie and Dod Shuki. Dod Skuki was even kind enough to hold down the fort while Auntie and Nana ran to the store and I got ready for the beach.

We hit up the clam bar for our annual tradition – lunch this time, instead of dinner. Followed by a walk on the dock.

When Savta is around, you’re almost certain to find Sammy near by.

Chase showing Steven a crab shell that he found.

With Nana, looking at the little fish swimming in the water.

Cabana time!

It was hot which made it perfect weather for the cool pool. Amaya wanted pictures floating behind me. All week long we had a blast in the pool together.

Amaya: Mommy! Mommy! I’m waiting for you outside your door. Can you see my fingers and toes!?!?

Tuesday we made it back down to the ocean. It was a very calm day which was perfect for everyone. The ocean felt more like a lake.

I even went out deeper with Chase and Charlie!

Amaya, off to meet Papa to get back in the pool. (No worries. I followed behind until I could see them meet up.)

A huge source of beach fun is digging huuuuuuge holes. This was the first of many throughout the week.

Steven really got comfortable in the pool this week. I’m so proud of his progression, even from just a few weeks ago at the JCC pool.

View of our cabana row.

We headed to the Goldberg’s house for post-beach snacks and then to a gymnastics center where Charlie had an evaluation.

SSA were enthralled.

Watching Charlie on the beam. She did a great job demonstrating her skills!

We take showers in MI but the kids love baths in NY so I entertained that three of the nights we were there. An hour+ production each time.

Wednesday! Sammy and his Savta, pre-beach.

Digging holes in the distance. For a good portion of the time that Steven, Amaya, Chase and Charlie were digging, Sammy was off at the playground content as could be. He definitely needs his alone time.

It was nice to be there during the week because it was so quiet compared to weekends. At times, we nearly had the pool to ourselves.

Heading to the concession stand for promised treats. Glad I waited until Wednesday because it definitely opened a can of worms. 🙂

Wednesday’s ocean time involved a lot of digging for sand crabs. Steven even found (a dead) one. He was thrilled.

No surprise that Amaya made time for an extra trip to the pool.

Thursday – Rinse. Repeat! Chase wasn’t with us this day and either was Gene.

I ordered sidewalk paint which we broke out on Thursday morning.

Didn’t take long to get to the pool.

Nana led the kids through some kidde-pool-side yoga. 🙂

Back to the ocean we go. <3

Nana and Steven went for a long walk together and Nana took these awesome photos of their shadows in the sand and surf. So cool.

Organizing his shells. “I love to organize.” Like father, like son.

On Thursday we ordered in pizza for dinner at the beach. I was hoping we’d get a late night. Sara was also able to join us after work!

Feeding leftover pizza to the seagulls. It’s really something to see a seagull down half a piece of a large slice in just one gulp.

Hair twins.

On Friday Aunt Sara didn’t have to work and we took a break from the beach to head into Manhattan. This time, our plan was to take the tram to Roosevelt Island. I’d sent the kids a video from a tram in Norway and it peaked their interest so this was a relatively easy way to let them experience a tram ride.

Papa taught Sammy how to eat olives with pits.

Waiting for the tram.

Some view!

Sammy was excited to stand on his own and watch out the window.

Steven panicked at first and insisted on a seat. Fortunately, another passenger kindly gave up her seat for him. Once we got going he was totally fine and even made friends with the lady sitting next to him.

Jan, Steven’s tram friend, told us about a free bus that ran a circuitous route around the island. We hopped on for a short tour.

We wrapped up our visit with a fun stop at some playgrounds – another tip from Jan. 🙂 The kids play so well together. Steven loves to instigate games where they split up into good guys and bad guys and then chase each other in a game of freeze-tag.

The whole gang!

Riding the tram back, Steven was ready to stand and Sammy and Amaya tested their balance.

It’s not a week in NY unless we have a sleepover with Chase and Charlie. Friday was the night! Amaya was so excited to sleep with Charlie that she kicked me out of their room and sent me to sleep on the couch for the night lol.

It’s all fun and games until you get cheese wax stuck in your hair.

Morning at Nana and Papa’s house.

Saturday was a our last day in NY and, yes, we spent it at the beach!

The water was calm again and there were shells everywhere. Nana took one for the team and got wet, wet, wet helping everyone find shells.

Steven and I stayed down at the water for a while after everyone else left for a bit more time hunting for shells.

Goodbye hole! Goodbye beach!

And off we go, back to MI. The boys love watching our luggage on the luggage belt. I don’t let anyone sit in the stroller anymore but it is super handy to have with us to pile all of our stuff. I will be sad when the time comes to leave this baby behind.

After all of this time, SSA have learned how to identify their seats on their boarding passes. Or maybe it’s just the first time I’ve mentioned it to them.

Daddy!!

And we’re back! It was a fantastic week and we’re looking forward to this down week before school starts after labor day. (ACK!!)

