Spring is here and we’re living it up! This week Sammy crossed the hurdle and can swing by himself. He’s so proud. “Daddy told me to kick my legs every time I get all the way back.” Two down, one to go!
Despite passing his eye exam at his 5 year well check, Steven didn’t pass one given in school in late March. Tuesday, also Aunt Sara’s 40th birthday, was our long awaited eye doctor appointment.
Steven did great. I could tell, pretty early on, that his vision in his right eye wasn’t great. He’d be unable to read a letter with his right eye only to be able to see it immediately upon uncovering his left.
He was prepared for eye drops and was so brave until the first dilating drop went in and then it was tears and arm holds for the 2nd. Poor guy. We recuperated with a trip to the vending machine.
Meeting with the ophthalmologist. Steven asked question after question after question. He was particularly interested in the angled drawer toward the left of the picture below.
Verdict: Glasses. U of M eye center has been watching an astigmatism in his right eye for a while now and it’s reached a point where he’s over compensating with his left eye enough for it to be weakening his right eye. No patching at this point and it’s possible he might outgrow the need for glasses but, for now, spectacles it is.
Squinting in the sun. I didn’t think to bring sunglasses.
Madison took Sammy and Amaya to a “new to us” park while Steven was at his appointment.
As a treat, we wrapped up the big day with our first s’mores! Sammy and Amaya are huge fans. Steven prefers marshmallows that aren’t melted.
Thursday was Madison’s 23rd birthday. Amaya celebrated by drawing a picture of Madison as a gift.
Pre-school smiles!
We’re winding down the school year and our time at the Sarah & Irving Pitt Child Development Center. (SOB.) That means that there are a number of end of year events to attend. First up was Journey Binder Night and the end of year picnic.
Fall of 2017 their school started making Journey Binders for every child in the school. The binders move from class to class with the kids for as long as their students. We have two years of amazing memories to look through for Steven, Sammy and Amaya. So many photos and experiences that we’ve never seen!
Picnic time! There was pizza dinner, popsicles, crafts and playground time. The whole night was bittersweet for me and lots of fun for SSA.
I’m not so sure she was happy with this position. 🙂
“Before you can pass you have to say, ‘I love you, Amaya. You’re amazing.'”
On the drive home we talked about Steven’s new glasses. Steven suggested he might want black Batman glasses. Amaya burst into tears and said, “If Steven’s glasses are an ugly color I won’t be able to look at his face.” This child. <3
Friday was the big day! True to his fashion, Steven tried on almost every pair in the shop. We created a “maybe” pile to help him narrow it down.
Support from the cavalry.
Eventually he picked two pair of “flip” glasses that have rotating color options on the temples. Both sets of frames are blue so Amaya is safe to look at his face.
He got to look in the employee’s eyes, too.
The plan was to stop and pick up Steven’s glasses on my way home from work. Around 4pm I realized I needed Steven with me! Ack!! Madison quickly got things together and brought Steven to my office where he waited for me to finish my work day – but not before hanging out with my boss, Sean.
Stud.
Amaya wanted to pose for me. Hahahahaha.
T-ball day! Go Scrappers! We got to the field early so the kids could play on the playground for a while first and have a picnic lunch.
Major League.
Coaching third base!
After tap we rushed off to the dance studio, where I had been for tap practice earlier in the day, for make-up classes for the kids. It’s almost recital time!
While Amaya and Sammy were in tap class, Steven got down to the business of making friends. First stop was the dance teacher from the room across the way.
Next up was a group of teenage girls on break. I walked out of Sammy and Amaya’s dance room to find him literally holding court with these ladies. It was hysterical.
He brought Amaya and Sammy into the mix.
This to his friendships, the dance instructor offered SSA ice pops while the older dancers had some. The kids were so excited! (And I can’t say enough about how attentive and engaged these dancers were. It was really sweet.)
I love these smiles.
We wrapped up our dance day with an invitation for the kids to watch the ballerinas do their “cat” dance. They loved it.
We wrapped up the afternoon outside. Steven went for a bike ride with Jason and Amaya and Sammy played out back.
Ta da!
This morning we finally finished Jo’s Garage! What a beauty.
Haircuts! Sammy looked at photos of haircuts and picked this one, which is about a 70% match to his pic (and still super cute)!
Steven asked to be sure she kept some curls on top.
Monday was one last morning with the Bitcherie before it was time to travel home. There is nothing like Bitcherie weekend.
While I was traveling home, the kids had a full day that started with a dance party.
Next up was a parade! Their first, I think. The highlights were the marching bands and the candy they got from parade participants.
Madison and the kids wrapped up the festivities with lunch out, mini golf and trampolines.
Then I was home! I’m not sure what excited the kids more – seeing me or the knowledge that there were presents waiting. Probably presents.
Books for everyone. We read all 5 almost immediately.
SSA each got a little creature in a tree that needed to sit in water to “hatch” or whatever it does when it grows and breaks through it’s casing.
Tuesday was a hard reentry. For me, at least. 🙂 I came home to a Samscicle who wanted to play magnatiles with me and it was just what I needed.
Seasonal shoe shopping! Allegedly, Steven has the biggest feet. WHAT?!?! Verified in triplicate, but I still feel like I need to see it for myself. And those shirts? The last of the kids’ gifts from Louisville.
Flower shopping after school. Someday I’d love to get a small garden going. I remember my dad’s garden and I’m married to a 6th grade city gardening champion so it only makes sense.
We wrapped up the work/school week with Cline Beauty Salon. My hair was straight from a haircut on Thursday and Sammy was so excited to do my hair. Everyone got in on the fun and the results were spectacular.
Photo credit: Sammy <3
The best.
Saturday was a lucky day with our t-ball game just prior to some torrential downpours. It was also busy. It started with my tap practice. Followed by t-ball. Then Sammy and Amaya had tap practice – only they didn’t because I had the wrong Saturday. Ooops.
Amaya started her day ready for summer. <3
Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette came to this t-ball game. Still much better than soccer was. Amaya’s genuinely not interested but she does her part – probably for the snacks. (In fact, the boys said they want to do t-ball again. Amaya doesn’t want to but commented that she’s said it means she won’t get post-game snacks lol.)
While Grandma Sunshine was there, we took the opportunity to swap out car seats so that she’s set for summer sleepovers with SSA. Whoo hoo!
Practice! Off they went without complaint. The focus is getting them to throw correctly. They’re getting there. Sammy still tends to throw sidearm but he’s working on it which is the whole point.
After the game I rushed the kids off to dance, only to get there and realize I had the dates wrong. So we came home and dove into Moana while we waited out a thunderstorm. (Side note: Today Steven said that he “wouldn’t like to live on a lake because of tsunamis, hurricanes and water spouts.” 🙂 )
We all got in some great cuddle time during the movie.
I had time to continue work on Jo’s Garage and had two very helpful helpers along the way.
After dinner I made cinnamon toast for the kids only we ran out of cinnamon after Sammy used most of what was left (a lot). Amaya had a meltdown but her brothers came to her rescue, sharing some of the cinnamon off their own toast so she could get a fair share. It was really sweet.
Bedime stories. Steven borrowed one of Sammy’s nightgowns and said, “This is great! I don’t even have to take pants off to put my pull-up on!”
Today SSA and I headed to Camp Mass, a Tamarack Camp, for future camper day. Tamarack operates the day came at the JCC which is where the kids will go this summer and how we found out about it. It was such a great day and an incredible camp.
Running off to get the day started.
Introduction to the day
After introductions, we headed off to the lake to try canoeing. A first! Amaya opted out but the boys were ready. Steven got a little nervous as we were getting into the canoe but warmed up pretty quickly. Even Amaya decided, from the shore, that she wants to try it next time.
Bracelet making.
Waiting for the hay ride. Gotta love that knee pop.
Hay ride!
After 90 minutes of free-time activities we met up for lunch. It was camp style just like when I was a kid, complete with bug juice.