Have a great one!

This is one of those weeks where Monday feels like it was a lifetime ago. This was our last week of camp (wow!!) and this blog is coming to you from NY!

On Monday morning I got in the car to take the kids to camp and my car wouldn’t start. I got lucky because the kids hustled into the van and we made it to the bus on time. Gabby also generously agreed to trade cars with me at my office so she could use the van to pick up the kids and I could get home from work.

This week, we started some lessons on cutting strawberries.

I did some “surgery” on a stuffed animal of Amaya’s. I’m still surprised at how much I enjoy mending their stuff.

I had to all a tow truck for my car and it arrived at 8pm – after Sammy and Amaya fell asleep but while Steven was still awake. I knew Steven would love seeing the car towed so I brought him outside with me and we watched together on our front lawn.

Tuesday goofballs!

Wednesday was field trip day – another trip to the water park! This time Steven seemed to enjoy himself a bit more and found activities he was willing to try.

Friday was the last day of camp. The kids had such a great summer and were so sad to say goodbye. I’m glad they loved it enough to be sad it was ending, though! Here’s Steven’s sad face.

Amaya was obsessed with one of her counselors, CC. She drew this picture during the week. It’s an “Amaya and CC making machine.” She says things like “CC is in my heart” and brings CC into conversations constantly. Hopefully CC will be able to babysit when she’s home from college for winter break.

The famous CC!

Gabby picked the kids up a little early on Friday so we could hightail it to the airport for our flight to NY for Beach Week! Yay!! This time we had a bonus because Jason met us on the plane (literally) to join us for the first two nights of the trip.

Sammy sat next to Jason and I got to sit with Captain America and Captain Marvel. (We’ve moved away from the Cares harnesses but Steven is just shy of 40 pounds – FAA approved weight for lap belts – and feels more comfortable with the extra security so he’s still using it to fly. Sammy, conversely, is thrilled to just use his lap belt.)

Charlie skipped a sleepover to come with Nana to pick us up at the airport. <3

Before bed, the kids had their Friday-night-with-Nana Shabbat tradition. (And, this time, Papa too!)

We had a quiet Saturday morning at home and then at the the playground at Hall’s Pond. It was horribly humid but still nice to get outside. I love having a playground we can walk to.

I love my childhood memories of this pond. It’s really cool to see my kids there.

Steven struggles with decisions. At CVS, both Sara and Jason went to bat supporting him in his decision over which chapstick flavor to pick. Jason tells me he was the same way as a little guy so at least one of us can relate. <3

The walk home…

Love.

Savta joined us for lunch, to the delight of all of the kids. Savta!

The big event of the day was a birthday party for Nana who’s birthday is on the 28th. My cousins Mike & Joe came with their family. Uncle Austin and Krissy flew in from Pittsburgh. Auntie and Savta were there. Uncle Dave’s parents, Allan and Syvia. Family friends Joyce & Steve Bloom and Laney and Steve Honig came, too.

[Photo credit to Jason for most of these.]

Steven spent close to 45 minutes talking to Allan and Syvia. He just sat out there talking and talking and talking. They were so patient and wonderful with him.

Savta and the great grands! Sammy, Steven, Charlie, Chase, Amaya, Jake, Eli, Dalia and Naomi.

Today was our first beach day of the week. Whoo hoo!

The kids got right back into the swing of it.

Amaya was so happy to be in the pool. She even got me to come in. “It’s cold when you first get in but it gets better once you start swimming.”

Charlie, Papa, Chase, Amaya, Uncle Austin and Krissy.

The boys were happy to spend a while in the kiddie pool.

Until Sammy realized he can stand in the big pool! Hurdle conquered!

Uncle Dave was a champ and sat there for ages while Steven played by himself in the kiddie pool. (Thank you, Uncle Dave!)

Until Steven realized Sammy can stand and wanted to try it, too. I practically had to pry him out of the pool.

I’m so excited that all 3 Cline kids have graduated to the big pool.

This girl loves to pose.

Off to the ocean! Since last summer, the walkway to the ocean was built up and extended.

The BIG change this year is that SSA are all finally comfortable in the ocean. They looooooved it, especially Steven who pretended he was surfing the whole time. There’s lots of hand holding where the waves do more than roll in which means I’m getting my fair share of ocean time, too.

Sammy and his Savta. 🙂 When we were in the water, Sammy kept asking me, “Am I in the ocean!?!?!”

Digging big holes is a favorite past time.

Amaya and Nana went shell hunting together.

And that was our week! Jason is back home in MI and I was able to get the kids to bed tonight at reasonable hour. Tomorrow the plan is another beach day but with a clam shack lunch to start and a pizza dinner at the beach. Tonight Amaya was already asking me if I’d go in the pool with her. Of course I will, little mama!

Have a great week!