I’d guess there were 30 or 40 families in attendance. After lunch, all of the kids went off to a carnival event while the parents had an outdoor Q&A session and a tour of the bunks. I was really proud of SSA for going off without me. That wasn’t always easy for them but, after a quick look back at me, they were right in there with the other kids. When I went to meet them later, all 3 were off doing their own thing and having a blast. It was a great day.
A view of the lake.
We wrapped up our weekend with dinner on the deck, grilled by Daddy, with the new umbrella and picnic table he put together this weekend. The Clines are ready for summer!
Some recent artwork.
Two fashions by Amaya
Hello Kitty by Amaya
Daddy and Steven, by Steven
A pig in mud, by Steven
Sammy and Mommy, by Sammy. He asked me to do the curly hair. 🙂
So apparently, my boys who claim they can’t swing on their own and need me to push them can miraculously swing themselves when I’m not there! Wonders! 😉 I’m still so excited to have the play set completed for the kids.
Steven, Sammy and Amaya have been engrossed with magnatiles lately and their creations are getting more and more elaborate. It’s been fun to see what they build and the stories they tell around their creations. Hostibles, castles, space ships…
Steven convinced me to bring these up for him one night before bed. He was very proud of his building that was almost as tall as he is. I can understand why.
My favorite of the week is credited to Amaya.
About 2 minute after I took the photos of Steven and his super tall magnatile building it came crashing to the ground. Steven as a sad, sad Bobes so I cheered him up by letting him watch the rocket launch scene from Apollo 13. He was absolutely captivated. We’ll need to watch the whole movie soon.
It’s been a chilly May (sadness) but SSA are still getting outside as much as possible.
On Wednesday we had a special visitor – Baby Love aka Eden, formerly known as Baby Rainbow Heart.
Steven, Sammy and Amaya get ready for school so quickly these days because they can’t wait to get on their scooters. Every morning, Sammy’s question is “how long do I have to get dressed” meaning, “how long do I have until Madison comes and it’s breakfast time because I want to ride my scooter for as long as possible.”
Bedtime shenanigans with Aunt Annette. “Just five more minutes, mommy.”
And Amaya drew this picture of me! She specifically pointed out the dark hair so I’d know for sure that’s it’s me.
On Thursday I headed off to Louisville, KY for Bitcherie Weekend 12. Twelve! It’s pretty incredible. And I was over the top thrilled to take a photo of KFC in K.
The necessary shopping.
I made it until about 5:30pm before nap time hit. Naaaaaaaaaaaps. <3
Amaya got rough with Steven at school on Thursday, even as he asked her to stop and told her that she was hurting him. It was allegedly in retaliation for something that happened (accidentally) earlier in the week so we had a long conversation about it and she made this picture for him as an apology.
Saturday morning, as I missed the kids, my Nest app pinged me with the perfect opportunity to get a peek at SSA.
This child. Even her leg bandage (or a scrape) can’t be ordinary or unadorned.
Post-rain bike rides!
Amaya giggles.
Jason wrapped up Saturday with the kids with a living room sleepover. So sweet.
The Bitcherie!
Jason could report back better than I can but, by all accounts, the kids are having a great weekend with their Dad.
I need to get back to the fun with my friends but here’s one last video for the week. I’ve watched it at least 10 times.
We had a wonderful week. It was chaotic and busy and parts of it gave me a taste of what I feel is to come as SSA move from preschool into the big world of elementary school. I’m not ready at all but, day by day, I can tell that they’re getting ready for the transition.
After work shenanigans… Sammy was trying to save me from the clutches of Steven and Amaya.
Working with Steven on the Lego set Sammy brought him from Disneyland. It was 6+ and I’d say he did 85% of it by himself. He really loves lego sets. (As does Amaya. She didn’t have one of her own so Sammy let her build one of his that he hadn’t gotten to yet.)
The kids are scootering around the house all the time. In fact, they’re getting dressed in the morning faster to have time to ride around before school. They’re getting good at it, too!
It’s been a cold, wet spring here in MI. Booooooo. We’ve been trying to take advantage of any nice day we get.
Me: Amaya, tell me about people you love.
Amaya: I love Ms. Bri and Captain Marvel.
Me: Anyone else?
Amaya: Wellllllllll, not that I can think of.
Totally teaches me not to go fishing lol.
On Tuesday night, Sammy came down for a minute after bedtime and found Sally curled up with me. She sat very patiently and let him pet her. It’s hard to believe this is the same cat who’d bolt at the sight of the kids. Just like with Amaya and Sally, I was so proud of them both.
On Wednesday afternoon, Madison’s mom graciously came over and hemmed the boys’ dance pants. It was so nice of her! Steven, Sammy and Amaya are always happy to see Michelle.
A little more time outside. I remember when they wouldn’t go past the first level of this climber. Then again, they’re 5 now. 🙂
Love these pics of this giggly boy.
Thursday was a big day for the Clines. (Huge, gigantic, massive almost as big as the universe.) After a long time of dreaming on my part, and a shorter amount of time actually doing, we had our play set installed! I stopped home at lunch to see how the work was progressing and to provide some input on the final positioning. Yay!!
It’s done! The kids couldn’t wait to play. But first, dance class.
Amaya and Sammy were the only two at tap class this week! They even had a substitute teacher – Ms. Christina’s sister.
I think Sammy really enjoys tap. Amaya seems to enjoy dance in general but Sammy seems to have a specific affinity for tap class. (I think Steven just goes with the flow in jazz.)
PLAY TIME!! What’s amazing is that, one month ago, none of the kids would go down the bumpy slide at Sara’s house. They’re totally over that hurdle now. Steven even climbs up the rock wall. Between the play set and their bikes & scooters, I feel like the Cline kids are reaching a meaningful inflection point with their gross motor skills. Now we just need the boys to learn to pump their legs on the swing.
The other BIG event on Thursday was kindergarten orientation for the parents of incoming students. Like I said, the kids are ready. I am not. It’s just so hard to believe that we’re making this transition in a few short months. It’s the end of a very specific era of parenting and my emotions are somewhat similar to when I went back to work after maternity leave.
I did get a minute with the principal to be sure he had our message about keeping SSA together for kindergarten. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s time to separate them by 1st grade but they want to be together next year and I agree it makes sense to let them continue in the same class like they have been as they transition into a new school.
Of course we got homework to do with about 14 hrs to finish. Best I could do for Sammy and Amaya’s photos were a year old but they’ll do.
On Friday, Jason took Steven, Sammy and Amaya to Kindergarten Round Up! Wow. They’d heard about it from other friends at school which provided comfort and it also seems to help that they’ve been playing at the school playground. Jason reported that Amaya was a little nervous at first but acclimated pretty quickly. They were all excited at the promise of popsicles afterward.
On Friday, Sammy’s Disney pillow arrived. Now SSA all have photo pillows as reminders of our CA adventures.
A weekend visit from Nana! Yay! SSA love their Shabbat routine with Nana.
Friday night was Steven’s turn to pet Sally. 🙂 I love it.
This week the kids received another STEM kit from Grandma Sunshine. It was a geode set and, early Saturday, we set out to break the geodes in half only to quickly realize we needed a little more muscle.
Enter Daddy!
Late morning, I headed off to Motor City Comic Con to see Doug Jones (Saru) and Ethan Peck (Spock) from Star Trek Discovery. So much fun! Doug Jones can seemingly talk to anyone and has quite the resume. Ethan Peck was a little rougher with the small talk but you’d never know that from his panel.
While I was at the Con, Nana took SSA to Starbucks. <3
It was a packed afternoon. Back yard time.
Scooter races.
Word games with Nana.
Bike and scooter rides. They’re doing so well.
My girl.
Today was the day for all of the Clines to hit Motor City Comic Con. Jonathan Frakes was appearing and with a limited autograph schedule so we arrived early to be sure we wouldn’t miss out.
Since I knew we’d have almost an hour to wait, I brought the kids’ tablets to help them pass the time while we waited “in line” in a ball room until the doors opened.
Devices, devices, devices lol.
Captain America and Captain Marvel – ready to meet Commander Riker!
Funny story – I have a framed, autographed photo with Frakes in our house so the kids talked about how they were going to see “my friend”. As they were talking about it, I think Steven must have finally picked up on what I was saying and he asked, “Does he know he’s your friend”? lol For the record, I never said we were friends. SSA just reasonably assumed we are if there is a framed photo of us in the house.
I can not say enough about how generous Frakes was with his time with us. He was completely engaged with the kids – talking to them, teasing them. It was incredible. He got Steven to spell his name, teased him about having a drivers license, joked with Amaya and even got Sammy to come out of his shell. The kids were enamored and rightfully so. He was a total class act.
That’s right. Go Boldly, kids.
You can’t quite tell from their faces but everyone really loved looking at costumes. We didn’t have a lot of time with them before Nana came to pick them up but hopefully next year they’ll get a bit more wandering around & sight seeing time.
Front row at Frakes’ panel! He officially starts work on Star Trek: Picard on Tuesday!
Finally, I wrapped up my con weekend with a photo op. For this one picture, I spent hours walking around with the framed photo from our last photo op. The photo was taken in Chicago – maybe 11 years ago. And then he signed it for me in Calgary.
What a fantastic day.
With invaluable help from Nana, we wrapped up the day at the kids’ dance studio for photo day. Here’s a sneak peak of Amaya and Sammy in their tap costumes and Steven in his jazz costume. He was playing tic-tac-toe with Nana while we waited for Sammy and Amaya to finish up.
It’s Mother’s Day and my sweet family spoiled me and loved on me all day. <3
I will get to that, though, because first up is my spectacular trip to Disneyland with my Sammy. I was over the top excited and, at the same time, heading off was almost bitter sweet because it meant the end of my California tour with Steven, Sammy and Amaya. What an amazing gift this has been.
Originally we had a flight scheduled for Wednesday morning and I planned Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday at the parks. A few weeks ago I realized that Sammy would be pooped by the time we got to the park on Wednesday (5pm ET) and we’d probably only get in a couple of hours. I made a last minute change to a Tuesday afternoon flight instead and it was 100% the right choice.
Obligatory fountain photo
Sammy was invited to the cockpit and the pilots were so kind & generous with their time. He even got to move a lever to “test” that it was working correctly.
Sammy insisted he was going to stay awake for the whole flight but, by about 8pm ET, he was out.
We landed at 6pm PT and then had an hour wait for our Disneyland Express bus to Anaheim. Sammy woke up for about 3 minutes when I transferred him from the plane to a stroller and then didn’t wake again until we got to Anaheim. He slept straight through the wait for the bus and on the entire bus ride. When asked, Sammy will be the first to tell you that he’s the best sleeper in our family.
Back at home, Amaya and Steven had a quiet Tuesday night together.
Since I made a last minute addition to our trip I wasn’t able to get a room in the Disney hotel we had booked for Wed, Thurs and Friday nights so we stayed down the road at a little motel. By 6:30am we were on our way to check in at Paradise Pier. Sammy was so excited to see real palm trees!
READY FOR FUN!
Disneyland didn’t open until 9am on Wednesday so I also made us reservations at PCH for a character breakfast. I’d never done anything like it but we had time to kill and it seemed like a great way to get into the Disney mood. Sammy loved it! He didn’t care that it was people in character costumes. It still held so much magic for him. (This is unlike the princesses, of course, who are the real princesses.)
This face. I saw so much joy on Sammy’s face throughout out trip.
By chance, we watched Lilo & Stitch for the first time on Sunday afternoon and it so happened that Stitch was one of the characters at our breakfast!
Our hotel was a short walk through Downtown Disney to the park. On the way we stopped for a beignet which had been specifically recommended by Ms. Shannon. She told Sammy that he’d get powered sugar all over his face and she was right. 🙂
Disneyland!! This felt very different than my trip with Amaya in October for a few reasons: I was familiar with the parks. I had a MaxPass which included FastPass and PhotoPass. And I knew we had 3 days so I wasn’t trying to cram the whole experience into one day. (Not to say that Amaya was slighted. We had a phenomenal time together and really did maximize our day there.)
Sammy and I planned ahead. We watched videos of some faster rides to be sure he was ready for them and made Big Thunder Mountain our first FastPass choice of the day and Dumbo our first ride of the day. It was he perfect intro for him.
“I am going to be in charge of when Dumbo goes up and down.”
This trip I was also more familiar with how to meet the princesses and an early stop was to meet Elena. Sammy was absolutely overcome with giggles through the entire experience.
“Elena told me about Avalor so she must be real which means Sofia is probably real, too!” There was absolutely no way I was going to break an ounce of this magic for him.
Sammy’s first roller coaster! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! He looooooooved it. Omg this kid loves speed and thrills. Over the course of our two days at Disneyland we rode the ride EIGHT times – three on Wednesday and five on Friday. So much fun!
A big, unexpected treat was that Addie and Mary came to spend the day with us. So awesome!! Sammy was a little worried at first about what it would mean to have “new people” with us all day but he quickly realized that it was just fine. And fun.
Matterhorn! Sort of roller coaster-ish and another first for Sammy because he didn’t sit next to me on the ride.
Small World – we liked it but not as much as the faster rides.
Same restaurant we ate lunch at when I went with Amaya. <3
After lunch we headed to the Royal Hall to meet Ariel, Cinderella and Snow White. It was interesting – Sammy wasn’t sure he actually wanted to meet the princesses. I think it made him nervous. When we got in there, though, it was giggles, giggles and more giggles. He was so happy and excited.
Pure magic.
And then it was back on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
With our PhotoPass, we were able to take lots of great quality pictures around the parks. Addie commented on how cooperative Sammy was for photos. He has lots of practice lol. He was also having the time of his life.
Ready to watch the Belle show! I was proud of Sammy for sitting up front with the other kids. It’s rare that he’s on his own, without his siblings next to him, so I was glad to see that he was willing to go off without me.
One of our last rides of the day was Astro Orbiter – sort of an adult version of Dumbo where we fly higher and faster.
Showing off his pins. On our way back to the hotel we stopped in the World of Disney store and he was given two more! The next day, multiple people commented on how cool it was that he had 5 pins.
Addie! Saying goodbye was only made easier by the fact that I’ll see her in two weeks at Bitcherie Weekend 12.
All day Sammy was eyeing the Mickey bubble maker so, toward the end of the day, we picked up his first gift. (And, later in the trip, two more for Steven and Amaya.)
That was day one! In the gates at 8:30am. First ride right after opening at 9am. Left the park shortly before 5pm. So. Much. Fun. After a short shopping trip and a stop at the fountain, we made it back to the hotel and were both asleep by 7:30pm.
Day two was our day at California Adventure! Staying at the hotels, we could get into one of the two parks an hour early each day and Thursday was they day for Disneyland but I decided we’d skip that extra hour rather than do Disneyland two days in a row and I think it ended up being the right call for us.
On our way to the parks, Sammy stopped to check out the braille map of the area.
He loved this fountain. We stopped for a few minutes every day on the way to and from our hotel. Sammy did a great job reminding us to stop and smell the roses (literally) and make time for little moments that caught our attention.
Our first ride was Soarin, right at opening. Interestingly, this ride made Sammy a little more nervous than the roller coasters. (But not nervous enough to keep him from going again later in the day.)
Radiator Springs was our first FastPass of the day and we were able to ride twice, early. Good thing, too, because it got busy fast. You can kind of see Sammy in the photo behind the window.
Stopping to watch a Newsies show. He really liked the live performances.
Our longest line of the entire trip (thanks FastPass!) was to see Anna and Elsa. Sammy even work his Anna t-shirt on California Adventure day. Fortunately, there was a lot to keep Sammy entertained while I waited on line.
God, this was special.
“They didn’t even have to ask my name because they already know it from my birthday parties.”
One of the rides Sammy was excited about was the ferris wheel. A couple on line with us at the park gates told us the “swinging” ferris wheel was pretty scary but Sammy was determined to try it anyway. Such an adventurous kid and I didn’t even know it! I was queasy for a good hour afterward but so glad we went for it and so was Sammy. This is one of my favorite pictures of the two of us from the trip.
Photo credit: Sammy. The weather on the trip was overcast but warm enough to be pleasant.