Monday I left for a work trip, yet again. Trip 5 of 5 in 5 weeks. And I’m done! For now.

The bonus of this particular trip was that I was in DC and was able to have dinner with Aunt Ouize, Uncle Todd and Abe. It was so nice.

“Gabby – can you send me a pic of the kids?”

Looks about right for a post-camp afternoon.

Bonus pics from Penni!

Next day: “Gabby – can you send me a pic of the kids?” 🙂

Steven, organizing his ball cards.

I was back at the bus stop on Thursday. Amaya can’t help but pose when she sees me move to take a picture.

Amaya was pissy because I told her she had to stay in her bed when I read Sammy his book. She played it well for a while.

“Don’t make me laaaaaaaugh!”

After dinner on Friday I filled up a trash can for some water gun time. Here, we were watching a butterfly that landed on Steven’s water gun.

Water guns! Somehow, they managed to stay dry in their pajamas. An end-of-week miracle.

Yesterday was gorgeous and we headed off to the pool. Not before Amaya put together this beaut of an ensemble.

We were at the pool from 11:30am until 5:30pm. It was incredible. The kids absolutely loved being in the pool. At one point, the boys were in for 90 minutes straight. Amaya’s swimming skills have improved even in the last two weeks. She’s swimming on her stomach now, not just her back and, while we were at the pool, she got up the nerve to jump in! I don’t think she can pass a deep end test yet but she’s made so much progress.

The kids snagged this spot for the lunch and, later, for ice cream. (Except for Steven who, true to form, chose nutrigrain bars instead of ice cream.)

Like our last trip to the pool, the kids wanted to see me jump off the diving board. This time, there was guy there (my age) who was doing some elaborate dives. He convinced me – and then coached me – to dive off the board. I was always so nervous diving but I did it!

Later, he came up to us during our snack and told me that his wife and daughter always ask for pictures with the kids, would I like one? So nice!

We wrapped up the day trying out the inside pool. It was freezing and a little too deep to stand well but, with puddle jumpers, SSA all braved it.

Back at home for bedtime. <3 It was such a long day that, for the first time, Steven was asleep in his bed before I even got upstairs to tuck him in.

This morning we packed up and headed to a playground. It was so nice out.

Offer Cline, on duty.

After a little while Sammy asked if we could go to a different playground. In the past, packing up the kids to go somewhere else would have felt like so much work but today it was a breeze. The flexibility we have these days is awesome.

“Is anything on my nose?”

We had a lazy afternoon at home and, with few exceptions, like Sammy and Jason watching comedy videos the kids spent it all out on the deck with chalk paint and sidewalk chalk and lots of water. Boy, they love to play with water.

We wrapped up the weekend with dinner at Michigan Beer Company. The kids were very interested in the condiments that came with Jason’s bloody mary.

<3 <3 <3

Have a great week!

Jason was away this week, visiting family in Iowa and then on to Chicago for the National Sports Card Collectors show. It made for some busy mornings for me but I had 3 great helpers.

On Monday morning Steven wanted my help with his orthotics but I was busy putting on Sammy’s sunscreen so Amaya offered to help. My goodness, it was sweet to watch.

Waiting for the camp bus. The kids like to peek out of my sunroof.

Monday afternoon I headed off on yet another work trip and Grandma Sunshine came to the rescue to spend the night and get the kids to camp on Tuesday morning.

All smiles for Grandma!

Wednesday morning and I back! (For now.) Some “waiting for the bus” selfies.

Here, on Thursday morning, Sammy was telling Amaya that he thinks her braid is beautiful.

Thursday was a late day at camp and these kids were ready for twelve hours of fun.

(Sorry, Sammy, I never got around to deleting your song from this video.)

On Friday night, the kids and I set off on a road trip to meet Jason in Chicago. We’re master fliers but this was our longest drive. The kids did great thanks to tablets and happy meals. Unlike our drive to Cleveland, this time I thought to download content ahead of time so I didn’t have to try to stream via my hotspot.

We got to Chicago at 9:15pm CT and Sammy slept for the last hour of the drive. Steven fell asleep within 5 minutes of the hotel. He may have conked out earlier but he loved the trains that run through the middle of the highway in Chicago.

A hearty hotel breakfast before heading to the aquarium. Steven was deep in conversation. As per usual.

<3

It was a beautiful day. While Jason headed to the last day at the ball card show, the kids and I headed to the Shedd Aquarium. We had this beautiful view of Lake Michigan and Chicago. SSA couldn’t believe how massive the lake is.

The aquarium really is incredible. So much to see and do.

Penguins!

Playing like Penguins in the Penguin habitat play area. If Ashley hadn’t shown up, I’m not sure I would have been able to tear the kids away.