Eating a churro (so much junk food!) and watching a show.
Mickey Mouse!!
Goofy!! He pretty much smiled like this for three days straight.
Toward the end of the day we decided we’d try out Grizzly Peak River Run. Despite the fact that I packed a change of clothes for us, I insisted on ponchos. Turned out to be the right choice because we rode this ride five times in a row! Definitely a top pick for the trip for both of us!
Sammy was having so much fun that I had to get a video of him on the ride. Oh, the laughing!!
Our one miss at California Adventure was the area with the superheroes. We saw Captain Marvel and Captain America but weren’t there in time for photos. Honestly, though, Sammy seemed okay with just the up-close. He’ll tell you that we were in line to meet Captain Marvel but she had to leave on a mission before we got our turn for pictures. (True story.)
An Agents of SHIELD vehicle!
This wrapped up our day at California Adventure! We were in the gates at 7:30 and on Soarin’ right after it opened at 8am. (First group!) We left the park around 5:30pm and stopped for pizza on our way back to the hotel. Sammy was a sleep by 7:30pm and I wasn’t up much longer.
Friday morning – Sammy living his best life with a room service delivered Mickey waffle.
The forecast called for rain and Sammy didn’t want to worry about wearing his “bag” (poncho) so I brought his raincoat. He actually didn’t need it but still chose to wear it for a good chunk of the day.
First fast pass of the day was for Space Mountain and first ride of the day was Big Thunder Mountain. It was so quite first thing in the morning that we were able to ride it three times in succession. First in the middle, then in the front car and, last, in the back car. We both agree the back of the roller coast is the most fun.
“I make this face better than you do, mommy.”
Aurora was meeting people for a short time that fit in our schedule but, for some reason, Sammy totally panicked and didn’t want to get out of the stroller to meet her. Okay! Princess Aurora knows how to adapt. 🙂
Sammy isn’t familiar with Alice in Wonderland but it’s hard to resist the Mad Hatter.
Sammy was most excited about the opportunity to meet Chewbacca who “came all the way to Earth from Star Wars just see us”. We made it a point to arrive at the Star Wars area right when it opened at 11am and were 2nd in line to meet Chewy.
I can not overstate this child’s awe. It was beyond.
My heart.
Sammy was happy that Chewbacca understands “human” even if he only speaks Wookie. <3
I think this experience was my highlight. Seeing Sammy’s face was incredible.
Sammy was adamant that he didn’t want to meet Rey. I think he was scared, though I’m not sure why and he couldn’t articulate it. Maybe it was an overload from meeting Chewbacca but he burst into tears at the thought of it. I really wanted to meet Rey for Amaya so I found him somewhere to stand where she couldn’t see him while I went to say hello. (I mean, he didn’t even want Rey to see him. “Not one bit.”)
Space Mountain! I wasn’t sure if it would be too much for Sammy but he loved it and we rode three times! Early, too, which was good because the FastPasses started booking up quickly.
With the upcoming opening of Galaxy’s Edge it was reskinned as Hyperspace Mountain which made it even cooler.
Friday was the toughest day in terms of Sammy’s mood. Every now and then something would set him off. I think it was just a lot of stimulation. To take a break from the chaos we went on the Riverboat ride. It was just the break we needed to take a deep breath and regroup.
“Take a picture of me here. Will Daddy know I’m on a boat because he’ll see the water?”
By mid-afternoon I was ready to give Splash Mountain a try and it was another winner! We went twice and I would have been game for a third if Sammy was but I think he thought the line was a little too long (even with his FastPass). This kid has no idea how spoiled he was with lines at Disneyland. 🙂
From my experience on Grizzly Peak I packed myself a 2nd pair of sneakers and socks which came in handy when my shoes got soaked.
Our last princess of the trip was Rapunzel who was in high demand with only a few meet & greets. Sammy was super excited until he saw Flynn Rider was there with Rapunzel and he panicked. Like, completely freaked out and didn’t want to see Rapunzel. Flynn Rider was kind enough to step to the side but I still needed to hold Sammy for the meet & green for him to get comfortable.
Since it was our last day we went for broke and stayed at the park through dinner. We wrapped up with three rides after dinner – Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours and Astro Orbiter.
On our way out of the park, there was one last, special meet-up. What a way to end our day.
If I recall correctly, here’s our three day tally:
Dumbo: 1
Pinocchio: 1
Carousel: 1
Big Thunder Mountain: 8
Matterhorn: 2
Star Tours: 2
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: 5
Space Mountain: 3
Splash Mountain: 2
Riverboat: 1
Pirates of the Caribbean: 1
Roger Rabbit: 1
Astro Orbiter: 2
Small World: 1
Radiator Springs: 2
Mater: 1
Goofy Driving School: 2
Ferris Wheel: 1
Midway Toy Story: 1
Little Mermaid: 1
Golden Zephyr: 1
Soarin’: 2
Grizzly Peak River Run: 5
47 rides! It really helped that Sammy was so into FastPass rides. I don’t think we waited longer than 30 minutes for any single ride and that was probably the far end of our wait times. It was so, so much fun. Plus, of course, all of the characters & princesses that we met throughout our trip.
While we were wrapping up our trip, Steven and Amaya were meeting a frog in our yard. (And Madison was on point to accept delivery of 780lbs of play set!)
Saturday morning – the happiest bus from Tuesday night became the saddest bus on Saturday morning. Sammy and I were both feeling the end-of-vacation blues but, at the same time, I don’t think we had another Disney day in us. There were lots of mixed feelings.
Sky club while we waited. Sammy really liked the “big room”.
And we’re home! Sammy picked out a Gaston bow & arrow set and absolutely could not wait to try it out. Admittedly, it’s pretty cool.
Here’s what steps at Disney looks like!
While we were traveling home, Jason was off to t-ball with Steven and Amaya – their first time on the actual baseball diamond.
Mother’s Day! I was able to sleep in and then Jason and the kids brought me gifts and breakfast in bed. Sammy and I also distributed the gifts we brought home with us from California.
We had wonderfully lazy family day together – just what we all needed after the time apart. Plus, legos.
Someone sulked through lunch lol. She’s got that face down.
Scooters and My Little Pony. 🙂
We wrapped up the day with dinner out at Zingermans. This homemade shirt was one of my wonderful Mother’s Day gifts. I love it.
Amaya, sitting at the bar while we waited to be seated.
Finally, for the day, Sammy couldn’t quite hang for the ride home. Best sleeper ever.
Madison and the kids made this awesome frame for me.
The kids brought these home from school. I absolutely love that they all mentioned our travels. It’s so special to me and I’m glad it registers with them, too.
So, all in all, a spectacular week that’s hard to match.
Monday was a bit of a rough entry for everyone. Amaya, in particular, had a hard time when I left for work in the morning. Of all the kids, she’s least likely to tear up saying goodbye to me. There were lots and lots of extra hugs. Wearing this new unicorn JoJo bow from Charlie also helped.
After school, Madison took the kids to Michael’s to get some supplies for a surprise for Jason’s birthday.
Back together again after work. <3 We spent some time in NY talking about being deaf and being blind, and the kids remembered the story of Louis Braille, so they were excited to revisit the story when we were back in MI. It led to so many interesting questions. “What does someone’s eyes look like when they’re blind?” (In the book, the children at the School for the Blind all had their eyes closed.) “Do blind people need to sleep if their eyes are always closed?” We also talked about how Louis Braille went blind and how medicine today would help stop an infection like that from spreading. (Which went a bit sideways when Amaya got worked up about eye drops.)
Amaya colored this using a reference photo the entire time. Admittedly, I’ll be a little bit sad when she rights her “J”s. (Same for when the kids correct “aminal” and “hostibal”.)
Tuesday was the dentist which the kids and Madison rocked. It was their first time for x-rays and Amaya and Sammy breezed through. Steven had a really rough go of them but he toughed though and then mostly recovered for his exam.
Not much has changed. Sammy has perfect spacing for toddler teeth. Amaya’s mouth may be a little crowded but it’s too soon to tell. She may start losing teeth in a few months. Steven’s mouth is very, very crowded – same as we’ve been hearing since his first dentist appointment at 2 years old.
BIG NEWS for Sammy on Wednesday. He took a swim lesson in the big pool and he loved it!! Hopefully all of the swimming at camp will officially crack the code for him. And, on Tuesday, Amaya dove into the pool with help from the swim teacher. She’s definitely going to love pool time this summer. Steven is still hesitant but he’ll have his moment.
After school on Wednesday, the kids got to work on Jason’s gift.
Before I had my dance class, the Cline kids had a dance party. I love this picture of Amaya. She knows who she is.
SSA all had rough days at school on Thursday. Just so much energy. So Madison took them to the school playground for a bit, afterward, to help burn off energy. Slides have finally clicked for Sammy! One Cline kid may actually use the slide on the playset we ordered. 🙂
Dance class! We’re getting close to recital time.
This week, our landscapers got the ground ready for our new playset. If all goes well it will be delivered on 5/8 and installed on 5/16. I think I’m as excited as the kids are.
These faces. <3 It was the post dance party / super hero battle pile of Clines.
Steven was sad, sad, sad at bedtime that he couldn’t keep playing his superhero game so he picked up a book titled, “What Makes Steven Happy” and read to me from his book. (1. Give him his Mommy. 2. Being with his daddy. 3. Talk to his whole family. 4. You have to guess his favorite game.)
I asked this child to put on his pull-up and he complied. And then forgot the exact way in which he complied which ended just as you’d expect.
We had a milestone on Thursday night! Amaya came down after bedtime for help with something while Sally was sitting quietly on my lap. After 5 years, she got up the nerve to pet Sally and Sally got up the nerve to let her. My best girls.
You can tell Amaya still kept her distance.
Friday! Happy Birthday Daddy!!
Steven, Sammy and Amaya were so excited to give Jason the cards they made for him.
Our birthday morning adventure was the kids’ first t-ball game! Amaya came to terms with her uniform by wearing a pink shirt underneath her uniform shirt and by striking a sassy pose.
After our soccer experience I wasn’t sure how this would go. In advance, Jason talked to the kids about listening to the coach and being part of a team but they’re still five and who knows, you know? But it was great! The kids dove right into practice, they listened well, and they had FUN.
Amaya is the only girl on the team. You can see her in the purple sweatshirt, practicing with her partner.
Getting instructions from coach.
We played two innings. In each inning, all players got to bat and all players fielded. All players also got to advance a base with each successive batter. Important, it seems, because they definitely don’t know when to run. Yet.
Steven’s first at-bat.
Sammy’s first at-bat.
Amaya’s first at-bat.
Sammy, coming home.
If you look carefully, you can see the bases loaded with Clines. Steven on third, Sammy on second and Amaya on first. (The field we were supposed to use was wet and muddy so our coach improvised for this first game.)
Madison joined us for the game!
During the week, Madison convinced Steven to try Sammy’s “big” bike and he loved it! After t-ball, Jason took Steven to buy his own two wheeler. A nice 14″ Lightening McQueen bike. Sammy and Amaya have 16 inchers but this one is perfect for Steven.
At first, he wanted to ride with me holding onto the front of the bike. After about 15 minutes, I was able to show him that I wasn’t really holding on and off he went! Goodbye little red tricycle! Hello big red bike!
The CBG – Cline Biker Gang
We had big plans for the evening – dinner for 21 at Michigan Beer Company to celebrate Jason’s 50th. Four of his oldest friends and their families were able to join us along with Grandma Sunshine, Aunt Annette and Aunt Ouize – in all the way from DC.
In case the kids ever ask, that’s Penske, Pughsy, Kotre, Daddy and Doog. (Though Amaya has dubbed him Doug Doug.)
Amaya loves Doug Doug. So much, in fact, that she turned to him and said, “You’re a beautiful man.”
Sammy and his Aunt Ouize. <3
Happy Birthday, honey! I know you feel that we only celebrate 50 as a milestonet because we have 10 fingers and count in base ten, but I was still so glad to celebrate with you.
This morning, as early as 8am, Steven was begging to go ride his bike again. It was a perfect day so “yes” was the only option. Amaya and Sammy brought their Razor scooters (but pretty quickly wished they also had their bikes – which I had offered, but the the suggestion was resolutely turned down so note to myself and others – always pack those bikes).
Amaya and Sammy really did get the hang of those scooters, though. All three Cline kids are making some big connections with gross motor skills.
We wrapped up our weekend with a birthday party at Pump It Up. Again, progress! Last time we were around bounce houses, SSA were all very hesitant to try any of the bigger bounce houses and slides. This time, Amaya and Steven both went in some smaller bounce houses and Sammy went down every. single. slide. He loved it!!
Steven’s friend Ethen wanted to sit next to him but he insisted on sitting next to his brother. I love the loyalty and, at the same time, it also makes me glad we’re starting to do 1:1 play dates for the kids.
That was our week! On Tuesday, Sammy and I are off our big Mommy-Sammy adventure to Disneyland. We can’t wait!!*
Fair warning – we had a ton of adventures in NY this week which means a ton of photos.
Monday morning was quiet at Nana and Papa’s house before the kids headed over to Aunt Sara & Uncle Dave’s for lunch while I went out to eat with my friend Rachel. The kids have loved watching Chase and Charlie play their iPad games this week.
It was a wet, rainy day so we headed to Chuck E Cheese after everyone ate. It’s a fairly expensive outing so I implied to the kids that the Chuck E Cheese in MI is only open for birthday parties. They’ve been three times in a month, though, and I think they’ve had their fill for a bit.
Rachel was a champ and helped support and corral SSA while we were there.
Steven, watching some big kids play.
Steven’s turn.
There was this cool “photo” machine that turned your picture into an illustration. The difficult part was that you had to move left to center right and vice versa. It was very frustrating for Steven. Sammy let me manhandle him into the center.
I asked Amaya to smile for a picture for Jason and this is what I got. Funny, snarky child.
I did get a real smile when I won this ball for her in the claw game.
We went to Sara & Dave’s after Chuck E Cheese and Savta joined us. We had one happy Sam Man.
This child and her dolls…
On Tuesday we headed into Manhattan for a trip to the Central Park Zoo. I’ve been to the Bronx Zoo but I don’t think I’ve ever been to the CPZ before! It was perfect weather.
It’s a small little zoo but there are some good highlights including a great sea lion feeding, a brown bear and a snow leopard. The kids also so a penguin feedging.
Checking out a brown bear.
I think the highlight of Steven’s visit was watching an employee do some tar work on the path. He’s nothing if not consistent in his interests.
Sea lions!
Posing with the “skyscrapers” behind them.
Steven, as usual, wanted a copy of the map and wanted to be sure he knew exactly where we were at all times. In fact, before we left the zoo he asked me to take him to a spot on the map that caught his eye. (It was the location of the event tent. The tent wasn’t up but Steven stood in the spot on the map to be sure he knew where it would be if there was a special event.)
A big spider web trampoline. Steven was nervous at first but sort of got the hang of it when he saw Charlie, Amaya and Sammy jumping.
Aaaaaaaaand…
jump!
While the other kids finished jumping, Steven made friends with the goats. He named the black and white one “Cow Cow” and the largest was “Big Big”.
Feeding time! Sammy was comfortable letting the goats eat from his hand. Steven preferred to put the food on the ground in front of the goat.
Nana, Papa and the kids. <3
Papa, Aunt Sara and Chase left when we finished with the zoo and Nana and I took SSA and Charlie on a promised subway ride.
Amaya and Sammy love to try to balance. Steven prefers to sit on an end seat with me by his side. He also prefers that we carry him on to the subway.
We went two stops, walked a few blocks around Times Square, and then head back for the return trip.
Watching the oncoming train with Nana (who had a tight, tight grip on that little hand.)
On the way back, Sammy got into a conversation with the woman sitting next to him. It was so sweet. He told her all about their trip to the zoo. Steven made a friend, too, but that’s just a normal Tuesday for Steven. 🙂 )
We ended our trip with ice cream and ice pops in central park.
Sammy, asleep with his friend from the zoo – Squeeze the snake.