Ashley, our afternoon sitter from Summer 2017, is interning at the Shedd and she graciously comped our tickets. On top of that, she arranged for Steven, Sammy and Amaya to have a behind-the-scenes look at some animals. We met and pet a turtle, a skink and a snake. Such a cool addition to our visit.

The kids and Ashley. It’s so nice that we’re still in touch two year later.

I took a series of about 15 pictures of Amaya posting on these rocks. “Take another picture of me.”

Front row seats for the dolphin show. WOW. (Amaya was not thrilled about this particular picture.)

Our lunchtime view. We braved the heat for the chance to eat outside and watch the boats and airplanes.

When you’re solo and someone just can NOT wait to go to the bathroom, you pack up your lunch and sit outside a single person family bathroom while said person takes forever.

Finally… my personal favorite was this incredible turtle.

After the aquarium we met up with Jason and checked out the ball card show. Ahead of time he scoped out some activities that could be fun for the kids including personalizing some bags from eBay, spinning a prize wheel and getting our own Honus Wagner style ball cards made.

The kids used stencils to make their bags. True to their style, Sammy just completed the outline and was done while Steven meticulously colored his in. Amaya frustrated that these stencil letters don’t look right (they had spaces) and attempted to reconnected them.

Originally we contemplated driving home on Saturday night but, after a late dinner, we made the call to spend one more night. The kids were thrilled to get another night in a hotel room (and in beds with Mommy and Daddy). 🙂

Time to go!

A quiet car. For a while, at least.

Amaya complained that it hurt her neck to look down at her table ton her lap so she came up with a creative solution.

Back home!

Earlier in the week it occurred to me that JCC Day Camp might have a Facebook page and they do! I was able to find all of these (and more) photos of Steven, Sammy and Amaya having fun at camp. It was so cool to get a glimpse into their days.

Tree Runner course!

A view of the fields and the camp pool. (Until recently I didn’t even realize they have a separate pool for the camp. I thought they used the main campus outdoor pool.)

I’ll leave you with this morning exchange from our ride to the bus, earlier in the week. Keep in mind that Amaya has long said that she never wants to give birth to a baby.

Amaya: I’m never getting married

Sammy: If Amaya gets married to a lady, the lady she marries can carry the baby

Amaya: I don’t want to get married because I can’t decide between Elsa and Captain Marvel

Steven: I’m going to marry Captain America

Sammy: How will they have a baby if they they want one?

Me: Could a lady carry a baby for them?

Amaya: That’s not “carrying” it’s called “donating.”

Amaya again: Wait. If I have a baby with a lady, where will we get the sperm?

I love that they understand that relationships come in all different forms, (including with fictional superheroes and princesses lol) and that our biology lessons are taking hold. They don’t quite know the mechanics of reproduction but eggs and sperm and the various ways families are made are sinking in.

Have a great week!

Oh, boy. Monday was a big day that I experienced in personal dramatic fashion as Steven, Sammy and Amaya jumped on a big yellow bus to go to camp. There I was sitting in an Olive Garden parking lot waiting to put my five year olds on this bus and wave goodbye. Off they went, happy and comfortable as could be and there I was, freaked out and sad. Also proud, given how comfortable & adaptable they were with the change.

Bye kids!

This is probably good training for me for Kindergarten. Letting them out of my reach bit by bit by bit.

They all did well and had a great day though we had to assuage some fears Steven had after he was told the “door” on the roof was in case the bus tips over. Reasonable fear when you hear something like that!

Monday night was Sammy’s turn to sleep at Grandma Sunshine’s house and we took the opportunity to have dinner outside. It was such a nice night.

Watching airplanes.

Late night snack at Grandma’s.

Tuesday! Amaya is loving her pool bows and so am I.

I sent this picture to Nana and, again, she reminded us that Steven wasn’t wearing his glasses. Ooops! We need to build some habit strength here.

Better!

Lunch and DESSERT with Grandma. These 1:1 summer sleepovers are so special.

I left for another work trip on Tuesday and was happy to get these pictures of smiling kids, playing after camp. It’s been an adjustment to be out of the house from before 8am until 4pm every day so it’s nice that they do have some downtime at home in the afternoons.

Thursday bus drop off! The bus is scheduled to come between 7:53 and 8:03 am though it seems to be coming a little later than that. Like the other cars, we hang out and wait together until the bus arrives.

After work on Friday I joined the kids outside for dinner and we examined a dead bee that we found on the deck. The night before we’d watched some videos about bees and it was cool to tie it back to an actual bee right there in front of us. It’s currently in a mason jar in our fridge.

The kids were trying to keep Gabby from leaving so I told them I was going to have to let her out through the garage. Steven yelled, “Sammy! Quick! Block the garage!”

Friday night I treated the kids to a bedtime, barefoot walk around the neighborhood. It’s really nice that they’re at an age where it’s even easier to be spontaneous and flexible.

Checking out a teeny tiny dead baby bird on our walkway. I can’t imagine what happened to it.