Wednesday was another beautiful day. SSA spent more than 5 hours outside at Aunt Sara’s house and the playground. There were tea parties, swings, a picnic lunch and more ice cream.
Amaya totally got the hang of pumping her legs on the swing on this trip!
Steven watching Sara & Dave’s gardeners moving the lawn.
We don’t really have a neighborhood for ice cream trucks so this was a must when we saw it pull up behind the playground. Steven is so happy that he realized he likes ice pops since he still isn’t interested in ice cream.
We wrapped up Wednesday with an afternoon visit from Savta.
On Thursday morning SSA helped Nana with some baking before we headed to the Hall’s Pond playground around the corner from her house.
You can always count on Sammy to help until the baking or cooking is done.
Another lovely morning!
The swings at this park are all accessible swings which is great but it also means they’re too heavy for the kids to swing themselves. I convinced Sammy and Amaya to take turns pushing each other to give me a break.
Savta!
We finished the morning at Savta’s house taking care of some yard work. Everyone was (eventually) willing to pitch in and help though there was much whining for control of the lawn mower. It was the only thing Steven wanted to use.
It was a quiet afternoon at Nana and Papa’s in advance of a sleepover with Chase and Charlie.
Charlie and Sammy played War while Amaya looked at scrapbooks with Nana and picked out fancy paper for her crafts.
Sleepover time!
Nana and Papa held down the fort while I went to a late showing of Avengers Endgame (!!!) and crashed at Sara & Dave’s house.
Good morning!!
On Friday we went to see Lion King Jr. SSA didn’t follow the entire plot but definitely got the gist and had a great time.
Amaya wanted photos with all of the actors.
Steven wanted a picture so badly but couldn’t pull the trigger. “I can’t decide! Oh, I wish I could decide. I just can’t decide!”
Finally, he made the decision to take a picture as long as I was in it with him.
Can’t come to NY without a trip to the Nunley’s Carousel. This time all three Cline kids rode on horses, not just the bench. Amaya and Steven even went for the moving horses.
It was no surprise that Steven needed to talk to the attendant to find out how everything works.
SSA were very excited to stop by Uncle Dave’s parent’s house to meet their dog, Millie. Even Amaya, who’s pretty scared of dogs, pet Millie very briefly (while I held her in my arms). Sammy was in heaven.
On Saturday, our final day, we spent the day at Aunt Sara’s bookended by lots of Lego time at Nana and Papa’s house. There was one complete set with instructions that Steven and Amaya tag teamed on throughout the day. At Sara’s house, the kids were not deterred by cold weather and spent a couple of hours playing superheroes outside.
Sammy made his own fun while Steven and Amaya built.
And off we went today, back to MI. Steven said he was blue (sad) because we were leaving but yellow (happy) to see Daddy. That sounds about right!
Engrossed in The Lion King.
Steven asked to sit next to the friendly stranger on this flight.
Amaya spent a good portion of the flight working on fashions.
And we’re home to Daddy!
While I unpacked and caught up on work, Jason spent a good portion of the afternoon outside with the kids using stomp rockets at our house and, later on, riding bikes at the elementary school. It was a happy return. <3
And that’s it for our wonderful vacation week in New York! Tomorrow it’s back to routine for the Clines. Have a great week!
I’m going to jump around a bit this week and start with Thursday when I woke up to birthday surprises from my family. Jason surprised me with a new Lego set that I was coveting. Madison took the kids to pick out flowers for me and they decorated vases to hold them. <3
The day before… 🙂
When I got to work my office was all decked out with a very thoughtful theme.
Three years running, my favorite little people came to join me for a birthday lunch. <3 <3 <3
This face.
Some of my colleagues were commenting about how SSA used to be so shy and tentative in our office but now walk (run) around like they own the place.
Wrapping up a lovely day, Jason and I enjoyed a crab dinner together.
Friday morning we said our “see you laters” to Jason because it was NEW YORK day! Yay!
When Madison picked the kids up from school, Amaya said, “Let’s hit the road! Or, as they say, let’s hit the Passover road!” Sammy said, “I’m so ready to be off from school. I’m sick of getting in trouble.” lol. Though, for the record, he did earn a star on Friday and earn his next prize.
Off we go!! This trip I decided it’s time to start walking more so we transitioned from the double stroller to a single. My goal was for the kids to walk as much as possible and use the stroller to haul the four backpacks, if needed. We were semi-successful with that but, to be fair, we were all the way down at the end of the airport.
The “I’m going to make you pay for not letting me do what I want to do” sulk. When I called Amaya on her attitude later on and suggested she might not earn m&ms she told me, “Every time I was whining I was I was just pranking you!” Nice try, kiddo.
We made it to the gate with about 15 minutes to spare before boarding. Perfect timing.
Secrets! “I love you, Sammy.”
The gate agent let the kids scan their boarding passes. You can see how much they loved it on Sammy’s face.
Our original flight was scheduled to leave at 5:45pm. Shortly after 3, on the way to the airport, I got a text that our flight was delayed until 8:10pm. Luckily, I was able to very quickly move to another flight that had been delayed since 3:45pm and was scheduled to leave at 5:50pm. Perfect!
Bubbalish, sitting next to a friendly stranger (who really was very friendly).
Steven read the safety booklet for a good 20 minutes lol. He and Amaya also watched the Beauty and the Beast cartoon for the first time. Sammy started it but got a little nervous and stopped halfway through.
I take a million pictures of random things. I know. But I remember when the boys, especially Steven, were terrified of hand dryers. No big deal now!
Saturday morning, Nana dove right in to Passover prep. She had some helpers along the way.
Cousins!!
Sammy asked about Savta every 30 minutes or so until she finally arrived. Earlier in the week, Amaya said she was going to live with Elsa when she grows up. Steven is going to live with Captain America. Sammy is going to live with Savta. <3
Watching Chasey build minecraft buildings. Steven and Amaya had lots of suggestions.
Savta, holding court.
Auntie, Dod Shuki, Joe, Nicole, Eli, and Dalia came for dessert along with The Honigs (Laney and Steve) and the Lewises (Shelley, Michael, Nate, and Theo).
Seder time!
Uncle Austin and Krissie
Tasting “kid wine” aka grape juice.
We started today with a quiet morning at Nana and Papa’s house followed by a delicious brunch.
Family photo time! <3
Auntie joined us and Steven made sure she felt loved.
Papa took Charlie, Steven, Sammy and Amaya on a short nature walk.
Sharing their finds with us…
Steven didn’t want to let Auntie go and Auntie doesn’t end cuddles so, for a while, there was a good question as to whether or not Auntie was going to get to leave. (Auntie is Nana’s sister???)
Amaya spent a long time talking to Savta about Savta’s family and childhood.
By afternoon we needed to get out of the house and the weather was gorgeous so we hit up the playground at Chase & Charlie’s school.
Dinner at Aunt Sara & Uncle Dave’s! It’s getting so much easier. I remember when the kids were younger and getting them home and to bed after dinner at the Goldbergs felt like so much work. It’s not easy now, but it’s easier by a very meaningful measure. (I can say that about this entire trip. A lot of it is the kids’ age but I also think a big part is the routine of visiting. This is the 11th trip all three have made to NY and there’s a lot of familiarity in our visits.)
Swinging! Jason and I are working on getting a play set in our backyard so it was nice to see how much time the kids spent playing out back. (Though they’re all still scared to climb up to the top of the slide and come back down. Hopefully our own play set will help with that.) Amaya has even gotten the hang of pumping her leg and can truly swing on her own. Hooray!! More freedom at the playground for me! I’m guessing having our own swings will help the boys get it, too.
A little more from earlier in the week….
This month’s STEM gift from Grandma Sunshine arrived and SSA are obsessed. It’s a kit where they build variations of a marble run and, here, Amaya was crying because it just arrived and I told them it was too late to open it that night. I relented, though. It’s kind of rough on a 5 year old to show them a new gift and tell them they need to wait until the next day to play with hit.
By just a day or two later, the connections got even more elaborate.
Steven, making sure our living room measurements are correct.
Amaya’s artwork. A building on the beach is on fire. There are also 3 color monsters visiting the area.
I love how she sets up her bed with her dolls.
A few months ago, Amaya told me she wanted a necklace with pictures of her family. I told her I could get one for her but it would have to go in her prize bag to earn as a prize. This week, she picked it. Jason and I are on one side and she and her brothers are on the other.
Madison has done a great job teaching the kids to clear their plates after they eat. Now it’s time to work on washing their dishes. I’m not going to be household dish doer for the next 13 years so I want to start this early. As long as they’re using the smaller plates and bowls they can get the job done. I also ordered a step stool that’s a touch higher so they can reach the water facet more easily. It takes supervision and they need practice but we’re on our way.
Steven had a rough evening on Wednesday which resulted in him staying up later than usual and getting to watch a “late” night show with me. He even got to pet Sally! She’s coming around. Slowly. 🙂
The sweet boy didn’t even have to sleep in his own bed.
My colleagues got me a New York coloring book for my birthday and Amaya quickly appropriated the page with dresses so she could color in some “styles”. She worked on it before bed and then again before school and even had a name for each of her designs.
Finally, a super cute picture of Jason and Amaya from Wednesday night.
That’s all for this week. We’re ready for 6 more days in NY!
The weather is so crazy this month! Sunshine. SNOW. Rain. Sunshine. I can’t keep up. We’re definitely trying to make the most of nice days, though. The kids got outside for some soccer on Monday afters school.
When I left for work on Monday, Steven still had his splinter. He bravely asked Madison to try to remove it and she did! Easy peasy(ish). I definitely think this is one of those things left to someone other than “mommy”.
Tuesday afternoon I left work early and met Madison and SSA at their school for a Passover party. It’s so special that I can make it to events like this. We’re all really going to miss this school next year.
Steven, Sammy and Amaya with their center director, Ms. Shannon. She’s wonderful, and a big part of what makes the school so special.
We were among the first there which meant we had our pick of matzah toppings. Sammy and Amaya went straight for frosting. Steven was excited for jelly and berry flavored cream cheese. Everyone got chocolate chips.
After eating we decorated Afikomen bags. Sammy drew the solar system. Steven dedicated his to his family. Amaya did a fashion design.
There was an opportunity to make our own matzah but I knew the kids were doing it at school the next day so we skipped that activity and saved it for their school day.
Amaya and Madison!
SSA wrapped up the evening with yoga with Ms. Marlee. I can’t believe how far Sammy has come. He was shy and a bit reticent when we did yoga last year but he dove right in, even without Amaya and Steven by his side.
Steven was content to watch.
I had a morning meeting in downtown Northville on Wednesday so, afterward, I popped into the ceramics place to get the pieces Amaya and I made on her play date. She did her fairy entirely by herself with the exception of the eyes and mouth.
Amaya loved hers and I think the boys were happy, too. Though Sammy asked me to make him vanilla/chocolate swirl next time lol.
At bedtime… I feel like Amaya is maturing at an accelerated pace.
Dance time on Thursday.
Watching the big kids.
In the evening, Amaya was angry because one of the brothers was using something of hers. Jason was trying to explain that she wasn’t using it so it wasn’t harming her for her brother to use her toy. He used an example of me using something of his when he was away last weekend. She wasn’t having it. “You should be mad!”
Thursday was National Pet Day so I need to throw my sweet Sally some love. <3
Checking out a worm after school on Friday. No one would touch it. I love worms so I’ll have to show the kids how it’s done.
Amaya made this picture for Charlie. My favorite touch is the person in the water.
Stencils are big these days. (Though Amaya likes to pretend she didn’t use the stencil to make her art. “I saw the stencil but decided not to use it.”)
You can always count on Sammy to do his own thing. 🙂
And the kid has always known how to lounge.
Saturday was Family Day! We’re starting to outgrow our living room furniture and need a new couch. Everyone was hard at work mapping the area.
So proud of how she does her own hair.
We have three kids who are still afraid of escalators. 🙂
Right at home furniture shopping…
Smart people – giving kids colored pencils and paper so parents can shop.
Steven wandered around putting items “on his list”. “Is this for sale?”
Checking the floor plans for accuracy.
Family lunch! Food courts will always remind me of the early days with huge strollers, or that wagon, and all the stuff we had to travel around with. Life is getting much easier.
Pick-a-brick at the lego store. They picked their bricks totally true to type. Steven was methodical and analyzed every piece. Amaya moved through with precision but speed. Sammy grabbed handfuls of anything that looked cool.
This face!! I can’t wait for our upcoming trip to Disneyland!
We rounded out our day with a trip to Kids Gotta Play to look at play sets. It’s time! Now we just need to make a final decision, level some grass and get going. (This is going to be a gross motor growth opportunity for our trio who readily climb up but, like sweet little cats, are afraid to come down.)
Ready for spring in his new Fluttershy t-shirt.
During FaceTime at bedtime, Steven wrote this message for Nana (“Steven is sad”) and told her that he could change it to “Steven is happy” if Aunt Sara was also available on FaceTime.
Sweet, sweet boy. He said, “Can you believe my name was named after your daddy? My name is almost the same as Poppy Steven’s except he also has ‘Poppy’ in his name and I don’t.” When I kissed him he said, “Did you kiss me because I told you about Poppy Steven?” He just knows.
This morning the kids asked me to play some game where some of us were good dinosaurs and bad dinosaurs and I was a bad turtle. To get into character I taped a pillow to my back and, almost immediately, Steven decided he needed to be a turtle, too. And that we should take pictures. <3 Photo credit to Amaya for the first and Sammy for the second.
Today was Steven’s big play date with his friend Ethen. Ethen and his mom just moved to MI in January and he and Steven took to each other immediately. We met up for brunch and then Ethen and his mom came back to our house.
Sammy and Amaya were eating lunch when we got back and Sammy got very uncomfortable with the idea of being downstairs in his pajamas. He went upstairs where Jason let him finish his lunch and settle a bit. Eventually he warmed up and came down, PJs and all.
Play time!
As previously promised to Sammy, he and I had game time – just us – today. One on one time definitely matters to the kids. So does a sense of fairness in their time with their parents.
Amaya got a turn, too. This is her “Eeeek! It might fall soon” face.
And this is her cry of victory over her poor mommy.
A few years ago, November 2016 I think, there was a sale on some co-op mask and cape sets for PJ Masks. We didn’t watch the show at the time but it’s two boys and a girl and the girl’s name is Amaya! I got the sets in case SSA ever got into the show. They’re starting to watch now and, amazingly, I knew exactly where I was storing these.
<3 <3
Sammy is my kitchen helper. For years, he’s been the one who wants to be self-sufficient in the kitchen and help out in the kitchen. Tonight he made our Caesar salad and then had a blast doing the dishes.
“When you see how I straightened up my room you’ll be so impressed!” “I did the bed myself!”
I need to go put Steven to bed in his beautifully organized room. He wants to sleep on his “picnic blanket” and have me put him in bed after he falls asleep so we’ll see how that goes.
I leave you with one last picture of sweet Sal from just moments ago.
On Monday morning I got a call at 7:15am as I was contemplating getting up and waiting for Madison to arrive at 7:30am. Madison’s car had trouble and she was stuck on the side of the highway. Jason was already on his way to an 8am meeting. The kids hadn’t eaten. Sammy wasn’t dressed. School is about 30 minutes away. I had a 9am meeting with my boss. ACK!
Steven, Sammy and Amaya rallied for me! I think they were excited about the change in routine. I let them eat breakfast – Mommy Yogurts – in the bathroom while I showered & got ready and then they got to eat a 2nd Mommy Yogurt each while we drove to school. (Mommy Yogurts have more sugar than their yogurt lol.)
We were out the door in about 30 minutes and I called the school on my way hoping they’d be staffed to let me drop the kids off early. They were! And I made it to work at about the same time I normally do. Amazing.
One casualty of the morning was Amaya’s hair. 🙂 She was rocking her rolled-out-of-bed look along with this special outfit she picked out.