Saturday was a JCC Pool day at Amaya’s request. It was the perfect day for it. We spent about 3 hours there and even I got in for a bit, including 4 jumps off the diving board in full performance mode for SSA.

There was an incredible year over year difference in the kids. Last year I could barely get Steven off the steps. This year, with his puddle jumper he was all in. Same for Sammy. What really amazed me is that Amaya is truly learning to swim! She’s can swim pretty well on her back, has no fear of being under water/holding her breath and is making a lot of progress on her front. I had no idea she was actually doing this well! I’m committed to keeping her in the pool through the winter so she doesn’t lose these skills, and to help bolster the boys.

Amaya’s camp swim instructor was on duty on Saturday.

Cold treats on a hot day.

This morning the kids rode bikes and scootered at their “new” school and we hit up Applebee’s for lunch. They’re currently outside playing with their water guns making it “shower” down on each other under the deck.

Steven still likes his trike best.

Lounging Mama. Photo credit: Sammy

Steven would tell Amaya what to find in the picture and Amaya would cirlce it when she found the object/person.

Sammy and I played a game where he cracked himself up by cheating. Cheater cheater chicken eater!

One last thing – Amaya had the idea to bring home the paper her hot dog was wrapped in at the pool so she could make art. This is what she created. I love that she saw that tissue paper and thought “art”.

Have a great week!

^^I asked Amaya what I should name this blog entry.

This week we started the transition from full time nanny care to after-camp/ after-school care and welcome Gabby to the care giving team. As a welcome, Amaya worked on a picture of an alien for her.

On Tuesday morning I headed off for another business trip (Charlotte, NC) but not before breakfast with the crew. A happy crew!

Happy until I had to leave, that is. Poor Bubba had a rough goodbye. 🙁

While I was away, Grandma Sunshine came to pick up Steven for his sleepover!

He stayed up late, played with new toys and had lunch out with Grandma, complete with pie. He even brought back necklaces he made for everyone in the family. <3

Pre-camp “Sunscreen by Daddy” is a special treat to witness.

After work on Thursday I had two boys eager to play games with me. They both came to their “Don’t Break the Ice” wins honestly.

Amaya is constantly doing art. For hours at a time. I can’t get over her focus.

This week, she spent time creating a family of birds.

I picked up the kids from camp on Friday afternoon and had 1 happy camper (Amaya), one camper who made a run for the hills (Sammy) and 1 sad camper (Steven). Steven was sad because his favorite counselors (CITs, not his actual group counselors) are moving on to a new assignment. It turns out they’re triplets! He was so bummed he won’t see them anymore but told me they gave him a piece of paper with their information so he could have a play date with them.

Later, at home, I looked at the paper labeled “Babysitters” at the top. I asked Steven if he wanted these girls to babysit and he said, “Babysit!?!? I thought we were going to have a play date.” Sweet boy.

Sammy, Steven and I spent a good chunk of the afternoon playing Connect 4. The did not come to most of their wins honestly lol.

Amaya and her dimensional artwork. She said she was making a museum.

Bobes and Morminer. BFFs.

On Saturday we went to meet May May, Mikey, Taco and Rainbow Heart at Tiny Town. It was a long overdue play date and everyone was excited. The kids wore tie dye shirts they made at camp the day prior.

Taco is in a dress of Amaya’s that was originally a dress of Charlie’s. 🙂

SSA and I went out for lunch afterward. It was an older crowd at the restaurant and many, many people stopped by our table to talk to the kids. Here, Steven was explaining to someone that he works on an apple orchard and a pear orchard and takes care of two hundred thousand million trees. (Poor person didn’t know what to make of it and certainly didn’t know he was pretending to be the pony Apple Jack but kindly encourage his story.)

This guys stopped us on our way out to say hi to Steven, Sammy and Amaya and to tell them to be careful eating their lollipops.

A “quiet” Saturday. (Seriously. It’s so loud in our house. The noise level is off the charts.)

EMT Steven

I am modifying some food so that one of the kids will eat it. Similar to how I washed red sauce of ravioli tonight so the kids would eat it.

Amaya got a little pink in her hair.

FaceTime with Nana. <3

Today the kids went to their second ever movie and our first as a whole family – The Lion King!

We were home from the movies by 12:30pm which made for another lazy weekend afternoon.

Building Marble Runs.

Artwork

Asking Daddy not to sing “Circle of Life”. 🙂

Watching the Cliff Diving World Series. Incredible.

Bedtime story books

Finally, here’s Amaya doing some rhythmic gymnastics with the hoop. We watched some videos together and she we ready for her own interpretation. (After multiple utterances of “How do they do that?!?!”).

This week SSA start taking the bus to camp. I have another work trip (Orlando). Sammy has his turn for a sleepover with Grandma Sunshine.

Have a great one!