Madison took the day off and I had an afternoon meeting I couldn’t miss so Jason took the afternoon off. Sammy was complaining of an ear ache so Jason took the kids to the doctor to get him checked out. Sammy was fine but had a strep test to show for his trouble.
Post-strep test treat!
Madison was back on Tuesday and it was nice enough for the kids to get outside for a little while. Sammy loved this huuuuuuuge stick.
Tuesday, after Amaya’s shower, Madison prepped her hair for t-shirt curls. I was so curious to see how it would turn out.
Holy cow! Amaya didn’t even look like herself with these curls. I can’t believe how curly her hair was and what a difference it made in her appearance. She absolutely loved it.
I love this picture. I really can’t believe how old SSA are getting. I see pictures like this and I can so clearly see 10 year old Amaya.
Jason and I both had time for after-work cuddles with the kids on Tuesday night.
“Mommy – do pictures with funny things on our faces.”
Sammy has almost outgrown his latest W For Wookie shirt. I think this is his 3rd one and I just ordered his fouth – in the largest size available. I love the consistency of Sammy having this shirt (and Steven with is R2D2 shirt) across the years.
SSA are studying space at school, which had led to lots of conversations about outer space and the universe. At bedtime on Thursday, Steven was so sad that it was still light out and he couldn’t see the stars. I knew it was going to be too cloudy, even after dark, but I let him stay up a little bit later than usual and we went outside to see what we could see. Even though it was too cloudy to see stars, the opportunity to put on his shoes and coat and go outside after bedtime was so exciting. I can remember moments like that from when I was a kid (watching a lunar eclipse with my mom) and it’s fun to get to do the same thing with my own kids.
After Steven goes to bed at night, he always asks me to come check on him in shalosh minutes. (That’s “three” in Hebrew.) This week he asked me how to say “minutes” in Hebrew. I wasn’t sure so I looked it up and told him that it’s “dah-kah”. Steven corrected me said, “No, I think it’s ‘dah-coat'”. Sure enough, he was right. I was using the singular “minute” and he remembered the plural from when Nana came to visit. He really does have a spectacular memory.
On Friday morning, the kids said goodbye to Jason before he left for work because, that evening, Jason was starting the drive to Minneapolis for the Final Four!
We had a quiet Friday night. Cuddles, bedtime and tv time for me.
“Are you going to send this picture to Daddy?”
Amaya came in to wake up up on Saturday, already dressed and with this new “style” for her hair. 🙂
Sammy wanted to try it, too.
We spent the early part of the day playing games. Steven is getting pretty good at memory. Sammy doesn’t pay enough attention (yet) to find matches besides by accident. Scrabble is a pretty long game but Steven and Amaya made it about halfway through together.
Steven and Sammy playing My Little Pony Guess Who?
Haircuts for The Brothers! This was Sammy’s first salon cut in about 3 years. He was nervous but realized pretty quickly that there was nothing to be afraid of. As you can see, Amaya wore her new style out.
Nothing like TV to keep these three focused and patient.
Sammy explaining “flash bees”. (Creatures from MLP.)
A happy kid talking to his Savta!
The weather was gorgeous yesterday! It was in the high 60s and sunny. Like, what seemed like most of our neighbors, we headed to the “wooden playground”. Steven, Sammy and Amaya can play so much more independently this year. It’s awesome. The only challenge at this particular playground is that the swings are set so high the kids can’t get on them by themselves. But, Amaya has learned to pump her legs on the swing! My announcement that I wasn’t going to stand and push them for an hour was probably good motivation.
Sammy got lots of compliments on his shirt!
A splinter finally sent us home. 🙁 On the way to the playground we happened to have been talking about the time Steven got a splinter in NY. I think it was 2.5 yrs ago but of course he remembers. In this picture he was explaining that, if a manticore got a splinter, you’d hear it roaring all through the playground.
24 hours later and the splinter is still stuck. We’ve got a baking soda paste working it’s magic under some band-aids. Fingers crossed we can get this sucker out without too much effort.
We had big evening plans so I convinced the kids to try to nap for an hour so they could stay up late. Amaya and Steven went to bed with no issue. Sammy fought me on it until I told him that he didn’t have to sleep – he could just hang out in his bed with puppy. Of course he fell asleep. 🙂
After naps we played outside for a while and then headed to dinner reservations at Garage. SSA were great. It’s so nice to be able to take them out for dinner and really enjoy our time together instead of just manage the process of being out with all of them.
Amaya and Steven played tic-tac-toe. Big kids!
Sammy ate his entire meal and I had to order a second set of burgers for him!
Our big evening adventure was a sleepover in our master bedroom! At first I thought I’d share the king with all three kids but realized quickly that no one would get good sleep. I was able to convince the kids to split up between the master bed, an air mattress and a huge bean bag. Steven even brought in his own bean bag for his “aminals”. All three of them brought most of the contents of their own beds for the night. (And, for what it’s worth, they were clear with me that it wasn’t really a sleepover because they were in their own house.)
We watched the end of the Auburn/Virginia game. (Sammy: This is the longest half a second ever!) Then we watched one episode of the new season of MLP and a bit of the Sparty game. Everyone but Sammy was scorin’ for the Spartys.
Steven bought the telescope out again, once he noticed it was dark. It was a clear night so I took the kids outside, one by one, to look at the stars. I realized this was a first for them! In the winter, when it’s dark early, we don’t go outside at night. In the summer, it’s light out for too long. I don’t think they’ve ever had a chance to stargaze!
Steven went first and was curious to know how we know if it’s a star or a planet.
Sammy was completely taken.
“Can you believe how beautiful and bright the stars are? They light the night.” “I see some lights that aren’t glowing as brightly so I know they’re planets.” “The sun is the main star but we can’t see it when it’s nighttime.” “Did you have any idea the stars are so beautiful and twinkly?”
It was pretty amazing to share that wonder with him.
Amaya told me the stars were “amazing” and then asked if we could sing Twinkle Twinkle to them. So we did.
We had a long, quiet day at home before a dinnertime birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. The kids spent a good amount of time playing in the backyard.
Sammy collected his weight in rocks. When he came in, we went through an exercise where we each said whether or not we liked the rock. If we both liked it, we put it in one square on the table. If we both didn’t like it, we put it in another square. If we were split, we put the rock on a “line” between the squares. He was totally into it which managed to hold my attention while we looked at at least 50 different rocks. 🙂
We rounded out our weekend with a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. After the party two weeks ago, the kids were so excited! Wow, it’s loud there. But I can see exactly whey the kids like it so much. Endless games for two hours plus pizza, punch, cake and prizes. What’s not to like!?!?
Steven wanted me closes by to collect his tickets. Sammy wanted to check in now and then. Amaya wanted to pretend I wasn’t there.
Steven was super cute playing air hockey with other kids, often ones he didn’t even know. He’ll talk to anyone!
I’d come upon Amaya just doing her own thing. She wasn’t interested in playing with her school friends, either. She just wanted to play the games.
She doesn’t even know I’m there.
So many tickets! I thought Steven was going to end up with the least but he wound up winning more than double both Sammy and Amaya. Now sure how he pulled that off!
Sammy was focused. He had the games he liked and was set on earning tickets. He was the only one who wanted to know who collected the most.
Steven was excited to sit next to his friend Ethen.
Everyone was so funny with Chuck E! Sammy ran right up to him.
See Steven sneaking into a picture?
I did not try very hard before I left the house. No one cared, especially not my children.
They had a blast!
Now everyone is in bed and Jason is nearing the end of his long road trip home to us. <3
Some artwork from this week…
The kids drew photos of their best friends.
Amaya picked Ms. Bri.
Steven picked Ethan.
Sammy picked Madison. (It’s interesting. Sammy is hardest on Madison but he also has these times when he clearly demonstrates that he cares about her.)
Amaya put together a “photo book” Inside are all sorts of ladies in fashions. Amaya will tell you that she only likes things that are fashionable.
Here’s an example of Fashions by Amaya
Steven saw Amaya’s Photo Book and decided to make a book of his own. This boy has such love for his family. <3
Showing his family book to Daddy
Last but not least – photos from Jason’s adventure to Minneapolis!