Monday was “Israel Day” at camp. The kids got passports and took a pretend plane ride to Israel. The Israeli counselors led a day full of activities that ended with a dance party. Sammy was very excited to share how he danced it up.

After my week away I took every chance I could get for cuddles. <3

Sammy loved his Israeli flag. He led parade after parade around the house.

In Denmark I picked up a cool dice game for the kids. There are 5 or 6 dice and each one has different images. When you roll the dice, you use the images that come up to create a story. It’s been so much fun listening to what SSA come up with. (We had to add a reasonable time limit because someone [Steven] could go on and on and on and on lol.)

“Make sure you get my foot in the picture.”

July means sleepovers at Grandma Sunshine’s house and Tuesday night was the first of the season with Amaya up first. (Sammy was scheduled second but Steven started getting upset about going last. I mentioned how the person who goes last still gets to look forward to a sleepover after everyone else has gone – just like Sammy got to look forward to his CA trip after Amaya and Steven had gone – and that was all Sammy needed to swap spots with Steven and offer to go third.)

Settled in at Grandma’s!

Glasses buds! “You have ‘seeing glasses’ like I do!” Not to be confused with sun glasses. 🙂

Grandma, Aunt Annette went out for lunch on Wednesday where Amaya polished off a super sundae.

On Thursday I left for a business trip but was happy to land in AZ to find this photo of three smiling kids, ready for camp.

I arrived home on Saturday afternoon in time to grab the kids for a quick trip to Meijer for a slip ‘n slide and some water blasters. They’ve been shooting water around the backyard all day!

Watch out for the Cline Kids!

This weekend Steven, Sammy and Amaya all get special Mommy or Daddy meals out. First up was Amaya who went out for sushi with her Daddy. <3

Three huge scoops of green tea ice cream.

The boys and I let Dominos do the work for us at home. (Steven: I don’t know how to smile anymore.)

It was a beautiful day and we had the good fortune to be able to spend a good chunk of it outside on the deck and on the play set.

But first, some exercises.

Sammy got a paper cut and Jason spent an exceptional amount of time patiently comforting him. This was toward the end of recovery. At 5.5 yrs old, I think the kids have aged past blog photos of (most of) their tears.

Amaya was ready to battle!

Ready for the runway…

Ready for her spa day…

Sammy and Jason went to Benihana for lunch and Steven picked the Rainforest Cafe for dinner, with me. The last time were at Great Lakes Crossing for an aquarium visit Steven was too scared to go there so Nana took him to Bar Louis. Now he says he was just pranking us and it’s his favorite restaurant so off we went – a 45 min drive each way.

Steven was enthralled by all there was to see and hear. It was precious.

Here you have it – our kids.

I promised Steven he could have dessert and he doesn’t like ice cream so he managed to convince me to get him this mountain of whipped cream and brownies. When it came, we had this exchange:

Me: Steven. See how they bring two spoons? It’s not even a one person dessert.

Steven: Well, for this table it is!

Later:
Me: So when am I going to taste some of this?

Steven: Never.

Eventually he realized just how big it was and offered me a taste. 🙂

We wrapped up our night out in a photo booth where we got these awesome Captain America comics.

And that’s it. Have a great week everyone.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya started camp on 7/24 and they’re two weeks into the new routine and longer day. I’m not sure if I mentioned it before but they’re at camp from ~8:45am until 3:30pm which is great prep for the transition from half day pre-k to full day kindergarten.

The kids swim almost every day which is awesome. Steven and Sammy are starting to get a lot more comfortable in the pool. They also have tons of theme days. First up was Western Day. Howdy Partner!

Jason was at work late one day but was happy to take time to FaceTime with sweet Sammy, who was thrilled to be talking to his daddy.

On Friday, 7/29 I headed off to meet my friend Erica for a week in Denmark and Norway. It was incredible and I’ve included a bunch of photos here.

We arrived on Saturday morning and took in the sights of Copenhagen. We thought we’d have a fairly rainy week but the weather really turned around for us.

On Sunday, our hottest day by about 25 degrees, we headed to Roskilde to the Viking museum. Jason is about 10% Scandinavian and loves to talk to the kids about their “Viking roots” so I picked up these t-shirts for SSA.

We also took a tourist boat ride around the city. Totally worth it, especially on such a gorgeous day.

Back at home, Jason held down the fort and did some heavy labor on our deck. He had some pressure washing helpers.

In the evening, Madison took the kids to a 4th of July festival. It was a big night for them – rides, treats and fireworks! (Their first fireworks!) It looks like they had a great time!

On Monday, Erica and I shopped a bit in the morning where I couldn’t pass up a photo op with Pinkie Pie. Copenhagen is a fantastic walking city with a ton of shops and restaurants on primarily pedestrian streets.

We spent over 5 hours at Tivoli Gardens which turned out to be an amusement park! Totally blew me away. Erica and I spent hours and hours going on ride after ride after ride. It was such a fun day.

Tuesday was pajama day at camp!

While the kids pajama’d it up, Erica and I did a “Two Countries in One Day” tour that took us to Kronberg castle in Elsinor and two towns (Lund and Malmö) in Sweden.

Wednesday morning, before we headed to Bergen, Norway, we visited the Danish Jewish Museum and the Botanical Garden. On our trip we learned that 99% of Jewish Danes survived the Holocaust because the Danish government and the Danish people would not just stand back and surrender their countrymen? And because Sweden said, “we’ll give them safe harbor.” It’s pretty powerful and moving to learn about. When the Danish Jews returned after the war the found their homes & pets had been cared for.

Off to Norway! Oh, Norway. It is a spectacular country. Bergen welcomed us. Sort of lol.

4th of July! Madison and SSA checked out the Northville parade.

In Norway, Erica and I headed to Flåm via the famous Flåm train and, after lunch and short hike, we took a 5 hour boat ride back to Bergen via the Fjords. The views were beyond. I’ve never seen anything like it.

And back in Bergen!

Our final day in Bergen was another beautiful day. As the clouds came in, we headed up Ulriken mountain for dinner and more unbelievable views.

Saturday was a looooooong travel day for me and a fairly quiet day for Jason and the kids.

Here, the boys are playing Paw Patrol Don’t Break the Ice together. 🙂

And I’m HOME! Sammy and Amaya were already asleep but Steven was so ready for cuddles and so was I.

Today was a much needed family day. <3

One of the gifts I got the kids were knights and a queen from Kronberg castle. They had all sorts of adventures during breakfast.

Game time with Slap the Sightword.

Building time. This is one of the STEM kits from Grandma Sunshine and it’s so much fun. I love seeing the kids’ creations.

I got this cool map at the Viking museum and I can use it to track my travels. The kids loved the idea so Jason made them their own maps. Steven, of course, had to add the places he’s traveled with Morminer which led Sammy to add the places he’s visited with Puppy. Amaya seemed satisfied with MI, NY, OH and CA.

Jason, deep in conversation with Amaya.

And we wrapped up our weekend with a family dinner night at Shiro. First thing this morning, the kids asked if we could go out to eat today since I just got home. 🙂

Have a great week!

This was a fairly quite week for the Steven, Sammy and Amaya. School is out and camp doesn’t start until Monday so they had some end-of-year downtime. Camp will be from 9am- 3:30pm which is big change from 9am- 12pm pre-k. It’s a good transition to prep the for full day kindergarten but I think their worlds will be rocked in those first weeks of camp – especially since they’ll be out in the sun most of the day.

On Monday we said goodbye to Nana after an awesome and extra long visit. <3

The kids are loving the playset. I’m still so pleased that we got this done. I was afraid it would be “to-do” until they eventually aged out. Even as I type this, Amaya is outside swinging, swinging, swinging.

On Tuesday Madison took SSA to the zoo. I think this is their first visit since the summer of 2017! No more wagons! It looked like a great day.

First visit to the butterfly house.

Madison’s mom and aunt joined the kids along with little Evelyn.

First zoo train ride!

On Thursday we prepped for the delivery of our NEW family-size sofa so our old one moved to our front sitting room. It’s a perfect fit.

Room for five!!

The time also came to part with our play kitchen. It feels like yesterday that Nana, Savta and I built it.

The kids were asking about the characters on their vitamins so I decided to show them some clips from The Flintstones. Every time a new character came on the screen Steven would shout, “Do we eat that one?!?”

Saturday morning the kids cot in some cuddle time with Jason and play time outside before we headed off to Cleveland for our annual overnight visit to my friend Hannah and her kids. She lives in Baton Rouge but her parents live in Cleveland and she’s generously hosted us the past three years.

We had a loooooooong wait for lunch at a rest stop. The kids kept themselves suitably entertained.

This year SSA jumped right in with the Birchman girls which meant Hannah and I could relax! Photo credit: Sammy

Feeding ants.

The kids rode bikes and scootered and tried roller skates and then all at dinner outside together before heading to bed.

Rinse-repeat. More of the same this morning! We spent hours outside and left at lunchtime to make it home by late afternoon.

The whole gang.

Amaya has been working on pages from an “adult” coloring book. I really can’t get over patience, focus and design choices. She works on some of these for days in a row and never tires. It’s really cool to watch.

Finally, Steven drew a picture of Morminer. He was very careful with her spots and tags. 🙂

Have a great week! No blog next Sunday because I’ll be in Denmark! Whoo hoo!

This is a blog about the BIG STUFF because it was a BIG week. We had dress rehearsals, pre-k graduation, the last day of school, “meet the counselor” night, two dance recitals, the last t-ball game & celebration, Father’s Day plus a visit from Nana. All in one week!

Steven, Sammy and Amaya took a picture with Ms. Jena and Ms. Bri. They loved Ms. Bri long before she was their teacher and were so lucky to be in her class this year. Ms. Jena was wonderful, as well. Such lucky kids with the teachers they’ve in their years at at the Pitt CDC.

Wednesday was a big day with dress rehearsals and pre-k graduation! Madison was busy!

Steven, Sammy and Amaya – ready for jazz!

+Nana!! Nana arrived on a Wednesday this week so she could attend graduation and got bonus dress rehearsals out of the deal.

Unlike last year, this year the kids were going to be on stage without an instructor which meant it was up to them to remember the dance.

Jazz was up first.

Ta da!

Tap Time!

Steven got in some extra cuddles while Sammy and Amaya were backstage waiting to dance.

After the dress rehearsal we were off – quickly – to West Bloomfield for pre-k graduation. It was so emotional. I loved our experience at the CDC and it’s really hard to say goodbye to that family. The kids are more and more ready but I’m taking longer.

Graduation was 2 pre-k classes and a 6 student private kindergarten. They sang a song as a big group, each class did some songs and got diplomas and then they wrapped it up with a group song.

Our “graduators”!

We love Ms. Shannon. <3

After graduation, my mom and I rushed back to Northville for my dress rehearsal. Holy hell I was nervous. It has been so long since I’ve been on stage. Just like I took photos and videos of my kids, my mom did the same for me. 🙂 I’d been totally freaked out about getting on stage as an adult dance but the dress rehearsal did a lot to calm my nerves.

Last day of school!! The nice thing about the long build us is that it helped reduce (my) sadness. I did make a point to take the kids to school for their very last day.

I’m so proud of these three and all they’ve accomplished.

First and Last.

Very first and last. My sweet babies.

For the past week Amaya has been talking about having her own class in Kindergarten. It was a shock after being so anchored in the idea of getting used to Thornton Creek with one class and one teacher but she’s been talking about it non-stop. At graduation I asked Ms. Bri what she thought and she said she thinks it would be great for Amaya. She thinks Amaya is held back socially by her brothers because she a) watches out to be sure they’re ok and b) they follow her even when she’s trying to do her own thing, Sammy in particular.

Ms. Bri said that she thinks Sammy will grow, too, without Amaya there but will still benefit from having Steven in his class. And Steven going to do what he wants, regardless, so he won’t be held back the way caretaker Amaya might be.

This summer, the plan was for the kids to be in the same camp group but the head counselor happened to ask me about the arrangement we’d want. It was perfect timing and the day groups were being formed. I spoke with all three kids and we decided that Amaya would be in her own group and the boys would stay together. Their camp isn’t part of the CDC but it’s at the JCC and will have many school friends attending so it’s the perfect time to get everyone used to the separation.

This was Amaya’s face when I told her.

I’ve since made the formal request to their elementary school and the principal said he’d be able to honor it. So two kindergarten classes it will be!

On Thursday evening, the kids went to “Meet the Counselor” night for camp. They met their counselors, saw their group lists and did some activities. We’re ready for summer (as soon as it stops raining)!

Friday night was recital time for Steven, Sammy and Amaya! We had a full house. Jason and I were in the audience along with Nana, Grandma, Aunt Annette and Megan. Penni was one of the chaperones for Amaya’s group and Madison chaperoned the boys. (Last year there was no way Amaya was going off without her brothers but this year she didn’t look back. Big kids.)

The ladies.

All smiles after their performance!

After the show, someone came up to Steven and told him he was the star of the show. <3 (She quickly saw he had siblings and adjusted to tell them they were all great but I did love that one of my kiddos got that kid of reaction from a stranger in the audience. I think it was his glasses and they way he so enthusiastically jobs with his hands in the air.)

Saturday was our final t-ball game and I was back out as a base coach.

Go Scrappers!

After the game the kids paraded through a path of parents and then had a pizza and junk food feast. SSA were in heaven.

Trophies all around. Which makes senses since there’s no score keeping for t-ball.

Saturday night it was my turn on stage. I really can’t believe I did it! I was so nervous but we had a great time. I loooooooved knowing my family was out there watching and that SSA would see me on stage. Such a cool moment.

After the recital the kids came running to me with flowers. <3 <3 <3

This morning was a Starbucks morning with Nana while Jason and I slept in. My mom assures me this guy seemed interested in talking to three 5 years olds at 8am. I wonder how he relayed the details of his trip lol.

Happy Father’s Day to Jason! Best Dad Ever! We had a perfect lazy day including take-out for lunch and take-out for dinner. (For dinner Steve ordered “steak and a california roll” lol.)

A new math game from Grandma Sunshine’s STEM subscription.

Baking keto cheesecake.

Finally, another fun game – Slap The Sight Word. Such a clever idea!

Have a great week everyone!